Marketing

Promoting Your Business: The County Fair

It’s summer, and that means community gatherings for people wanting to have fun. In our area, the main event is the county fair. I’m confident there is a similar event in your area.

3 Sales Copy Habits You Have To Stop Doing Today

Most home improvement sales copy is filled with nothing but generalities and platitudes. It gives no real reason why a prospect would want to take the next step.

Marketing Your Business

Don’t come up with excuses to not be marketing your business. Eventually you will be in the worst position of all, and that is when you say “I need quick help to get my phone to ring”.

Share Your Cards

Business cards are a simple, inexpensive way to provide everyone you come in contact with the information they need to reach you.

Canvassing: Connect with the Neighborhood

One of the more unpopular things I recommend is canvassing the neighborhood around your jobs. It’s unpopular because it’s misunderstood.

Lower Your Price, Gain Exposure

Should you take every opportunity to increase exposure for your business? 

Can They Find You?

If you’re a dependable, responsible construction-business owner, do potential clients in your area know you exist?

We Don’t Advertise

“We don’t advertise” is well meaning mischief at its worst. It cuts your company off from a large pool of potential clients who are looking for a contractor to help them get their job built.

Website SEO Scams

I received a note from Michael Stone. He said, “You wouldn’t believe some of the stories I hear from contractors being approached by people claiming they can help with SEO or getting leads. I want to cover this in a newsletter.”

Working by Referral

When things are good, it’s easy to get lackadaisical about marketing because finding new clients is so easy.

Working for Big Box Stores

A young guy asked if signing on with one of the big box stores was a good idea. He hasn’t discovered yet that getting a lot of work doesn’t mean you’ll make lots of money.

Designing a Magnet

There are two steps to attracting leads. The first step is being known; the second step is making them interested enough to contact you.

What’s a Reasonable Advertising Budget?

How much should you spend on advertising? How much is too much?

Remodelers AutoPilot

How to Turn More Leads into Paying Proje …

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Leads are Gold

Too many contractors care only about getting leads. They believe that if they get enough leads and can bid on enough jobs, they’ll be successful. That’s not the case.

What’s Your Specialty?

If you're one of the many contractors who start an advertising message with, "We specialize in . . . ", good for you. But if you follow that statement with a long laundry list of things you do, you're hurting your business.

Getting Business as a Sub

One of the questions we’re asked most often is how a subcontractor can get jobs. How do you go about meeting general contractors and letting them know you’re available to build their jobs?

Show Search Engines Your Site is Alive

Lead Generation Companies don’t want you …

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Website Ideas for Contractors – 15 Website SEO Ideas

If you missed our webinar earlier this week with Brian Javeline of MyOnlineToolbox.com, 15 Website Lead Ideas in 20 Minutes, the recording is available here.

Where Do You Get Your Leads?

A new business wants to market your construction business and provide leads. It'll also give homeowners ammunition making it harder to sell jobs. There’s an alternative.

Winning the SEO Battle

Winning the SEO battle for contractor websites. Brian Javeline of MyOnlineToolbox, is joined by contractors telling what they’ve learned to now generate their own leads.

Finding Opportunities

Brainstorm business opportunities that your construction company could do, profitably, over the next twelve months.

Making Business Work

We heard recently from a friend in Canada, and I’d like to share part of his note with you. Sometimes it’s encouraging to hear how someone else is making business work.

Take Charge of Your Company Name

Claim your business in local search sites and social media. Almost always free, only takes a minute, might bring in leads, and it will protect your name.

How to Start Your Website

Building a website for your small business doesn’t have to be expensive, and it isn’t that complicated when you understand how it works..

Make Business Happen Where You Are

I saw a post from a guy who was about to move his family. His construction business has no work and he believes the answer is to move to a new location.

Marketing is just like planting seeds

For those who don’t understand the need for an ongoing marketing and advertising program for your business, let me try this analogy:

Connecting with Potential Clients

If you aren’t getting a response to your advertising, either printed or on the web, you aren’t connecting with your potential clients. You must connect with them.

Website Designers – Hire Carefully

If you're looking at hiring a website designer or SEO provider, beware! The stories we hear from fellow business owners on how they've been treated defies description.

Your Unfair Advantage

These three actions will give you an unfair advantage over other contractors. You’ll make sales because you’re building trust and confidence in your company and in you.

Advertise Your Construction Services With Pictures

I taught a class in Kansas, and a young fellow who attended owns a company called Absolute Basement Finishing, working in and around the St. Louis, Missouri area.

Website Opinions

I get three or four requests a week from folks asking for my opinion on their website. As I have the time, I stop by to visit. All too often I find the same mistakes.

Websites – what you don’t know can cost you money

We hear regularly from construction business owners asking about websites. It is tough hearing the stories of what they've been through and the money they've wasted.

You Have Every Right to be Angry

In my light reading of women's and home and garden magazines I have repeatedly noted articles that encourage beating your contractor down on price.

Your Social Media Reputation

If those answers don’t make you pay attention to your social media reputation, I don’t know what will.

Two Advertising Flaws

The topic I’ve been asked to speak on most often is how to generate leads. Contractors want leads – without leads, you can’t make a sale.

Help Them Call!

I received two marketing emails the same morning. One was a newsletter and the other an ad asking if we wanted to "Receive A Free Window Replacement Estimate Today?"

Newsletters for Marketing your Construction Business

We receive newsletters every week from construction-related companies around the US and Canada. We applaud all of you using a newsletter as a communication tool.

Market Your Perfect Job

"The secret of business, especially these days, is to focus relentlessly on your unfair advantage – the thing you do that others don't."

Advertise Durability

For your advertising campaigns – have you considered taking pictures of jobs completed 1, 2, 3 or more years ago?

What Goes On a Business Card?

One of the topics was business cards, we spent several minutes reviewing the value of a business card and how it can help promote your company.

Can You Be Found?

If you own a construction-related business (frankly, any business) and you don't have a website, you're losing sales because of it.

Keep Filling the Bucket

We held a webinar last week on advanced …

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Why Should I Advertise?

I have a good buddy down in Southern California who has a great way of saying things. I love talking with him.

Ask Your Customers What They Think

In the book, What Would Google Do?, the author talks about advertising in today’s market with the advent of social media.

Market Your Business with Pumpkins

If you ever read the Peanuts comic strip …

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Home Improvement Shows – Make Them Work

I’ve talked with contractors across this country. Those who do home shows right always get good leads. Those that don't claim it is a waste of money.

Before You Start Marketing . . .

I often talk about finding your perfect customer and defining your niche.

Keep Advertising

A recent article by Jim Hinshaw in the HVACR Today newsletter brought home the truth of why it is necessary to advertise 24/7/365, forever.

Vehicle Sign Example

Company signage on your construction business vehicles lets the world know you are in business. Here's an example.

Your Image in a Few Words

Have you thought about the image you project? It's important to create an association between what you provide and what your potential client wants or needs.

Pictures on your website

Many of you are creating or reworking your websites. You are making a major step forward in your marketing efforts. May I make a suggestion?

Without a Website, They Won’t Find You

Remember the yellow pages? When we want to reach a business we've worked with before, or find a new service in our local area, our first stop is the Internet.

Construction Business Advertising Example

I don’t know much about their company, but I do know they understand communication with their customers and all those they do business with.

Your business card and your website

I’ve discovered that many contractor's business cards have a website listed but when we try to look at the site it doesn't exist (yet).

You Have to Advertise!

Note from a young fellow: In the past, fellow contractors told me don't bother advertising because people only hire remodelers and home repair men by referral…

Construction Company Name – Tell Us What You Do

We see many construction company names in the course of a day. All too often we wonder, what type of work do they do?

Bidding Jobs

We received a note from a company planning a website that will make it easier for consumers to compare bids on jobs. They want to “standardize the bidding process.”

What Not To Cut

Help, the economy is terrible, what can I cut next?

Newsletter Idea

We received the following in a newsletter from Phil Barbay at Gehman Custom Remodeling. With Phil’s permission, we are reprinting it here.

Advertise, then advertise some more

Time and again I have contractors tell me they ran an ad in a newspaper, magazine, on the radio, whatever and didn’t get any response.

Remodeling Leads – Where do yours come from?

Qualified Remodeler Magazine posted the results from last month’s poll recently. The question was “What is your No. 1 source of leads?”

Working by Referral

We keep hearing from contractors who say they "Work Only By Referral". They believe this elevates them and their company above everyone else in this business.

The Value of Marketing

Marc Dodson, Editor and Publisher of Western Roofing magazine wrote a great editorial about the value of marketing.

Point to the Profitable Jobs

"Education is of no value and talent is worthless – unless you have an unwavering aim. Never find yourself without a compass."

Marketing – Doing a Good Job?

A question was asked this morning by one of our coaching clients. "How do you know when you have done a good job of marketing?"

Market Your Construction Business

You must give your customers a reason to buy and one of the best ways you can do this is to answer the customer’s three basic fears on every page of your advertising.

Make It Easy for Them to Call

If you’re a construction-related business marketing to the general public, your website and newsletters serve one purpose: to encourage potential customers to call you.

Construction Contractors – Stay Focused

Alfred E. Neuman used to say, “What, me …

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Results from an Advertising Campaign

One of our coaching clients recently asked how much lag time others are experiencing between the start of a marketing campaign and leads coming in the door.

Specializing in Everything

I was in New York last week, participati …

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You Have to Advertise

In Minnesota last week, over a two-day p …

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Does Your Advertising Work For You?

A friend showed me how to know if your advertising is right for your construction company, remodeling firm, specialty contracting business, new home builder, etc.

Calculate Your Cost Per Lead

Knowing your cost per lead is important because it helps set your sales goals and advertising budget.

Affordable, Effective Advertising

Some have called asking how to increase business. They have not been advertising, and the phone is dead.

Advertising – Use the Experts

Here is a recent conversation with a new coaching client. Client: We sent out a direct mail piece and didn't get a single lead. Michael: How many did you send?

Specialize in Construction – Stay Focused

After working with a few hundred coaching clients, I believe that the key to profitability in construction is staying focused on doing a few things well.

I Work By Referral Only

In a recent class, I made the statement that referral leads should never account for more than 20% to 25% of your work. Boom, the argument was on.

Does Your Construction Business Have a Website?

Today websites are becoming a must as the customers who have money to spend are doing so by way of the Internet.

Business Cards for Construction

How good is your business card? Make sure it can do what it is supposed to do. Make it easy for customers to contact you.

Advertise for Remodeling and Construction Work

New home construction lending and new home purchases have slowed down. This often triggers more remodeling work, but not always. What can you do? Advertise.

Advertising vs. Referrals in a Construction Business

Some time back one of our readers sent a note and asked why I’ve stated he should not have more than 20% to 25% of his business from referrals.