Hi,
I’m a general contractor in sacramento Ca. and have been building high end custom homes,(and remodels), for just over 25 years. At 46 I’m thinkin I’d like to make the most of my next 10 or 15 years by upsizing my business and increasing volume pretty signifigcantly. Problem is, until now, I’ve never had to do any advertising as all of my work has come from referrals. I would appreciate anything anyone has to offer in the area of marketing strategies that will bring my best R.O.I.
Thanks,
Phil Vanderloo
Hiline Builders
Replies
Our company is in a similar market niche and though we have made a conscious decision not to get larger, I know how we would go about it.
The first thing that we would do would be to let people that we are available to do more work, not just any work but all the top quality work that comes along.
This is all about networking. That is how you get your jobs now and that is how all high end work(that I know of) is found. Past customers, architects, suppliers, subs, other contractors, any and all social gatherings that could include potential customers. Work all these contacts. You don't have to hard sell any of these people. The object is simply to keep your name and company in their minds if they or any of their friends are contemplating a worthwhile project.
This is hard work that you may not be used to doing. Though there is no actual monetary layout (Except modest donations to local charities), you will spend a lot of uncompensated time working these contacts and in following up leads that are probably not as solid as what you are used to.
The second goal that I would have would be to land a really large project. The residential contractors in our area that have significantly increased their profits have done so by getting jobs which lasted for years with large crews working long hours. Simply doing more jobs does not seem to produce proportionally more income. It seems to have worked that way for us too, though we are still waiting for an intentional multi-year project.
Good luck in your new course. I wouldn't have the energy or patience for it.