?? Is Your Business Meeting Your Expectations?

As we deal just with the construction industry, we see on a daily basis the same concerns over and over that are troubling today's contractors - confidence in the market - navigating the short and long term and also insight that can help us take advantage of any opportunity. We have found how helpful people have found the Marketing strategy in turning around their business.

Do you currently have a Marketing Strategy or business plan?

?? Marketing Strategy

Our Marketing Strategy is a hybrid in a way that touches on both elements but we use the marketing component to accelerate the desired outcome. We cover 50 individual sections that are built to provide you with your marketing blueprint - for yourself or fellow directors- you can even take it to the bank as a marketing-focused plan showing where you want to take the company.

???What does the strategy do?

Well, they look at your company and what you do, then really evaluate what is good and bad, and what's working and what is not. Then together you plan the next stages.

Most plans are just printed off and are stuck in a drawer whereas the Saint strategy is built to be a live document and you then go on planning and mapping, looking to repair and make the path easier.

We work with some clients who have their own in-house Marketing Team but work with us to provide the Marketing Framework for their business!

?? What are some of the key points?

Strategic Alignment - One of the first things they look into is your company make-up, skill set, and service offerings and evaluate the messaging you are using at the moment. You could look like a domestic installer but really want to work in more of a commercial setting for example, or are you set up and ready for what you are chasing? Are you doing the work you want to be doing?

Accountability - At a minimum, we provide accountability to you from the agreed action points discussed within the Strategy Quarterly Workshops. Marketing decisions need to be made. We know it can be scary to even face "why the phone is not ringing with enquiries for that next project". It can be a number of things, Sometimes good results show up and sometimes bad results turn up.

Goals - You cannot really help a client unless you know what they want - customer service rule No.1 - well let's take that a bit further and not only listen to what you need to happen in the now but what you see the future looking like - helping us navigate to the stars!

Manage Change - If your company is stuck in a rut it can be so difficult to ask for help. We understand the work required to steady the ship. Sometimes things have to change, that can be a quick shift with quick results or a more long-term action - we are there to handhold and help you through this.

Navigate the Spend - In many other businesses/industries Marketing is easier- you can have patterns of seasonal or big days to drive the business but in construction, you could be stretched by slow payments from a Tier 1 (Skanska) or a Contractor so we have a distorted win and reward timeframe. We also have to try to build a war chest to fund jobs to be as credible - this all has to be considered in Marketing for a construction company.?

Measure - Marketing can bring in its own results. It can measure if the plan VS the actual is working and also lets you play a longer hand with confidence and vision.

Developing Strategies - All too often a company comes in that has had years of success and some change has caused a massive glut of work. It could be they have been with a large main contractor for 10 years and have had all work spoon-fed then all of a sudden they have lost the contract. They have all the infrastructure of a mature company built but the Marketing is that of a startup.

Two-thirds of all start-ups fail due to no sales so the spiral happens, and the cracks appear, quickly. Build your Marketing Strategy when things are good, not when you are desperate. Have your eggs in more than one basket.

Who’s the Boss - At Saint, we know who the Boss is - YOU! - We build the marketing strategy around the company and director's vision first - not people who can come and go over time - this gives us consistency and a greater return on marketing investment over the years.

?You opened up your business in most cases to build on your skills of the trade. Now it seems you spend more time reading about the basics of Marketing. We do Marketing all day, let us help you and let you get back on and connect to enjoying work again.

?? "But how much does it cost Kim?"

Imagine if you were an ideal candidate for Marketing who came in for a new position at your business and asked what the company turnover is and how many staff and they replied circa 500k turnover and have 10 staff with a few subbies.

As Business Advisors we know this turnover should be more at the ￡1.2M mark to make it any fun and the first goal would be to try to hit ￡750k ASAP.

Marketing today is just as important as buying a new van or hiring extra help. It keeps your business strong and helps you outrun competitors heading for decline. Remember, a good plan is more powerful than resources without direction.

Many people believe that a marketing strategy will cost them a fortune, with other agencies typically around ￡4,000-￡10,000. However, our strategy is only ￡1,999, which equates to roughly ￡5 a day.

And then say, “Oh no- there is no budget for that”? Would you stay?

Or would you say I don't think we are going to get to where you need to get to and hand in your notice?

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This is sometimes not a “cost” problem. It's a standards problem i.e. the standards of your company, and needs to be seen from a different perspective. Remember years ago Health & Safety was not really encouraged by the bosses but demanded by the men - the bosses would say, go on, off you go, you will be fine. Thankfully we have more awareness now and the old ways are gone. I know HSE can be overkill sometimes but we would not want to go back to the old ways as we all remember some horrors that we missed by luck.?

Now we pay for HSE, it's part of the cost of the job and that is exactly where your marketing should be - it is that important- a company without sales is dead - it is what brings in the money to your table, to your family, it helps pay the bills.

Other industries already know this, they respect the need for Marketing like you respect the need for HSE. The construction industry is slowly embracing Marketing much like the way HSE took time.? Show me a successful construction business and I will show you a marketing strategy behind them.?

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The real cost is to not take action, just standstill and fall behind your competitors.

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Whether you are just one man and a van or have 10 branches nationwide, we all have to start in the same place, and it's the same cost no matter your turnover, so there is no need to think you cannot afford it or you're embarrassed that you should have this in place.?

If your Marketing is flat and dated or you just employ the old legacy webwork side of things, then come to Saint today and catch up on years of tech and knowledge in one simple click to secure your place with a tax-efficient investment - A Saint Marketing Strategy.