Your Marketing CAN Be Improved
by admin on April 12, 2010
in Contractor Letter, Contractor Marketing, HVAC Marketing, Plumber Marketing
How to cut the fat & waste from your marketing budget and at the same time increase your sales by up to 30% in 90 days.
The business owners I talk to on a day-to-day basis are usually in one of three categories:
- Their business is OK but they want to do better.
- Their business is stagnant, flat-lined, no growth in sight.
- Their business is declining.
Where is your business today?
Here are some of the most effective local marketing techniques for service businesses:
1. How is the business handling existing traffic? Are people getting a warm friendly welcome and excellent follow-through? This is a VERY common problem. Everyone is so obsessed with Google traffic but then they have a site that won’t convert for squat, no clear compelling offer, and terrible phone answering infrastructure. A friendly voice goes a LONG way.
2. DATABASE: Does the business have automated follow-up to it’s database of customers? A fun, entertaining, engaging newsletter is cheap, extremely effective, and can foster referrals quickly. This can be automated. If I had a database of 100 clients as a builder and could only do one marketing effort, it would be this.
3. Sales training for all staff (or the business owner). More balls are dropped in this phase than anywhere else. Everybody thinks they are just naturally good at sales, but having a sales system is paramount.
4. Asking existing clients for referrals. Don’t offer anything in return, but then thank them and maybe send a little gift if they refer people. The single most effective thing a builder could do right now is just sit down in front of the phone and start calling past clients with the intent to get into friendly appreciative conversations and then ask for 3 names. You will call their friends and offer to come inspect their home for XYZ important preventative whatever. Or you could offer an educational lunch-and-learn on a topic of “How to Increase Curb Appeal” or “How to Maintain Your Home to Prevent Lost Home Value” or “Easy DIY Green Home Makeover” or something compelling. Have them come to your local library or Whole Foods or something and talk to them for an hour about your topic and then answer questions, and leave them with a nice newsletter or guide or book.
The above can be sold to cold prospects using a very similar script to the one on page 67 of Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes.
5. Differentiate or die: Create a USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Sounds cliche, but it is a MUST. Integrate USP with all Marketing material. Integrate with all staff, vendors, customers, etc… Add USP to business cards, invoices, letterhead, trucks, uniforms, etc…
“Marketing and innovation make money. Everything else is a cost.” -Peter Drucker
6. THEN you think about your website. MUST HAVE a lead capture and compelling offer as the PRIMARY FOCUS on the website. Model after this guy: http://www.vamedmal.com/
7. The money is in the list. Set up e-mail responder. Capture e-mails on website. Create auto responders. Professionally written e-mails. E-mails can be forever, unlike a home address. Implement drip campaign.
8. Off-site online marketing: Press releases are AWESOME for SEO. Video marketing and distribution (Traffic Geyser or Tubemogul), podcasts on Apple.com and blog talk radio interviews, publish a book on Amazon.com (VERY easy to do…only has to be 28 pages long), big-budget PPC on all three major search engines, banner ads, build links.
9. Joint Ventures can be the fastest way to huge opportunities. What organization has a large list of your dream clients? Find ways to add value and serve their members or clients, and they will promote you to their list. This is a HUGE opportunity.
10. Direct Mail: use the Dunning mailer method (see this video, skip to 1:00:51 to get right to it) to your dream neighborhoods. Most people try direct mail ONCE and then quit. Direct mail works like crazy used as a CAMPAIGN, rather than a one shot deal. The keys are, mail to your dream neighborhood, have great copy, and sequence the mailer properly. It’s a campaign, not a single promotion. Most businesses aren’t serious enough about how they approach direct mail, so they fail.
Anyway, those are some of the best things a business can do to get results. If you want to have a conversation with me about how you can do this for your own business, talking is always free. Fill out my contact form here, and we can schedule a phone call.
Is Pay-Per-Click Marketing Effective?
by admin on November 20, 2009
in Construction Marketing
A Google Adwords Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign is an excellent way to get instant, targeted traffic to your website.
In fact, recent marketing studies have shown that potential customers who click on Sponsored Links on Google are more likely to make an immediate decision to purchase.
With our PPC campaign management service, you can control your own budget, and know what you can expect from day-to-day.
Benefits of PPC Management:
- You pay for your clicks at cost.
- No mark-up, just one flat monthly fee.
- We build you an asset that you own (your own Adwords campaign with a high Quality Score.)
- Your cost per click gets cheaper over time as your Adwords campaign matures.
- It’s all hands-free, done for you.
- You can turn it on and off at will.
- You set whatever click budget you are comfortable with, and you can raise and lower it any time.
- You get weekly reports showing you where your leads/customers are coming from, click data, and more.
- You can call us any time and speak directly to us to resolve any issues.
Contact us for more information about starting your own PPC campaign.
FREE – Download our Pay-Per-Click Checklist (pdf) on how to manage your own Google Adwords Pay-Per-Click campaign. To download, click here.
Get a free Pay-Per-Click consultation from a Google Adwords Qualified Individual.
Construction Marketing Resource Vault
by admin on August 24, 2009
in Construction Blog, Construction Marketing
If you are trying to master your marketing because you want to grow your construction business, you’ve come to the right place.
This blog is a vault of resources that you can use to get your marketing plan humming along nicely, so you can spend your time focusing on your actual business, and what’s important in life. (Imagine that, right?)
Rather than pulling your hair out trying to find that next project, you can put a marketing system in place to help “automate the process” and get a steady stream of new targeted leads flowing in.
There are some great FREE resources available in the blog posts below. But don’t just take my word for it…read for yourself and decide. The goal here is to give you at least one marketing idea you can apply RIGHT NOW to your business to help you bring in new projects.
Privacy
by admin on April 18, 2010
in
ConstructionMarketingBlog.com has created this Privacy Policy in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to your privacy. The short version is: We do not sell or give away your name or any information about you, to anyone, without a court order.
If you have any questions or concerns about any part of this web site or need any assistance in reference to any sales or downloads, please feel free to e-mail us at:
blastoff@nashvilleblast.com
E-mail:
When you send us e-mail we won’t keep or share your e-mail address with anyone outside of Nashville Blast, LLC staff. We’ll only use your e-mail address to respond to your requests for information.
Information Collection:
When you browse, read pages or download information on our website, we automatically gather and store certain technical information about your visit. This information never identifies who you are. This information is collected for statistical purposes only. The information we collect and store about your visit is listed below:
-The Internet domain and IP address from which you access our website
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-The pages you visit and
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Sometimes we use “cookies,” which are small amounts of text stored on your computer. The only cookies we use are to inform your browser that you have visited the site previously. A Web server can only retrieve information from a cookie it created. It can’t look at other cookies to gather more information.
Site Security:
We monitor visits to the web site to identify any attempt to tamper with it.
We accept no personal information to this site.
We would only try to identify you personally when required to do so by a law enforcement investigation.
Tampering with the ConstructionMarketingBlog.com web site is against the law. If anyone tries to tamper with it, they may be punished under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.
Links to Other Sites
Our website has links to many other web sites. When you go to another site, you are subject to the privacy and security policies of that site. ConstructionMarketingBlog.com cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided there.
Linking to a web site does not constitute an endorsement by Nashville Blast, LLC, or any of its affiliates or sponsors, of the sponsors of the site or the products presented on the site.
~ConstructionMarketingBlog.com Staff
Grandpa Learns of the *Magic Computer Box*
by admin on August 21, 2009
in Construction Blog, Construction Marketing
I keep getting a kick out of how so many people keep talking about Twitter, Facebook and social media (et al.) like they are ridiculous time-wasters, unable to be comprehended by a reasonable, practical, effective person.
Are you one of “those people?”
I got the headline for this post from an article in Wired Magazine, talking about the difference between Jimmy Fallon interviewing a Twitter guru, compared to Charlie Rose doing the same. Rose’s interview is referred to as seeming like an episode of “Grandpa Learns of the Magic Computer Box.” Jimmy Fallon, on the other hand, is doing his best to stay current and understand these modern social tools.
Which camp do you fall in? Social media hater, or social media participant?
The Case Against Social Media
For those of you pessimists, you can read this article about how Facebook may risk the effects of “infantilizing the human brain.”
Quote from the audio in the above article:
“Every generation is phobic about the effect of new technology on the morals of the next.”
She goes on to discount the application of this phenomenon concerning social media, and why this time it’s different.
So, you can find good information in both camps.
My point, relative to Construction Marketing, is this:
You can either grump around, refusing to understand or participate in the new social media trends, and fall behind. OR, you can experiment and try to find cool new ninja ways to use this stuff to expand your relationship base and perhaps even grow your business.
It’s your choice. If you want to remain a grinch about it, I totally get it.
But the truth is, this social media stuff is all just a new, very powerful way of communicating with the world. And it’s trending like a juggernaut.
So ask yourself: Do you want to waste time throwing a futile tantrum about how you think it sucks, and you want to go back to the “good old days” of wasteful, one-sided shotgun marketing?
Personally, I’m going to keep my eyes on the horizon, and scoop up what I can along the way.
Now go follow me on Twitter. 
On eProductivity – Applying Inbox Zero To Your Construction Marketing Plan
by admin on August 19, 2009
in Construction Blog, Construction Marketing
BONUS Tutorial: How to Make a Funny Video
Merlin Mann of 43Folders.com and InboxZero.com talks about the book he is writing on productivity, in your inbox and in your life.
I’m Writing a Book. from Merlin Mann on Vimeo.
For those of you contractors and construction marketing enthusiasts who are trying to get good at using online video to market your blog and/or your business, there’s more: Pay attention to how to be compelling with just yourself, the wall behind you, and whatever food you have on your desk.
Sales Resources for Real Students of Construction Marketing
by admin on August 13, 2009
in Construction Marketing
Jeffrey Gitomer says he often introduces himself as “The Best Sales Trainer in the World.”
Read, listen to, and watch his stuff, and you will end up believing it!
Take this video as an example.
Who’s Got YOUR Back? A Construction Marketing Networking Tutorial
by admin on August 9, 2009
in Construction Blog, Construction Marketing
At the moment, I am deeply engaged in Keith Ferrazzi’s book Who’s Got You Back. (I’m listening to the audio version which I scooped up on iTunes. Sidenote: If you don’t already use your “windshield time” listening to audio books, I hearby declare you to be crazy/nuts/whacko and I don’t know if we can be friends anymore, ok?)
There are some great insights in this book. It’s a book about networking…sort of.
The general principle is that by cultivating just three key relationships in your life, you can turbocharge your success, overcome all obstacles, and reach your highest dreams and aspirations.
The key is to first find three people who you think have the potential to see your life in the “big picture” and provide honest, forthright insights in a safe, non-critical environment. He calls these relationships “Lifeline Relationships.”
Here are Ferrazzi’s four key mindsets that one needs to learn and practice in order to to cultivate lifeline relationships:
1. Generosity
2. Vulnerability
3. Candor
4. Accountability
It all starts with generosity. When you give away value with no expectation of return, you build trust and gain many benefits from the “transaction.”
So, you start by being very giving and generous.
Next comes Vulnerability. The principle here is that when you open yourself up and let down your barriers to a person, they tend to react in-kind by doing the same. You establish mutual understanding.
Candor is third. In order for the lifeline relationship to see it’s full effects, you must both be willing and able to have complete candor. Constructive candor. Truth and acccuracy about the over-arching restraints, limitations, and shortcomings of one another, with a mind toward true achievement and improvement.
Finally, there’s Accountability. This one may seem obvious to some. It’s based on the same principles of recovery groups and many other programs based on improving lives or dealing with obstacles. No one can do it alone, in other words. We need core peer groups to help hold us accountable.
Now, if you’re anything like me and you have serious tendancies to lean toward independence and individualism, some of this might make your hackles go up. Believe me, I feel the same way. I would much rather go it alone, and take my chances, thank-you-very-much.
But I see the benefits of this type of thing. I can see how, in my life, there are huge opportunities for me if I incorporate some of these ideas and put them into practice.
How does this relate to business and life as a contractor, builder, or construction company?
Well, I can see some real practicality here. For example, as a contractor, could you imagine a situation where it would benefit you to have someone who can tell you where you might be dropping the ball with how your present yourself to clients? Or could you see how it might be helpful to get an outsider’s perspective about your company’s image to the general local population, and how that might be improved with only a few minor changes?
Wow, I sure can imagine some ways this could help me in my business.
How about you? Do you have your lifeline relationships humming along? Does anyone have your back?
Making Honesty Your Top Selling Priority
by admin on August 8, 2009
in Construction Blog, Construction Marketing
In a recent article about honesty in selling, Colleen Stanley lands one right in this blog’s wheelhouse:
“Honest selling: Two words not often found in the same sentence, much less in the same breath. Maybe it’s time for a breath of fresh air — and the intake starts with you.”
Starting off with a bang! I am loving it.
She goes on to give some specific rules and guidelines we should all use in our day-to-day sales and marketing activities.
Here’s more great stuff from Stanley’s article:
“Tell the truth on the sales call.
“In tough times, character is tested. It can be tempting to sell something you know isn’t of highest value for the client, particularly if the prospect doesn’t know what he doesn’t know….”
“….She didn’t close a sale that day. But she did close a relationship, and now is regarded as a trusted adviser.”
This is a “direct hit” for many in the construction industry.
As a contractor, the biggest monkey you will ever have on your back is the Trust Monkey. If you don’t establish trust, you don’t sell squat.
More than that, if you don’t retain trust the majority of the time with your clients, you will ultimately end up in the tank.
Establishing yourself as a trusted adviser is something I talk about a lot. If you pay attention, you will find this “trusted adviser” approach recommended by many respected leaders in the marketing and sales world.
How do you establish yourself as a trusted adviser? This would be a good start:
1. Focus 100% of your attention on the best interest of the client.
Literally go into sales situations like you don’t have anything at all invested in the situation. You will do what’s best for this potential client. After you listen, build trust, and find out the root truth about what this person really needs and wants, you are literally ready to refer him to your own worst nemesis…if that ends up being the best thing for his situation.
Actually follow through with this step. You will be amazed at the level of trust you can establish.
2. Give, give, and give some more.
What, as far as knowledge or expertise goes, is the single most valuable thing you have access to that would help this client the most in the shortest amount of time?
Find that, and give it away to him as fast as you possibly can.
When you provide awesome value up front, with no strings attached, people will buy from you.
You become a resource, an indispensible ally, a trusted advisor.
Don’t take my word for it. Just give it a go one time, and see what happens. What do you have to lose?
Free Sales Training
by admin on July 31, 2009
in Construction Marketing
The power of today’s internet and it’s impact on marketing for construction companies is just downright exciting. There are free marketing and sales tools and resources everywhere you look, and some of them are downright awesome.
To me, sales is an extension of marketing. And if you’re like many contractors, you are both Marketing Director and Sales Manager, as well as your own top salesman.
So, when a great free sales training resource is available in a convenient package, I will always find time to work it into my busy day. How about you?
Bill Caskey and Brian Neale pump out the Advanced Selling Podcast free of charge. I find their podcast to be an excellent primer for getting into a good sales mindset.
To me, a good sales mindset consists of three key elements:
1. Focusing on building an environment of trust.
2. Positioning yourself in an adviser role, earnestly looking out for the best interest of the client in a “detached” way (meaning, you are not desperate to get the sale above all else.)
3. Being bold enough to show your prospect that you can lead them where they need to go.
After listening to almost all the episodes of the Advanced Selling Podcast, I believe Caskey and Neale have these three principles at the core of what they teach.
Also, and perhaps more importantly, they show us a model of generosity that works like gangbusters as a marketing tool.
They publish a free podcast that anyone can grab at any time. This indirectly promotes their sales training services to those who might be interested in such a thing.
Theres no pushing, no salesy B.S., and no direct promotion. It’s all content. But if you have a need for sales training on an organizational level, then your ears are definitely perking up listening to their stories. (And guess what? It’s also entertaining! Great job, guys.)
I wish everyone marketed themselves in this way. It is the way of the future, and it’s time to get on board.
Provide value. For free. Don’t be salesy. Targeted customers will come through the woodwork if you are generous with your knowledge and expertise.
Now, go listen to the podcast. Learn about selling in an ethical and effective way. And, if you pay attention, you will no doubt think of some awesome ways to use the generosity model in your own business, and get results.
(You can download all the Advanced Selling Podcasts on iTunes right now for free.)
