Generalist to Strategist: The Evolving Role of AEC Marketers
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
Release Date: 11/07/2025
Re-Run: Episode 272 - Optimizing Your Professional Conference Experience
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
Frank and Deirdre share their insights on making the most out of your professional conference experience. They discuss strategic networking, setting realistic expectations, and engaging effectively with speakers. You'll also learn about the importance of taking notes and adhering to proper conference etiquette, especially during the final keynote session. Whether you're new to conferences or a seasoned pro, this episode is filled with valuable tips to enhance your participation and takeaway. Music by RomanSenykMusic on Pixabay.
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Rerun: Why Joy is a Leadership Strategy, Not a Soft Skill feat. Nicole Van Valen
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
In an industry built on deadlines, pursuits, and constant pressure, resilience is often framed as grit and endurance. But what if that mindset is actually driving burnout? In this episode of The PSM Show, Deirdre Booth sits down with Nicole Van Valen, founder of Keen Insights and author of The Joyful Leader, to reframe how AEC firms think about resilience, leadership, and performance. Drawing from her background as a licensed marriage and family therapist and corporate leader, Nicole explains why joy is not a perk or personality trait, but a practical tool that supports focus, steadiness, and...
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AMA: Getting Seller-Doers to Buy In Without Overstepping feat. Rachel Charlton
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
This episode is an Ask Me Anything with Rachel Charlton of Sticky Communications, and the questions go straight to the stuff AEC marketers deal with in real rooms. We talk about what buy-in actually is, why it rarely shows up “as a stage” in the pursuit process, and how marketers build credibility with technical teams before the fire drill starts. From interview prep and slide strategy to role clarity and change management, we break down what it looks like to lead with the client’s perspective, build a coalition inside the firm, and move ideas forward without turning every meeting...
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Tell Me More: Empathy, Headlines, and the Stories Firms Choose
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
When the world feels heavy, polished stories stop working. The ones that land are the honest ones — the ones that start with trouble. In this episode of The PSM Show, hosts Damion Morris and Deirdre Booth sit down with writer and strategist Joel Hoekstra for a “pull up a chair” conversation about why the best AEC stories don’t begin with brilliance or technical expertise — they begin with friction, uncertainty, and what wasn’t working. Joel shares how he helps marketers draw human-centered narratives out of highly technical subject matter experts, why empathy consistently...
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RERUN: Where Strategy Meets Action feat. James Hatch
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
What does strategy really look like inside a construction firm that wants to grow on purpose, not by accident? In this episode of the PSM Show, host Damion Morris talks with James Hatch, Chief Strategy Officer at Kovac Building Enclosures, one of the top glazing contractors in the country. James shares how his path through architecture, estimating, finance, and business development shaped the way he leads strategy today – and why he sees the CSO as the "agent of change" inside the firm. They dig into what it takes to keep the "periscope above the water," choose the right pursuits, and build...
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PSM Unscripted: Starting the Year with Perspective
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
In this unscripted conversation, Deirdre Booth and Damion Morris step away from the usual format and start the year with an honest check-in. They talk candidly about growth, ambition, balance, connection, leadership, and what changes when career wins stop being the only measure of success. This episode sets the tone for the season ahead with real reflection, lived experience, and the kind of perspective that comes from years in the industry and life beyond the job title.
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Why Joy Is a Leadership Strategy, Not a Soft Skill
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
In an industry built on deadlines, pursuits, and constant pressure, resilience is often framed as grit and endurance. But what if that mindset is actually driving burnout? In this episode of The PSM Show, Deirdre Booth sits down with Nicole Van Valen, founder of Keen Insights and author of The Joyful Leader, to reframe how AEC firms think about resilience, leadership, and performance. Drawing from her background as a licensed marriage and family therapist and corporate leader, Nicole explains why joy is not a perk or personality trait, but a practical tool that supports focus, steadiness, and...
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Where Strategy Meets Action
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
What does strategy really look like inside a construction firm that wants to grow on purpose, not by accident? In this episode of the PSM Show, host Damion Morris talks with James Hatch, Chief Strategy Officer at Kovac Building Enclosures, one of the top glazing contractors in the country. James shares how his path through architecture, estimating, finance, and business development shaped the way he leads strategy today – and why he sees the CSO as the “agent of change” inside the firm. They dig into what it takes to keep the “periscope above the water,” choose the right pursuits,...
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Generalist to Strategist: The Evolving Role of AEC Marketers
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
Hosts Deirdre Booth and Damion Morris dig into why AEC marketing roles have stretched across design, writing, coordination, and strategy, and why that model is shifting. They unpack findings referenced from SMPS research, lessons from recent pursuits, and how private equity, data, AI, and client experience are changing expectations. Hear practical ways teams can organize around five core functions, build true strategic capacity, and connect marketing to revenue and reputation.
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Crossover! What AEC Marketers Can Learn From Taylor Swift feat. Keelin Cox
PSM: Professional Services Marketing
Whether you're a Swiftie or not, Taylor Swift's influence on global spending and the marketing strategies behind her success are impossible to ignore. In this episode, Deirdre Booth and I explore how AEC firms can draw inspiration from Taylor Swift's innovative marketing tactics to create their own opportunities for growth.
info_outlineHosts Deirdre Booth and Damion Morris dig into why AEC marketing roles have stretched across design, writing, coordination, and strategy, and why that model is shifting. They unpack findings referenced from SMPS research, lessons from recent pursuits, and how private equity, data, AI, and client experience are changing expectations. Hear practical ways teams can organize around five core functions, build true strategic capacity, and connect marketing to revenue and reputation.