Relationship Marketing:
Working with other professionals can help you build your
business
By
Lane Mangum You already understand the value of
well-known business building techniques such as a professional
image and good service, setting customer expectations and
meeting them, and getting referrals.
Now you are looking for ways to jump to the next level.
You can expand your business exponentially using the powerful
principle of relationship marketing.
Marketing is not just advertising. Marketing is everything
you do to promote your business, from networking to your
website to sending Christmas cards to past customers. Relationship
marketing includes all the ways that you use relationships
to promote your business. For a concrete business, this means
partnering with other professionals who can help you build
your business.
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Who are these professionals? This depends on your
business focus. They could be custom home builders,
general contractors specializing in retail upfits,
architects specializing in restaurant design, or,
in the case of concrete countertops, kitchen designers. Lees take the example of custom home builders.
Your community probably has a chapter of the National
Association of Home Builders (NAHB). You can join
this association and attend meetings and networking
gatherings where you can meet custom home builders.
These builders can introduce you to their high-end
clients who would love to learn about the beauty
and versatility of decorative concrete. |
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| For
this retail countertop project, the contractor
got the job because of their relationship
with the general contractor. |
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Let's take the example of custom home builders. Your community
probably has a chapter of the National Association of Home
Builders (NAHB). You can join this association and attend
meetings and networking gatherings where you can meet custom
home builders. These builders can introduce you to their
high-end clients who would love to learn about the beauty
and versatility of decorative concrete.
Another good example is general contractors specializing
in retail up-fits, or the remodeling of an interior retail
space for a new store. These stores often use stained or
polished concrete for their floors and concrete for their
countertops.
If you can meet contractors who specialize in this type
of project, they can keep you apprised of new opportunities
that appear in the plan room without you having to check
all the time or join the Associated General Contractors of
America. By networking with your local NAHB chapter, you
can find out which contractors specialize in retail up-fits.
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