Whether you’re a customer, sub-contractor, or general contractor, I’m sure at one point in your life you’ve experienced first hand why contractors typically have a bad rap for not communicating effectively.

As mentioned in previous articles, miscommunication and inaccurate project data can lead to a whole host of problems and nearly account for half of all the rework that happens in construction, ultimately costing the industry over $30 billion dollars every year in the US alone.

Now of course the blame doesn’t solely sit with the builders and contractors, as clients have been known to make projects very difficult through their own actions, such as constantly changing plans and failing to involve all stakeholders in important design decisions. Furthermore, most contractors haven’t had many opportunities to improve their communication skills, especially since they spend most of their time managing multiple projects and problems.

As you can see, the fault doesn’t quite lie solely with any one party, but that still isn’t an excuse for a contractor to not take this seriously, especially since they are getting paid for their services. As a contractor of any discipline and size, your goal should always be to try to impress your clients and grow your business. In order to do so, client relationship management is the key ingredient to success, where the underlying principle at work is having a strong foundation for communication.

Below I’ve highlighted some things to avoid doing as well as tips you should follow to build a strong relationship with your clients. By following these tips, not only will your clients be elated to work with you again, they’ll even spread the word and unlock future opportunities for you once the project is complete.

Before we get into how to build and maintain a strong relationship with your clients, it’s first important to make sure you’re not doing anything wrong, such as the examples in the list below. Any one of them can send your client running out the door before they even get to know your first name.

1. Sending bids/quotes that are incomplete and don’t follow bid document requests
2. Sending bids/quotes with errors
3. Missing important deadlines
4. Not being upfront about additional costs
5. Not responding to price requests or RFP’s

If any of these items sound familiar, you need to take action immediately as you could be seriously ruining your chances of forming a stronger relationship with your client, ultimately leading to missed future opportunities. Therefore it’s essential that you get the basics down right from the start, as customer success and satisfaction should happen from the first moment you interact with them, which starts in the pre-construction phase.

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