Posted on 3/12/2015 7:23 AM By Perryn Olson
Recently Brand Constructors lead a webinar discussion entitled the "9 Biggest Mistakes Construction Companies Make on Proposals." One of the most painful conversations came from our point of not having a process. When you're working on a proposal, you should not have to reinvest your process like you've never done a proposal before. Not having a process breeds chaos, last minute panics, and creates mistakes.
Posted on 10/14/2014 11:17 AM By Perryn Olson
Many people in construction think their brand should be managed by the lowest bid. They send out RFPs for the company's logo, website, newsletter, tradeshow, and all of their printing to ensure they're spending the least amount possible. It might be counter-intuitive, but doing this means you're shooting yourself in the foot.
I discuss the cost of an inconsistent brand in my book, Construction Executive’s Guide to Brand Marketing. Here are two main reasons you don't want to use different, lowest bidders for each of your marketing materials:
Posted on 9/15/2014 1:37 PM By Perryn Olson
You've probably heard that your company needs some type of differentiation to compete in today's construction market. By differentiation, I mean some characteristic or reasoning for a prospective customer to hire your company over another besides price – a competitive edge. Differentiation can be speed, expertise, location, attitude, or any number of things.
Posted on 8/15/2014 5:39 AM By Perryn Olson
Many times when I talk about your customers' experiences in construction to an older professional, their eyes start to roll into the back of their head, or they tell me that is just for consumer stuff like retail stores and restaurants. Well, it is for B2B (Business-to-Business) companies too, including construction companies.
Posted on 7/10/2014 7:44 AM By Perryn Olson
If you've read anything regarding brand marketing or modern business development tactics, you are probably familiar with the term "differentiation". It is simply educating your clients and prospects about why you are a better fit for them over your competition. Usually, when marketers speak about differentiation, they are usually speaking about your company's universal differentiation to use in your marketing materials. Your differentiation will vary from prospect to prospect because the needs and wants of each prospect will vary. Also, they will weigh each factor differently then the next prospect. For some, they care about speed while others care more about quality or sustainability.
Posted on 6/12/2014 2:43 AM By Perryn Olson
Content marketing is the new buzzword in the marketing industry and it is important for the younger generations to understand because you can grow your career by becoming an expert. You commonly see content marketing as a way for companies that work business-to-business (B2B), especially professional service firms including in the build industry, but it is still uncommon in construction.
What is content marketing anyway? It is educating your prospects and positioning your company as the go-to company because you are the expert and a resource for your clients. When you are an expert, prospective clients seek you out and pay more for your services. This will allow you to earn more negotiated work and require less low-bid proposals. Sometimes, you do not have to compete at all because that prospect wants to work with you only.
Posted on 5/15/2014 6:00 AM By Perryn Olson
Even if the prospective client TOLD you it was because of price, that isn’t the reason. You lost the work because you did not explain your value. Most likely, all the potential bids looked and sounded the same, leaving price as the only differentiator. By blending in with all of your competitors, you gave them no choice but to pick the cheapest option.
Posted on 4/16/2014 6:29 AM By Perryn Olson
Branding is a term many people throw around loosely, so it is commonly misunderstood. First off, your company’s logo is not your brand. Your company’s brand is the experience that comes to people’s mind when they hear or see your company name. Your logo is the visual representation of that experience, but your brand is so much more than your logo.