Amerimix
EZ Scaffold Corp.
EZG Manufacturing
Hydro Mobile, Inc.
Loot
Non-Stop Scaffolding
PROSOCO, Inc.
SOLA/Keson
SPEC MIX LLC
Stabila
Westlake Royal Stone Solutions
Find-a-Contractor Masonry Buyer's Guide
October 22, 2009 7:45 AM CDT

Turnin’ 50

You don’t need to have the best plan - just have a better plan than the other side

By

Coach Gary celebrates his 50th Full Contact Project Management column. © Bertoldwerkmann | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Coach Gary celebrates his 50th “Full Contact Project Management” column. © Bertoldwerkmann | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Coach Gary celebrates his 50th “Full Contact Project Management” column. It’s been quite a ride, and I hope that we can do another 50. The best thing about the column for me has been talking to contractors and suppliers about concerns, frustrations, hopes and dreams. Almost everyone I speak with agrees that business is tough right now, but nobody seems to be giving up. But many are thinking about changing their game plans a bit.

Here’s the thing: there are really only three ways to increase your business volume:
  • Get more customers

  • Get your customers to buy more frequently from you

  • Get your customers to increase the size of each order or contract.
Most contractors are not very aggressive in terms of marketing for more business. Ask any contractor how he could get more business, and the dominant answer is to “bid more work.”

A favorite topic for me to speak about these days is my two-pronged approach to surviving and thriving as a contractor. Readers can get a free bronze membership at www.FullContactTeam.com, and can then check out my five-part course on RFIs and change orders. That’s the first prong.

The second prong relates to the three ways you can grow your business. I’m going to suggest that just throwing out more bids might not be the answer for most of you. It’s all about updating your game plan.

These days, I’m a big proponent of using online video to promote contracting businesses. You can inexpensively put videos on your own Web site and on the Internet. I am routinely getting first-page Google rankings for a garage door contractor by using this technique.

Understand that the world is searching online for information, and they are not looking in the phone directories to find you. More than 60 percent of all searches are happening online.

There is good news here for you: Most of your competitors won’t care about what is written here, and they would be unwilling to make any of these suggested changes. That is a huge advantage for you.

You have only two tasks before you:
  • Realize that a revised game plan might be in order for your business

  • Find someone to help you get there.
To improve your net project profits, read magazines like Masonry and learn all you can about project management and leadership. Personally, I use coaches to get me where I need to go. To get really good at project management, or with improving your business development and marketing by using video online, I can help. So can the www.FullContactTeam.com Web site. There are a couple of free reports there that will help you.

Remember, we’re a team in this. Stick together. Get a coach. Get some help. Get going! It’s time to turn 50!

Coach Gary's Corner

Preserve your projects and your job! Get free reports you need for your own business. Go to www.FullContactTeam.com, and click on the link near the top of the Web page. The reports are free; not knowing the info is expensive! Want to learn a bit faster: Join the Team. The best athletes and their teams use coaches — and continue to use them — even after they become great. How about you? Got a coach to take you to the next level? You need a process. How about one that’s pretty darned simple, but extremely effective? Readers get this report for free.

Check out the other updates and info that will help your projects. Also, you can get Coach Gary’s book “Get Paid for a Change,” and his new CD, “How to Become the Leader Your Team Needs!” Go there now.


About the Author

Gary Micheloni is a working project manager, speaker, author, consultant and coach. He has severals years of industry experience, including a background as a licensed general engineering contractor. For further information and insight on the Full Contact Project Management approach, write Coach Gary at FullContactTeam@gmail.com.

Copyright 2009 Gary Micheloni.

 

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