Remember: Story Before Style

Whether it’s a government procurement committee selecting a firm for a huge project or a homeowner choosing a contractor to build his new deck, the decision often comes down to one key thing—and it’s not always the lowest price.

When committing to a sizable investment and vendor to see it through, they want to work with a company they trust. They’re looking for a partner who aligns with their values and instills confidence on a gut level. Even if competing bids present similar stats or incentives, the contractor who wins the bid is usually the one who leads with a story before style.

Leading with Style Before Story
In our work with construction general contractors, subcontractors, fabricators, and material suppliers, we’ve noticed a common trend: most of you lead with style before story during your business development process.

Many of you believe that prospects are won over by technical details alone—focusing on materials, timelines, and budgets in your proposals. While these specifics help you verify credibility, remember that competing firms are probably including similar numbers in their bids as well.

If you lead with style before story you fall short of making an emotional connection to cause the pendulum to swing your way. Your intro is a generic company bio full of meaningless dates and milestones. Your once-a-quarter social media post is just another picture of your team showing off your favorite sports team’s colors. In your bids, your messaging highlights what you find interesting rather than addressing what your prospective customer truly cares about. Nothing stands you apart from similar competing companies.‍

Story Before Style
Humans are hardwired to connect through storytelling. A powerful story doesn’t just inform—it connects. It reassures and resonates. It doesn’t matter how much detail or incentives are included, when prospects are choosing between vendors, they’ll often pick the one that feels right on a deeper, instinctual level.

Instead of burying your case studies in technical details, focus on the bigger picture. What challenges did you encounter and how did you overcome them? What lessons did you learn during the process and how can your audience benefit from this learned knowledge? These unique insights explain why they make you the ideal choice for the project without selling.

If you’d like to explore how leading with story over style can elevate your business strategy, check out our latest podcast episode or reach out to us directly. We’d love to help you craft a story that empowers your team to win more business, scale with confidence, and truly stand out as a louder builder.

Written and recorded by Rusty George, with no help from Artificial Intelligence.

Rusty George leads a branding, website design and marketing agency serving Seattle and Tacoma area construction companies, subcontractors, engineering and architecture firms, 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, and we can discuss how landing pages can contribute to an overall plan to increase your business opportunities.

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