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If you are fortunate enough to have them pick up the call, what are upon a forward-thinking strategy of educating them on the value of
their timeframes? Do you get a range of fees? How do you know if the surveying by a professional. Here are several key strategies to
fees are competitive? Same goes for an architect or engineer; how do consider when corresponding with our clients:
you evaluate their cost estimates and lead times?
• Create a compelling narrative: Develop a story that highlights
How about a contractor for a non-emergency service or project? If the value and impact of the profession.
they give you a reasonable timeframe, how do evaluate their cost • Understand their needs:
estimates for your project? They might not have professional licenses or
certifications, but they do perform a service that involves significant cost • Why do they need a survey?
and coordinated timeframes. • What information are they seeking?

The simple answer is the public does not place the professional • What are their pain points?
surveyor in the same high standing as these services. Each of these • Interact with your audience: Respond to comments and
professions are seen through the eyes of the public as professionals, messages promptly.
whereas the professional surveyor is still seen as a tradesman who • Address misconceptions: Correct inaccurate information about
performs a menial service typically required by necessity. the field.
• Consistent messaging: Ensure all communication aligns with the
The Common Ground brand identity.
What do all these professional and construction services have in common?
They all lack the necessary number of workers to meet the demands of the • Identify key demographics: Who needs to know about your
profession? Students, job seekers, potential clients, or the
public, who have become accustomed to instantaneous response and public?
satisfaction, all at reasonable pricing. In many places throughout the U.S., the
scarcity of a professional surveyor is obvious (see map). • Tailor your message: Create content and messaging that
resonates with your target audience.
• Highlight success stories: Showcase the positive impact of the
profession.
• Open houses: Invite the public to learn about the profession
firsthand.
• Webinars and workshops: Offer online and in-person events to
share knowledge about our profession.
• Collaborate with other professionals: Build partnerships within
the industry.
Photo credit: NSPS • Offer mentorship opportunities: Connect experienced
professionals with aspiring ones.
The surveying profession has also been afflicted with several factors
that has set it back for decades: • Leverage employee advocacy: Encourage employees to share
their experiences.
• Surveying practitioners who have provided their services with low
profit margins, keeping the normal standard of price expectancy By increasing our communication with the public and helping
below the actual value of the service rendered. them to understand the impact of surveying on the world around us,
• Opinions of survey pricing provided by attorneys and real estate we can raise the professional profile of the surveyor. The goal of our
practitioners should be to elevate the value and respect of the
agents to prospective clients that establish an artificially low value profession, but we must do our part to earn those characteristics
of our services.
from the public we serve. While the surveyor might not be seen as a
• Lack of professionalism by the surveyor in conducting their services. potential lifesaver like a medical professional, the services we
provide do directly affect how our clients interact and function in
Surveyors should participate in career fairs and events to connect with their daily lives. We simply need to become better storytellers of who
potential students and employees.
we are and be greater advocates for our professional services.
Another factor that has influenced (and lowered) the importance of There is an adage that states: “The best time to plant a tree was 20
the professional surveyor is the decreased cost for purchasing equipment years ago. The second best is now.” If we start planting those survey
and software for performing survey-related tasks. This situation has led “trees” now, the sooner we can become the trusted profession the
to expanded usage of GNSS through handheld devices and cellphone public needs us to be.
technology by non-surveyors. The public’s perception is that anyone can
find property markers with a low-cost metal detector in conjunction About the Author
with publicly available GIS information to perform their “survey,” so why
pay a professional to do it? Tim W. Burch is executive director of the National Society of
Professional Surveyors.
Educating the Public Article originally appeared in Xyht, October 10, 2024.
Rather than continuing with the status quo of blindly turning our https://www.xyht.com/surveying/surveyors-in-demand/.
clients away with unexpected timeframes and costs, we need to build

20 EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR / VOL. 61 • NO 4 / 2025 • JULY/AUGUST