If you just started your contracting business — or you're a few months in and starting to worry about where the next job is coming from — here's the honest playbook. Not the "run Facebook ads" advice you'll find everywhere else. The stuff that actually works when you're starting from zero, and in what order to do it.
You don't need a marketing funnel. You need credibility signals and a couple of real jobs under your belt. The fastest path is not ads — it's showing up in the places people look before they call, and working your existing relationships with more intention than most contractors ever do.
Here's the sequence, in order of ROI.
The single highest-ROI action a new contractor can take. "Roofing contractor near me" and "[trade] contractor [city]" searches show the map pack above everything else — three local listings with photos, reviews, and phone numbers. If you're not listed there, you don't exist for those searches.
Claiming your GBP listing is free. Here's what to do:
Don't skip this. It's free and it's the #1 driver of local leads in most trades.
Facebook is fine for staying in front of people who already know you. It does almost nothing for people who are searching for a contractor they've never heard of. They Google you, and if there's no website, you lose to whoever has one.
Your website doesn't need to be elaborate. It needs to:
That's a one-page website with a contact form. It can be live in a week for well under $1,500. The mistake new contractors make is waiting until they're "established enough" to need a website. You need it on day one — that's when you're fighting for every lead.
Don't just "let people know" you started a business. That's vague and it doesn't stick. Be specific.
Make a list of the 20 people in your life who either own a home, own a business, or know people who do. Call them — not text, call — and say something like: "I just started [trade] business. I'm looking for jobs while I'm getting started. If you hear of anyone who needs [specific service], I'd really appreciate the referral."
Then be specific about what a good referral looks like. "Someone who needs a roof replaced" is better than "anyone who needs construction work." Specific referral requests get specific referrals.
If you're a specialty trade — electrician, plumber, HVAC, flooring, drywall — one solid GC relationship is worth more than 50 residential leads. GCs have ongoing project flow and they're constantly looking for reliable subs they can call without worrying about quality or schedule.
Find 5 GCs in your market who do the type of work that needs your trade. Email them. Don't pitch them on how great you are — just ask to get on their sub list. Something like: "I'm a licensed [trade] contractor in [area]. I'd like to introduce myself and get on your list for future projects. Here's a link to my website and my license number."
That's it. GCs get a lot of these emails. The ones that arrive with a professional website link and a license number get taken more seriously. The ones that don't have a website usually don't make the list.
After every completed job, text your client a direct link to leave a Google review. Not "can you leave me a review" — a direct link to the review box so they can do it in 60 seconds.
Most contractors never ask. That means most contractors have 3 reviews while their competitor has 47, and the competitor wins the map pack almost every time. Reviews are one of the top factors Google uses to rank local results. Building a review base is the most direct way to move up.
The script: "Hey [name], thanks for letting me work on your project. If you have 2 minutes, I'd really appreciate a Google review — it helps a lot when I'm just getting started. Here's the direct link: [link]."
Do this after every job. No exceptions. After 20 jobs you'll have 10–15 reviews, which is enough to start dominating local search results in most markets.
Here's the stuff most people try first and waste money on:
The contractors who build a pipeline in the first year do all five steps above, consistently, and don't chase the shiny ad platforms until they've maxed out the free and low-cost options. Most never need to.
Your website and Google Business Profile are the two most important infrastructure investments you can make early. We build both, fast, at a price that makes sense for a new business. New customers capped at $1,500.
Start Here →