10 Myths That Cost Builders

Building’s a tough industry to work in. So, many builders have built some ‘rules of thumb’ to help them avoid risks. But times (and technology) have changed. So these myths or ‘half-truths’ are probably costing you.

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We review 10 ‘half-truths’, that have served builders well over the years, to see if they still stack up and where there may be opportunities for those with a more flexible mindset.

Myth/Half-Truth 1: If They Can’t Afford It – Run!

Many builders we interviewed had a hard and fast rule: If you suspect they can’t afford it – drop ‘em and run.

Historically, this has saved builders from burning countless hours on clients who will never be able to afford their project.

But this approach is now obsolete and costs builders for two reasons:

1. If 80% of prospects can’t afford their project, half of these people would be open to a reduced scope to meet their budget. That is, 40% of clients who approach you can still be profitable clients – if you manage the scope/budget conversation with them
2. Technology now enables you to estimate, then re-estimate project costs in just 15 minutes from your desktop – so this can be done easily (book a free ProCalc trial)

To learn how, see Stop Throwing Away Half Your Best Leads

Myth/Half-Truth 2: Architectural Jobs are Nightmares

It’s true. Architectural jobs can be tough.

Maintaining design intent, unfamiliar construction contracts and stage completion authority from a third party can all be foreign territory to builders who aren’t set up for architectural work.

This coupled with many builders’ experience of being used as quote fodder makes some builders understandably wary of architects.

But what if you could identify the architects and designers that are a perfect fit for you?

If you had a system to identify the architects who love what you do and how you do it – without all the risks of wasting your time and effort?

Would that make a difference?

To see how to do this check out How to Win More Custom Design Jobs Easily

Myth/Half-Truth 3: You Never Know What a Client’s Gonna be Like

Quite rightly, many builders work cautiously through their projects, gradually getting to know how their client will react to good news, bad news and anything in between.

While no one has a crystal ball, there are ways for you to run ‘mini test projects’ with your prospective clients BEFORE you commit to their build.

By contracting for a small engagement, you’ll get to understand how they think, operate and respond to a variety of circumstances.

Best of all, a pre-build engagement is no extra work and will position you as the preferred builder should you want the project.

To learn how, see How (& Why) to Charge for Pre-Build Engagement

Myth/Half-Truth 4: If They Don’t Pick Up & Answer, They’ll Call You Back

How often do you get a missed call but you don’t know who it’s from?

Do you call them back? Probably not.

Clients are the same. If you don’t leave a message, they’re unlikely to call you back.

At best they’ll forget about you. At worst, they’ll think you’ve disrespected them by not bothering to leave a message and simply move onto the next builder.

Leave a message, explaining why you’ve called so that they can organise an informed response when they come back to you.

It saves time for you and them.

Myth/Half-Truth 5: Learning New Technology is a Pain

Yeah. It can be.

But a builder we interviewed shared a simple, effective rule.

He said if he can’t learn – or feel confident – with a new technology in the first hour, he walks away.

With this approach, he frees himself up to free-trial more technology solutions for builders because he knows when to let go – to stop investing his time.

The new tech available to builders is growing and can often save untold grief in growing your business.

Implement this rule and you’ll quickly discover the productive technologies that genuinely save your time.

Myth/Half-Truth 6: Systems Are Too Hard to Set Up

Creating systems in your business is a little like living in a house as you build it.

The key is to prioritise the systems you implement.

To do this,

1. Explore technologies that will save you grief (using the one hour rule from here)
2. Then, delegate administrative tasks that you can teach to an assistant or VA.
3. Then, create systems onsite for your team to follow.

Start with the easy stuff that will free up your personal time – then you can think and act with a clearer head.

Myth/Half-Truth 7: I’m Too Busy for That

Yep. Builders are busy.

To start, read the item above about implementing systems.

But also, list the three biggest pain points you have in your business. Prioritise them by the easiest to fix. Then, fix them one at a time.

Once they’re fixed, start on the next three…rinse and repeat.

Myth/Half-Truth 8: Clients Won’t Pay for Advice

We all know a builder who visits clients and offers free advice. Or free quotes or free management of consultants or free whatever….

The point is, that builder’s dropping their pants just to get noticed.

They’re discounting their value before the job even gets started.

Consider this: builders possess a huge knowledge base that clients value.

So, charging for your expertise from the beginning helps you position yourself as an expert, turn your first meeting into a consultation rather than a sales call, disqualify time wasters and build trust with clients.

If you’re sceptical that this can work for you, check out How to charge for your first meeting & ProCalc reports

Myth/Half-Truth 9: If I’m Not Exclusive, I Won’t Deal with Them

Historically, this approach works well for builders in three scenarios:

1. Demand for builders far outweighs supply and clients are throwing themselves at builders (as we saw in the COVID stimulus era)
2. Clients are uniformed and don’t insist on competitive tension for a robust commercial outcome
3. Clients trust the builder 100% and know they’ll get a great outcome

Given scenarios A & B are currently far less likely, that means builders seeking exclusivity – or being the one builder involved – need to build trust with their prospect base.

See How to build trust with your prospects

Myth/Half-Truth 10: Clients are Only Interested in Price

Ok, so there’s a segment of the market who are focussed on price.

As a builder, you can choose to target this group but, to win the work, you would have to build the cheapest homes possible.

Is that what you really want? A race to the bottom?

If not, and you want to sell on quality, check out 6 Steps to Turbo Charge Builders Profits

Book a free ProCalc Trial

You Might Also Like:

• Builders, Get Your Pricing Right Every-time – No More Under-Quoting
• Transform Your Building Business in 43 Mins (webinar)
• How (& Why) to Charge for First Client Meetings
• Take a Free Trial of ProCalc
• Stop All Free Client Meetings – Charge Upfront
• Want more tips like these? Attend the Webinar: Work Smarter, Not Harder