What It Takes to Get Enough Contractor Jobs to CHOOSE the Ones You Want

The American Dream is hard work. It’s that work-hard-play-hard mentality that says, if you put in the effort on the front end, you’ll reap the rewards.

Which begs the question… What kind of efforts is your contracting company making right now? And what rewards are you working toward?

Maybe you miss the days when you worried less about having enough jobs to hit your numbers and had the freedom to choose only the best, most profitable projects. Wouldn’t it be great if you actually had enough contract work to choose which jobs you wanted to take? What if every project you took on was because you wanted it, not just because you needed the business?

That’s the dream, right?

If it is, in fact, the dream, maybe it’s time to make it a goal. Goals are attainable; they just require some effort.

Growing your contractor business looks a little bit different today than it has in the past.

In the “good ole days”, word of mouth was all you needed to grow your business. These days, word of mouth is still a major part of the contractor industry, but that’s because it’s what you have to do to maintain your existing level of business success.

If you’re ready to grow, you have to do something different.

Many construction contractors are breaking away from the old way of doing things, and they’re setting their sights on something a little bolder… marketing.

That’s right.

Marketing is becoming the new normal for remodeling companies and other construction contractors who want to take their business to the next level so that they can truly do only the jobs they want.

Who says?

Maybe you’ve always thought of marketing as being for all those “other people.” Maybe your customers don’t care about your company’s brochure design or your social media presence because they just need to know you can do the job.

We couldn’t agree more. But guess what… Good marketing will demonstrate to your customers that you can do your job well. It strengthens your credibility and shows prospects that you’re capable of taking on the jobs you actually want.

Now, let’s get more specific. If marketing is the necessary next step for getting the jobs you want, how do you go about making that happen?

What do you have to do to get better jobs?

Listen up, because these next few paragraphs are going to save you a lot of time and money when it comes to marketing as a construction company.

Don’t make these marketing mistakes:

• Fire off a haphazard email blast. Few things will make people write you off faster than an unsolicited email that fails to deliver anything of value. Good marketing is thoughtful and intentional, and there’s way more to marketing than having a long email contact list.
• Hire an amateur to do your marketing. This is such a common mistake that we wrote an entire blog article about it! Read Why Your Contracting Company Can’t Afford to Let Your Nephew Do Your Marketing.
• Forget who you’re targeting. This is the best way to secure the construction jobs you DON’T want. Focus on the right customers, or you’re just wasting your time.

Now that you know what NOT to do. Let’s talk about some positive ways to move forward.

Do try these marketing strategies:

• Be relational. Just because we’re saying word of mouth isn’t going to cut it these days doesn’t mean we’re suggesting you take the relational aspect out of your business. Relationships are still so important, and there’s no better way to nurture those relationships than through marketing.
• Communicate consistently. Sometimes you have to be persistent to get the jobs you want. A marketing agency will help you connect with prospects consistently by automating and streamlining digital communication with them.
• Invest in your business. Maybe it’s time to purchase some data-tracking software or hire a marketing team to do all of that for you. These are the kinds of investments that will reap a positive ROI.
• Say no for once. It feels scary to turn jobs down, but if you want to transition from doing all of these little jobs that are monopolizing your time and resources, then at some point, you just have to say no to one of them. That way, you’ll be ready for the one you really want when it comes along later. If you can’t say no, outsource as needed, and don’t waste your time on little projects that create bigger headaches than ROIs.
• Free yourself up. We encourage you to make marketing part of your contracting company’s growth plan, but DO NOT let it end up on your plate. If it does, you’ll be too bogged down with marketing to focus on landing the jobs you want.
• Host or attend an event. Whether it’s a trade show you attend as a construction vendor or an industry-specific event you host, events are a great way to connect with people who may need your contract expertise in the future.

What’s next?

If you’re ready to grow your contractor business, then now is the time to take the next step. Contact us today, and let’s talk about your growth goals.