Page 17 - NHBRC Flipbook

The National Home Builders’ Registration Council (NHBRC) is investing in emerging female
CITY PRESS, 5 APRIL, 2015
entrepreneurs in the construction industry by enabling 80 of them to attend a business
development programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg

index

CORNER THE MARKET From left to right: Moroesi Sihlangu, Quahnita Samie, Xoli Moagi, Sumaya Finch, Xoli Khuzwayo and Maria Galane PHOTO: ELIZABETH SEJAKE
PUTTING IT OUT THERE – WITH

SIGNAGE

opportunity

Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation, according

to Czech author Milan Kundera. We talked about marketing with our

NHBRC delegates, who told us how they got their names out there,

writes Sue Grant-Marshall

aria Galane, of Kemo Trading [the Small Enterprise Development Agency] and it’s Moagi: My company donates uniforms to a local
Enterprise, works in Limpopo and excellent. I have photographs of my five biggest school.
nationally: I have a large, 3m-high projects, such as the Paternoster Lodge, on it. Khuzwayo: “We renovated a crèche in Vryheid and
board at my office and one on the Seda also did my business cards and logo, as well as got no recognition for doing so, but that doesn’t bother
street corner. Nobody can miss it. my branding. As a result, I sometimes get calls from me. I did it because I believed it was the right thing to
MSome of my trucks and bakkies are international companies who want to do business in do.
also branded. my west coast area. Sihlangu: Actually, it’s part of our culture to
Sumaya Finch, Phuthuma Projects, Eastern and Khuzwayo: I had a website when I opened my help our communities without expecting any
Western Cape: Most corporate clients want company 10 years ago, but I’ve not updated it. I realise recognition for it.
contractors to put up signage in their building yards. now, listening to you all, how vital it is to keep it
They want it on your vehicles and workers’ updated.
uniforms. It makes good sense for everyone. And it Finch: Search engine optimisation is really Ask for referrals
means you often get feedback – good and bad, of important because if your name doesn’t stand out in a Khuzwayo: We’re not shy about asking for referrals
course – from people who see how your vehicles search on the web, you won’t attract the kind of after a job well done. It makes it easier to get a foot in
are being driven. attention you want to. I also plan to go on the door with new customers.
Xoli Khuzwayo, Khuno Trading, Twitter. Samie: We use word of mouth. We were the
Nelspruit, Mpumalanga: Furthermore, BE SURE heritage consultants for the Cape Town Stadium in
government is now insisting on signage. Green Point, an area known for its archaeological
Your site office must also have your Is your builder registered Vary your website content sensitivities, as there are many undocumented
company logo. with the NHBRC? Check at Moagi: There were more than 30 graveyards there.
Moroesi Sihlangu of Bigeye subcontractors building the Matlosana Mall Since then, our name has spread. People call us and
Construction and other projects in www.nhbrc.org.za/builder-search in Klerksdorp, the biggest in North West. say they know we handled such-and-such a project and
Gauteng, North West and Limpopo: At or call 0800 200 824. For other When my website is complete, it will ask if we can help them.
the projects I work on there’s always a questions, SMS 34263 with feature the mall and some of my other Moagi: I think word of mouth is the most important
signboard with all the consultants and projects. I’m also doing videos showing our marketing tool. Do a job well and your reputation for
contractors listed on it. the keyword NHBRC. construction process, which will be accessible professionalism will spread.
Quahnita Samie, of Vidamemoria SMSes cost R1.50 via my website. Finch: In fact, my Phuthuma Projects company has,
Heritage Consultants, works in Cape Town Khuzwayo: ...and you can also put your over the past 18 years, developed such a reputation for
and nationally: My company has only been posted videos on YouTube. its speciality – concrete form work – that our name has
on one board in the past nine years. Now I am become synonymous with it.”
insisting on it, because it’s such an important part of Galane: For the past 11 years, we have specialised in
marketing. In fact, I’m going to check on the board Sponsor a local charity event roadworks. We put down layers of soil before the
this weekend. Galane: I sponsor the Koloti district athletics circuit foundations are cast. Our reputation is such now that
in Limpopo and, in 2013, I sponsored the matric people who have worked with us on projects often
awards in the same district. refer us to others. The word gets out.
We all need a website It gets your name out there and helps the local
Xoli Moagi, of NMX Construction, Klerksdorp, people. I have a certificate of appreciation, which I’ve
North West: This is so important, as it helps people to hung in my office.
easily find NMX; it details what we have done and Finch: We sponsored rugby jerseys for a local A project in partnership with the
creates credibility. primary school in Langebaan.
Importantly, you can list your contact details. I am Samie: We volunteer our professional services and NHBRC
still building my website and I’m doing it carefully, time to raise funds to sponsor students of colour in
because I want it to be 100% right. the built environment. We’re building a name for
Finch: My website was developed for free with Seda ourselves in the process.