In A/E/C firms, particularly the larger firms, marketing staff often complain that they are not treated as part of the team. They are not included in some of the firm's recognition/awards programs, they accrue vacation at a slower rate than technical staff, they are relegated to the lower tier of raises and bonuses with other non-technical staff. And in many cases, it's true.
There's a reason for this.
In order to survive and thrive, A/E/C firms must constantly sell new work. Contracted revenues are potential, but not actual. They are not actual until someone works on the project and bills their hours. Then, when the client pays the invoices, those potential revenues become actual revenues—and part of the firm's bottom line.
Although marketers bring in new projects, sometimes million-dollar projects, they rarely have billable hours, so they are often not seen as contributing to the firm's bottom line (i.e. actual revenues).
The following sections present four places where marketers can generate billable hours: internal project tasks, external project tasks, client public relations, and client operations.
Internal Project Tasks— these tasks could include the editing of project technical reports (very few firms hire technical staff for their writing ability), designing of report covers and developing project graphics; creating quality assurance/quality control and user manuals; designing construction site signage; and taking project photographs before, during and after construction.
External Project Tasks— these tasks are mostly related to public involvement, and can include organizing and facilitating focus groups to determine community attitudes; helping to develop public education programs; scheduling and handling the logistics for public meetings; developing slide/video presentations and displays/exhibits for agency meetings; creating presentations/exhibits and hand-outs for public meetings and hearings; creating and updating project newsletters and websites for stakeholders, project team members, and the general public; writing and placing articles about the project for local and broader-based media outlets; taking notes at public meetings and preparing them for distribution to stakeholders and the community; and documenting public meetings photographically.
Client Public Relations Tasks— these tasks might include creating press releases and a variety of public announcements for client activities; creating client presentations to governing bodies and community groups; creating copy and graphics for brochures, newsletters, websites, and hand-outs for client use; coordinating with client and print media regarding use of project and other client-owned images; and developing client submittals for technical and other award programs.
Client Operations— these might include creating grant application packages for the client to submit; helping the client to develop marketing strategies for their services and/or products; and assisting in prequalifying contractors to construct client projects using a set of standard questions and a scoring matrix.
Marketing staff have supervisors who constantly remind them of the need to win! Win! WIN!
Technical staff have supervisors who constantly remind them of the need for BILLABLE HOURS!
Sometimes it's hard to believe that two groups with such different goals could be working toward the same end — working on the same team.
I don't suggest that marketers will often (or ever) reach the 70% or 80% billable hours levels that most technical staff reach. But any billable hours for marketing staff makes it easier to both groups to believe "we're all part of the same team."