How does a general contractor keep leads coming while the crew is on a long remodel?
A long remodel takes the crew and the owner's attention, so the next job depends on something besides the owner keeping track of the leads. The inquiries keep arriving while you are on site, and each one is a homeowner planning a project months out. If nobody answers them until the big job wraps up, the calendar after it is empty and those homeowners have already started talking to someone else.
What happens to new inquiries during a summer-long remodel?
Say a general contractor signs a whole-house remodel in May. From June through September he is on that site every day, running the crew, meeting the electrician and the plumber, and answering the homeowner's questions about tile and trim. The work is good, and it has his full attention.
The inquiries do not stop because he is busy. A couple wants a bathroom redone before the holidays, a neighbor of the current job asks about a basement, and a web form comes in for a deck. He sees them on his phone between tasks and means to call back that night. Some of them get a call, some get a text a week later, and some sit in an inbox he does not check often. When the remodel wraps up in September, he looks at the calendar and finds nothing signed for October.
Why does the gap after a big project hurt a general contractor so much?
Remodel inquiries take a long time to turn into signed work. A homeowner who reaches out in July may need a visit, a design conversation, an estimate, and a few weeks to settle the budget before anything is signed. The leads that went unanswered in the summer are the jobs that are missing in the fall.
Meanwhile the crew still needs work and the bills still come in. An owner who spent the summer heads down on one great job can end up spending the fall scrambling for the next one, and that is when a good contractor can end up taking the wrong project just to keep the crew busy.
What keeps working the leads when the owner is on site all day?
Something besides the owner's memory has to hold them. That starts with every inquiry, whether it came by phone, web form, text, or referral, landing in one list with a name on it. The owner gets an alert when a new one arrives and a list each morning of the ones still waiting, so nothing depends on which inbox he happened to check.
The homeowner also needs a reply quickly, even if the reply is that you are finishing a large project and can meet in a few weeks. A homeowner planning a remodel months out may be glad to wait for a contractor who answered promptly and told them the truth about timing. The estimates that go out during the busy season need the same follow-up as any other quote, with a check back until the homeowner gives an answer.
How can a general contractor keep marketing while a big job is underway?
The job you are on can help bring in the next one. Photos of the work in progress and the finished rooms belong on your Google Business Profile and your website, and a homeowner who is happy at the end of the job should be asked for a review while the new kitchen still feels new.
Past clients can bring in work too, as long as they hear from you a few times a year and your name is the one they remember to pass along when a friend mentions a remodel. None of that has to wait until the big job is finished, and in a business where the next project takes months to sign, it pays to keep it running the whole time.
What a fix looks like
In a general contracting business that has fixed this, the owner reads the morning list before he drives to the site and returns calls from the truck, so a deck request from week six of the remodel still has a name beside it in week twelve, with a note of who called back and what start date they were given. The office sees the same list, so a homeowner who calls about her estimate gets a real answer while the owner is up a ladder. When the whole-house job wraps up, the next projects are already being designed and priced, and the crew has somewhere to go on Monday.
The Home Service Guild Marketing Operations System adds follow-up reminders on every open estimate as part of following up on every inquiry and quote.
Questions owners also ask
Should a general contractor reply to an inquiry for a job he cannot start for months?
Yes, and the reply should say honestly when you could start. Many remodel projects are planned months ahead anyway, and a homeowner who hears back quickly with a real timeline has a reason to wait for you.
Can an office manager keep up with leads while the owner is on site?
An office manager can, as long as every inquiry and estimate lives in one list they can see. When leads are spread across the owner's phone and personal email, even a great office manager cannot follow up on what they cannot find.
How can a general contractor tell a serious remodel inquiry from someone who is only curious?
A few plain questions at the first contact usually separate a homeowner with a plan from one who is still dreaming. That question is covered in how a remodeler tells a serious inquiry from a window shopper.
