The key to a successful painting business is a steady stream of high-quality leads in the pipeline. Yet for many small business owners, that pipeline of consistent painting lead generation remains nothing but a pipedream.
As many painters can attest, the goal of growing your painting business and actually getting customers for painting projects remains a difficult task. As painters are not marketers, many get lost in the digital world of painting sales ideas and painter marketing, burning their money along the way.
But fear not. There are some simple but effective methods that can produce a higher return on your investment. This guide will help you establish some powerful tips that will help you set up your lead generation for the long-term.
Reconnect with past projects
Many painters make the mistake of thinking of customers as their projects, abandoning them forever once the job’s done. The extent of your relationship with a customer usually ends after you’ve done a terrific job and they might leave you a good review. This inefficient way of operating is probably losing you some quality leads.
It’s time to think about your clients as people rather than a job well done, as people can be repeat customers. Of course, a painting project is not like a haircut – you won’t be getting the same repeat customer every month – but chances are one of your customers is already thinking about the next thing they want painted.
That’s why it’s a great idea to keep a list of your customers old and new. Your job is to ensure consistent communication with them, so they don’t forget about your business when the time comes. Hit them with a consistent stream of marketing through different mediums such as email, text and by phone. Build that personal connection and watch yourself focusing on reactivating old leads rather than finding new ones.
Think about your point of difference
Many painting contractors fall into the never-ending spiral of trying to outprice their competitors. This is a race to the bottom, and – especially in built up areas – the bottom is you operating at a loss. When you advertise your painting company or go to a sales appointment, your job is not just to attract your client by offering a cheap price.
Instead, try pushing your business’ point of difference. Whether that be your superior tools, crew or experience, persuade your customer that the job you will do deserves a higher price than the average painter.
Build trust, listen to your client’s concerns, and push your business’ message before, during and after the sales call.
Get painting jobs online efficiently
A typical problem for painting businesses is they spend too much putting money into pay-per-lead services. While this may give you leads in the short-term, it can set your business up for failure months or years from now. Many painting business owners find themselves starved of local leads as the effectiveness of these pay-per-lead services plateaus over time. Many more are grinding away and spending more and more while larger companies snatch up the most valuable clients.
The leads from these pay-per-lead services typically come directly from these larger painting companies. So essentially, you are paying to rent out the unwanted leads from your competitors that are already in your local area.
Instead, invest in making your website beat these larger companies at the local game by generating more leads organically. Organizations such as The Academy for Professional Painting Contractors can help deliver high quality leads through targeting referrals and repeat business through your website.
This strategy will help build your online presence and make your business’ name synonymous with painting projects in your local area.
Sorting out your business insurance
States such as California, Florida, Pennsylvania and many more have certain insurance requirements painters must meet before being able to take on a project. And while it may not be mandatory depending on where you are located, it’s still a good idea to consider getting insurance coverage to protect you and your business from claims made against you.
General Liability insurance* is a popular form of coverage for painters that potential clients could look for in a painting business. This type of policy protects painters against claims and lawsuits that may arise from a bodily injury sustained by a third-party or damage to a third party’s property. It may also be referred to or sold as Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance or “slip and fall” coverage.
Essentially, this form of coverage helps provide assurance for clients that you can pay for damages to their property or medical bills in the event that they are injured because of something your business was liable for while on the job.
For painters, General Liability insurance also could provide coverage for allegations that are false or without merit.
A great place to compare your business insurance policies is through BizInsure. BizInsure understands the insurance needs of painters. That’s why they’ve made it fast and easy to find, compare and buy General Liability coverage. Just visit their website and get a quote in minutes either online or over the phone.
The bottom line
Generating quality leads for your painting business can be a difficult task. But through perseverance and little knowhow, you can build a consistent customer base that keeps coming back time and again.
