Irecentley moved and this will be my first winter in this area. Im a one man crew using help here and there. I sub work through other painters in the area to fill when i dont have my own work. My question is Im looking for business going into the winter months and looking for advertising advice. Im a member of the chamber of commerce here so I will start networking more through them, I thought about the telemarketing thing- anyone have any luck there? Maybe making calls to builders to see if I can find a good builder or two. Im sending thank you cards for the holidays to all my customers. But Im just looking for any extra advice anyone can give me to get through the cold and snowy winters. Thanks for any help
finding business
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
Joined
·
1,254 Posts
Welcome aboard APC
First off, where are you from? That could help. There are many threads that have been started in here about advertising, marketing, etc. You should do a quick search and see if you can find some helpful tips :thumbsup:
As far as the chamber of commerce, Napp, etc....I've never been a member. But I know some of the guys in here are.
Good luck
First off, where are you from? That could help. There are many threads that have been started in here about advertising, marketing, etc. You should do a quick search and see if you can find some helpful tips :thumbsup:
As far as the chamber of commerce, Napp, etc....I've never been a member. But I know some of the guys in here are.
Good luck
Joined
·
152 Posts
The Chamber might be helpful for some commercial work. I was a member for a year but let my membership lapse because I do primarily residential and found few leads via the Chamber.
You might check to see if there's a BNI group in your area.
http://www.bni.com/
I belonged to one for about a year but the group I was in kinda ended with a whimper...people stopped attending meetings.
I found a local print shop which offers good pricing and has a bulk mailing permit. I have them print and mail a newsletter I put together every few months. It's most helpful for name retention for previous customers--it seems to have boosted word-of-mouth referrals.
You might check to see if there's a BNI group in your area.
http://www.bni.com/
I belonged to one for about a year but the group I was in kinda ended with a whimper...people stopped attending meetings.
I found a local print shop which offers good pricing and has a bulk mailing permit. I have them print and mail a newsletter I put together every few months. It's most helpful for name retention for previous customers--it seems to have boosted word-of-mouth referrals.
Joined
·
316 Posts
Mr. APC, if you do not mind the "lower end" work, I would suggest contacting local apartment complexes. Some times they have their own in house staff that take care of the painting, but other times they hire contractors. I mailed out about 50 letters of introduction here in Lafayette, IN, and had one response that has kept me busy off and on for the past year. Doing apartment work means that cash flow will be more difficult to deal with. I also contacted realtors, but with not as good results. Hope this helps. Happy Painting, Paul. :rockon:
Joined
·
152 Posts
Oh, something else I do:
I installed flashing blue lights and a siren on my van.
I pull people over an tell them, "Just some friendly advice: Your house really needs painting, and here's a painter's card. Have a nice day."
I'm kidding...this story about a guy installing blue lights and a siren on his mustang in an effort to beat rush hour traffic made me think of that.
(And it's the third guy in a month the cops have busted doing that.)
I installed flashing blue lights and a siren on my van.
I pull people over an tell them, "Just some friendly advice: Your house really needs painting, and here's a painter's card. Have a nice day."
I'm kidding...this story about a guy installing blue lights and a siren on his mustang in an effort to beat rush hour traffic made me think of that.
(And it's the third guy in a month the cops have busted doing that.)
Welcome APC,
Chamber is probably a good start.
Maybe continue on the social agenda and participate in all the various civic organizations to gain the name recognition necessary for success.
Then, you can strengthen that name recognition with different types of advertising.
r
Chamber is probably a good start.
Maybe continue on the social agenda and participate in all the various civic organizations to gain the name recognition necessary for success.
Then, you can strengthen that name recognition with different types of advertising.
r
Only you will find the best way to reach your market. I would recommend reading Conrad Levinson's book Guerrilla Marketing. He lists tons of free and low cost marketing ideas. Couple suggestions that work well, put ads on craigslist.com, put up fliers at your local paint stores, grocery stores and other bulletin boards around town. When I had my landscape company the small events ie festivals, chili fest etc. what ever event the chamber is hosting- ask to put up a table to promote your services. Throw on a clean polo and print up some fliers. I negotiated access to two events for free when signing up for the chamber. It worked out very well. Hope this helps.
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
