Inclement weather is the norm as spring arrives, meaning more opportunities for contractors to generate leads and business. But according to the latest reports, contractors may be in for a rough time this year.

In this episode of “Dear Anna,” Art Unlimited CEO Anna Anderson looks into the crystal ball that is lead forecast reports and explains what contractors should expect in the coming season. She said in studying search results for construction services, her marketing company has seen the volume of searches trend downward since November. Typically, this climbs back up in spring, but the last four months have been unique by remaining relatively flat.

“Only in the last seven to 10 days have we seen those models change,” she said. “When you look back over the last five years, that type of pattern has not been present.”

The decline in searches has resulted in multiple contractors reporting a slow start to what should be the busy season. Anderson said, however, that search inquiries are about 30 to 45 days behind where they should be.

“That, again, has never happened before,” she said. “Obviously there’s some regional differences … but it is interesting that some pretty major markets across the United States and North America as a whole have seen that flat line of search results.”

Anderson said not all is doom and gloom. She advises contractors to “be aware, not alarmed” of this slump and offers some advice on how to generate leads during tough times.

Listen to the full episode here or download it from our Spotify and Apple Podcast pages to listen on the go.