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Archive for December, 2017

Three Terrible New Year’s Resolutions for Painting Contractors

December 20th, 2017

It’s getting to be the time of year where everyone is taking a look at things that went really well in 2017, and things that didn’t go so well.  Those thoughts always seem to lead to New Year’s Resolutions.  While it’s a little cliché to make big changes in January, that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to analyze your painting business and work to improve it.

That being said, not all resolutions are good ones.  Here are three not-so-great resolutions for painting contractors, and how you can tweak them to make them better for your business.


Work Harder

Most business owners work really hard.  In fact, many of them end up doing two jobs instead of one – managing their business and painting. If this describes you, then working harder is just going to lead to less time to enjoy the personal life that your business is supposed to be supporting.

A better resolution is to figure out how to outsource as many of the annoying tasks consuming your time as you can – or to stop doing them entirely.  Reclaim your time to do the essential jobs of a business owner: customer service, business strategy, and (if your company employs other painters) employee management.

Spend Less

There’s nothing wrong with wasting less money, but there’s a good chance that spending less money will lead to poor profitability.  And if it doesn’t hurt you in the short term, it almost certainly will over the long term.

Instead of trying to spend less, take some time to figure out your return on investment for the purchases you make.  Are you getting your money’s worth from your paint provider?  Is that postcard mailing campaign bringing in more money than what you paid for it?  Taking money away from low ROI activities and spending it instead on things that you know generate more money for your business will lead to much higher profits.

Be More Self-Sufficient

As mentioned earlier, it’s hard to run a business and work in it at the same time.  One way to make better use of the time you use managing your business is to spread it over more employees.  While finding great painters can be difficult in an area where painters are in demand, if you can provide them with a good place to work and take care of them, your business will become more profitable with each one you hire.  This higher profitability will let you invest in the things that help your business grow, including marketing, partnerships and training.

To learn how ProPainter Websites can help you make more money, call us at 855.385.1134 or email us at Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com.

What Makes A Great Painting Company Name?

December 16th, 2017

If you’re starting a painting company, one of the first things you have to decide on is a name. That’s because the name will go on all of your incorporation paperwork and marketing. Changing your company name becomes harder (and more expensive) with each day your company operates. Click here for five things to consider when selecting a name.

American Veteran Painting | Your All American Painter!

December 13th, 2017

American Veteran Painting is the business to trust when it comes to your home projects. Serving the McDonough, Stockbridge, Greensboro, Buckhead and Eatonon areas of Georgia is a painter that once served this country. He has taking the meticulous lessons learned in the armed forced and uses them to create stunning work. His services include interior and exterior painting, dock and deck refinishing, and cabinetry refinishing. So if you are ready to have your house turned into a home call 404-401-3704 today!

Delivering Bad News – 3 Ways Painting Contractors Can Soften the Blow

December 10th, 2017

Most painting contractors have the best of intentions when they provide job estimates.  Even so, bad things happen.  Painters quit, or bad weather causes you to get way behind schedule.  Maybe you thought you could get away with one fewer coat that turns out to be required, or maybe you discover major damage that should be repaired while staining a deck.


Delivering bad news is never fun, but it’s made worse by the fact that there are untrustworthy contractors out there, painters who try to rope a person into selecting them and then backtracking on their offer.  It’s important to give yourself every chance to not be seen as one of these bad actors when you deliver bad news.  Even if the bad news was totally beyond your control, customers may still feel like they’ve been cheated somehow. That can have a major impact on your reputation if a customer leaves a negative review online or complains to people in your community.

Here are a few tips for when you do have to deliver bad news.

  • Make it clear you know the bad news is a surprise. Customers don’t like to hear bad news, but what really makes them angry is if they feel like you don’t acknowledge, or care about, how much of an inconvenience it is for them. If they took a day of vacation time to be at home and you can’t make it that day, they may not be able to get that time back.  A change in costs or timelines can have a big impact on a customer’s life – make sure to acknowledge that.

  • Be as open as possible with the customer. Tell them as much as you can about why this bad news is just arising now.  If it’s an unexpected problem like damage that wasn’t visible on the initial inspection, show them where it is and tell them why your pre-quote inspection didn’t uncover it.  If they expect that you’re hiding anything, they’ll assume that you’re hiding everything.

  • Offer to make the situation better. This doesn’t mean that you have to lose money on the job (unless you’ve already made a firm offer) but make it clear that you’re going out of your way to make it impact their lives less. Even a small gesture will make it clear that you understand it’s an inconvenience and are trying to help them through it.  Also, remember that not all gestures are financial – it may mean putting a bit of time in on a Saturday you had scheduled off, or offering to connect them with someone who can help them repair damaged drywall or decking at a special rate.

To learn how ProPainter Websites can help your painting business find new customers (or new employees!) call us at 855-385-1134 or email us at Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com.