Using The Power of Company Values as a Competitive Advantage

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Most building company leadership teams have declared a list of values at some point, usually to check a box in a standard business plan. But you might not realize how “valuable” they can actually be, especially applied towards your marketing and new biz process.

Your values are basically the characteristics that make up your team’s DNA. They’re a set of standards that you hold yourself to, especially when making business and operating decisions. If used correctly they keep your team on the same page, drive your mission on a day to day basis and move your company towards its ultimate goals.

But when our firm works with clients to rebuild their brand and marketing strategies, we often find they can’t remember the values they once decided upon, slapped on the “About Us” page of their website, filed away and forgot about soon after. And that’s a missed opportunity.

The Value of Values

Put to good use, your values can be extremely important tools not only to build a good culture and process, they can also help you build a succinct marketing strategy.

Keep in mind—the business development process for builders, manufacturers, and materials companies ain't what it used to be. Even your most loyal, long-time customers are exploring all their options online. In today’s unpredictable economy, they can’t afford missteps that waste time, damage reputations, or drain budgets. They need to feel absolutely confident that the partner they choose isn’t just familiar—but the best possible choice for their next project.

At the same time, competition is growing fiercer by the day. Online search has leveled the playing field, meaning you're now up against everyone—from small two-person shops to massive, well-funded national firms—all fighting for the same customers. Everyone’s using the same platforms, saying similar things, and trying to out-shout one another to win the work.

That’s where your values can help you rise above the noise by making a personal connection.

People Want to Buy from People

No matter how much data we analyze or how many incentives we’re offered, at the end of the day, we’re all human. We all want to work with a company whose team displays a strong set of values that aligns with our own. Our decisions are shaped by trust, connection, and a sense that the people we’re working with truly stand for something.

In order to develop a meaningful and effective set of values, start by thinking about who you are trying to sell to. Not only what they would be looking for in a trusted building partner - envision their beliefs, motivations, and preferences. What matters to them? What drives their decisions? 

Next, think about the most respected, dependable member of your team—the one you’d clone in a heartbeat if you could. What makes them so great to work with? List the traits and behaviors that truly set them apart and pick the top ones that make the most sense to map onto your company as a whole.

If you’re brainstorming as a team, use some creative association exercises to move past the usual buzzwords and get to the heart of what makes your company unique. Ask questions like, “If our company were a color, what would it be and why?” or “If we had a celebrity spokesperson, who would it be and what would they represent?” Have a little fun and get creative.

Prioritization plays a critical role in defining your values. Maybe you champion safety over everything else, or your number one driver is taking care of your clients and team. The order in which you present your values speaks volumes—it shapes your internal culture and directly influences how your audience perceives you.

Then, dig deeper. Press yourselves on the “why” behind all your answers to uncover the values that truly define your culture. It's hard to get away from the typical industry cliches like safety, teamwork, integrity or customer service, but explore variations that land personally with how you approach your operations.

Put Values to Work for You

Once you’ve nailed down your new set of values, share them with your team—and explain why they matter. Help everyone understand how these principles guide not just how you work, but how you show up for clients and each other.

Don’t let your values sit quietly in the intro section of your proposals or interview decks. Instead, bring them to life by showing how they’ve shaped your team’s thinking, decisions, and solutions. Weave them into your marketing—whether it’s through social media posts, videos, mailers, or jobsite stories—and make them part of your everyday language.

Bring each of your values to life by building campaigns around them. For example, create a short video vignette featuring a team member sharing how they incorporate safety (or other select trait) into their daily work. Post it alongside your full list of values on LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube Shorts. Send out a postcard with a QR code that drives traffic to your website and connects viewers to the story.

Recognize and reward team members who embody these values in their work or champion them in the community. Because in the end, your most powerful marketing tool isn’t a slogan or Google Ad campaign—it’s your people, and the pride they take in being part of something that truly stands for something.

A Stronger Team and Better Business Opportunities

By taking the time to revisit and refine your values, you do more than build a stronger internal culture where everyone is singing off the same sheet of music—you also sharpen your marketing abilities and give your company a competitive edge. 

Marketing by showing the human side of your company, with real people living out your values, connects far more deeply than any generic capabilities list ever could. It builds trust, reinforces authenticity, and makes your company memorable.

Leading with values as part of a strong brand that genuinely resonate on a human level helps you stand out in a brutally competitive marketplace. It galvanizes trust and confidence and leaves a lasting impression on both current and future clients. That connection is what ultimately gets you remembered and in first position to win more project opportunities.

Written by Rusty George, with no help from Artificial Intelligence. Well, maybe he ran a few sentences through the rinse cycle to check grammar from time to time, but he's only human.

Rusty George leads a branding, website design and marketing agency serving Seattle and Tacoma area construction companies, subcontractors, manufacturers, material fabricators and suppliers. His goal is to help the building industry become more attractive to the skilled workforce of the future. Reach out to us at any time to discuss how your values might benefit your messaging and marketing tactics, and how we can help you stand out from the crowd.

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