The competition in construction services is the highest, and to find a good order for a construction team or a small construction company, it will not work to sit in one place. Even the highest quality of work performed and responsibility is not enough – it is necessary to act actively and independently to look for customers. Experts joke that there is only one solution to this problem – just become famous, i.e. earn a name, but there are many ways to do it. You can find a construction contractors NYC, subcontract or order for construction work in conservative ways (through newspapers and advertisements on poles) and more modern (Internet promotion). All methods work in one way or another, and ideally, use several at once.
1. Subcontract Exchange
The most obvious way to find an order is to contact the target audience to study its habitats. Advertising in newspapers, on poles, distribution of leaflets and other methods are built on this principle, which, unfortunately, do not always have the desired return, because a specific offer will be noticed only by a part of passers-by or readers, and only a small percentage of them at the moment required services offered. You can act differently.
The method lies on the surface and seems to be known to everyone contact large construction companies that have received a large order and need help. The only thing left to do is to find such companies, which often becomes an obstacle on the way to getting a “fat” order. But this problem is also easily solved today. You can find subcontracting on the stock exchange, a special service that accumulates information about the winners of state construction tenders for hundreds of thousands and millions of rubles. If earlier these data were scattered and it was necessary to study many sources, now all the necessary information has been collected together – it remains only to use them competently.
The service “To everyone in a row” provides small and medium-sized construction organizations with the widest database of companies that have won the competition and signed a large government contract. Large sums are at stake, the conditions for fulfilling state orders are quite strict, and meeting the specified deadlines is the most important requirement. To complete the work by the scheduled date, the tender winner often resorts to the services of subcontractors. Hence, the service is a base of potential customers who need a roofing contractors nyc, now and not sometime in the indefinite future. This is a real chance for a small construction company to get an order.
Benefits for the construction organization:
- access to contact information of companies that have received the right to fulfil a large order, the ability to contact and offer their services directly;
- convenient search by regions of the country;
- Search by type of work, which, together with a regional reference, allows you to identify the most interesting companies for yourself quickly;
- up-to-date and constantly updated information ;
- The service allows large companies to place an application for a subcontract and find a contractor, which becomes invaluable information about real orders for small organizations. There is no need even to call and ask if a subcontractor is needed or not.
You need to understand that the presented database must be able to use.
- First, not every organization that won a tender needs help.
- Secondly, if she needs help, there may be several companies, potential subcontractors, among those willing to provide it.
To get a good order with a high degree of probability, carefully study the contract. When calling, try to briefly and vividly describe the advantages of working with your organization. The customer needs to be convinced that the organization can cooperate with him. It is better to prepare all the necessary data on the price of services, the qualifications of specialists, and the experience of similar work. A personal meeting and conversation with the person who makes the decision, and not the secretary, is much better than a commercial offer sent by mail. You may have to make more than a dozen calls. Still, you will only deal with the target audience who may need help right now – a lot depends on the ability to present information, persuasiveness and perseverance.
2. Relationships With major Market Players
This option is somewhat reminiscent of the previous one, and only it rather involves establishing contacts to be in the base of a large organization and, if possible, be invited to do some work. A construction organization will have to look for contacts of large construction companies and contractors be interested in their current projects and options for cooperation. The advantage is that you can declare yourself and be taken into account just in case. The downside is that it is not known when the company will need your services because it is not a fact that it has just received a large order, as is the case with the subcontractor exchange.
Nevertheless, establishing contacts with large construction companies is a necessary and important stage of activity. Sometimes they subcontract work because they don’t have time to complete the order independently, and they don’t want to lose a client. Of course, part of the profit will have to be given to the general contractor. Still, high-quality and timely execution of work is practically a guarantee that you will have regular customers in the future.
3. Word of Mouth
The good old way still works today, though not as effective as it used to. Word of mouth is based on the high-quality and punctual performance of work. Suppose the finishing work, replacement of electrical wiring, redevelopment and other work is done as it should. In that case, the customer will most likely recommend you or your team to neighbours, friends or relatives. Moreover, while work is being carried out in one apartment, people living in the neighbourhood may also make repairs. The well-known logic is turned on: “if a neighbour has done well, then they will do the same with us,” and why go far and look for someone from the outside, not being sure of the quality.
A wide circle of acquaintances among potential customers is good, but it is equally important to have contacts among specialists in their industry, who can sometimes help with an order. Often, the customer asks to recommend someone to perform work in which this contractor is not a specialist.
It is important to remember that a brigade “from the street” is rarely invited for large orders – they go to those whose quality of work the customer is sure of. This means that connections and useful acquaintances must be established actively, and for this, sometimes you should not be lazy and take on even small orders. Today you were asked to replace the outlet, and tomorrow – the wiring in the entire apartment, if the customer liked your approach to work.
The main advantage of word of mouth is that thanks to the reviews, you can get a large order that will not be trusted by the team advertising their services on a pole in the yard. In addition, there are no advertising costs, and the base of potential customers is gradually expanding. The downside is that there is no certainty about the number and volume of orders, and for word of mouth to work, you first have to resort to other advertising methods. The only thing that I can advise is to work qualitatively.
4. Advertisements on Billboards And Poles
Placing ads about your services on a board at the entrance, on a pole or at a bus stop is an old and well-proven way to promote your services, which does not need a detailed description. Despite being conservative, experts are sure that such advertising will work for a long time, and construction companies are convinced of its effectiveness by personal example.
Benefits :
- small investments ;
- potential customers get the impression that the master offering services lives nearby, which means that it will be easy to contact him;
- The ability to advertise in the most preferred and profitable areas, for example, in the locations of new buildings.
Cons :
- There is a possibility that the ad will advise this option torn down, painted over, or competitors will stick their ads on top. On the other hand, this is just a possibility, as well as the fact that the ad will hang for a long time;
- a large customer rarely responds to such announcements;
- Targeting the random attention of people – there is no guarantee that a potential client will notice the ad.
Should advise this option to those companies and private artisans who have just started their activities because investments are minimal, and there is a chance to receive orders.
A larger and more modern version of such a promotion is a large billboard. It makes sense to place it in newly built residential areas.
5. Distribution of Flyers and Business Cards
Ads can not be glued but thrown directly into the mailbox. Then no one will peel it off and spoil it, and the chance that a potential client will look at it is higher. Leaflets and business cards are also distributed at construction markets, in construction stores, i.e. in crowded places of the target audience, and busy city areas.
Benefits :
- large audience;
- opportunity to receive a large order;
- some people collect business cards and flyers that interest them when the service is needed for future use.
But business cards do not always get to the one who needs them. Investments in printing advertising material are more than in advertisements, but novice artisans can save money by distributing or distributing them on their own. Experts advise negotiating with sellers of large hardware stores, leaving them business cards and promising a small reward for a successful advertising campaign. With low costs, the result will be quite good.
6. Publication in Newspapers And Magazines
Even though we live in the era of Internet technologies, there is still a category of people looking for services through newspapers. Naturally, it is necessary to publish in local newspapers, and if there are any specialized publications, then in them. If a newspaper or magazine has an electronic version, it can duplicate the ad there.
Newspaper ads work, but not as effective as we would like. In addition, advertising must be constantly updated and paid for, and only those who buy the newspaper will see it, i.e. limited circle of people. The disadvantages of such promotion include the limited size of ads and the inability to present their competitive advantages. True, sometimes construction companies (larger ones) order entire articles devoted to their activities: they describe all the nuances in the best possible way.
Advertising looks more colourful and informative on radio and television. Still, it also costs more, and it is heard by a wide audience, most of whom do not need the advertised services.
7. Promotion on the Internet: Your Website And Online Advertising
The Internet is used by a huge part of the population today. Most search for the necessary products and services with the help of the network. Moreover, through numerous tools, the Internet makes it possible to show ads only to users interested in it.
It is best to carry out an advertising company on the Internet by creating your website. It will briefly and concisely describe what services the organization provides, what guarantees and benefits it provides, what fees it takes, how to contact it, and other organizational issues. You can demonstrate your work as clearly as possible by providing appropriate photos on Internet pages.
Advantages of your site for a construction concrete services company:
- detailed presentation of information about services;
- motivating the user to action (with a competent and professional approach);
- the presence of only the target audience;
- effective tools for conducting an advertising company on the Internet.
Creating a site, filling it, and maintaining an advertising company will cost a lot and require specialists’ involvement, so this is unlikely to suit start-up companies. Still, there are other ways to advertise their services on the Internet:
- advertising on city bulletin boards;
- advertising on city websites;
- advertising in social networks.
8. Visiting Construction Sites
Perhaps the proposed methods will seem not entirely ethical, but still, they should be borne in mind:
- To search for orders, you can visit construction repair teams and talk with the customer, finding out if he is satisfied with the contractor. Perhaps he was already thinking about finding a more responsible contractor, and your offer will come in handy. In any case, the organization has a high chance of being noticed and getting an order in the future;
- Each complex of apartment buildings under construction or just completed has a sales department. If you promise managers a certain reward for each client they provide, then you can count on a decent amount of work.
9. Intermediary Services
Firms and individual Internet portals connect the contractor and the customer. The construction company gets a significant advantage in the form of no need to look for orders – you can only focus on work. But intermediary companies charge a percentage for their services, and sites will require a fee to access the database of orders, and this is without a guarantee that you will be able to find something.
Of course, no advertising will help if you treat your work in bad faith, so the main thing is to do your work efficiently, normally communicate with customers and meet deadlines. In a customer search strategy, it is better to use several promotion directions at once, choosing those that will be most justified at this stage of development.