Are you being served?

Structural Engineering. It's becoming way more competitive out there in the market place.

Graduates think that they have it bad. Recently I was out bid for some work which [assuming they were spending the same amount of hours as I would] the engineer would have been working for £15 per hour.

I read recently that graduates can expect between £11-£18 per hour straight from university now a days... you do the maths.

Anyway, that's enough about my woes. Lets hear all about you. What have you been doing lately? How can I help you?

When was the last time you asked one or your clients or potential clients those questions? Can you recall recently, when you took an interest in the lives of your business collaborators and partners?

This is what makes the difference in business. That gooey feeling that you get when someone has just taken time out of their busy day to either help or cheer you on into the weekend, it's great isn't it? It feels awesome when someone does that for you. So why shouldn't you do the same for others?

Just recently I picked up 3 engineering projects from new clients during a phone call - straight after being told that I was not the cheapest quote which they had received that day. Why?

I spoke to them. I took the time to understand the problems which they were facing, and discussed their possible alternatives. I described to them in English - not Engineerish, what I would be doing next if they appointed me. I illustrated how I would be delivering value to them by being their professional engineer. I did not do this by undermining the competition though, I helped them understand what it is that a engineer could do to assist in the successful delivery of their project.

If you are responsible for finding more business for your consultancy, or speaking directly with potential clients, then I urge you to absorb this next statement:

The more we allow the magnitude of our fee's to dictate whether or not that we land a project or gain favour - the longer it will take for us as an industry to demonstrate the value that we as professional engineers bring to their projects.

Please find better ways to be competitive.

Have a great bank holiday weekend. Long live the Queen!



Engine[er]