"On the Job" offers contractors insights, ideas

by Pete Kennedy

Contractors share great advice and observations with their peers in the just-released issue of “On the Job.”

Business owner Juan Agatep discusses “the new reality.” Tough economic times mean more outside bidders on jobs that once had little or no competition. It appears those bidders are here to stay.

Landscape professional Dan Fuquay explains how higher salaries help him retain the best employees. Those employees, in turn, give his business a competitive edge.

The owners of Roxbury, Conn.-based Moonlight Excavating formed a partnership to build their business. They offer some interesting insight into why the partnership approach works for them.

And, last but not least, Florida contractor Ray Smith offers some words of wisdom on how to land good subcontracting work with larger contractors.

“On the Job” features stories on those customers, plus valuable tips on running and marketing a construction-related business.

Have a happy customer? Get them on video

by Jack Burke

Who's your best customer? The person who thinks you are the best thing since sliced bread? Get that person on video. It doesn't have to be a high-concept multimedia piece, it just has to be authentic. We've helped numerous businesses get those testimonials online. Here's an example:

If you have any questions about how we can help you with your social media program, just click on my name above.

Social Media begins with listening

by Jack Burke

Social Media scare a lot of businesspeople because they worry about bad reviews or nasty comments finding their way onto Facebook or Twitter.

We can’t put our brand out there and let it get ripped up, goes the argument.

But that misses two big points:

1. People will rip your brand whether you’re part of the conversation or not.

2. Sometimes, that ripping serves a purpose.

Take what happened to Domino’s Pizza. The chain decided to start overhauling its recipes after mounting criticism from focus groups and on social media sites.

Domino’s basically said, “you’re right. Our pizza does taste like cardboard with ketchup. We’ll fix it.”

Company officials cite its advertising campaign—which pretty much admitted the old recipe was lousy—for bringing out curious customers and helping the bottom line.

So don’t fear complaints. They make you think. And perhaps get better.

Tech tools for small businesses can help efficiency, productivity

by Jack Burke
Oh, the tools at your disposal--if only you knew about them. This newspaper article highlights several tech services that help small businesses look like big businesses to potential clients. I'm particularly interested in Google Voice, which automatically translates a voice mail into an e-mail. Batchbook, which helps businesses automatically follow up on leads they've generated, also looks helpful.