Whether you’re a property owner or facility manager looking to have some Pavement Marking work done, there are certain steps you should take to begin the process of gathering bids.
Given your position, it’s likely you know someone who has had work done on their parking lot(s). Reach out to them. They can tell you who they used and what their experience was with that contractor (good or bad). Short of any good referrals, the below steps can help you gather bids from other sources. Even with a referral, I’d also look to the internet for help.
Most buyers today will hop on their mobile devices or laptops to begin their search for a product or service. Google is by far the most popular search engine. I love the Google! Type in the service you need in the search bar and add “near me”. For example, “Parking Lot Striping near me”. Or, “Pavement Marking Contractor near me.” Or, if you’re getting a quote for a property not near you, type in “Parking Lot Striping in (City where the property is located).” You can vary the search terms any number of ways and get slightly different results.
Shameless plug not only for our G-FORCE owners, but also my fellow Veterans in the industry – try searching for “Veteran Owned Parking Lot Striping companies near me”. Thank a Vet by giving them the chance to bid!
Back to search results. At the top of your results, you will see the Paid Ads or Sponsored Ads section(s). Contractors, including G-FORCE, often pay for this placement. Nothing wrong with exploring businesses that list there. Keep in mind that every time you click on those ads, it costs the contractor for that click.
But, before I click on paid ads, I like to scroll down to see what businesses show up at the top of the organic (non-paid) results. You might see the same company as listed in the Paid Ads. That might be a good sign.
But you’ll also see others that can be confusing for the uninitiated. Lead aggregators like Angie’s List (Angi), Home Advisor, Houzz, Yelp, and others will rank very well and show up on page one since they can dominate organic searches. At least for the pavement marking industry, I don’t think these are good sources for you. I find contractors who aren’t established using these lead sources mores than the established brands. Scroll to find actual local businesses that provide the services you need in the area you need work done. You may need to go to page two or beyond.
Spend a few minutes clicking on some of the top-performing business websites. In the industry, Click on their Services page(s). Maybe see if the owner is on LinkedIn and connect with them there, as well. Check their local Google Business listings for Reviews. Note: Don’t let the random One Star Review with no explanation scare you away. Sadly, it’s a common occurrence for competitors to try to hurt other businesses with this method.
Like what you see with a few of them? Fill out their Quote Request Form or call them. If you have a deadline, be certain to express that to the contractor. Also, any unique needs should be shared early on.
Now, the fun begins!
If you submit a request for a bid or quote online, you might get some delay in someone getting back to you. That’s to be expected. To a degree. You should also expect to be ghosted by some. It’s just the nature of the business.
Ideally, you get some sort of acknowledgment that your request is received with some planned follow-up.
If you reach out to three and only one returns your call, they present themselves well and the bid is within the zone of reasonableness, maybe your search is over.
If you get three bids, but aren’t comfortable with the way any of them are presented or the way the contractor carries themselves, maybe you need three more. There are a lot of professionals in the industry that wish to earn your business. With low barriers to entry, there are also many untrained folks running around doing some less than stellar work. Be careful out there!
Find a contractor that you feel you can trust (supported by some online sleuthing and due diligence) and you should be good to go, at least for receiving the bid.
I’ll have more on finally choosing the contractor to hire in my next PLOG.
Salute!
Pavement is the first piece of your property that a customer will encounter and the last thing they see. When maintaining curb appeal, proactive care is the only way to mitigate the high costs of parking lot liability.
Reduce warehouse accidents with 5S floor striping. Learn how Yellow traffic lanes and Green safety zones engineer a collision-free workplace.
G-FORCE was recently featured on 1851 Franchise. Read the full article to discover how we support veterans after their service in becoming successful franchise business owners.
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