By George Hulbert, Director at The Clarity Business, which has helped companies to win more than $1.2 billion of work through tenders:
We love the world of construction: the feats of design and engineering we see around us every day never cease to amaze us.
But just as a skyscraper requires foundations, structure and cladding, your reputation needs to be constructed carefully so that it doesn't topple at the first sign of a stiff breeze.
In this blog, we showcase some of the many easy, time-efficient ways in which you can build your reputation and positioning in the mind of your clients and wider world: simple ways to use ready and often free channels to showcase your abilities and demonstrate how you are aligned with the needs of your clients.
Tell the stories of your successes
Take the opportunities to tell the world about your account wins, new sectors, new locations - and interesting projects in which you are involved.
Use your company website as the starting point to showcase your projects, building case studies that reveal more than just the contract value and location.
Explain the challenges you overcame – and how – and use professional pictures to highlight the project and key people. And what was the difference you made? What value, cost or time savings were created, and do you have quotes from happy clients to build in?
Company milestones also offer opportunities to build a picture of success: appointments, new contracts, new offices – anything new and different that will attract interest and attention.
Consider: would an event – even a cheap and cheerful barbeque - be a good way to celebrate a new milestone with your client? These opportunities are gold in terms of building a good relationship with your client outside of day-to-day work.
Build a picture of your brand through knowledgeable, connected people
Develop the profile of key people in your company, so that you are more than just a name when it comes to tender time.
Find and create opportunities to showcase your people and their knowledge, whether it is in:
- Regular reports you send to your client on project progress
- Newsletters
- Annual Reports or other company publications / collateral
- Online channels – through e.g: LinkedIn groups
- In the media
Knowledge is always a more powerful tool than service 'sell'. What your people know about their world is often valuable and interesting to the outside world – so, as long as you don't give away your valuable IP, then it's worth considering.
Use your team meetings productively
Include a 'PR' item every time to capture what you might wish to put on your website / in your newsletter, or as an email to clients: what is new and / or different about something you are doing?
You'll definitely save time later on if someone records that detail now…
In the media:
Seek out and target editorial features in relevant trade publications in specific sectors you are targeting. Which project would stand out in that environment?
Regional media provide opportunities for you to showcase your work in a community and is particularly useful if backed up by trends, data and regional commentary.
Ask yourselves: do you have some new information that the market would find interesting – for example, a trend spotted, made or broken - or have you achieved a milestone that should be publicised?
Use your tenders to tell stories
Don't just answer the questions in an RFP. Tell the stories of your success – it is often HOW you have done things that makes the difference between competitors.
Repeat yourself until you are sick of it! And then do it again...
If you want to tower above your competition in the construction landscape, we can help you. Get in touch and we can have a chat: george@theclaritybusiness.co.nz or call 021 536 637.
We love the world of construction: the feats of design and engineering we see around us every day never cease to amaze us.
But just as a skyscraper requires foundations, structure and cladding, your reputation needs to be constructed carefully so that it doesn't topple at the first sign of a stiff breeze.
In this blog, we showcase some of the many easy, time-efficient ways in which you can build your reputation and positioning in the mind of your clients and wider world: simple ways to use ready and often free channels to showcase your abilities and demonstrate how you are aligned with the needs of your clients.
Tell the stories of your successes
Take the opportunities to tell the world about your account wins, new sectors, new locations - and interesting projects in which you are involved.
Use your company website as the starting point to showcase your projects, building case studies that reveal more than just the contract value and location.
Explain the challenges you overcame – and how – and use professional pictures to highlight the project and key people. And what was the difference you made? What value, cost or time savings were created, and do you have quotes from happy clients to build in?
Company milestones also offer opportunities to build a picture of success: appointments, new contracts, new offices – anything new and different that will attract interest and attention.
Consider: would an event – even a cheap and cheerful barbeque - be a good way to celebrate a new milestone with your client? These opportunities are gold in terms of building a good relationship with your client outside of day-to-day work.
Build a picture of your brand through knowledgeable, connected people
Develop the profile of key people in your company, so that you are more than just a name when it comes to tender time.
Find and create opportunities to showcase your people and their knowledge, whether it is in:
- Regular reports you send to your client on project progress
- Newsletters
- Annual Reports or other company publications / collateral
- Online channels – through e.g: LinkedIn groups
- In the media
Knowledge is always a more powerful tool than service 'sell'. What your people know about their world is often valuable and interesting to the outside world – so, as long as you don't give away your valuable IP, then it's worth considering.
Use your team meetings productively
Include a 'PR' item every time to capture what you might wish to put on your website / in your newsletter, or as an email to clients: what is new and / or different about something you are doing?
You'll definitely save time later on if someone records that detail now…
In the media:
Seek out and target editorial features in relevant trade publications in specific sectors you are targeting. Which project would stand out in that environment?
Regional media provide opportunities for you to showcase your work in a community and is particularly useful if backed up by trends, data and regional commentary.
Ask yourselves: do you have some new information that the market would find interesting – for example, a trend spotted, made or broken - or have you achieved a milestone that should be publicised?
Use your tenders to tell stories
Don't just answer the questions in an RFP. Tell the stories of your success – it is often HOW you have done things that makes the difference between competitors.
Repeat yourself until you are sick of it! And then do it again...
If you want to tower above your competition in the construction landscape, we can help you. Get in touch and we can have a chat: george@theclaritybusiness.co.nz or call 021 536 637.