CPSM Day Part 2: A Seat at the Table

A Seat at the Table: Learn How to Get There From 3 Successful Women

Anne Crow Kroger, Susan Murphy, Marion Thatch

Moderated by Doug Parker

Hear the philosophies and best practices that led to success for these women.

What is success?

Anne: Doing what I love, and being compensated at appropriate level so I can do the fun things I love, provide for my family, etc.

Susan: Working with people I like, have options

Marion: Being at the table with great people, making a difference, contributing member of society

Share About Career

Marion: School for Landscape Architecture, ended up in graphics, moved on to marketing. 25 years in marketing and really loved it. I worked with great people, hired people who were smarter than me, key to my success. Working for myself now. In process for certified executive coach.

Susan: I had choices – nurse, school teacher, nun, or marriage. I became a teacher, loved teaching but hated the system. Got a job through friend of friend in travel industry as tour director. Took groups all over the world – had no self confidence, but had 200 people on each trip looking to me to find their lost luggage, etc. I was in travel industry for a long time. Answered a blind ad in New York times – looking for marketing people who could do presentations. After year-and-half of intensive training by my company, became presentation coach. Found AEC by accident (filled in for someone at SMPS National in Boston), and have been coaching AEC ever since.

Anne: Undergraduate degree in finance. One thing that helped me be successful – I “get” the numbers. We’re in BUSINESS. I worked for real estate developer, did product marketing (I despised), got an MDA, found AEC. I’m building relationships – and my career goes on, continually learning, growing.

How did you figure out that working AEC was the right thing to do?

Anne: When I started putting people together – realizing client had a I need, and I could fill their need. I could put a team together and make the client happy. Earlier in my career, I was terrible public speaker because I was supposed to speak about boring topics. I found my confidence speaking in the AEC industry – this was home.

Three Things That Are Critical to Being Successful

Marion: Know yourself – find out what makes you tick. Ground yourself with great people. Always have fun.

Surrounding Yourself With Great People/Building Alliances:

Susan: To me it is all about people and being positive. I just want to jump and kiss you (and often does!) leaving big paw prints like a large German Shepherd. That separated wheat from chaff, because not everyone responds positively to that. So the people who DO, I like them. That’s how I form my alliances. I’m lucky because I sorta get paid to hang out and do what I would do even if I weren’t getting paid. The People who respond to me, I latch on to. I met some top people at SMPS Build Business Boston, and they hired me to do coaching, and THAT’s how I found AEC.  Marketers are one of the few groups of people who understand cause and effect. If you don’t understand cause and effect, you end up working for the government.

Advice for young women on getting respect

Marion: Every day you’re challenged with how to make a difference and get a point across. The only way to be successful in male dominated world, where often boss feels like they are the only one who knows the right answer; bring a solution. When you walk in with a problem, bring an idea to solve it. Even if it isn’t right, you are demonstrate how you would solve it. Be stingy/be possessive of the company good.

Anne: Show them the numbers. What’s your value? How do you talk your principals when they are insisting you go after proposal after proposal. Show them the numbers. Keep track – about the cost of doing the proposals. It’s not enough to show that you went after 50 and got 10. They’ll want to go after 100 to get 20. Show them what it COSTS, and then ask “can we have hire hit rate if we spend more MONEY on FEWER pursuits”.

Susan: Women work “sub-terraeneously” – don’t go around looking for injustices. Everyone is different. Don’t go around looking for conflict. Cheerful and stupid – if the guy is a jerk/stupid, just pretend you didn’t get it. MOST of the time, he’ll drop it. And invite yourself to the guys’ thing. Invite yourself to

What Can Women Do to Physically Position Themselves Working With Men to Come Across More Confident/Self-Assured

Susan: Dress like a professional grown-up. Dress like the femal executive you admire most. Presentation skills – stand up straight, have great posture, look them in eye, make messages clear and concise. Give them your ideas, your solutions, and the numbers. Go in and act like a woman, not a girl. You don’t have to be aggressive, be assertive. Learn how to say “no,” and “I’m sorry that is not acceptable.” Tell people the truth, call people on their behavior.  [Comment from audience – all the speakers wearing “kick-ass” shoes.]

Working A Room – Tips?

Anne: Before you go, set a few goals. What do you want to get out of the event? Someone you want to meet? What do you want to learn? Get the attendee list before you go. Look at the name tags – scan who is coming, who hasn’t arrived, who already picke dup their name tag. Scan the room; don’t run to your best friend. This is business and everyone is there for business. And then go to the bar – a great place to meet people. Neutral territory. You are more approachable with a glass in your hand.

Relationship-driven Business; Building Relationships with Clients

Marion: I coached technical professionals on how to make this happen for themselves. A lot of that was the kind of research you could do beforehand and learn about the client. The internet makes this really easy. And then you can find the “common ground” to make the initial link – did they just go on vacation? Do they hike? Are they bike advocates? Why are we so afraid? Just call and ask for an appointment. LinkedIn is fabulous – “Joe, I noticed you know so-and-so… can you help make an introduction?”

Anne: Building relationships don’t happen overnight. Don’t try to do it when the RFP comes out. It can take YEARS. Just had RFP come out with client we know, but haven’t worked with for a while. I called and left message, I fully expect to hear back because they know our name. But I ALSO called their colleague at a sister college, for whom we just completed a job. And I asked what we did well interviewing, proposing, doing the job. What do we need to know about the sister school, etc. 30 minutes of fabulous information.  I was working the CLIENT’s network. I am heavily involved in the client’s professional organizations. Do whatever it takes to get at the table with the client BEFORE an RFP is out.

Networks – insight on how you build the one you have, who is important to have, strategy thinking

Anne: It is dynamic. You build it, people come in and out. It is FINE to let people go out of it. As you grow in your career, certain people may not be right. Don’t spend all your time on them. Focus on those that are going to give you the work, the clients, or mentors. Don’t ignore your friendly competitors, because they may be your next lead.

Doug: I have made great networking relationships with direct competitors in other regions. The SHARING we have is fabulous.

Anne: I met someone in Oregon last year, and that person called me recently with a project lead. You never know where your next lead is coming from.

Susan: I don’t ever think of the people I meet as potential business. I meet them, and I either really like them or I’m not interested in them. It is dynamic, if they want to, they will call me and hire me or refer me to someone. Don’t focus on who can directly hire you, but who they might refer you to. Certainly makes BD more fun and interesting if you only work with people you really like.

Marion: Get your technical professionals to realize that THEY need to be able to provide something to the relationship in order to continue a valuable relationship. It starts internally – if they make friends with the principals internally, and the principals find value in that relationship and trust you , as they network, they can refer TO the technical professional. It is incredibly important to be trustworthy, honest, and valued. Offer something – intelligence, impeccable performance, etc.

Doug: One of the things Marion is skilled with – she actively looks for ways to share information. All that does is strengthen our bond and network.

What is a Successful Interview?

Susan: Where the client is talking, and you’ve never had a chance to give your presentation. If you can get them talking and in-depth, you’ve had a great interview. If you get to your end time, and the client says, “Hey we’re almost done, and you haven’t done your presentation…” Leave it up to the client as to how to proceed. Do they want you to go ahead and do presentation (and bump the people behind them), or they take your hard copy of the presentation, or they skip the presentation and keep talking with you. Let the client decide.

Doug: How do you coach technical people?

Susan: Every single human being can be a better presenter. It is not personality-driven. There are powerful, natural speakers.

Marion: I coached one gentleman (construction inspector). Susan got the guy to say, with feeling, “I will do a great job for you,” in a way that was so HIM. We got that job.

Susan: They love their content. Their content is the least important part – it is not as important as they think it is. They have it in their head. They need to be comfortable enough with talking, so that their content can come out. They need training to look smart, confident, and as good as they are. They worry about looking slick – and I say “Call me when you get close to that…” They’ll never get there, because it is not in their nature!

What’s Your Favorite Cocktail

Anne: Tangury

Susan: Kettle Rum dry…

Marion: Vodka and tonic

What’s Your Biggest Professional Fear

Anne: I’ll stop being happy. I’d quit in a heartbeat if I stopped being happy.

Susan: Limited options.

Marion: Being bored.

Family/Kids – How do you manage it all…

Marion: I have three grown adults, and 2 grandkids, and one on the way. My priority was my family. Because that was my priority, when I went to work, I did my job. When I went home, I was home. Once my kids were at a certain place, I DID get involved in SMPS, and I got VERY involved.  Work will be there, volunteering will be there. Kids are really only there about 18 years… Value it.

Audience: Don’t every let your firm assume that just because you don’t have a spouse/partner or kids that you do NOT have a rich and committed personal life. They (company) don’t own you.

Take-away: the finances are important enough. Consider SMPS University. You can develop a completely different relationship with your financial people/principal when you can talk about their bottom line.

How do you know when you’re being aggressive v. assertive?

Susan: Pay attention…  the body language will tell you. When you take Q&A, call on a friendly face. When you’re trying to get included in something, go to a friendly face. You’ll have better luck getting “in” with someone you know/who supports you.

Doug: One of the most important things I did in my career was to get to know these ladies. I highly recommend it. And they will be available throughout the conference. Seek them out.