Another day of rebuilding

An intense day of work today -- I'm still the acting editor for our Canadian publications, and have to write most of the advertising features and stories myself. This isn't too hard in itself, but then I need to keep up with the blog, the Construction Marketing Ideas newsletter (distribution will be tomorrow) and, yes, the general business management.

I can sustain this pressure, in part, because I generally enjoy my work and this is the primary theme in today's real Construction Marketing Ideas blog. (These postings here will continue daily until the new blog is #2 on Google -- may be some time -- but the real heart and soul of the blog is at Constructionmarketingideas.com.

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Passions, time, and sidelines

A video from HMC Architects in California, which has discovered a way to measure -- and manage -- passion in its marketing initiatives.

A few days ago, I reported in this blog how a California architect discovered a way to predict the success of its project proposals by measuring passion. I can now name the architect here. With some precision, HMC Architects calculates the actual time that the Principal in Charge of any proposal spends on it -- the greater the time spent, the more likely it is to succeed.

Here is the relevant passage from the upcoming SMPS Marketer article. (You can read the first article in the series here.)

When a project passes through a rigourous “Go, no go” evaluation and it is time to prepare the formal proposal, everything including management and marketing time is tracked through project coding.

“We're finding that when the Principal in Charge spends more personal time on the proposal, it has a much greater chance of success,” says Doreen Lamothe, HMC's Marketing Administrative Manager. “If the principals care, if they have passion, they'll spend the time to ensure the proposal is right.”

Conversely, a principal who doesn't care or is just trying to crank out the work, might tell the marketing department: “Use boilerplate material, as I don't have the time to write the project approach,” says Lamothe, who works closely with Tracy Black, HMC's Vice President of Corporate Marketing.

These projects have a much lower chance of success: Unless the Principal is actively involved in the process and cares about it enough to invest time and energy for it to succeed, the proposal will likely fail.

The HMC story is a wonderful example of how to measure seemingly intangible things like Passion effectively, but it also raises an important secondary question. If we measure our own time, how productive would we discover we are?

These issues come to fore as I set up evaluation systems for new sales candidates who are earning income guarantees during their evaluation process. We've never been big on detailed reporting and micro-management, but I realized that if we are paying daily (or hourly) guarantees, it is reasonable to know what we are getting for the money.

One challenge, of course, in intellectual activities is that contemplation time is often quite productive. So, for sales representatives, can be time spent on the golf course or in at a hockey game (if you are with key current or potential clients, or people who can refer business your way).

In fact, it can be a kiss of death for your success when you start "pounding the pavement" or the phone, or the email, in a desperate attempt to round up leads and business. Potential clients run for the hills when this happens.

Nevertheless, the HMC story may provide clues about what to do, and what not. Assuming you have a healthy business development model, you will obtain leads through a variety of sources. When it is time to pitch the work, your most senior leaders need to be fully engaged in the process because they really care about it, not because their clock is being watched. But you can still measure how much time they spend at it.

I'm also aware that I have in the past -- and continue to spend now -- far too much time on unproductive activities because my passion takes me to wasteful places. A few years ago, the time wasting involved gaming Air Canada's Aeroplan program (resulting in some really strange and short time/long distance trips -- like flying to Guatemala, Hong Kong and Singapore, each for a day!) I also spent countless hours researching an online Internet scam, tracking down leads in South Africa, Australia and Vanuatu.

Both of these activities I rationalized as having business value, and to some extent, they did. But they weren't necessarily the things I should have considered as business priorities.

Now I wonder if I had a detailed time charge system, like HMC, and counted the hours spent on these initiatives against their real cost/revenue, would I be shocked by how little I gained for how much work? Yes, I had passion for this stuff, but passion doesn't always pay.

Then of course, there is this blog. It requires about 30 to 50 minutes a day, every day, or, roughly 2.5 hours a week, or 125 hours a year. If I charged back that time at the hourly rate I should be paid, would it make sense to continue?

For most readers, indeed, these numbers would be discouraging, which is why few people blog daily, or if they try it, they quickly give up. Paradoxically, I don't think your time saving would be that great if you decided to blog weekly or twice weekly; if you spend more time preparing each entry and worrying about the details.

But, for me, the blog matches my passions (writing), real skills, and some absolutely valuable immediate and long-term marketing objectives. It has earned this company the top Google spots on key words like Construction Marketing which are translating to meaningful leads and business opportunities. In other words, it is worth continuing because even if I charge out the time at a high hourly billing rate, the return on effort now is rational from a business perspective. And I enjoy the work.

HMC appears to have the ideal business model. Proposal submissions after all are only approved for follow-through if they pass a rigorous "go, no go" test. Passions which don't have business validity will be removed from the story. Then, once the go-ahead decision is made, the Principal in Charge's passion can be funnelled to something that serves the overall best interests of the practice. And the PiC knows that it is worth persuing the passion, because indeed the company as a whole has decided it is worthwhile.

Now, I wish I could bottle this level of management discipline into my much smaller business. I might not have the opportunity to chase my passions in Vanuatu, but sure would achieve much better results in growing the company if I could through the day focus them on activities which really help the business to grow and thrive.

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Measuring passion

You can download the first in the part of the SMPS Marketer article on Metrics at the Wordpress version of this blog at http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.

I'm working on the second of a series of articles for the SMPS Marketer about the effective use of metrics in architectural, engineering and construction industry marketing. Yesterday, my ears perked up when the marketing representative for a highly successful West Coast architect said her practice had discovered a way to measure "passion". (I don't have permission yet to share who the architect is, but hopefully will soon.)

She said every project and pursuit is coded into the architect's accounting and project management systems. Once the "go" decision is made, the time and cost of pursuing the project is calculated.

She said the practice has discovered that the more time the Principal in Charge spends on the project at the pursuit stage, the greater its chance of success. In other words, if the PiC simply hands the file over to the marketing department and tells junior staff to use boilerplate material to get the proposal ready, it will likely fail. If the PiC engages and spends significant time, it will succeed.

This metric makes a lot of sense even if it doesn't come to mind immediately. After all, why would a Principal spend a lot of time on the pursuit of a project unless it really mattered and the principal really wanted it to succeed? The conclusion, also, is that Principals who spend more time on individual pursuits are likely to be much more aware of the importance of success of the project, and unable to blame its failure on external forces. This is the classic quality vs quantity story.

The practice only recently implemented strong metrics systems, but is noticing changes. Note that this type of measurement requires a robust interface between marketing and accounting/time management systems, and clear rules requiring participation -- Principals cannot sluff off their responsibilities by saying "this isn't my way of doing things."

Nevertheless, I think businesses of all sizes can learn from this example. If you are the person in charge of the project, takes time to get involved and uses delegation as a support but not as a replacement for real energy and commitment, you have discovered your passion for success.

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The Job You Hate (not)

One of this blog's readers tweeted a reference to Teena Rose's blog posting: Six Strategies for Surviving in a job you HATE".

Rose's suggestions are quite reasonable, but it saddens me when I find anyone in a job they hate. Those of us with the good fortune to be working within our strengths (where we can combine our passions and competences) experience the truly liberating freedom to look forward to, not dread, our work.

Sure, you say, but who is paying the bills?

I would argue that the dumbest thing you can do is accept the status quo if you are unhappy at your work, especially if you are doing it for (survival) money alone. This doesn't necessarily mean "quit the job and shove it" -- you should have a plan and place to go -- but you need to put as much mental energy into making your work right, as you do in complaining about it not being what you want.

Why is job satisfaction so important for Construction Marketing? I dedicate a chapter to the concept in my upcoming book, but my main point is that if you aren't really happy where you are, you are unlikely to be successful at marketing in the long term. And if your business is full of unhappy people who "hate" their jobs, your marketing will be truly ineffective because your clients, most likely, will hate being near the people who hate their work.

(That is why I don't fight employees who, while technically qualified, simply don't enjoy their work in our organization. I wish them well as they move on -- after reviewing our own operations to see if we are creating situations where they wouldn't be happy to be around here.)

Note that most of us do not have 100 per cent perfection in our work; there are days and times when nothing goes right -- but if your underlying work matches your passions and strengths you can live through the low points and ultimately thrive. If you speak with anyone who achieves meaningful and lasting success in their careers, business and lives, you will almost inevitably find they have found their workplace of strength and passion.

In other words, if you must work at a job you hate, stay there only long enough to solve the problem or find something better.

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What works?

With more information overload in the last few days than I've experienced in many months, I've been trying to see through the increasing volume of questions and email inquiries to help you with some simple and easy-to-implement marketing insights.

For example, tomorrow, once I upload the images and verify my notes, I'll share some observations from the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association about the (to me) surprising and vital importance of signs in directing people to new home sites. Does the same principal apply for sub contractors; does it matter for commercial and non-residential construction?

Yesterday, a consultant whose earlier marketing materials promoted more effective Yellow Pages communications connected with me; does he think that the decline of the Yellow Pages is over-rated, or is it a real and fundamental trend?

What do we make of blogging, the social networking sites, and the like? On Wednesday, Rainmaking guru Ford Harding said his opinions about the value of these resources in marketing have changed since we first conversed on the topic about 18 months ago -- he now thinks they are important in the marketing process, but you really have to work at them. (Ironically, my conversation with Ford for became a key part of my first article in the SMPS Marketer, which led to many interesting relationships and opportunities.)

Then, I received copies of marketing material and questions about their effectiveness from a fellow blogger who is launching a new construction business. He asked my thoughts, and I responded that he is perhaps trying to do everything for everyone and it won't work, from a marketing perspective. Then I put my reality hat on and suggested he will find whatever business he can mostly from his existing relationships and previous clients.

At 10 a.m. today I'm having coffee with an Ottawa-based online service provider who wishes to expand his coverage/service to other markets. He wants to pick my brain.

When (if) things calm down, I will begin turning these issues into separate blog themes and delve into them more closely.

But I'll start with a few observations which you can use right away.

• Often simple and dumb is best. Good job site signs are inexpensive and can be highly effective in residential work. We should explore which signs work best, and why.

• The New Media is here and if you aren't connecting with it, you are missing perhaps the biggest marketing/business/networking revolution in recent history. (Thankfully, I got a bit of a head start in the blogging space).

• If you can do what you can to help and serve others, without worrying about immediate reward, you ultimately reap the rewards that occur from these relationships. (That is why I answer the blog inquiries as best as I can even though they don't generally connect to immediate business -- I see the payback in places I'd never expect otherwise).

Finally, one of my most important pieces of advice -- and the theme of yesterday's marketing book upload on Twitter:

• You need to work with your strengths to succeed; that is, you need to connect the combination of natural talent, passion and enjoyment of what you do. If you are forcing yourself into places you don't want to be just to make money to survive, or trying to succeed at things you aren't really good at doing (even if you enjoy the work) you will ultimately not get very far in life.

You have to have fun -- and be great at what you are doing -- to succeed.

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Passion and marketing

Participants share a moment at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association Golf Tournament earlier this year. If you enjoy golfing, and have products or services to market, association events like this can be invaluable for building your business (and you'll have fun while you play.)

Some of the saddest people I've seen are older (or for that matter younger) people who are working because they "have to"; for the money, for survival. Sometimes this situation is through no fault of their own, or is a trade-off for something better for the future. I have great respect for immigrants, for example, who take on menial jobs to create a future for their families.

But many times, people lose touch with what is really important in life. If you can't enjoy your work, then you doom yourself to a trapped life. The paradox is you may be "good" at your work and the pay may be excellent. But are you really living a good life?

"What does this thinking have to do with Construction Marketing?", you may be wondering. The answer is that if you can connect your own passions with those of your current and potential clients, you'll have the perfect marketing space -- and you'll be successful in ways that transcend your paycheck (though you will probably do well financially.)

These thoughts come to mind as I prepare to write a feature about the Ontario Masonry Contractors' Association. I've had the privilege of speaking with several of the association's leaders and supporters in preparing the article, and one thing came through to me loud and clear: They really care about their stuff.

They aren't just in the brick and masonry business to make some money (though undoubtedly they are successful at it). They really care about and consider their work to be truly important.

Now, you wouldn't want me anywhere near a construction site actually doing the work of a mason, (or for that matter, handling the responsibilities of an architect or engineer.) My passion has always been journalism and business, and writing.

I happened to connect with the construction industry about 20 years ago, almost by accident. Over the years, I've had the good fortune to meld my interest in journalism and publishing with the construction industry, and begun to understand it at a greater depth than most writers. This means, even if I can't actually operate the equipment or perform the actual skills of the construction industry, I can still sense its heart and the passion of industry practitioners and tradespeople.

If you want to be successful at marketing, your challenge is to connect your passion for your trade or profession, with the passions and interests of your potential clients. (You can see for a start that if you don't really like what you are doing, I would advocate you find some way to get to do what you really enjoy).

How do you achieve this connection? One place you can make the links are relevant client-focused associations. Usually they have special interest groups and committees. In other words, if you love golf, you offer to help co-ordinate the golf tournament. You'll be connecting and playing with potential clients who enjoy golf, like you, and (best of all), your respective business passions and interests will "connect" in an environment of common interest. Yes, you'll have fun -- and discover business at the same time.

I've applied these principals by using my writing and journalism skills with the relevant association for construction industry marketing, The Society for Marketing Professional Services. By writing for the association's magazine, I've made many truly useful connections and developed some great business opportunities. But I haven't struggled to do the work. I truly enjoy it.

Take a close look at your circumstances. If you love what you are doing for a living, you are on the right track. If you can connect with others by finding common ground with what they truly enjoy doing, you'll achieve true marketing success -- and have lots of fun in the process.

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Why does construction marketing (seem) to need to be difficult?

In several postings, I've observed the frustrating reality about construction industry marketing.

If you feel you have to market to find new business, you find it hard to do (and often frustratingly expensive).

Conversely, when you seem not to need to market, simply because your order book is full from repeat, referral and inbound inquiries, you are on the top of the world.

The problem is in part that no form of marketing success is easier to achieve than the natural success of your reputation bringing in inbound and repeat business. In fact, it gets even better if you are in this position, and so overwhelmed with business that you need to turn clients away or demand a long wait time to serve them. Because of your "scarcity" you are even more alluring -- and potential clients want to do business with you even more. (Marketers often fake scarcity to create this effect, but it really works, all the time, when the scarcity is real!)

This is fine enough in good times, but in a recession, when business drops off, you have two choices. You can shrink your business down to nothing, or you can start learning how to market.

The former choice isn't entirely irrational, especially if you have some control over your overhead and costs. If you can lay off most of your employees, and focus on maintenance and service for existing clients, you might just make it through. I know of some contractors who took long, enjoyable vacations in warm and sunny places during the last recession. Of course, this solution simply won't work if you can't curtail your overhead or you are burdened by debt obligations.

So, then, if you decide suddenly you need to "market" you are in trouble, because you now have to complete a rapid learning curve and you run into the problem that paid marketing and advertising is an incremental rather than magic, instant, solution.

This is why successful larger contractors, especially contractors serving consumers, never stop advertising, even in good times. They have enough experience and metrics to manage their advertising costs, media, and budgets, and can shift gears during hard times, perhaps altering their media mix or increasing their marketing budget even though they know it will produce less satisfactory results.

In previous posts, I've advocated that you get to know your current clients really well, to understand which media they read and what interests them, and then build out your marketing strategies from this information (while of course enhancing your referral and repeat business processes).

Long term, I believe the best way to market your business is to combine your passions and interests with those of your clients and potential clients, and build relationships through the process. For example, I am always most successful at marketing when I practice journalism, like writing this blog, but you may be better by sponsoring association golf tournaments -- if you enjoy playing the game, and your potential clients are there, as well.

The important caveat with this passion-centered approach is to remember that you must not focus on your passions at the expense of direct relationships with current and potential clients.

If you really enjoy doing stuff that has no relevance to your business, go ahead. You may be able to cross fertilize some ideas you can apply in your own enterprise. But don't get lost in the side-track. I've done that in the past, at great cost!

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Dream Big (thanks to Tim Klabunde)

Tim Klabunde's most recent CofeBuz blog posting is brief, and I don't think he will mind my stretch of copyright rules to republish it in full.

I like being comfortable. It is so easy to enjoy the normal flow of life, the moment by moment interactions of daily living. Yet every once in a while my life is shaken from the inside out by a force that boils up from within me, a force that demands that I do something incredible, achieving something that is greater than myself.

It is in these moments that I truly understand what I am capable of, the realization that I am able to do so much more. I struggle to find dreams that are big enough; I look in vain for obstacles that can’t be conquered.

I find it strange that throughout my life I have worked to suppress this force through logic and rhetoric. ”I can’t do that because…” and “if that were possible someone else would be doing it.” Yet today, I can see that success isn’t found in a single accomplishment, it is one’s approach to life that makes greatness. It is something that I can do and live today. A choice to rejoice in the past, plan and dream for the future, and live life to the fullest in the present.

Your turn

Monday morning has its own way of reminding us that life happens not in individual moments of greatness, but during everyday actions. It is the culmination of your actions today and tomorrow that will turn into your greatest successes. So today what are you going to pursue that is greater than yourself?

I certainly share and believe in these thoughts. Through our lives, opportunities arise to change course, to take risks, to adventure beyond our safety zone, but we need to be ready spiritually, financially and physically. Then, at crucial points -- we generally know in our heart when they are -- we can take the risk and seemingly dive off the deep end, though we often know the risks we are taking are more in the perceived fears of others than in the practical dangers we are about to experience.

(So, at 25, I went off to observe a war in Africa, for a while riding a motorcycle around Bulawayo as Rhodesia turned to Zimbabwe. Sounds daring, and the experience certainly opened doors for my life, but I used common sense and local knowledge to stay out of trouble. And, at 34, I flew to Washington, D.C. with non-preference U.S. immigration visa applications for about 300 people, but I knew I was complying with all the rules and laws, and having some fun while helping others to achieve their dreams. Yes, the scheme delivered the goods and helped me to find my current passion and connection with the Washington-area community.)

If you are in business for yourself, or if you have discovered your passion is marketing and business development and you are reading this blog in part to grow in your own abilities, you may have found part or all of the answers related in Tim's posting.

But there are other aspects you can only find in your own heart and soul. When you let go of your fears, when you accept responsibility for your mistakes, and when you take risks and reach beyond the ordinary by combining your strengths and your solid moral codes, you'll achieve greatness, too.

Go for it.

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