Hensel Phelps

Programs for Hensel Phelps

  • Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits

    Our September webinar is designed for the beginning to intermediate InDesign user who works on proposals and promotional material regularly. Adding these design concepts to your skillset will allow you to make the most of your page space and entice your audience while visually conveying information.

    Presenter: Roxanne Marquez, Senior Marketing Coordinator, Ghirardelli Associates
    Tuesday, September 24, 2019, 2–3:30 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. CDT/Noon MDT/11 a.m. PDT

    Session Description

    Want to explain a lot of information in a small amount of space? Need to convey a concept with a "pop of color"? Infographs are everywhere and, while they look cool, they also have to function well. Learn their elements, design processes, and how to create them in InDesign.

    Our September webinar is designed for the beginning to intermediate InDesign user who works on proposals and promotional material regularly. Adding these design concepts to your skillset will allow you to make the most of your page space and entice your audience while visually conveying information.

    A quick guide to InDesign tools used in the webinar and links to further resources will be provided ahead of time, as well as InDesign swatches created for this practice. Having InDesign open for following along and ease of practice is recommended but not required.

    Session Learning Objectives

    During this webinar, participants will:

    • Explore visual concepts and goals behind infograph design
    • Discover how to translate information into a visual story
    • Learn techniques for visually ordering information
    • Learn how to manipulate basic shapes in InDesign

         Cosential - CRM and Proposal Generation for AEC

    SMPS webinars are sponsored by Cosential

    Roxanne Marquez

    Senior Marketing Coordinator, Ghirardelli Associates

    Roxanne is a senior marketing coordinator and a lifelong visual designer. Having earned a bachelor’s degree in visual communications with an emphasis on graphic design, and experienced in marketing, sales, design/crafting and event production, she brings a visual consideration to all of her projects. She’s experienced in developing printed and digital proposals and collateral using Adobe software, especially InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. She brings cumulative experience from various fields to apply towards better marketing strategies. Roxanne serves on the board of directors for SMPS Sacramento and previously served on the Education Committee where she developed and taught InDesign training sessions to support the continued growth of the membership.

    SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

    Per-Site Registration Fee*  

    SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

    Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

    *Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!  

    Recordings of SMPS webinars are available to train your marketing professionals. Learn more 


  • Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits

    In this webinar, we’ll review the characteristics of the five generations, identify the broad differences, and discuss the result when we blend and mix generational attitudes and beliefs. We’ll also look at ways to leverage these differences to enhance your company’s organizational culture. Most important, we’ll examine ways to use basic business development strategies to recruit and retain a dynamic multi-generational workforce.

    Presenter:

    Lisa Keohokalole Schauer, CPSM, PointNorth
    Tuesday, April 16, 2019, 2–3:30 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CST/Noon MST/11 a.m. PST

    Session Description

    Today's workforce is made up of five generations. With employees ranging from teens to those in their twilight years, how we communicate matters. By 2020, the two youngest generations will compose nearly 70 percent of global employees. Breaking down communication barriers to achieve results may make the difference in keeping our most important asset, our people.  

    As professional service firms, we’re in the business of talent. Our firms thrive on our ability to recruit and retain talent. With low unemployment rates and an ever-increasing competitive marketplace, marketers must partner with human resources teams to ensure we’re ready for battle in today's talent war.  

    In this webinar, we’ll review the characteristics of the five generations, identify the broad differences, and discuss the result when we blend and mix generational attitudes and beliefs. We’ll also look at ways to leverage these differences to enhance your company’s organizational culture. Most important, we’ll examine ways to use basic business development strategies to recruit and retain a dynamic multi-generational workforce.

    Session Learning Objectives:

    During this webinar, participants will:

    • Increase their understanding of the five generations in today's workforce
    • Explore opportunities to leverage differences to enhance organizational culture
    • Explore communication methods to reach multi-generational audiences
    • Utilize business development strategies to recruit and retain multi-generations

         Cosential - CRM and Proposal Generation for AEC

    SMPS webinars are sponsored by Cosential

    Lisa Keohokalole Schauer, CPSM

    President, NorthPoint

    Lisa Keohokalole Schauer, CPSM, is the president of PointNorth, a firm committed to strengthening leaders and empowering teams to do the right thing by listening, learning, and leading. Schauer served as the chief operating officer/senior vice president for a regional engineering and construction management consulting firm headquartered in Vancouver, WA. During her eighteen-year tenure, she contributed to tripling the staff size and led the firm’s business development, marketing, communications, and HR programs.

    SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

    Per-Site Registration Fee*  

    SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

    Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

    *Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!  

    Recordings of SMPS webinars are available to train your marketing professionals. Learn more 


  • Contains 2 Component(s), Includes Credits

    It’s time to stop focusing on quantity over quality and focus on letting your main ideas shine through to strengthen your proposals. Presenter Jen McGovern, CPSM, will share best practices gained through preparing and reviewing hundreds of proposals for public and private clients worldwide. Participants will leave the webinar feeling prepared to tailor every section of their proposals, taking their next submittal to the next level.

    Presenter: Jen McGovern, CPSM
    Tuesday, November 13, 2–3:30 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CST/Noon MST/11 a.m. PST

    Session Description

    When reviewing proposals, the selection committee only has one question: Why is your firm the best fit for our project? But as proposal writers juggle multiple deadlines, input from many parties, and a laundry list of proposal requirements, the answer to that important question gets buried. During our November webinar, we’ll discuss how to structure your kick-off call to set the foundation for a tailored proposal, methods for tailoring boilerplate content, and how to cut away the fluff from proposals—so reviewers focus on why your firm is the best fit for the project.

    It’s time to stop focusing on quantity over quality and focus on letting your main ideas shine through to strengthen your proposals. Presenter Jen McGovern, CPSM, will share best practices gained through preparing and reviewing hundreds of proposals for public and private clients worldwide. Participants will leave the webinar feeling prepared to tailor every section of their proposals, taking their next submittal to the next level.

    Session Learning Objectives:

    During this webinar, participants will understand:

    • How to hold a kick-off meeting that sets the foundation for a strong proposal
    • Which items to add to your proposal to go beyond compliance and tell a strong story
    • How to identify areas where cutting away text will make your main ideas shine, and how to cut that text
    • How to partner with technical staff to get tailored information needed to create a compelling proposal

         Cosential - CRM and Proposal Generation for AEC

    SMPS webinars are sponsored by Cosential

    Jen McGovern, CPSM

    Regional Marketing Manager, VHB

    Jen McGovern, CPSM, regional marketing manager at VHB, knows what it takes to put together a strong proposal. She oversees the marketing efforts for seven of VHB’s offices, which means she has prepared and reviewed hundreds of proposals. A frequent writer and presenter, Jen is president of SMPS Washington, DC, and a member of the Marketer Editorial Committee. She achieved her CPSM in 2015. 

    SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

    Per-Site Registration Fee*  

    SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

    Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

    *Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!  

    Recordings of SMPS webinars are available to train your marketing professionals. Learn more 


  • Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits

    Whether you’re just getting involved in the marketing planning process or you need some helpful tips to refresh your current strategy, this webinar is for you. Join us for an in-depth look into the strategic marketing planning process and how you can set your company up for success!

    Presenters: Mindy Hinsley, CPSM, and Carrie Ann Williams, CPSM
    Tuesday September 25, 2–3:30 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. CT/Noon MT/11 a.m. PDT

    Session Description

    A/E/C marketers are bursting with creative ideas–from social media strategies to content marketing campaigns to website redesigns. How do you turn these ideas into strategies that will increase your firm’s success? A strategic marketing plan can help set the ground work for a successful year by establishing goals that align with your company’s overall strategic plan. It can provide measurable results to prove the value marketing brings to the firm’s bottom line.

    Whether you’re just getting involved in the marketing planning process or you need some helpful tips to refresh your current strategy, this webinar is for you. Join us for an in-depth look into the strategic marketing planning process and how you can set your company up for success!

    Our presenters will discuss how to align your marketing plan with your firms overall strategic plan and provide tips and tricks to accomplish your plan. Don’t have an overall strategic plan? Don’t worry, you’ll learn how marketing professionals can move forward with developing a strategic marketing plan even in the absence of an overall strategic plan. No matter what, our presenters will teach you how to kick start your marketing for 2018!

    Session Learning Objectives:

    During this webinar, participants will understand:

    • The key components of a strategic marketing plan, how it can impact and drive a firm’s long-term business goals and why marketing’s role is critical in the value it brings to the firm’s bottom line
    • New ways to think about and approach strategic marketing planning efforts in their firms, which they can utilize to spark planning efforts in their own firms 
    • How to develop goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics to populate a one-page template provided by the instructors in advance of the session (using a real A/E/C case study)

         Cosential - Built to Win

    SMPS webinars are sponsored by Cosential

    Mindy Hinsley, CPSM

    Hinsley Collective, LLC

    Mindy Hinsley, CPSM, possesses over 23 years of executive marketing management and business development experience in the A/E/C industries.  As a marketing executive, her responsibilities included strategic planning and direction of business development, corporate communications and marketing initiatives with her primary strength in developing teaming strategies, building partnerships and executing long-range, big picture projects.

    Through the formation of her consulting practice, Hinsley Collective, LLC, she shares her A/E/C marketing expertise, strategic thinking, and best practices with her clients as stand-alone services or through the development of their marketing professionals and their marketing departments.

    Mindy received her B.S. In Business Communications from Stevenson University where she was honored as the Young Alumni Award recipient in 2009.  She is a graduate of the ACEC/MD Leadership Program and the Dale Carnegie "Leadership Training for Managers" program.

    Carrie Ann Williams, CPSM

    Principal, Andana Consulting

    As principal of the award-winning firm, Andana Consulting, Carrie Ann Williams, CPSM, works with organizations to guide proposal development and create amazing marketing content.

    Every day, she brings her 17 years of experience to clients as they track, pursue, position, and propose on local, state and federal government solicitations—and  private organizations too. When not leading proposal strategy, she guides firms through developing their marketing game plan – starting with a define your brand workshop, moving through research and analysis, resulting in clear marketing goals and an implementation plan of tactics to reach them.

    She also leads training workshops and gives presentations about marketing and business development for professional services firms. Her speaking has taken her across the country with companies and organizations including SAME, SMPS, AIA, and NVSBE.

    SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

    Per-Site Registration Fee*  

    SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

    Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

    *Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!  

    Recordings of SMPS webinars are available to train your marketing professionals. Learn more 


  • Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits

    At the dawn of digital, many had predicted “the end of branding as we know it”—and while the discipline of branding has changed dramatically in the past decade, having a strong, differentiated, and focused brand is more critical than ever before.

    Presenter: Ida Cheinman  
    Tuesday, July 17, 2–3:30 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. CDT/Noon MT/11 a.m. PDT 

    Session Description

    At the dawn of digital, many had predicted “the end of branding as we know it”—and while the discipline of branding has changed dramatically in the past decade, having a strong, differentiated, and focused brand is more critical than ever before.

    Increased competition, commoditization, and the speed of change call for brands to become the point of convergence and the catalyst for the alignment of business strategy, customer experience, and company culture. This new business and marketing environment requires a different approach to brand building and management.

    What does today’s leading professional services brand look like? It’s agile, purpose-driven, relevant, and grounded in a firm’s business strategy and steeped in its culture.

    How do you create this kind a brand? In our July webinar, we’ll learn how by examining strategies, tools, and best practices for:

    • Building a strategic brand foundation—a brand platform—that bridges business strategy and operational functions: business development, marketing, HR and more.
    • Developing a unique and consistent brand voice that remains strong across a multitude of communication channels and devices that merges brand agility and brand consistency for today’s dynamic marketplace.
    • Managing a firm’s brand, from effectively organizing brand and marketing assets to fully integrating the brand into the firm’s culture and its daily operations, behaviors, and decision-making.
    • Developing a brand-based internal culture through effective engagement, training and education strategies that turns employees into proactive brand ambassadors.
    • Creating a brand-based customer experience—today’s top differentiator and a weapon against commoditization.

    Session Learning Objectives:

    • Learn strategies, tools, and best practices for aligning their firm’s brand with its business strategy and culture to maximize brand performance and create a competitive advantage
    • Understand the key principles of new brand building and management framework designed for the digital age
    • Understand the role of each firm’s function and department in creating the alignment between business strategy, brand, and culture and becoming a firm that everyone wants to work with and work for.

         Cosential - Built to Win

    SMPS webinars are sponsored by Cosential

    Ida Cheinman

    Principal and Creative Director, Substance151

    Ida Cheinman is principal and creative director of the brand communications firm Substance151. She uses her 20+ years of experience as a brand strategist, designer, marketer, and educator to help business leaders and marketing professionals make sense of trends, tools, and best practices to position their firms to win in the 21st century’s fast-changing and extremely competitive marketplace. Ida is a recognized thought leader and sought-after speaker who presents nationally; she’s a frequent contributor to industry blogs and publications, including Marketer, the Society’s award-winning journal.

    SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

    Per-Site Registration Fee*  

    SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

    Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

    *Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!  

    Recordings of SMPS webinars are available to train your marketing professionals. Learn more 


  • Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits

    In Editing 101, we talked about the importance of editing, building a style guide, and setting up a quality-control process. For our October webinar, we’ll take your editing to the next level by focusing on rewriting and revising text. Using real-life examples from your proposals, reports, and marketing materials, we’ll employ editing best practices to make the content clearer and more cohesive and concise. But editing isn’t just about cutting and deleting—it’s also knowing when a conversation with your author is better than sending comments through tracked changes. To help, we’ll discuss conversation starters for thoughtfully and sensitively working with authors.

    Instructor: Jen McGovern, CPSM, Mid-Atlantic Regional Marketing Manager, VHB

    Tuesday, October 17, 2–3:30 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CST/Noon MT/11 a.m. PST

    In Editing 101, we talked about the importance of editing, building a style guide, and setting up a quality-control process. For our October webinar, we’ll take your editing to the next level by focusing on rewriting and revising text.

    Using real-life examples from your proposals, reports, and marketing materials, we’ll employ editing best practices to make the content clearer and more cohesive and concise. But editing isn’t just about cutting and deleting—it’s also knowing when a conversation with your author is better than sending comments through tracked changes. To help, we’ll discuss conversation starters for thoughtfully and sensitively working with authors.

    Learning Objectives

    During this webinar, participants will learn:

    1. Editing and proofreading techniques to improve the readability of content
    2. Ways to identify weak words and options for replacing them
    3. Conversation starters for working with reluctant authors

    Want to get an editor’s perspective on your materials? Please send your sample to jmcgovernSMPS@gmail.com by October 7, 2017, and it may be given a makeover during the Editing 201 webinar!

         Cosential - Built to Win

    SMPS webinars are sponsored by Cosential


    Jen McGovern, CPSM

    Regional Marketing Manager, VHB

    Jen McGovern, CPSM, regional marketing manager at VHB, knows what it takes to put together a strong proposal. She oversees the marketing efforts for seven of VHB’s offices, which means she has prepared and reviewed hundreds of proposals. A frequent writer and presenter, Jen is president of SMPS Washington, DC, and a member of the Marketer Editorial Committee. She achieved her CPSM in 2015. 

    SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

    Per-Site Registration Fee*  

    SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

    Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

    *Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!  

    Recordings of SMPS webinars are available to train your marketing professionals. Learn more 


  • Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits

    Besides a mind-blowing approach to the project, relationships are a critical factor to increasing your chances of winning. This webinar will highlight the various stages a project goes through in the sales process and will show you how to grow your pipeline through the relationships you already have. The presenter will also spend some time going over a capture plan, which is a key component in one of the sales stages that’s critical to creating a winning strategy.

    Instructor: Kathy Nanowski, CPSM, Associate/Director of Marketing & Business Development, Fuss & O'Neill

    Tuesday, September 19, 2–3:30 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT/Noon MT/11 a.m. PT

    We all know the hard work starts way before the RFP hits. Join us in September as we showcase the sales funnel concept as a tool to prioritize and preposition your firm for future work.

    Besides a mind-blowing approach to the project, relationships are a critical factor to increasing your chances of winning. This webinar will highlight the various stages a project goes through in the sales process and will show you how to grow your pipeline through the relationships you already have.  The presenter will also spend some time going over a capture plan, which is a key component in one of the sales stages that’s critical to creating a winning strategy.

    Learning Objectives

    During our September webinar, the three learning objectives will include:

    1. How proactive marketing and prepositioning can give you an edge over your competition
    2. Explanation of the sales funnel stages that will give you a leg up when the real RFP hits the street
    3. Walking through and handing out a capture plan to help with prepositioning

         Cosential - Built to Win

    SMPS webinars are sponsored by Cosential


    Kathy Nanowski, CPSM

    Associate/Director of Marketing & Business Development, Fuss & O’Neill

    Kathy Nanowski is an associate/director of marketing & business development for Fuss & O’Neill. Nanowski coaches managers and principals on relationship-based selling, project positioning, and winning new business. She has 15 years of marketing and business development experience in the A/E/C industries. Throughout her career, Nanowski has embraced a client-focused business model. Whether assessing a company’s CRM system or linking sales metrics to client behavior, she continually asks the question: “What is best for the client?”

    SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

    Per-Site Registration Fee*  

    SMPS Member Site Registration: $199

    Nonmember Site Registration: $259  

    *Remember: webinars are open to your whole staff. Your team can participate from one location in your office for one fee. Register today and benefit from affordable, convenient, actionable learning and earn valuable CPSM CEUs and AIA LUs!  

    Recordings of SMPS webinars are available to train your marketing professionals. Learn more 


  • Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits

    You’ve done the hard part! You found a potential client, you earned their trust and their business, and you have or are delivering a spectacular project. You’ve asked for feedback, and the client has said emphatically: “Yes, I am very likely to recommend you to a friend or colleague!”

    You’ve done the hard part! You found a potential client, you earned their trust and their business, and you have or are delivering a spectacular project. You’ve asked for feedback, and the client has said emphatically: “Yes, I am very likely to recommend you to a friend or colleague!”

    That’s great! Feel good – these relationships are hard to nurture and develop. Congratulations.

    But, just because a client said he is likely to recommend you, does he know to whom or how to do so (especially if you provide a rather niche service)?

    Your job is to make it easy for your promoter client to activate on his sentiment. Done right, not only will you get the referral you so eagerly want, but you’ll help your client feel great about the interaction, and even further deepen the relationship.

    Learning Objectives

    • Learn how to identify “promoter” clients
    • Discover a repeatable process to negotiate access to referrals
    • Identify the three key phases of securing a referral
    • Engage your client in the success of the referral

    image

    SMPS webinars are sponsored by Cosential


    Ryan Suydam

    SMPS Presenter

    Ryan Suydam co-founded Client Savvy in 2004, to help firms create fierce client loyalty. He has coached over 300 organizations and over 10,000 professionals on the skills required to be “client savvy.” His clients are twice as likely to be recommended by their clients, three times as likely to realize above-average financial returns, and consistently attract and retain better employees.

    He speaks at events across the nation, including national conferences such as the Lean Construction Congress, American Council of Engineering Companies, American Society of Quality, and the Society for Marketers of Professional Services.

    In 2015, Ryan founded the Client Experience in Professional Services (CXps) group, hosting an annual conference bringing together professionals to share ideas and strategies that advance their firms’ ability to deliver differentiated client experiences, every time.

    SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects. Recordings of SMPS webinars are approved for 1.5 CPSM CEUs.

  • Contains 3 Component(s), Includes Credits Recorded On: 08/16/2017

    The project selection has been made. Regardless of whether your firm won the project or not, it is time to debrief. A debrief is an investment in the client relationship, and an opportunity to learn what to improve upon for the next pursuit. In these meetings, we learn the clients’ impression of our proposals or presentations, as well as their perceptions of our team’s past project performance. It can sometimes to be hard to hear why our firm wasn’t selected, but the debrief meeting is a great way to position for the next project.

    The project selection has been made. Regardless of whether your firm won the project or not, it is time to debrief. A debrief is an investment in the client relationship, and an opportunity to learn what to improve upon for the next pursuit. In these meetings, we learn the clients’ impression of our proposals or presentations, as well as their perceptions of our team’s past project performance. It can sometimes to be hard to hear why our firm wasn’t selected, but the debrief meeting is a great way to position for the next project.

    Learning Objectives:

    During this interactive session, participants will:

    • Discuss why client debriefs are a best practice
    • Understand who should attend the debrief
    • Learn how to develop questions that encourage complete answers from the client
    • Understand what to do with the information learned during the debrief

    Donna Jakubowicz, FSMPS, CPSM

    Marketing Director, Atwell, LLC

    Donna Jakubowicz, FSMPS, CPSM is director of marketing for Atwell, LLC, an engineering, consulting and construction management firm with 550 employees and 19 offices throughout the U.S. She is experienced in development and implementation of strategy for enterprise-wide marketing and communications. 

    Donna has a strong network of resources and almost 20 years in leadership of planning, professional services marketing, media relations, and communications for the A/E/C industries. 

    She’s a frequent speaker and author of various marketing topics, such as crisis management, the go/no-go decision process, proposal planning and development, and the value of networking.

    P2W Virtual Workshops are approved for up to 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects.

  • Contains 2 Component(s) Recorded On: 08/09/2017

    Designed to help marketers who are a little less graphics savvy, this course provides the fundamental graphic design knowledge you need to enhance your marketing materials. Whether you’re improving your own capabilities or simply wanting to work better with your graphic design staff, this course will give you the foundation you need to raise the bar.

    Graphics make your documents more readable and your presentations more memorable—but only if they’re used well. Nothing turns your audience off faster than having poor quality visuals. Having a basic understanding of graphic design elements is essential for today’s marketer.

    We all can’t be experts in photography or graphic design, but we want to use compelling images in our marketing materials. It’s a very complex world out there! There are millions of options; how do you know which ones to use? Where do you begin?

    This course will cover what you need to know to take your marketing materials to the next level. We’ll talk about graphic file types, the difference between RGB and CMYK, and how photo resolution affects the end result. We’ll look at the pros of using quality photography and even go over some tips and tricks for hiring and working with professional photographers. We’ll look at the significance of color and font choices and explore some simple ways to customize stock graphics. We’ll even cover some resources where you can learn more!

    Designed to help marketers who are a little less graphics savvy, this course provides the fundamental graphic design knowledge you need to enhance your marketing materials. Whether you’re improving your own capabilities or simply wanting to work better with your graphic design staff, this course will give you the foundation you need to raise the bar.

    Learning Objectives:

    • Learn about graphic file types and resolution and when how to best use each one
    • Discover why color and font choice matter and how to make better decisions about them
    • Learn some basic techniques for choosing stock photos and graphics for more effective visuals
    • Learn the benefits of using professional photography, when it’s absolutely necessary and when it’s not, and how to better work with professional photographers
    • Discover resources for learning more about graphic design


    Karen Kurta, CPSM

    Senior Graphic Designer, Cushman & Wakefield

    A three-time marketing excellence award winner, Karen excels in proposal writing, graphic design, and photography, specializing in assembling complex pieces into concise and cohesive marketing materials. She is known for efficiency, creativity, and the drive to continuously improve her skills.

    Her career spans various industries including construction and commercial real estate. For eight years, she managed complex proposals and developed presentations, graphics, collateral, advertising, and project photography for two global construction firms. She is currently a Senior Marketing Associate for Cushman & Wakefield—a global commercial real estate firm—where she provides graphic design and marketing support for over 40 brokers in two markets.

    Karen is a CPSM and a member of the Professional Photographers of America. She is also the owner of a Central Florida-based photography business specializing in real estate and fine art. 

    P2W Virtual Workshops are approved for up to 1.5 continuing education units for the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) program and 1.5 learning units from the American Institute of Architects.