Relationships, marketing and rainmaking

You will find some simple truths in this blog posting, Rain Making by Deduction, from Ford Harding. His basic premise: Relationships are the key to rainmaking success, and successful relationship development (and maintenance) is found in both the quality and quantity of your relationships. He also asserts you can't build a relationship without personal contact.For marketing, he writes:Marketing Properties The goal of marketing is to help you meet people and develop relationships with them (by giving you reasons to contact them).Marketing efforts that don’t do one of these two things are probably not worth the investment.Good advice, inde...

Read More

Niches and expansion

A Remodelcrazy.com thread, "How do I market my company?" starts off with this simple but relevant posting:I need some advice. My busy started out as a Landscape design build company. Now we are venturing into basements and hopefully soon kitchens/bathrooms/other remodeling. My company is called Rusk Enterprises. So my name does not hold me back.Is it going to confuse people if one week they see an advertising for a backyard, and then the next week for remodeling work? Will this hurt me or help me?I'm a little confused on how I should proceed with this.The advice from the marketers is: Stick to your niche. But from other remodelers, the advice...

Read More

Marketing perspectives: Where is your place?

With several years "active watching" of construction industry marketing, I am starting to notice that industry participants fit into four distinctive categories.We don't 'market' because we believe in word of mouth and referrals.Common practice, indeed. Some contractors say they are so busy, even in the recession, that it doesn't make sense to advertise or spend any money on marketing. Existing, repeat clients return for more, and tell their friends and colleagues. No need for a marketing budget, they say.This could be a recipe for disaster, especially if you are relying on one key client for business or leads. When things go wrong, bam,...

Read More

The (publicity) cost of getting it wrong

The Ottawa Citizen yesterday took a pot-shot at a small local roofing contractor because of an apparent screw-up of the work on an elderly home owner's roof.The story "Excuses rain down on roofer's work" may disappear from accessible archives in a few days, but reading the story, I cannot help but think, "Why?"The "Why?" is on two levels. The first is, "Why did the daily newspaper care?" Reading the story, the roofer seems to have done a less-than-perfect job, but he hasn't denied responsibility, absconded, or refused to make good.The second "Why" is why the roofer didn't get the basics of branding and construction business success right in...

Read More

Thanksgiving

This time last year I had just returned from a quick visit to Columbus, Ohio, to gather insights into canvassing.I'm glad I went, though today would be hard-pressed to find the budget for this sort of adventure. As the recession caught, then burned into my business, non-essential travel suddenly seemed frivolous as we struggled to keep the books in balance and the debt level from flying way above the red line of economic solvency.You may have experienced similar challenges and stresses.Hard times require us to tap into our internal strengths, spiritual values, and relationships.We focus on the essentials, and discover simpler pleasures. (And,...

Read More

Surprises

We've had our fair share of surprises this week. Many can't be reported in this blog -- they are internal or personnel-related issues, but one thing defines them: Their utter unpredictability.Certainly, yesterday and today my work schedule turned on its head as we adapted and revised processes on the fly to ensure that our publications would be delivered somewhat on schedule (they will be late, regardless).Perhaps my business is more volatile than most -- maybe it reflects my personality. But I think there are other issues here. In business, things happen. The best laid plans collide with the reality of the unexpected. Impressively however...

Read More

The best construction industry marketing blog: Update

With a Dec. 20 deadline for nominations for the best construction industry marketing blog competition, I haven't widely publicized the contest -- in fact, the only places this opportunity is referenced is here and at the "other" Construction Marketing Ideas Blog at http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com. Nevertheless, we've received eight entries so far; and I think there will be many more in the weeks ahead.Any legitimate blog serving and for the architectural, engineering and construction industry qualifies. "Legitimate" is somewhat subjective, but obviously if the blog is just a Search Engine Optimisation device designed to set up link-backs...

Read More

Sales: "Be honest, but don't be stupid"

A regular poster on contractortalk.com (Welterweight, he doesn't post any identifying information) started a thread with the "Don't be stupid" heading, and these observations: (I've fixed some spelling and grammar here). Here is some sales advice "Be honest, but don't be stupid"....That is something that was told to me years ago. I now bring this up because another home improvement contractor mentioned how honest he was and how he always encourages his potential customers to get at least three estimates.I looked at him and said that was the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Why in the world would...

Read More

Automating personalization . . . Can it be done?

In a blog posting, Matt Handal throws out a trial balloon. Is there a way, he questions, whether he can develop a follow-up program which sends out "personal" emails on a seemingly random but pre-planned schedule.I won't try to suggest whether his idea can work but it raises a question experienced by most marketers. How can we effectively and practically connect with former clients and previous/current prospects without spending countless hours trying to come up with individualized communications?Undoubtedly, "follow up" is one of the construction industry marketing and sales mantras.Initial inquiries, I've been told several times (though I...

Read More

Construction marketing and the circle of life

Vancouver, BC viewed from the south with mountains behind. Blended exposure version. 20 stitched imagesMfield, Matthew Field, http://www.photography.mattfield.com. Reproduced within Creative Commons LicenseYesterday, after an intense day of work, my wife drove me to the airport, and seven hours later, (with a connection), I arrived in Vancouver. Today is my mother's 85th birthday party, and her children and several of her grandchildren are joining for a celebration.This point-of-life event will leave me with mixed emotions. Mom is getting older, of course, but her grandchildren have started raising their own families, so she can see the next...

Read More

The best construction industry marketing blog: Nominations open

In conjunction with the Design and Construction Report, we're looking for nominations for the best Construction Industry blog. The guidelines are simple: The blog should belong to a business or individual within the architectural, engineering and construction community and relate in some way to the individual or organization's marketing objectives. (The scope is deliberately wide).The only blog which cannot be nominated is the Construction Marketing Ideas blog (this one) or the one directly associated with the Design and Construction Report at http://www.dcnreport.com.We'll prepare a list of finalists and open the voting around Dec. 20, about...

Read More

Experience, please

You would think that, at 56, I'm beyond the age where this expression applies: "You need experience to be given a chance, but no one will give me a chance to get experience."This is the classic refrain of new start-ups, and young people seeking employment.In fact, in most cases, there is good reason for this "experience required" rule, and in most cases (mine included), there is a way around the "give me a chance to get experience."It turns out I lost an opportunity to develop and present a White Paper for the SMPS Foundation because I lack sufficient speaking and presentation experience. And the failure to pass on this ground (another key...

Read More

What works?

If successful marketing is all about obtaining more, higher margin sales, and achieving these sales is all about your brand, and great branding is all about trust, what is your most effective marketing strategy?The answer is you want to find the lowest cost methods, with the highest leverage, which results in the greatest amount of trust among potential clients.Here, things get interesting.Conventional advertising in mass media may reach many people, but can you build a campaign that creates trust (brand) at reasonable cost -- especially if you haven't advertised much before?Word-of-mouth referrals of course are inexpensive and loaded with trust,...

Read More

Connecting with Spec Writers

Last night's CSC Ottawa Chapter meeting. The Subject -- EIFS Quality Assurance Program. Sure, the topic is dry, but what happens when your building leaks?If you are a general contractor, sub-trade, building product manufacturer/distributor, or technology provider, I can think of few better places to connect than your local Construction Specifications Institute or Construction Specifications Canada chapters.Why?Who is most likely to know and have a sense of what is about to be built than the people who create the contract documentation for the project? And who will influence the choices of materials and technologies more than the people who...

Read More

Digital media magic

Today, Design and Construction Network members will learn that the fall issue of the Design and Construction Report has been published. However, if you received my own newsletter, you would have learned about the publication on Friday.Over the weekend, we made some improvements. One feature had a new story included, and I built in hyperlinks for several images to make it easier to navigate and use the publication. The work took about an hour to complete. As things progress, we can update and maintain the publication indefinitely.This advantage also applies for the initial issue of the Design and Construction Report, which you can find by...

Read More

Aligning your marketing; Going with the flow

The greatest marketing opportunities, I think, occur when you are in the enviable position of having something new that overcomes an existing product/service's biggest deficiencies, and can be sold within the framework of that service.Consider, for example, the marketing environment of services such as Reach Local, which provide Internet marketing alternatives to the Yellow Pages. (They co-ordinate keyword advertising placements with the search engines.)For these services, the market is easy to find, their representatives simply need to open the Yellow Pages! (Connecting with decision-makers within the companies is a greater challenge, but that...

Read More

Bleeding edge or leading edge

Do you need to bleeding edge to be leading edge in your marketing strategies?By "bleeding edge", I mean, far at the tip of risk --testing untried and new concepts, soaring to the heights of creativity and accomplishment to get it right?The answer is, unequivocally, "No".Most construction industry marketing is in the dark ages compared to other industry sectors. "Relying" on word-of-mouth, or (far worse), conventional public bidding opportunities, most people in this industry have marketing strategies which might have been common in other sectors a few decades ago.So, to keep ahead of the crowd -- to be leading edge -- in this industry, we only...

Read More

What do you want to hear?

Yesterday, an electrical contractor phoned me to receive some advice on how to market his idea. He planned to start a design consulting service where people would obtain his advice on the overall project before getting started.My initial reaction: "This will be a hard sell" because of the trust problem. Why should anyone go to him for this level of advice? Where are his credentials, and where is his reputation?Then I probed some more for the underlying reason.He had hoped to connect with potential clients earlier in their decision-making stage so he could ultimately obtain their electrical contracting business.The latter isn't such a bad...

Read More

Silence is golden, sometimes

In the last couple of weeks, I've seen a couple of examples of why we should never break the rule: "Never speak ill about your competitors."In one case, a web designer and Internet marketing expert of undeniable credentials and capacity stepped over the line and had less-than-wonderful words to say about another website design/management service.In the second, I offered candid, first-hand observations of a publishing competitor.We were both communicating in the remodelcrazy.com forums; and we both (independently of each other) have earned our place of trust and respect within the forums.In the context, we are experts within our respective fields...

Read More

Emergency marketing response: The crisis solution

Wham!Something really bad happens, and you need to act fast.It could be a horrible piece of publicity when one of your employees or subs is killed on a job site accident, your key client defects to a competitor (or worse, goes bankrupt just after you finish a major job but before you are paid), or terrorists hijack four planes and aim two of them for high profile public buildings in a market you thought you were succeeding in, and were about to expand. (For me, Washington Construction News, September 2001.)Things happen in business and in life, and not everything is under your control.You can plan for contingencies, but can you plan for everything?To...

Read More

Billion Dollar Blunders

Libraries are great places. Lots of useful information, for a really reasonable price. In the last six months, as I began watching my business "pennies", I've replaced the bookstore with the library, and discovered several gems on the shelves.Billion Dollar Lessons by Paul B. Carroll and Chunka Mui is one of these greats. The overline title is: "What You Can Learn from the Most Inexcusable Business Failures of the Last 25 Years".The book's thesis is that much attention is focused on success stories -- sometimes myths --- and little study has been done on why big businesses flop, crash, and burn.The stories the authors tell are however also...

Read More

Longshots, dreams and the switch to Wordpress

This morning, in preparing the blog entry, I discovered a temporary glitch in the blogger.com server and could not access the site.I decided to move over to Wordpress and the "other" Construction Marketing Ideas blog, and post there my story about how I decided to break the rules in submitting a proposal for a project without first ensuring I have a proper, developed relationship.The Wordpress version of this blog now is on the first page of Google search rankings, and, as I learn how to use its functions, I can see how, long-term, it will be the primary place for this blog. I've set the Christmas/New Years period as the time that I will transition...

Read More

Branding and public bidding

You might be thinking: "This 'branding' stuff might be relevant if I am competing for work with residential clients or perhaps for non-public commercial work, but what does it have to do with conventional public sector advertised bidding opportunities?"To some extent you are right. In the purest environment, where low price rules the space, it isn't about brand as much as it is your efficiencies in keeping costs so low that you can win the work, and still make a profit (hard to do.)But things aren't always as they seem to be, and if you are one of dozens chasing public works, you should appreciate that in many cases the game is stacked against...

Read More

Building your brand

Mel Lester's posting on Building Your Brand almost exactly replicates my own thinking on this topic, expressed both in previous blog postings and my upcoming book. (Also, click on the image for a previous post citing Marty Neumeier on this vitally important topic.)For most people in the construction industry, Branding is a concept that seems both distant and irrelevant. Alas, too many professional marketers focus on the superficial elements of branding, things like logos, graphics and advertising strategies.As Mel rightly points out, the brand is largely built out of the client (and employee) experiences; these become the company story, image...

Read More

Design and Construction Report (Fall, 2009) -- Sneak Preview

We're sorry, your browser doesn't support IFrames. You can still visit this item., howev...

Read More

The start-up marketing challenge (4) -- Uniqueness

Soda pop doesn't have much to do with construction, but when it comes to marketing, this video says more than most gurus can suggest. Note the passion which correlates with John Nese's business. Can you bottle this in your own enterprise?I can't overstate the importance of "Uniqueness" when you are starting up. This is the differentiating, special quality that will cause people to take a risk on an untried business, and where price be secondary.To explain the concept, I will tell a very (old) story but it may give clues to you about how you can survive the odds against in your start-up.When I entered the publishing business 21 years ago, in 1988, several people told me: "You are nuts. Nine out of 10 publisher fail." But I also knew I carried some special qualities; a love for journalism,...

Read More

Passion, persistence and effective marketing

Over the years I've heard several people say "It takes nine to 13 impressions" for your construction marketing message to be absorbed. In other words, if you just try once or twice, few will respond. The advice is to find ways to continuously keep in front of mind of potential clients, and ultimately they will respond.Trouble is, how do you know if your persistence will be effective, and when do you cross the line to irritate and intrude on people who want nothing to do with you -- or your business? And are all forms of persistence really effective, or are you just walking on a frustrating, failing, treadmill?If your persistence is in line...

Read More

Tarred by others feathers

One of the biggest challenges in business is when your business practices (and brand) are adversely affected by the ill-doings of others, such as your competitors. I noticed this challenge yesterday on the closed list serve from the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) group for Certified Professional Services Marketers (CPSM).One member sent an email to the group with this question:Would like your opinion regarding National Publications offering to publish a feature article on your firm. The caveat is to supply them with a listing of your firm's vendors/suppliers who they will then contact to obtain advertising space.Although...

Read More

The start-up marketing challenge (3)

John Poole in his Constructionomics blog addresses the question: How do you get work as a new construction company? He writes from first hand, live experience, and says it is more than rough -- especially in the current economy -- it is more like the Ironman than the marathon.Above anything else, a network of potential clients is probably the most advantageous resource for a new company. If there are people for whom you have delivered work in the past while working for another company, a new firm can approach these folks and try to drum up some business. The potential client will have a better feeling about this new firm because, although they...

Read More