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Getting started, all ideas welcome

4K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Humble Abode 
#1 ·
I am fairly new to the painting world. A friend who managed a larger paint contracting company approached me a few months ago, asking if I would be interested in starting our own business together.... 3 or 4 months down the road here we are. We generate most of leads from GC's. When we first started we just rode around newer subdivisions going up and just throwing out business cards, and talking to people. This has worked well for us. We currently keep 2 crews of 4 guys busy every week. I am looking at taking our business to the next level. At the moment, I am currently looking into developing a website, advertising with yellowpages.com, local newspapers, and yard signs. If anyone has any ideas they would like to suggest, they would be greatly appreciated. I would also like to know if anyone is having success purchasing online ads (realiableremodeler.com, etc...). Thanks
 
#2 ·
Scott
Glad to hear from another painter trying to make things happen. The time to advertise is when things are going well, not when things are slow because it takes time to generate leads and to get people calling. These days websites are a must IMO. Offering credit card payments is helpful too. (It's real easy through paypal, which is what I do). Keep business cards on you at all times and give them away like they are on fire! ANY and EVERY hardware/paint/mom and pop store that has a bulletin board with business cards needs to have a few of your cards on it. Get on google, yahoo local, merchant circle, yellowpages, yellowbook, etc. There are a LOT of free places to advertise these days. Yard signs, t-shirts, logos on truck/van are no brainers if you want to advertise and not even think about it. There's more, but my fingers are tired. Good luck
 
#3 · (Edited)
Our website (http://www.wolverinecoatings.com) was handled by Mike at Rhino Consultants... He has done at least 50 sites for people I have recommended... (many are painters or floor coating contractors) 100% of those people have told me that he went beyond their expectations... excellent placement on search engines!

You can tell him that Eric from Wolverine Coatings sent you over if you want... You can contact him here:

http://www.rhinosites.com/
 
#11 ·
site


Dude,
I get confused at your site...

I wanted to compare your products for applications I currently have,
but had real difficulty sorting through all the super hi-tech stuff.

I read all your posts, and am sure as I can be you are competent and represent superior products, but when I get to the site, I can't figure how to get the application info I need...

Maybe I should send PM ?
r
 
#4 ·
Mike is a great guy I highly recommend his services thanks to wolv.

Scott all I can tell is be carefull advertising you need to determine what works and what doesnt work. There has been times we have spent 5,000 and no calls. Now for a smaller company or any company for that matter.... that could be pretty damn hard to swallow. Good Luck!

I have nothing good to say about any online lead generation company. If your looking to generate leads online I would suggest having Mike build you a website and get it listed organically which takes some time. While your waiting for organic results, use ppc through google, yahoo, and msn.
 
#7 ·
I think it's real easy to say that one thing works and another doesn't. And if we look at a particular marketing medium superficially, our conclusion would seem justified. But we must also look at our particular ad and the message it conveys.

For example, last year I ran 2 different ads in the YP. One had an ROI of 30, and the other had an ROI of 5 (these numbers aren't precise, but they convey the difference). If I looked at the first I'd say YP is a great investment. If I looked at the second, I'd say YP sucks. The truth is, YP (or almost anything else) can be great or it can suck.

As Dave Mac said, monitor your results. And then you must experiment and try different things. The right message will work in many mediums. The wrong message won't work anywhere.

Brian Phillips
 
#10 ·
Next level ?

Hire a professional salesman to do what you have been doing with your partner. Personal contact is the best.

And of course, do some advertising in ALL other venues available in your area. Phone book most expensive, least return, but it give some strange measure of credibility.
Craigslist... lotsa fun! all the lookylou bargain hunting free estimate people. Want to exchange energy and get a massage for paintwork?
r
 
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