It's important that products and services have some distinctive characteristics. In Headland’s case, it clearly has something distinctive and a track record of having enabled its customers to achieve benefits. But Headland seems to be struggling to articulate this distinctiveness.
My suggestion would be simply to ask its existing customers: why did they buy from Headland and what distinctive benefits did they achieve? In a market such as this, a demonstrable track record of delivering what you say you will deliver, supported by customer testimonials, is going to be important.
And referrals are likely to be one of the most successful ways of finding new prospects. These conversations would also be great opportunities to ask for testimonials.
It sounds like Headland’s uniqueness may not lie with the core of the service itself (archaeology) but rather with other things which are “wrapped around” it, such as project management and commercial insight. So, Headland probably needs to focus on the “wrapper”.
And referrals are likely to be one of the most successful ways of finding new prospects. These conversations would also be great opportunities to ask for testimonials.
It sounds like Headland’s uniqueness may not lie with the core of the service itself (archaeology) but rather with other things which are “wrapped around” it, such as project management and commercial insight. So, Headland probably needs to focus on the “wrapper”.
Battling against an image as a pastime for enthusiastic hobbyists and competing for business against charities creates a business challenge that needs a communications solution.
Headland has got to talk in the same terms as the businesses it is approaching: it must be all about return on investment, cost avoidance and helping builders and developers to deliver projects on time and within budget.
Case studies and testimonials of successful excavations of different sizes and complexity have a role to play, possibly contrasting with the delays that can occur if projects are not being tightly and professionally controlled.
Headland has to demonstrate that it is worth investing up front to save money in the lifecycle of the project, which in turn means demonstrating an understanding of the economics of the construction industry.
In this way, Headland can put clear water between itself – as professional services consulting engineers – and archaeological enthusiasts digging in the ground for treasures.
Headland has got to talk in the same terms as the businesses it is approaching: it must be all about return on investment, cost avoidance and helping builders and developers to deliver projects on time and within budget.
Case studies and testimonials of successful excavations of different sizes and complexity have a role to play, possibly contrasting with the delays that can occur if projects are not being tightly and professionally controlled.
Headland has to demonstrate that it is worth investing up front to save money in the lifecycle of the project, which in turn means demonstrating an understanding of the economics of the construction industry.
In this way, Headland can put clear water between itself – as professional services consulting engineers – and archaeological enthusiasts digging in the ground for treasures.
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