How to Deal with “I Need It Painted Tomorrow”
February 18, 2018
We’ve mentioned in previous blog posts that it can be beneficial to take painting jobs on short notice from time to time. There are also plenty of reasons to not do it constantly. If it means working overtime, it can burn you or your employees out, or interfere with family life in a way that reduces job quality. It prevents long-term planning, which makes it difficult to keep the business running smoothly. The most important and most common reason, however, is that you just don’t have time to do it.
If you can’t or choose not to squeeze a painting job in at the last minute, how can you do it in a way that makes a customer or potential customer more likely to call you again? And might it even still be possible to win the job? Here are three tips.
Answer the Question, and Explain
Don’t beat around the bush – get straight to the answer. For instance, you might say “We are booked solid until [date] and I’m not going to be able to start that job until then. I wish I could help you, but I can’t fit in the job and know I’ll have the time to really do a great job until then. Trying to squeeze it in wouldn’t be fair to the customers I’ve already got line up, or to you.” They’ll appreciate the straightforwardness – and if it absolutely must be done by that date, they’ll probably let you know quickly.
Ask for the Job
If they really don’t need it done right away, they might not let you know that. It’s a good idea to ask! Ask them if they’re able to wait until that time, and offer to stop by and provide a quote as quickly as you are able to make a quick visit. Tell them that you’d love the opportunity to do the work for them and that the reason you are booked up is because you do high-quality work. Otherwise, they might assume that, if you’re that busy already, you might not value the work as much as someone else and may not put as much care into it.
Offer a Referral
If they can’t wait for you to complete the job, it’s a great idea to refer them to a painting contractor that you trust to do a good job for them. You’ll impress the prospect by your willingness to refer to your “competition” in order to help them.
You’ll get another benefit from this – the person getting the referral should also be referring business to you when they can’t meet a scheduling request. Since you weren’t going to earn this customer’s business anyway, you’re not losing anything by this referral, but you might be gaining business later, when you really do need it.
In order to do this well, you should develop relationships with two or three other painting contractors and/or painters in your area. Make sure the quality of their work and their customer service matches up to yours. You want to be sure you are giving a referral that’s going to make you look good too.
To learn how ProPainter Websites can help your business earn more business, call us at 855-485-1134 or email us at Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com.
