How to Communicate More Effectively with Clients When Handling Construction Projects

Make Communication a Priority …

Communicating with clients when working on a construction job is one of the most important things contractors need to do well. Many get it wrong for several reasons. When communication is not prioritized, a lot of money ends up getting wasted, causing problems for everyone involved. Those working on the job can even end up in bad situations that could potentially put their lives at risk. When misunderstandings take place, there is a lot of frustration, but the frustration often leads to larger issues, including troubles with payments and lawsuits that are filed on behalf of the clients because of their dissatisfaction.

people talking

Many professionals have had a difficult time keeping the lines of communication open with their clients. It is important for these professionals to make sure that their clients are fully aware of how much money they are going to need to pay for the project and how long they should expect the entire process to take, especially since it can take quite some time depending on the complexity of it. As a professional, you should always keep your clients fully aware of any problems that arise, any delays that could potentially occur, and any specific risks that may be involved throughout the process.

You must feel confident with the work you are doing and the amount of time you have available to get it all done. Giving your clients unrealistic expectations is not the kind of thing that will work out very well for anyone. Always remain upfront and honest, providing as much transparency as you possibly can to ensure that your clients are fully satisfied with your work and continue to hire you or refer you to others because of all you have done.

Work on Building Trust

One of the first things you should want to do is build trust between yourself and your clients. During your initial meeting with a client, provide the different reasons why the client should hire you to handle the specific project that they have for you. It is a good time to mention the experience that you have, along with all the different projects you have successfully worked on over the years. Providing an impressive portfolio is a great way to get a client to want to hire you for the project that he or she has. If you do not already have a portfolio put together, now is the time to create one.

You need to work on making the best first impression. If you exude confidence, the clients are going to notice that confidence and they are going to trust in your ability to handle the work that they currently have for you. When you know that you are an expert, you need to make other people aware of that as well because then those people will feel confident in hiring you. When you do not act confidently, those potential clients could question your ability to help them with what they need to have done.

Make Things Clear When Speaking to Clients

There are a lot of words that you use in the construction industry that most people would not know the meaning to for the most part. For example, you may easily discuss backing rods and balloon framing when you are working on a project, but the average person is not going to know what those things are or what they mean. Constantly using industry jargon when talking to your clients is only going to cause more confusion and frustration for them. Always try to break things down and make things clear when you are talking to your clients and trying to explain the different things that you plan to do.

The reason you need to break things down is to make sure that your clients understand you. When you are speaking in terms that are easy for them to comprehend, you are making them more aware of the situation. You are providing them with as much information pertaining to their project as possible instead of causing them more confusion. In fact, some clients are turned off by professionals that constantly speak in industry jargon because it makes them feel like they are being talked down to, and that is not the way that you want to make your clients feel.

agreement between people

Not sure how to break things down better? Try practicing with a family member or friend who does not work in the construction industry. Talk to the client in the same way that you would explain a construction project to someone you love.

Know Who to Contact Directly

It becomes frustrating when there are a lot of people involved in the construction project because then you might not know who you need to contact when you have something to discuss. If an issue occurs and you contact the wrong person, it may not get back to the right person for quite some time, which is going to lead to even more problems for everyone. Because you want to avoid playing the guessing game while trying to figure out who to contact, you should have details about the point of contact in your contract. You should have that person’s phone number and email address available because then you can reach out to him or her when needed.

The same thing goes for your clients. You do not want your clients to feel like they are getting the run around when trying to reach you. Make sure your clients have a number and email that you check frequently. You do not want to leave them waiting around, especially if they have important questions or concerns that they would like to speak to you about when you have the time available to do so.

Be a Good Listener

Spend more time listening and less time talking. Although you do need to talk to explain things, you should always lend an ear when your client wants to discuss things. Most people do not remember much of what they are told. It becomes even more of a challenge to remember what someone just said when you are distracted with something else, such as an incoming call or text on your smartphone. Because active listening does not always come naturally, you should work on figuring out different ways to become a better listener. Focus on what the person is saying and what their words truly mean rather than listening just to listen.

These are a few tips that could help you become an even better listener in no time:

• Match the speed of the person you are talking to. Some people do not talk as fast, so slow it down if you need to.

• If there is something you are uncertain about, always ask questions to see what the other person says. Allow the person to have time to answer that question instead of interrupting him or her.

• Offer eye contact. It shows the person that you are paying attention to what he or she is saying.

• Repeat the words that have been spoken to you but in your own way. You need to verify that you have understood what the individual is saying to you.

discussion in a restaurant

Establish Communication Right Away

You should have basic rules when it comes to communicating with your clients. You need to keep a schedule based on when you will contact these individuals to let them know about updates, ask questions, or even answer questions when needed. You need to make sure your clients understand that they should not call you in the middle of the night with concerns, but that they can reach you during normal business hours. After all, you do want to provide your clients with exceptional service, but that does not mean you should have to lose sleep over the situation either. These are a few good questions to ask yourself when trying to figure out how often to communicate with your clients:

• When is the best time to provide updates on projects?

• What are the best methods of communicating with the clients?

• What types of information will you need to share with the clients?

• Who will you need to contact with updates?

With this information in mind, make it a priority to communicate even better with your clients. If you are communicating clearly, they will have a better understanding of what is going on, their expectations will remain realistic, and they will end up being far more satisfied with the entire process.

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Bidding on Construction Tenders And Projects

1. Traditional Construction Bid Proposals

A construction bid proposal forms the foundation of hiring a construction company to be the primary contractor in any project. Importantly, the construction bid proposal also functions as the primary means of establishing or estimating the overall costs of the project. It is, therefore, safe to say that the without this document, the contractor-client relationship will not thrive due to disagreements.

under construction sign with hard hat

The traditional method of contractor selection involved the property developer contracting an architectural firm to design property. Once the property owner approves the design, the architectural firm puts the project out for construction contract bids. Typically, the architects are interested in knowing all there is to know about the contractor. However, it is safe to say that pricing is a leading consideration for many architects. In many cases, it is the primary reason for selecting a contractor and in some cases, it is the only reason. In such cases, the contractor with lowest bid, for example, we had a Toronto commercial cleaning company that bid on post construction cleaning services and had submitted a bid to us. We considered them for hire as they met the other criteria and expectations for service. It was more than just about price.

2. Design-Build Construction Bid Proposals

In this method, the bid cover the design and construction proposal. As such, this bid will cover more than just the construction phase, as is the case with the traditional construction bids. Every bid should cover both the design and construction phases of the project. Due to this unique bidding method, the bids involve teams of architects and contractors developing a bid proposal that will cover the design cost and the construction cost. Many proponents of this kind of bids believe that such a bidding process is less costly and more efficient.

3. Construction Manager At-Risk Bid Proposals

Popularly known as the CM-at-risk method, this bid proposal method is another popular bidding method. In this method, the contractor is involved in the project right from its onset, usually acting as the liaison for the client in dealing with the architect. However, the architect and the contractor work differently.

With the CM-at-risk, the bids are not blind. The guaranteed maximum price bids are usually the standard bid proposals. These bids will contain the maximum cost of pre-construction services and the construction process. Typically, the client will choose whichever contractor he or she believes is well suited for the project.

4. Online Construction Bid Systems

The development and proliferation of the internet have changed how the construction industry does its business. In the pre-internet era, construction companies had to prepare and submit to potential clients numerous documents for consideration. However, with the online construction bidding process, contractors can submit their bids online, completing the entire process online.

This system involves websites that allow the contractor to view, and even download for later printing construction drawings. The contractor must register and fulfill all the requirements to gain access to all the necessary information. The necessary information is shared among all participating contractors and all the notifications about changes in and due dates are sent via email. Using this information, they complete their bids.

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Tips for starting a construction business

The construction industry is an industry branch that will always employ and need more workers and start a construction business is quite popular among start-up projects recently. People get the picture of establishing firm after purchasing basic construction equipment, tools and machines and see the lucrative opportunities for jobs everywhere they look. There’s a lot of truth in this statement, however, it’s not all so simple and effortless. Here are some basics you should complete successfully before you decide to hit the industrial market as a brand-new provider of construction machinery.

Business Plan

Create detailed and thoroughly analyzed business plan and back the whole idea up with a reliable funding and financing. Although the mere essence of the construction company is to do a heavy work and build facilities, it requires managing of the business just as any other business does. Skipping a business plan isn’t a good idea. You should have your plans, goals and strategies places down at the paper and keep a regular checkup to adjust your actual working with your desired road-map. Financing of the whole idea is the easiest if you can finance yourself with some pre-saved money. If not, prepare for a loan, whether from a friend or some of the institutions.

Legal procedures and licenses

Check the laws, legislative procedures and all the licenses you are obligated to obtain. Do not dodge the law, because construction business is an expensive activity to get shot down after you’ve developed it due to issues with a legal aspect. Also, be aware that most states obligate you to put some insurance in place, usually compensation insurance for employees. This is one of those phases of preparation where you should consult the experts of insurance and make sure you’ve protected your business, your workers, and your equipment validly right from the start.

Get in touch with the various specific organization, such as different forms of associations of contractors, to become a part of widely spread and well-functioning network within the construction industry and enhance your start and position, while relying on more experienced and professional businesses and experts.
Finally, invest into marketing. If you ensure high-quality of your service, you’ll reach and gain a great reputation over the time, but to boost your business all from the start and communicate with a large number of potential clients, develop a strong advertising strategy.

Must-have construction equipment if you’re a contractor

If you’re dealing with a construction industry and building projects, you know that the quality and efficiency of the job you provide depends and relies on high-quality, powerful construction equipment. Purchasing quality construction tools and machines will enable you to meet high industry criteria, stay competitive, conduct the project within deadlines and offer steadily quality service to all clients. Thus, investing into solid construction equipment at the mere beginning is an investment on a long-run, and it is essential for your business. The wider collection of tools and machines you possess, the more projects you’ll be capable of conducting. But here’s a list of some must-have pieces of construction equipment you have to invest into.

A massive and steady skid-steer loader

One of the extremely useful pieces of construction equipment is powerful skid-steer loader. This machine with its versatility and flexibility will increase the efficiency of your work significantly and open your team and company to more construction projects. Unlike classic front loaders, the skid-steer loader is smaller and easy to maneuver. Thus easy to drive into hard-to-approach terrains in the construction field. Also, it allows multi functionality. The skid-steer loader may be used to transfer construction material from one place to another, to load it on the truck or carry construction material in its bucket. You can empower it with a wide range of additional attachments and other tools and widen its assortment of functions.

Practical value of dump truck

A multitude of the tasks you can cover with a common dumpster truck makes this piece of equipment essential in your assortment of construction machines and tools. Depending on the size of the construction projects you are conducting, there is a wide range of types, sizes, and capacities of dumpsters to choose from. Six-wheeler and ten-wheeler are the most common. Most dump trucks are built of aluminum. Thus, they are durable and light at the same time. At the same time, if you’re handling heavier construction projects, pick dumpsters with sidewalls of stronger materials to withstand the pressure.

Modern hydraulic excavator

Traditional excavators are out of the game. Latest powerful models equipped with various attachments and hydraulic breaker, gripper, and other items. These modern excavators provide so much more than just a simple excavating. Whenever you’re supposed to dig trenches, foundations, do some heavy lifting, install pipes or any other similar tasks, rely on these modern pieces of construction equipment to facilitate these activities.

The Business of Commercial Construction – keys to success

When considering business within the construction industry, most businessmen focus dominantly on one of two major sub-fields in this huge branch, residential or commercial construction industry. Commercial construction refers to projecting and building large office spaces, schools, medical centers and other public facilities, plants, shopping and sports centers and other similar buildings. It also involves building a facility with the future goal to sell it or lease it or the contractor contracts with the organization financing project which could be the state itself. The mere project usually undergoes bidding process before any particular beginning of construction, where the job is assigned to the contractor with the best credentials, financial offer, and specification. Sometimes it is a pre-planned project with a clear goal and purpose, but often the real estate market demands new investments and completion of new projects usually due to population growth and city expansion.

Choose a single sub-category

If you decide to run your own commercial construction business, the best is to pick your sub-specialized field of interest and focus on it. It means specializing in high-rise constructions or construction of heavy infrastructure or common office facilities or specific public buildings. On the other hand, if you want to cover the whole branch of commercial construction, you will need a wider collection of construction equipment, experts educated in various fields of the matter and a bigger starting scope of the company. You will, also, need to get thoroughly familiar with legislative aspects of this branch where laws, licenses and mandatory criteria are particularly rigorous. This assumes close cooperation with lawyers and building inspections, as well as meeting high standards of quality service and safety at work and safety of the mere construction.

The flow of the projects

Generally speaking, one of the most important traits of the business you should establish to get a status of the professional and successful contractor is a steady stream of projects under construction. Keep the scope of your overall job big enough to suffice your needs and to keep you active in the industry, but do not overwhelm your team to avoid sloppy work, delays and other characteristics of the unreliable contractor. When creating a plan for construction, including the possible delays right away, and you’ll avoid failing to meet deadlines. It will give you better status with banks and creditors, as well as with the clients themselves. On the top of it all, improve your communication and public relations to conduct solid advertising for your company and the steady, long-term relations with potential and regular customers.

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