The Rise of AI search in the Customer Journey

Marketing, Technology

For years, Google has been the dominant force in online search. But there’s a new player rapidly gaining ground—AI chat tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. These conversational AI tools are changing the way people find information online, including how they search for local construction service providers. Whether it’s someone looking for a builder in Auckland, a plumber in Christchurch, or a renovation company in Queenstown, more users are skipping traditional search engines and asking an AI chatbot for fast, clear answers.

This shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses in the construction services industry. Companies that adapt to this change will position themselves ahead of the curve, while those who don’t may slowly fade from visibility—not just on Google, but in the new world of AI-driven search.

Pick your core business strategy and succeed Copy

Owner

In the book The Discipline of Market Leaders by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema, three core business strategies are outlined that help companies achieve a competitive advantage and become market leaders. These strategies—Operational Excellence, Customer Intimacy, and Product Leadership—are based on different approaches to delivering value to customers. Successful companies pick ONE foundational strategy and then align their other activities in support

Someone will always do it cheaper

Selling against cheaper competitors

Profitability, Sales

Bumping up against cheaper quotes from competitors, especially in tighter economic times, is a fact of life. Hoping it won’t happen isn’t a good strategy to deal with the problem. What you need to do is take proactive steps to differentiate your business in the minds of the customer, because if you can’t express logical reasons why your offer is better, the customer only has one point of differentiation to guide them…..the price.

The key to doing that is making certain that the customer — not your service or company — is the core of all your sales messages and make sure that there are financial proof-points. Here’s what you

Lean principles graphic

Improve profits with lean construction

Operations, Profitability

In times of tighter demand for building services margins can be further squeezed as more companies chase less opportunities. Any profit “fat” in the system quickly disappears and the risk of loss generating projects increases. Adopting lean construction principles can provide a practical framework for addressing this challenge, helping businesses improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance profitability. Originating from lean manufacturing practices pioneered by Toyota, lean construction focuses on maximising value while minimising waste — a philosophy particularly beneficial for smaller operations seeking to gain a competitive edge.

Understanding Lean Construction….

Spock mind meld

Marketing Lesson from Mr Spock

Marketing, Sales

For those of you old enough (like me) to remember Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock on Star Trek may also remember the Vulcan Mind Meld trick he used to perform.  In order to understand a subject person better or uncover hidden memories, Spock would place his hands on a person’s head and mentally become one with them.  He would then be able to think as that person thinks and of course help save the day in some way.

What does Star Trek got to do with marketing for builders and trades?

In terms of marketing for builders, quite a bit it turns out. When developing your marketing and sales strategies, I want you to think, “Vulcan Mind Meld” as the first thing you do BEFORE you think about spending any time or money on implementing tactics.

Why? Learn more…..

Closed sign

Business is busy, but companies still going bust.

Financial Management, Owner

The NZ Herald reported recently that despite construction being very busy, small to mid sized businesses in the industry are still going bust. In fact construction has overtaken food service as the number one business category for liquidations in the first two months of this year. This is one first place award that we should be proud of!

Should you be worried?  Probably. If not worried, you should at least be aware that things are not all glittering out there and you should look at reviewing your financial systems and your understanding of some key numbers. What you can measure, you can manage. What you can manage, you can change. Here are two key financial areas to monitor in your business.

Measuring performance

Improve efficiency with lean construction

Financial Management

In my mind sustainability is as much about economic survival and profitability as it is about our concern for the natural environment. Also, the two aspects of sustainability are not mutually exclusive and can lead to a win-win outcome.

One aspect of sustainability that you could consider is the adoption of Lean Construction principles. Lean theory has come from the manufacturing sector, most notably the car manufacturer Toyota. The Toyota Way was a movement that lead to the company becoming the most successful car manufacturer in the world and has been adopted and adapted by many companies in several industries since.

But building a car is not like building a house, I hear you say. You’re right. Many of the principles of Lean Manufacture need adapting for construction due to the different environment you work in and the bespoke nature of many projects. That said there are several fundamental principles that are used in Lean Construction which can help you improve both the environmental and economic sustainability of your business.

Is Job Management Software Needed?

Financial Management

I am always keen to see businesses become more efficient and for the owners of those businesses to use their time more effectively. Just like battery operated tools have largely replaced hand tools for many tasks, software has made similar progress in pushing out the paper and pen from pricing and managing jobs in the field. 

Granted it is easier to learn how to use a cordless screwdriver than a complex piece of software, but the longer term payoff in time saved and improved financial visibility into your business will make the journey worthwhile.  I recently did a Zoom interview with one of the team at Tradify and thought I would share an article from their site about the basics of job management software and some of its advantages. Here is the beginning of that article and a link at the bottom to read the balance….

Google logo

Google to reward good content

Marketing

If you rely on your website content (either via a blog or the core web page content) to help you rank on Google, you need to take notice of this major change in Google’s algorithm. The helpful content update will target websites that have a relatively high amount of unsatisfying or unhelpful content, where the content has been written for search engines rather than humans. This could mean those sites will rank lower in the Google search results that are served up to consumers using the Google search engine (which is most people on the planet!)

Google’s new helpful content update specifically targets “content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines rather than to help or inform people.” 

The purpose of this algorithm update is to help searchers find “high-quality content,” Google said. Google wants to reward better and more useful content that was written for humans and to help users.

moses and 10 commandments

10 Steps to Develop Strong Core Values

Your team

Having the right culture in your company is vital to its success.  The culture that exists in a company can make or break it, so it is important to make sure the right one is proactively developed. Establishing an agreed set of Core Values is the best place to start.  By not taking a proactive approach the culture will simply evolve in a random way, usually by drifting towards whoever is making the most “noise” in the company.  If that person is a positive, uplifting type then you are lucky and the culture will generally be positive.  If, on the other hand the noisy one is a moaning, slack-arse, negative type, then you have a problem.  Other people will be dragged down to this level and the whole company culture will become negative.  You will end up loosing your best employees and retaining your worst.