Despite recent advances in construction, such as pre-nailed frames, nail guns, lasers, etc., the basic method of nailing timber together to build a house hasn’t changed a lot. Prepare for a quantum leap in construction however. It won’t happen next year, but it will happen in the not too distant future and will make the…
DetailsSo it is late November, 2014. The year is fast drawing to a close and 2015 is just around the corner. A chance for a fresh start and to really achieve better results than last year. So what are you going to do different in 2015 that will actually make a change in your situation…
DetailsThe staff meeting — or “stiff meeting” as it is sometimes known in many companies — can become a colossal waste of time. Many consider staff meetings a practical alternative to work; as a place to think about this weekend’s fishing trip or to refine their doodling skills. All because there is too little thought invested in…
DetailsImagine you are flying over the Pacific Ocean and the captain comes on the PA system. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that all our instruments are out. I have no idea where we are headed, how much fuel we have or what height we…
DetailsI guess you’ve noticed, finding a good people to add to your team isn’t easy right now, especially if you are in Auckland or Christchurch. I hear this complaint regularly from the owners of construction companies I talk to and that they either have low or no response to their ads, or that the calibre of…
DetailsA recent study for the construction industry by Hinge, a US based branding and marketing firm, found that buyers listed good reputation as the most important criteria for purchasing, and the good news is that most sellers already recognize this fact. www.hingemarketing.com They also asked buyers about the best way to market to them (Figure 1).…
DetailsThe customer is always right. Correct? Wrong! The RIGHT customer is always right for your business. Unfortunately most of us don’t know who the right customers are for our business. So we take on board anyone who has a heart beat, without ever identifying the right customer profile for our business. But who is the…
DetailsYou have a great sales person. They close a high percentage of deals and you rely on them to keep your production machine fed. Your company literature, website and other staff talk about core vales of “honesty” and “integrity”. Your star sales person uses bribes and back-handers to land some of the deals. What do you…
DetailsI was watching a BBC documentary the other day on reductions in the death and serious incidents rates in surgery and it struck me how the key idea was very applicable to construction. That idea? Simple checklists. The program featured a top surgeon, Dr Atul Gawande from the US who was asked to investigate the death/serious incident…
DetailsYour “purple cow” is also known as your unique selling position, or USP. It is a sentence or phrase that explains what makes you special. It gives your prospects a reason to do business with you rather than your competitors. A good USP that is properly used makes your marketing a lot more effective, because…
Details