When the lights are off and no one is in the office, your business is still open. Even during regular business hours, most of your customers probably visited your website before calling. With the internet at most people’s...
When I ask an electrical contractor, “How do you market your company?” the usual answer is, “We have a website and use Facebook.” While a website and social media, in general, can be great platforms, it takes a lot more to...
Last month, we covered how to appeal to millennials when looking for young workers. This month, let's look at some tips for how to market to them as clients. According to the Brookings Institution, millennials—those born...
For 2018, you will probably see more companies returning to having informative seminars in major cities to educate decision-makers in potential corporate and institutional markets on the benefits of adding products and...
I’m pretty sure that, when you read the question above you answered, "electrical contractor!" After all, this magazine is all about the electrical contractor and the electrical contracting industry. What you may not realize...
While electrical contractors demonstrate proficiency in completing electrical projects, the process of prospecting for leads, securing contract opportunities and promoting their skills to targeted audiences are necessary...
Never start in December what you can put off until January seems to be the mantra in some corners of the construction industry. As a result, the winter holiday period runs the danger of becoming one of the least profitable...
Sell the product: your company Every time you sell a project to an owner, that owner is investing in you and your company. He or she did it because, just as someone might invest in a stock, you convinced the owner that you...
Blueprints for security and much more: E-Rate, the Universal Service Fund-sponsored program (also based on the school lunch program), provides much-needed support for cash-strapped schools, school districts and libraries in...
Before we can market ourselves, we have to establish a base line. That will require us to develop an understanding of what we are marketing and, above all, who we are. Many contractors identify themselves as being in the...
Over the past year, we’ve thought quite a bit about the content that should be included on a redesigned site, what we need to grow and how to make it more reader-friendly and visually pleasing. You can now expect increased...
For electrical contractors, maintenance means more than sweeping the warehouse floor. Service work is becoming an increasingly important and lucrative part of their business. Call it what you will-contract maintenance work...
According to the U.S. Census of Construction report, electrical contractors billed $9.7 billion worth of telecommunication work in 1997. Assuming the average 12 percent per year growth rate since 1997 holds steady, the...
Any electrical contractors are experiencing a steady flow of work in their core business in electrical work. If you are one of those have continued to bid and install fire alarm systems as an “add-on” to your core work, you...
The electrical contractor founders started their businesses with nothing more than an idea to work their trade. They created their businesses despite the risk and uncertainty. These entrepreneurs brought their skills and...
Brand equals image in today’s business world Branding is the key strategy of 2004 and beyond. It seems as if branding, brand management, awareness and loyalty are everywhere. Books, lectures, courses and strategy abound. In...
Trade shows are one of the few business events that just about everyone looks forward to, and exhibitor booths are one of the star attractions. Trade shows have a way of making business fun, and you just can’t beat that. As...
In our 2004 Survey of the Electrical Contractor, published in last month’s issue, we found on average 46 percent of our respondents’ revenue came from design-build projects. That’s a healthy percentage, but it’s up just 2...
Some industry experts say design-build will be the preferred project-delivery method in commercial construction within a decade. The practice is growing in acceptance—though the public sector is a stumbling block—and new and...
Public places need easy access—and reliable security For those of you who are in charge of security at a museum, or any other public facility that allows unrestricted public access, it’s a tricky environment in which to...
