What to Look for in a Construction CRM
Generic CRMs don't understand construction. Here's what to look for — and what to avoid — when choosing one.
Why Construction Needs a Different CRM
Standard CRMs are built for:
- Short sales cycles (days or weeks)
- Simple products and services
- One-time transactions
- Predictable follow-up patterns
Construction works differently:
- Long sales cycles (months, sometimes years)
- Complex project-based selling
- Relationship-driven repeat business
- Bid and proposal workflows
- Revenue tied to projects, not products
A CRM that doesn't understand this will fight you at every step.
Features That Matter for Contractors
Essential
| Feature | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Project-based pipeline | Track opportunities by project, not just contact |
| Bid tracking | Log bids submitted, outcomes, and reasons |
| Relationship tracking | Know who you've worked with and how it went |
| Proposal management | Templates, tracking, and follow-up |
| Win/loss analysis | Learn from every bid — wins and losses |
Important
| Feature | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Prequalification tracking | Manage documents for GCs and owners |
| Estimating integration | Connect your pipeline to your estimates |
| Calendar and reminders | Bid deadlines and follow-ups don't slip |
| Contact sharing | Your team should see the same data |
| Mobile access | Check info before a meeting or site visit |
Nice-to-Have
- Marketing automation (email campaigns, newsletters)
- Document storage per opportunity
- Revenue forecasting
- Integration with accounting
- Custom reporting
How to Evaluate a CRM
The 3-Question Test
- Can you enter a new opportunity in under 2 minutes? If the data entry is painful, nobody will use it.
- Can you see your full pipeline at a glance? If you need to click through 5 screens, it's too complicated.
- Does it use language you recognize? "Projects," "bids," "GCs" — not "deals," "leads," "MQLs."
What to Test in a Trial
- Enter 10 current opportunities
- Log a bid submission and outcome
- Pull a pipeline report
- Add a follow-up reminder
- Check it on your phone
If any of those feel painful, keep looking.
By Contractor Type
Different contractors need different things from a CRM.
General Contractors
- Subcontractor prequalification tracking
- Bid invitation management
- Client relationship history
- Project pipeline by owner or architect
Subcontractors
- GC relationship tracking
- Bid opportunity tracking
- Prequalification document management
- Simple proposal workflow
Specialty Contractors
- Fast lead response tools
- Simple quoting
- Repeat customer tracking
- Service scheduling
Design-Build and Developers
- Long-cycle opportunity tracking
- Multi-stakeholder management
- Revenue forecasting
- Detailed proposal workflows
Implementation Tips
Start Simple
Don't customize everything on day one:
- Week 1: Enter current opportunities
- Week 2: Start logging new leads
- Week 3: Add team members
- Month 2: Customize fields and stages
- Month 3: Add reporting and analysis
Key Fields to Track
| Field | Why |
|---|---|
| Lead source | Know what marketing actually works |
| Project type | Track win rates by type |
| Estimated value | Pipeline forecasting |
| Bid date | Deadline management |
| Decision maker | Know who to follow up with |
| Outcome reason | Learn why you win or lose |
Common Mistakes
- Over-customizing — Keep it simple until you know what you need
- Not using it — If data isn't entered, it's worthless
- No follow-up process — A CRM shows opportunities; you still have to act
- Ignoring the data — Win/loss patterns tell you where to improve
Measuring CRM ROI
What to Track
| Metric | Improvement That Pays for Itself |
|---|---|
| Win rate | Even 1-2% improvement on your bid volume |
| Response time | Faster follow-up = more wins |
| Pipeline visibility | Better decisions about what to pursue |
| Repeat business | Identifying and nurturing key relationships |
The Math
If you bid $10M/year with a 20% win rate:
- Improve to 22% = $200K more revenue
- Improve to 25% = $500K more revenue
- CRM cost is typically a fraction of one won project