How long does it take to get onto a vendor list?

Usually months, not weeks. Managers rarely switch vendors until something goes wrong, so the aim is to be the obvious, well-documented alternative when that happens.

What do managers check before calling a new vendor?

Commonly your insurance, WorkSafeBC standing, licences where your trade needs them, response times, references and how you look online. The exact list varies by company, so ask each one.

Do you contact strata managers on our behalf?

We prepare everything and coach you on the approach, but the relationship should be yours. Managers want to deal with the business owner who will answer the phone at 2 a.m., not an agency.

Is this only for big companies?

No. Small firms often win strata work precisely because they answer quickly and the owner shows up. What matters is reliability and documentation, not size.

Strata Vendor Marketing for the Burquitlam Corridor

Strata vendor marketing is the slow, careful work of becoming a trusted supplier to the councils and management companies that look after whole buildings. In a corridor filling with towers and townhouse complexes, one good relationship can bring more steady work than hundreds of individual homeowners.

Why buildings buy differently

A homeowner with a leaking tap picks someone quickly. A property manager responsible for a 300-suite tower picks carefully, because a bad vendor becomes their problem: complaints from owners, insurance questions, council meetings. So managers favour vendors who are easy to justify, not only cheap.

That changes what marketing means. Ads and rankings matter less. What matters is:

Documentation. Insurance certificates, a WorkSafeBC clearance letter, licences where your trade requires them, and clear written rates.
Response. Who answers after hours, how fast someone can be on site, and whether you report back in writing.
Proof. Photos of similar buildings, references the manager can call, and a website that looks like a real, stable business.
Persistence. Polite, regular contact over months, so you're remembered when the current vendor slips.

Who this is for

This service suits trades that buildings need repeatedly or urgently, for example plumbing and drain work, electrical, common-area cleaning, window cleaning, painting, landscaping, pest control, door and access systems, and waterproofing. You'll need a reliable after-hours number and the capacity to handle a call-out without abandoning your other customers.

The corridor matters because the Burquitlam-Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan puts townhouses and infill homes further from the stations, and towers near them. Both are usually stratified, so both have councils and, in many cases, professional managers choosing vendors.

What's included

The proof pack. A tidy, two-page PDF and a matching web page covering what you do for buildings, response standards, insurance and safety documents, and photos of comparable work.
A buildings page. A section of your site written for managers, not homeowners, linked from your corridor website.
A target list. The management companies and self-managed stratas active in the corridor, built from public information.
An approach plan. Introduction wording, a follow-up schedule and what to send after a first job. Templates use placeholders such as [Building name] and [Manager name], and you send them yourself.
Review and reference routine. After each building job, a simple process for gathering a reference and, where appropriate, a public review.

Timeline

Month 1: proof pack, buildings page and target list ready.
Months 2–4: introductions and first follow-ups. Expect small trial jobs, often an urgent call when the regular vendor is busy.
Months 4–12: trial jobs turn into vendor-list spots for the businesses that respond well.

How we measure results

Buildings contacted, buildings that have used you, buildings on which you're a listed vendor, and revenue from building work each quarter. A worked check: if three management companies each give you two buildings, and each building averages $6,000 a year of call-outs and scheduled work, that's $36,000 of steady work from six relationships.

What a first trial job should look like

Treat the first call from a manager as an audition. Arrive when you said you would, check in with the caretaker or concierge, protect the elevator and common areas, and send a short written report with photos the same day. Invoice promptly and accurately. Managers compare vendors on these small things, because they are what owners complain about at council meetings.

Mistakes to avoid

Treating managers like homeowners, with flashy ads and discounts. They want reliability.
Missing the first call. A manager who reaches voicemail on a trial job rarely calls back.
Weak paperwork. Expired insurance or a missing clearance letter ends the conversation.
Giving up after one quiet month. Vendor changes happen on the manager's schedule, not yours.

We don't give legal, insurance or safety-compliance advice; check your obligations with WorkSafeBC and your insurer. Strata work pairs well with move-in marketing, which reaches the owners in the same buildings, and with two-city local SEO, which is how many managers find a new vendor in the first place.

Strata and property-manager vendor marketing for corridor buildings