Best Way To Get In With A Builder?

Q.Plastering

Hi all, I am new to this site. I have a question, but first a little background....... My husband started out plastering for another local plastering company over a decade ago, then in '02 he took over a crew. The company changed his status from employee to sub (they pay all of their crew leaders as subs....), at which time we formed a business entity and started running a small ad in the YP and occasionally in the newspaper. From '02 to Jan 1st of this year, 99% of our work has come in the form of sub work from this other plastering company. Our guys are paid as employees (not subs), we are fully insured, w/c, incorporated, etc. We just found out that the builder that this company was contracting with is downsizing and therefore our crew is no longer needed for sub work from the other local plastering company. Obviously we know the benefits of getting our own contracts vs. subing for a sub, but there was always an abundance of work with them, so we were comfortable. That is no longer the situation. My question is, how do we get our foot in the door with a builder so we can secure a prosperous amount of work? We know what needs to be done and how, we know what companies in our area are looking for, we know what to bid, we have the credit line through the supplier. Our ducks all seem to be in a row for the most part. What we don't know is how to get the builder to give us a chance? Hubby and his crew do a wonderful job, stand behind thier work and get it done right the first time, every time. How do we get out there and show the builder we will do what it takes? I've called around a bit, but most builders I have talked to are "secure with thier current plasterers", "not accepting bids" and are not willing to give another company a shot. I need some constructive criticism! Tell me what I'm doing wrong, and what else I should be doing. Don't be too harsh Thanks!

tdavis

talk to your supply house and let all the sales people know you are looking for work, call it an "expansion" not a desperate plea for work, just let them know you have crews available. I find a lot of good subs by asking the supply houses who they like.

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Floordude

Yikes! Eggs all in one basket!

As soon as he misclassified you as a sub, was the time to get out and market your services elsewhere!!!!!!!

But that is water under the bridge. Now, it may take you under. Marketing to designers, realestate agents, remodelers, and builders, along with a name in the phonebook. Remember, the guy was subbing your services with a mark up, and getting you work. So, in that aspect your leaving a lot of money on the table, if you go after your own accounts for the same amount of cheese, as you subcontracted for.

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Mike Finley

I've wrote about this topic a dozen times on here, but here goes again:

Relationship marketing is what you are talking about.

It takes time, time, more time and then some more... you need to be in the right place at the right time. You also can increase your chances with perserverance and keeping at it so when an opportunity opens up you are at the top of the list.

The good GCs that you want to work for have their ducks in a row, they have their go to guys they have been using for years. They have good relationships with their subs. These are obviously the GCs you want to get in with, but of course these are the hardest to get in with. You have to keep at it and be in the right place at the right time. These good GCs aren't looking for you, they have no need for you, so you have to be at the top of their list when the chance comes up that they need you.

The bad GCs are the ones who don't have their ducks in a row, they are un-organized, their subs are the assholes who aren't available when the bad GC finally realizes the day before that they should have scheduled their sub 2 weeks ago. They don't pay on time, they slow walk everybody, subs are continuously churned and burned. These are the easy GCs to get a shot with.

You should be able to find lots of work available to you from bad GCs. The trick is getting in with the good GCs, and that takes time and follow through.

I get calls all the time from some sub in some trade who wants to know if we are accepting bids. I'm one of the good GCs so I don't ever have immediate needs for a new guy. I tell them the same thing, send me your information so that I can keep it on file. 99% of them never follow through. They are probably dead broke, desperate and need a paycheck yesterday. The few that follow through are the ones that we will follow up with when we catch our breath and call back to talk to again. Out of those, I put the ones that seem like a decent outfit on a short list and when the time comes down the road when we grow or have a need, those are the ones that get called.

The bottom line, is to advertise when you don't need work. The same thing holds true for subs looking for work, you need to be establishing relationships before you are out of work. Once you are out of work, the only GCs who will be ready to hire you on the spot are the bad ones.

Angus

Is this an answer to the question?? She asked how to get business, not how to run their business.

Q.Plastering

Thanks for the tip, we have always had our business cards available on their board. I'll be sure to let them know we are expanding.

~JF

Q.Plastering

I know from the small amount of text that I posted, that it looks that simple, but there was a lot more to it that I won't bore you with. As far as our eggs, we did have the majority in her basket, and she kept us well for a long time... so, it was in our best interest under the circumstances at the time. As with everything in life, the wind has changed and it's time for something else. Is that good? Bad?, not really sure yet, but we are hoping it turns out for the best. Now, we have been in the phone book, and we do have our name out with some GC's that we do occasional work for, but that is few and far between. The work we subbed out was actually doing the houses for the third largest builder in our area, but as it was subbed through another plasterer, our name wasn't the one being talked about and we never dealt directly with the builder. What I am looking for is how to get to the bigger guy, yk?

As far as the money aspect, we have a lot less overhead than the company that we subbed for, so even with materials, hangers, labor, etc, we can come in under their cost while still bringing in a much larger profit to further grow the business. I just really need ideas on how to get my foot in the door... I should have clarified my original question better. I want to know if it would be a good idea to a.)fax the builder over a base bid and then do a follow by phone, b.) fax the builder a base bid and then do a follow up in person, c.) forget the fax and go with mail, d.) forget the preliminary bid and try to schedule a meeting with the builder.............. What really works to show a builder you have what it takes and let them give you a shot?

Q.Plastering

Thanks for your reply, this is more along the lines of what I was looking for. Now, when you tell a sub to send their info over, what exactly are you looking for? Do you want company background and a base bid, or something completely different? I don't mean to sound naive, it's just that we haven't been in this particular situation before so I would like to get advice from people that know what it takes to get to where we want to be.

Q.Plastering

It's okay... I didn't take it negatively. I have a good idea on how to run the business as I have been for quite a few years, but now that things have done a 180 on me, I'll take any advice I can get

(then I just pull out and use the pieces that work for me and put the rest of it in a basket with the eggs)

Mike Finley

Those are good questions. Whenever I have been on the other side of this issue I answer most of my questions that I would have by trying to mentally put myself in the other guys shoes.

The questions I would ask myself would be what can I do, send and word it to possition myself better than anyone else, and position myself as close as possible in the final steps it takes to get hired for a job.

I would send at a minimum -
Professional letter head with introduction, explaining who I am, history, what I want, what I can do for you. Parse it in reference to our recent discussion.
Copy of insurance certificate.
Copy of license.
References
Testimonials
Web site address or pictures of work
2 business cards
An offer to bid on the specs of a past job.

What I usually get is nothing, or a badly mispelled email with his phone number.

Floordude

Angus, at least I tried. You on the otherhand are only here to pick a fight.


Marketing, marketing, marketing.
Always pass out cards to everyone you meet. Brochures of your services and commitments to the community. Vehicle signage. Mail outs usually get thrown in the trash. A lot of foot work!! The newspaper has bid notices in them all the time. Diversify a little, or a lot, to gain more work.

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Angus

That's better.

Floordude

Exactly.



Where were your 2¢ tossed?

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Q.Plastering

Thank you all for the tips, I appreciate it!

BKFranks

Mike makes a perfect post here. After personally knowing different GC's, he's got it spot on.

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Angus

Did'nt need to. Mike Finley answered the question. Which, I thought, is what this site is all about. There is no need to keep a thread going for the sake of trying to make yourself look smarter than you really are. Keep the change.

Floordude

Your right. Your imput was not needed.

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Tiger

Call the IRS and have them classify you all as employees for all this past work over the last 5 or 6 years. The IRS is doing that a lot these days. Then you can collect unemployment from your previous employer.

Dave

Angus

That is correct. And yours wasn't worth 2 cents. You should give her change.

laybrick

I give my card to everyone I can. I'd give one to the neighbors dog if I thought he could read it. If I go by sites on my way to work, I'll stop & drop off a card. If I'm at a store & I see a truck with a construction sign on it , I give a card. I had a guy deliver firewood to my house, gave him a card & showed him some pics. Turns out he's a reputable builder. I start 2000 square feet of stone in a couple weeks, then jump right to the same sized house next door. Then he will be stoneing his house right after that, and so on. Who knows, maybe the neighbors dog will want a brick doghouse. Either way, he's got my card