The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
A stack of award submission requests are sitting on my desk staring me down and deadlines are popping up all over my calendar. Many associations and local, regional and national companies and groups in the decorative concrete realm host award programs to help recognize the best of the best.
As a former contractor, manufacturer and now basically an owner’s representative on most projects, I’d like to share a relatively simple formula that will handle this issue for 90 percent of your projects.
Growing your business on limited resources can seem daunting or nearly impossible, but it is achievable over time with hard work and a clear plan of action. Adding employees can be a tough idea to grasp, when considering additional payroll and human resources.
Like people, businesses often need a reset of sorts to re-energize and better position themselves for the future. For concrete contractors and suppliers, rebranding their company name or product logo can provide this fresh start.
The phrase “decorative concrete” means many things. Depending on your operation, it may mean specializing in one facet, such as concrete countertops, or it may mean everything from stamped concrete to polished concrete.
If your business is operating smoothly, you may not think some of the things you do every day have contributed to your success because they seem so basic. But when you encounter a business that doesn’t do some of these fundamental things, you may discover how important simple day-to-day acts and decisions are.
There are many stereotypes associated with sales professionals. There’s the slick-dealing used-car salesman type who makes people feel suspicious. There’s the natural-born salesman who walks into the room and is instantly everyone’s new best friend, with talents in every area and the best jokes. Then, there’s the talesman, the unknowingly annoying salesman.
By my estimation, nearly 80 percent of all decorative concrete businesses fail to reach full earning potential, thanks to some form of mismanagement. Don’t feel bad. This percentage elevates when we combine all other construction trades into the equation.
In 2001, Colorado Hardscapes made a move that forever changed its approach to sales and marketing. The company moved into a new concrete design center, the first of its kind in Colorado.
Choosing the right manufacturer is a dilemma every contractor in our industry faces every day. I’ve heard many analogies used to describe the decorative concrete industry over the years, but two comparisons have always resonated the most: “Polished Concrete is part Art and part Construction,” and “The polishing industry is still the Wild West.”
