SMPS: Society for Marketing Professional Services of Utah.

• Author: French, Dana L.
• Position: Organization providing educational and business opportunities for marketing professionals in building-design industry

SMPS Society for Marketing Professional Services of Utah

A few years ago it would have been unheard of for firms in the building-design industry to have anyone dedicated to marketing. The building-design industry was considered a "gentleman's profession," and active selling was perceived as being on the verge of unethical and at best uncouth.

But Utah is beginning to understand what major design metropolises such as New York; Washington, D.C.; Dallas; and Chicago have known for several years - the days when lunch and a handshake sealed a deal are over. With clients becoming more educated about the design process and the banks more stringent in their lending practices, the method of hiring building-design services has gone from the "good ole boy" network to a detailed process involving the review of several firms.

"Technical competence is only one factor that influences the success of firms. You can be the most creative designer in the world, but if you don't sell those skills you will never reach your full potential," said Cory Cannon, owner of Cannon Communications and Marketing.

How the firm is presented and how it locates new projects is becoming increasingly complex and time-consuming. In order to compete in today's market, many progressive building-and-design firms are finding that a full-time marketing professional or marketing firm is the answer.

A reflection of this trend is the recent formation of a Utah chapter of The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). SMPS is the only organization dedicated exclusively to providing educational and business opportunities for marketing professionals in the building-design industry. It was founded in 1973 and has since grown to a worldwide membership nearing 4,000.

The organization is meeting a need in Utah. Since the Utah chapter was organized in September 1990 the response has been overwhelming, with 22 members joining and membership applications increasing every month. The average attendance at the monthly meetings has been between 35-50. In fact, in October of 1990 Governor Bangerter recognized the value of SMPS of Utah by proclaiming October 17 "SMPS Day" in the state and encouraging all design and construction professionals to actively participate.

"In the past year I have seen a change of attitude and a wider acceptance of marketing professionals in the building-design industry in Utah. A year ago there were just a handful of us; now almost every major design firm in the...