Blog/How building materials dealers can win a multifamily project before it breaks ground

How building materials dealers can win a multifamily project before it breaks ground

Nov 37 min read

Multifamily projects have more buyers and a longer wait between quote and order. How reps can qualify the project, map each buyer and keep the quote alive.

Sales Strategy
How building materials dealers can win a multifamily project before it breaks ground

A multifamily project is usually won or lost months before the first delivery. To win one, decide early whether the project fits what you sell, find out who buys each material category on that job, and keep the quote alive until the building starts. Then go after the later packages with the trade contractors who control them.

That process looks different from selling to a single-family builder. A production builder buys house after house on a repeating bid cycle, which we covered in how to win and keep a production builder's community. A garden-style or podium apartment project is one large job, with more people involved in each purchase and a much longer gap between the first price and the last order.

Why multifamily opportunities need their own sales plan

Two facts shape the sales work.

First, the buyer changes by category and by job. In a 2017 LBM Journal feature on serving multifamily builders, Aaron Mathews of Huber Engineered Woods said the decision-maker is sometimes the general contractor, sometimes the framer and sometimes the architect, and that it "can change from job to job." The same article described how one developer, Alliance Residential, typically chose high-profile finishes such as appliances, plumbing fixtures and flooring itself, while relying on subcontractors to buy commodities like lumber, drywall and hardware.

Second, the timeline is long. Mathews said projects "may be six to eight months out before it breaks ground" when dealers quote them. Census Bureau data adds the build time after that. In 2025, buildings with 20 or more units took an average of 2.6 months from permit authorization to start and 19.1 months from start to completion. Single-unit buildings averaged 1.4 and 7.4 months (Census length-of-time tables).

For a rep, one project can produce several separate sales over more than a year, each with a different buyer. A single quote record with one contact and one close date will not hold that.

1. Decide whether to pursue the project

Not every multifamily lead deserves a full pursuit. Your owner or sales manager sets the policy on project size, credit and contract terms. Within that policy, judge each project on the information you have:

  • Scope. Which categories will the project need that you sell? A framing package, a drywall and insulation package and a door and trim package are different opportunities.
  • Relationships. Which contractors on the job already buy from you? Check their purchase history by category before you count on the relationship.
  • Timing. When is the project expected to start, and when will each package be bought?
  • Team. Do you have the estimating and project support to handle it? In the same LBM Journal article, 84 Lumber described a multifamily hub staffed by a lead, a construction manager, an estimator, two field staff/project managers and an admin. Graves Lumber noted that work with general contractors on these projects is more formal, with contracts, AIA billings and immovable deadlines.

The market moves, too. Webb Analytics' Construction Supply 150 report, summarized by HousingWire, found that multifamily units under construction fell 22% in 2024. A dealer that wants multifamily work should choose its projects deliberately rather than chase every apartment lead.

2. Map who buys each category on this job

Once you decide to pursue a project, build a short buyer map. For each category you sell, record who selects the product, who buys it and who can change the specification.

Mathews said Huber and its dealers typically start with the framer, who can explain the general contractor's and developer's priorities and "will know how hard of a spec it is." Ed Belair of Graves Lumber added that multifamily specs often call for "or equal," which gives a knowledgeable supplier room to discuss products with the GC, owner and developer.

How that plays out by segment:

  • Lumber yards and multi-category dealers. The framing contractor is often the first conversation for the framing package. Ask who on the job buys the other categories you sell, such as windows or doors, and whether the GC buys any of them directly.
  • Drywall and insulation dealers. Board, finishing supplies and insulation may sit with different trade contractors. Confirm which contractor holds each scope before you assume one buyer for all three.
  • Window, door and millwork suppliers. Ask whether the developer or architect has selected a product line or left room for an "or equal" alternative, and who will issue the purchase order.

Save the map with the project record so everyone working the job can see it. When the framer mentions that the developer has strong views on windows, your window specialist needs to know.

3. Use project leads to find the contractors, then confirm

Permits and project databases can show a project and some of the companies attached to it. Timing matters here. Because the framing quote may go out months before ground breaking, a permit can arrive after the framing decision is already made. It may still be early for later packages, since a large building can take well over a year to finish.

Treat a permit lead as a set of questions. Is one of your existing customers named on it? Which packages are still open? Then ask the contractor.

SalesJack's CRM brings in permit leads through connections such as Construction Monitor, filters them by project type and region, and uses AI to match leads to existing customers and addresses before routing them to the assigned rep. Permit coverage varies by area, so check what your market provides.

4. Keep the quote alive until the building starts

A long gap between quote and order creates two risks. The price you quoted may no longer reflect the market, and the contact may forget who quoted it.

Price protection is a policy decision. When LBM Journal surveyed 128 dealers about guaranteed pricing in 2016, 30 days was the most common guarantee, chosen by just over half of respondents. Many others said it depended on the project. Some extended longer guarantees only on larger projects, one naming apartments, and many asked for a deposit, purchase order or other commitment in exchange. Follow your company's terms, and make sure every quote shows its expiry date.

The rep's job is to stay in the conversation. Mathews advised dealers to stay in contact with the general contractor as the start approaches and explain what the materials market is doing. Frank Cicero of 84 Lumber described the value of a relationship that lets you say, "We're doing this now but we're going to look at this again in eight months."

In practice:

  • Record the expected start date and the quote's expiry date with the opportunity.
  • Schedule check-ins for the weeks before the expected start.
  • When you requote, record which version the customer is considering, so the team follows one decision.
  • Log what changed, such as a new GC contact, a revised schedule or a product substitution.

5. Bring every department into one project record

On a multifamily job, the framing package, windows, doors and trim may involve different specialists in your company. Belair described "a lot of coordination between our salesmen, our construction services department, our window and door department" before the job starts.

Put those requests in one place. SalesJack's Project Management lets a rep start a project and request estimates or quotes across product lines from the jobsite record, route each request to the right team by category, calculate due dates from configured timelines and track what is still outstanding. The CRM can also group connected quotes by project and surface cross-sell opportunities in the categories you sell. The rep who owns the relationship can see which quotes are ready to discuss with the customer.

6. Pursue the next package after each award

Winning the framing package does not give you the drywall, doors or trim. Each later package has its own buyer and timing, and months can pass between them.

After each award, go back to the buyer map. Which packages are still open? Who controls them? When will they be bought? Give each one an owner and a next contact date. If a package goes to another supplier, record the reason as you would for any lost quote.

Limitations

The industry examples here come from individual dealers, a manufacturer and one developer. They describe practices those companies reported, not universal rules, and the LBM Journal articles are several years old. Census figures are national averages that vary by region and building size. Credit terms, contract terms and price guarantees belong to your owner, credit team and sales leadership.

If you sell to several kinds of contractors, see how SalesJack works for multi-category building materials dealers. To see project leads and quotes for your own market, you can book a demo.

Sources

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