Full Sail Partners Blog | Amanda Roussel

As the leaves change from a cool green to the burning hues of fall, you can almost hear the annual groan that emanates from marketing and business development departments everywhere as we ponder next year’s budgets. We’re feverishly cramming numbers into spreadsheets, struggling to get that final hit rate report from the ERP system, and perhaps even consulting with a local palm reader, all with the goal of accurately predicting the future - next year’s sales!

In this article, we'll break down the often-overwhelming process of developing an annual sales budget, providing a clear guide to understanding key sales metrics, evaluating your firm's capacity, and crafting a realistic strategy. We’ll explore different approaches to achieving sales goals by analyzing key combinations of services and clients, offering practical insights into how firms can align their business development efforts with broader growth plans. Whether you're working with existing clients or exploring new markets, these strategies will help you set and meet achievable targets for the year ahead.

Review Your Professional Services Sales Vocabulary

Many of us in the professional services industry don’t approach our sales vocabulary as clearly as we should – or worse, it’s just that “s” word that nobody wants to talk about. Let’s quickly review some common numbers:

1. New Backlog: The rest of the world usually calls this number sales. It generally answers the question about the measured period, such as, how much NEW billable work did we book/contract/sell? You might sell the project in one year but could deliver it over several years.
2. Earned Revenue: This number values the work we actually did in the measured period, and is recognized as such, whether we billed for it or not. Learn more about earned value in this article.
3. Billings: This number is the total of all the invoices your firm sent in the measured period. Again, depending on how you count the beans, this number may or may not match Earned Revenue.

It’s imperative that we clarify what thing we’re aiming for and how to budget for it. Most professional services firms have a theoretical limit to what they can deliver, based on staff size and utilization. But is there a limit to how much new work you can sell?  

Let’s Work Backwards

It’s important to know what your firm’s revenue goals are. There will be ongoing work and repeat work to put toward those revenue goals. The difference is the number that the sales team, whether dedicated sales team or seller-doers, will need to secure. You will also want to take your hit rate into consideration, perhaps from the last three years. Learn from it! How much work do you need to chase to secure the right amount of dollars?

Metrics are valuable to track and being in tune with your firm’s key performance indicators is a must. What targets can you manage weekly and monthly to help reach your goals annually? And how does that fold into the firm’s goals? Alignment is key.

Mix Up Your Sales Efforts

Once you know the goals, you’ll now turn to the “how.” Here’s the point – these numbers all work together, but marketing and business development departments are usually focused on “New Backlog” when discussing sales. So, where does the new backlog come from? It comes from the strategic combination of two variables: The services you sell and who you sell to—your clients. Your job is to figure out the best mix of these combos to achieve the firm’s overall growth plans. Easy right?

Let’s have a brief look at the different ways we can combine our new backlog variables.

Combo 1 - Sell the Same Services to Existing Clients

Unless you offer bread, milk, or toilet paper, this combo can only take you so far. If you sell a corporate headquarters design project to ACME, Inc., when will they buy the next one? Large retail rollout programs and compliance-required assessments/surveys/reviews are good exceptions to this challenge. Watch out for “better, faster, cheaper” competitors led by well-dressed daredevils focused on Combo 4 described below.

Combo 2 - Sell the Same Services to New Clients

We should always analyze how to position our core offerings to new clients – in new markets or new geographies. Many firms claim about 80% of the new backlog is repeat work, meaning 20% has to come from this combo and Combo 4. Leverage your highly experienced professionals who like to build new relationships.

Combo 3 - Sell New Services to Existing Clients

Maybe ACME, Inc. doesn’t need a corporate headquarters designed this year but really needs help with a facilities management system. Here’s a little secret: Your existing clients trust you and would prefer to buy new services from you rather than from someone they don’t know. Build internal partnerships between your key relationship managers and the technical leader(s) of the new services. These communications and relationships can be tracked in your CRM for better management. This cross-selling method can often result in additional work for your firm. Watch out for experienced competitors focusing heavily on Combo 2.

Combo 4 - Sell New Services to New Clients

Get into LinkedIn and line up the cold calls! OK, that may be excessive, but this is definitely the final frontier in selling professional services. You’re convincing people who don’t know your firm to buy services for which you don’t have a track record. Totally possible, but not for the faint-hearted. This combo often requires strategic hires or acquisitions, which might be the only way to beat the competition in the other combos. Do your research. You may get lucky, but your competition in Combo 1 knows you’re coming.

Serving Over Selling in the Professional Services Industry

While we can’t completely avoid the annual budgeting process, we can look at it differently. You’re in the business of professionally serving others. Instead of simply looking for more projects, more offices, or more technical credentials, why not look for the best ways your firm can serve more people next year, and get paid for the value you created?

Use the combinations above as a framework and correlate the targets for each to your firm’s overall strategic plan and annual business plan. Tada! Now you’ve got a growth target that everyone can embrace. Happy budgeting, and more importantly, happy serving!

Learn How to Streamline Your Sales Process with a Successful CRM Rollout

If you're looking for more insights on how to successfully implement a CRM system to support your firm's business development and sales goals, be sure to check out our recent LinkedIn Live session, "How to Successfully Roll Out a CRM System." In this session, we share best practices, common challenges, and tips for ensuring a smooth rollout that drives both adoption and results. You can watch the full discussion by clicking the image below.

In today's fast-paced business environment, finding internal information quickly is crucial. Surveys reveal that professionals often spend a significant chunk of their time just searching for necessary data and files. Deltek Vantagepoint, with each update, continues to streamline this process, making it even more efficient for users to retrieve project data and contacts. The enhanced search functionality acts as a virtual "easy" button, empowering users in professional services firms to locate precise information swiftly, leading to more insightful dashboards and reports. Let's dive into how these improvements elevate the user experience in Vantagepoint. 

The Basics 

The Search field in Vantagepoint now offers an intuitive interface with an updated Saved Searches menu. This menu not only provides quick access to frequently used searches but also includes newly added filters and sorting options. 

Custom and Shared Searches: A New Dimension

In addition to the standard searches like “Active,” “All,” and “My Company,” the updated Vantagepoint introduces more nuanced custom and shared search capabilities. Users can now create highly tailored searches that align with their specific project needs. Shared searches, curated by Vantagepoint administrators or power users, are now more refined, displaying results tailored to each user’s role and permissions.

Navigating Saved Searches with Enhanced Preview Options

The process of navigating through saved searches has been simplified. Clicking on a search now brings up an enhanced preview box, showcasing a more detailed snapshot of the results. This allows for quicker scanning and locating of specific records.

Enhanced Record and List Views

Upon selecting multiple results, the updated interface presents a more organized record-by-record view. Users can toggle through records effortlessly and switch to the ‘List View’ for a comprehensive, sortable, and filterable table of records.

At the top of the screen, it shows the total number of records. Each one has its own page, and users can toggle through each record using the arrows next to the record numbers. Users can also see the records in List View by clicking the List icon.

List View shows all the selected records in a sortable, filterable format. They can also be edited or modified from the List View table.

Streamlining Searches with the "Active Only" Toggle Feature

In Vantagepoint 6.5 released in fall 2023, a new feature streamlines the search process: the "Active Only" toggle. This convenient filter is present in the "Find [record]" field, enabling users to swiftly narrow down their search to only active records with a simple flip of the switch.

The "Active Only" toggle remembers your preference even after you log out, ensuring a consistent and efficient search experience in subsequent sessions. This enhancement has been integrated into a variety of forms across the system, from Billing to Resource Management, ensuring that users can maintain productivity with ease.

Creating Custom Searches

Custom searches have become more user-friendly. The interface guides users through a straightforward process of defining search criteria with improved field lookups and operator options. This update ensures that users can pinpoint the exact data they need with minimal effort.

Basic Custom Search

In the Contacts Hub, click the New Search button, and the new search window will appear over the current screen.

By default, it is auto-populated with “Active” in the Contact Status field. Beneath Contact Status, there are three columns. These columns are used to define the criteria for the search:

• Field Lookup: Look up fields available within the Hub (in this case, Contacts).
• Operator: The operator options tell Vantagepoint how to look for information. For example, if the Field Type is “Firm Name,” the operator options include options like “Contains” or “Is Empty.” Date-based fields include terms like “Is Today.”
• Value: This is the “what” that the search engine is looking for, such as “ABC Company” or “March 1, 2021.”

Vantagepoint automatically generates results below the search bar. The ability to quickly preview search results allows users to tweak the search criteria until they find exactly what they need without having to open a new search each time.

From here, users can click “Apply All” to be taken to the record-by-record view of their search results.

Advanced Custom Searches: A Deeper Dive

The Projects Hub now offers more complex search functionalities. Users can perform layered searches, combining multiple criteria to drill down to very specific project data. The interface intuitively guides users through setting up these advanced searches, making it accessible even for complex queries.

By default, the Project Status in the top row is set to Active. To view dormant or inactive projects, users can click the “X” next to the status and make another selection.

To perform a more advanced search, such as all the projects assigned to a certain project manager within a certain industry, users can combine search criteria.

• In the second row, enter “Project Type” as the Field, “equals” as the Operator, and “Educational/Educational Facilities” as the Value.
• Add a new row. Enter “Project Manager” as the Field and “equals” as the Operator. Enter the project managers’ name(s) as the Value.

Note that, based on this field type, the available options for Value will appear in the dropdown box. Results that don’t match the query will appear as well but are shown as grayed out.

Advanced Search Settings: Tailored to Your Needs

The Advanced Settings in the search box have been enhanced to provide even greater flexibility. Users can now specify their search criteria at various levels – from the overall project to phase or task level, accommodating a broader range of search needs for different users.

In this case, if the project managers had been assigned to specific tasks or phases of projects, that would show up here, in addition to project-level assignments.

Leveraging Power Search for Optimal Results

These enhanced search capabilities are just the tip of the iceberg. Deltek Vantagepoint's latest version offers a wealth of features designed to optimize data retrieval for project-based and professional services firms. To fully grasp these advancements, we encourage you to explore our mini demo, which covers both the basics of searching and some more advanced searching features.

For many years, project-based firms have utilized multiple technology platforms to track different pieces of crucial information. Perhaps human resources, finance, marketing, and project managers all have been using a separate platform at the same firm. How does information flow? Is it a manual process, are the systems integrated, or does everything stay siloed? There are numerous benefits to housing enterprise resource planning (ERP) and client relationship management (CRM) information in ONE accessible platform. Here in this blog, let’s check out 6 reasons for project-based firms to have an integrated CRM and ERP.

#1 Simplify, Streamline, and Save

We all want to streamline relevant business and project-based matters where we can, right? Having all CRM and ERP data in one platform, the information only needs to be entered once. ONE TIME. The data entry point can vary from browser to app, to Outlook, or to another platform, but it ultimately only gets typed in once. When integrating CRM and ERP, gone are the days of having to search through multitudes of emails to find out who last spoke to the pertinent client to get important details.

Additionally, having ERP and CRM systems together as one may be a cost savings as well. There's no additional hosting, no, or less, integrations to manage, and no additional platform to learn, maintain, and train on. This is a prime example of the concept that "less is more."

#2 Find the Latest Information with Less Noise

Just think of employee-client interactions and the information that is gathered as a firm resource. Business resources, especially for project-based firms, are meant to be shared efficiently, and that information should be available when others need it. Furthermore, new information is constantly coming in and a CRM tool provides your teams a platform to document and share this information, keeping everyone informed. With one clear space to keep this information organized, you can expect fewer logins, fewer emails, and less noise. Moreover, if CRM data is captured timely and correctly, it takes significantly less time to research the latest communications with clients. This activity tracking can help keep pursuits and projects on track.

#3 Increased Collaboration

Roles within a project-based firm sometimes have a defined description, and oftentimes the same information can be significant to different roles within the business. Whether it's key performance indicators (KPIs), pipeline reports, win rates, resume information, or contact lists, having ERP and CRM data in one place promotes collaboration between departments. This is especially true with human resources, finance, and marketing groups. This sharing of data located in one place allows understanding of other areas of the company, thereby creating a healthier collaborative environment firm-wide.

#4 Transparency Allows for Productivity

Executives, managers, leaders, and even staff, in project-based firms, want to know what work may be coming up. While they all may have their specific reasons for this knowledge, they shouldn't have to rely on someone else to distribute the information that they are looking for when they need it for their own purposes. Transparency can keep employees at all levels informed and therefore productive. And why not allow them to see this information on the platform in which they are already working? 

Whether it's timesheets or project records, most employees are in their firm's ERP daily and should be able to quickly access what information they desire in one place. Employees should have the ability to see the big picture as well as drill down to their specific information.

Take for example, that according to the 44th Annual Deltek Clarity A&E Industry Study, win rates were strong among A&E firms, but there was a decline in the number of proposals submitted. Having the visibility of win rates certainly allows for a stronger Go/No-go process, which allows project-based firms to be selective, and effective, in the work they pursue.

#5 Use Accountability to Create Consistency 

With transparency comes accountability. Principals, seller-doers, and business developers with project-based firms should be held accountable for keeping their colleagues informed. Winning work is imperative for project-based firms, and communications and pursuits are firm resources. For this to be successful, however, there needs to be support and enforcement from all levels of leadership. With an integrated CRM and ERP, information about upcoming pursuits or projects flows freely and everyone can be held accountable. Consistency is crucial to success.

#6 Leap Toward Digital Maturity

Another finding in the 44th Deltek Clarity Study is that more than 82% of A&E firms anticipate being “advanced” or "digitally mature” in the next five years. Strategic technological improvements are a big focus for both project management and financial management. Is your project-based firm part of this trend? Having CRM and ERP woven together is certainly a step toward digital maturity.

Now is the Time to Integrate Your CRM and ERP

These six compelling reasons clearly show the value of integrating your CRM and ERP into one system. You’d agree that every project-based firm would benefit from cost savings and increased collaboration firm-wide among other benefits. Is your firm ready to make the move? If so, one of our CRM consultants would be happy to discuss it with you!

It’s no shock that technology is constantly changing. While some firms are accustomed to decentralized pursuit and marketing data, others are recognizing the need to consolidate platforms and streamline processes. In doing so, teams are discovering that a shared resource offers more transparency and accountability if executed smoothly. What are you waiting for? 

My years as a proposal specialist, marketing coordinator, marketing director, and now a CRM consultant have shown me that not all firms, or systems, are the same. There are often similarities regarding firm priorities, but people and processes can vary greatly. Let’s look at some pointers from the success stories and perhaps some lessons learned from others.  

Approach as a Team 

DO: Approach a CRM implementation with a TEAM mindset. 

The more successful implementations not only have executive support throughout the process, but they have executive engagement and involvement. This takes a commitment of time and effort from the leadership team as well as other stakeholders. Stakeholders may include members of the leadership team, marketing, and business development, seller/doers, proposal coordinators, and more.  

In Deltek Vantagepoint, everyone is using the same system and the same data, but for multiple purposes. This is certainly a team project, whether you would like to admit it or not. This concept is likely a change from previous processes.  

DON’T: Expect the marketing team to implement and roll out to the entire firm. 

There’s more to Deltek Vantagepoint CRM than marketing. It’s true! A strong CRM can guide how your firm identifies, pursues, and wins work. By capturing the right data, results can be analyzed and strategies adjusted.  

Engage Stakeholders 

DO: Think about business processes as a whole.  

It can take a large team of people in various roles to win work. Everyone has a part in the process, and representatives from those roles should be included in the implementation team. In Deltek Vantagepoint, many roles touch even just one project record. Business developers, proposal coordinators, project managers, finance teams, and project accountants all have a vested interest in recording data. The process needs to be seamless and support business processes. 

Ask questions, and then ask more! A few to get you started include:  

• Where do groups track efforts?  
• What reports are modified outside of Vantagepoint?
• What information do you want to know but have no way of knowing?
• How many emails are sent to find out who talked to John Doe recently? 
• What are the pain points in the process of winning work?

DON’T: Assume an individual or small group has all the answers to the above questions.  

Each role has an interest in different parts of the process. Use this opportunity to address as many as possible while implementing CRM in Deltek Vantagepoint.  

Manage Expectations 

DO: Identify firm priorities to focus on.   

What are the primary goals? And what is the timeline to accomplish these? Priorities usually identify themselves after stakeholders converse and discuss wish list items. Here are more questions to prioritize:  

• Does the firm want to have a clean pipeline?
• Does the firm want to utilize project forecasting?
• Does the firm want to know what is being spent on the pursuit of work? 
• What is the return on effort for marketing initiatives?
• How easily can a contact list be created for a holiday mailer? 

Secondary priorities can come into the fold after the primary priorities are rolled out. For firms new to CRM, there are recommended stepping stones to build upon and each of those takes some time. After all, a CRM implementation is usually rolled into a potentially busy workload. Identifying priorities and creating realistic timelines helps team members understand what’s important now and what to look forward to in the future.    

DON’T: Expect to successfully roll out a complete CRM in a few months. 

On the surface, that’s potentially an achievable goal. However, it may be more transactional than impactful. Do it right and go for impact!   

Make Decisions 

DO: Identify needs, discuss solutions, and make decisions.  

Making decisions allows for configurations to be made and tested. Once tested and confirmed that the process and system meet user needs, then document and execute it. Most CRM configurations can be modified and adjusted as needed. You must start somewhere though.  

DON’T: Delay decisions.  

I see implementations lose steam when decisions take too long. Sometimes this is due to not having the right team members around the table. Teams must include decision-makers and doers.   

Educate  

DO: Socialize the concept of CRM with employees.  

Introduce bite-size pieces of visuals, data, or processes in company meetings. By nature, some employees may become CRM champions or power users. Give them access and let them promote CRM with the implementation team. It’s always great to identify those cheerleaders within the firm that naturally promote a CRM because they believe in the process and trust the data.  

DON’T: Shock your users and give them a manual. 

People don’t typically like surprises. CRM implementation is no different. Helping others recognize what’s in it for them can go a long way. Even without the presence of a formal CRM platform, some employees are likely tracking CRM-like information. Perhaps it’s in a spreadsheet, email platform, another CRM tool, a notebook, or even their heads! Introduce them to a new tool to increase efficiency. 

Be Open to Adaptation  

DO: Recognize that this is a fluid and ongoing effort.  

Your business is constantly changing, which means your CRM system will need to adapt to those changes. A well-implemented CRM has an accompanying maintenance plan and onboarding steps.  

DON’T: Think you’re done after your go-live date.  

Tweaks will be made along the way, and workflows may change your life!  

Everyone Should be Involved When Implementing CRM 

There are many best practices to learn from and take advantage of here. While CRM is a tool that was historically used by marketing teams, Deltek Vantagepoint offers so much more than that. A theme that should be promoted throughout an implementation is “our system.” A CRM implementation is a group effort and everyone throughout the firm should be considered and involved throughout the process. 

We encounter many numbers throughout our lives. Over time, perhaps we learn which ones matter to us and which ones are just a number. So, when is a number just a number? One place to look is with Deltek Vantagepoint project numbers.  

After working countless hours with firms for their Deltek Vision to Vantagepoint, some of the more engaging and attention-grabbing conversations include project creation and project numbering. It turns out some firms rely quite heavily on project numbers. While this is technically not wrong, it may just be causing more pain than value. Wait until your Vantagepoint users see how much easier things can be in Vantagepoint when you stop caring so much about the number. 

New Deltek Vantagepoint Projects Hub 

The projects hub has expanded its use in Vantagepoint. It now captures the entire life cycle of a project - from pursuit through awarded and completed project. This means that a project number is assigned from the start.  

Because of this, the project number initially created is just that-a number. It doesn’t really matter. GASP! 

Project Numbers can now be “Dumb” 

In the past, many Deltek Vision users set up “smart” project numbers. Other users may have used numbers so complex; they could call them “brilliant” numbers. Over time, project numbers were heavily relied on to tell a story of the year it was created, the client, the number of projects the firm had with the said client, and so on.  

While some firms invested in scripting to automate the smart numbers, others had their staff complete forms to submit to accounting and perhaps a pair of employees was responsible for assigning the next project number based on a coveted spreadsheet. Get rid of the firm’s project setup forms forever with Vantagepoint! 

Let the System do the Heavy Lifting with Autonumbering  

 Who doesn’t want to make their workday easier? One-way Vantagepoint helps with this is by setting up autonumbering. Deltek Vantagepoint project autonumbering, proper education and training can give users independence to enter and track their own pursuit and project efforts. Talk about streamlining processes!  

 The autonumbering feature in Deltek Vantagepoint automatically generates an identification number for new records, including project records. And, in the autonumbering setup firms can define the structure of the project number to match the business requirements.  

How to Configure Autonumbering 

A Deltek administrator can enable automatic numbering by going into Settings > Workflow > Numbering. See the screenshot below. 

Then hover over the row of the system numbering format to update. For this example, select Project then go to the column called Auto Number Source. See in the screenshot below the various options to create an auto number source including Expression, Stored Procedure or Web Service.  

Below is an example of using the Expression Auto Number Source. When that option is selected, there are a few options. First, is that autonumbering can be set up for Overhead, Promotional and Regular project charge types. Once the charge type is selected, the Project Auto Number Format can be defined by inserting a row for each component of the project number.  

In the example below, this client wanted to show the year the project record was created in four characters, the next project in the sequence beginning at 439 with two leading zeroes, and, finally, a period followed by the project center level of office.  

Below the Project Auto Number Format grid are a few fields specific to which row is highlighted. In this screenshot, the “characters” row is selected so it’s displaying that specific row’s sequence number length, sequence number position and starting sequence number, 439. As each row is built, the sample value field will update.  

Once that is defined and saved, every time a new regular project is created, the number will automatically populate. Users won’t have to think about which project number to use next nor fill out a form to get the “next” project number from a separate log or notebook. See the screenshot below for how this will look for users. 

Autonumbering is defined as a Regular project record. 

 Autonumbering is defined as a promotional project record. 

Don’t Stop with Just Project Numbers 

The autonumbering function is not just available for project records. Deltek Vantagepoint has made autonumbering available for employees, firms, marketing campaigns, equipment and user-defined hubs. And, other areas with numbers can be automated too including phases, tasks, accounts, units, accounts, vendors, company, office, discipline, and more! 

Once you’ve crossed over to the autonumbering dark side, you’ll want to set it up for everything in Deltek Vantagepoint. Click below to learn more about Full Sail Partners Deltek Vision to Vantagepoint upgrade assistance services. 

According to this year’s Deltek Clarity Architecture & Engineering (A&E) Industry Study, it is looking to be a landmark year for the architecture and engineering industry with net revenue growth forecasted to grow to 17.6%. A&E is doing quite well despite the pandemic with the highest net revenue growth in the last ten years at 11.4%. This increase is assisted by A&E’s market position, which is expected to either grow or remain steady in markets across the board. Most notably water/waste/stormwater, transportation, and industries that fall under the “other” category (such as life sciences and senior living) are predicted to see great increases. As a result, firms will not only need to strategically pursue the right projects but will also need to grow and develop a staff to deliver on these projects.

Top Business Development (BD) Challenges 

The ever-changing nature of the business world is continuing to keep firms on their toes with new challenges. Unlike the previous year, a majority of firms (78%) have identified that finding and retaining qualified staff has been a struggle for them. This is coupled with other mass-reported problems such as staffing shortages and difficulty retaining employees. Staffing challenges have a direct impact on business development, not only lacking adequate staff to conduct business development activities but also not being able to provide the most qualified teams to win and deliver on projects. 

Time to nurture client relationships is the top business development challenge for A&E firms according to the report. With favorable market conditions, new opportunities will be plentiful which poses a challenge for firms to keep up with their clients. Time is money and time is also in short supply. With the reporting firms revealing an average work backlog of nearly 9 months, it is clear that companies must find a way to increase productivity. Upskilling business development talent and streamlining the BD process will help to free up time to strategically nurture client relationships. 

Other top BD challenges from the study include increased competition and identifying prospects. Firms must differentiate and hone branding across thought leadership and social marketing channels to distinguish themselves in the marketplace. Additionally, with a positive industry outlook this year, firms will need to be more strategic in pursuits that work best for their company’s strengths. 

Increased Formal Business Development Process 

Of the companies surveyed, 45% have a formal business development process, which is an increase going up from 39% the previous year. Though this means that 55% of firms surveyed still do not have any formal business development process. In these cases, responsibility for business development tasks is most often pushed to the executive team, project managers, and marketing staff. While dedicated business development staff may not be necessary in every case, it is important not to overlook the kind of work they do. Most notably, they tend to client relationship development, proposal development and networking, but they have plenty of other duties as well. Their jobs help to create new business opportunities, and within the last year active client relationships, requests for proposals and networking placed in the top five sources of new opportunities in the surveyed firms. 

A Positive Year for Proposals Requires Evaluation 

As suggested by the Deltek Clarity study, operating in a market with limited resources but high demand, the go/no go process is significant to evaluate the projects firms will pursue. While the number of firms employing the go/no go process has increased in the last year, there is still a large population who do not utilize it in the slightest. Of the companies who reported, 22% don’t use any kind of go/no go process. Listed below are the top three questions that businesses ask when deciding whether or not to accept a proposal: 

• Is it a good fit for the type of work we do? 
• Do we have an existing relationship with the client? 
• Do we have the staff to deliver the project?   

This method of weeding out less profitable projects is more useful than ever, as a significant rise in the number of proposals submitted and the number awarded in firms of all sizes was observed. In-kind, the average win rate of proposals has increased in the last year to 49.2%, the highest it’s been since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The average capture rate is also up from the previous year, now standing at 48.5%. 

Marketing Techniques Present and Future 

A majority of businesses reported using social media posts for marketing, with only 16% not indicating any use. This was followed by client-specific marketing at 67%, trade shows/exhibits at 56%, email marketing at 54% and thought leadership at 42%. The order of these marketing methods is projected to change, however, with the study offering up that client-specific marketing could overtake social media marketing within the next five years. Thought leadership is predicted to advance to third place among important marketing techniques, with trade shows/exhibits and email marketing falling more and more by the wayside. 

Business Development Initiatives 

Based on this year’s study, some of the priority business development (BD) initiatives for A&E firms are hiring additional staff, earlier identification of opportunities and requirements and expanding geographically. Since BD has not been spared from staffing challenges, and firms are seeing more proposals, projects, and nurturing opportunities, the focus on obtaining the best-qualified staff is of tantamount importance. Another area that has grown in importance is the geographic expansion of firms requiring yet again additional staff. One more initiative to identify opportunities and their requirements remains top of the list as well. Teams shouldn’t be wasting time and their resources on projects that are not winnable. 

Final BD Outlook from Deltek Clarity 

The 43rd Deltek A&E Clarity study found that while the world still is not clear about the pandemic, things are looking up for the industry. The top problems of participating firms are not dire, and by focusing on the employee base and current client relationships, these issues can be fixed. This year’s Deltek Clarity report also noted that freeing up time is necessary to clear the obstacles in the way of each business regarding BD. To remedy this, employing the go/no go process and better utilizing the tools provided by Deltek to streamline the BD process is suggested. 

How does your company stack up to those that participated in the survey? For a more in-depth look at the data behind the 43rd Deltek A&E Clarity study, use the link below to receive the report for free right now! 

Is my firm ready to make the transition from Deltek Vision to Vantagepoint? The answer to this trending question remains the same – it depends on your firm’s needs since there are several factors that should be taken into consideration when determining your upgrade timeline. Deltek has recently shared that Vision will be supported beyond January 2023. This means firms can upgrade in a timeframe that aligns with their calendars and needs. Let’s take a look at some of the factors that are affecting decisions around a target upgrade date.

Team Capacity

We all have various times of the year that are busier than others. Upgrading to Deltek Vantagepoint isn’t necessarily hard. However, readying your firm for the upgrade does take time, important conversations need to take place, and impactful decisions have to be made.

The upgrade is ultimately a project that stakeholders must spend time on and converse about process improvements. Consider the timeframe of year-end processes. End-of-year processes can consume finance teams for weeks, or even months. Therefore, choosing a time when the finance team has some schedule flexibility is very important. For some firms, this may affect the timing in the first quarter as well.

Additionally, marketing and project management teams rely heavily on the system as they use CRM and Resource Planning. As processes are tweaked and reestablished, also think about end-user training. How will you train power users and end-users? Would that be in your preview environment or after going live in Vantagepoint? The answers to these questions vary from firm to firm. However, one trend noticed is that many firms are committing resources and time to education and training as they go through the upgrade process. This is all in an effort to equip their teams with the latest technology as they manage and deliver projects.

System Complexity

Deltek Vision and Vantagepoint have impactful features out of the box. There are often times when firms need to add fields, workflows, and custom hubs. Depending on the amount of customization, that can affect the length of their transition timeline. This may include workflows, custom fields, and robust processes.

In addition, some firms integrate their Deltek system with third-party systems to streamline processes and data entry. Examples include payroll services, email marketing platforms, external expense and invoicing services, firm intranets, and more. Firms should seek confirmation from their third-party solutions that they, too, are ready for the upgrade. These integrations can impact the timing of a firm’s upgrade and testing should be incorporated into the timeline.  

The complexity in which a firm uses Deltek can also affect a firm’s upgrade date. The time a team spends in the preview environment should be measured. Whether it’s in screen designer, security, rebuilding reports, or creating useful dashboards, that work won’t automatically carry forward to a data refresh or going live. Instead, those settings would rewind to the default. There is a tool called transition copy scripts that can copy and apply those configurations and settings forward.

Firm Culture

Many firms are leveraging the upgrade as a time to evaluate and modify processes. Although some view these changes as improvements, others may become intimidated. For some features, the changes can actually be incorporated into Deltek Vision and put into action now. Other improvements, including new module implementations, maybe more efficiently put into practice after going live in Vantagepoint.

Getting teams on board and all on the same page may take some conversations around change management. Furthermore, be sure to include some of the “department cheerleaders” throughout the firm as you determine who will be leading the upgrade efforts. A variety of roles and experiences is effective as it brings up new conversations, squashes “change” concerns, and breaks down silos that may exist.

Firms are also taking this opportunity to increase the potential of their Deltek solution and train their staff for more hands-on usage. In the past, Deltek may have been more heavily used for accounting functions. However, we are finding that some firms are now consolidating some outside resources and using features in Vantagepoint that have become more approachable and inviting.

Plan for Successful Vantagepoint Upgrade

Planning for the upgrade is of great importance, and it may be easier than you may think. There are many resources available to start familiarizing firms and teams with Deltek Vantagepoint. Deltek offers the Deltek Learning Zone (DLZ) and the Client Assistance Program (CAP) to help teams prepare for the upgrade.

At Full Sail Partners, we are taking a personalized approach with firms that are looking for some assistance with the upgrade. From planning efforts to training after going live in Vantagepoint (and everything in between), we are guiding firms through a successful upgrade. We also feel that education is key, so helping firms better understand and utilize Deltek Vantagepoint will stick with our clients far beyond the upgrade.

Marketing is a necessary function in business, and AEC firms are no exception. First off, there’s general brand awareness, and then there are the marketing campaigns that firms spend resources on to drive quality leads. Marketing efforts cover a variety of outreach methods such as conferences, sponsorships, golf tournaments, and email campaigns. Can you name the projects awarded to your firm as a result of particular marketing efforts? What campaigns would you consider a success based on the efforts and dollars spent? Let’s see how Deltek Vantagepoint marketing campaigns can help you with your marketing efforts.

Organize Marketing Efforts

For each marketing effort, information can be collected and organized in one place inside a Vantagepoint marketing campaign record. The marketing campaign name, its description, associated promotional project used for budget tracking, marketing campaign manager, and marketing manager are all fields that may be useful to planning efforts.

Beyond the marketing campaign record, organizing a marketing plan in the same system as your CRM allows for efficient associations. With Deltek Vantagepoint, teams can associate resulting projects in pursuit and awarded projects to the marketing campaign that led to that effort. Therefore, you have visibility to:

Measure Costs Against Goals

A Revenue Goal can be identified as you begin the campaign. Other monetary fields are populated based on project information in your system. There are fields for Actual Revenue, which recognizes dollars from awarded projects associated back to the campaign, and Potential Revenue, which recognizes dollars from projects in pursuit. A promotional project can also be created for the marketing campaign to track time and expenses. Using the promotional project number, Actual Costs are populated on the marketing campaign. This gives a quick view of the success of the marketing campaign as it relates to resulting projects.

Build Email Lists or Tally Responses

It’s not always about the dollars. For events in which attendee information should be collected, responses can be tracked using contacts in CRM. The responses, or contact list, can be used to create mailing lists or distribute follow up information.

Stay on Target with Activities

With each marketing campaign comes tasks and to-do lists. Those activities can be managed and tracked in the marketing campaign record. This brings all activities together, whether it’s registering for an event, completing sponsorship information, creating marketing materials, or making reservations. Deltek Vantagepoint allows Activities to be assigned to other employees so the appropriate team members will see their Activities as well.

Measure the Effectiveness

Tying actual revenue to a marketing campaign gives firms the opportunity to measure the effectiveness of various marketing efforts. By doing so, firms can determine which efforts to repeat and which ones to modify or discontinue. One example is conferences. Many dollars can be spent on industry conferences, and we simply cannot attend all. Using marketing campaigns, teams can see the return on effort. These metrics can help prioritize event involvement for future years and be an integral part of strategic marketing and business development plans.

Be Smarter with Vantagepoint

As Deltek users, marketers can take advantage of the marketing campaigns in Vantagepoint and discover which marketing efforts work the best. Based on what these marketing campaigns identify, your firm can strategically plan better. Additionally, by using marketing campaigns in Vantagepoint, the marketing department can easily translate their outreach efforts to a monetary value.

A new year often brings new goals to set and work toward and doing so helps you focus and improve behaviors to better yourself. Personal goals are a must – health, organization, time, etc. – the list can go on and on. However, professional goals have great importance as well. There are always areas we can work to improve upon in the workplace. These can be personal, for a team, or even for the firm as a whole. Let’s take a look at some new year’s resolutions that project-based firms may consider in 2021.

New Year’s Resolutions for Professionals

1. Use technology more efficiently

Firms may have numerous software options available, various calendars, and maybe a plethora of tracking files. Try consolidating and mastering a different resource, one at a time. Master it, share with your team, and promote a wider usage for consistency. By focusing on one new tool each quarter, four cleaner processes may be established by one employee alone!

2. Make technology accessible by all

The last year has taught us the value of being able to work from anywhere. Some IT groups were ready to roll, and others had to pull together additional resources to get employees the access needed for business continuity. If your firm has not invested in accessibility, this is the time.

There are numerous cloud options that firms can consider to be more accessible by all. There may have been IT projects put on hold, but perhaps moving forward with them will see a greater outcome once complete.

3. Be adaptable

There may have been some frustrating moments in 2020 when plans suddenly had to change. With many scenarios out of our individual control, our reactions make a huge impact on the future. Therefore, being adaptable and open to change can actually lead to great things for firms. It allows us to change the narrative instead of using the workplace curse words of, “This is how we’ve always done it.” I never liked hearing those words anyway.

Being adaptable allows employees to have a quicker rebound, with less downtime as they try to figure out each little detail. Modifications can be made along the way as needed. Also, try to see things from another’s perspective. We all have our own challenges and can work together for effective solutions.

4. Promote employee growth

Don’t forget about training, mentoring, and collaborating. Executives, managers, and employees alike should have opportunities for learning and growth regardless of what the office looks like. Employees can still be paired with a more senior position to continue learning, executives can collaborate and check in on teams, and managers can continue training on a virtual platform. This goal will always be important for a firm’s success.

5. Support local communities

Communities need each other. Find ways to use local businesses and support community-based organizations. By doing this, more money can stay within the community and help other small businesses and families directly in your area.

6. Adopt a new habit as a team

There are many tools at our fingertips that can help teams communicate and collaborate. As new information or details emerge about opportunities or projects, do yourself and your colleagues a favor and record them properly. Think of the new information as a shared company resource and use technology to make it accessible to others. I encourage you to collaborate with your colleagues to modify some professional processes for a more streamlined workday. New year = new technology habits.

7. Time management

Be intentional with how your time is spent. We can all get caught up in mundane tasks but identifying important professional tasks can keep us on track. Block time off on your calendar for various projects to ensure chunks of time are available to focus on independent work. This helps protect your own work time while working efficiently for clients too.

8. Keep learning and add value

Let’s face it – we know a lot, but we do not know everything. Even an expert in a particular field has more to learn and room to grow. Step out of your comfort zone and dive into something new. It can be a new hobby, a new skill, or sharpening and fine tuning a skill you are already promoting. There are ways to add value to your life and to your work. Allow yourself to be inspired and empower others to learn and grow. Personal development expands your horizons and what you have to offer!

Keep Pressing On

A new year does not necessarily equal a new you. Instead, it welcomes the opportunity for improvements over time. Our work is never complete and that’s part of the fun. Our personal and professional lives can be so intertwined. Improvements in one area may bring success to the other as well. Best of luck with your resolutions – you can do this!

Are you thinking about your Deltek Vantagepoint upgrade and what steps are required? If you haven't already, we recommend you take a look at Full Sail Partners’ 3-step process. An important fact to know is that Deltek has provided a conversion tool to allow all of your data to move over. No migration necessary. Does that mean I can move tomorrow? No, we do not recommend that. Just like with any upgrade, you need to make sure updates haven’t impacted your processes. This upgrade is a bit more extensive but rest assured Full Sail Partners has tools to make the process easier and more efficient. One of those tools is our Vantagepoint Transition Copy Scripts.

During the testing process, firms will need to address some key areas including workflows, saved searches, reports and configuration settings before moving forward with a production environment. Our Vantagepoint Transition Copy Scripts are a valuable resource to ensure the work you put into addressing issues doesn’t require rework when you move from test to test environment or to your final production environment. Let’s take a look at how this tool can help you with the upgrade process. 

Vantagepoint Preview Environment

Now that clean-up efforts have been identified and prioritized with the Vantagepoint Readiness Report, and clean-up efforts are nearing completion, it may be time to request a preview environment. Many firms are finding the upgrade process to be an opportune time to tidy-up data and fields that have been collected in Deltek Vision over the years. Here is the chance to get Vantagepoint started with best practices and processes.

Upon accessing a firm’s preview environment, you may notice that things look different. The data moves over from Vision to Vantagepoint, but some big areas are consolidated. For example, opportunities get consolidated into projects, and clients and vendors consolidate into the firm hub. As this takes place, you will see some field duplication. Fields may also be organized differently.

Vantagepoint Preview becomes Testing Environment

There are many changes that can be made in the testing environment. It’s important to know that any changes made - screen design properties, saved searches, reports, dashboard/dashparts, and more - will reset upon a preview refresh as well as go live. Full Sail Partners understands that this can be a burden on firms as they track and recreate each of the changes. Full Sail Partners' Transition Copy Scripts allow firms to retain these changes and eliminate redundancy and rework between each test upgrade and your your final conversion.

Below is a list of the available scripts in the transition copy script bundle:

Screen Designer:

• Design layout location for User Defined Fields
• Properties including: Hidden, Locked, Required Fields, Tool Tips
• Resource Planning Configuration

Security:

• Security user role for each employee
• Security options for each user role
• Email Configuration

• Private and Shared search options

Reports/Templates:

• Private and Shared reports with options and selection criteria
• Proposal templates

• Dashboard layout
• Dashpart widgets
• Dashpart calculations

• Hub Workflows
• Approval Engine Workflows

Newly Created Components and Values:

• Standard field values and labels
• Custom fields and labels
• Custom grids and labels
• Custom files
• Custom tabs
• Custom hubs
• Navigation tree

Some firms may have a manageable list of changes to address on their own, but we understand that firms with more complex data spend measurable resources getting the test environment just as needed. Below are some of the many reasons to use this impactful tool:

Utilize Your Resources

We understand that there are many other responsibilities needing to be addressed throughout the workday. Full Sail Partners' Transition Copy Scripts can alleviate the redundancy of Vantagepoint refreshes and live environment and spend your time more effectively.  

Wherever you may be in your Deltek journey, Full Sail Partners has additional resources to assist with the Vantagepoint upgrade. Let us help you get there the right way!