How to Improve Your Contracting Business in 30 Minutes

Often, improving your business as a California licensed contractor doesn’t take a huge effort or a mental breakthrough; it’s usually just a matter of learning a few new tricks and putting them into practice.

For that reason, we want to share one of those tips with you today – something that can make a big difference to you and your clients, and typically takes less than 30 minutes: put together a list of “trusted vendors” that you can share with clients and colleagues.

Your list should be filled with other contractors and construction companies that you know do great work. Chances are, you’ve probably come across lots of professionals during the course of your career. Those relationships can save other people a lot of time that would have been spent evaluating different contractors. And of course, your colleagues are in a better position if they get lots of referrals.

You might be wondering, though, how creating a list of trusted vendors helps you. Here are a few of the most important ways:

You don’t have to be all things to all people. Some projects might require specialties and equipment you don’t have, while others might be out of your geographic area or involve work you might not want to do. Additionally, you could just be too busy to handle an inquiry yourself. By having a list of vendors you can refer people to, you don’t have to try to please everyone or take work that you shouldn’t.

You show potential clients that you can help coordinate larger projects. You don’t necessarily have to have a large team to get awarded big construction projects. If you can demonstrate that you have the right contacts and connections, clients might turn to you for answers. In some cases, project management can be even more rewarding than contracting can. And, it could help you launch a new, bigger business in the future.

When you refer business out, you often get it back. As we have said before, referrals should come to you because of the quality of your work, not as a favor returned. But, it never hurts to send out lots of recommendations if you’re hoping that other contractors will put your name forward, too

Not every construction project is going to be perfect for you, or will even involve something you want or have the capabilities to handle. Having a list of trusted vendors helps you get more work, grow better relationships, and make things easier for your clients all at once.

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