Getting New Construction Projects – There are contractors around the country who do not advertise. They do not have a website and they still seem to get steady business. Their established reputation as well the quality of their work is more than enough for them to stay busy with projects literally handed to them. However, those contractors are slowing changing their tune and getting into marketing themselves.

Why? Think about when you buy a company, what exactly are you getting? You’re getting their customers, their employees, their inventory and their entire business. However, there’s another thing you are getting with that, their web presence. Believe it or not, a strong web presence can raise the profile and value of a company significantly and that has to be considered when it comes to marketing. It may not produce immediate returns, but its long-term impact and value can’t be underestimated.

Why Getting Quality Projects Is So Difficult

It seems weird that some companies are struggling to find work. Between the labor and material shortages, increase in the demand for quality contractors and more, one would think this would be the easiest time to get new work in. The problem is finding quality projects. So many property owners right now are looking for the cheapest value instead of the best value. That’s why your business is struggling but there are ways to fix it.

Getting New Construction Projects

Building Your Own Presence

Your online presence is important for current and future projects. Let’s say you submit a bid to a client, and they go online to research you. They find minimal information about you, and they lose trust that you are the person they want to work with. Remember, you are asking this person, without any previous experience working with you, to commit to you not only the project but potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. That’s asking a lot and here’s how you can ease their mind:

Google: There are plenty of reasons why you should be on the worlds largest search engine, but the two most important ones are that it’s where people go to look for contractors and also where people look to research your company and get information. That’s why you need to establish a strong presence here.
Apps: There are dozens of apps that offer services like remodeling, electrical, plumbing, painting and more. These apps may not always net you the biggest projects, but the pay is solid, and the work can be steady, especially if you have a slow day or two and need some extra work.
Website: If you do not have a website then you need to consider getting one. The truth is that a website can be more valuable to clients and bring you new business as well. Without one, you are removing a great deal of value from your business. You are also making it more difficult to establish a web presence down the road.
Social media marketing: Are you going to land a big multi-million-dollar project by posting on Facebook? Probably not but adding quality content could help build your brand and potentially bring in business. Don’t forget about brand familiarity. Consumers will pay more for a brand they are familiar with, even if they have never used it before, because they are more familiar with the name than they are with the competition.

If you want to establish a strong online presence it’s going to take some time. However, you can easily hire affordable and experienced people to do that for you and with a reasonable investment into your marketing, you could have a strong web presence that generates real interest for you and your business. It can also improve the quality of the projects you get as people will be more aware of the type of work you do.

How To Impress With Your Bids

Getting more leads is great, however the challenge for contractors doesn’t stop there. The next challenge is to submit a bid that’s going to get real attention. Remember, consumers are looking for the best deals right now because of inflation and while you may not have the lowest bid, you could offer them the best package. Here’s how you can improve your chances of getting the project, even without the lowest bid:

Be early: If there’s a deadline given for when the bids are due, try to be early. You want to make sure that the client knows you put real time into it but waiting until the last minute will not impress them and often times, they will instead figure that you’re either too busy or not that interested. Be early with your proposal so that the client knows you are serious.
Show all services provided: Make sure that you are listing all your services and giving great detail with each. You may be more expensive than a competitor but if you are giving the client far more services you want to make sure they are aware of that and not comparing proposals based on prices only.
Include recommendations to save time and money: A great way to build trust with a proposal is to take some time and show them that you are experienced in this industry. One way to do that is to add some ideas you have for the project that may save some time or money. For example, if you notice that the driveway they have planned can be done cheaper and faster by changing it from bricks to concrete it could make a big difference.
Show references: While this is a proposal, it’s also an opportunity to land a new project. You need to treat it more like a resume than just throwing some numbers out there. Try to put together a proposal that includes references and past experience that may be relevant.

Getting new projects in is never easy. It takes time and patience. However, there are a variety of things you will be able to add to your bid that can improve your ability to land projects that are ideal for your company. Give the impression that you care about this project and the client will notice. Remember, even though money is important, this is a long-term project and partnership and that influences the decisions as well.