Time to Get Growing

Time to Get Growing

Spring into fresh ways to grow your painting business.

Flowers are blooming, sprouts are springing, and growth is in the air. But growing up isn't just for plants and children ... this is an excellent time for you to stretch outside of your comfort zone to expand your painting business. Take a look at these fresh ideas to help you flourish both professionally and personally.

FRESH IDEA 1: Try something new.

If you've been in business for a while, chances are that you haven't experimented with new products or techniques recently. That's normal! Part of running a successful painting business is finding what works for you and sticking to it. But trends and products change. Make sure you're not missing out on finding new ways to work better.

For example, do you have a set protocol for painting interior cabinets, doors, and trim? If you usually brush and roll, try spraying on the next job to widen your skill set (or vice versa). And while we're on the subject of cabinets, have you heard about our soon-to-be-released DECOGLO^® and DECOPRIME^® system for interior cabinets, doors & trim? Specifically formulated for exceptional hardness, scuff/chemical resistance, and excellent flow and leveling—it's guaranteed to be your new go-to for cabinet jobs to keep the referrals coming.

When it comes to walls, do you usually cut in first and then roll? Here's an idea that some painters swear by: roll first, then cut in, then roll again. By the time you've finished cutting in, the walls are ready for their second coat, so it eliminates downtime—allowing you to move on to the next job in record time. Our new PERFECTA-PRO brushes are an excellent addition to your cutting in kit, allowing you to achieve cleaner, smoother edges with improved coverage. You can find them in our latest catalog or visit your nearest Dunn-Edwards store. While you're there, take a look around for even more ideas on new things to try, like specialty primers and paints, new brushes, and other sundries.

FRESH IDEA 2: Start a social media account.

Most pro painters are doers, not talkers, and that's a good thing for productivity and quality. But attracting new clients requires talking about your business! While it may be a bit outside your comfort zone, starting an account on Facebook, Yelp, NextDoor, or other local services app (or boosting an existing one) can do wonders for bolstering your profits.

It's relatively simple to do—the hardest part is remembering to add fresh content to keep your account active. Mark your calendar and aim to post at least one new image or update per week (more posts are better, but start with an achievable goal and expand later as you feel comfortable).

Begin a regular practice of taking before and after photos of every job. Prospective clients love to see these, and social posts with images get more engagement and shares. Just make sure to ask property owners for written permission before publishing your photos.

Other ideas of things you can post include:

• Inspiration/Dream rooms: Free, royalty-free image sights like Pixabay allow you to use their images in your posts without worry of copyright claims. Showing potential clients what's possible might inspire them to give you a call.
• Color palettes: Check out our specs+spaces design blog for ideas!
• Sales/promotional deals
• List of services
• Photos of your crew at work

FRESH IDEA 3: Experiment with upselling.

Upselling and sales can be uncomfortable for some people. Because we recognize that there is a clear benefit to us, we can have the flawed perception that we're manipulating someone else into doing us a favor. This isn’t true. Getting more comfortable with sales and upselling comes with the recognition that your services offer a real benefit to the client as well.

Shifting your mindset around selling and upselling allows you to see opportunities to help your clients even more. For example, when doing an exterior paint job, you might inquire if the interior could also use some attention. Or perhaps you're repainting walls when you notice that a set of interior cabinets could also benefit from a repaint. This is the perfect time to offer a client a discount for adding tasks to the current job. Doing more work for the same client is often an easier sale than onboarding a new client, and your crew doesn't need to move to a different location. Oftentimes, your insights can provide your client with ideas that they might not have had, but would be happy to entertain. It can be a win for everyone involved.

With a willingness to experiment a bit, you might find that small growing pains are worth the gains they provide. Make a commitment to try at least one new technique or product this season and watch how adopting a growth mindset will make your painting profits bloom!