How Builders can use AI To Grow and Thrive

AI is the hot topic everyone is talking about. But for builders looking to attract more new business opportunities, which AI app should really be on your radar?

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock you’ve interacted with AI in one form or another. It's that awkward feature that tries to complete your sentences in emails (whether you ask it to or not) or robot pretending to be a human customer service rep answering your questions over a chat window.

Maybe you even messed around with those writing robots like ChatGPT. If you've used one to bang out a requisition form, a scope of work, or some other paperwork, you probably had that "aha!" moment. You saw it could get stuff done faster, with half the headache. Suddenly, AI didn't seem like sci-fi; it was actually practical to claim back some precious time every day.

For builders navigating today's competitive landscape, Artificial Intelligence is quickly becoming an indispensable tool, not just for simple writing tasks, but even for crafting marketing strategies to hunt down new business opportunities.

What AI Apps Benefit Builders?

The problem is, every tech company out there is trying to cash in on this wild ride. A new AI app or feature pops up every single day. You're probably sick of seeing it everywhere, from your scheduling software to ordering in the drive through. You know there must be some AI apps that actually help your business, from how you operate to how you find new projects. But with all this noise, how do you sort out the good from the garbage?

That's why I brought in AI expert Lex Nepomuceno from Incumbent.com. I interviewed him this week (listen to the podcast), asking him exactly that question. We had a great chat, and he did a good job codifying and breaking down the best apps companies in the building industry should be looking into, along with the trends you should be paying attention to.

Untapped Potential

Lex shared info about the many AI powerful tools for business development. For instance, it can go in and pull out valuable data from the internet to identify emerging market trends, pinpoint geographical areas with high project potential, or even predicting which types of projects are most likely going to be coming online in the near future.

These AI programs can pull data on potential clients and even spy on your competition, giving you the inside scoop to stand apart from the pack, get noticed and reel in those leads. They can help you pump out articles, case studies, or social media posts that your business community actually will notice and appreciate.

AI can also smooth out your workflow and help you manage your crew. There are apps to help with estimating and forecasting, so you can stop headaches like project delays or cost overruns before they happen. It can even tell you the best time to order materials and point you to the cheapest, fastest suppliers. It can even automate all that boring admin stuff, freeing up your estimators and project managers to actually get more important work done in a day.

Time to Take On AI

Like I said, Lex is a savant when it comes to AI. He's got his finger on the pulse of every single application. His insights are priceless if you're a builder looking to actually use AI strategically. It's not about just "keeping up" anymore; it's about using this tech to land more projects and keep your business growing. 

Listen to the podcast, and see what you think.

Written by Rusty George, ironically with no help from Artificial Intelligence. Well, maybe he used one little app to check his grammer and then discovered a better way to write a sentence or two, but hey - he's only human.

Rusty George leads a branding, website design and marketing agency serving Seattle and Tacoma area construction companies, subcontractors, manufacturers, material fabricators and suppliers. His goal is to help the building industry become more attractive to the skilled workforce of the future. Reach out to us at any time to discuss how you can set up the right suite of AI tools to get an edge on the competition.

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