The Best Plan: Work Less, Make More Money
July 25, 2018
When you first start a painting business, there aren’t enough customers to fill the day, and it’s tough to make ends meet. Over the years, however, word spreads that your work is good, your prices are fair and you do what you say you’ll do. Customers come back and ask for more rooms to be painted, and they refer their friends and co-workers to you, often without you even knowing it. Pretty soon, there aren’t enough hours to complete all of the painting requests you’re receiving! That can be especially true in the summer months, when painting demand is at its highest.
To someone who just wants to do good work and keep customers happy, this is more of a problem than it sounds like it is. You’re booked up for six weeks, and most people need work done before that – which means your calls aren’t bringing in new business. If you answer every call that comes in, you’ll have even less time to paint. But if you don’t answer the phone, customers may get annoyed and your reputation will suffer.
This is stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, this situation should be exciting – because you can begin to choose your destiny at this point in your career. Rather than taking anyone who will wait six weeks, only take the jobs you want – those with high margins and less manual labor. If you’ve been in this situation for months, it’s probably safe to set a minimum job value. Soon, your wait time will be down to two to three weeks – and more of your jobs will be good jobs that make you more money with less work.
Of course, you’ll go through patches of more or less work. When your calendar is looking light, simply say yes to more work. That’s the other value of having too many leads – during the winter months, too many can quickly turn into just enough. But make sure that you’re always filling up your calendar with the best projects you’re getting, not the ones that call first or can wait the longest. Because the goal of a business isn’t to stay booked out six weeks; it’s to stay profitable, and to keep you, the owner, happy.
To learn how ProPainter Websites can help you generate more of the best leads for your business, call us at 855-385-1134 or email us at Team_PPW@ProPainterWebsites.com.
