| You don't have to like me to make money from | | | | and the pay is quicker. So make your |
| my ideas. I have a mixed background both in | | | | comparisons and make your decisions. I think you |
| construction and in sales so I can see things from | | | | might know that I like residential repaints. And if |
| both sides. It is easy for me to see why some | | | | you prefer builder jobs or apartment painting then |
| painters think sales and marketing are not part of | | | | you might not want to read further. I am |
| the trade process. For lots of reasons sales and | | | | interested in making more money with less |
| marketing are viewed as less than honorable. But | | | | effort, not less money with more effort. |
| to succeed we need to eliminate these opinions. | | | | There are many ways of attracting new |
| We need to sell our business to bring in more | | | | residential repaints. And they all work, but are |
| business. To me, selling my painting business is not | | | | they all as effective as each other? No, obviously |
| at all like selling used cars, selling my painting | | | | some are better than others. Newspapers are a |
| business is all about educating my customers, not | | | | dying business, so why waste your money? It is |
| force or pressure. If we treat sales as a way to | | | | an easy, quick way, but it is not effective. TV |
| help our customers get better value for their | | | | and radio are very expensive, and not that |
| money, then we are doing a good job selling. | | | | effective. |
| There are lots of ways to get painting jobs, and | | | | I have tried various ways to get residential |
| of course some work better than others. A lot of | | | | repaints and have settled on two primary |
| the easy ways don't work as well as some of | | | | methods. Both work well, and both require effort. |
| the ways that require a little more effort. And all | | | | One is direct mail and one other way is placing |
| these ways center on your market. If you | | | | door hangers. My primary technique is direct mail; |
| market to builders you have an easy market but | | | | this brings in the most calls for the least amount |
| a poor return, builder pay poorly and are a difficult | | | | of expenditure. However when you are doing a |
| business to make a profit on. However they are | | | | job it is really beneficial to do proximity mailing, |
| easy to sell to. The same goes for property | | | | meaning mailing to neighbors or to place door |
| managers, easy sell but low profit and generally | | | | hangers on the neighbor's homes. It doesn't take |
| slow pay. Most small companies have found | | | | much to stay ahead of the competition in this |
| residential repaints to be the most profitable of all | | | | business, just a little thought. A little thought can |
| clients. Yes the sale can be more difficult. Yes, the | | | | make a lot of money. |
| job can be more difficult. But the profit is higher, | | | | |