How Can a Small Electrical Contractor in Austin, TX Find Steady Work?

Where does work that repeats come from?

Growth needs work that comes back. In residential electrical, the biggest source of repeat work is new homes: every one needs a service, a rough-in and a trim-out, and the builder hands all three to one electrician. Win a builder, and his next house comes with him.

So the question becomes how to get in front of builders when they're picking. That's where most electricians hit the next problem.

Isn't the electrical sub on a new Austin house already picked by the time a permit is public?

Skip the morning permit search. The board does it for you.

That's the first worry most subs have about permits, and it's fair. It depends on which permit you're watching. On a new house, the electrical permit is pulled by the electrician who already has the job. They tell you who won.

The building permit for the house comes first. The builder can't start until the City of Austin issues it, and that's often when he's still lining up subs. That's the permit to watch.

To reach him, the building permit names the builder or contractor, and the City of Austin record sometimes lists a phone. When it doesn't, the company name is usually enough to find one.

Don't Austin builders just stick with the sub they know?

Even when you reach the builder in time, there's a second wall: most builders stick with who they know. A builder who's happy with his electrician puts him on the next house, and the one after that.

"I know a builder who gives every solar job to one solar guy. That one relationship has been worth hundreds of thousands in work to him."Ben, FirstBid founder

Try it for a week and make your first call.

That's exactly why it's worth getting in. You're not trying to bump his sub off this house. You're getting on his list, so when his guy is booked, late or slipping, you're the next call. Miss that, and you're back to shared leads where the cheapest quote wins.

How do you get on an Austin builder's list? 3 steps

Getting on the list comes down to being early, being easy to work with, and proving it once.

1. See the new building permit the week it's issued. Watch new single-family building permits, not trade permits. They show the address and usually the builder, before he's locked in his subs.

Want to see who's building this week? Unlock today's permits.

2. Call the builder like a sub, not a salesman. Keep it short and easy to say no to:

If he's set: "No problem. Mind if I send you my info for the next one?" If he's open, ask when he'll need you, then tell him what he cares about:

Skip the morning permit search. The board does it for you.

Then text him your name, license number and phone so he has it when he needs it. One call won't always win the house. It gets you on the list for the next one.

3. Do one house right, then ask for the next. Show up on his schedule, pass inspection, leave it clean. A builder who doesn't have to chase his sub keeps calling the same one.

Step 1 is the hard part. Checking City of Austin permit records every morning takes time most owners don't have. That's what FirstBid does for you.

What do you get on the Austin board?

The next builder on your list is already on the board.

Once you're in, every card opens up like the one above:

• New Austin single-family permits each morning, from City of Austin public records.
• The full address, so you know the house and the area.
• The builder's name and phone, when the record lists them.
• Tap to call or text right from the card.

You still make the call and win the job. The board tells you who to call and when.

Questions Austin subs ask before trying it

Try it for a week and make your first call.

Fair questions. Here are straight answers.

Find your first Austin builder this week

Every week Austin builders pull permits on new houses, and every house needs a service, rough-in and trim-out. Try the board for 7 days and make your first builder call this week.