What do contractors want in their subs? If you answered, 'low price', well you’re right. We all need the best price we can get…that's what capitalism is all about, and contracting is a tough business. But, if that was all contractors wanted in a sub, then getting new business would be a simple process: call a couple builders and tell them you'll beat the price they're currently paying. But if you do that, you'll find it doesn't work so well.

While builders need to squeeze maximum value from every dollar they spend (and if you’re the high guy, your tools will be mostly idle), being the lowest price is not enough. Builders also need reliable subs: ones who do good work, who are easy to contact, who fix problems (not create them), who can do multiple jobs concurrently, who are insured and legit, who provide consistent, reliable pricing, who won’t bad mouth them to other subs or customers and who generally make their lives simpler and less stressful.

If the lowest price was all contractors wanted in a sub, then getting new business would be a simple process: call a couple builders and tell them you’ll beat the price they’re currently paying. But if you do that, you’ll find it doesn’t work so well.

Mark Fuqua Founder, Remark Painting

This is a probably a good time to acknowledge: there are contractors who will bend over backwards to work with the cheapest subs they can find; they’re more like babysitters than contractors. They will call to wake their subs in the morning (repeatedly), put up with day’s long disappearances, pick up and pay for materials and even provide daily micro loans, knowing when the sub gets more than a pittance, they’ll disappear for a week or two. But these general contractors are few and far between, and unless you’re one of those worthless subs described above (sorry, not sorry), you don’t want to work for builders like that. As a professional subcontractor, you want to work with professional general contractors, ones who run a tight ship and pay on time, and the reverse is true as well.

So, assuming low cost is a given, as well as being licensed, insured and legal, the first thing your professional general contractor will want in a sub, is consistent, high-quality work. Keep in mind, this needs to be commensurate with the job’s scope of work. What succeeds as quality workmanship on one job, will be overkill on another and not sufficient on a third. Find out the expectations, then exceed them, but not so much that your price gets fat. Here’s a worthwhile goal: try and have your name show up as few times as possible on punch lists. Do your own quality control, find and fix your own issues…don’t make your builder do it.

"Do your own quality control, find and fix your own issues…don’t make your builder do it."

The next most important attribute quality contractors expect in their subs, is being easy to reach. When possible, answer the phone or respond to the email or text right away. If you don’t have an office staff and that’s not possible, return the contact as quickly as you can. If the call or email is about a problem, start by assuring the contractor the problem will be taken care of, don’t argue, whine, or complain. If it’s something which is your fault, own it. If it’s going to involve an extra charge, explain why and make the cost as low as possible…don’t try and get your profits from change orders, it is very distasteful for those who must pay them.

And while we’re talking about profits, keep your pricing consistent. If you low ball an estimate to ‘get your foot in the door’, and then raise your prices on subsequent jobs, your contractor will be unhappy and feel bamboozled. Use transparent unit pricing instead. After a few jobs, when you have established a bit of a relationship, you can share a list of unit costs with the builder. After a while, builders will start to use your unit costs when doing their bids, then both of you win.

Additionally, being able to scale with your builder is important too. For a builder to rely on you, your business needs to be able to scale with theirs. Sometimes you’ll be overwhelmed and unable to handle additional work. If you have a great relationship, maybe they’ll wait, but they might not, and it’s best not to ask them to. If you can’t scale your business, then consider partnering with a likeminded competitor. You can each sign a non-compete agreement and then cover each other’s overflow. It might also be a good idea to sub some jobs for little or no profit, just to keep your builder’s schedule on track.

Finally, treat you contractors with respect. Talk them up to other subs and especially their customers and prospects. Go out of your way to make their lives easier and less stressful. In this business, low price is a given, but if that’s all you offer, you will spend too much time looking for new builders and not enough time doing whatever it is you do. Treat your builders well, use consistent, reliable unit pricing and be easy to deal with. If you do, then your business will thrive and grow, along with your reputation. As a bonus, your business will be way less stressful and more rewarding as well.