All architecture and engineering firms could accomplish more and create more “selling time” by training and coaching their technical, marketing, and business development staff. 

Here are 12 things to try with your staff to pump up your BD muscle:

1. Share your strategy.  Get staff across your firm to understand, comment on, and even question your strategy. The more they know, the more they can help.

2. Take staff to client meetings. Bring one extra person to your next client meeting. Ensure their engagement by giving them a small role in the meeting, asking them to produce notes, and requesting that they participate in follow up.

3. Attend a webinar. Sign up a small team to participate, then ask each person to put one idea into practice over the next week.

4. Participate in a client planning session. The next time you get a team together to talk about client strategy, get a bigger room and expand the group. Ask new participants to engage in strategy discussions and offer at least 3 ideas while brainstorming possible actions.

5. Sit in on a contract review. Don’t limit a contract review to only management personnel. Bring a new face to your next session so they can become familiar with schedule, financial, and contract expansion dialog.

6. Perform a client satisfaction survey. Go beyond “how are we doing” questions. Engage clients in a discussion of new trends in their business and how they view consultants supporting response to these trends.

7. Participate in proposal reviews. But don’t have staff read proposals that were already submitted. Make them an active part of reviewing and refining documents as they are developed.

8. Attend a proposal debrief. Listening to clients evaluate your technical approach, staffing, and pricing is a great way to develop an understanding of what to ask while positioning for the next project.

9. Read a business best seller. Schedule a weekly session during which you discuss one chapter at a time. This breaks a book into manageable chunks, and encourages interaction as you discuss how concepts can be applied to your business.

10. Attend a conference or industry event. When conferences are nearby and travel expenses low, bring a helping hand with you. Ask your colleague to visit at least 10 competitor or supplier booths, collect business cards and marketing collateral, and schedule at least one follow-up meeting with the top prospect for new business.

11. Participate in teaming discussions. A lot can be learned by listening to competitors and partners discuss what they know about a client and opportunity. When you have someone help you put together materials to prepare for a meeting, bring them along with you so they can see how the information is used.

12. Lead a capture planning session. There’s far less pressure when you are only dealing with members of your own firm, so have a junior staff member run your next pursuit meeting. It will be fine, and you’ll be there to jump in a help steer the discussion if it gets off track.

This article is an excerpt from PSMJ's recently released Turning Your Doers into Sellers. In this free ebook, we help you navigate through some of the thornier parts of getting started as well as implementing a realistic and successful Seller-Doer program.