Oxymoron is defined as a figure of speech that combines two normally contradictory terms.
Truth. Advertising.
Contradictory?! 
Can't say that I'm finding much truth in the advertising I'm coming across lately, maybe I'm just skeptical.
Or, it could be that we talk to 1000's of contractors across the planet, and we hear "the other side".
Flipping through the pages of the most recent Construction Executive magazine (March 2009 Issue), I was drawn, obviously, to the construction software ads. I'm always amused by the claims, and the cut throat competition out there is getting nasty.
I wouldn't say any of these are our competitors. We are a niche software product, for small to mid sized contractors, with a particular focus on construction scheduling, file management (organization) and communications.
But the "big guys" are out for blood.
For instance...
Software A
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states they're so far ahead of their competition, it's not even fair
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claims they are the leader in construction management software since the early 80's (was there even software back then?! can't remember, perhaps the VIC-20 or Commodore 64)
Software B
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warns you to "beware of imposters" - those that offer integrated construction solutions... but apparently don't in B's humble opinion
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claims if you use other software besides theirs, you'll be left dead in the water (ouch, this is serious business)
Software C
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claims to be America's #1 construction accounting software (sorry Canada, and the rest of the world, we're only talking America here)
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has a pretty picture of the CEO on practically every ad (still trying to figure that one out - I guess he's the guy that's writing huge checks for ad space... with your money!!)
So which of these software companies are telling the truth? And how on earth are you and I going to test any of their claims?
Personally, I have never knowingly spoken to any contractor that has used, or is using any of the aforementioned programs, so I'm not here throwing mud. But I do want to raise the issue of whether you and I are getting the truth in any of these ads (or any others we come across). Because, if we buy something based on a claim that ends up being untrue, well, how would you feel?!
A wise colleage said to me years ago... "The truth is good enough." He followed up with another maxim that "it's only true when it's true for you."
So now for the "truth" about BuildIT.
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We're web based - nothing to install, nothing to maintain, no software headaches - period.
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We're small - you call us, you'll speak to one of the owners of the company
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We have extremely low overhead - your subscription goes to pay us - to build a better product - for you
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We've been around since 2000, so in "Internet" years, we're old
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We have never advertised in Construction Executive magazine
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We generally don't do print advertising - most of our leads (including you most likely) come through the Internet from search
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We're inexpensive, so you should see a return on investment within the first 30 - 60 days if you get lift off with the program
BuildIT has a great system that has helped many contractors over the years get control of their scheduling. It has helped them get more organized, and thus has been responsible for gaining efficiencies, building profits and avoiding costly mistakes, that if all added up... who knows what that number is. But I'll bet it's a big number collectively.
Recall the sage advice - if you think BuildIT is the best fit, test your claim, and see if it's true for you. Try BuildIT on a monthly basis, and if you don't see massive ROI in the short term, cut it loose... and you haven't sunk $1000's into some bloated software product that promised the world, and made some rather clever, if not misleading, claims.
Keep in mind, according to a recent article in Construction Executive, it's highly unlikely you'll use even 50% of a software product's capabilities... so why pay for the excess!? Determine what you need, what you're highest priorities (must-have's) are, and if they have anything to do with scheduling, file management, or improving communications within your team (and with those outside your organization), then there may be a good fit here with us.
(By the way, notice anything wrong with the compass graphic above!? - remember, "truth in advertising").
See you on the inside!
Scott Hutchinson
scott@builditsystems.com
1 866 585 5050 ext 1