Apply­ing the Dig­i­tal Thought Lead­er­ship Mod­el (DTLM) to cor­po­rate account man­agers in the infra­struc­ture soft­ware sales and devel­op­ment space, such as Bent­ley Sys­tems, would focus on estab­lish­ing them as trust­ed indus­try advi­sors who offer not just solu­tions but also insights that dri­ve cus­tomer suc­cess and indus­try inno­va­tion.

Here’s how each com­po­nent of DTLM can be applied:


1. Personal Branding for Corporate Account Managers

Cor­po­rate account man­agers often need a strong per­son­al brand to res­onate with clients in sec­tors like engi­neer­ing, archi­tec­ture, and con­struc­tion tech­nol­o­gy. Here’s how they can build this:

  • Define Val­ue Propo­si­tion:
    • Unique Skills and Exper­tise: Posi­tion them­selves as experts not only in Bentley’s prod­ucts but also in under­stand­ing the unique needs of infra­struc­ture projects, from trans­porta­tion to util­i­ties.
    • Tar­get Audi­ence: Focus on stake­hold­ers in infra­struc­ture devel­op­ment and man­age­ment, like civ­il engi­neers, urban plan­ners, and project man­agers.
    • Brand Mis­sion State­ment: Craft state­ments that high­light a com­mit­ment to solv­ing indus­try chal­lenges, such as “Empow­er­ing infra­struc­ture lead­ers to lever­age dig­i­tal solu­tions for sus­tain­able, smarter projects.”
  • Devel­op Con­tent Strat­e­gy:
    • Con­tent Themes and For­mats: Devel­op con­tent around dig­i­tal trans­for­ma­tion in infra­struc­ture, asset man­age­ment, and case stud­ies on suc­cess­ful imple­men­ta­tions.
    • High-Qual­i­ty Con­tent: Share insights, white papers, and updates on inno­va­tions in infra­struc­ture technology—backed by Bentley’s exten­sive research and project suc­cess­es.
    • Audi­ence Engage­ment: Use plat­forms like LinkedIn to engage through Q&A posts, quick video insights, or shar­ing rel­e­vant indus­try news, with an open invi­ta­tion for indus­try dis­cus­sions.
  • Com­mu­ni­ty Engage­ment:
    • Par­tic­i­pate active­ly in indus­try forums and groups relat­ed to infra­struc­ture and dig­i­tal twin tech­nolo­gies.
    • Net­work with indus­try pro­fes­sion­als, col­lab­o­rate on webi­na­rs, and sup­port client inter­ac­tions by shar­ing Bentley’s inno­v­a­tive approach to infra­struc­ture solu­tions.

2. Digital Innovation for Enhanced Engagement

Account man­agers in this field can max­i­mize Bentley’s dig­i­tal infra­struc­ture to boost engage­ment with prospects and clients.

  • Cre­ate a Per­son­al Web­site or Dig­i­tal Port­fo­lio:
    • Uti­lize no-code tools to cre­ate a port­fo­lio or mini-web­site that show­cas­es their projects, key clients, and tes­ti­mo­ni­als, if pos­si­ble, as part of their LinkedIn pro­file or per­son­al brand­ing.
    • Fea­ture case stud­ies and high­lights of Bentley’s tech­nol­o­gy appli­ca­tions across var­i­ous projects to illus­trate real-world impact.
  • Inte­grate Dig­i­tal Plat­forms:
    • Con­nect their LinkedIn with Bentley’s main con­tent hub to pro­vide a seam­less flow of infor­ma­tion.
    • Use CRM inte­gra­tions to per­son­al­ize out­reach and ensure brand con­sis­ten­cy, enhanc­ing client expe­ri­ences with Bentley’s tech­nol­o­gy solu­tions and indus­try exper­tise.
  • Enhance Vis­i­bil­i­ty with SEO and Ana­lyt­ics:
    • Lever­age LinkedIn SEO by includ­ing key indus­try terms in their pro­file and posts to attract pro­fes­sion­als search­ing for indus­try insights.
    • Use Bentley’s ana­lyt­ics to mon­i­tor engage­ment lev­els with clients, adapt­ing strate­gies based on inter­ac­tion pat­terns and inter­ests.


4. Conscious Awareness for Ongoing Alignment

To ensure that the account man­agers’ per­son­al brands remain aligned with Bentley’s core mis­sion, reg­u­lar self-assess­ment is key.

  • Review and Reflect: Reg­u­lar­ly assess if their activ­i­ties align with Bentley’s over­ar­ch­ing goals and val­ues.
  • Adapt and Re-align: Adjust strate­gies based on client feed­back and emerg­ing indus­try trends to stay rel­e­vant and ahead in the infra­struc­ture sec­tor.
  • Bal­ance and Growth: Con­tin­u­ous­ly grow by bal­anc­ing per­son­al brand­ing with Bentley’s cor­po­rate mes­sag­ing, evolv­ing as trust­ed thought lead­ers who con­tribute to both client suc­cess and the company’s rep­u­ta­tion.

By fol­low­ing this approach, Bentley’s cor­po­rate account man­agers can cul­ti­vate a dig­i­tal pres­ence that ampli­fies their thought lead­er­ship, aligns with Bentley’s mis­sion, and adds val­ue to their clients’ jour­ney in the infra­struc­ture soft­ware space. This strate­gic align­ment enhances cred­i­bil­i­ty, fos­ters strong client rela­tion­ships, and ulti­mate­ly con­tributes to Bentley’s brand as a leader in infra­struc­ture tech­nol­o­gy.

John Deacon

John is a researcher and practitioner committed to building aligned, authentic digital representations. Drawing from experience in digital design, systems thinking, and strategic development, John brings a unique ability to bridge technical precision with creative vision, solving complex challenges in situational dynamics with aims set at performance outcomes.

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