The Top Five Blunders That Will Cripple Your Construction Business

“We Sell Projects Not Solutions!”Wrong!

The survival of the construction industry in an uncertain economic climate depends on how we face up to the five big marketing blunders that have struck the industry in the last few years. Here’s the first one: “We sell projects not solutions!” WRONG! If you want to grow your business discover how to deliver solutions not sell projects!

Theodore Levitt died on June 28th 2006 in Belmont, Massachusetts. He was a marketing guru, economist and a professor at Harvard Business School. He was 81 years old when he died and contributed widely to the concept of “globalisation” - the way multi-national companies achieved success with their products across different cultures.

One of his many quotable quotes was: “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.”

In the old days it seemed so straight forward. You have a product or service to sell and you market that product to potential customers. You push, cajole, persuade and talk-up your product until you finally get a sale. You might be successful in 1 out of 99 targets.

But that’s not the way it works anymore! In fact, it was never very successful! In the construction industry, people are not interested in your sales pitch, hot talk, bonus incentives, free holidays in Florida (well maybe!) - they want to know how you are going to solve their problems, provide a service that will make them money - they want to know what you are going to do for them.

If you want to close a deal, offer solutions not projects. Obviously the end result is a construction project - but the journey to get there involves offering the client a Unique Selling Point. You are going to bend over backwards to ensure they get the best service possible - but not just that! You are going to walk with them from conception to completion of their project and offer them solutions that will make the process run as smoothly as possible.

And when things do go wrong, you will step in and offer more solutions so that all their problems are dealt with. It’s a different mindset that will reap benefits and it starts with the first phone call your potential client makes to your business. Yes, that’s right - the sales process starts from the moment your receptionist answers the telephone. I have a whole training session on effective telesales, but that’s not in my brief in this report. The more you are able to relieve the stress of your potential client by solving problems for them, the more likely you will get the contract - and repeat business will follow.

What solutions could you offer?

✓ A free consultation to assess the viability of their project

✓ Find partners to work with to enable you to offer design and build solutions

✓ A “Pre-Construction” service will add real benefit for the customer

✓ Offer to bring a consultant team together to facilitate the smooth running of their project

✓ Bring land owners and developers together - an attractive proposition to Registered Social Landlords who have funding to develop schemes but no land to build them on.

✓ Corporate Social Responsibility is the “buzz” in the business world at the moment and the construction industry is catching up. Give something back to the community and everyone wins.

✓ Take the hassle and anxiety out of the equation for your client by making sure problems on site are dealt with quickly, efficiently and without loss of money for the client. Make sure you document everything!

✓ Ensure that your approach to customer relations is up to speed and that you deliver an exceptional service during the defect period following completion.

People are not interested in your sales pitch, they want to know what you are going to do for them!