For the past year and a half, I have had the pleasure of working with an incredible group of AEC marketing and business development leaders as a member of the Board of Trustees for the SMPS Foundation, the nonprofit research arm of the Society for Marketing Professional Services.Ā Ā
The Foundationās 2018 research project will explore the brain science behind client decision making behavior. That is, why do your clientsāreal estate developers, building owners, university leaders, school district officials, healthcare operators, etc.āmake the decisions they do?Ā And how, as an AEC firm, can you better tailor your services, marketing, and communications to more effectively influence your clients and better meet their needs?
Hereās a synopsis of the research project:
Within the AEC industries, our clients, both public (i.e., local, state, provincial, federal entities) and private, are responsible for making decisions regarding which companies they will hire to design and build their projects. As the market continues to become more competitive, we are interested in understanding and reacting to the science behind decision makingāhow brains work subconsciously and emotionally, and rationalize one service provider over another with stats and scoring, for example. The researcher(s) for this project should also explore and present any other components of decision-making and how service providers can affect the outcome of choices their clients make.
This is the type of important business research that is absent in our market. All AEC professionals could benefit from its findings and recommendations.Ā Ā
The Foundation has composed a formal FRP in search of research groups and neuroscience experts who are interesting in taking on this important study.
If you are interested in learning more or submitting an RFP for this funded research project, please email me at dbarista@sgcmail.com. Thanks!
Related Stories
| Aug 20, 2013
As costs rise, Building Teams turn to novel energy-saving schemes for data centers [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Shrinking IT budgets and rising operational costs have led data center operators and corporate clients to scrutinize project budgets.Ā As a result, AEC firms are being tasked with finding solutions for lowering the overall cost of computing and operating and maintaining the facilities.Ā
| Aug 20, 2013
Top Data Center Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
DPR, Balfour Beatty, Holder head Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest data center contractors and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Aug 20, 2013
What you missed: Last week's top construction market news
AIA, Gilbane, DBIA, and USGBC released major reports last week. Here's a roundup of the latest market news for the nonresidential construction industry.Ā
| Aug 20, 2013
First look: $550 million Billie Jean King National Tennis Center renovation
TheĀ United States Tennis AssociationĀ has announced its plans for a sweeping transformation of theĀ USTABillie Jean King National Tennis CenterĀ that will include the construction of two new stadiums, as well as a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium.Ā The transformation will be implemented in three phases to begin at the conclusion of theĀ 2013 US Open, with the goal of overall completion by the 2018 US Open.
| Aug 19, 2013
The secret to creativity isā¦ a messy desk?!
Anyone whose desk resembles a war zone can proudly cite a new scientific study that suggests a messy workspace may actually help people think more creatively and stimulate new ideas.Ā
| Aug 19, 2013
Discovery of hidden asbestos complicates DFW terminal renovations
The finding of more asbestos in Terminal B than expected, and the pending merger of US Airways and the airportās largest tenant, American Airlines, is causing construction delays on a $2.3 billion Dallas/Fort Worth Airport terminal renovation.
| Aug 19, 2013
Integration of solar panels in building skin seen as key net-zero element
Recent high-profile projects, including stadiums in Brazil for the upcoming World Cup and Summer Olympics and a bank headquarters in the U.K., reflect an effort by designers to adopt building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPV.
| Aug 16, 2013
Today's workplace design: Is there room for the introvert?
Increasingly, roaming social networks are praised and hierarchical organizations disparaged, as workplaces mimic the freewheeling vibe of the Internet. Research by Susan Cain indicates that the "openness" pendulum may have swung too far.
| Aug 16, 2013
$5,000 in prizes to be awarded at BD+C's U40 Leadership Summit
Do you have the next big idea for improving the performance of buildings and the built environment? BD+C's 3rd Annual U40 Leadership Summit is your chance to shineāand share in $5,000 in prizes.Ā
| Aug 15, 2013
Design-build project delivery holds steady at nearly 40% of nonresidential construction: DBIA study
TheĀ Design-Build Institute of AmericaĀ (DBIA), the only organization that defines, teaches and promotes best practices in design-build, has released research indicating that design-build project delivery represents nearly 40 percent of total market share in the United States, based on dollar value at the end of 2012.Ā
