Case studies / National multifamily general contractor

From rezoning cases to 45 developer calls in 2 months

Buildwise finds multifamily projects at the rezoning stage, traces the developers behind them and runs outreach from this national GC’s LinkedIn and email, months before a building permit is filed.

Buildwise solutionsData engineeringLinkedIn outreachEmail outreachPast⁠-⁠client follow⁠-⁠up

May to October

  • 6,500+people at development firms reached on LinkedIn
  • 21,506people at development firms reached by email
  • 879replies across LinkedIn and email
  • 289warm leads
  • 45developer calls in September and October

Challenge

Permit data misses the GC decision.

The GC builds ground-up multifamily for private developers in about 15 states, mostly on negotiated work. Developers usually pick a negotiated GC by schematic design, months before a building permit is filed. New work came from relationships and invitations to bid, and lists built from permits arrived after the choice was made.

Solution

Reach developers while the GC decision is open.

From August, Buildwise ran the research, the outreach and the follow-up, reviewed weekly.

One rezoning petition in Charlotte, North Carolina

Buildwise follows rezoning cases in the metros where the GC builds most, and land purchases in county deed records across its states.

Rezoning petition · Charlotte, NCNEW

Clanton Yard Holdings LLC asks to rezone 14 acres for multifamily

312 units planned · about $68M

4 months later: $11.2M land purchase by the same LLC, Mecklenburg County

Kept: ground-up multifamily in the GC’s range, before any building permit

220-unit project · Charlotte

Dropped: its developer builds with its own construction company

A rezoning or a deed names a project LLC. Company research traces the developer that owns it and reads its website and LinkedIn for its track record.

On the petition and the deedClanton Yard Holdings LLC and its land-use attorney

↓ The attorney set aside; the LLC traced by company research

Larkin Creek PartnersThe developer behind Clanton Yard
Team
24 people
Delivered
8 communities
Builds
Garden-style and mid-rise multifamily, Carolinas and Texas

Each project is held to the GC’s terms: ground-up multifamily or mixed-use, $15M to $90M, in a state it builds in, for a developer that hires outside GCs.

Fit with the GCLarkin Creek Partners
Ground-up multifamily312 units ✓
$15M to $90MAbout $68M ✓
A state the GC builds inNorth Carolina ✓
Hires outside GCs8 communities, none self-built ✓

A fit: on to the people

Research centers on the principal, the VP of development and the head of construction, the people who choose the contractor, each cleared against the GC’s exclusions.

Larkin Creek Partners · who picks the GC

Andrea Whitlock VP of Construction, chooses the contractor

Chosen for outreachStill at Larkin Creek ✓ Runs new construction ✓ Cleared against the GC’s exclusions ✓

Derek Lund Director of Property Management

Dropped: runs finished buildings, not new construction

Messages from the GC’s LinkedIn accounts and mailboxes name the developer’s project and a job the GC built, and offer an early budget from the GC’s preconstruction team.

From the GC owner’s LinkedIn · to Andrea Whitlock

  1. Andrea, is the GC still open on Clanton Yard? We built a 300-unit community in Raleigh and can share the numbers.
    The GC owner’s LinkedIn
  2. Our preconstruction team can put together an early budget for your 312 units. Worth a short call?
    The GC owner’s LinkedIn
From the rezoning and the land purchaseA similar job the GC built

Messages go out from the LinkedIn accounts of the owner and two preconstruction directors, and from the GC’s mailboxes. A reply stops the follow-ups; developers the GC built for before, and older prospects, get their own follow-up.

  • LinkedIn 5 messages
  • Email 3 emails
  1. Connection accepted
  2. First message
  3. Follow-ups 2 to 5

Andrea replied to the first message

Follow-ups 2 to 5 cancelled once she answered

From the GC owner’s account. Buildwise runs the sequence.

Warm leads reach the GC’s team with the project attached, in one prospect record synced to its CRM, and the GC takes the call. Daily reports and a weekly review show which campaigns turned into calls.

Andrea’s reply on LinkedIn

Andrea Whitlock
“We start schematic design next month. Send your qualifications and the Raleigh numbers. Tuesday morning or Thursday afternoon?”INTERESTED

Into the GC’s CRM

Who
Andrea Whitlock, VP of Construction, Larkin Creek Partners
Project
Clanton Yard · 312 units · Charlotte · schematic design next month
Next
Call on Tuesday; qualifications and the Raleigh numbers to send

Results

Calls rose every month from May to October.

Developer calls booked each week

LinkedInEmail

LinkedInEmail0246810Full system from August45454689MayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctober

How the engagement grew

How the engagement grew

  1. MayA 3-month pilot: LinkedIn from three accounts, email from the GC’s mailboxes
  2. JulyThe GC signs up for the full system for 12 months
  3. AugustRezoning cases, land purchases and CRM sync switched on
  4. SeptemberFollow-up with past clients starts

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