Marketing to the Commercial Sector

I think the Blue Book is OK... We're in it but this is the last year. We've never got anything from it... and for $1500/yr well...

Do you know about the Dodge room?

http://dodge.construction.com/

Next, you might be a bigger company than I thought... That is alot to bite off and chew... Let me give you a couple of examples...

We have one company that uses our coatings in clean rooms. They don't do anything else... just clean rooms... 3 crews of 6 each...

We are friendly with 2 companies that do roof coatings. Both companies have over 40 employees and don't do anything but roofs...

How big are you?

WE do recieve many leads from the blue book just from online email bid request notifications

70% residential 10% commercial 10% new construction 10% industrial. We serve mostly the residential market and have grown consistently over the past ten years. We cover three different metropolitan areas
Cleveland, Akron, Medina, Sandusky, Ohio and travel to all bordering states for larger projects. We have a fleet of vehicles including 10-16 great painters year round that don't need much babysitting (for the most part) they are very well diversified and work great as a team we run two crews. We have two sales guys full time and two part time, with one full time sectary and one part time helper. We do need a bookkeeper...
We spend a good amount of time on marketing to keep us busy.

I would like to learn many things pertaining to the painting industry
most importantly how to better network and expand into the commercial
property painting sector. Iwould like to find a go to guy, a coach someone
boss us around to better achieve the company's demands, goals and
vision.

I think I can help you,first of all make sure you have the payroll and material money an account will do.Before you commit yourself be prepared to settle for draws or if it's alot of in and out jobs there may be a 30 to 90 day waiting period on the check,but a proposal a proposal do what you want.But think about this if you have a 5 man crew and each job takes a week to complete and your waiting 30 days then your already around 10 thousand in payroll before your getting the first 5 thousand dollar check.Don't be scared to ask for a down payment because if you don't ask trust me you won't get one.Any way back to the question the best way to get the job (if you have the insurance mainly GL)is to litteraly ride around find the job sites and go to the trailor ask who's the contractor or who do you talk to in person is the best way it beats out fax or email any day.Just be clean shavin,hair cut and clean clothes you don't want to look like a drunk.try that maybe it will work for you.Also i am from NC home to some of the largest industsrial and commercial painting contractors in the country such as turner baxter inc,charlotte paint company, spraytech finishes and coatings 2000 just to name a few look them up and e-mail them,they'll respond, I'm sure they can help much more than myself.

WeLovePainting,

My first thought when I read your posts was: Why travel to other states? Isn't there enough work in Cleveland?

It seems to me that marketing to other states (let alone the area you described) really spreads your resources thin. (I grew up in northern Ohio, so I'm familiar with the area.)

I'd focus my efforts on the immediate Cleveland area. You'll get much more bang for the buck.

Houston is much larger than Cleveland, and I focus my marketing on about 5% of the area. There is plenty of work in that small geographic area, and I see no need to market or travel to other states, let alone the other side of the city.

Just my thoughts.

Brian Phillips