Sparks Courses

Programs for the Industry

SPARKS consultants teach courses for every major professional organization in the building industry, including:

A/E/C Systems
American Consulting Engineers Council
American Institute of Architects
American Marketing Association
American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Landscape Architects
Associated General Contractors
Maryland Institute of the Arts
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
Professional Services Management Association
PSMJ Seminars
Society for Marketing Professional Services

Among our most popular programs are the following. Each can be presented as half or full-day workshops as well as shorter courses.

Growing the Firm by Design: the New Strategic Planning
To grow by design, you must first and foremost carve out a distinctive position in the marketplace that creates value. This requires two decisive initiatives: a focused, audacious vision and a carefully-crafted operating model that directs growth. Through the New Strategic Planning, the vague admonishment of “be proactive” becomes a hands-on roadmap for transforming your firm into one with vision, energy, and most important, growth in the way you want it.

Creating Wealth: How It Really Works
Wealth is about choosing to become masterful at something - a technology, a building type, a client type, a niche, a locale - something that you build to a high level of worth. Most company leaders, however, are aware of only one route to improving financially: getting bigger and more diverse — a route than can potentially destroy value. In Creating Wealth, learn how to increase your fees using the four value-creating principles: focusing your expertise, selecting the right client base, innovating, and building credibility.

Lessons in Strategic Change: Bringing Vision to Reality
Initiating and sustaining change is daunting, no doubt about it. Some firms approach strategic change from a mechanistic, operational-efficiency mindset, fighting a guerilla war. Others bullishly seek growth and diversification. But both fail to harness the creative energies of their people. The two proven keys are: 1) identify the most deep-seated values and goals of the organization, and then 2) craft a business design of roles, skills, and work patterns that naturally program the desired changes.

Strategic Thinking: Selecting Opportunities and Positioning for the Edge
Demographics is the primary predictor of the markets we live and die by. The Baby Boom Generation, the largest population group ever to hit our country, has doubled or tripled the value of specific real estate markets as they have traveled through the various stages of their lives. In addition to our comprehensive demographic model, we outline trends, maturing markets, and new niches spawned by changes in the Political and Regulatory environment, the Economic and Financial environment, and the Technological environment.