By TOM WOODCOCK
Contractors often must wear many hats – everything from estimating to project managing, vendor relations and, oh yeah, selling.
The selling part can often be an afterthought. The problem is that it needs forethought. Not allotting time and strategizing to sell can cripple a construction firm. Instead of trying to reshape an entire construction firm’s approach to sales, I often find it more effective to increase the level of efficiency and time usage. This is a process, but once enacted it produces opportunity.
My biggest challenge is to convey cause and effect, as many contractors tend to be a point A to point B types of thinkers. Sales rarely flows in that fashion. But if you practice the basics efficiently and consistently, results follow. The first step is to allot a percentage of time consistently to selling. This will require looking honestly at the amount of time you currently commit and what you can realistically designate for sales. Whether it’s a percentage of time or actual hours, start where you are, increase that number a bit and stick to it. A weekly total is most desirable.
The next level is to determine what to do with that time. What will get you the most bang for the buck? What actions will get you in front of more clients and potential customers? What is the quality of that contact time? This may sound daunting, but if you put a little effort into it, you’ll save time in the future.
Analyze which associations are most effective in generating opportunity. Which of the events you normally attend produce leads and relationships? Of the current relationships you have, which afford quality business opportunities? Invest time in these areas and reduce time in those that are nonproductive. Remember, you’re busy and you have other responsibilities. Sacrifice the more hit-or-miss opportunities that are out there. On a side note, make sure those other responsibilities are worth sacrificing any type of sales time to at all.
After you have time allotment laid out and know where you’re going to get in front of people, you need some preliminary marketing. The quickest, least expensive option is electronic marketing. But even in this realm, you still need to use your time efficiently. Hitting every aspect of social media can be alluring and trendy; however, realistically investing quality time into one avenue is best. Becoming consistently active on LinkedIn by joining the proper customer groups, connecting with industry professionals and searching for high-caliber networking functions should suffice – at least as far as social networking goes. Tie that activity to a monthly electronic newsletter properly designed and produced, and you have an effective platform.
Now you’re set to implement. Ah, there’s the rub. It’s far easier to get a company to strategize its approach and another to get it to diligently implement the plan. Even though we’re being respectful of all the other responsibilities that professionals have, still, many tend to put sales on the back burner. Effort cannot be structured into a strategy. It either exists or doesn’t.
Practicing efficient sales time usage will help with your corporate sales results, but true dedication to your firm’s sales dynamic always produces. Efficiency is effective, and yet a high level of time committed to a sales effort trumps efficiency – even if it’s not as effectively managed as a smaller, tighter effort.
There’s a principle in sales that holds true: If you’re out amongst people more, you’ll discover more opportunity. Projects come from unique leads, and introductions can be made to stronger network contacts. Creativity can be invoked in the sales approach, resulting in greater attention or differentiation. This larger type of time commitment is very rare in the construction industry. It’s usually inherent within larger contractors whose firms can afford specific business development and marketing personnel.
The final stage in this process is to continually evaluate what is producing the best results. Adjust your time commitment to those areas and expand their impact. Take actions producing good results and develop them into producing even greater success. Discontinue actions that are not producing sales opportunity, and you now have a formula for growing greater results. Of course, your efforts will eventually hit an artificial ceiling in terms of how much time you’re able to allot. The decision at that point will be to 1) stay put and maintain your new status quo, or 2) adjust the level of time your company commits to sales work. This is a good problem to have. It’s one that takes companies to the next level in revenue and profitability.
Construction is a hands-on industry. It’s filled with individuals who take complex plans and turn them into projects. Sales can be a foreign concept that is too often practiced on an as-needed basis. If the same amount of planning goes into a sales approach, quality results should be the expectation. The efficient usage of time relevant to sales can solidify a revenue base, not to mention increase overall profits. The old adage “time is money” must’ve been coined by a sales individual…if you consider Benjamin Franklin a sales rep.
Tom Woodcock, president of seal the deal, is a speaker and trainer for the construction industry nationwide. He can be reached via his website, www.tomwoodcocksealthedeal.com, or at (314) 775-9217.