Google has announced it will flag all sites that are not encrypted internet by the end of 2017. The words “Not Secure” will in the URL bar, if you don’t purchase and install an SSL Certificate. See the attached photo. Does this apply to you? It applies if: Your site has a contact form, search … Read more
I’ve noticed many residential contractors resist marketing. Rather than just telling you NOT to resist marketing, I’ve been working on identifying the cause and the solution. Of course, contractors aren’t alone in disliking or resisting marketing but there are some factors that are unique to the profession. Why Contractors Resist Marketing One factor is that many … Read more
Zero Marketing? Sometimes general contractors tell me they have zero marketing. I think there is a feeling of overwhelm that comes from being in business for several years and not having any marketing in place. If I were in your shoes, this is how I’d get started. I understand that contractors have limited time. You … Read more
My colleague Paul Sanneman gave me permission to share his strategy for taking 1-3 M dollar contracting firms and helping them achieve multi-million dollar status. As he likes to say, “The info is free; the bad news is it takes time.” Honestly, I’ve found that all marketing takes significant amounts of time. I’ve had to coax … Read more
I certainly do. I dislike jargon and renaming things that we’ve been talking about for years by other names as if we just discovered them. I’ve found several others had written an article with a similar title. Their complaint is typically it makes it sound like work and life are on balance sheet in which each occupies 50/50 of one’s … Read more
Recently I wrote about photos and the importance of hiring a pro to get stunning photos of your residential remodeling projects. Testimonials are the same deal! When you have these 2 things, you’ll have less down time and less gaps in work. You need good testimonials to help you close referrals and new people. Here’s an observation. … Read more
If anyone gets to say they’re “too busy” its a general contractor. The daily, weekly, nightly and weekend tasks are endless! I don’t need to tell you that. I’m pretty certain there are ONLY two ways you can ensure your marketing gets done. — One — Carve Out the Time in your Schedule When successful business people make a … Read more
What do you think? Would that ever happen? Hope I got your attention with the absurdity of that headline! At our home, we do get cold calls from contractors, but I would never recommend this strategy. Alternatively, there are 2 marketing approaches that work great for contractors. First are Keep in Touch strategies I’ll call … Read more
Is your general contracting business in growth mode? Is your goal to move from smaller projects to 1M projects? Or from 1M to 3M plus projects? When you are in this stage, one key investment is professional photos. Obviously having outstanding photos will make your sales process easier and help you attract your next projects and bigger projects. Sometimes contractors … Read more
I’ve written about marketing essentials for high end residential contractors here and here: Marketing Essentials and houzz: are you resisting? why?. Don’t overlook the basics. I’m also assuming you have items like yard signs and truck signs etc. Words the wise. When starting new marketing add only one strategy at a time. Any of these strategies will … Read more