I consistently advocate contractors which “rely” on referrals and repeat business to become much more proactive in attracting this valuable business. You don’t need to wait for your phone to ring — you can use some simple and surprisingly inexpensive resources to attract this vital business. In fact, structured referral and repeat business programs [...]

Yesterday, I observed how leaving the safe zone (from traditional perspectives) can help you score a potential marketing home run.  With a few minutes to spare, I decided to wander over and listen to one of the speakers giving a presentation at the side of the show floor at the Construction Specifications Canada Toronto Chapter [...]

Through most of my life I’ve been an optimist.  I tend to see things with a hopeful eye.  Vivian, on the other hand, often sees the depressing problems.  A sign of a healthy marriage is we know our differences and often joke about them (and probably our respective attitudes balance to create a realistic perspective).
My [...]

John Poole, in his Constructonomics Blog, posts some insightful observations of the challenges of starting work as a general contractor in this brutal economy.
Competition, he has discovered, is fierce, and provisions to ensure fairness and openness invite/encourage cheating or manipulation to game the rules. When upwards of 14 businesses bid for the job in [...]

Last night, Chase sent me and other colleagues this inspirational message, forwarded to him by one of our clients.  The words are not attributed, but a Google search indicates the original source is motivational writer and speaker Keith Cameron Smith, who has written The Top 10 distinctions between Winners and Whiners:
Winners Take Responsibility—Whiners Play the [...]

This blog posting’s title is rather obvious but I think we risk losing our construction marketing direction if we fail to heed its message.  Marketing, after all, is about spurring current and potential clients to decide to do business with you.  If you can’t connect with them on a practical and emotional level, they will [...]

Yesterday evening, I attended the General Contractors Association of Ottawa (GCAO) annual cocktail reception where the association presented its Integrity and Ethics Award to Mike Rushton, Algonquin College’s Director of Physical Resources. The event is an annual who’s who of this area’s construction industry and is held at the Rideau Club, an establishment where suit [...]

Yesterday, I pulled together notes for a special advertising feature for a highly successful Ontario sub contractor.  The owner described how the business evolved from an equal partnership among three tradespeople who set out on their own when their former employer closed the business in 1985, to a highly successful multinational business in 2010.
Intriguingly to [...]

Here are the latest Best Construction Blog competition results. (This table is updated in real-time, so you can keep pace with new votes.)
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Yesterday, close to 200 people voted with many contributing enlightening comments.  Devon and Michael Stone encouraged their Markup and Profit newsletter followers to vote — and this encouraged Bobby Darnell (Building [...]

Recently, someone pitching for a multi-level marketing scheme posted on the LinkedIn.com Construction Marketing Ideas group (you can join by clicking the link on the sidebar), with a seemingly innocent but perhaps important question:  “Have you ever achieved your dreams?”  Initially, I took the message at face value, and answered “Yes”, describing how my early [...]