How to Get Contractor Clients for Your Marketing Agency (Roofing, HVAC, Plumbing and More)
To get contractor clients, reach the owner directly (usually by text to their mobile), lead with jobs instead of marketing, and get them on a short call fast. Contractors do not buy SEO or ads. They buy booked jobs and a full schedule. Speak to that, keep every message short, and qualify hard so you only spend time with owners who can pay a retainer.
I started in this exact market. My first agency did marketing for roofers, and booking calls with contractor owners was the hardest part of the business. Once we fixed outbound, that agency grew to $25K a month. This guide is what I wish I had then, plus what our texting data shows today.
How contractors think about buying marketing
Most contractor owners are on a roof, in a crawl space or driving between jobs all day. That shapes everything:
- They want jobs, not services. “Google Ads management” means nothing. “More replacement jobs in your area” means everything.
- Many have been burned. Most have paid an agency that took a retainer and delivered little. Expect doubt and plan for it.
- They live on their phone. Text and calls get seen. Email often does not.
- They decide fast. If the numbers make sense, owners often say yes on the first call. If you are vague, they say “send me info” and vanish.
- The owner is the buyer. Office managers rarely sign. Get to the person who owns the trucks.
Where to find contractor owners
Google Maps listings are the obvious start: every roofer, HVAC company and plumber in a city, with reviews and a phone number. The problem is that the number on the listing often rings the office. Your job is to reach the owner.
Our data on this is clear. For $1M+ businesses, texting the business listing number got about a quarter of the positive replies of texting the owner’s own mobile, and 46% of replies were STOP. Find the owner’s mobile, or at least make sure the listing number is a mobile, before you send anything.
Which contractor niches reply the most
Across more than 1.1 million cold texts in 32 accounts, the reply rate from $1M+ businesses in 2026 was 0.30%. Some niches did better than others. Remodeling replied at 0.72%, the best of the higher-revenue niches we tested. Very established firms (25+ staff, 50+ reviews) replied at about a third of the rate of smaller owner-run companies.
What that means for you: the owner-operator with 3 to 15 employees, who still answers his own phone and wants to grow, is often a better target than the biggest company in town. He can afford a retainer and he still feels the pain of a slow week.
A caution: some niche samples are small. Treat any niche as unproven until you have sent at least 1,500 texts into it.
A 5-message SMS sequence for contractor owners
Here is the structure we recommend. Note that only the first message is cold. Every message after it is a reply to the owner, sent only after they answer. We do not send cold follow-ups to people who stay silent. This is a generic example; adapt the words to your offer.
Message 1: the opener (cold)
Hi Mike, this is Sam. I’ve got a couple homeowners in [city] looking for roof replacements. Still taking on jobs? Reply STOP to opt out
Why it works: it is about jobs, it is short (one message, under 160 characters, no link) and it asks a yes/no question. On contractor campaigns, a plain opener like this got 3.47% positive replies over 22,991 sends. A “partnership” style opener got 0.49% over 5,659 sends. Talking about jobs beat talking about you by about 7 times.
Message 2: one qualifying question (after they reply)
Great. Are you mostly doing residential replacements, or repairs too?
One question at a time. You learn if they fit, and they stay in the conversation.
Message 3: the call ask
Makes sense. Easiest is a quick 15 min call so I can show you how it works. Today at 4 or tomorrow at 10?
Give two times, not a calendar link. It feels like a person, not a funnel. Even better, have a setter call them within minutes of their reply.
Message 4: the confirmation
Locked in for tomorrow 10am. I’ll call this number. Talk then.
Message 5: the reminder (morning of the call)
Morning Mike, still good for 10am? Just reply yes and I’ll call you then.
A reminder that asks for a reply catches people who forgot, and gives them an easy way to move the time instead of no-showing.
When to text contractors
Honest answer: in our data, no send time has been proven to beat another. What is proven is when not to text. US rules limit marketing texts to 8am–9pm in the recipient’s local time, and we stay inside that window. Check the recipient’s time zone, not yours.
Two other basics: register your numbers for business texting (10DLC) so carriers do not block you, and honor every STOP right away. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the rules for your situation.
Common contractor objections and what to say
| They say | You say |
|---|---|
| “We get all our work from referrals.” | “That’s a great sign. Do referrals come in steady, or are some months slow?” |
| “I tried an agency before. Waste of money.” | “What happened? Most owners I talk to got charged for clicks, not jobs. What would you need to see to know it’s working?” |
| “How much is it?” | “Depends on your area and how many jobs you want. What is an average job worth to you?” |
| “Just send me some info.” | “Happy to. So I send the right thing, are you after more replacements or more repairs?” |
| “I’m busy right now.” | “No problem. Tomorrow 7am before you head out, or 5pm after?” |
The pattern: acknowledge, ask one question, and keep the conversation going. Never argue and never apologize for asking.
What a qualified contractor owner looks like
Not every reply is worth a sales call. Before you book, check:
- Decision maker. The owner or a partner, not the office manager.
- Right work. They do the type of job your marketing produces (for example, residential replacements, not just small repairs).
- Room to grow. They have crew capacity for more jobs and want them.
- Can afford you. A business doing enough revenue to pay your retainer without stress.
- Will show up. They confirmed the time and answered the reminder.
Fewer, better calls beat a full calendar of tire-kickers. Small contractors who can barely make payroll also tend to cancel fast, so qualifying protects your retention too.
Doing it yourself vs. getting it done for you
Everything above can be run in-house: find owner mobiles, send the opener, reply within minutes, qualify, book and remind. It takes lists, registered numbers and someone watching replies every day.
If you would rather just take the calls, that is what ProPlus does. We text the contractor owners you sell to, a human setter qualifies the ones who reply and books them on your calendar, and you pay only when a qualified owner joins your call: $1,200 one-time setup and $250 per qualified show. No-shows are never billed. More on how agencies get clients and what lead generation should cost.
3 high-ticket clients added to your marketing agency in 90 days, or we refund you in full.
Tell us your trade and service area. In 15 minutes we will tell you if outbound to contractor owners will work for your agency.
Book your 15-minute fit callFrequently asked questions
How do I get roofing clients for my marketing agency?
Build a list of roofing companies from Google Maps, find the owner’s mobile, and send a short text about jobs, not marketing. Get the ones who reply on a 15-minute call quickly. Qualify for residential replacement work and enough revenue to pay a retainer.
How do you sell marketing services to contractors?
Sell booked jobs, not services. Ask what an average job is worth, how many more they can handle, and what went wrong with past agencies. Then show how your work turns into jobs. Keep it simple and decide on the call.
Is it legal to text contractors about marketing?
Business texting is regulated in the US. Common practice is to register your numbers for business texting (10DLC), send only between 8am and 9pm in the recipient’s local time, identify yourself, and honor STOP requests at once. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the best time to text contractors?
In our data, no time of day has been proven to beat another. Stay within 8am–9pm in the contractor’s local time, and make sure someone can reply within minutes when they answer. Speed of reply matters more than send time.
Which contractors are the best clients for a marketing agency?
Owner-operated companies with a small crew that want to grow. In our texting data, very large firms (25+ staff, 50+ reviews) replied at about a third of the rate of smaller ones, and remodeling was the strongest of the higher-revenue niches we tested.