Construction is not a one man show by any means. It takes a lot of people to build, repair, and restore houses and other properties. Each project typically involves multiple people from within your company, but couldn’t be completed without the help of people outside your company as well; these partners may include subcontractors, insurance adjusters, homeowners, lawyers, and many more who help get every job done.
Picking who your company partners with can be complicated, and sometimes involves a lot of trial and error, but once you find the right partners it can do wonders for the success of your business. While every company and contractor are different, there are a few specific partnerships that every contractor should have to make your business the best it can be.
1) Good Subcontractors
Having good subcontractors is essential to ensuring that clients have positive associations with your brand; you and your team can be awesome, but if you send bad subcontractors to a job, that is what the client will remember.
When picking who you work with, take the time to see how they run their business, how they deal with other contractors, and how they deal with clients. You want to pick subcontractors whose businesses have similar goals and values to yours, for example if customer service is something your company prides itself on, you want to find subcontractors who also pride themselves on having excellent customer service.
Finding subcontractors who do business like you do will make the building or repair process more seamless for clients, and easier for you. The customers will experience the same level of service that your company provides no matter who is working, and you won’t have to worry because you know that your subcontractors are reliable and effective.
2) Manufacturer and Supplier Reps
While they can sometimes be a little more sales-oriented than is ideal, manufacturer and supplier representatives are great partners to have.
Manufacturer reps can keep you up-to-date on their newest products, help you enroll in preferred contractor and rewards programs, and be a great resource if you ever have questions or problems about their products. Many manufacture reps take the time to present products to you and your employees; this includes new products, installation techniques, and details on warranties. All the resources they provide allow you to offer your customers the best products, warranties, and peace of mind for their project.
Supplier reps can help keep your projects flowing smoothly and keep your costs low. Having good relationships with supplier reps means that you can get your orders processed or changed without a lot of hassle, get notified when hard to find products come in, and ensure that your supplies will be there for every job. All this enables you to keep projects flowing without issue and be able to plan well ahead for special order or delayed items.
3) Inspectors
While you can’t necessarily “partner” with the inspectors, having an amicable working relationship with them can make your life a lot easier. If you do a lot of similar projects, you will most likely see the same inspectors a few times, so knowing their process, how they work, and what they need from you can make inspections a breeze.
Once you have had the same inspector a time or two, and you know each other to an extent, it is easier to communicate with them; if you’re late or the ladder broke or whatever else you can coordinate with them to see if things can be shifted rather than just having to completely reschedule right-away.
4) Realtors, Property Managers, Insurance Brokers/Agents, etc.
Creating partnerships with realtors, property managers, insurance agents and brokers, and any other people who deal with homeowners or building owners can help your business grow exponentially. These types of partners can help you grow via referrals from their customers, connections to other potential partners (other contractors, other realtors, etc.), and even doing work for that person or their firm.
These types of partnerships can also lead to the opportunity to attend leads groups and networking events that allows you to branch out further, and find other good partners that you can work with. The more people you can meet and explain your business to, the more likely someone is going to remember and refer you which can make a huge difference in how your company gets business and how much business it is doing.