Pictures worth thousands of words

This image is lifted from the Parlee Builders website -- one of the better ones I've seen, both for simplicity and communication. Mark Parlee says: "My son designed that website when he was 16 yrs old He went on to Iowa State and graduated with two degrees, one in computer science and one in computer engineering, he did this in 3-1/2 years while working and getting married his last year of college. If you remember the "I love you" virus that went around a few years ago, He had the first repair for it to my knowledge in the country, 6 hours after infection 3 days before Nortons. His company www.flyinghippo.com."

Mark Parlee of Parlee Builders in Urbandale, Iowa, takes the initial client presentation for new home building and renovoations/restorations an extra step -- in fact, several extra steps, with increibly documented photo essays showing the problems he has uncovered -- and advancing the solutions he recommends.

This is something you have to see for yourself, so when Sonny Lykos sent me samples of Parlee's presentations, I requested, and received, permission from Mark to post and redistribute them. Here is one file for you to look at -- I have another couple available to send you if you email me at buckshon@constructionnnrgroup.com.

Why this approach? Parlee explained the reasoning in this email to me:

My company is in the business of exterior renovation, remodeling, and home building.

These reports have to do with the exterior renovation part of my business. The whole process starts with my initial contact with the homeowner and is typically by phone the first couple of times to set up a time for me to go to the home and look it over in detail. In this visit I measure out the homes exterior and take a lot of varying angles of pictures. This allows me to study in detail what I have seen and makes my memories of the visit and what I saw more accurate. From there I go to my laptop and download all the pictures in a file with the clients name for easy future reference.

I have a spreadsheet with all sorts of things I might encounter on a particular job, if an item in there is not relevant to this particular job I simply edit it out or if there is something that I haven't addressed before I add it. As you can imagine for the first couple of years this document was changing and being added to on every job due to experience that I was gaining but it has not changed much recently, I may think of a different way to word something but that is about the extent of the changes as the experience level increases.

I own a very nice digital SLR with a couple of decent lenses, one zoom and a wide angle. This has been a very good addition to my tool kit and really made me see the old adage of "a picture is worth a thousand words" is true on all accounts.

As time goes buy the amount of info I take with me to a presentation has increased from three to four pages to at least 30; this gives the potential client a lot to think about and helps frame up the complexity of the job. I take with me my proposal, 10 pages of product info showing the materials I use and specify, and the pictures of the home showing the damages; I also include pictures of finished details on past jobs to show how we address specific problem areas.

Recently, in the last six months, I started putting my pictures in a PDF with a caption below each one giving some description as to what is wrong or how I will handle the repair. This has put me out in front of the competition as they usually bring just a contract to the meeting and the only goal of that meeting is to get a signed contract not to educate the consumer and develop a relationship. I tend to over explain things but that is how I am and have come to accept that, so have my clients.

When I make the presentation I like to have both the owners there and I will sit down with them and read every line in my proposal. This allows me to give explanation of every step of the job including the fact that I will have a port-a-potty on site, I even state that they may use it if they choose, this is usually good for a few laughs, If that doesn't do it, it may be a sign of weird things to come, I have found that most of my clients will tell you at the end of the job "it was just as Mark said it would be" (as) we do dominate their area for 15 to 20 working days and that can be a big thing to deal with if you are not prepared, Most of the time by the end of the job we are like family; relationship is the key.

Indeed, these are observations that show how successful construction businesss differentiate themselves from the 'mass' of 'low bid (hopefully) wins the job' contractors, struggling from day to day, and burned out when the economy turns south. Notably Parlee's approach, while requiring somewhat more up-front work than a conventional canned presentation, actually doesn't take that much real extra effort, and reduces stress and confusion down the road. And even if more work is required, if the effect is to increase the percentage of positive commitments for his services -- and the average price of these commitments -- is it not worth considering doing something similar yourself?

Away for a day

We're at a hotel in Pembroke, Ontario (about 2 hours north of Ottawa), with 12 rambunctious nine and 10 year old boys, in between hockey tournament games.

Have some interesting notes and insights to post, but while the hotel has high speed internet, this is not the best environment for concentration -- so posting will resume either Sunday night or Monday morning. See you then.

E-Surveys: Practicality for our industry

Mindshare President Rich Hanks

Mindshare Technologies offers a rather effective survey/client evaluation resource -- but it appears this will be useful only for larger businesses/builders. Smaller businesses and subcontractors may find they need to obtain client feedback through much more informal processes.

Early today, I observed one of the better applications of the e-survey for client follow-up. Hertz sent via Mindshare Technologies, a simple four question survey, with the most important Fred Riechheld's "Net Promoter" question saved for last. (I wished I had saved the questions exact wordings and sequence: they were useful, but -- as is the case of any well-designed survey -- once you complete the thing, you aren't allowed to set up a repeat performance.)

However, as I looked deeper into this matter, I recalled the challenges I faced in setting up our own advertiser surveys. Response is far too low to be useful; as I suspect it would be for virtually anyone in our business. We -- even on the simplest scale -- engage in projects that often require days, weeks or months of client interaction; unlike the quick, mass, transactional base relationships of retailers or even rental car companies. (In the latter, we may be 'intimate' with the product -- the rental car -- for a week or two, but we hope not to spend anywhere near that time at the rental counter!)

So, with the help of jigsaw.com, I found the email address of Mindshare Technologies president Rich Hanks and asked him some questions about his service. Here is his response.

The most favorable use of customer feedback systems as robust as Mindshare's is in a situation where there is repetitive, transactional-type activity occurring - we work in about 25 industries where that happens - banks, restaurants, retail, car rental, airlines, golf courses, health care, etc etc.

Having said that, we do work with quite a number of construction-related organizations - Big Box suppliers, commercial builders, condo developers, time-share sales, and a residential builder or two. I assume you've been to our website to get my email address, so you've seen that we don't publish our client's names purposely. If you'd like, and I can inquire of several clients and see if they'd be willing to talk with you - but it is our policy to ask first.

Cost depends on volume of course.

The reason pricing is a bit hard to do, is because we work with companies from 8-reporting units, doing 100 surveys per month each, to a company with 35,000 reporting units across the globe doing about 65 surveys per month each.

We charge as a subscription service (like cable tv or cell phones) and not per survey. But that might be hard for your readers to translate. So, if I look at a "typical" large-scale developer, the fee would probably be around $2,000 US set-up and then the survey cost would translate to something like $1.00 per survey or less.

Yes, it seems, the e-survey techniques are best for retailers and mass marketers, or large volume organizations. I've asked Rich Hanks for the more specific examples (though I respect his point about confidentiality and obtaining permission before quoting or naming his company's clients!)

5 most successful marketing techniques?

This contractortalk.com thread starts with this question: "Can you all let me know what the five best marketing techniques you are using are? In other words...the five best ways that you get business."

Lots of interesting suggestions and observations; not surprisingly word of mouth and effective use of the web (with Search Engine Optimization) dominate -- but there are certainly differing opinions.

Marketing and fun

Like wine, and eating out? Do it. "The more wine costs, the more people enjoy it - regardless of how it tastes, a study by researchers in the United States has found." Intriguing. If we could apply this to our business, does that mean by charging our clients more for the renovation, commercial refit, or GC project management, they'll be even happier with the value?

Here is a simple and effective suggestion: Make the activity you most enjoy in your work and life your primary marketing focus. In other words, take the truly most satisfying part of your work, and build out from that your primary time and energy commitment to develop and maintain your client relationships.

So, if your passion is golfing, you know where your marketing should be. If you love skiing, or hockey, or phoning strangers, or knocking on doors one after another, do that. I enjoy writing and journalism. Since I happen to be reasonably good at these interests, the blog and newsletter are obviously right for me.

This of course does not excuse us from responsibility for the essentials that we do not enjoy. If you are a neat-nick, you will naturally want to be in charge personally of cleaning your work area at the end of each day; if you are not; you will still need to ensure the work is done -- either directly, or by hiring or delegating someone to the task. And maybe for some reason you can't stand talking with your clients -- you just want to do the work well. When they call you, you need to return their calls, promptly. (I'm noticing now, however, that I don't get too many phone calls each day. People write me emails and I can -- good for me, since I am a writer, of course -- write back!)

Most people of course don't enjoy some of the so called "standards" of sales and marketing -- like cold calling and canvassing -- for good reason. And conventional 'networking' where you are supposed to mix and mingle around a business-social gathering is awkward for people like me, who prefer to sit in the corner and read, or eat peanuts. This is fine. In an emergency, we may need to do things we don't enjoy, but we don't need to make them our main-stay and we can still to some extent adapt our interests to the environment (want to talk about golf or hockey, anyone?) If you are in the minority who actually enjoy marketing activities that others dislike, you have a natural edge. I've enjoyed reading forum postings from people who actually enjoy canvassing and cold calling (at least they say they do) and brag about their results. Good for them.

Here are some reasons why you will achieve great results by taking your personal passions and making them your primary marketing focus:

• You will want to do the work, and you will want to do it consistently. For example, many people start blogs, only to give up after a few entries. That won't work. Since I enjoy writing and the personal journalism reflected in the blog, I don't mind -- in fact I enjoy -- taking the time each day for this work.


• Your passion will 'connect' with your prospects and clients. People like being around people who enjoy who they are; especially if they share common interests! And this business is all about relationships.


• If you are spending any money on marketing, you'll spend it on something you enjoy, and best of all, if you do it right, you'll turn a personal pleasure into a tax-deductable business expense.

I of course cannot tell you where your greatest interests and satisfactions should be; or specifically how (without knowing you better) to turn these passions into your marketing strategies. But you can start by simply writing on a piece of paper the three things you most enjoy. Then figure out how to connect the dots to bring these passions closer to your potential clients.

The white lie

In this JLC Online Thread, Sonny Lykos explains how, even when he could handle work on short notice, he told clients they would have to wait a month for him to do the work to avoid seeming to be desperate for the business; then, the next day, he would call to say that a client had made a last-minute cancellation and he could do the job sooner if desired. The issue, which Sonny sought opinion of others on, is has he violated his concepts of integrity.

The consensus is 'no', this type of white lie is not in any way harmful to the client, nor does it put them in any disadantage. Quite the opposite would be the case if, for example, the contractor said the work could be done the next day, and failed to deliver.

The issue of finesse or 'creative interpretation' in business dealings is important but should not be overstated. Small businesses with one employee working from home sometimes feel a need to rent a mini-office in a 'prestigious' location; or, when asked information about your years of experience (you are just starting out) you cite experience when you were the employee somewhere else. And of course, we are all guilty at times of the lies of omission -- not suggesting a 'problem' with our service that won't help sell it, but isn't necessarily something wrong at our end.

Multimedia marketing

What Tyler, Texas has to do with multifacted marketing is somewhat beyond my comprehension, but this page has some rather useful tips and insights into trends affecting marketing choices and options.

We sell advertising (mostly in print) for a living. But to make the sale, we use a whole lot of other resources, including the phone, direct sales, trade shows, business lunches, email marketing, public relations, social networking sites, referrals, and more. Sometimes it can seem like a jumble, but indeed the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. And these experiences should, I believe, shape your marketing and promotional initiatives.
The goal of the different methodologies, of course, is to connect with potential and current clients -- and, by giving them a sense that we understand and relate to the industry and their marketing challenges, provide you with the confidence to assign us to your media planning budgets (or if you don't do media planning, which we recommend, your seat-of-the-pants gut feel "this is right" sensations.)
Today, I saw some great examples of how the combination of methodologies is bringing in new business for us. (Reflecting individual commercial confidentalities, I won't share the details here.) Regardless of the need for confidentiality, indeed the multi-faceted approach works, well. Best of all, if you organize things properly, you can recycle resources from one initiative to another; saving stress, reducing costs and magnifying your results.
How can you combine resources to achieve effective results, without spending much if any money? Say, as we did, you start a Facebook page for your business. Then you send an email to your list announcing the initiative. Maybe you could issue a news release to relevant print publications (ours?) None of these things costs you a cent, but you've leveraged the initiative three ways.
Then I took things a step further -- writing an article about social networking for the magazine of a U.S. national trade association, the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). This enhances the leverage process. You will likely gain points by combining your trade/business with some community service initiative, or appropriate article/publicity about your own business and services.
The beauty of all these initiatives is they cost little if any money. Advertising in our newspapers isn't so inexpensive, of course, but that is where the other half of the picture comes in. When you do business with us you get more than the ad -- we'll work with you on low or no-cost resources and services to enhance your marketing effectiveness and results.

The two schools

In seeking an image for this posting, I came across CEOread.com with a blog dedicated to reviewing books relevant to business owners and leaders. This image relates to a free e-book, 9 Minds on Marketing.

I notice something of a 'great divide' in marketing and sales philosophies. One one side is the "in your face" approach -- that you need to push yourself in front of (often reluctant) people and "close" them on the sale. Canvassing and direct telephone solicitation are two of the most blatant examples of this approach. On the other extreme is the passive approach; businesses are best built on repeat and referral business; if you do your work well enough that clients love your service they will always return for more, and tell their friends, and you'll have a never-ending stream of clients.
Many succcessful businesses combine the two models, including ours. We have salespeople who will call "cold" where approrpiate, but we also see the world beyond the next transaction and seek to build/maintain lasting relationships and referrals.
So, is one approach inherently better than the other, and are there circumstances where you should consider shifting your approach to the other camp?
I would argue that you should allocate 80 per cent of your marketing effort to the service/branding experience -- creating the good will and connections to build for the future. But you should not ignore the remaining 20 per cent and here, even where it is unconventional within your community, you may wish to explore in a planned and disciplined way some of the more assertive marketing options. In certain circumstances -- say a business crisis with rapidly declining sales -- you may need to shift more urgently to assertive outbound marketing; the problem is, if you haven't prepared with testing and evaluation ahead of time, you may spin your wheels, alienate potential clients, and pour thousands of dollars down the drain in ill-thought canvassing or advertising programs.
The challenge is for you to determine how/where to use and experiment with the different marketing approaches. And this isn't going to be easy. First, you don't want to blow away your good reputation or successful models; secondly, the alternative approaches may clash with your existing business culture; and finally, if you things in a half-baked way, you are likely to end up with disappointing results which won't tell you much useful.
Here it is hard to talk theory without knowing your own situation on the ground. Every business and community has its own quirks and unique elements; you need to combine recognition of these aspects with an understanding of the general principals and values behind the different methodologies. But I still believe you should take some risks, step outside your comfort zone and experiment. Just give the experiment enough time and sufficient resources to be valid.

Fixing tradition

When you have a long-term success that is faltering, what should you do? When traditionally effective marketing approaches stop working, how do you handle the situation? I asked these two questions of the organizers of the CSC Toronto Chapter No-Frills Trade Show yesterday, and gained some insights but no clear answers. (And if you see the contradiction in the previous sentence, you'll appreciate how challenging this situation is.)
For the first time in recent memory, the show failed to 'sell out' in advance. In fact, the organizers had 19 unsold booths and table tops -- so they spaced things out a bit to make it look less than empty. By many standards, the show continues to be successful; It has dozens of booths and table tops, and thousands of dollars are raised for the local chapter and natioonal CSC initiatives. (CSC is the Canadian counterpart of the U.S. based Construction Specifications Institute -- CSI -- or, in simple language, the "spec writers".)
As the show concluded, I asked voluntary show co-ordinators Bob Mercer and Steve Ieannides for their observations.
Bob Mercer said show committee members had been noticing in the past few years (the show has operated for 30 years) that they were achieving 'sell out' later and later -- when I first exhibited, the waiting list started right at the end of the previous year's show. In the boom days, the show organizers decided not to enlarge it beyond the single large convention centre floor space -- probably a wise move, because the scarcity -- and possibility of not being able to get a booth if you didn't sign up early -- caused people to waste no time to renew. After all, the show 'connected' with some of the most important people in the industry locally and didn't requrie expensive set up or time-consuming preparation from exhibitors.
But now the show is straining; and the questioon is 'why'?
Could the show time, the first Monday in February, be the problem? Maybe -- the committee decided to move it a month later so it wouldn't be in the middle of winter, next year.
Could the show organizer's inflexibility about proceedures -- exhibitors had to meet exact specifications and could not determine where their booth was located in the hall -- be the problem? Maybe -- so the show will allow exhibitors to recomend and reserve specific spots.
Maybe the issue is industry consolidation; with mergers, fewer companies are out there; and so there simply is less demand for the booth space.
Or perhaps, as Mercer suggested, the voluntary committee is getting older; and new blood is not replacing the existing people.
Maybe any or all of these reasons are the cause. But having just come through a rather jarring business survival exercise, I now look for two primary root causes of problems in any business or organization: The spirit and openness of the people involved within the enterprise; and its relationship with the people outside it -- especially clients and potential clients.
"Spirit" -- drive, motivation, or whatever you wish to call it, can break-down over time, interests change, (mental) sores are opened and don't heal properly, and somehow, somewhere, the passion disappears. In the case of the CSC show, the committee had been operating the same show, the same way, for year after year, almost on auto-pilot. "If it ain't broke, why fix it," may have been the line. I think the current problems might have been averted if the committee invested (in the good years, now past), at least one radical idea/departure from the norm in the show processes each year. In fact, I would challenge every aspect of the show each year to keep things fresh and encourage new ideas.
But the bigger issue, I think, is the show organizers lost touch with their market. They assumed they knew what exhibitors and visitors wanted, but didn't listen closely enough. I suggested they waste no time in surveying everyone -- and especially receiving feedback from people who didn't renew. The survey should be an annual thing. Surveys are easy to set up now with truly inexpensive online services, and you can ask key questions about satisfaction, effectiveness, even invite ideas. (For example, before changing the show date, they could give exhibitors in a survey a choice of available options and receive their feedback!)
This show is by no means 'dead' -- in relative terms, it is much better than my business was two years ago, when I failed to see the glaring warning signs all around me and carried on my 'old ways'. Fortunately, I learned -- the hard way --that the cure to some rather big business problems is close at hand -- and by looking inward to the passion of our team; and outwards, to understand the people we serve -- we have rebuilt it even though our product is still, in many ways, "old" and traditional. I'll be happy to help on a voluntary level the CSC Toronto Show committee in this important revitalization challenge.

To Toronto . . . CSC Toronto Chapter Trade Show

It's 3:30 a.m. In about an hour, I'll be on the highway to Toronto to attend the 30th annual Construction Specifications Canada Toronto Chapter No-Frills Trade Show. We've been attending this one-day event for about 10 years now.

Specifications writers have traditionally been at the foundation of the construction business supply chain. If your product, service or technology is written into the contract documentation in the first place, it doesn't matter which general or sub-trade actually wins the work -- your win the business. So, traditionally, spec writers have been vital influencers in the marketing process and trade shows sponsored by CSC or in the U.S. the Construction Specifications Institute have been vital links in the industry marketing process.

When we first started attending this show, the CSC chapter had developed a finely tuned and standardized event -- so successful it had a waiting list for exhibitors. The sheer demand and limited supply (the organizers decided not to enlarge the show beyond the one hall in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre's North Building) enhanced its impact and interest for exhibitors. Knowing if you didn't renew, you might be locked out next year because of the waiting list helped on the renewal process, of course. Back in the early days of the GTA Construction Report, I really wanted 'in' to this show -- and felt the pain of having to wait. Once in, of course, the relationship evolved: We now are invited and trade advertising space for the show participation, which of course keeps our costs somewhat lower. (Though the main cost of show attendance is not the booth rental; it is getting there, setting up and so on -- not an expense for Torontonians, of course, since this is a one-day event; but significant for us.)

I'll be interested in learning why this year the show apparently did not sell out to capacity. Is there a change affecting the way business is done in the industry; and are the Spec Writers (at least in Toronto) losing some influence.

While at the show and tomorrow morning, I'll be with Chase and our new representative, Leslie Greenwood, who starts working with us today. She'll be launching the Northern Ontario Construction News.

Blogging and e-communication will be a little limited today but if you wish to reach me directly, you can call my cellular at 613-292-3973.

T-Shirt Advertising (Not?)

This JLC Online thread addresses the issues of work attire/advertising. The original poster asks about effectiveness of T-shirt advertising; then others observe that "dressing up" for the worksite is truly effective in brand development/awareness/quality standards.
In this business, little things count a lot, sometimes, and your 'uniform' may be one of the most important things you can do something about.

Fear, courage and perception

In Tjolotjo (now Tsholotsho) Zimbabwe, I learned to test the limits of fear -- and survived.

In April, 1980, I learned the most important lesson of my life. Most people are afraid, and most of the things we fear we need not. Success in life occurs when we transcend our fears and, even better, when we see beyond others' fears and take risks which we know are less risky to us than most people perceive.

Those of us who take the leap of faith from employee to entrepreneur appreciate the risk of giving up "job security" for an uncertain future -- only to find, if we are determined and somewhat capable -- that our security actually is higher than most employees. (We after all can dismiss everyone but keep our job, if we have to.)

I suffered as a child, beset by fears; fears of social relationships, speaking, most sporting activities; even walking in the woods alone. So I sought escape in my own private space. Someone suggested I should collect stamps. Perfect -- a solitary activity. I looked at the little pieces of paper from distant, unimaginable lands, and wistfully thought, "what would it be like to go there."

As university ended, and I faced the possibility of an uncertain future -- the daily newspaper I had the good fortune to be hired at for summer work told me I would not have a permanent job -- I decided to travel. "Go to Europe," someone suggested. But that seemed boring to me. Then I noticed an overland adventure trek in Africa. It went to some really strange and obscure places like The Central African Republic and Rwanda, and I thought, "Why not -- this is about as far away as I can go."

So I went; travelling on the back of a Bedford truck from London, England through the Sahara and the Congo jungle, on a three month journey to Nairobi, Kenya. We bounced along the rutted roads -- I didn't connect socially with my t ravelling peers, of course, but I had never been away from home so long, and never so far.

When we arrived in Nairobi, I had a choice -- to head straight home, or carry on. And in perhaps one of the most fateful decisions in my life, I decided to trek on southward, using public transport. By train, plane, hitchhiking, and sometimes walking, I made my way south, through Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, and arrived in Rhodesia. Wow. A strange place; a land 'rejected' by the world, a war, military convoys, complex racial and political issues, and more. I stayed a month, then briefly visited South Africa before returning home.

Two years later, after a stint on a small newspaper in Alberta, I returned, with one goal -- to see the end of the war in Rhodesia.

Again, I experienced life at a higher level than I could have dreamed; working on a local newspaper, meeting people, exploring, learning, grappling with history, economics, social issues and more.

But it wasn't until near the end of my time in Africa, in April, 1980, that I had the key flash of insight that would change my life. I'm not afraid, I realized, to go where others wouldn't go. To see, to experience, to live. The people around me were afraid, for good reason. They were in the middle of a civil war. But even most of the people in the midst of the war didn't get it -- blinded by their own fears and prejudices.

On Good Friday, after the peace settlement had been reached, and the warring armies laid down their weapons in preparation for the hand-over to independence, I decided to take a local (black) bus to Tjolotjo (now Tsholotsho) in the centre of the war zone. Whites around me said: "You're nuts. You can't do that." But the black people within Bulawayo said it would be okay.

I hopped on the bus, and enjoyed the raucous, wild ride, with cheering and relieved people going home to their tribal village area. No one had ever seen a white civilian on their bus so they accorded me a place of honour, besides the driver. When we arrived in Tjolotjo, I headed to the local bar. Time for a night of drinking in what had been a hotbed of guerrilla activity.

As the night wore on, I received the (expected) propositions for sex from prostitutes: I declined; then the sex would be 'free' (I also declined, probably wisely considering Aids was just starting to spread in Africa), then someone said: "This war is over, but we must start another one, to defend our tribe". And I held a can of Raid in my hand and was set to spray it, when a tiny little guy, a runt of a person, tugged on my shirt, and suggested perhaps I shouldn't do that. I realized he was right.

An hour later, I looked for my camera. Someone had stolen it. So I stood on a table and said: "I expect to have my camera back later tonight." Then I went back to drinking.

I staggered out of the hall about midnight, to see a police van pulling up. Four guys were hauled out of the van, including the agitator who had called for a new war. "Please have mercy on me," he pleaded. They had found the camera, and the guys who had stolen it. Seems many off-duty police officers were in that bar (it had been a police outpost, after all), and it took only a few minutes for the word to get out and for the police to find the culprits.

I continued the evening, drinking a little more, with the White District commissioner and police chief, celebrating the the changes and insights, crashing that night on a police bunk.

The next day, the Bulawayo Chronicle rightfully fired me for violating every rule in the book (it is one thing to go drinking, but to stir up trouble at a police camp while identifying my place of employment is of course valid grounds for dismissal.) But I didn't really care, or mind. I had seen what I needed to see, and learned what I had needed to learn. I could stand up to tyranny, overcome hate and prejudice, and celebrate the freedom from fear, with a healthy dose of common sense and patience.

Things of course have not gone well in Africa since my departure -- war, hate, poverty and disease now 'rule' the land. Tjolotjo has seen its share of horrors, including a 1983 massacre and more recent economic and political challenges. And I realize not everyone has the good fortune to enjoy love, a secure upbringing, and the intelligence to experience and enjoy life.

However, I learned in Africa that fear sometimes needs to be "checked at the door", and that most of the time taking a leap of faith -- after careful thought and consideration, of course -- and heading into the unknown can bring huge rewards. We need to look beyond our assumptions, our narrow frames of reference and see the bigger picture. Then, regardless of the economy, we will prosper, both as business people and human beings.

Advertising and marketing system

I've previously posted an entry from this thread: JLC University: Advertising/Marketing System, but think the overall thread is worthy of review.

The radio ad

Taping a radio commercial in support of Algonquin College's Centre for Construction Trades and Building Sciences.

Algonquin College, the regional community college for Eastern Ontario, invited me to tape a radio ad in support of the college's planned Centre for Construction Trades and Building Sciences -- designed to meet the need for skilled tradespeople within the industry. We've made it our policy in Ottawa Construction News to support this project, of course, so when college communication officer Andrew McKelvery asked if I would volunteer to tape an endorsement commercial, I hesitated, not.

Of course, the college -- with its radio and television technician and journalism programs -- has facilities on-site for this type of commercial production, but this initiative is definitely not a student project: The commercial where I am quoted, along with several others from community/industry leaders, will be broadcast on three Ottawa-area commercial radio stations in the next few weeks. (I'll post the actual radio tape once I have it.)

I learned a few things in the taping process. First, since this is not live radio, bits and pieces can be pasted together to create the whole, and fuzzy details can be corrected to create 'perfection'. Second, the whole thing is really not intimidating -- again, because you can fix anything not right, you don't need to stress out about the script. (McKelvery told me to smile as I talked -- it makes the thing sound more natural.)

Of course, from a marketing/branding perspective, this is an all-round win. I'm quite happy to effectively promote my publication while showing support for the college. And the college, in inviting me to the taping, encourages us to provide more publicity and support within our own publication for the project.

You can learn more about the Algonquin initiative by visiting http://www.algonquincollege.com/expansion/

Michael Stone on Advertising

Since we sell advertising for a living, you will know my bias in reposting consultant Michael Stone's blog posting.

In Minnesota last week, over a two-day period, I had a total of 663 people in five classes. Granted, some of the attendees were in more than one class, but that is a large group of businesspeople in Minnesota who understand that education is the key to survival, both in today’s economy and long-term. The Central Minnesota Builders Association sponsored the 2008 Builders Expo and they did an outstanding job of organizing and running the event.
Most interesting to me were the people I talked with one-on-one about how they were weathering this market adjustment. Those that were doing a good job of advertising were as busy as they wanted to be. Their biggest problem is where to find enough good people to get the jobs built.
Those that were not advertising were struggling just to find leads. Their phones were not ringing and their prospects for new work were bleak.
Advertising is a 52-week-a-year process, no breaks, no rationalizing, no excuses. When the housing market tightens up, there are fewer people looking to buy your services or your work. Therefore you must advertise more, not less, to reach the people that want work done. Don’t expect immediate results when you start advertising. It takes time, investment, and multiple exposures to make your company the one they call when they need help. If you want a quick fix, you need to go out and start knocking on doors. I mean that literally - start knocking on doors, or at least leaving door hangers. I talk about this in our book, “Profitable Sales, A Contractor’s Guide” (pages 30 and 145). All other types of advertising take time. The sooner you get started, the sooner the leads will appear.

Most contractors, of course, don't understand how to advertise effectively and waste money on ill-planned and ineffective communication. Advertising doesn't need to be expensive, but it can be one of the biggest 'money down the drain' expenses if you are not careful. Advertising is only one part of the picture: Modest, thoughtful and planned advertising coupled with 'wow' client service will work wonders, however.

Stone, of course, focuses his interests in the residential and business-to-consumer side of the market. His advocacy of door-knocking canvassing for a quick fix of course, rubs against the grain of most of us, but here I think he is right. (For a canvassing consulting service you might consider Needham Canvassing Consultants in Michigan.) If you are up against the wall, and you need to bring in sales and business quickly in a survival mode, in the business-to-consumer world, canvassing will work wonders. You may also find in some cases business-to-business telemarketing also is effective in a crisis.

The 'quick fix' is somewhat harder to achieve in the business-to-business marketplace, largely because the lead time between initial 'glean' of business and actual results is so much longer. This in fact is now reflected in the markets we serve. Non-residential contractors are telling us they don't see any sign of a recession in their own businesses yet; their order books are full and backlogs are satisfactory. (It helps that we publish right now in Canada and North Carolina, which appears to be escaping the recession brunt -- North Carolina, unlike other southern States, passed really effective anti-predatory mortgage law legislation several years ago, preventing the worst of sub-prime crisis from blowing their cities apart, and Canada, being conservative when it comes to things like this, never fell into the trap.)

The biggest problem in the commercial side of the business is the cost of winning work -- the chase after "RFP calls" and endless work in preparing documentation to compete when the process is stacked in favor of an incumbant or already-established short list in the first place.

To win in the non-residential market, you need great market intelligence -- and a great reputation with your existing clients, and their network. And that is built carefully, day by day, job by job.

So why should you advertise with us in the markets we serve? One reason is we are ready to work with you on the big picture -- putting your print message in context with PR/editorial, other media and your brand image. When you get the whole picture right, then, advertising becomes a small but effective part of your marketing picture.

Getting it right

This posting from TSJHD1 on the JLC Onine site is worth reviewing, carefully, if you are a subtrade or supplier. It gives simple, essential pointers to success, including:
Loyalty, cleanliness, help with job management, and looking out for ways to save the client money.

"I placed myself above my competition by looking out for the builder's needs. I didn't compromise my own, however. And really this stuff paid off. I could charge a little more (not a lot), got paid very promptly even when others had to wait, and I got steady work, not peaks and valleys, which makes running your business a whole lot easier. I could grow, and I didn't have to look for work."

Read the entire posting here, and think carefully. I haven't seen sounder advice for subtrades in recent memory.

Convention and creativity

"Mediocrity: It takes a lot less time and most people won't notice the difference until it's too late."

One of the most interesting aspects of business is how most of us accept mediocrity, most of the time. We know of the terrible client service at the telecom companies, the piddling stupidity of 'rush hour' traffic (a misnomer of phrase if there ever is one) and the dumb, arrogant, and wasteful exercise of office politics and perks. Some of us rebel, some of the time. We find other answers, routes, ways around the boring banality that so much of business is today. Or we seek effectively offensive solutions-- with a willigness to irritate the many in order to find business with the few ( . . . have you ever seen a telemarketer at work or, worse, been one.)

There are better ways, of course, and I expect most successful businesses to some extent find these -- or they wouldn't survive. In truth, you only need to have part of the picture exceptionally 'right' to succeed; you can follow 'standard practice and get by with the rest. Of course, it is refreshing when you find businesses which go beyond the standard, and find ways to allow their employees to express their creativity, achieve success, and still serve their clients and the marketplace effectively and profitably.

I want my business to fit in that small, special, and vital category -- innovating in core areas; and refusing to tolerate mediocrity in the rest of the enterprise. So, here are the rules.

• We've banned "rush hour" (within reason). Our business encourages telecommuting and work-from-home arrangements. We have an office and our support (office) staff will need to be in the building in core business hours (otherwise the whole thing doesn't run very well); but even then we are reasonable -- if it is snowing miserably, distant employees can arrange to work from home and, that day, clients may have to deal with a little more voice mail than usual.
• We don't "read resumes" and "interview prospective employees". Well, not exactly, resumes, interviews, and reference checks are part of our hiring picture, but not in the conventional order/cycle. Instead, we encourage prospective candidates to "interview themselves" with a preliminary questionnaire -- only if they answer it will we even bother to read their resumes (but everyone who sends in a resume will receive the questionnaire; the person responding -- not us -- will be the 'screen' for suitability. Our systems work really well -- we don't waste time in the hiring process, and are getting it right. (The payoff: Our employees don't need to worry about 'rush hour'.)
• We believe in giving more than taking; the paradox is the giving works far better than any conventional 'taking' in finding new business. This blog, for example, has become something of a 'lead machine' for the sales team. Readers respond to our offer of Seven Tips for Construction Marketing Success, and then take up the offer to do business with us. Of course, you don't need to do business with us to read the report, email me, or ask questions. (And I've enjoyed some useful and valuable dialogues and information sharing with non-clients whom we never expect to do business with.)
• We believe business should be (mostly) fun; not the phony 'rah rah' type of enjoyment; rather the satisfaction of doing the right kind of work, at the right time, for the right people. I am not going to force a really good administrative person to be a salesperson (though she earns a significant annual bonus helping out on a sales project which she enjoys); and we don't expect our sales team to be journalists or writers (though two of them actually have journalism training, and when they are not suggesting stories to our editor, they sometimes write their own stuff -- attending interesting events and meeting valuable sales contacts in the process. And, yes, our editor knows instinctively when to pass a lead onto the sales department.
• Finally, we believe business should serve a useful purpose; in our case,helping our clients find more clients; and supporting our readers in understanding and addressing issues affecting their communities and industry. This is work for which we deserve to be paid -- and we are.

I'll continue to battle mediocrity, boring, wasteful and stupid practices with the goal of creating and building something useful for everyone around us. This is not a machine, of course. We are human and sometimes things don't work the way they should. But more often than not, we are winning the battle against mediocrity and stupidity.

Admit it!

Craig Galati is a principal of Lucchesi Galati, a LasVegas consulting firm practicing in the areas of architecture, sociology and sustainability.

Yesterday's mail included more books (by now you probably can tell I read a lot), including Architect Craig Galati's little gem: Admit It!: 21 Things You Already Know But Apparently Have Forgotten Regarding Client Service.

His self-published booklet-- at 43 pages it is too small to be regarded as a commercial book -- is a useful resource and reminder of the basics that we easily forget: Return your calls, keep your promises, accept responsibility, and be flexible, among others.

Here are the 21 'things' reflecting the book's chapters:

1. Treat clients the way they want to be treated
   
2. Make repeat business and referrals your goal
   
3. If the client looks good, you look good
   
4. Get to know who the 'real' client is
   
5. Make it easy for your clients to describe you as excellent
   
6. Never say 'no'
   
7. Go out of your way, all the time
   
8. Never forget that all of your actions contribute to the customer experience
   
9. Don't return calls during lunchtime
   
10. Make your clients feel at home
    
11. Give more than clients expect
    
12. Customer service is not an act or time of day; it's a lifestyle
    
13. Return the routine phone calls promptly; return the difficult ones sooner
    
14. Keep your promises
    
15. Thoroughly understand what value means to your clients
    
16. Tackle the tough issues face-to-face
    
17. Tell the truth always; own up to your own mistakes
    
18. Don't blame someone else
    
19. It's not aboout who's right or wrong; its about resolving the issue at hand
    
20. Be flexible. Each client's needs and projects are different
    
21. Don't lose touch after the job is done.

These, indeed, are common-sense basics of client service, brand harmony, and solid business relationships.

Craig's The Heart of Business blog is worthy of bookmarking.

Free Rainmaker book

Ford Harding is offering a few readers of his blog free advance copies of the updated edition of his classic book: Rain Making: The Professional's Guide to Attracting New Clients. I'll be reviewing it for The SMPS Marketer; you can review it for Amazon.
Is it worth reading and reviewing? Absolutely. The reviewing process will help you integrate the knowledge you receive from the free copy. Check his blog to learn how to obtain your copy.

The Long Tail reviewed

Sure, I recommend this book. And if you purchase it through this link, I'll be paid a tiny fee from Amazon.com.

On the five hour flight home last night, I worked my way through a couple of chapters of a somewhat turgid book on sales management, then breezed excitedly through the beginning of Chris Anderson's book "The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More".

The former book advocated the (to me) stereotypical principals of business management and control; including "interview techniques" to discern the suitability of applicants, and "sales testing" suggesting (expensive) conventional approaches. Yawn. I sensed a textbook approach -- perhaps appropriate to train a mediocre person how to do a mediocre job managing a mediocre sales force. But I will get through the book in the next week or so, regardless. Somewhere in the pages I'll find something useful; and in any case, to me it is reassuring to see that we are now operating things sufficiently far above the norm with well-thought and rational management systems that get to the bottom of creating an effective sales force.

Anderson's book is much more exciting because it reflects a fundamental shift in the way business is done. His point: Tiny niche markets are now more than ever viable, and a business that can tap into these markets will create lasting and meaningful value. While his point is relevant for services that can be distributed over very large areas in very small quantities (the antithesis of actual construction projects), I found insights relevant to our industry in the granularity of processes and services underlying the actual projects -- and, in this aspect, highly relevant to contractors, architects and engineers looking to find the competitive edge both in marketing and cost-control in project delivery.

Anderson's point is that businesses such as Amazon.com now sell thousands of titles that would be uneconomic to distribute in conventional book stores - even the largest store cannot hold all the inventory for titles that may sell one copy every three of four months. This dynamic is even greater in music, where files can be downloaded at no 'hard cost'. Sure there are still 'hits' but now choice is much wider and deeper -- and a surprisingly large component of the market is now within this 'long tail'.

I see evidence of this element with the review of search engine logs for this blog -- about half of the inquiries that lead people to the pages here only are made once, period. The clearest evidence of this process is the success of my brother Jim's 'recycling' of music within a genre that I have trouble understanding and following (I am utterly unmusical).

More than a decade ago, Jim cut a CD. It didn't sell more than a hundred copies. One found its way into a used record bin somewhere, then a couple of years ago, someone uploaded it onto the Internet. He received an order from an online music service. Now, although his Renegade Productions Inc. business is still primarily renting music studios in Vancouver, he receives dozens of orders each month from specialized Internet music distributors and consumers -- and even has a modest (but very real) international "fan club" in cities around the world, especially Munich, Germany. Some of his revenue comes from people who pay a fraction of a cent to a music streaming service to listen to one of his songs, once.

Okay, you say, this is relevant for the music business perhaps, but how does it help me win a $100,000 drywall contract, or an architectural commission for a major new project?

Although I haven't reached near the end of Anderson's book, I sense the relevance of this trend is in the details: In the process of how you select and work with your employees and colleagues, especially in discerning and enhancing details that, individually, won't count for much, but overall, will shape your projects in new and exciting ways. Say, you can build in a series of market-centred goodies that capture the ideas of your clients; or find specialized innovations or cost savings in different aspects of your projects; if you could create designs that go beyond the textbook logic; or provide services with just that little bit of sparkle in innovation and 'edge' -- do you think you might win more and better projects, at higher margins? I think so.