Win more contractor accounts and spot the ones that start buying elsewhere
Contractors split their buying across yards, and they rarely tell you when they move. We put your ERP's order history on every contractor account in HubSpot, tie job quotes to real projects and give outside sales a weekly list of who to call.
Free, 30 minutes, and you'll leave with at least one clear next step.
How do contractors choose where to buy materials?
Most contractors buy from more than one yard. Price matters, but so do delivery times, stock on the items they use every day, credit terms and whether the counter staff know them by name. A builder might buy framing packages from you and windows from someone else, and move a whole category after one late delivery.
Your ERP sees the orders. It doesn't tell anyone when a contractor's spend on decking drops by half, or when a builder who quoted three houses with you only ordered one. That's the information outside sales needs, and it usually reaches them too late.
Why contractors drift to other yards
Job quotes aren't tied to projects
A rep quotes a package for a subdivision. The company never learns which houses got built, who supplied them, or why the rest went elsewhere.
Contractors drift away quietly
A remodeler orders less each month. The drop goes unnoticed until year-end, when the account is gone.
New accounts stall at the credit application
A contractor wants to open an account, the paperwork sits, and they keep buying from the yard that already has them set up.
Counter and outside sales don't share notes
The counter knows a contractor just landed a big job. The outside rep finds out a month later.
What we set up for building materials distributors
ERP order history on every account
Spend by month and by category, pulled from your ERP so reps see trends without running reports.
How to connect HubSpot to your ERPSlipping account alerts
When a contractor's orders drop below their usual pattern, the rep gets a task.
WorkflowsJob quotes linked to projects
Each quote ties to the project and the builder, with a follow-up schedule and a loss reason when it goes elsewhere.
HubSpotNew account onboarding
Credit application, approval and first order tracked as stages, so new contractors don't stall.
WorkflowsEmail to contractors
Stock updates, price changes and seasonal reminders sent by trade and by branch.
Email marketingHow do you track job quotes against projects?
Set up projects as their own records in HubSpot, linked to the builder and the job site. Every quote for that project, whether it's framing, trusses, windows or millwork, attaches to it. When the project starts, the rep marks which packages you won and which went elsewhere, with a reason.
After a season, you can see your share of each builder's projects as well as their total spend. A builder whose spend looks steady might be giving you less of each house. That's a different conversation from one about a builder who's slowing down.
ERP data that's worth bringing into HubSpot
We keep it to what helps reps act. Your ERP stays the source of truth for all of it.
- Monthly spend by account and by product category
- Last order date and typical order frequency
- Open quotes and their amounts
- Credit status and account terms
- Branch and salesperson on each account
How we'd start with a distributor
- 2 to 4 weeks
Review how accounts are managed today
We follow a few contractor accounts and job quotes through your ERP, spreadsheets and email. This is the paid initial analysis in our Friction Point Analysis.
- After the review
Connect the ERP
Accounts and order history flow into HubSpot. We agree first which system owns each record.
- Once data looks right
Turn on alerts and follow-up
Slipping account tasks, quote follow-up and new account stages go live.
Our proof, and where it comes from
We haven't published a case study for a building materials distributor. Our ERP connection work so far comes from manufacturing. One example is a custom power systems manufacturer whose customers and orders now match in both HubSpot and its ERP.
For a distributor, we would start the same way. Agree which system owns accounts, pricing and orders, bring a short list of order data into HubSpot, then build the alerts and follow-up on top of it. We would rather show you that plan on a call than promise results we haven't produced in your trade yet. See the distribution page for how we approach wholesale more broadly.
Building materials distributors questions
Can job quotes be tied to the construction project they're for?
Yes. Projects become records linked to the builder and the site, and each quote attaches to the project, so you can see your share of every job.
How do we spot a contractor who's started buying from another yard?
Bring monthly spend by category from your ERP into HubSpot. When a category drops below the contractor's usual pattern, the rep gets a task to call.
Can HubSpot track contractor credit applications?
Yes. New accounts move through stages such as application received, approved and first order, so no new account sits stalled between steps.
Does HubSpot connect to lumber and building materials ERPs?
Usually through a connector tool or a custom build, since ready-made apps are rare for industry ERPs. We check what your system allows before scoping.
Should the counter staff use HubSpot too?
Lightly. A quick note on the account when a contractor mentions a new job is often enough to give outside sales a head start.
What emails do contractors actually read?
Short, useful ones. Stock arrivals, price changes on items they buy and branch news tend to get read. Generic newsletters don't.
Related
Bring three contractor accounts
Pick one that's growing, one that's flat and one you think you're losing. We'll show you what HubSpot would tell your rep about each.