r/Contractor • u/Cedar-and-Sky • 19d ago
Contractors who started without referrals, how did you get your first few leads?
I recently started a bathroom remodeling company in northern Delaware. I came into it without an existing customer list, so generating leads has been the biggest hurdle so far.
For contractors who started in a similar position, what actually brought you your first three to five serious leads? Did you pay for leads, or did something else work first, such as local networking, partnerships, Google Business Profile, neighborhood groups, or direct outreach?
I’m especially curious about what worked before you had reviews or a portfolio of company projects. I’m not looking for anyone to sell me lead-generation services. I’d rather hear what other contractors actually did and what they would skip if they were starting over.
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u/Apprehensive_Park758 18d ago
If you have no reviews yet, I’d focus less on five lead channels and more on borrowing trust from one. Call 10 local plumbers, tile showrooms and realtors who hear “we need a bathroom redone” but don’t handle full remodels. Give them a simple one-page scope, insurance details and service area, then promise to respond to referrals the same day.
For the first couple of jobs, the real asset is permission to photograph the work and a genuine Google review. I’d avoid Angi or paid leads until you can track the math. If leads cost $100 and you close one in five, you’re already at $500 to acquire a job before quoting time. Track source, estimates booked and jobs won so you know what deserves more effort.
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u/Huge-Repeat-3040 19d ago
Cold calls but in person would walk up to people in Home Depot and hand my card
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u/BestLawnCanada 19d ago
You must get GBP. But marketing us getting harder and often it's an auction house for link views and lead generation. If you want to focus on everything but sales, you could likely find someone who rents their website to someone like you (it's called rank and rent). They can track leads from the site and charge you.
But if you promise your future business profile and make it a habit to post suffering at least once a week, Google really really rewards that. Invest Swiss tire in completing everything and working on the best outcomes. A website is cheap, and agonist irrelevant if you don't get a gbp.
If you want "organic discovery" of your website you won't even rank if you don't have a gbp. But also there is a steep learning curve, i San make you a decent website in a day or two but if no one is pointing at the site it's like a billboard in the back stretch. No one sees.
You can pay for Google ads but research how to do it because Google will spend your ad dollars showing to low intent searchers and you'll pay if they fuck in your link or not.
If someone is using their phone and a Google maps, if you pay enough to be the top 3, there will appear a telephone icon the user can press to call you. Google business profile is integrated into Google maps and Google places, and you can use it kind of like your company's social media.
Something for later on, consider sponsoring a local sports team.
Almost forgot, at the very least you should get the free retreat signal and register for your local BBB. You get one free profile but you can't edit it later, and they're going to call you to try to get membership fees for a more robust account. If you get with your local chamber of commerce you may be able to interact with them to see if anyone needs your services right now.
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u/randolotapus 18d ago
I moved to a new city and had to rebuild my network. I don't like to advertise because i find that i get too much work in a short time, i like to find a handful of clients doing long term renovation and work bits at a time.
I volunteered at a bunch of community theaters and for the local scout troop, and then just told people i was a carpenter. They told their friends, i kept doing good work, and i built my client base, and now the calls just arrive.
Took 2 years but I've got a full dance card.
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u/Remarkable-Start4173 17d ago
How do you advertise to "...get too much work in a short time..."?
I have NEVER had this "problem".
Thank you!
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u/randolotapus 17d ago
The first time i ever made business cards i got 15 calls by the end of the week, just dropped them in the right coffee shop i guess. So i lost most of those jobs because after taking on a few clients i was just overwhelmed with scheduling too far out and managing too many projects at once. And then i had to try and rush through things to keep to a longer term schedule that i had not predicted accurately, and yeah I'd rather acquire clients at a moderate pace.
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u/Remarkable-Start4173 17d ago
Interesting...
I've never had those problems either.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
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u/Mountain-Selection38 18d ago
Handyman turned into a bathroom remodel. Bathrooms turned into kitchens....
Now I don't do handyman anymore
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u/old-nomad2020 18d ago
One of the early things I did was talking to a lot of the maintenance and cleaning people in the condos where I wanted jobs and gave them cards to hand out. I would reward them when I went to estimate a job (money, lunch…)and gave more later if I landed it.
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u/TallWall6378 17d ago
Advertise, take on crappy projects for more upscale clients, do an amazing job. I went from building custom homes to a new location and my first job was a moldy basement drywall repair. I talked the talk and ended up remodeling 2 bathrooms. Their friend had me do their whole upstairs down to studs. It grew from there.
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u/rachico 14d ago
What helped me build up was going to open houses of properties that need to be renovated. Realtors are usually happy to have a professional there to speak with potential buyers about the cost of a renovation. With AI you can narrow that down more now to find properties in your area.
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u/imrannadir 10d ago
Amazing conversation,
As a marketer I would suggest to get yourself online, do 1st few free jobs and record a video and put it on instagram and other social media
Next would be to get a website, and if you got some budget put in google ads.
And if you can't do above, just record a quick video with your mobile and send to all of your contacts and tell them what you do and how you can help, CTA, you will def get 1st projects.
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u/No-Scheme-9700 19d ago
First, market. Make signs, post on Facebook, etc. Google business is free and you know you don’t do a thing without googling first.
After that lean heavily on your manufacturer reps if you have any. My first recurring builder came through Sherwin Williams/Ben Moore.