Seven Things Every Construction Marketer Should Know

Construction Marketing is back on the agenda for construction companies of all sizes in a hotly contested marketplace. One of the first rules of construction marketing is to know what are the important things when approaching prospective new business clients.

The bigger the prospect organisation or potential project, the more planning and preparation is required. Major clients need extensive researching before any serious approach is made to begin dialogue with an influencer or decision-maker. This is to enable the marketing person to decide on the best initial approach or opening proposition. You need to be sure that you press the right buttons on your initial approach and how to present your USPs (Unique Selling Points) to the prospect. Even if you only manage to introduce yourself to the prospect’s PA on the first contact, that’s OK. Log it in your Client Relationship Management System database and diarise your next contact time and date. Generally it is best to concentrate on one strong organisational benefit. A benefit-loaded 'catch-all' approach does not work, because it's impossible to make a strong impact while promoting lots of different points - people respond most to a single relevant point of interest. Assuming a large account is being targeted, the marketing person must acquire as much as reasonably possible of the following information about the prospect organisation:

1. The organisation's size and shape (turnover, staff types and numbers, sites, management and corporate structure, subsidiaries and parent organisation)
2. Strategy and trading situation (main business aims, issues, priorities, trends of business and sector, a profile of the organisation's clients and competitors, and what the company considers important for its own clients)
3. Current and future workload, available budgets and sources of funding
4. Preferred procurement routes and contract arrangements
5. Decision-making process (who decides, on what basis, when and how)
6. Decision-makers and influencers (names, positions, responsibilities and locations)
7. Company expectations – previous contract history including work carried out for this client by your company

These days it's easier to research and plan for a sales call than it used to be, because of the wealth of information available. The company are likely to have a website – this would be your first area of research. Then company brochures, promotional material, trade journals and of course, different people in the prospect organisation who will potentially be able to provide company-specific information about important matters such as contract review dates, purchasing procedures and authority, even sometimes very useful details of attitudes, politics, the styles of the key people, and their priorities.

With a sensitive approach it's often possible to obtain the trust and co-operation of somebody in the prospect organisation, especially if the conversation is positioned as non-threatening, empathic and of some strategic potential for the prospect. The rules of AIDA (Attract, Interest, Desire, Action) apply even to this information gathering element.

The secretaries and personal assistants of the influencers and decision-makers are generally very helpful in providing information to sales people once an appointment has been made - assuming they are asked politely and given proper reason - because they know that a well-informed visitor is more likely to enable a productive meeting, thereby saving the boss's time. It's often worth approaching these people for information and guidance even prior to making the approach for an appointment. The marketing person should take advantage of all the information that is obtainable easily and leave the rest to be filled in at the first meeting - as a rule, prospects respect and respond well to an informed approach because it shows professionalism and allows a relevant and focused discussion. Conversely, a prospect responds poorly to a 'blind' approach because it suggests a lack of care and it usually produces a vague, ill-informed discussion, which wastes time.

A good technique for planning and research is to design a 'pro-forma' or checklist of items to be researched for new prospects.

Masterclass In Construction Marketing