ProPainter   Advice   Blog

Paint has changed plenty in the past several decades, but the process of painting hasn’t.  The paint brush has been around for 2,000 years, and the paint roller has been around since the 1940s.  They’re just as useful as they’ve ever been.

It’s not that people aren’t inventing new ways to paint.  The problem is that most of these are gimmicks aimed at people who want to paint their own house and are looking for a shortcut.  Some of these may make things a little easier for an inexperienced painter, but most of them end up causing more trouble (and mess) that they’re worth.

Occasionally, a new product comes around and makes a painter’s life a little easier. Here are a couple of new ideas for 2020, and how they might help you or your business.

Nespoli Rollmatic

Paint Rollers save plenty of time, but they also can be messy, take forever to clean and waste a good amount of paint.  Nespoli’s RollMatic product recently launched in the US and attempts to deal with all three of these problems.

When you’re done with a paint roller for the day, simply pop it off into an air-tight plastic container and click the top shut.  The paint roller stays moist and ready for re-use for up to three weeks.  When you’re ready to reuse the roller, just open the container, snap the roller on, and it’s ready to go.

Armed Work Wear Painter Pants

With so many companies trying to come up with new tools to carry, it’s surprising that nobody has put much thought into carrying them all.  When you’re working on a ladder, the last thing you want is to have to get down four times to fetch the right tool.

Armed Work Wear put some thought into this and came up with a pair of pants specifically for painters.  They didn’t focus on marketing gimmicks – they’re made of pre-shrunk cotton, not some patented fabric blend.  But they carry more of what you need, keep you safer and more comfortable, and don’t fall apart after dozens of washes. (unfortunately, the COVID-19 epidemic is causing some supply issues, so it may be a few weeks before more of these are available)

COVID-19 Spray?

American Painting Contractor recently wrote an article on a protective coating that kills COVID-19 on contact.  It’s not ready for commercial use yet, and for now the product is aimed at coating masks and gloves.  But if this spray is commercialized, it could quickly become sought after by businesses desperate to avoid an outbreak in this building.  Keep an eye on this, because if it becomes available as a paint additive or surface coating, it will be a huge opportunity for painters!

To learn how ProPainter Websites can help your company earn more painting leads, call us at 919-424-6121 or email us at Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com.

When it comes to buying goods and services, people trust their own experiences. But many homeowners who need to hire a painting contractor are doing it for the first time – or at least the first time since they’ve moved to the area. Since they can’t rely on previous experience with the painting contractor, they have to find other ways to determine their credibility.

Customers in this situation will often ask for a recommendation from friends or family members, either in person or through social media.  This is why recommendations are such an effective way to earn more painting business.  Outside of a direct request for a recommendation or a comment on a newly painted house, however, the topic of house painting doesn’t come up often in conversation.

Reviews are also a great way to earn trust from someone looking for a painter.  Unlike recommendations, people can read dozens of online reviews almost instantly.  Great reviews lead to more business, and we highly recommend seeking them.  Reviews aren’t always easy to earn, however – many customers don’t remember to write them unless they’re personally asked and reminded later via phone or email, which can be awkward and time consuming.

There is one way to gain trust that doesn’t rely on anyone else speaking on your behalf, however.  One of the easiest ways to gain trust is to let your customers get to know you.  Once customers learn more about you, they’re less likely to view you as a business and more likely to view you as a person and a community member.

New customers aren’t going to call every painting contractor listed online and interview them.  If you want a chance to tell customers about you and any other people who paint for your business, your best opportunity to do that is on your website.

This is why we encourage our customers to add some personality to their websites, especially on the “About Us” page.  While most pages of a painting contractor website are built to get you found when people search Google for painting services, this isn’t the case for the About Us page.

The About Us page should contain:

What You Focus On – This shouldn’t be boilerplate language about fantastic customer service or great prices.  It’s what you do better than any other painting contractors nearby.  Whatever you say your focus is, you have to deliver on it every time.

Names, Pictures and Descriptions of Staff Members – Homeowners obviously want to know about the person, or people, who will be in their house. That person’s integrity and attention to detail will determine how comfortable the customer will be in trusting that their home and its contents will be taken care of as the painting is completed.

Community Involvement – If your business sponsors any local events or participates in other community activities, this is a great place to highlight information and pictures about your involvement.  Any free painting services you’ve provided to nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity should be listed here as well.  The more potential customers see you as a member of the community instead of a company, the more comfortable they’ll feel that they’re going to get good, honest service.

Improving your About Us page (and other areas of your website) by adding pictures and personal information is one of the most cost-effective things you can do to bolster trust in your painting business.  We love it when our customers reach out and ask us to post things like this on their websites because we know it will improve their results!

To learn how ProPainter Websites helps painting contractors build trust and earn new customers, call us at 919-424-6121 or email us at Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com.