A general contractor is only as good as his subcontractors. When you are building your business reputation, there is so much that you have to consider. You need to be known for your quality of work — so that makes the choices you make when hiring subcontractors that much more important. Should loyalty be a consideration? Absolutely. Here’s how to earn loyalty from your subcontractors.
Building Trust
The relationship between the general contractor and the subcontractor is more important than most people might think. Just like any relationship that’s going to last, you have to build trust. Now you might be concerned about trusting people in business, because isn’t everyone out to make money? Well yes and maybe. This is why it’s important to be able to build a relationship.
We’re not suggesting that you trust everyone in business blindly. But you’ll begin to know which subcontractors are worthy partners for your business and which ones are just not. Look for high-quality work. As the general contractor, you’ll ultimately be responsible for everything that happens on the job — whether it was your fault or not. When you find a subcontractor who does quality work and is trustworthy, make sure they know you think so. You can earn loyalty from these subcontractors by building a trusting relationship with them. Be a trustworthy contractor that these subcontractors want to work with.
Building Reputation
You should focus on building your reputation. Subcontractors will have preferences for those general contractors they like to work with. Make sure you’re building a business with a reputation for quality and trustworthiness. When you hire subcontractors, make your intentions clear. You are looking to build working relationships that will benefit both parties. Clients and leads want to hire contractors who have great work, and contractors who have great work have great reputations.
Encourage your subcontractors to be a part of your network. There’s a lot to be said for job security. So when you find those subcontractors who produce high-quality work, hang on to them by letting them know you’d like to work with them again. If you team together with high-quality subcontractors early on, your business will only get better.
Building Communication
As with any relationship, communication is key. You’ll always need to make sure to communicate with anyone you work with, but especially those subcontractors you hire. Trusting a subcontractor doesn’t mean that you don’t ask questions or follow up during the job. It does mean that you can have an open dialogue. If you’ve already built the relationship of loyalty and trust with your subcontractors, then you’ll likely be able to communicate more easily. Your subcontractor should be able to openly communicate with you as well, which is another way you can earn loyalty. They know what to expect from you and vice versa.
Earning loyalty from your subcontractors means that you’ll know where to go when you need a specific job done. You’ll save time without having to make extra considerations. Giving a little trust can pay off for you and your business.
While you’re finding the best subcontractors to hire for your next project, HFS Financial can make sure that you also have the best contractor financing for customers. Partner with HFS Financial to offer financing options for whatever your client’s next project is. It’s as easy as adding our 60-second loan application to your own website, so your clients can get the options for funding they need. With HFS Financial, “You Dream It, We Finance It.”