As we prepare to "restore" the design and all the features at the new Construction Marketing Ideas site
It appears my main blog site, http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com, is unavailable right now. I believe the problems are server related at my ISP as the error codes are appearing on all the domains.
This means updating postings will be delayed.
I wish I could share with you some of the lessons I've learned today. However, some marketing stories are not meant to be shared publicly. Although openness is often an asset (and I've found that truthfulness about everything -- including your mistakes and problems -- helps build trust and your brand), there are times when the cone of silence makes the most sense.
Oakland is a beautiful city. You can preview the Construction Marketing Ideas book here.
The special session is scheduled for Tuesday, June 1 at 3:00 p.m. You can find out more by clicking on the notice at the right of the page or here.
Tickets are $79.00 but if you have purchased the Construction Marketing Ideas book, you will save $40.00. The book retails for $39.95, so essentially your book will be free! (And though it is somewhat against my self-interest here, you can possibly save money by ordering from some online retailers such as Amazon.com.
Some of the topics covered int he Webinar are reported in the free booklet, The Art and Science of Publicity, which you can access at the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog.
Writers not surprisingly have a mixture of hope and fear when we learn our book is about to be reviewed. Thankfully, hope can turn quickly to grattitude if the review is positive. (I don't know what it feels like to receive a negative review yet for my book because I haven't received one.)
You can read the review of the Construction Marketing Ideas book on the Remodelcrazy.com site.
Yesterday, I received an email from the marketing representative of a major general contractor in Ottawa. She had heard through the grapevine that her company had been mentioned in the Construction Marketing Ideas book and wondered where she could purchase a copy.
I initially referred her to Google Books and the book home page, then decided to simply offer her a free copy (we've done thousands of dollars in business over the years).
She then explained to me how she had learned about the book. Her counterpart at the company's office in Los Angeles had purchased the book and was using it, asked her if she knew a "Mark Buckshon" in Ottawa.
Small world.
The book is selling an average of a copy or two a day, which won't put it to the top of the New York Times bestsellers list, but is certainly reasonable for a relevant but reasonably specialized topic.
You will find many elements of my Construction Marketing Ideas book
I know, the obvious answer is "it depends". Clearly a high-value referral lead for a high margin project is worth more than a one-of-many lead for a small job.
But there is a purpose in this question to see if you've measured your cost-per-lead. This information is useful in assessing your marketing performance and, if you have sales representatives, their results.
You can view the results of the poll and find more details at the primary Construction Marketing Ideas blog.
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We received another two orders for The Construction Marketing Ideas book today, bringing the total so far to 35. If that doesn't quite sound like a New York Times bestseller, it is okay with me. After all, the topic is somewhat specialized. You need to be a marketer or decision-maker for an architectural, engineering or construction business to find the book to be useful.
Fortunately, the early reviews are positive and I expect if you purchase the book either through Amazon
Again, you can view a sampling of the book at Google Books.
An impressive number of orders continue to arrive each day for the new Construction Marketing Ideas book. If you order from Amazon
If you would like a more personal touch, you can order the book directly from our business at the "real" Construction Marketing Ideas blog. The price may be a little higher (though it includes shipping both in Canada and the U.S.) but you'll be able to connect directly with me if you wish and I can autograph your copy.
You can also order the book directly from me as a PDF file for a price lower than any of the other options.
You can browse the book at Amazon but may find Google Books provides a more satisfying experience. The sample at Google Books is set to allow you access to 1/5 of the book's contents -- enough, I believe, to allow you to see if the content is relevant and useful for your business.
Of course you are guaranteed 100 per cent satisfaction or we'll refund you money in full.
Yesterday evening, in experimenting and testing some functions within Constant Contact, I inadvertently included some unplanned lists in a follow-up document offering a free booklet, The Art and Science of Publicity.
Three individuals requested the resource. You can access it as well by emailing publicity@cnrgp.com, of if you prefer, visiting the relevant page on the "real" Construction Marketing Ideas blog
Or you can go directly to the actively-maintained Construction Marketing Ideas blog.
is live now, providing another resource for you to preview the book's content.
So far, we've sold about 15 books, with the bulk of the orders in the last two days. It's exciting seeing the response.
You can purchase the book at Amazon.com or at the actively-maintained Construction Marketing Ideas website. If you prefer the book in digital PDF format, visit the website and you can order it for download at 50 per cent off the print price -- but I still think that books like this are meant (at least for now) to be read in book format.
We're making good progress in setting the Construction Marketing Ideas book with various online ordering services, notably Amazon.com and (soon) through Google Books. The first copies are selling, as well. (We'll ship and invoice for the pre-ordered books on Monday now that we have our own copies in stock.
We're at about 120 resumes in the search for Associate Publisher of The Design and Construction Report. See this Craigslist posting for more information.
People who answer the posting with their resume receive an "autoresponder" answer with links to an sales survey (test) and a questionnaire. I expected few would complete or answer the survey -- thinking their resume is all they need -- but have been impressed by the overall quality of the responses. Most people who have responded would make it through the initial "screen" in conventional recruiting approaches.
The big challenge will be to decide who should be finalists for a thorough evaluation, which costs significantly more to us than the $25.00 Craigslist postings, as we believe in paying fairly during the working trial period.
I describe the process here and update on our progress in daily postings at constructionmarketingideas.com (the real and actively maintained blog).
At the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog, I'm exploring over several postings the challenges of the "numbers game" vs. deep and meaningful relationships in sales and marketing. These postings are supplemented by reports on my continuing marketing to find a suitable publisher for The Design and Construction Report.
This posting will appear in several cities in the next couple of weeks.
An opportunity to develop the market for the Design and Construction Report (http://www.dcnreport.com), the first national online publication for the construction industry. You can find additional background at the Construction Marketing Ideas blog (http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.).If you are interested in learning more, email publishercareer@cnrgp.com.
Work involves prospecting for qualified clients (some leads are supplied but representative must should be able to take the lead in discovering potential clients assessing and developing the opportunities), setting up advertising feature profiles and sponsorships, and selling ads in the features for this unique publication which combines online video, linkages, and association with a rapidly-growing online and offline network, which enhances the lead-generating potential.
We'll pay a guaranteed salary of $40,000.00 per year to the qualified candidate. Income potential $80,000 to $100,000. Work from your own home.
You should be extremely self-reliant and comfortable working on your own most of the time. It is helpful to be able to connect and participate in construction association and networking activities.
Sales experience is less important than aptitude (we will test and evaluate your potential in a multi-stage process before offering permanent employment.)
Candidates who pass initial (brief) tests will be invited to work with us on a short-term assignment (with an agreed-on compensation guarantee) to validate your competency and determine whether you really will enjoy the work.
I deleted another three "junk" comments today by people trying to game the system. Even assuming that the comments would be worthy of publishing (they weren't) they would have had no value for SEO.
Generating original, useful, and relevant content takes a lot more work but it is the only way to truly succeed at the process.
While I am keeping the Blogger account for Construction Marketing Ideas in place largely because of the archives, the real stuff is elsewhere, at http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.
But if you insist on posting spam comments on this blog, you will simply be asking for a fast "delete".
I'll write some more tomorrow morning in the Construction Marketing Ideas blog at http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.
The question mark in the title is there for a reason. You can learn more by heading to the relevant posting at the actively maintained Construction Marketing Ideas blog at http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.
In today's Construction Marketing Ideas blog, I take a look at a rather amazing ad. What do you think?
I had hoped for some inspiration that could really help a new construction company start-up when I noticed this article title in the news feed of the Construction Marketing Ideas linkedin.com group.
"New Builders' Success Benefits from a Thoughtful Construction Marketing Strategy"
is the title from the article published in constructionbusinessowner.com (a worthy site/publication).
The advice is worthwhile, as far as it goes. But it suffers from a real weakness: The lack of valid stories of whether any new contractor could actually apply it (unless it is an exceptional business funded with deep capital reserves.)
I'd like to say that you can develop a comprehensive marketing plan and strategy at start-up but in fact you are most likely to need to fly by the seat of your pants and you will make plenty of mistakes at the beginning.
The biggest problem is that most paid marketing approaches (advertising and commercial lead services) won't guarantee results and until you know what works through trial and error, you won't know whether you are throwing good money after bad (and you won't have enough money to risk on that type of thing.)
So you are faced with a couple of options: Going for public work and hoping that others don't have the inside track, and your costs are really the lowest, or (in the residential marketplace), working with high return but painful approaches like canvassing -- assuming you don't have a network of friends and colleagues to give you a start.
You can build this into a plan and try to develop your brand, but at the start you will be lucky to survive.
However, once your business gets big enough that word-of-mouth is starting to work, you should start advertising. You'll make mistakes, but eventually find a formula that works.
Then it gets interesting. Walking our dogs, a neighbour who is in charge of marketing for a multi-million dollar retail business says trying new things once you are established is really quite easy. Existing ideas are constantly tested against new approaches; and if the new approach works, it becomes the control. Since you are already spending the money, the risk is limited.
But you have to get there first.
It is a scientific fact that cooperating is natural for human beings. Since business difficulties and poor performance are constantly linked to lack of cooperation, the question is: why do people choose not to cooperate? The answer, addressed in this Webinar, may surprise you. What to do about it may surprise you even more. Gain ‘permanent’ tools for increasing cooperation and company performance levels throughout your organization.
The 90-minute Webinar starts at 3:30 pm edt on May 17. For more information, visit here.
Remember, the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog is at http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.
The proof copy arrived today of my first book, Construction Marketing Ideas: Practical strategies and resources to attract and retain profitable clients for your architectural, engineering and construction business.
Seeing the book in print for the first time, I also see some things that need to be corrected. Fortunately, this is not a big problem with Print on Demand technology. I'll read through the book with a marker this weekend, sending the revisions to my designer. I'm confident the changes are straightforward enough we can give the go-ahead for release and full distribution without another proof copy. This means the book I expect will be released within the week.
As soon as it is ready for release, I'll update the webpage and offer for pre-purchase orders.
Getting your website to the top space on key search engines for relevant keywords is the modern-day more-than-equivalent of achieving top billing both in size and impressions on the Yellow Pages. It is "more than equivalent" because the dynamic power of high rankings coupled with immediate action -- visiting your website -- can make all the difference in lead discovery and conversion for your business.
How do you achieve this ranking?
The best answer is to create a site rich with useful content, worthwhile whether or not people actually buy anything from you. The content, of course, should relate to topics relevant to your product or service.
The next stage is for your site to attract enough links from other (credible) sites who find your content valuable and worthy of reference. You can of course set up relevant Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn groups and pages, and post on relevant forums (where you may be allowed to reference your site within your signature.)
Finally, you might approach bloggers and other editorial sites and encourage reviews/comments. As well, you might start your own blog and update it frequently (a good way to move things ahead.)
This process should take more time and effort than money but can be highly frustrating as you do the work and don't see direct or measurable results.
Some services purport to be specialists in Search Engine Optimization and some perhaps provide value for your money. However, you may find you pay a lot of cash for disappointing results.
As well, you may find you have optimized the wrong thing. Your keywords may not be relevant to end-users and you may find few if any real customers respond to you.
I would advocate becoming a true expert and showing why on your websites. Help people understand the issues and challenges you can help them solve and solve some real problems both in words and images to help people along.
Then you will have a worthy site in its own right, whether or not the search engine forces wish to recognize your construction marketing ideas.
Can you succeed at construction marketing by going beyond the edge (and not risk your business doing it?) I'll share an example in tomorrow's Construction Marketing Ideas blog at the actively-maintained site, http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.
You can read the story in the actively-maintained Construction Marketing Ideas blog.
Last evening, I uploaded the Construction Marketing Ideas book contents and sent instructions to the printers for the proof copy. Hopefully all will go well. In the final check before sending the image files to the printer, I found our designer had failed to include the book index! He fixed that quickly.
As a bonus, indexer Julia Petrakis completed an exceptionally thorough final copy editing, I think improving the book's quality.
Of course you will find substantial Construction Marketing Ideas at the actively maintained blog site, http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.
Within a few days, we will order the printing of the new Construction Marketing Ideas book.
Meanwhile, the blog continues to be updated daily, but the real content is at constructionmarketingideas.com
Actually, most of the ideas are now at the new blog site, at constructionmarketingideas.com. But there are useful archives here so I will continue this site and occasionally provide some useful ideas here.
I had an interesting and challenging discussion with a potential representative for the Design and Construction Report today, exploring the business philosophy and methodology. The question: Am I perceiving the enterprise from a perception based on my blinders and not the bigger opportunities out there.
She has a point. Of course, however, if you are exploring other ideas it is wise to keep things firmly grounded in practical circumstances: Change is hard for anyone.
More on this and other topics in tomorrow morning's Construction Marketing Ideas blog posting.
This week.... but you will always find new material at the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog.
I'm happy that behind the scenes, yesterday's blog postings helped make some changes possible, creating business and growth opportunities for everyone involved.
The public media can be a sledge hammer in attempting to resolve private issues and certainly I am aware of its power. Accordingly I observe one essential rule in these pages (and in the real, current Construction Marketing Ideas blog where all the real stuff happens). I never write identifiably negative information about anyone in these postings unless they specifically give me permission or (in rare situations) the negative behavior/actions is already out in the public space.
Still, we can accomplish a lot with sometimes not-so-subtle hints.
Today, I received an email from a business person seeking to develop a relationship with us. The text read like canned content and had the aura of hype. Unfortunately, for the person sending this email to me, I had some information which would not help his cause.
Conversely, yesterday, Daniel Smith reported to me that a project that appeared to be unfeasible because of lack of interest from potential advertisers/clients had suddenly sprung to life. Daniel had managed to draft a "final opportunity" letter totally devoid of hype or "sales talk". It read softly while giving readers enough information to decide, if they wish, to spend several thousand dollars. Several did.
I wish I could pin down where sales talk-writing ends and genuine communication begins. It isn't easy. Sometimes persuasive marketing messages follow the standard cliches, but most of the time they succeed with a degree of authenticity based on real communication rather than canned language and scripts.
When you find this type of formula, your construction marketing will succeed; when you follow the path of least resistance and turn into a stereotyped selling machine, many if not most of your potential clients will run for the hills.
So, stop "selling" and start communicating.
I'll write more about this topic tomorrow at the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog.
Can we find the magic to construction marketing success? The more I study the field, the more I learn the answer is "yes" but the route is not always as straightforward as you think.
I cover some of these aspects in the upcoming Construction Marketing Ideas newsletter, which is distributed every second week. You can request your free subscription with the communications box at the top of this page.
In the meantime, for some observations on how to overcome "voicemail jail" while selling, you can visit the latest Construction Marketing Ideas blog.
The Joomla problems for the Ottawa Renovates website are beyond my capacity, so I've put out the word for contractors to help solve the problem. Hopefully we'll get it fixed before the thousands of copies are distributed with the Ottawa Citizen.
I'll continue work on other aspects of the Construction Marketing Ideas story tomorrow at the real blog site, http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.
Lots of "fun" tonight figuring out Joomla and stuff to update the Ottawa Renovates! site with the latest issue. For some reason, material seems to have disappeared from the templates and I'm struggling with the problems.
In the meantime, you can visit the regular blog at http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.
I hope to have the other problem solved tomorrow.
Today, I took things closer to the edge than usual with a 12-hour "referral sale". The results proved to be intriguing and I will report on them in tomorrow's real Construction Marketing Ideas blog.
You'll find some useful answers at the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog site.
I need it, as I will continue posting here daily until the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog is number two in search engine rankings.
Just returned from the CSC Toronto Trade Show. The most interesting development: Observations that the LEED program and environmental certifications may have some challenges and might not be doing what they are supposed to achieve. Lots of work to investigate that story ahead.
In the end, our business is discovering useful ideas and challenging assumptions. Out of that, hopefully, we will find some marketing genius. These matters of course are covered in the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog at another site.
Tomorrow morning, I'll be flying to Toronto for a day at the CSC No Frills Show. the event is an opportunity to reconnect with key people within the AEC community, in Toronto.
If you would like to meet me there, please email buckshon@cnrgp.com (I'll have my Blackberry with me).
You can also of course visit the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog at http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com.
Tonight, but will have some useful content tomorrow at the real Construction Marketing Ideas blog.
This time last year, I faced difficult and frustrating challenges. The recession hit like a ton of bricks just as i had loosened discipline, financial management and controls, thinking (a few months earlier) that all was well.
Wrenching, painful days continued as we made cuts while "extravagances" incurred in the good times continued. It is a hard feeling to enjoy little pleasures knowing that you are losing so much money that your business in jeopardy.
Today, we are much leaner and I have to work harder, but the business again is profitable. I need to hold on to the reins for a while to clear down the debt, but it is a relief to have weathered the storm.
Tomorrow, at http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com I'll write some useful material related to the topic -- Construction Marketing Ideas.
This evening, I received an email questioning the validity of the Best Construction Blog competition. The writer told me, essentially, that the blogs which won aren't really that good and by setting them as an example, others might think these reflect the best achievements possible.
Of course, the Best Construction Blog competition more accurately reflects the blogger's ability to network and encourage supporting votes; in essence, to prove success at marketing/sales. Since the competition is set within the framework of the Construction Marketing Ideas blog, these results (from this perspective) then have some validity.
However, the email writer has a point: If the objective is to measure the blog that truly achieves a business's marketing goals, then maybe we need another judging methodology.
Then again, there is the story of the Change Order Boat . . . Over the years, the posting you can access by clicking on the image has been one of the most popular ones on this blog. And if you think of marketing folly (if the boat owner really cares about marketing), you would have to give the Boat story an A+ for absurdity.
Just prepared the Construction Marketing Ideas newsletter for distribution tomorrow morning, after a truly busy day where I combined work, family, and business management -- and confirmed the results of the Best Construction Blog competition.
You can read my analysis either within the newsletter (which you can still request at this site), or at the new Construction Marketing Ideas blog, where I do my serious thinking and writing.
Here are the results from the best construction blog competition which concluded at 5 pm today.
I'll provide some insights into these results at the new Construction Marketing Ideas blog tomorrow morning.
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