Obtaining Commercial Contracts

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I am slowly moving out of the residential jobs and into commercial work. Aside from architects, anyone have any thoughts on how to obtain more commercial contracts. (ie. marketing campaigns, property managers, etc) How do I reach these potential clients?

Josh

CarterConstruct

Lots of networking and relationship building.
We just landed two jobs (one residential and one commercial) because of the relationships I built through my son's little league and high school baseball teams.

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CARTER CONSTRUCTION
Building Relationships....not just buildings

Magic Hammer

Go to the places you want to get work and introduce yourself. Better leave behind a coffee mug or something!

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Skye Builders, inc.
Decks,Sunrooms,Windows and Siding
www.skyebuilders.com

Midwest D & P

Call and ask to be placed on the bid list. It's much easier than on the residential side.

Publisher1

Be careful!

On the commercial side some clients are known not to pay, or to pay very slowly, or to dispute payments, or . .. you get it. Could result in acute and serious cash flow problems (especially since you will often work on a smaller margin for the larger jobs.)

Contractors experienced in the commercial and non-residential side know the players, and the payers. New guys on the block are often sucker punched.

If you are serious, plan on relationship development -- I recommend engaging with associations serving your client markets plus, possibly joining at least one association representing your trade and/or the American Subcontractors Association if they have a chapter in your area. (ASA will be expecially helpful in intelligence gathering on payment practices and ethics of GCs and owners -- their meetings include a lawyer-supervised reporting session that stays within the bounds of the anti-combines legislation.)

You may also find the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) helpful, especially for networking with the marketing side of GCs and Architects (the marketers won't have direct authority over the sub-trade selections, but they'll be able to provide you with meaningful internal referrals.)

All of this requires time, some money, and (unless you are want to take "low bid wins the job (and thus usually loses) stuff, you are going to need to be patient to make money in the non-residential side.