Most companies seem to neglect their marketing. In smaller companies, principles generally like to build, not sell. Here are a few tips on getting more jobs.

- Have someone in your company who has the prime responsibility for generating new business. If there's no responsibility, there's no production.

The biggest obstacle to promoting construction services to new customers is often your own resistance to the idea of selling. Yes, S-E-L-L is a four-letter word. But it's not something you should be ashamed of. Few people want to grow up and be salespeople. The images of the used-car salesman or the retailing unloading inventory on customers are negative ones. Those are cases where salespeople have their best interests at heart, not yours.

Let's face it, contractors get taken advantage of by owners and others. They post bonds and still don't get paid for work until it's done. But try getting owners to routinely post bonds! Despite all that, customer service is the name of the game for successful repeat jobs, negotiated work, and CM work.

Selling is far more than face-to-face communication about what you're selling. In fact, that's the least part of it. In my book on sales, we break the process down into five general areas:

1. building relationships

When you get in a rut, you don't try new things that could bring you new customers, give you new ideas, or help your existing customers. Here are ten small things you can try to get a fresh take on your business.

Despite confusion about what marketing is, without it no business can succeed. The best definition of marketing is anything you do to get OR keep a customer. This means the most important forms of marketing are customer service and referrals, according to Dr. Rick Crandall, author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Services: Even If You Hate to Sell.

The term ghostwriter means different things to different people. I've done different jobs for diffeent situations. No matter what you call it, the point is to produce a useful product that serves the goals of the "author" whose name goes on it.

Revising is more important to good writing than any other part. No matter how awkward your first draft, with enough revision and rewriting, it can become great. If the key to writing a book in a month is to get the words down fast, regardless of quality, then the key to great revisions is to not try to do it all in one pass.

A published book is a sign of professional expertise and distinction. However, since writing a book is a separate job of lower priority for most successful professionals, many books that could be written never are. That

There is a chapter in Marketing Your Services: For People Who Hate to Sell on marketing planning. In addition to discussing overall marketing planning, in that chapter I focus most of the attention on simple mini-marketing plans. These are brief plans focused on one specific marketing tactic.

Advertising is far down the list of marketing methods I recommend. However, if you

Many people have two negative responses to the term "networking." Either they think networking is a frill they can ignore, or the word conjures a disquieting image of trying to create instant bonds with a room full of strangers.

There are many techniques to stimulate your creativity. Here's an example of one. If you want to think of new ways to meet people, list ways to avoid people. Each will suggest what you need to do to meet more people.

Not everyone needs to be excited to buy from you. But if there is nothing about your service or product that excites users, you are going to have a hard time getting their attention and creating repeat users and referrals. (Remember that word of mouth is the best marketing method, despite whatever we consultants may be selling this week!