We were lucky to catch up with Courtney Kearney, CPSM recently and have shared our conversation below.

Courtney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

When it comes to understanding what’s ahead for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, I look to Scott Butcher, FSMPS, CPSM (https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdbutcher). He recently spoke on this very topic during a closing keynote address for an industry conference sharing trends in several areas including technology, demographics, project delivery, and the impact of the infrastructure, regulatory, and environmental changes. Of course, the trends I found most interesting were around technology, specifically how mobile tech, wearables, and 3D printing will change how the built community delivers projects. Modular and prefabrication along with generative design will be more widely adopted. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will disrupt our industry and is predicted to be used to check calculations, schedule labor and projects, create scenario planning, monitor logistics, and alert us to potential issues with our projects. Some of these are already in use and what’s clear is that early adopters will gain the competitive advantage!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms struggle to maintain a process to successfully manage their client data and maintain sustainable relationships. CKearney Consulting (CKC) is a small, woman-owned business providing companies guidance and insight into client relationship management (CRM). I started the business in 2016 to help firms understand that CRM is far more than a piece of technology, it’s really about people and process. After six years, I’ve learned enough and gathered ample resources to write a book on it! CRM or Die is a must-read for all firm leaders, regardless of what business you are running or which market your business is in. A company’s success is directly tied to successfully maintaining and growing client relationships; businesses with a poor CRM process fail! Learn more about the book and CKC at www.ckearneyconsulting.com.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Even before I started my consulting business, I had a reputation as the “go-to person” for CRM in my industry. I attribute this to being an open book willing to share the lessons I learn and the insights I gain. The older you get the more you realize just how interconnected the world is and the importance of always putting your best foot forward because you never know who that person will be to you in the future. That’s why I’ve always been willing to share everything I know and have learned. It’s paid off and allowed me to have a positive and well-known reputation as the #DataLovingMarketer!
https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23DataLovingMarketer&origin=GLOBAL_SEARCH_HEADER&sid=TpU]

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Being known for my love of data, my years of experience, and co-writing the book CRM or Die have earned me the reputation as a CRM thought leader. I attribute most of our leads and new clients to the work I’ve put into cultivating that through my content marketing, speaking engagements, and the word-of-mouth marketing our successful clients provide. Being seen as the industry leader in your field is important and can be accomplished by providing articles for industry publications as well as speaking at industry events. Taking on leadership roles within professional organizations is important as well. A good percentage of our clients find us because of the articles I’ve written, the presentations I’ve given, and the volunteer positions I’ve had over the years.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ckearneyconsulting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ckearneyconsulting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ckearneyconsulting/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ckearney-consulting/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ckearneyconsult
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CKearneyConsulting
• Other: www.CRMorDie.com https://mailchi.mp/ckearneyconsulting/new-subscriber

Image Credits
CRM or Die Event photographer Eileen Crincic https://leenieslens.pixieset.com/ Taekwondo photographer NINJA STAR PHOTOGRAPHY http://www.goninjastar.com/ Headshot photographer JShaffer Photography https://jshafferphotography.smugmug.com/