How to win new customers in Hokkaido's construction industry | Reaching 6,908 establishments in Sapporo
Hokkaido construction: "10% in Sapporo, the rest spread thin"
Sapporo has 6,908 construction establishments, the next-largest group in the city after wholesale and retail, accommodation and food services, and healthcare and welfare. Meanwhile, Hokkaido's construction companies are spread widely across Asahikawa, Obihiro, Kushiro, Hakodate and Kitami, and it is common for a single visit to take half a day to a full day..
With this structure, whether you cold-call in person or by phone, the cost per contact is nothing like on Honshu. Making the first contact by fax, then going only to those who respond, is the most rational order in Hokkaido.
Why fax still works in construction
- They don't look at a PC during the day — the owner and the tradespeople are out on site. Email isn't opened until night
- There is a multifunction printer in the office — many companies still exchange drawings, estimates and purchase orders mainly by fax
- The decision-maker is in the office — many are small businesses, so there is a good chance the owner sees the paper personally
It's not that "fax is old"; it's a tool that fits the way the recipient works.
When to send: Hokkaido construction decides before the snow melts
| Period | Situation on the ground | Suitable content |
|---|---|---|
| Feb–Mar | Planning and ordering for the next season get underway. The most important period | Materials, tools, subcontracting, systems — things to decide before the season |
| May–Oct | Sites come first. Offices are often empty and faxes rarely get read | Urgent items, things that help in the busy season |
| Nov–Jan | Snow removal work and fiscal year-end. Some companies start moving | Next year's investments, things related to expenses and year-end closing |
If you send on a nationwide calendar, you'll miss the most important period for Hokkaido construction: February and March.
How to narrow the list (this is where the difference is made)
- Split by construction license category — civil engineering, building, scaffolding and earthwork, electrical, plumbing, painting and so on need completely different products
- Split by number of employees — a 1–4 person company and a 20+ person company make decisions differently and face different problems
- Split by subprefecture — managing by Ishikari, Sorachi, Kamikawa, Tokachi, Kushiro, Okhotsk, Oshima and so on lets you tailor the copy to the region
- Keep only entries with a fax number — if companies with blank numbers are mixed in, the sending fee for each of them is wasted
How to build the list itself is explained in detail in Business lists: build your own or buy?.
What not to get wrong in the copy
- Keep it to one page — busy recipients won't read two pages
- Make the purpose clear in the top third — they decide within seconds of picking up the sheet
- Lead with what affects "schedule," "unit price" and "effort" — those three are almost the entire basis of decisions in construction
- Always include a reply section — make it a form they can fill in and fax back
FAQ
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Research it, narrow it, deliver it.
Fax DM sending from ¥10 per fax / Business list creation from ¥20 per entry. Hokkaido lists filtered by industry, region and size also available. Minimum lots negotiable.
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