How to make your construction business grow

1. Build and retain a great team

Your business consists and is represented by your team, which is why it’s important to hire the right person for every role. Focus on hiring knowledgeable and skilled workers, that exhibit traits like dependability, honesty, and an all-round good work ethic.

Hiring a great team is half the challenge though, the second half is retaining them. If you’re getting the cream of the crop, they will absolutely have plenty of other options, and it’s unreasonable to expect them to stay on your team without giving them a reason to be loyal. Realistically, that comes down to paying them what they’re worth, but you should also treat them with respect, be a good leader, and provide a positive working environment.

2. Focus on quality

Don’t aim to meet the normal standards for your work, but instead aim to raise the bar. When you’re looking at increasing profits on projects, you may start considering cutting corners to save costs, but that’s a very slippery slope that destroys reputation and kills your growth. Instead, focus on being the best in your area or niche, because a reputation for quality work goes a long way in generating sales by word of mouth. 

3. Create a great customer experience

Referrals are the lifeblood of most service-based businesses, and construction companies are no exception. I’m not advocating following the “customer is always right” mentality, but what you should do is actively communicate with your clients, focus on delivering a great experience, and above all treat them with respect. A great customer experience leads to repeat business, as well as more business referrals.

4. Leverage technology

Digital technology is becoming increasingly common in the construction industry, and learning to leverage it can give you that competitive edge.

One way you can leverage technology is by converting your paper forms and checklists into a digital solution to simplify data entry, improving accuracy, and save plenty of hours on the admin end. To go paperless, consider using a mobile data collection app such as Locale Central to capture the forms and checklists your team fills out on-site.

5. Embrace marketing and networking

The success of your business hinges on people knowing that your business exists, and this is where a lot of construction companies fall flat. Encourage your happiest customers to tell others about your business, be active in local groups, and explore new ways to get the word out.

6. Learn to say no

When you started out, you likely took any project that came your way, and while that can be good initially to build up your reputation and referral network, there will be work that is clearly not profitable that you have to learn to say no to.

There are plenty of reasons to say no to new work, the most obvious reason would be that it’s simply not profitable, but you should also consider how this new contract could help grow your business, and if you don’t think it will, consider giving it a pass.