Perhaps one of the most important selling points for your firm will be your website. Your website allows potential customers to learn about your company; gives out-of-town customers the opportunity to check on the status of their project(s); and offers a direct link to you, either through your phone number, email, address, or fax number. It can also be a showcase of your work and/or awards received and highlight media coverage of your company, along with all of your charitable contributions (helping with Habitat for Humanity, offering assistance at cost for nonprofits, etc.). Your website is an extension of your new business/sales team—it should reflect the personality of your office and team and provide a connection to you for the customer.
- TIP: Select a firm carefully to design and implement your website. You want to make sure that your site clearly communicates your brand and identity but also is very customer friendly and usable. Ways to contact you to discuss your services should be clear and easy for your customer to find.
The rationale for prioritizing online marketing is simple. More than 80% of enterprise customers seeking a product or service begin with a search engine, and nearly all use Google. More than two-thirds of those who search online for consumer goods intend to buy, and 77% of consumers use Google as their preferred search engine. So why not throw your entire online marketing budget into winning at Google? Because online visibility to your target audience is so important, two main strategies to consider include:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)—the process of increasing the volume and quality of traffic to your website from search engines through "natural" or "organic" results.
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)—also known as pay-per-click advertising; can give you immediate results and a significant ROI. Targeting highly relevant key phrases puts your firm in front of the most qualified prospects and drives them to a landing page that addresses their needs.
- TIP: Here the debate between form and function becomes critical. Make sure that the design and layout that you use for your website are search engine friendly. You can have the best-looking site available that is not searchable by the major search engines, impacting your ranking when customers are searching for you. For more resources to help you navigate the worlds of SEO and SEM, visit www.getmoreaccess.com/resources.php.
Another major selling point for your firm is a gallery of images of your work. Not just any image will do; these should be professional photographs. Top-notch pictures of your work will not only help demonstrate your capabilities to current or prospective clients, but they can also be used on your website, on direct-mail postcards, in brochures, and throughout your advertising campaign. They can even be sent to industry publications for awards submissions, article ideas, or stock photography (credited to your architecture firm, of course). Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.
- TIP: Use a professional photographer to help you create a gallery for your website and printed pieces. Customers are judging you based on the quality of your work, and if they are only seeing your work on your website, the quality of the images must be the best.
Some might consider this common knowledge, but in today's fast-paced, technologically advanced environment, customer service is often overlooked. Average service is about meeting the customer's expectations. Great customer service is about exceeding them. Satisfied customers make your best salespeople. Not only will they return to do business with you, but they will also help drive traffic through your door. Put your customers to work for you spreading the word about your firm's capabilities to their friends and families.
- TIP: Offer your customers financial incentives in the form of gifts or even cash for providing you with referrals that turn into more customers for you.
Remember that 80% of your revenue will come from 20% of your customers. Know exactly who those 20% are and aim your advertising towards them.
- TIP: Collect basic demographic data about each of your customers so that you can identify trends in your customers—this will allow you to create a profile of your ideal customer and target your advertising efforts to the most appropriate audience and medium.
All successful display ads—and especially those in the phone book or an online directory—should state clearly why the reader should do business with your company. List the main benefits of choosing your company, and always give them several ways to contact you: phone number, 800 number, website, email, and fax number.
- TIP: Make sure that you research each publication you are listed in to be sure that it has a distribution to the audience you are looking to attract, both geographically and socioeconomically.
To successfully market your firm, you must first position yourself in relation to the competition. Know how you want your firm to be perceived by clients and sell on that unique difference.
- TIP: Ask yourself, "Why would a customer choose my firm over the competition? What do I offer that is unique or the best?" Solidify your unique selling proposition and communicate it clearly in your marketing pieces.
It's important to remember that networking is the most powerful way to build professional relationships, actively foster contacts, and disseminate information. Business is driven by relationships, and you need to constantly focus on expanding your network of contacts.
- TIP: Network through professional associations, industry publications, industry charities, development associations, etc. Communicate your unique value proposition to people you meet that could be potential partners and clients.
Take networking one step further and partner with other companies that offer complementary products and/or services; examples include area builders, material suppliers, engineers, etc. It's reciprocal, and it is profitable for both companies.
- TIP: Identify key partner opportunities and create a formal partnership.
Submission of projects for various awards for local, regional, or national work is a great way to get recognition from the industry and to show current and/or prospective clients that you are an award-winning firm and industry leader.
- TIP: It is easy to get carried away and focus too much on submitting awards rather than on your client business. Pick just a few solid, industry-recognized awards for which to submit your projects.
About Concord Hill Builders
Concord Hill Builders (CHB) offers a variety of contracting services aimed at delivering enhanced living environments to its customers. From beautiful new homes custom tailored to suit discerning tastes to renovations and additions, CHB offers unparalleled service through attention to detail and open communication.
Through a new approach to the business of general contracting, CHB focuses on clearly understanding customer needs and expectations and then doing everything in its power to satisfy them.
By providing integrity, communication, and technology every step of the way, CHB ensures its customers are satisfied. CHB does a few simple things very well:
- We call you back.
- We show up on time.
- We deliver a quality product.
- We communicate with you throughout the process.
About the Author
With a mixture of sales and residential construction in his background, Jim Farrell is no stranger to running a successful business. Jim is currently the owner and president of Concord Hill Builders, a luxury custom home builder in the Metro-West Boston, Massachusetts, area.
Jim's 10 years of experience in the construction and housing industry have included roles as the owner and president of residential construction companies, the role of general manager of a restoration company, and mortgage brokering. In addition to his construction experience, he has held positions in sales and sales management in the telecommunications industry for more than five years.
Jim served four years in the United States Marine Corps, with deployments to Panama, the Mediterranean, Somalia, Bosnia, and Haiti. An expert marksman and marksmanship instructor, he concluded service with the final rank of corporal. He subsequently earned his B.A. in business management from Eastern Nazarene College and his M.B.A. from Nichols College.
A native of Foxborough, MA, and an avid Patriots fan, Jim enjoys golfing, skiing, and reading in his spare time. He resides in Framingham, MA, with his wife and two kids.
