The Painful Truth on Competitive Differentiation Amongst Top Construction Companies
I want to let you in on a business development secret:
You can take virtually any contractor’s marketing materials and sales presentation content and swap it out with the same from their closest direct competitors . . . and no one will know the difference.
What! Really? Yes. No matter how much time and agonizing effort most companies spend on these critically important activities – in the end – the resulting sales pitches all sound pretty much identical to the listening ear. Everyone claims to have the exact same five or six bragging rights, floating amidst a sea of well-intended polish and decoration. But when you boil it all down, here’s what is essentially left:
We deliver award-winning (1) top quality construction projects, (2) on time and (3) on budget, with (4) excellent safety outcomes. To prove it, here are several (5) client testimonials from some of our most recent projects that are similar to your project. How do we do it? We have the (6) best people.
Some companies use few words that are short and to the point. Some use lots of words, case studies, cool graphics and other eye-catchers. But if you study everything produced very closely and dispassionately, you will find that each company is essentially saying “Pick us! Pick us! We’re the best!” while defending that claim in much the same manner as the next company. And so on and so on.
Nobody likes to hear this. But if you accept the painful truth – that much (or even all) of what you believe to be your company’s competitive differentiators may not be effectively differentiating you at all – instead of arguing against the premise and wishing it weren’t true, you can capitalize on it.
Bet on your answers to the “We see your qualifications and references. What else you got?” question.
If you are left feeling off guard or uncomfortable answering the above question – it may be time to take a good long look in the mirror and ask yourself, “What else do we really have?” Rock solid, beautifully articulated answers are critical elements of an effective business development strategy and sales process designed to establish reliable competitive differentiation in the marketplace. Companies who focus on developing high-value differentiators, coupled with the ability to convey them to prospective clients through powerful story-selling, are well-positioned to increase their percentage of work obtained through direct negotiations and minimize their reliance upon selection through competitive bidding. And one more thing . . . some of the best answers have very little to do with construction.
Editor’s note: This is a shorter version of Coty Fournier’s more extensive article on business development that was published in the March/April issue of the Merit Shop Contractor.
