The trust and confidence of the consumer can have a direct and profound effect on a company’s bottom line. Being able to effectively communicate your track record directly affects your industry reputation, so we've listed the top tips to make sure your business instills confidence at every turn.
THE BENEFITS OF A PROVEN TRACK RECORDSuccessful firms owe much of their success to industry reputation - 70% to 80% of market value comes from hard-to-assess intangible assets such as brand equity, intellectual capital and good will.
Companies with strong positive reputations attract better people. They are perceived as providing more value, which often allows them to charge a premium. Their customers are more loyal and buy broader ranges of products and services.
Contractors want to see you have a proven and positive industry reputation. So how do you demonstrate that your company, more so than your competitors, is right for the job?
The simple answer is through your track record. A strong track record means you don't have to ask your prospective client to take a leap of faith - your reputation within the industry is built from tangible proof of major clients you've worked with, substantial projects you've completed and delivery performance indicators like reliability and timeliness. In short, you've build a reputation based on work already done.
Track record is often a 'high value' criteria on tenders, and should be a key step of your capability statement.
We want to see you build opportunities for your company, so effectively communicating your track record is an important step. Demonstrating a positive track record is powerful, so we've asked the Queensland State Procurement Department for their best tips to utilise track record information for future businesss.
LEADING PROJECTS COMPLETED AND MAJOR CLIENTS
If you have done larger packages of work or worked for tier 2 or tier 1 firms in the past, list this experience.
This is one of the most important factors for new clients – it shows that you know how to work with major customers. List your large customers. This could include Councils or firms you subcontract to.
If the major projects market is a significant part of your current work, mention this – it demonstrates that other major supply chains value your work. Are you prequalified to work with any other major customers or supply chains? Include this information.
PlantMiner Supplier Prime Rentals lists their recent projects on their website, with track record information demonstrating major clients, job durations, locations and scope of work.
DELIVERY PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY
Do you have a proven track record of reliability, timeliness, and good performance on complex work or projects? List this information.
If I followed you around work for a day, what would I observe? How much of your day are you able to spend on finding more customers, better contracts or moving towards achieving your business goals? To keep your employees busy, you need more than industry knowledge, but strong business development skills to get in front of prospective clients who remember your company when it’s time to request a bid for upcoming projects. For many hire and subcontractor companies, it's increasingly difficult to find the time and resources needed each week to work on effective business development.
It's a major coup for any construction firm to be able to report that they are X many hours or days lost-time injury (LTI) free. The number not only represents a significant accomplishment for the business, but also means that they have created a positive safety culture of absolute compliance which is no small feat. It requires a steadfast commitment starting with senior management and filters down from Project Managers, Superintendents and Engineers through to the entire workforce.
Imagine the vigilance and continual improvement across all aspects of the firm it takes to build this number each day. Now imagine this number being reset to zero on one of your projects because a non-compliant or irresponsible operator made their way onto site. And this is where dishonesty is crippling the construction and mining industry.
Social selling is part activity, part reputation. If you're writing great comments on your colleagues' construction blogs, responding to their project tweets, and liking their shared content, you've got the activity bit down pat. But if your LinkedIn profile doesn't include your past experience and features a cropped picture of you from your footy team, you can't really call yourself a social guru.
If you're looking to contact us about other matters, please contact us.