“Just where are the [insert any Trade]s I need???”

Sound at all familiar? Chances are you’ve heard this around the office in the last year or two. As an industry, we’re losing skilled trades. The older generations are retiring, and there isn’t a great “system” in place to replace those with the younger generations. As a result, Home Builders everywhere seem to be scrambling to find “good help” to build their homes.

If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation – saying the same thing – this post just might be for you! I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be as difficult as the industry has made it. In fact, the solution may be more simple than you think.

Are There Trades Out There?

In short, YES!

Homes are still being built most everywhere. I work with homebuilding companies all across North America, and I’m not hearing of many slowdowns. Although the higher interest rates have cooled some Buyers, the pace of construction seems to be moving right along. And industry experts report that the U.S. needs MORE housing to meet demand.

So, don’t let anyone tell you that there are no plumbers, framers, electricians, or masonry contractors out there. They’re out there and they’re working on jobs.

If you’re finding that they are NOT on your jobsites, chances are that other Home Builders may be doing a better job cultivating an environment with those Trades to keep them on their jobsites. That could be a problem that you’ll want to discuss in your management meetings. Cultivating a healthy and winning work environment like that is the topic for an entirely different article (but if you want to see one now, I happened to write a post for the folks at ECI Software Solutions on this very subject).

If you happen to be in one of those rare areas where homebuilding has slowed considerably, chances are that you’re getting phone calls every day from Trades looking for work. If you’re not, see my last paragraph. But – even in areas where homebuilding has slowed, those Trades often find themselves picking up “other” work.

And that’s where you can take a novel approach to finding them and getting them to work for you.

A Novel Approach To Finding Trades?

Get ready for a jaw-dropping, novel approach to finding Trades when you think there are none.

It’s called [drum roll]………getting in your vehicle and actually driving around! I know. Wild, huh?!?

Driving around actually lets you find the Trades working. And if they’re working somewhere, they can be working anywhere. This is where conversations can happen face-to-face (which really is a bit of a rarity these days).

Now, you need to be respectful – especially if you’re finding and approaching Trades on a competitor’s jobsite. That’s a really touchy subject in which you need to be careful. “Trade Wrangling” doesn’t sit well with anyone (and even worse when the Trades are offered more money to abandon that Home Builder to come work for you). That’s also another article in itself that I’ll get to in the future. For now, DONT. DO. THAT.

Instead, if you’re on another Home Builder’s jobsite, just introduce yourself to the Trade. Let them know that you work for another homebuilding company and you’re always on the search for new Trades to keep up with your workflow. Acknowledge that they already have a relationship with their current Home Builder (and make sure you say some nice things about that Company – no dissing allowed). Tell them that – if work slows up for them – you’d love the opportunity to work with them.

Then, simply leave (with a wave).

But Don’t Limit Yourself To Jobsites!

Home Builder jobsites are obvious spots to find Trades. But that’s not everywhere!

Let me tell you a story that I’ve been told by a man who worked for my father way back in the 1970’s . He was managing one of the branch offices in rural Pennsylvania. During a check-in meeting with my father, he mentioned that he couldn’t find any masons to help install foundations.

“There’s no masons!” he proclaimed.

My father told him to jump in the car with him. They did so and just started to drive (while discussing other issues with that homebuilding branch).

Before long, my father spotted a group of masons working on building – of all things – one of those BBQ chicken pits in a community park. You know they type – the big cinderblock fire pits that local fire companies use to have fundraising chicken barbecues, complete with baked beans, potatoes, and other goodies (ok….I’m hungry now and need to find one locally….).

Anyway, my father said, “There’s a mason! Let’s go talk to him.” The manager looked at him with a little bit of skepticism – wondering how a BBQ pit-building mason would work out for homebuilding.

A 15 minute conversation happened with that mason. The next week, that mason was installing a foundation. Fast forward 30 years. That mason was still working with the family homebuilding company.

The moral: look EVERYWHERE and don’t discount anyone. The longest and most successful partnerships can begin with a simple discussion in the most unlikely places.

That’s it. Groundbreaking. Jaw dropping. Simple. Go find your Trades!

And – if you have found a Trade in an interesting way, I’d love to hear your story!