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 Research
Is One Of The Keys To Winning Business
The right kind of marketing for construction has become crucial in
this time of economic uncertainty for the industry.
And a crucial element in winning new business is research. 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 sales 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 the information in to 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 sales person
must acquire as much as reasonably possible of the following
information about the prospect organisation:
• The organisation's size and shape (turnover, staff types and
numbers, sites, management and corporate structure,
subsidiaries and parent organisation)
• 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)
• Current and future workload, available budgets and sources
of funding
• Preferred procurement routes and contract arrangements •
Decision-making process (who decides, on what basis, when and
how)
• Decision-makers and influencers (names, positions,
responsibilities and locations)
• 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. Your
target 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.
Make sure you have a mareting budget for your construction
business, whether you are an architectural practice, main
building contractor or small family run business. Now is not the
time to hide away! But you have to get the strategy right.
Steve Flashman
(This article is copyright but may be
reproduced as long as the copyright owner,
Steve Flashman, is acknowledged as the author and the following
website link is included:
http://www.makingconstructionwork.com) |
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