How to Find New Clients for Your Construction Business for Under $10,000/month

Retention is great, and it’s a critical part of your success. However, you also need to make sure that you have a steady stream of new clients coming in for your construction business to remain profitable and continue growing. The good news is that there are a lot of resources and tools to help you with finding clients these days, saving a lot of time and the stress that comes from things like cold calling. 

Right now, the construction industry is in high demand. Therefore, you might not have had much of an issue finding clients lately. Are you ready for when the influx of construction dies down and fewer people are clamoring for your services? When you have to actually get out there and find them again?

It’s going to happen eventually. The best thing that you can do is to be prepared. There are several different ways that you can find new clients for your construction business, but when you’re trying to maintain a budget, you probably don’t even know where to begin. To help you get started and get a better idea of what to expect, here are five tactics to help you find new clients without breaking the bank. 

Tactic #1: Build a strong professional network 

Cost: Free, unless you spend money on networking event tickets, etc. 

Networking is a key factor in the construction business and it always has been. The trades are a unique set of businesses that require a different approach and while networking can help any business, it’s especially important here. You can do a lot of professional networking for free, thanks to the Internet and a good, old-fashioned in-person meeting. 

You can also attend trade shows, industry events, networking events, and so forth. The availability of these will depend on where you are located and what the industry is like in your area, but traveling is also a possibility. While we can’t tell you how much you’ll spend here, we can tell you that it’ll be an investment well made. 

Tactic #2: Choose the right marketing tools 

Cost: $100-$5,000, or more, varies depending on the tools chosen

The right marketing tools are the ones that work for you. You aren’t looking for the ones everyone is using or the ones that claim to be the best. You need to find the tools that fit your needs and help you reach the people that you want to reach. Of course, you are dealing with a budget here, so you’ll be happy to know that you can find options at every end of the price range. 

Pro tip: If you handle as much of the marketing yourself as you can, you’ll save some money. However, you’ll probably increase your stress and risk potential errors because you’re not the marketing expert—let the pros do their job and use the tools that you need to help you do yours. 

Tactic #3: Invest in communication tools 

Cost: $50-$1,000 per month, varies 

This one’s another that is hard to target when it comes to pricing. The right tools make all the difference in communication just as in marketing. You should take advantage of free tools that suit your needs, but don’t be afraid to spend money where it’s necessary. There are great tools that you can use, from Zoom to Slack to live chat on your website, giving both your employees and potential clients a way to connect and communicate with you about whatever they need. 

Communication is critical to success in the construction industry. It’s also an important factor for new clients. They feel that companies with solid communication are more reputable and will provide a better finished product. Make sure that you take the time to execute a communication strategy that caters to new clients as much as existing ones. 

Tactic #4: Update your website 

Cost: Free, or between $500 and $5,000 to have someone else do the work 

Construction companies and other trade businesses are notorious for having static, outdated, often forgotten websites that exist simply because they were told it was necessary. That’s not doing anyone any good. If you haven’t touched your website since it went up 10 years ago, it’s time to do some work. 

Don’t worry—you don’t have to be an expert here. You can find a lot of tools and builders that help you improve your site with simple interfaces and instructions. You can also hire someone to do the work for you, including a web designer to design the site and a content writer to handle the new written material on the site. 

Update your website, regardless of how you do it or the cost involved. It will be a guaranteed way to draw in new clients, especially when your competition is still lagging behind. 

Tactic #5: Outsource busy work and other tasks

Cost: $250-$1,000 per month, depending on how much you outsource 

Outsourcing is becoming a way of business for many companies today who are seeking a more cost-effective way to get things done. In construction, for example, you could outsource things like after-hours call answering and even 24/7 phone answering if you really want to guarantee that you never miss an opportunity. 

You can outsource marketing, communications, admin tasks, and just about anything else that you don’t want to do on your own. When you partner with Smith.ai, you’ll even be able to get a lot of it done with a single comprehensive strategy to manage every last detail. 

Our dedicated virtual receptionists can offer assistance for outreach campaigns and outbound sales. In addition to our 24/7 answering service, we can also help with lead intake, appointment scheduling, and live website chat. If you haven’t gotten into the world of chat yet, now’s a perfect time! 

And, as always, Smith.ai will work with you to come up with a custom solution for your needs, no matter what those might be. To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to us at hello@smith.ai. 

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