Last year, $47 Billion in Government contracts were not awarded . . . because no one bid on them.

There are about 884,000 licensed contractors in the US and only 20,049 (2.25%) are registered at http://www.ccr.gov and can bid on federal construction contracts.

The commercial and private construction market is about $634 Billion while Uncle Sam is spending about $317 Billion on construction.

It’s not rocket science why there is 97.75% less competition on federal construction contracts and those contractors have seen a significant increase in construction project opportunities. One client, Four Star Construction out of Benton, TN was the only bidder on four of their last five government contracts and their margin on all of them was over 30%.

We’ll provide a “Discovery Day” event on September 30, 2010 in Kansas City, MO and contractors can register at http://www.governmentconstructionsecrets.com. By “invitation only” advanced federal construction training is available at GCExperts.com/virtual.

The top pros use BidTrakker.com Market Reports. The BidTrakker system was created to track all federal construction spending and its data-base contains over 22,000 past, present and future federal construction opportunities. It is the “must have” tool of professional contractors that are thriving in today’s construction market.

Why federal construction contracts?

1. The only client you’ll ever have that, when he runs out of money, he just prints more.

2. He has to follow the rules – the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FARS) so it is always a level playing field. There are no “favorites”.

3. The smartest contractors know how to leverage their knowledge of the federal procurement system like building out their PPIRS profile (see http://www.ppirs.gov or go to http://www.YouTube.com and put PPIRS in the search bar).

4. The Government has to make progress payments monthly and pay within 14 days or suffer interest penalties under the Prompt Payment Act (PPA).

5. Your business license let’s you do business in every State (except West Virginia) when working on federal construction contracts.

6. Every federal construction contract has a VECP and “Equal To” clause. The VECP clause was used on a job at Patuxant River Naval Air Station to increase profits by $70,000 on a $484,000 contract before we even started the work. Total profit: more than $220,000. The “Equal to” clause was used on a contract at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to triple the profit on a $960,000 contract from $200,000 to over $650,000.

7. Utilizing the “Eichleay Formula”, the government has made payments for delay time of over $1,000,000.

8. Using the federal rules regarding mistakes, a bid on an HVAC replacement project for the USCG at Romulus, NY that was bid at $366,000 was awarded for $466,000.

9. When negotiating change orders and dealing with federal contracting officers, it is not “their” money, it’s “our” money. When you have to deal with private and commercial property owners, it is “their” money and they have a much more difficult time being fair with you.

10. The system is public and transparent. Federal employees are trained to follow the rules and “be fair”.

Learn more at GCExperts.com and listen to the testimonials at the “Advanced Training” tab.

Doug Reitmeyer, Phone 512-750-2677

Brand image can build credibility when done right and reduce expectations if done wrong. Also, a strong brand reduces doubt on RFPs and positions an A/E/C firm as the expert thus charging more money for the same work.

I do understand that there is more to marketing than image, but the first thing that you need to do to get a prospect to stop and look is get their attention. That is Visual. If no one is interested in reading your grand marketing verbiage or incredible proposal because they haven’t stopped to look, than no one will know it exists. If you build it ugly, they may come, but they won’t look long enough to get the message.

The “secret” has two parts. First, join relevant client-based associations. Second, within the framework of the association, contribute based on your passions and interests.

For a community-based residential contractor, this could be the local homeowners’ association; for a building materials supplier, it could perhaps be Construction Specifications Institute (or in Canada, Construction Specifications Canada). Maybe the Construction Marketing Association? Some associations are especially valuable because of their scope and focus.

Now, if you join expecting fast results and instant returns, you are likely to be disappointed. This is giving time. And if your giving is a drudge and frustration, you won’t be able to sustain it for long. Since associations are built on voluntary contributions, you don’t “have” to do anything you don’t like. In my case, I am a much better writer than socializer so I generally get involved in the association newsletters. But I wouldn’t ask my sales reps to do that — if they like sports and social activities, they should get involved in the social committee.

Over time, as relations build and trust grows, connections and opportunities develop. We’ve won thousands of dollars in new business through these relationships and existing clients are reassured of our longevity by our continuing presence and participation. We also pick up loads of competitive intellgence and have fun in the process. Who says work has to be unpleasent!

Note that for marketing, the associations should be focused on your client’s interests, not your own trade (though sometimes there is overlap — in my case, The Society for Marketing Professional Services) fits the bill.

Of course, a truly creative solution (one which you are advancing yourself) is to create your own association geared to the market where you expect you can find business. But for most of us, existing associations are available that serve the purpose. They are a goldmine waiting to be discovered — right out in the open — because they are the environment where affinity, relationships, and trust can be built most effectively, generating the word-of-mouth and branding success we are all seeking.

How? Buy a “talking house” am radio transmitter (the kind the real estate agents use). You can get some pretty cheap (they’ll be used) on ebay. Develop a brief 30-45 second message on background of building, or your expertise something that is informative but has the potential prospect know more about your company.

Put the transmitter in the job trailer or subs’ trailer maybe partner with some of your major subs or suppliers to tell their features.

Next have a banner made that reads “Details AM 1340″. The people that go by tune their radios into your transmission.

Next take pictures of banner and put on your web site along with podcast of what you say on radio transmission.

This strategy gives you a widespread multimedia approach. It gives you a way to get your message out right along with the visual representation of your work. (The Project)

It’s cheap to do and might make better relations with your subs and suppliers as well.

Maybe make the message about the building itself and the owner would be very happy with you as well.

If more than 60% of last years buyers will do repeat business then you should be in retention mode. If its 40% – 60% then you should be in ‘hybrid’ mode which is a balance between acquisition and retention and focus on all marketing activities. If its less than 40% then you are in acquisition mode….your job is to find new customers.

It is all to easy to get all wrapped up in all the new tools and technologies out there but if your customers are not with it then what is the point?

If one of your customers average spend is £3million per year and you know that the buyer is not on social media, prefers to communicate by phone, works remotely then would you embark on building and strengthening a relationship with that buyers using social media and email? Probably not. Get up close and personal and talk on the same wave length as your customers. Find out their needs and wants and how they prefer to communicate.

Understanding your customers, how they behave, who they are, what they find of importance and then DELIVER your marketing communications in the preferred way.

I know, you thought Twitter and Facebook is something kids use to secretly communicate with each other. That may be true but there are many valuable uses for the business world too.
For example, you can perform a real time search to scan millions of conversations for the latest buzz regarding your company or product. When utilized properly, this feature is not only useful for individuals but businesses as well. The good news is if I can do it, you can too!
Lets take a look at Twitter’s real time search function. Below I’ve listed 5 things you can easily do to improve your construction business.
1. Measure your brand’s @mention frequency
To check brand mentions frequency, simply key in your company’s name on Twitter (and Facebook’s) real time search bar. This will give you a rough idea on the presence it has on Twitter. Scanning through the results will tell you whether people are generally happy with your company or brand, which leads us to our next point.
2. Detecting buzz
Buzz can be either positive or negative. Whatever it may be, you will want to be the first to know! A positive buzz not only tells you that you’re doing a good job, it also opens up an opportunity to use these good opinions to capture your audiences’ heart.
3. Check on competitors
Real time searches can help you spot competitors on social media. To begin, key in your product or industry keywords. You might find more information by trying different phrases. You might want to start tracing their social media movements to understand their strategies better.
Coincidentally in this search, you may find potential customers looking for your product or service. Send potential clients a tweet to break the ice and offer genuine help, but remember that hard selling is definitely a big no-no.
4. Search for loyal customers
People who mention your brand generally have a positive attitude towards it. The last thing a company wants to do is to lose such a valuable customer. Connecting with them on Twitter will be the rational step to take and just by noticing their tweets will make them feel valued and help root your brand deeper into their heart.
5. Jump onto an opportunity
Often, we see popular topics like “movie titles” or “iphone” trending on Twitter. Leverage the hype by maybe offering a lucky draw that enables users to win movie tickets. It takes creativity to ride a buzz but it will definitely get you a share of your audience’s limited attention. Make sure you check if the hype is a positive one before putting your foot in. Avoid sensitive trending topics, such as those on disasters or politics unless you’re clear of your actions and the possible consequences. The last thing you need is a social media disaster.