The Seller-Doer model of business development is as old as the architecture, engineering, and construction professions. “Catching what you eat” (or “killing what you eat”) is a phrase often used to describe the model. According to the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), “Seller-doers are technical staff who are also responsible for billable hours and, to some degree, for securing contracts or projects for their respective firms.” They are sometimes referred to as doer-sellers or closer-doers.
Project executives, project managers, lead architects and engineers, estimators, principals, vice presidents, market champions, partners, branch managers, and more – all professionals often tasked with both bringing in work as well as doing (or leading) the work.
In some firms, seller-doers are the only business developers. In other firms, dedicated business developers are employed. And in still other firms, a combination of both models is utilized.
Although it seems silly to hire a person who has no training in sales to go do business development, that’s often what happens in the A/E/C industry. As technical professionals are hired or promoted into certain positions, they are told to “go get work.” Yet they are given no training or resources to succeed. Sound familiar? According to SMPS research, almost two-thirds of firms in the industry don’t provide training to seller-doers!
Sounds like a recipe for failure!
So how can jdbIQity help? We’ve pulled together a number of resources for you and your team. Check them out:
Blogs by Scott D. Butcher, FSMPS, CPSM
- Seller-Doer Tools: Networking (Free Ebook)
- Seller-Doer Tools: Account Mining
- Seller-Doer Tools: Warm Calling
- Seller-Doer Tools: Social Media & Social Selling
- Seller-Doer Tools: Content Marketing
- When Should You Up Your Business Development Game?
- Ten Trends in A/E/C Business Development (ENR.com)
- Rethinking Sales: Business Developers & Seller-Doers Use Different Approaches (ENR.com)
- The Business Development Mix: Do You Have the Right Stuff? (ENR.com)
- How Firms are Using Technical and Non-Technical Staff to Win New Business (ENR.com)
- Is There a Better Term than Seller-Doer? (ENR.com)
- Reputation-Building Tools for A/E/C Professionals (ENR.com)
- Getting Inside the Prospect’s Head – Advice from A/E/C Clients (ENR.com)
- Advice for Creating Seller-Doers: Taking the “Selling” Out of Sales (ENR.com)
Books & Ebooks by Scott D. Butcher, FSMPS, CPSM
- Sell. Do. Win Business. How A/E/C Firms are Using Staff to Win More Work (SMPS/SMPS Foundation)
- Networking for A/E/C Professionals: A Blueprint for Seller-Doers
- Social Selling in the A/E/C Industry
- A/E/C Business Development: The Decade Ahead (co-leader, researcher, co-author; from and benefits SMPS Foundation)
- Reputation Design+Build: Creating Winning Personal Brands for Engineering, Design, and Construction Professionals (Amazon link)
Training Programs from jdbIQity
Presentations for lunch-and-learns, professional society meetings, and conference keynotes:
- 10.5 Business Development Tools for Seller-Doers (1-hour program)
- Social Selling for A/E/C Firms (1-hour program)
- Establishing a Seller-Doer Culture at Your Firm (1-hour program)
- Behind the Curtain: Presentation Skills for A/E/C Professionals (1-hour program)
- Personal Reputation Management in the A/E/C Industry (1-hour program)
Expanded training programs:
- A/E/C Seller-Doer Training Program (customizable 1/2-day to 1 1/2-day program)
- A/E/C Content Marketing Training Program (1/2-day project)
BD/Marketing Consulting & Facilitation Services
Interested in learning about seller-doer training? Reach out to Scott Butcher at 717-434-1543 or sbutcher@jdbe.com.
