No Work Coming In? What to Do Next as a Contractor
Start with the work closest to hand: open quotes, past customers and referrals. Make sure you are easy to reach, then add new sources carefully rather than signing up in a panic.
The short answer
Start with the work closest to hand. Then add new sources carefully, not in a panic.
When the diary goes empty, the quickest work usually comes from people who already know you: quotes you've sent that haven't been decided, past customers with another job in mind, and people they can refer you to. Check that customers can actually reach you. Then add one new source at a time, testing small, rather than signing a long contract because you're worried.
Every trade has quiet spells. What follows is a practical order of work for the next week, and how to stop the next one catching you out.
This week
Seven things to do, in this order
Follow up every open quote
Ring or message every customer who hasn't decided. Ask if they have questions, not whether they're ready to sign. Some will have simply forgotten to reply.
Contact past customers
A short message to people you've worked for: you have availability coming up, in case there's anything else they've been meaning to get done.
Ask for referrals
Happy customers rarely think to recommend you unless asked. Ask directly, and make it easy.
Check you're easy to reach
Is your voicemail set up? Are you returning missed calls the same day? Are the phone number and hours on your Google Business Profile right?
Ask for reviews
Recent customers who were pleased are the best people to ask. Fresh reviews help new customers choose you.
Talk to other trades
Local builders, other trades and merchants often have overflow or know who does. A few calls cost nothing.
Add one new source, and test it small
Pick one channel, set a limit, and measure it. How to get more construction leads sets out the options.
A quiet month is when long minimum terms are easiest to sign and hardest to live with. Read the term, the notice period and what counts as a lead before you commit. Pay per lead vs subscription explains the trade-off, and what to do if a lead company takes money but sends no leads covers the worst case.
Get to the cause
Work out why it went quiet
Look at where your last twenty or so jobs came from. If one source has dried up, you know where the gap is. If enquiries are still arriving but not converting, the problem is further down the line.
The common culprits are slow replies, quotes that take too long to arrive, quotes that look rough next to a competitor's, and pricing that's out of step with your area. Why do I lose quotes on price? and how to quote faster and win more go into each.
Sometimes it's simply the time of year. If that's the pattern, the quiet season for builders covers how to plan for it.
It's also worth asking a couple of recent customers who chose someone else why they did. Most will tell you if asked politely, and the answer is often not what you expect: a quote that arrived a week after a competitor's, a price with no breakdown, or a missed call nobody returned. Those are cheap to fix, and fixing them makes every future enquiry more likely to become work.
Write down what you find. The point isn't to blame anyone. It's to know which of the fixes above will do the most good, so the next quiet spell is shorter.
While it's quiet
Look after the business, not just the diary
Know your fixed costs
Write down what goes out each month regardless of work: vans, insurance, subscriptions, loans. It tells you how long you can run quiet and what can be paused.
Talk to people early
If a bill is going to be tight, speak to the supplier, lender or HMRC before it's due rather than after. HMRC can discuss payment arrangements for tax bills.
Use the time well
Service tools and vans, update your photos and profiles, sort paperwork, and renew any tickets. It all makes the busy months run better.
Adding a steady source
Where a contractor network fits
One way to reduce the swings is to have work arriving from somewhere you don't have to market. In the Mortaro network there's no joining fee, subscription or per-lead charge. We generate the work and handle the quotation, follow-up and payment administration; you survey, price at trade rate and do the job.
We won't promise volume, and it isn't an instant fix. Work depends on your area, trade and track record, and joining starts with a short enquiry about your business. See how much work can you provide? and how do I join the network?
Straight answers
When work dries up
Should I drop my prices to win work?
Be careful. A lower price can win a job but leave you working for little, and it's hard to raise prices again with the same customers. Check first whether speed, presentation or follow-up is the real issue.
How long should I test a new lead source?
Long enough to see whether its enquiries turn into accepted jobs, which usually means more than a couple of weeks. Set a spending limit before you start.
Is it worth taking any job just to keep busy?
Small jobs that pay fairly are worth taking: they keep cash moving and often lead to bigger work or referrals. Jobs that lose money, or that stop you taking better work when it arrives, usually aren't. Decide your minimum before the phone rings, not during the call.
For contractors
Tell us about your business
Your trade, the areas you cover and the size of work you take on. A person reads every enquiry, and if it looks like a fit we will send you the full application.