Back in July my wife and I began working with a contractor to build a new house. We are now less than 50 days away from having the new place finished, and I've noticed some similarities between the work I do at NMC and the process of building a three bedroom colonial.   

1. Being Proactive: Putting strategies in place to handle unforeseen situations for clients before they happen, and planning months ahead for PR opportunities are proactive approaches we take at NMC. It helps to plan ahead before a first meeting with a contractor, too. We looked at sample house designs, siding and shingle colors, and door and window choices before we met the contractor. It made that first meeting a lot easier and showed them that we were excited and engaged in the build process.

2. Customer Relations: Positive feedback, whether in the form of a Facebook post, tweet, letter or e-mail, is one thing NMC hopes to generate for PR and website clients.  Our contractor's building crew has been friendly, polite and professional. I dropped off a dozen doughnuts at the house one morning to show appreciation for their work, and my wife has e-mailed notes of gratitude that have been shared at company staff meetings.  

3. Cover the Details: From large press conferences to special events or the writing of an important press release, there are many tasks in the PR world that require attention to important details. In the house building world these details include the height of shower heads (overlooked and raised three inches), lighting in closets (thanks Juli Settlemire!), and the installation of siding so that seams can't be seen from the road or driveway (great work siding guys!).

4. Checking the Work: A good contractor is one who lets you see and approve each step in the construction process. Electrical wiring didn't begin until the framing had been approved by us, and sheetrocking didn't start until we had approved the wiring. Likewise, the work of proofreaders, fact checkers and website analysts ensures that NMC projects are mistake-free, accurate and driven by concrete information.