How to grow your contracting business
As a contractor, your business lives off getting more jobs in the pipeline and being able to close them. Today we’re going to focus on projects. From tools to things you can do.
Let’s start from the beginning. We live in a digital time. Everyone today should have an online presence. We recommend having a website. That should include, basic information about your company.
- Services you offer
- Social media links (if you have any)
- Press/Awards
- Photos (Before/After)
- Testimonials
- Contact
This is a great way to stand out. 81% of customers research before making a big purchase. Being online will give your customers more peace of mind.
Additional ways to stick out would be to use an online lead form. This could be a chatbot This can be a basic chatbot (ie. Drift, Intercom or Zendesk ) or a classic form on the site. Simple messaging like ‘fill out to receive an estimate’ is an easy way to follow up on warm leads. These customers are looking to move fast (or at least planning).
For General Contractors. Many tools exist to help you find customers. The market for GCs to find homeowners (and vice versa) will continue to grow. There are established players like Angie’s List and Homeadvisor, to startups that have become giants: Houzz, Porch, Thumbtack, etc.
For Subcontractors, most products are focused in the commercial space but you’re slowly seeing a drive in the residential space. Building connected, The blue book and others are a good tool for subs to stand out. An easy way to stand out is to have a website that shows the work you do and some before/after photos, with a way to contact you. This is an advantage as many subcontractors have no online presence (especially residential subs).
If you want a free portfolio and want more projects now — sign up: https://www.workmand.com/subcontractor-sign-up
Tools vary depending on your trade. We recommend having the basics: Accounting, Payroll, Hourly Tracking, and CRM. Quickbooks and Waveapps are great to track expenses and invoices. For estimates and managing projects we recommend checking out Joist and InvoiceToGo. When I Work is a great tool for tracking your hourly employees (and you can set up geofence tracking. The industry is seeing more tools emerge and we believe it’s still early, we’re excited to see what gets built and used.
At the end of the day, construction is a relationship-driven industry. You get to know people over time. We don’t believe that’ll change. It’ll simply become enhanced and easier to find people and build a relationship. Most subs that stay busy do so by knowing a few GCs that will send them the majority of their work. If you can find a general contractor that does 100+ remodels a year and you’re their go to for roofing. You likely will get the majority of those projects or all of them.
The best marketing channel is word of mouth and we don’t see that changing. So continue to provide high-quality craftsmanship and excellent service. Like any great company, that is how you grow and continue to get more clients. People love working with people that others vouch for. Word of mouth is the best marketing channel.
This is part of a series of post that will help you with starting and growing your contracting business.
About WorkMand:
WorkMand is a market network that helps you find contractors for your real estate investments. From a remodel to regular maintenance we can help. Sign up to learn more: www.workmand.com
