5 Ways to Sell Your Company to General Contractors

As a masonry contractor, you aren’t always hired directly by a business owner to take care of their masonry needs. Instead, you’re subcontracted by a general contractor to take care of the masonry-specific part of the job. That means that selling your services to and developing a great relationship with a general contractor can have huge dividends. Utilizing these five methods will make it easier to sell your company to general contractors and make the connections you need.

1. Network constantly. When project managers or general contractors are looking for subcontractors, they’re going to turn to their network for recommendations. Look for opportunities to attend networking events and get your name out there. Attend industry conferences and events. Take business cards with you wherever you go. Sure, it’s old-fashioned, but it’s also a great way to get your name out there and ensure that when a general contractor is ready to select subs for a job, they’ll remember who you were.

2. Submit a proposal. Pay attention to the big jobs going on around you. Chances are, there are some that you’ve got your eye on already: a job that you think would be a great fit for your team’s skills, for example, or a particular building that you’ve envisioned fixing up before. When you know that a general contractor is gathering bids for a project, submit a proposal! You can’t be selected if you don’t take the time to put your name forward. It’s reasonable to submit a bid even if you know that you can’t make the best price on the job. Sometimes, quality work is more important to both the contractor and to the building owner–and in that case, your work will be able to speak for itself. Note that a professional, high-quality proposal can help you stand out from the pack, so make sure that yours is up to standard!

3. Subscribe to a reporting service. Discover the reporting services in your area that will tell you when a big construction job is about to happen. This will make it easier for you to submit those key proposals when it will make a difference. It will also help you track work flow in your area,

4. Develop relationships with the big names in your area. Hospitals, public utilities providers, and manufacturers, among others, often take care of their own subcontracting work. Developing relationships with them is a great way to place your name in the pool when the time comes for them to look for masonry contractors. In many cases, that relationship will also give you early knowledge when a big job is coming up, which will make it easier for you to put your name in with the general contractor who’s been chosen for the job.

5. Provide quality work. When you are selected as a subcontractor on a job, make sure you do your best work. Stick to your estimates, both in terms of time and in terms of the cost of your part of the project. Make sure that your team doesn’t cause problems on the job site and that your work is of the highest quality. Once you’ve eased your foot in the door, the quality of your work is the difference between getting called back and discovering that a general contractor has little desire to work with you in the future.

If you want to be sure that you’re getting the right materials for your project so that when you stand in front of a general contractor, you’ll know you’re providing them with quality work, contact us! We’ll help you find the moisture control solutions that will enable you to make the best of every project, helping to ensure that you’ll be called back to do work for them in the future.