Stop Waiting for People to Write Content for You

This summer, I’ve been to all three of America’s coasts, speaking with AEC marketers in New Jersey, Seattle, Houston and Austin. Different markets, different firms and different levels of experience, but I keep getting asked the same question: How do you get content from your technical team?

It’s a question I’ve heard throughout my entire career. As Emerald Fox celebrates 10 years and I get closer to 15 years in AEC, a lot about this industry has changed. Submission requirements have changed. Technology has changed. The expectations placed on marketing professionals have changed. But apparently, getting people to give us the content we need has not.

And my answer hasn’t changed either. I interview them. I set up a phone call, stop by someone’s office or schedule a meeting and get them talking. How do we win this project? Why are we the most qualified? What makes us nervous about the timeline? What does the client really care about? Instead of asking someone to become a proposal writer, I ask them to talk about what they already know.

The technology has simply made that process easier. I’ve always recorded these conversations, but today, AI can transcribe them and help me work through the information faster. From there, I have the foundation for my RFQ narrative without waiting for a Word document that is either three sentences long or three pages longer than I anticipated.

Stop waiting for people to write content for you. Your technical staff are the subject matter experts, but you are the proposal expert. You are the project manager of your submission. Get the information you need, then use the tools available to turn it into the content you need.