Teachers are a prime example of this disconnect. Parents send their children to school 25-30 hours week for nine months of the year. They hope the teachers will help socialize their children and impart important skills and knowledge to them. They are pleased that teachers spend additional hours outside the classroom. They also expect teachers in the early years to pay out-of-pocket to stock their classrooms with basic materials like crayons, construction paper, paste, scissors, rulers, etc. But when it comes to paychecks, they think of teachers as glorified baby sitters for whom $40,000 is adequate compensation. Parents value the skills their children are taught, but don't value the people teaching those skills.
On a more personal note, I spent many years as a cabaret entertainer. In many clubs, the piano was played eight hours each day, seven days each week. So these pianos get out of tune quickly. But when an entertainer asks the manager for a tuning, it gets chalked up to a "prima donna pianist" wanting perfection. The tuner never got called until the piano was so badly out of tune that customers complained.
In a former A/E/C marketing position, an engineering leader complained that the planning/environmental group had a much higher proposal success rate, and asked what our marketers did for that group that we weren't doing for the engineers. We replied, "We're doing our jobs, because they recognize our skills and knowledge, and let us do what we are trained to do; we will do the same for you if you let us." Marketing staff were paid reasonably well, but many technical folks seemed to think the professional initials after their own names meant they knew everything about everything. So with no knowledge of marketing, they insisted on telling the marketing staff what to do, and how and when to do it. Then, when they weren't selected for a project, it was OUR fault.
In another assignment, my firm acquired a well-respected municipal engineering firm specializing in municipal utility infrastructure. As a branch office, the acquired group was led by the man (Bill) who had been their primary owner. As we worked together on their first post-acquisition proposal, Bill mentioned that he hated to write proposals and any other non-technical pieces.
So I offered him a deal: "Bill, if you will promise not to write any proposals, I promise not to design any wastewater treatment plants."
"DONE!" he said, and shook my hand to seal the deal. I became a valued member of his team, providing a service to him that he deemed important.
The A/E/C industry is a profession populated mostly by experts. Whether they are engineers, architects, planners, surveyors, environmental scientists, or others, every A/E/C firm is aware of the value of its technical expertise and the people who provide it.
Marketers are trained to understand and provide great marketing and business development skills. We have skills in areas for which technical folks get no training. We know how to plan and write proposals, SOQs, website text, articles, newsletters, and other related pieces. And we like talking to people, and relish opportunities to interact with clients.
So help us when we ask, but please let the marketing/business development experts do their jobs.