Righteous Indignation June 21, 2010
Posted by Jason in Insider's View Relapses.Tags: Clients, Communication, Working
add a comment
Whether you like it or not, your professional engineering career is specifically geared toward clients who likely do not understand the technical design process. You are, after all, the professional. It’s easy to develop the sense that were it not for your unique skills, your clients would surely not be able to accomplish their goals. But, as we’ve discussed before, engineering education and licensure are merely the price of admission. More experienced engineers (more…)
Avoiding Tunnel Vision February 22, 2010
Posted by Jason in Daily PM.Tags: Clients, Ethics
add a comment
I just finished some light reading – supposedly non-business related – only to have a reinforced opinion that there are connections everywhere. Granted, the book being non-fiction automatically puts it into the realm of being about real people – and what is business but dealing with real people?
The book itself might seem of little consequence to engineers, managers, or consultants. “Paramedic: On The Front Lines of Medicine” by Peter Canning, an EMT from Connecticut, is about his years performing medicine “on the streets”. In the early chapters, we learn a bit about what it takes to become a paramedic. One of the most critical items is to avoid the “tunnel vision” that accompanies arriving on a scene with preconceived ideas about what you will find – regardless of how the incident was reported.
It should be abundantly obvious that this attitude is just as important in non-life threatening situations as well. It comes down to the question of how well you have been trained to properly assess your client’s needs and act appropriately, regardless of why you got the phone call in the first place.
Maybe you have been asked to improve the client’s profitability. He doesn’t know what the problem is, he just has general symptoms: not meeting goals, poor morale, and lack of new customers. Do you jump in and recommend a new marketing campaign? Round up the employees to discuss “change management”? How could you possibly suggest a solution without taking some time to understand the operations and the root causes of these symptoms?
You can’t.
To do your job properly, you must assume very little. It is safe to assume that the company craves profitability, just as the paramedic bases immediate care on oxygen and blood flow. But beyond that, it requires an in-depth examination. The problem? Neither patient enjoys being examined. But you’ve got to get the gloves on and get in there.
Don’t try to solve the wrong problem and do more harm.
Seeking Compensation July 11, 2009
Posted by Jason in Daily PM.Tags: Clients, Commodity, Compensation, Pricing
add a comment
It is common for service professionals to be sought out for advice “on the side”. I regularly might provide some helpful insights into a particular situation, but any such advice is usually not worth much more than the recipient is paying for it. The problem is that for someone to spend enough time on a particular problem to provide a truly helpful and customized answer fairly requires that they be compensated for it.
While it’s hard enough to broach the subject when your “client” is an informal acquaintance (perhaps someone you just met at a conference for instance), it’s all the more difficult when dealing with close friends. Then there is the additional question of whether a bit of upfront pro bono work will lead to a longer term (and profitable) relationship.
A recent question came up in which an experienced professional was having trouble turning his expertise into a “going concern”. He was experiencing a recurring case of providing some value to at least one other party (usually a larger corporation considering particular strategic decisions), but couldn’t figure out how to transition it into a paying job. The following is a very loose summary of my advice: (more…)
Engineering Your Marketing July 2, 2009
Posted by Jason in Insider's View Relapses.Tags: Clients, Marketing
add a comment
One of the most important activities we can undertake is marketing our engineering services. But, what about the other way around: Can marketing be “engineered”? Marketing is simply the application of various tools to improve a business’s exposure to its clients and the public. Similarly, engineering is the application of various physical laws to the natural and built environment.
For those not long out of school, or otherwise sheltered from business management, the two disciplines could not seem more disconnected. Many may have learned the similarities the hard way—with the marketing equivalent of watching a bridge collapse. What would it take to synthesize engineering methods with the tools of the marketing trade? (more…)
Two Laws June 10, 2009
Posted by Jason in Daily PM.Tags: Clients, Management, Time
add a comment
Please read my latest guest blog at “How to Manage a Camel”:
