Word of mouth is one of the best ways to win work. A recommendation from a satisfied client, architect or quantity surveyor can open doors that would otherwise be difficult to access. But relying on recommendations alone can limit your growth, particularly if you want to enter new sectors, work for different clients or make your business more resilient.
For many small building contractors, the challenge is knowing where to start. You may have a good reputation, a capable team and a track record of delivering projects, but that does not necessarily mean the right people know you exist.
Generating leads in the commercial construction market requires a different approach from finding work in the domestic market. It means identifying the right organisations, finding the people who influence decisions and building relationships before an opportunity to tender arises.
The good news is that you do not need a large marketing department to do this. You do, however, need a plan.
Understand how the commercial market works
Many contractors begin in the domestic market, where homeowners actively look for tradespeople and contractors to carry out work. A good recommendation, a local reputation and perhaps a website or social media presence can generate a steady stream of enquiries.
The commercial market works differently.
There are fewer potential clients, individual projects are often worth considerably more, and clients generally do not need to advertise widely to find contractors. They already have established supply chains, preferred contractors and professional advisers who recommend businesses they trust.
If you want to win work in this market, waiting for someone to find you is unlikely to be enough. You need to identify who you want to work for and take the initiative to make contact.
This is business development: creating opportunities by developing relationships with the people who can influence whether your business gets invited to tender.
Step 1: Decide which market you want to reach
Before buying lead lists or spending time networking, be clear about the type of work you want to win.
Are you looking to work for commercial property owners, developers, local authorities, housing associations, facilities management companies or larger main contractors? Perhaps you want to specialise in a particular type of building, refurbishment or maintenance.
The more clearly you define your target market, the easier it becomes to identify relevant organisations and the people within them.
Consider:
- The work: What type and size of project suits your capabilities?
- The clients: Which organisations regularly commission this work?
- Your strengths: What experience, specialist skills or track record would make you attractive to them?
- The requirements: Are there particular accreditations, insurance levels, resources or technical capabilities you need?
- The commercial opportunity: Is there enough suitable work to justify the effort required to enter this market?
If you are moving into a new sector, you may also need to assess the skills, resources and investment required before committing to it. Diversification can improve resilience, but only when the new work fits your capabilities and business objectives.
You do not need to target every possible client. A well-defined market containing a manageable number of suitable organisations is often a better starting point than a long list of unrelated prospects.
Step 2: Use lead generators to find the right organisations
Once you know your target market, you can start identifying organisations that commission the type of work you want to undertake.
Commercial construction lead generation services can help. Platforms such as Glenigan, Barbour ABI, Constructionline / Market Intelligence (formally Builders Conference) Planning Pipe provide information about construction projects, planning activity and potential opportunities. Builders Conference has also been a source of construction project and company information, although its ownership and current service arrangements should be checked before relying on it.
These services can help you identify projects, developers, clients and other organisations active in your chosen market. Depending on the service and subscription, you may also be able to find information about project teams, professional advisers and decision-makers.
However, the value is not simply in finding a list of projects.
The real opportunity is using that information to understand which organisations you should be developing relationships with, and who within those organisations is likely to influence the appointment of contractors.
For example, if you want to carry out refurbishment work for commercial property owners, you might identify property companies with relevant portfolios, then investigate their property managers, asset managers, project managers and appointed consultants.
If you want to work for a larger main contractor, you might identify the relevant regional offices, the types of packages they procure and the people responsible for those work packages.
The objective is to turn information about the market into a focused list of potential clients and contacts.
Step 3: Find the people who can open the door
Finding an organisation is only the beginning. You need to establish who is involved in commissioning work and influencing the choice of contractor.
Depending on the client and project, these people might include:
- Property or asset managers who identify and commission work.
- Project managers responsible for delivering construction projects.
- Quantity surveyors who help manage costs and procurement.
- Architects and engineers who influence project teams and contractor selection.
- Procurement managers who control supplier approval and tendering procedures.
- Commercial managers and estimators within larger contractors who select subcontractors.
- Facilities managers responsible for ongoing maintenance and refurbishment.
Do not assume that the person who signs the contract is the only person worth knowing. Recommendations and decisions often involve several people, and the process varies between organisations.
Professional advisers can be particularly valuable. An architect, engineer or quantity surveyor who understands your capabilities may recommend you when a suitable project arises. Equally, a project manager who has seen your team deliver a difficult job successfully may be willing to introduce you to colleagues.
Use the information available to research these contacts. Company websites, LinkedIn, project announcements and professional networks can help you understand their roles and the types of work they are involved in.
The aim is not to collect as many names as possible. It is to identify the right people and understand why your business might be relevant to them.
Step 4: Turn contacts into relationships
This is where many contractors struggle. They have found a potential client, sent an introductory email or connected with someone on LinkedIn, but nothing happens.
That does not necessarily mean the approach has failed. The organisation may have no immediate requirement, may already have a full supply chain or may simply have more pressing priorities.
Commercial construction is often a relationship-led market, and trust takes time to develop.
Start by making a professional introduction that explains who you are, what your business does and why you are contacting that particular organisation. Make the message relevant to the recipient rather than sending the same generic sales pitch to everyone.
Explain the type of work you undertake, the geographical area you cover and the experience that makes you suitable. If you have completed a project similar to those the organisation commissions, use it as evidence of your capability.
Then look for ways to develop the relationship.
Practical ways to build relationships include:
- Arrange an introductory conversation. Ask about the organisation's work, the types of contractors it uses and what it looks for in a supplier.
- Follow relevant projects. If you identify an upcoming development or refurbishment, use it as a reason to make a timely and informed approach.
- Meet people in person. Industry events, local business groups and construction networking meetings can provide opportunities to have conversations that are difficult to start by email alone.
- Stay in touch without constantly selling. Share a relevant project example, a useful update or a development that might interest the contact.
- Ask about their procurement process. Find out how they identify contractors, when they review their supply chain and what they need from a new supplier.
- Be reliable in the small things. Respond when you say you will, provide information promptly and follow through on commitments.
The objective is to become a credible, familiar name before the next suitable project comes along.
A relationship does not guarantee an invitation to tender, and not every contact will lead to work. But a considered programme of relationship-building gives you a much better chance of being remembered when the right opportunity arises.
Step 5: Make sure your online presence supports your message
Every time you approach a potential client, there is a good chance they will look you up afterwards.
Your website, LinkedIn profile and other marketing material should reinforce what you have told them. If your introduction describes a capable commercial contractor but your online presence only shows domestic extensions, the evidence may not support your message.
You do not need an expensive website or a large marketing budget. You do need a professional and consistent presentation of your business.
Make it easy for potential clients to establish:
- What your business does and the type of work you undertake.
- Which geographical areas you cover.
- The size and nature of projects you can deliver.
- Your relevant experience, including examples of comparable projects.
- The capabilities of your team and the resources available to you.
- Your approach to health and safety, quality, environmental responsibilities and other relevant compliance requirements.
- Who to contact to discuss a potential project.
Case studies are particularly useful. Rather than simply displaying photographs, explain what the project involved, the challenges you faced and how you delivered the work. Where possible, include the outcome and a client testimonial.
Keep your information current. An outdated website or an inactive profile that contradicts your latest capabilities can undermine the confidence you are trying to build.
Your online presence should not be expected to generate every lead itself. Its job is also to provide convincing evidence when someone checks you out after an introduction.
Step 6: Build a repeatable lead generation routine
Business development can easily slip down the priority list when you are busy delivering projects. The danger is that you only start looking for work when your order book begins to run down.
A simple, consistent routine is more useful than occasional bursts of activity.
For example, you might set aside a few hours each week to:
- Research new organisations and relevant projects in your target market.
- Identify the people responsible for commissioning work or influencing contractor selection.
- Make a small number of well-researched introductions.
- Follow up previous conversations and maintain existing relationships.
- Update your records with what you have learned and agree the next action.
Keep a basic record of your target organisations, contacts, previous conversations, relevant projects and agreed follow-up dates. A spreadsheet or straightforward customer relationship management system may be sufficient for a small contractor.
Measure progress beyond the number of emails sent or contacts added. Useful measures include the number of meaningful conversations, introductory meetings, relationships developed and organisations that have expressed an interest in working with you.
Lead generation is not just about producing a list of names. It is about moving from an unknown supplier to a credible potential partner.
Over time, this process should give you a clearer understanding of the market, stronger relationships and a more predictable flow of potential opportunities.
From finding leads to winning work
Generating leads and building relationships are important parts of developing a commercial construction business, but they are not the whole process.
Once you have identified a suitable opportunity, you still need to decide whether it is worth pursuing and whether your business can deliver it profitably. That is where a disciplined bid/no-bid process and a well-managed tender process become important. These are separate subjects, but they depend on having the right opportunities in front of you in the first place.
For now, focus on three things: knowing which organisations you want to work for, finding the people who can influence their choice of contractor, and building relationships that give those people confidence in your business.
Word of mouth remains valuable. The aim is not to replace it, but to create more opportunities for it to happen — by making sure the right people know you, understand what you do and have good reasons to recommend you.
How can BA4CS help?
Moving from domestic work or an established network of contacts into a more structured commercial business development programme can be challenging, particularly when you are also responsible for running projects and managing the business.
BA4CS (Business Advice 4 the Construction Sector) helps UK contractors develop practical approaches to growing their businesses. That can include identifying suitable markets, developing a business development strategy and establishing a more systematic approach to generating leads and building relationships.
The aim is to help you spend your time pursuing the right opportunities, rather than simply hoping the next recommendation comes along.
If you want to move beyond word of mouth and develop a more deliberate approach to finding your next clients, get in touch for a no-obligation discussion how this could work for your business. Peter.Searle@ba4cs.co.uk
