How many times while working on a project, whether it be plumbing a house, installing a HVAC unit, or putting new shingles on a roof, how many times have you said to yourself "If the world could just see how good I am at what I do and how thorough and efficiently I do it I would have more work than I could ever do in a lifetime."
If you are any good at what you do and have any pride in your work I am positive that that thought has run across your mind. And until just recently that's all it was, just a thought. Yes, prior to the advent of the internet and specifically social media, sharing the brilliance that is your craft with the rest of the world was impossible. However, now with social media sites (like Facebook, Twitter, and Watch Dog Contractor Service) even someone who is not a computer genius can log on and create an impressive portfolio of past and present projects including video and audio. Not only can this portfolio be created but it can be linked to any social media site and instantly accessible to millions of people worldwide.
Recently, social media sites (namely Facebook) have come under fire for their websites privacy issues and the fact that once you are apart of these sites much of your personal information, intimate family photos, and private conversations are viewable by total strangers, some of which don't have the best intentions. While this is an obvious problem when it comes to your PERSONAL information, when it comes to your BUSINESS information this is a great problem to have.
The more available, the more viewable, the more accessible info about your business is, the more money you make. Point blank, period. Our websites, www.watchdogcontractorservice.com and http://watchdogcontractorservice.socialgo.com, are designed to help you do this. We started out as a company that just wanted to give contractors a way to communicate with each other, mainly for the purpose of informing each other about clients who don't pay. What we quickly discovered was that, while this was an excellent idea, people aren't so willing to share information with each other, even if it benefits everyone, until they are comfortable.
From that moment on our mission became to make the contractors and suppliers on our network comfortable with the open atmosphere of communication and collaboration that social media provides. To do this we created our Watch Dog Network. This network has been an amazing success. In only a few weeks time there were over two hundred contractors, suppliers, and vendors worldwide using this network to grow their business.
But our thinking is ever forward, progressive, unique, and most of all useful. We are currently developing and about to launch the directory portion of our site. Why? Because we realize that with Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot, Linkedin, and all of the other sites out there not to mention having to check your email accounts and maintain your own websites, we realize that you don't have time to waste updating a profile and posting comments on a site that isn't working for you.
With that in mind, our directory is the next step in our creating a site that not only works for you, but that once it reaches the same level as other major social media sites, you will consider it an essential part of your business. Imagine a site that will allow you to post all of the info, pictures, blogs, videos, and etc. that you already post on your Facebook page or your own website but then automatically assimilates this info in two formats, one that advertises your business worldwide and locally, and the other that shares your business info with other contractors, suppliers, and vendors.
Simply put, it will be amazing. If you are already a member, stick with us as we grow, you grow (plus we aren't charging you anything so what could it hurt). If you aren't a member, come join us and be a part of something unique and useful.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Toolbelts and Blackberrys
When I first got my first job as a tradesman, there was no such thing as contractors carrying cell phones. I worked for a large communications company that specialized in splicing and burying fiberoptic cable. We all had CB radios in our van and if we needed to communicate with each other thats how we did it.
Then, a few years later, every contractor was sporting a Nextel phone on his belt next to his tape measure and his Leatherman. It's like you weren't a real contractor or tradesman unless you had a Nextel. Forget a contractors liscense, a Nextel is what gave you your real credibility (I'm kidding). Maybe we liked Nextels because they reminded us of ourselves, Big, Tough, and Simple.
Nowadays you can still find contractors who use Nextels but they aren't nearly as popular as they once were. I was in Lowes the other day and the three guys in front of me in line all had Blackberrys clipped to there belts. Why have contractors, including myself, gravitated to these phones? Because they are, for the most part, durable, user friendly, and useful. You can download schematics and blueprints, invoice your clients, and crunch numbers so you can give an accurate quote all while making a phone call. It's great!
While many people don't view contractors as very tech savvy or cutting edge people, the opposite is actually the case. While we don't neccesarily latch on to every Xphone and Z pad that comes out, we do use technology, especially useful technology. As a matter of fact, contractors are an excellent lithmus test for technology. We won't use it unless it meets the following characteristics: It must be tough, practical, user friendly, and have accessories that are available in camaflouge or Nascar colors. I'm kidding about that last one. But seriously, tough, practical, and user friendly is what we as contractors want. And really, isn't this what all technology should be anyway?
I knew the world had changed when the other day, while putting together some pipes under a house, I pulled out my IPOD and used the I Level application that I had downloaded to check the slope on the pipes.
But it's not just about having the technology, it's about making it useful. When discussing our website, one of my business partners told me the following: "The genius is not in the idea, the genius is in the relentlessness and determination with which you pursue the idea until it is perfected." This principal is so true when it comes to technology. There is so much technology out there that is available to everyone. For us the challenge is in finding it and making it useful to you, the contractor.
We were meeting with some other owners of webbased businesses the other day and they all boasted about how much money they had spent developing their websites. Myself and my business partners all just looked at each other with a little smirk on our face. Why? Because we know that the people who use our site could careless how fancy it looks or how much money we spent developing. All they care about is how useful it is, how it can help them grow their business, and how it can make them money. The first question that people ask when they join the site isn't "How much money did you guys spend on this?" The first thing they ask us is "How can I use this site to promote my business."
There are plenty of social networking and social media sites out there, and that's great. But our site is like that CB radio, like that NEXTEL, like that Blackberry: Tough, Simple, and most of all, USEFUL. That's us, that's WatchDog! So put on your toolbelt, pick up your Blackberry, and stay connected to www.watchdogcontractorservice.com.
Jon White
Then, a few years later, every contractor was sporting a Nextel phone on his belt next to his tape measure and his Leatherman. It's like you weren't a real contractor or tradesman unless you had a Nextel. Forget a contractors liscense, a Nextel is what gave you your real credibility (I'm kidding). Maybe we liked Nextels because they reminded us of ourselves, Big, Tough, and Simple.
Nowadays you can still find contractors who use Nextels but they aren't nearly as popular as they once were. I was in Lowes the other day and the three guys in front of me in line all had Blackberrys clipped to there belts. Why have contractors, including myself, gravitated to these phones? Because they are, for the most part, durable, user friendly, and useful. You can download schematics and blueprints, invoice your clients, and crunch numbers so you can give an accurate quote all while making a phone call. It's great!
While many people don't view contractors as very tech savvy or cutting edge people, the opposite is actually the case. While we don't neccesarily latch on to every Xphone and Z pad that comes out, we do use technology, especially useful technology. As a matter of fact, contractors are an excellent lithmus test for technology. We won't use it unless it meets the following characteristics: It must be tough, practical, user friendly, and have accessories that are available in camaflouge or Nascar colors. I'm kidding about that last one. But seriously, tough, practical, and user friendly is what we as contractors want. And really, isn't this what all technology should be anyway?
I knew the world had changed when the other day, while putting together some pipes under a house, I pulled out my IPOD and used the I Level application that I had downloaded to check the slope on the pipes.
But it's not just about having the technology, it's about making it useful. When discussing our website, one of my business partners told me the following: "The genius is not in the idea, the genius is in the relentlessness and determination with which you pursue the idea until it is perfected." This principal is so true when it comes to technology. There is so much technology out there that is available to everyone. For us the challenge is in finding it and making it useful to you, the contractor.
We were meeting with some other owners of webbased businesses the other day and they all boasted about how much money they had spent developing their websites. Myself and my business partners all just looked at each other with a little smirk on our face. Why? Because we know that the people who use our site could careless how fancy it looks or how much money we spent developing. All they care about is how useful it is, how it can help them grow their business, and how it can make them money. The first question that people ask when they join the site isn't "How much money did you guys spend on this?" The first thing they ask us is "How can I use this site to promote my business."
There are plenty of social networking and social media sites out there, and that's great. But our site is like that CB radio, like that NEXTEL, like that Blackberry: Tough, Simple, and most of all, USEFUL. That's us, that's WatchDog! So put on your toolbelt, pick up your Blackberry, and stay connected to www.watchdogcontractorservice.com.
Jon White
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