Professional service firms in general — and architectural / engineering – construction firms in particular — are unique, in that your offering is intrinsically bound up in the presence and communication style of your team members.
This creates a certain purity and consistency in your organization that’s distinct from almost any other organization.
In today’s post, Pete explores what this could mean for your firm’s goals.
This message is for senior leadership—owners, CEOs, and presidents of professional service firms—especially in the AEC industry. I want to offer a powerful definition of success for your firm, even without knowing your specific organization. It’s rooted in 22 years of AEC interview preparation, business development training, leadership communication, and presence coaching across architecture, engineering, and construction.
Professional services are delivered through people, not products. The client experience is created not by a process alone, but by human beings interacting with one another. That means the internal culture of your team directly shapes the external brand your clients feel.
Every project becomes a chemistry experiment—your people interacting with each other, with owners, with subcontractors, with stakeholders. In AEC, this human chemistry is complex, high-stakes, and uniquely visible. Strong client communication training, group presentation coaching, and business speaking skills help, but culture is the amplifier.
Success = Everyone on your team has business development on their radar 24/7.
That doesn’t mean everyone needs to “go sell.” It means everyone understands that every moment of client interaction—email, meeting, site walk, workshop, presentation—is a chance to communicate value, build trust, and strengthen relationships. When BD becomes part of everyone’s mindset, your brand becomes consistent, your pursuit strategy becomes stronger, and your culture becomes more aligned.
If your people are thinking about business development, even lightly—
This strengthens everything: AEC interview preparation, shortlist interview coaching, storytelling for business, professional services communication, and the overall client experience.
Exactly—and they don’t need to be.
Business development training done right does not turn engineers, architects, or project managers into extroverted rainmakers. Instead, it helps each person understand:
“How does someone with my personality, my role, my strengths contribute to growing relationships and supporting the firm’s reputation?”
Some will build relationships. Some will communicate technical excellence. Some will strengthen client engagement skills. Some will support with knowledge, insight, and presence.
All of those contributions matter.
If your whole team sees themselves as part of business development in their own way, this happens:
At SagePresence, we say presence is foundational to everything: BD, culture, leadership, and client experience. When people know how to show up, communicate clearly, challenge thinking respectfully, and represent the firm’s mission, everything improves—from internal collaboration to shortlist interviews.
Consider adopting this definition of success:
“Everyone in our firm contributes to business development in a way that fits who they are.”
If you do, you will unlock a firm-wide shift in mindset, culture, and client engagement. And if you want support building a business development culture, developing confident presence, or elevating your team’s communication skills, we’d love to help you create that future.
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