Sonny Lykos has referred me to brandingwire.com. My first impression is this is an amazing resource, worthy of addition to your favorites file or RSS reader. (I won't permalink it here because it is of general, rather than specific construction industry relevance.)
I am also continuing to read through the collection of materials Sonny sent me on branding, and now appreciate how important this concept is in overcoming the commoditization and endless struggle for new business. If you are in the AEC sector, you may associate "branding" with consumer goods and conventional advertising models, but the concept is much deeper and equally -- if not more -- relevant in the BtoB, construction and consulting areas. The goal of branding is to create sufficient reputational trust that prospective clients will (1) seek you out and (2) pay your price without significant hesitation. A solid brand also helps you get around the "pushy salesperson" business model and the "low bid must win the job" culture. And, most impressively, you do not need to spend a fortune to achieve a great brand image.
You will find that Brandingwire.com contains links and references to several other sites/blogs with branding expertise and most impressively has a facility that allows you to be a test case for free branding advice. Useful stuff, indeed.
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"The goal of branding is to create sufficient reputational trust that prospective clients will (1) seek you out and (2) pay your price without significant hesitation. "
You are right on, Mark. today I painted a lanai floor for the owner of a unit of an association that I've been working for for about 2 months on their "common elements" - driveways and sidewalks.
Anyway, we were talking about them wanting me to paint their living & dining rooms & halls, and remove the old and hang new paper in both bathrooms. they said I could do the work after they went back to Germany in March and email my invoice to them. He made a laughingly comment that he didn't like my invoice price (paid it right a way), but continued saying I was worth it because of the way I worked and was very neat.
My philosophy is let them think I'm not cheap, even that I'm expensive, as long as they also "perceive" me to be well worth my prices, as this couple does.
To that degree, I could not ask for a better brand. Let me add that our customers, not we, determine what our brand is and it's value. What we think of ourselves is a moot issue.
I liken a positive brand to a car. Everything about it can be perfect, new tires, great engine and transmission, excellent brake system, but if the steering wheel is missing it's worthless. In other words, there is no detail that is unimportant.
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