Becoming a Seller-Doer: Succeed at Business Development and Take Command of Your Career

Becoming a Seller-Doer helps technical professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) industry become seller-doers, or better ones. A seller-doer is a billable professional who takes purposeful action to help produce revenue for their firm. By learning to bring in business to their firms through marketing and business development, seller-doers will become more valuable to the firm and will take command of their careers.Readers of this book will come to understand what a seller-doer does and will gain a firm grasp of the knowledge, skills, and attributes required to succeed in this role—from foundational skills, such as business writing and public speaking, to skills and attributes related to generating leads, developing project opportunities, and closing the sale.Readers will receive useful hints and tools that will help them take stock of where they are today and what they need to do to progress as seller-doers—including learning how to create personal marketing and personal skills development plans. Finally, the book includes a bonus chapter for leaders of professional services firms, with advice on how to create an environment that supports seller-doers and their development.The book was the result of nearly four dozen interviews with A/E/C industry executives and a survey of more than 1,200 seller-doers in the industry.While the examples in the book are most relevant for civil engineering and related professions, the book is equally relevant to other professions such as accountants, management consultants, systems integration professionals, and attorneys. Read more