What makes you different makes you unique
Whether you are an electrical, painting, plumbing, flooring or a landscaping contractor etc. you all have a role in the construction marketplace. However, if all you’ve got going for you is that you’re no worse than everybody else, there is no reason for a potential client to choose you. Clients will always prefer a contractor who stands out from the others, who has something unique to offer, for example specific experience, an ability to offer quick lead times, or they are located close to their site.
It is therefore crucial to develop your business to become something unique, with qualities that distinguish you from everyone else in the crowd. If you are competing against other contractors offering the same service for the same job, it is very important you have a prepared answer to why should they consider you? If you have a definite idea of the kind of jobs you want to win, you will get a much better idea of who you need to talk to and what you want to say.
Having a clear business focus and marketing strategy gives you confidence as you approach new clients. Knowing what kind of business you really want will make it easier to develop a cost-effective marketing strategy. It will point to the right markets for your skills and highlight the marketing tools that you need to break into that market. It’s also a good idea that you specialise in the work you like doing, projects that went really well and projects that gave you the best profit margins. You will then have to decide your priorities, based on your cash flow needs, your work availability and the actual work available in your area.
The key to being different is to find out what is unique about your business. For example, why do your past and present clients use your services? why do they keep coming back? And what do they see in you that they like? Performing a SWOT analysis will not only help in developing a marketing strategy and plan, it is also essential for keeping any eye on the competitive landscape that your company operates in. A SWOT analysis allows you to look at your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The analysis covers such criteria as what does your company do well? where do you have a competitive advantage? where do you need improvement? could you provide other services? or what potential problems exist (financing, overall economy, changing demographic)?
In conclusion, knowing what makes you different will certainly allow you to set your company apart from your competition and make an impact. This can then form part of your online and offline communications. Whether that be your corporate identity, literature or the quality of your website.
It would be great to discuss this article in more detail and help you make your construction business unique. Therefore, if you are a business looking for marketing support to have more free time to work on other areas of your business, then please get in touch.
Tel: 07557 040 830 or e-mail: [email protected]
Many thanks for reading.
Clare Mitchell