Reflection on 10 Years of Attending Build Business

by Kenda Salisbury, CPSM, Business Development Manager, Degenkolb Engineers

Saturday, the day after Build Business.

I admit it, I’m struggling. How do I describe the last 5 days? How can I sum up the energy? How can I explain all the I learned? Not only the marketing knowledge gained, but the things I learned about myself.

2016 marks my 10^th Build Business Conference. New Orleans; Los Angeles; Washington, DC; Boston; Chicago; San Francisco; Orlando; San Antonio; Los Angeles (yes, again); and now, Philadelphia.

I have experienced Build Business at its glitziest, with its largest attendance numbers in the early 2000’s. I was also there when we experienced the downturn, with the lowest attendance numbers. I’ve been chased by Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Irene, and Palmetto bugs.

It’s clear, I’ve drunk the SMPS Kool-Aid.

Friday, I attended a session on company culture. Speaker Greg Hawks, of the ironically named Hawks Agency, pumped up the completely full room. Starting with why culture was important and ending with how we, as individuals, can influence our work environments, I have several elements I would like to discuss with my co-workers.

Cut to later in the day, I was sitting in a quiet corner eating lunch and catching up with other attendees. A friend of mine sat down next to me. She brought Greg Hawks with her.

After thanking him and asking a few questions about his presentation he mentioned that this was his first Build Business Conference. We spoke about the highs and mid-highs (there really are no ‘lows’). Towards the end of our conversation, Greg asked me “do you know what makes SMPS different?” I waited for him to answer. “You are a family. You’re not people attending a conference to network and learn new things. Well, you are, but more importantly, you’re a family. This isn’t a sterile, tedious conference. You greet each other with hugs. You genuinely care about each other, competitor or client. I’ve met more than one set of long-term friends here who compete on a daily basis. You care about each other’s careers, families, successes, and stumbles.”

My conversation with Greg had the most impact on me from that point forward. For the next 15 hours, I watched how we interacted, how we spoke to each other, how we celebrated and cared for each other.

Professional services marketing has been learned by most of us in the process of doing our jobs. Until recently, you couldn’t go to college to learn the specifics of selling services. On a yearly basis, Build Business has provided learning opportunities to help me advance my company and my career. It has helped me build a national network that will drop everything to help me, at a moment’s notice. It has helped me build leadership skills.

Even though we may compete, Build Business is a yearly reminder that professional services marketing isn’t an individual game. We rise and fall together, as a family.

It will take me a few weeks to internalize all that I’ve learned this week. Check back for more posts about Build Business: Synthesis.