Tag: marketing
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I'll get right to the point on this one. E-mail newsletters are a great way to stay in touch with your audience and ensure you stay at the top of your customers' minds on a regular basis. They are easy to produce, cost-effective, and in most cases, fun to read. As long as you are giving people information they can use, you'll stay top of mind and out of the junk mail folder. That's the key.
Construction Business Owner, April 2008
If you're not using seminars as a major part of your marketing strategy, you might as well start ripping up $100 bills right now.
I know what you're thinking-you don't have the time or money for this. Plus, you're not even sure how to start and besides, you're not good at public speaking and don't like it. However, I'm going to prove to you that most of what you thought you knew about seminars and public speaking is dead wrong. If seminars are done properly, then can generate highly qualified leads and convert them into paying customers.
Construction Business Owner, March 2008
Have you ever spent money on advertising for naught?
You know what I mean. You got nada for your investment. Zilch. Zippo.
At best, your investment brought you a couple of lukewarm leads, a tire kicker or two and a handful of price shoppers who weren’t worth the time you spent talking to them.
There was a time when the only way a company received business was by referrals from neighbors or friends. And while this is still a good way to build your business and get qualified leads, the Internet is slowly becoming a vital marketing tool for the industry. More and more people are turning to the Internet to find everything from goods and services to qualified contractors.
1. Any business is all about getting and keeping customers. Marketing is more than a company department; it involves your whole firm. Everybody should learn to tell your story and help develop positive relationships.
2. Everything that people can sense about your products and services affects how they perceive you. Visual perceptions are very powerful, so be sure you always show your best side.
A consistent image includes the appearance of your offices, your staff, your paperwork, your vehicles and your finished product.
3. Can you tell prospects in one or two compelling sentences why they should buy from you instead of a competitor? If not, work on it!
4. If you cannot see how your product or service is different from competitors, look again…harder. If the differences are not meaningful to your customers, create greater spread or find additional points of differentiation. Remember, everything can be differentiated, even flour and water.
5. Success sometimes means overcoming customer apathy and inertia. If you are the first to spur a customer to action, you usually get the business!
6. You are building your business one person at a time. Each person is buying more than a product to satisfy a need for a price. You need to understand all that the customer is buying and all that you are selling.
7. Marketing is like horseshoes and hand grenades; when you get closer to the customer’s objective than your competitor does, you score!
8. The more that products or services seem similar, the more important the tiny differences become when the customer finally makes a choice.
9. Long-term success hinges on the confidence customers have that you will deal fairly and keep your promises. Strong warranties add confidence and help customers decide in your favor.
10. Why do people buy something familiar rather than a potentially better choice? Buyers need to feel they are in control and that their risk is low. Risk is a strong buyer’s concern even when it is never stated.
Dick Morgan is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC). He founded Morgan Marketing Solutions, Inc. in early 1989 to help leaders become better marketers using a holistic business approach. He is the author of Marketing Facets, The Market-Focused Guide to Company Analysis, a resource for those involved in determining the current health of a company and gauging its future prospects. Morgan may be reached at 972.931.7993.
Once prospective customers find your website, you can convert them into sales by getting their contact information so you can follow-up using a simple online form. You've seen these forms on other websites—they ask you to fill in a few form fields and click on the "submit" button. Here are five best practices to make this kind of lead collection work for you.
Construction Business Owner, January 2008
Generating new business—it’s the lifeblood of every successful company. Construction companies—in fact, all companies—that market themselves effectively differentiate their services from the competition and stand a much better chance of driving qualified new business. Those with the willingness to hone their messaging and offerings to specifically serve a particular niche within the wider market do even better.
Personal connections with your customers can be one of the most positive ways to build business relationships and drive sales. While these connections are made throughout the year, the holiday season offers one of the best times to reach out to your customers and prospect base. Regardless of your approach, this can help bring back customers over the upcoming year and cement long-term business relationships.
Construction Business Owner, December 2007
With all of the equipment, materials and craftsmanship involved, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that construction is, first and foremost, a people business.
Your business operates on who knows you and who trusts you. Who do you know, and who do you trust? Who do you call to bail you out of a fix? Who calls on you to bail them out of a fix?
Businesses can feel such desperation to be "up on the web" that they rush to publish lousy websites. While I realize that successful business owners may prefer action to contemplation, it's important to sit down and think about your goals before you design and launch a website. Then, you can proceed to website construction with clear insight.
