tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:29:00 +0000http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)Blogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-8247060299753857863Wed, 14 May 2008 20:27:00 +00002008-05-14T16:54:52.380-04:00generational educationgenerational influencegenerations at workWell, I was touching up my blog today and noticed that I officially turned 1 year old in April. It's really seems like yesterday that I figured putting a blog together would be a good outlet for my thoughts. I hope that you've found points of interest as well! Lately I've been speaking with a lot of people on the topic of generational communication and more specifically the barriers that http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/290438386/do-we-need-generational-education.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/05/do-we-need-generational-education.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-7514641038134346524Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:25:00 +00002008-04-30T10:27:18.188-04:00recessionmediocre firmsmainstream mediaaec marketingsustainable businessI stopped listening to NPR and reading the news awhile ago. Not because I didn’t want to listen to current events, but mainly because I was sick of hearing about the economy. Today I heard that, by definition, the economy is in fact NOT in a recession. 2 consecutive quarters of shrinking GDP is apparently the red flag…however today it was reported that the economy actually GREW this past http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/280829795/whos-in-recession-you-are.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/04/whos-in-recession-you-are.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-3471837200305259510Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:28:00 +00002008-04-29T15:32:11.950-04:00aec human resourcesaec marketingchangeI was flipping through the “Hot 100 Businesses” in the last issue of Entrepreneur the other day and noticed something: a lot of these firms are staffing agencies. This got me thinking: why has HR become a necessity for outsourcing? I would surmise one of two things: either HR departments (and I’m just talking AEC) are understaffed or lazy. Don’t get me wrong, HR is probably one of the most http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/280281121/outsourcing-hr-terrible-mistake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/04/outsourcing-hr-terrible-mistake.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-6575950239873973998Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:48:00 +00002008-04-28T14:55:04.139-04:00aec environmentaec human resourcesnew aec marketingaec marketingmarketing mixWe get hit with hundreds of messages everyday—and usually that’s not even going online! Depending on how much you drive, check email, surf the web, watch TV, listen to the radio…or just walk down the street—that number could easily rise into the thousands. Getting bombarded with advertising and marketing on a daily basis will cause anyone to become desensitized. Sooner or later, someone http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/279590627/message-mixing-in-todays-aec.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/04/message-mixing-in-todays-aec.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-1396692886554343440Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:42:00 +00002008-04-18T11:30:57.704-04:00customer relationship management softwareAEC industryaec marketingMagical. Marvelous. CRM genie in a bottle is often the way sales reps paint the picture for relationship management software. Often times, busy executives looking for a quick fix to their business solutions are the ones taking the bait. Who can blame those reps? They're just doing their jobs. Because CRM software is a useful tool and can actually be beneficial to those who need it and http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/272959501/customer-relationship-management-crm.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/04/customer-relationship-management-crm.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-6526673924598846501Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:10:00 +00002008-04-09T17:27:32.093-04:00Why isn't marketing being highly regarded in the industry? That is, why is only 5 or 6% of annual revenue being poured back into work and potential employee generation?? I think the problem is hidden at the executive level--and in that problem is a solution. I think the responsibility is in our hands to convince those at the executive level of our worth. We can do this by making sound decisions,http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812034/educating-top-level-management-about.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/04/educating-top-level-management-about.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-1570493333005597881Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:04:00 +00002008-03-24T15:12:57.935-04:00Progressive marketing is a concept that is both elusive and difficult to sustain. It means thinking and reacting ahead of time to prepare for what will happen in the future. Of course, one can only look and predict so far into the future—and there is always that sense of inaccuracy. The recent SMPS VA conference in Charlottesville posed progressive marketing as its topic. During the two-day http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812035/progressive-marketing-eliciting-change.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/03/progressive-marketing-eliciting-change.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-4122119650209841801Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:15:00 +00002008-02-05T23:38:16.716-05:00Return on investment (ROI)--ah, the dreaded acronym. Marketing people never want to face ROI. It's the terrible space somewhere between the annual budget and CRM management. It also is one of your most important tools. Important in the sense of progress and evaluation--but also in verifying that you're a legitimate business force outside of the direct business your bring in. I have a feelinghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812036/measuring-marketing-roi-return-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/02/measuring-marketing-roi-return-on.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-5339412625027034149Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:50:00 +00002008-01-22T18:48:35.273-05:00aec human resourcespredictionsoperationsAEC industryinformation technologyaec marketingmarketing changeaccountingToday I had a conversation with a few friends who are also marketers within the industry. During our conversation, we talked about the way people operate, both as marketers and as team members around us--that is, the engineers, architects, land developers, environmentals, etc. We discussed the perpetual plague of lacking business oriented teams within the AEC industry. First and foremost one http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812037/marketing-change.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/01/marketing-change.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-8334806450889431803Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:53:00 +00002008-01-09T18:22:27.057-05:00marketing roleAEC industrychangeHappy 2008! Can you believe it? The years just keep flying by. I wish you and yours only the best in all the new year has to offer. Now--back to blog issues. I've been doing a lot of thinking about how I might work to improve the quality of my blog. One of these ideas was to try writing month long topical series. I understand fully that it's nearly halfway through January, but nonetheless, I'd http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812038/change-for-aec-marketing-role.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2008/01/change-for-aec-marketing-role.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-4410558336327390498Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:18:00 +00002007-12-20T10:22:29.303-05:00marketing coordinatoraec marketingacecvsmps-varound table sessionAs the end of December draws near and goal setting heats up, 2008 promises to be an interesting year for the AEC industry. I am currently working with two professional organizations (the ACECV and SMPS-VA) on initiatives that will be set to kick-off in January of the new year. With the SMPS I’m central VA representative working on coordinating round-table discussion sessions throughout the statehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812039/aec-marketing-2008-acecv-and-smps-va.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/12/aec-marketing-2008-acecv-and-smps-va.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-2920063739617532782Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:32:00 +00002007-11-25T20:13:59.531-05:00The whole world has gone green. San Francisco, Portland, Austin, Denver, Berkley are just a few of the cities working hard to pass initiatives and ordinances that reduce their cities carbon footprint. The ball that is the green movement has been rolling for nearly 30 years and has finally gained the momentum it needed to explode over the last few years thanks to some early adopters and one hellhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812040/go-green-go.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/11/go-green-go.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-4898063765011548678Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:20:00 +00002007-11-06T17:22:53.182-05:00generation yaec human resourcesaec talentdemand for talentIn the latest issue of the AEC marketing industry publication Marketer, editor Randle Pollock states a shift in demand for talent in the industry. He quotes a few sources / surveys that show the following items: 40% of employers worldwide are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent (Manpower, Inc.) The shortage of skilled workers will exceed 10 million by 2010 (http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812041/demand-for-talent-looking-to-generation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/11/demand-for-talent-looking-to-generation.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-3115578396496995553Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:23:00 +00002007-10-12T15:10:09.857-04:00entry level construction jobsentry level architecture jobsentry levelemployeesAEC industryjobsentry level engineering jobsWhat makes a great entry-level employee? Here are some desirable traits: Hard-working Intelligent Punctual Thorough Curious Balanced Honest Passionate Persistent Educated Open-minded Personable Free-thinking The thing is, most of the time college graduates don’t possess all (or most) of these traits when they graduate. It may take years before they acquire these skills and some workers may http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812042/cost-of-turnover-in-aec-industry.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/10/cost-of-turnover-in-aec-industry.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-847171283403445494Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:35:00 +00002007-10-11T16:36:45.110-04:00I just recently finished reading the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and would recommend it to anyone who’s interested in learning how good THINGS become great THINGS. Although this is (generally speaking) a business book, it can be enjoyed by anyone who strives for greatness. In “Good to Great”, Collins and his research team (yes a team!) dissect 1200 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812043/good-to-great-book-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/10/good-to-great-book-review.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-1773344626775796106Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:29:00 +00002007-09-18T18:33:15.859-04:00The reality is that technology and the Internet have advanced rapidly over the last 10 years. In fact, in the last 7 years, worldwide internet usage has increased 225% (Miniwatts Marketing Group) and with approximately 70% of North America online in 2007 we can no longer deny the Web as a legitimate media vehicle. As the number of web users has increased, radical changes have appeared. One ofhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812044/web-20-technology-and-aec-industry.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/09/web-20-technology-and-aec-industry.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-284429182658252455Tue, 04 Sep 2007 02:07:00 +00002007-09-03T22:08:48.503-04:00The Department of Labor estimates that by the year 2014 there will be 10 times as many engineering positions as there will be people to fill them. As factors such as technology advancements, human population growth, and fragile infrastructures rapidly increase, the need for engineers has never been more apparent—especially to the engineers themselves. The AEC industry in the past has relied http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812045/engineers-dying-breed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/09/engineers-dying-breed.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-2134612661931370850Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:16:00 +00002007-06-20T16:37:48.440-04:00It is certainly true that some of the best and most recognized firms structure their public relations management around constantly getting into the public's eyes and minds. You see them everywhere, some of the better known brands that I believe have superb public relations include Red Bull (national), Ukrops (a Richmond based grocer), and more specific to the AEC industry HOK. All of these http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812046/corporate-philanthrophy-and-free-pr-win.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/06/corporate-philanthrophy-and-free-pr-win.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-7834275778780370044Sun, 10 Jun 2007 18:48:00 +00002007-06-10T14:51:52.409-04:00In response to others' efforts and experiences on rebranding, my company recently underwent a rebranding effort that I was tasked to lead. I would say that ours went very well under the circumstances, however, I feel as though there were a number of lessons learned that would have made it even better. Since this was my first experience rebranding a large firm, I must admit that I am no expert, http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812047/rebranding-your-firm.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/06/rebranding-your-firm.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-2981080608350092668Fri, 27 Apr 2007 02:00:00 +00002007-04-26T22:05:20.519-04:00Oscar Wilde once wrote, “Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes,” and I would like to agree. Graduating from college with a degree in Business Communications, and working in the AEC industry has given unto me an interesting and often shocking perspective of business and the working world. While in school, I learned that every efficient business should have a business plan—a http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheAecMarketingProgressive/~3/270812054/on-experience.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jesson Zafar)http://aecmarketingprogressive.blogspot.com/2007/04/on-experience.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5110392551793514120.post-8444433691282700625Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:38:00 +00002007-04-11T17:51:16.136-04:00