Business development (BD) in the construction industry is a continual building and re-building of mutually beneficial relationships. Although this practice of building and re-building relationships was surely tested over the past year, BD professionals still found unique and creative ways to connect. Whether that was through a LinkedIn virtual leads group or setting records for the greatest number of video meetings in one day, BD professionals certainly adopted their practices to fit the needs of their clientele.
As we are called on to shift our business practices during this 鈥渞eturn to the office鈥 boom, BD professionals must once again find creative ways to reconnect with clients and also connect with new ones. Based on your clients鈥 levels of comfortability, consider these best practices to re-engage and rebuild.
1. Do Your People Research 鈥 It goes without saying that this past year has brought about many changes in both people鈥檚 professional and personal lives. Several long-term professionals retired, others transitioned to another construction or A/E/C industry firm, some people moved across the nation to be closer to family, and others left the construction industry all together.
Start by mining your LinkedIn connections to find out which firms your clients are currently working at, and take note of any profile updates like:
- Did they receive a promotion in the past year?
- Are they pursuing their own business venture now?
- Did they start volunteering for a cause they are passionate about?
Most of us have not had recent, active experience with speaking face to face with clients, so take the time to prepare and relearn how to engage with the person you would like to sit across from you.
2. Say Thank You 鈥 Once you have done your people research, start categorizing your list of clients to identify:
- Who have you worked closely with over the past year, but have not connected with in a while?
- Who have you NOT worked with over the past year, and need to reconnect with?
- Who do you WANT to work with over this coming year, and how can you either meet that person, or find a mutual connection point?
If you are having a difficult time figuring out what to even say to your clients, start with 鈥淭hank you.鈥 It is never too late to say, 鈥渢hank you鈥 and reach out to that professional contact for supporting you and your firm over this past year. By reaching out and scheduling that thank you lunch or happy hour, not only can you 鈥減roperly鈥 thank that person for remaining a client, but also learn more about how this past year affected them both professionally and personally. Sometimes just listening is the best way to reconnect with someone and show them you are generally interested in their professional development.
These thank you interactions can also be an opportunity to learn about future projects during the course of your conversation without directly asking 鈥淲hat is your next project and how can I be a part of it?鈥 Some examples of leading questions to ask for future business include:
- What are you looking forward to most over the summer? Or in the fall?
- How will you do business differently moving forward?
- What did you miss most when we were actively working together?
3. Get Involved (In-Person) 鈥 Once you have started incorporating your own personal one-on-one networking get-togethers into your BD calendar, make sure you are re-engaging with your local industry associations. If you were not active in the past, now is the time to become a member of your local 麻豆传媒 chapter, or the (SMPS) local chapter or other industry associations, to build your network of personal connections.
The next few months will be filled with golf tournaments, open-air meet and greets, and local community outdoor clean-ups where you can reconnect with previous contacts and establish new ones. Invite your clients to these events or go solo to interact with new people, as these events are often times operating at smaller capacities and are selling out more quickly.
Another way to become more involved and reconnect with others is to join a committee within these industry associations. BD professionals have continued to meet virtually throughout the past year and have remained tied to others via their volunteer work. Regularly scheduled committee meetings (whether virtual or in-person) are a great way to continuously stay connected without having to schedule your own follow-up meeting with someone.
4. Approach with Caution 鈥 Some clients will still not feel comfortable reconnecting in-person, but there is still an opportunity to rebuild those relationships as well. Based on your client鈥檚 preferred method of communication, schedule a call, send a text or host a video call completely unrelated to business simply just to check-in.
Most of us have been functioning in reactive mode where we are so focused on clearing out our inboxes with immediate needs, that taking the time to have an actual conversation with another human being is refreshing. Bring conversations back that do not revolve around what you may need from that person and more about how you both survived this past year. Celebrate personal victories, commiserate over shared challenges and allow yourself to reconnect as human beings again.
Like our construction projects, beneficial business development relationships take time to build and require lots of preparation, especially as we all start to reconnect. Take the time to learn what has changed for your clients over the past year and find ways to both rebuild your connections and break ground for new BD relationships.
About the Author: is the Owner and Principal of , a marketing communication firm. She has over 18 years of experience in marketing communication with a focus on professional writing and digital marketing content for the A/E/C industry. Ms. Wanzer developed this passion for the built environment and an in-depth knowledge of the A/E/C industry by working, over the last 13 years, with engineers, architects, project managers, superintendents, principals, and project executives from various firms in Colorado and across the nation. After working in-house at two A/E/C firms, she launched Business Rewritten in 2015, and has since provided insightful professional writing, targeted social media messaging, and strategic business development and marketing strategies to over 20 A/E/C firms. Business Rewritten also supports the Associated General Contractors of Colorado and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado, as a PR and marketing consultant, for their public relations, social media and professional writing needs. In addition, Ms. Wanzer鈥檚 professional writing has been published by numerous entities, including ENR Mountain States, Water World Magazine, Denver Business Journal, Colorado Biz Magazine, and the Colorado Real Estate Journal.