Construction Marketing Ideas

Talent and expectations

This afternoon, I combined operating work for our business with some forward-looking research for this blog.

I surveyed some Construction Writers Association members to see if they had any familiarity with blogs in the AEC sector. After all, it seems reasonable that writers would be among the first to know of blogs. So far the result reflects earlier observations -- blogs serving this industry as yet are few and far between.

Meanwhile, our newest salesperson set out to do his work. We have an operating manual, but our business isn't overly structured (we of course hire people suited for this type of business). Refreshingly, he has developed new techniques that are not yet in the book -- but may go there. This is the part of business life I enjoy the most -- seeing talented individuals, using their own initiative, improving on the concepts and systems they are given to use. (The negative corollary is when they stick at a rote-like routine, banging their heads up against the wall, again and again, without change.) We exchanged emails, and had a phone conversation, and I followed up with some clients where he needs my assistance.

In between, I received a call from someone in St. Louis (see http://www.aecstlouis.com)
interested in working with us to establish a construction newspaper there. I told him that even though I think St. Louis can probably support a solid construction newspaper, and it is a market we would like to explore, we are still reviewing our growth plans and so he will have to wait a while.

Then the door knocked on my home office. 4:45 p.m. Eric smiled. I had told him that I would play with him at 4:30. I asked for a few extra minutes to finish up some files, then got down to some serious Spongebob play.

Putting the pieces together, between projects that generate current revenue, conceptual efforts (like this blog) that link the present and future, and visualizing the future, I believe we made some progress today.