marketing tips for builders - pointsbuild - home tips...•successful builders understand the...

Marketing Tips

For Builders

TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR....................................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 2

HOW TO REACH YOUR TARGET MARKET ....................................................................................... 5

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A WEBSITE .................................................................................... 6

MATCHING THE RIGHT MARKET TO THE RIGHT MEDIA ............................................................... 7

CREATING AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING MESSAGE ......................................................................... 7

RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL MARKETING CAMPAIGN ...................................................................... 8

A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE IS PART OF MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ............................................ 9

CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................. 10

Marketing Tips for Builders © Pointsbuild Pty Limited

About the Author

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•This course has been prepared by Greg Hamlyn, who is a Business DevelopmentSpecialist that’s passionate in helping builders run their businesses more effectively,helping them attract better quality leads, convert more quotes into Jobs and deliverquality consistently without you needing to be there all the time.

•Greg owns the Trades Coaching group of training websites includingwww.buildersprofits.com and www.tradescoaching.com.au and has been helpingbuilders and trades businesses achieve their absolute best for over a decade.

•During this time, he’s heard and witnessed so many challenges and problems that every builder faces; problems involving the lack of leads and work, the amount of time wasted doing quotes that really go nowhere, the tough competition in today’s industry and the list goes on.

•The Profit Pyramid is aimed at helping business owners assess the 10 key areas of their businesses and determine the aspects they need to work on. It allows business owners to establish systems to ensure that all key areas are working well together in order to achieve their goals and make their vision come true.

• Due to the advances in technology and the internet, many builders are facing a number of challenges in business, with most builders spending most of their time quoting on projects that go nowhere. Many also find it difficult to attract quality leads and convert quotes into jobs that they want, rather than jobs you have to take to stay on top of your bills.

•Successful builders understand the importance of online and offline marketing channels and strategies. This attracts qualified leads instead of relying solely on ‘Word of Mouth’ opportunities. They understand the importance of task management and dedicating the necessary amount of time to every area of their business which delivers quality projects consistently.

•Top builders realise that training and development in their business is essential for growth with the area of marketing and sales being crucial to converting quotes into projects and improving cash flow.Running a business is tough and challenging but you don’t have to do it alone. Builders Profits is all about helping as many builders as possible to achieve the level of success they are striving for while avoiding the many hazards that can cause even the best builder to struggle or fail.

•This module is designed to give you the insight into the important role that Sales plays in your business success and some of the tools and techniques you can use to ensure your business continues to grow and thrive. Visit http://buildersprofits.com for more details!


Introduction Your marketing is your direct line to your market and effective direct response emotional marketing, talks to your prospects and gives them benefits in a non-threatening way. This gives your prospects a compelling reason to call you. All of us, including your prospects, have the same radio station playing in their heads, Wii-FM (what’s In It for me). To be effective with your marketing, you must get inside your prospects’ heads and figure out what it is that they want to hear, play it for them and play it often. The purpose of your Marketing is not to promote yourself but rather to attract prospects. You might be offering a wonderful service or a great product but without proper marketing that reaches your target market, you are unlikely to get swamped by a “hungry crowd” all clamouring for your product or service. Let’s face it, your clients of today are different from those of yester year, they have more choice, are more informed and know what they want and to reach them and get them to take notice your marketing must speak their language. Your prospects will not hear what you’re saying unless you tell them what they want to know. The harsh reality is that your prospective customer is only interested in how you are going to be helping them meet their needs. They don’t care about what you want to sell them they are only interested in what’s in it for them. How many times have you lost a potential client because you didn’t offer them what they wanted or needed? I can assure you we all have. Often we don’t even know that we’ve lost them until three months later when we see them doing business with someone else. Wouldn’t you like to eliminate that? Wouldn’t you like to be the guy or the girl that they choose to do business with? I know I sure would, especially when you see how easy this strategy is. Even though you are probably a terrific builder or a great trade’s person, whatever field you are in; the fact of the matter is, no one really cares about you they only care about what you are going to do for them. How are you going to solve their problem; you see it’s all about them.


The Golden Rule of Marketing The Golden Rule of Marketing is to identify your niche and target your marketing to that niche. If you are a builder you can build all types of houses from cheap to high end properties, you can do renovations and you can build commercial buildings. Any one of these skills can be targeted as a niche or area of expertise? Niching has many benefits including making you the expert or specialist in a certain area. It helps you identify your target market and gives you better slice with your chosen market. Once you have chosen the area of expertise you can focus on addressing the needs of the potential customers in this area and position yourself as the specialist in your niche. By specialising or niching, you no longer compete with your opposition across a wide range of areas trying to be all things to all people; you become the go-to person for your niche market! As a business owner you need to determine the direction your business is going and recognise that marketing is an essential tool to keep a steady stream of customers coming to your business and needing your services. Your customers are the heart of your business and without them your business won’t survive for long. Market where your customers look and look after them when they come seeking your services. Keep your ears to the ground so you can learn by listening to other people, what they are searching for, what they need and where they have been looking. It helps to know where your next marketing campaign may be and what to offer that people are already searching for.

Getting Maximum Results from Your Marketing To get the most from your marketing dollar you need to be targeting the right market place. All successful businesses know who their target market is, who they want as customers or clients. By knowing who you want as your customer you can then create your marketing pieces to entice them to choose your business when they need what you are offering. If you have been in business for a while, you should already have your best customers and you should be targeting your marketing pieces to solve the problems you know they need help with. A lot of customers like to deal with the “specialist” in the field. If you niche down and specialise in a specific section, you will become known as the specialist in that field or niche and can target the customers that need the service you have chosen. By niching you are no longer competing with your opposition across a wide range of skill, you are now the go to person for your area of expertise and now can now charge more! Marketing is not only about getting new customers, it is about reselling to existing customers and rekindling old clients you haven’t contacted in a while. It is much more expensive to attract a new customer than it is to entice an existing customer to buy again from you. If you include offers to past and current clients in your marketing campaigns, they have already purchased from you before and are likely to become valuable repeat customers by including new offers to them in your marketing budgets. Make a list of your potential clients and go after them!


Identifying Your Ideal Market Before you can create marketing that resonates with your ideal market place, you need to identify who they are and what you have to offer that solves their problems, wants, needs or desires.

When you have answered the questions you should be able to pin point who you want as your ideal customers and which of your products or services provide the solution to their problems. Think of your business as the solution your customers need and create your marketing around an issue that strikes a chord with them and they will come to you because you have the solution they want!

Ask yourself the following questions..

What products or services do you offer?

List all the services you currently offer so you can identify which area to focus on.

Who wants or needs your product or service?

Are they local, a certain age bracket, high-end new home buyers, renovators, male or female,

etc. These questions will help you identify your target market to appeal to the

marketplace you choose.

What problems does your product or service solve?

When you have identified the problems each product or service solves you can match this to

who has the need for each service.


How to Reach Your Target Market There are many ways you can reach your target market including: Business to business – There are many possibilities for business to business promotion. Many businesses can directly offer complimentary services to either work together or sell directly to each other including strategic alliances. For instance, you own a plumbing service, you have relationships with real estate companies that might need your services for bulk properties on an ongoing basis. Networking – Networking is a seriously undervalued business promoting medium. Networking when utilised correctly, can become another form of word of mouth referral for your business. Like in the previous case, let’s say you own a plumbing business you can leave your business cards with stores that sell plumbing equipment. People who buy equipment might pick up your card and telephone you to install the equipment they have just purchased. You can even become friendly with the equipment supplier and make him or her your sales representative in their store, don’t be afraid to offer incentives and buy your leads (preferably if they become clients). Think out of the box and see how you can improve your visibility in the market. Website – A website is an essential part of your overall marketing as more and more people now use the internet to source the goods and services they are looking for. This fact alone makes a web presence a vital part of your marketing-plan for both online and off line businesses. Brochures – Brochures are a good way to introduce your business and services to prospective clients. Leave them on the desks of equipment suppliers or any other place where you think potential clients would frequently visit. Business Cards – Business cards are the silent salesman for your business and should be designed for maximum impact. A well designed business card is generally kept and this is ongoing advertising for your business sitting in your customers’ home or office. Online – Online business promotion is not limited to banner ads and text links anymore. The internet is fast becoming the first place people start looking and this has opened many more opportunities to brand and promote your business online. Direct Mail – This has been the tried and true method for years and is still effective today. Everyone likes to get something in the mail that offers them a way to save money or helps them in some way. If you have the budgets, this is a good way to reach your market. No matter which avenues you feel are the most appropriate for your business you need to focus your advertising and promotions directly to your niche or target market to get the maximum results. Remember to test and measure your results so you can do more of what worked best!

http://business-building-resources.com/business-to-business-marketing.html

http://business-building-resources.com/networking.html

http://business-building-resources.com/website.html

http://business-building-resources.com/business-brochures.html

http://www.business-building-resources.com/business-cards.html

http://www.business-building-resources.com/online-marketing.html

http://business-building-resources.com/direct-mail.html


The Importance of Having a Website You might argue that you are a brick and mortar service and that you don’t need a website but your potential customers are savvier today than ever before and increasingly people around the world are turning to the web for information. If you do not have a web presence you won’t show up in their search results and you might lose out on prospective clients. A website in today’s world is similar to your business cards and marketing packs. What business cards are in the physical world, websites are in the virtual world of cyber space? You might advertise in the classifieds about your business but people who see them will require further information to make intelligent decisions. That is when a website steps in. You will need to have web presence for your potential clients to find you on the web to get all the extra information you couldn’t fit in your advertising. By diverting potential customers to a website in your marketing it is seen as non-threatening and you can provide as much information as they could possibly want while saving money on the physical marketing piece that sent them to your website – the perfect solution for both of you. You save money on advertising and the potential customer can browse all your information without feeling pressured if they weren’t ready to buy straight away.

What should an effective website have? Content! Content! And more content! Content is not just the king but the queen, minister and everything else in today’s information savvy society. Having your own domain and website gives a feeling to prospects that you are serious about your business and that you are not a “me too” company. Collect and create as much content as you can about your field, your industry and your company. Use the most relevant and the most interesting for your prospective clients. The following are an absolute must for your website to serve its purpose: 1. Credible information; 2. Updated content; 3. Provision to contact you online. You can provide the various modes by which people can contact

you, it could be contact forms or a link to your email. 4. Making them SEO’d (Search Engine Optimized). This is not absolutely essential but helps your

page show up when searches are done. 5. Have a 100% uptime even though the website is on night and day there are times when the server

on which the website is hosted is down periodically. It is important to have the website up and running all the time. To ensure this choose the right internet hosting solution with a good reputation.

6. Your website is your identity so make it look good and professional. Hire a web designer if you

are not able to create one yourself in a professional way. 7. Make sure the links on your site are always active. 8. A site map is necessary if you have multiple pages, the relevance of the site map increases multi-

fold.


Matching the Right Market to the Right Media If you want to catch a fish you would go to the water with a fishing rod and some bait, right? You go where your target market is and dangle the bait (the solution you are providing) and then you reel them in as customers when they “bite”. Each marketplace you choose to target may require different media or different offers to reach them and provide the solution they are seeking. You need to know the problem your target market needs solving and where they look. Your target market will be the deciding factor in what “bait” you need to offer to entice these potential new customers to come and buy from you. You don’t need to waste money on unnecessary “hope and pray” marketing, where you throw as much out there into the marketplace and then hope the phone will ring and pray that customers will start streaming through your doors. By sending your marketing message out through the various media that your target market uses, you will achieve much greater responses to your offers.

Creating an Effective Marketing Message Once you have determined who your target market is and the product or service that they need, you need to create an effective message that will reach them and entice them to contact you. Any marketing piece can be divided into nine areas which all play a role in creating effective marketing pieces including: 1. Headline: This is what will make or break your advertising campaign – your headline is basically

the ad for your marketing piece! It is the first thing your prospects see and it needs to make them want to know more.

2. Use the right type of advertising for your marketing: There are different types of advertising and

based on the media and the audience you are targeting, they vary in content and presentation. You will need to understand what your target market needs and where they look and then create a marketing piece that will sell best.

3. Psychology of the audience: You will need to focus on the psychology of your target market. If

you have correctly identified the needs of your target market, you should be able to identify what they want, need or desire and create your marketing to address those needs.

4. Common sense and logic: You need to ooze logic and common sense in your ads – your customers

are well informed and know what they want. Your marketing needs to portray your genuine desire to help them by providing the solution they are looking for.

5. Creativity: You will need to be creative when you write your ad. People do not read dull and lack-

lustre ads or marketing pieces. You will need to write something that will catch the attention and imagination of your target market and inspire them to take the action you want.

6. Attention: Capture the attention of the reader at the very beginning of the ad. This can be

accomplished by a great headline or a fantastic image. Attention is so important that no one will read the complete ad and act on it unless you capture their attention up front and entice them to keep reading.


7. Interest: Once you have placed a good headline or image you will have the attention of the reader. You now need to generate some interest and introduce them to how you can help them solve their problem that you have identified. This also keeps them interested to discover what they need to do to have their problem solved, so they will keep reading until the end.

8. Creation of desire and offer: Once you have the interest of the prospective client, it is necessary

to create a desire in them for your services or products. After all, if you offered new specially glazed windows that never needed cleaning at no extra cost as a special deal for all newly built homes in the month of your choice; who wouldn’t be interested in that and want more?

9. Action: The next step is to tell the reader exactly what they need to do next. You need to clearly

state what you want your reader to do. Do you want them to come to your office? Do they call you? Or do you need to call them – What is it? This will need to be clear so the customer knows what action they need to take for you to provide the solution promised in your marketing.

Running a Successful Marketing Campaign When you attract new clients it costs you money to get your marketing out there where your potential customers can find it. Before you run any marketing campaigns you must work out how much you are prepared to pay for each new customer and how you are going to reach them. This will build you your marketing plan and budget for your campaign. What does the customer read, where they go or look when they want what you have to offer them to solve their problem. When you have this have this information, you have a winning combination! You have successfully worked out where you are going to place your advertising for maximum results because you are going to place it where these potential customers look. Think of it from your customers’ point of view – if you need a dripping tap fixed, you would search your local paper or phone directory to find someone close so they could fix it quickly. In this case your marketing wouldn’t cost a great deal and the problem you are solving is easily identified. The money you invest in marketing your business should not be looked at as an expense. Marketing is an essential part of growing your business and people need to know you are there with the solution to their problems. The initial cost you outlay to entice a new client to your business will come back to you many times over if you look after them an treat them well. A happy customer is the greatest marketing tool of any business. They are totally free and they tell their friends and family that need your type of service or product and recommend you to one and all. Once they have bought from you once they are likely to use your services again, so you now will have an “in-house” target market you can send offers and marketing pieces out to directly for future campaigns. You need to consider the alternative if you do a bad job or don’t deliver what you have promised. Your customers will tell 20 times as many people and this becomes worst kind of advertising you could possibly have. The golden rule that will ensure that this NEVER happens to your business, make sure you can deliver what you are promising!


A Professional Image Is Part of Marketing Your Business The image that your business portrays is part of your overall marketing package for your business and some businesses don’t realise this. Your business image is your logo, business name and the products and services you provide, PLUS how your business is represented. What this means is if you showed up for a quote in a clean tidy work van with quality signwriting displayed and the employee is dressed in a company uniform, it sends a subtle message of how professional the company is. Who would you choose if you got three quotes to renovate your bathroom? Your first quote is a builder who arrives looking like a homeless hobo, dirty, un-kept and smelly from the last job. Your second quote is from a company whose representative was neat and tidy and the third quote came from a company whose representative showed up on time in a clean uniform driving a work van displaying a professional company logo. Unless you are vastly different from most people you would be drawn to the company that provided the third quote because of the professional image they portrayed. How you package your product is important at every level from the actual product or service, to how your people represent your business in every area of customer contact. Whether you realise it or not, your team members are actually walking talking marketing machines, that if programmed and presented professionally, will give you positive results every time they wear your uniform.


Stand Out From Your Competition A professional looking marketing pack will set you apart from your competition and give you the “edge” to landing new contracts and forging new relationships with complimenting businesses. Consider the following information to include in the marketing pack.

Conclusion Marketing is how you communicate with your current and potential customers. By putting yourself in your customers’ position and taking the time to discover which of your products and services provides the solution they need, you will achieve better results from your marketing efforts. Always remember that the more professional you present your business in every aspect of your marketing, including your team and vehicle presentation if applicable, the more customers will choose to deal with you instead of your competition. Marketing is one of the twin keys to business profits with sales being your second key. They work hand in hand to help you achieve a steady stream of customers for your business. Your marketing brings you prospective customers while your sales process converts them into paying customers freeing you from the constant feast and famine of jobs faced by many in the industry.

A company profile with contact details.

List seven reasons why your potential customer should

choose your business instead of your opposition.

Provide a 100% guarantee. It removes the risk for a potential customer saying that you clearly

stand behind your product.

Show case your jobs including before and after pictures.

Include testimonials you might have or awards your business

has received.

Include a page that highlights the differences between your

company and your competition.

Provide a list of services you offer and show how you are

going to solve their problems.

Complete an “About Us” page. Give a brief history of how your

company started and the journey it has taken to now. A

good story can help boost their confidence in your business.

Hire a designer to do a professional job, if your

marketing material looks professional your company will

look professional too.

Don't cut costs on marketing, this is an area where clever use of money and budgets need to

happen.


Downloadable Resources

To help you get the most from your business and stand out from your competition, you can download a free 17 Point Checklist for Writing Killer Ads That Sell to get maximum results from your marketing. Your free resource for this course can be downloaded from:

http://buildersprofits.com/pointsbuild-resources-center

http://buildersprofits.com/pointsbuild-resources-center

Congratulations… You have completed the course and earned two points towards your twelve annual CPD points required to renew your builders licence. If audited by the Office of Fair Trading (NSW) the Tax Receipt is the evidence of the CPD training you have undertaken. Copies of tax invoices are retained in Pointsbuild’s database for your convenience. If you would like to complete one of our other courses similar to this one consider:

Business Coaching CPD Courses

1. Marketing Tips for Builders

2. Sales Tips for Builders

3. Leadership Tips for Builders

4. Delivery Tips for Builders

5. Administration Tips for Builders

6. Strategy Tips for Builders

7. Finance Tips for Builders

8. Team Tips for Builders

Visit our website…

2points

each

A Message from the Managing Director

Pointsbuild Pty Ltd was established in 2007 and is proud to be a leader in providing online training to the building and construction industry throughout Australia. Building professionals including builders, sustainability assessors and architects, can obtain their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for the ongoing accreditation and licence renewal. Currently, Pointsbuild delivers over 1,000 online training courses per month.

Pointsbuild has established a credible reputation in delivering online courses and we are honoured to be associated with the following organisations in the building and construction industry.

Public Sector:

Industry Associations:

Educational Institutions:

Enterprise:

Pointsbuild experience and expertise

Since its inception Pointsbuild has delivered over 25,000 training courses to builders, architects, certifiers, sustainability assessors and swimming pool builders in all states and territories of Australia.

Pointsbuild boasts the highest number of CPD Courses available to of any CPD providers and is the only approved CPD provider to the building and construction industry that offers courses in English, Korean, Arabic and Chinese (Cantonese).

Pointsbuild is the only provider whose courses are approved for builders (via various state

government programs), Building Sustainability Assessors (via ABSA), Architects (Via the AIA /refuel network), Certifiers (via the NSW Building Professionals Board).

In order to keep a building licence, many building, planning and property professionals must demonstrate that they have participated in continuing professional development (CPD) each year. CPD points are mandatory in NSW, ACT and Tasmania and are actively encouraged in the other states.

This commitment to CPD is growing in significance, as an increasing number of builders recognise

the benefits of adopting a more planned and structured approach to professional development. Not only is it important to keep up-to-date and know “the what” but also to know “the why” and “the how”.

Pointsbuild specialises in company administration, legal, financial, energy efficiency, business

coaching, technical and work health and safety training for builders, building sustainability assessors, architects and certifiers.

Pointsbuild CPD courses are recognised by the relevant regulating authority in NSW; (via the Office

of Fair Trading), Victoria (via the Victorian Building Authority) and Tasmania (via the Department for Workplace Standards).

Pointsbuild has strong relationships with several of the leading peak industry organisations and is

viewed as a critical way for the construction industry professionals to gain continual learning.

Peak industry bodies include: − The Australian Institute of Building (AIB); − The Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS); − The Masters Builders Association (MBA); − The Housing Industry Association (HIA); and − The Construction Industry Training Advisory Board (CITAB).

Builders in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, require 12 CPD points annually to retain their building

licence.

Pointsbuild provide the following online education services to the building industry: − Continuing Professional Development (‘CPD’) Courses − Business Coaching – endorsed and accredited − Energy Efficiency Training Program - accredited Units of Competency − Certificate IV in Building & Construction CPC40110 (by RPL & TAA) − CPD Programs for Certifiers (by the NSW Building Professionals Board)

Pointsbuild is a growing company and in addition to its own experience, we are drawing on the experience of several other organisations to provide current and innovative training material for the building and construction industry.

Thank you for training with Pointsbuild Pty Ltd.

Managing Director

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marketing tips for builders - pointsbuild - home tips...•successful builders understand the...

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