Construction Project Bidding

Welcome to the construction project bidding blog!  The goal of this site is to teach you all about the art of bidding on construction and home improvement projects.  It’s a topic that is more complex than many contractors realize, and I hope that I can make the process easier and more fruitful for you and your company with these tips.

One things we’ll spend a lot of time talking about is how to use internet bidding and lead services to your advantage.  A lot of construction professionals are afraid to use these services for some reason but avoiding them is a big mistake.  Leveraging the internet can literally propel your service past the local competition, but you need to know which services are worth using and which ones are duds.  You also need to learn how to best use these sites so that you’re getting quality leads at a lower cost than most others.  We’ll go over how this is done and how the real experts use this system to generate massive revenue for their business.

We’ll also talk a little about how to bid on projects in a way that results in a very high conversion ratio.  There are known and proven tactics that you can use to make sure that each and every bid that you make counts.  There’s a fine line between bidding competitively and low balling and we’ll teach you how to stay on the right side of it.  After all, what good is a truckload of business if you’re not making much money per job.  We’ll show you how to juice your profits and make the most of every lead.

Finally, we’re tinkering with the idea of creating our own free construction lead section to this site to help you guys out, so keep an eye out for that in the near future.  So check back often to make sure you can take advantage of it!

That’s all for now but we hope that if you have any questions or comments that you will let us know.  Here’s to your success with every bid you make!

No matter if you procure a construction job lead through the internet, traditional advertising, or simply a customer referral, you’ll still have to convert the opportunity into an actual job by visiting the client’s home and providing a written bid.  There is an art to this process, and if you’re smart you’ll make an attempt to master the skills and traits that are necessary to sell effectively.  Keep in mind that price is only one component of a potential homeowner’s decision on whether to hire you or not, especially if he or she has enough money that they are more interested in quality than cost.  To these folks the most important signal could be how you present yourself as a person and company.

The first thing you must be focused on is your image.  This starts with your vehicle.  I recommend driving to all estimates in a clean, nice, lettered truck or van.  If you’re doing estimates in a beat-up, rusty Ford Taurus then don’t be surprised when your conversion ratio is in the tank.  You also need to look neat and put-together.  You should be wearing khaki paints and a tucked-in company polo shirt.  I don’t recommend wearing a hat but if you do just be sure it looks professional and has the company logo emblazoned on it.  Your hair and beard (if you have one) should be neatly trimmed and combed.  Your breath should be odor-free.  Yes, you might laugh at that last suggestion but you might also be surprised how many coffee-drinking contractors lose jobs because their breath smells like death at the estimate.

Next comes the part where you make that first physical contact with a prospective customer.  When they meet you at the door you get your first and only opportunity to make a good impression.  Look them dead in the eye, smile, shake their hand firmly, and say “hello” like you’re actually happy to see them (you’d be surprised how many contractors don’t bother with these common sense steps).  Your goal is to gain trust.  You gain trust by being nice, respectful, and attentive to the customer’s needs.  Listen carefully to their concerns, and offer solutions that are based in your knowledge and experience.  Don’t talk over them, and don’t make them repeat themselves.  Have a clipboard and pen with you so you can take detailed notes.  In short, act like a pro and they will believe you are a pro.  If they believe you are a pro then there’s a good chance they will hire you, even if your price is at the high end of the range.  Sell value, not price.

Those are the basic fundamentals when it comes to bidding on construction projects in person.  Just remember that you are representing your business and your service when you show up at someone’s home.  If you look, talk, and act like junk then people will make the assumption that your work is junk.  And, quite frankly, could you blame them?  Try to master your interpersonal skills and you will see your conversion ratio skyrocket.