The 6 Basic Sales & Marketing Tools for Concrete Contractors
When it comes to sales and marketing, we need to focus our limited time and resources on the vital few things that work to bring in new customers and put money in our pocket. Below are the tactics and tools that do just that. My daughter is attending an advanced indoor soccer camp for a […]
Hiring Two Ways
For most employers, hiring is a routine process that involves the same steps for everyone…Yet for many contractors this process is far too complex for their everyday hiring needs. At CFA Convention 2016 I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion on hiring practices with several members of the Board of Directors. They took […]
Overcoming Annoying Details and Situations
This issue’s ‘Trick of the Trade’ is shared by Dennis Purinton of Purinton Builders in East Granby, CT and current president of the CFA. Everyone knows that if you put a couple of contractors in a room together, before long an idea will be shared that results in a brainstorm for the other. Put a […]
Should You Hire A Salesperson?
Ask Yourself These Five Questions to Determine if One is Right for Your Company For concrete contractors, there are few things that can bring in new work like a salesperson. In our line of work, most sales are still made by good old-fashioned, face-to-face selling. The right salesperson can grow your sales and increase your […]
Putting Sustainability Where Our Mouth Is
Take a poll of constituents in the public domain or even within the concrete construction sector that asks what the top buzz words are today and arguably one of them that will surface at a high percentage is sustainability. Whether forced by regulation or encouraged by intuition, the drive for sustainability in our homes, our […]
Privileged To Serve
I am honored to be the new President of the CFA and I thank everyone for all the support I have received. In the next two years I hope to be able to share some of the knowledge I have amassed over the last 32 years, much of that directly due to becoming actively involved as a member of the CFA. Why is it so important to be a CFA member? The […]
Code Minimum Foundation Heights Above Grade Are Important
As seen in The Washington Post, this Ask the Builder article by Tim Carter reinforces the information that has been presented for years by the Concrete Foundations Association. Carter provides sound advice: “keep the foundation well above grade. And also make sure the grade falls away from the foundation.” To be specific, the 2015 International Residential […]
Are You Sure You’re Training the Right Things?
Not long ago a training consultant got a call from a sales manager who said, “We need sales training!” The consultant answered, “Are you sure?” The caller explained that some of their customer service reps were doing four times the volume of others. It had to be because they were better salespeople … right? So, they […]
Are You Ready for the URS?
Businesses big and small have vastly different goals and needs – that’s no revelation. However, nearly every company, no matter how big, where they are, or what they sell, agrees on this point: Simplifying and streamlining business practices helps everyone. Such is the intent of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Unified Registration System […]
Controlling Your Risks in the Ever-Changing Insurance Marketplace
Over the last few decades, the considerations involved in managing a company’s risks have drastically changed. Business risks that used to be inherent are much different today and, as a result, mitigation techniques are vastly different than those used in the ‘80s, ‘90s or even the ‘00s. As many business owners know, when it comes […]
