The world of construction is seeing several radical changes because of advancement in technology, cut-throat competition and varying trends. It can be difficult for a construction company to stand out but a little bit of planning can definitely help.
We are going to divide this into a few sections, This is the overview.
Internal preparation
If a business is to differentiate itself from the competition the place to start is internal.
Creating an image of your company that is recognizable has multiple elements First is to establish the entity you that is easy to market – that image. Next is to tell your audience who you are.
Before anything else, get whatever licenses and insurance are necessary for your business. This is not only critical to the financial and legal future of your business but, it is another way of marketing your intent to deliver value to your customer.
Make sure your processes are efficient and your software needs are met. The faster the production and more accurate your estimates are the better you edge becomes. Get estimating software that will give you that and professional outputs you can be proud of and you will have eliminated possible backlogs of estimates waiting for subs and vendor to give their bids causing missed opportunities for more business. Be sure you project management and billing software is ample to handle all your present and future needs. When looking for software, consider that it is much better for you to grow into the software than grow out of it. There is a learning curve for each software package you get so try to make it happen as few times as possible. That does not mean overspendbut, just critically analyze.
Strategizing on how the company lets the market know that they exist and what their expertise is in that market. It is also about making and retaining a positive impression the entire market.
Branding – Identity
Establishing a positive brand is critical to the company. What do you think of when you hear Lexis or Honda? How about BMW or Chevrolet? Each of those companies has established an image in your mind of what you can expect. Having a positive brand takes the load off future marketing and sales.
Your branding must be consistent, easily recognizable, and memorable whereverit is seen.
Create something that has a positive ring and can represent you to your prospect base as the high-quality company to deal with.
Decide on the identity, color scheme and logo to be used everywhere.
Decide on the name – the name of a company projects confidence so spend time on this.
v Make long list of possibilities
v Prioritize list
v Rsearch for availability of a domain for yourweb site
Create a web site – today, a company is not real without a web site.As with the brand itself, the web site must command attention as trustworthy, forward thinking and confident.
Now, you need to recognize the importance of references. You re-establish your reputation with each reference and the end game is to have all the marketing but not have to depend on it because all your business comes from referrals.
That is where the Operations side comes in to play. Operations has, within it, a marketing component. What the customer thinks of what you do builds your reputation and a large part of what your market will know about you. If you can use a customer as a reference you have taken a large step toward more business. It is also a part of branding of your company it goes to selling value.
Don’t just say it – Do it.
Make sure that the job is better than the customer expected.
Consistently and timely communicate with the customer and all people trying to communicate with your company.
Bring in jobs on time and under budget.
Make sure the customer thinks of you as punctual, dependable and clean.
Continual training of your people on whatever aspects of your trade will make you stand out.
Leave the customer an unexpected, inexpensive but memorable gift as a signature at the end of the job
