[truequality]

hello all, i am new to this forum and here is my problem.......i am dead in the water right now as far as business goes...i have been painting for years but just recently decided to start a small legitimate business.....so here i go.....get dba/tax id.insurance..business account.......got a few jobs by word of mouth and referral...notice that people do not want to pay what i consider fair prices.........also realized that i really am clueless in running a business although i paint very well......i am dead slow right now and have to get things going but do not know where to start to get some leads.......usually once i do get into someones house to speak to them i will get the job........but its getting the leads in the first place.........please any suggestions as i want despratley to become a successful small business......also i am very good at many faux finishes and have also come up with alot of my own...but no one wants to pay!!!!.how do all you faux artisians find the right clients????
thank you

 

[Rich]

ahh....this famous question arises almost daily now

 

[timhag]

Its all about this my brother

 

[truequality]

thanks for the video but i was hoping for some ideas that anyone in here has actually used.what worked for them as they were starting out and what was a waste of time......i have read e myth already and came away with some useful things.just wanted some real life experiences as there seem to be a lot of successful people in this forum.thanks

 

[Roadog]

Different things work in different areas depending on the market you want. If you want high end work, and why wouldnt you, it pays better, sometimes, I write a letter about us and our services and send it along with a postcard and a few business cards to builders, architects, and designers. Give a follow up call the next week. If you do decorative paint, try to get an appointment to show your portfolio.
If your new, write a 500-750 word "press release" for your local newspapers. Call the editor first and get direction of who in the paper to send it to. You could actually do this yearly by adding new services like XYZ painting is now offering "green" and "orange" finishes....blah, blah...
If you do "faux" (hate that word), contact some of the higher end painters in your area that do not do this and offer a "finders fee" to them. A lot of these companys just tell there clients they dont do it and thats it. Let them know your there.

 

[Ken S.]

Truequality,
Where are located?
I have found direct mail, using postcards to work, fairly well( various print/mailing companies offer complete service from internet). I also mail directly from my office.
I get decent response doing an insert(oversized, 2 sided color postcard) in local newspaper targeting areas of their coverage that have the type customers your looking for. Usually they have an art dept and do it all for you at pennies per piece.
Steady, small ad in local newspaper,and to the point with your phone #.
If you don't have one, get a website presence(can be just a page or two to start).
Possibly look at Servicemagic.com, AngiesList.com, Paintermatch.com to get leads.
Maybe join trade organization(www.pdca.com) and/or The Napp(www.thenapp.com) for help with business side.

Best of Luck

 

[painttofish]

It's always nice to know a few GC's or other paint company's that you could sub from when your in a pinch. In my area advertising in the yellow pages still generates a lot of leads.

 

[truequality]

thank you all so much for your ideas.......this forum is a great place to be......i do hope in the future i can offer my help to others in need

 

[perfecto]

head over to contractortalk.com read the marketing & business sections. you will gain so much information over there.

 

[Tmrrptr]

OKAY!

Dead in the water???

The absolute best time to toss out a line and see what you can reel in!!!

Since you are camped at the PC, read through ALL the posts here on Painttalk.com, get a good nights sleep, and go out and do your best to put all that new wisdom to use.

Try THIS one... A Salesman's Book of Wisdom, by Freeman.