Solve Business Problems in Half the Time

Defeat Twice as Many Problems in the Same Amount of Time!

Solutions to paint business problems these days seem to be measured in 50 and 100% increments. Sometimes, reality works in different sized chunks than “twice as many” and “half as many”.

While I love big picture thinking, when you are in the forest, you see trees. And when you can’t see your way out of the forest, the problem is the trees.

If you have been in the paint industry for very long, you know that there are problems…too numerous to list in one article. The ones that get the most attention are the ones that are right in front of us. Unfortunately, sometimes those can be the hardest ones to see.

What’s Your Problem?

What is a problem for paint contractors? Ultimately, anything that negatively impacts our ability to pay the bills, make profit and ensure security in the lives of our families and employees.

[Read a previous article by this author called “What’s Your Problem?”]

Paint business problems will come in all shapes and sizes, but they all share some common attributes as far as their impact. Let’s take a quick look at the life cycle of a problem.

The Problem with Problems…

…is that anyone can identify one, and sometimes people think that is where their responsibility ends. So, defining what a problem is in your business becomes important. What is a problem for an employee may not always fall in priority line with what is a problem for your business.

The problem with problems is that anyone can find them. Not just anyone knows what to do with them. #problems

— Prep to Finish (@PreptoFinish) October 26, 2016

Always consider the source and the reason for their voicing of a problem. Someone bringing you a problem that genuinely inhibits operational efficiency is the best kind of messenger to have.

Hire for that aptitude.

If you have people in your company who present their own daytime inconveniences as company problems – and less face it, if you are hearing about it, it’s a problem in your company – then you may be in a strong position to save yourself some time.

It is important to be a good listener and give everyone in your company your time, but it is also important for everyone in your company to know that your time is valuable and it is ultimately the resource that best secures their employment in your company.

Challenge your employees to become problem solvers. That is only learned through experience. There are no armchair problem solvers. But there are plenty attempting it.

The first thing that I’d like to do is encourage employees to come to me with a problem and a few well-thought-out solutions than just an annoying problem.

Promote Solutions

“It is entirely too easy to hop on the internet with either a problem or a solution that is half baked. What is more important is to keep the focus inward, within your own company. Sure, gather info from all possible sources that you consider to be reliable, but keep a clean filter on what info to retain and how to implement it into your own company.”

If you are not sure the solution to your common paint business problems, you at least need to know what category it falls under in the business world so that you can research it and seek help. To make it simple, most field based problems for painters fall into the categories of Operations or Human Resources.

People either aren’t doing what your company needs them to do, or your company isn’t clearly defining what it needs people to do.

Either way, there are problems that need solutions, and this is a case where it definitely doesn’t matter who’s right and who’s wrong. As long as a problem festers, everyone is wrong because no one has solved it.

We win together and lose together.

Sometimes, it can be very empowering to lead people with questions. When employees come to you with company problems, ask them what they think would be a good solution. And listen. You might be half way to a solution.

Leaders Emerge

The problematic road to honesty.

The bridge between problem and solution is honesty. The most honest people in your company, and that list hopefully begins with YOU, are the ones who will take responsibility for where they themselves are a weak link.

Encourage them to also suggest ways to make operations better so that people can do their jobs the way they need to be done. Day to day operations need to be easy for everyone! No one wants to dread coming to work.

I co-taught a course recently about the importance of defining roles in paint companies. If everyone is responsible for everything, then nothing gets done. It’s simple human natures. Avoidance behavior rules.

Now, if everyone is accountable for specific things, then it is much more likely that things get done. With proper management, which is a discussion for another day.

Such a Lonely Word…

HONESTY is the biggest communication skill that is needed to ensure that everyone knows where everything stands in your company. The only thing standing between any problem and its solution is accurate information, the definition of honesty. That should be Core Value number one in any company.

Customers can smell it, and it smells good.

Keep in mind, honest solutions shouldn’t come with a “you don’t get it” attitude. Blame is not part of the game in efficient problem solving.

Be like a dentist in problem solving. Find the cavity (gap in your company), drill until the problem is removed, and apply the appropriate filling (solution) into the hole.

While it is best to do all of this with a positive, supportive, caring and encouraging approach, what matters most is that the problem gets solved. Sometimes, it simply can’t be wrapped in bacon. Honesty is the best way to address the cause of a problem, and the direct approach is inherently a time saver in your business day.

Now, tell us: What is the most recent operational problem that you have solved in your company?

 

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Scott Burt

Owner at 802 Paint

Scott Burt owns and operates Topcoat Finishes, Inc. in Vermont, writes the monthly "From the Field" column in American Painting Contractor, and blogs prolifically at www.topcoatreview.com. Google

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How White Roofs Bring Benefits

Investing In Exterior House Painting Can Help The Planet And Your Pocketbook

Did you know that white roofs can be beneficial for the environment, your wallet, and the life of your roofing as a whole? As a result, these roofs are popping up across North America as they grow in popularity. When painting a white roof, exterior house painting experts use a reflective white coating that reflects sunlight and radiates absorbed heat.

In comparison to dark-coloured roofs that reflect a mere 20 percent of sunlight, white roofs reflect up to 90 percent and have 100 percent thermal emittance (the ability to radiate the absorbed heat). This means less heat is absorbed by buildings throughout the city.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits white roofs have to offer:

Reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect

Ever notice how a city is always a few degrees warmer than the suburbs or a rural community? The heat from sunlight winds up absorbed by the roads and buildings in a city. Concrete’s thermal properties, coupled with a lack of vegetation in urban centres, winds up making busy cities much warmer than the weather might suggest. This is known as the Urban Heat Island effect. Suburbs have more tree cover and less areas for sunlight to be trapped. Surfaces that better reflect and radiate heat, like a white roof, can help cut down on the Urban Heat Island.

Reduce Energy Use in the Summer

Since buildings are hotter in the city, especially in the summer, energy is being used constantly to air condition buildings and homes. This increased energy use takes a toll on the environment, the power grid, and the bank account. Energy bills skyrocket and outages roll across cities, provinces, and states. White roofs can help you save money and energy spent on cooling your home by reflecting the sunlight and reducing the amount of heat that is absorbed. All you need to invest in is some exterior house painting!

Reduce Smog and CO2

White roofs reduce heat, smog, and pollution. Highly populated cities in the US have seen a decrease is smog pollution since white roof projects began. This means fewer people with respiratory illnesses (such as asthma) will suffer during hot summer days and the air will be cleaner and better for the environment overall.

Extend the Life of Your Roof

Heat can warp and crack roofs, especially when sunlight isn’t reflected well and heat isn’t radiated. Fortunately, white roofs do the opposite—the sun reflectance and heat emittance protect the roof from heat damage, and extend the life of the roof. Getting a white roof will save you from a costly roof replacements more often.

The next time you consider exterior house painting, remember these important benefits to having a white roof. Your roof will be stronger, your energy bills will be cheaper, and you will help your city and environment by reducing heat, smog, and energy use.

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Matching Wall Colours With Furniture

Interior Painting Services That Complement Your Home

It’s amazing how much of an impact a fresh coat of paint can have on a room’s overall look and feel. While hiring an interior painting service is an easy way to revamp your home, choosing the perfect shade to use can be a bit harder.

There’s a lot you’ll want to consider during the process, such as lighting, room size, location, use, and (most importantly) furniture. If the walls of a room don’t complement the furniture, it can make the space appear hectic, messy, and inharmonious, which won’t do much in the way of enhancing your home.

Next time you’re repainting, make sure the colour you choose complements your furniture by following these general guidelines:

Choose Colours That Work Together

To start, you’ll need to take stock of what pieces and fabrics are currently in the space. While it’s certainly not imperative that the colours match, they should definitely complement each other in one way or another. To find colours that go with your furniture and upholstery, try using an online colour wheel or calculator.

Think About Proportions

Another factor to consider is the size of the room and how much of it each colour will cover. If you’re getting interior painting services to repaint a whole room with the same colour, its contrast to your furniture might have to be more subdued than it would be if you were only painting one of the walls.

Consider The Tone

Generally speaking, dark hues will make a space more grounded and intimate while light colours add depth and brightness. As such, a good rule of thumb is to combine both dark and light colours in a room to create balance. If your furniture is already very dark, you might want to consider asking if your interior painting services can use a brighter paint colour.

Consider The Focal Point

Every room has a focal point, whether it’s the paint, the furniture, the décor, or an architectural feature. If the focal point of the room is not on the walls, make sure the colour you choose adds to and doesn’t take away from this feature.

Hiring interior painting services to switch up the colours of your walls can give new life to your home. When repainting, be sure to take into consideration all aspects of the room so your re-do doesn’t become a re-don’t.

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How to Be Found On Google

As a website designer for painting contractors, the single biggest request that I receive when a client says they need a new website is that they need SEO. And it’s true: SEO is a fantastic way to generate more traffic to your website. It also is an asset – once you have a high ranking, you keep it. But how do we “get more SEO”?

Before we jump into the best ways to be found on Google, it is important that we understand how Google works. When a user goes on to Google and searches for something, they expect to have a relevant result. If the user consistently receives a website on Google which is not what they were expecting, they will ultimately go to other search engine like Yahoo or Bing. Google wants to be the best search engine possible. When someone is searching for an “exterior painting contractor” or “commercial painting business,” Google is going to show whoever “looks” the most credible to them. Here’s how you get found on Google:

1. Create and Optimize a Google My Business Listing.

A Google My Business listing is an online profile created with Google which tells Google exactly who you are, what you do and your contact information. The best way to find out if you already have a Google my business listing is to Google your business name. If a profile shows up on the right hand side similar to this image shown, you already have one. If there is not a box on the right hand side, you need to create one.

The Google My Business profile box is located on the right hand side when you search for your business.

Your profile can be created or modified at google.com/business. It is 100% free. Make sure that all of your information is thoroughly filled out; you want to provide Google with as much information as possible.

This is also where you’re going to ask customers to review you. The more reviews, and higher rated that you are, the higher up you will show up on the rankings. In previous years, Yelp was the number one source for reviews. However, due to the recent accusations on Yelp, Google has decided to create their own system (Google My Business). Because it is a Google system, they overpower Yelp by factoring your reviews into your search engine optimization (and ultimately how you rank).

2. Your Online Listings

Online listings are any profile that you have online. This can include Yelp, Yellow Pages, Home Advisor, Angie’s List and any social media profiles. Make sure that all of this information is identical and that you are including your business name address and phone number. If Google sees inconsistencies among these profiles you will lose credibility because they don’t know which website is accurate.

It is a tedious process to Google yourself and go through every single profile, but it is well worth it. Once that is established, the best practice going forward is to make sure that any future profiles you create are all identical.

3. Your Website

Ultimately your website is going to be the most important factor of your ranking on Google. Although there exists a comprehensive process for improving your ranking online, the important thing is to ensure that your content on your website includes the different keywords which you’d like to show up for. The content (headlines and paragraphs) on your website should include keywords like “painting contractor” and your local cities.

I would advise hiring a specialist to work on your search engine optimization if you haven’t already. Here’s why: a couple of months ago we had a client come to us in desperate need for search engine optimization. They had hired a cheap SEO company for $200 a month in attempt to save money from Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor. They had also just redone their website. The SEO company made several mistakes including a duplicate website on Google as an attempt to generate more leads. However, because Google saw duplicate profiles and web sites on the web, they realized that this was unreliable, inaccurate information. Google ultimately completely removed both web sites and listings from search results and the business lost all incoming leads.

While we were able to restore their website and their rankings, the critical thing here is to hire an expert who understands the web and can get you real results.

What Should I expect?

Once you obtain high rankings for valuable keywords, you should expect more traffic to your website which ultimately results in more leads. I would recommend focusing on keywords which are going to generate leads in your target market. An example of some of these keywords would be the location (cities with higher house values usually mean larger jobs) and the type of painting job (residential versus commercial; exterior vs interior). Please view one of my latest case studies for inspiration.  

By putting time and resources into your online business, you are ultimately investing in an asset. You keep the website and rankings, and it continues to generate more revenue for your business.

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below or drop me a message at pruchti@adeptplus.com.

Author information

Peter Ruchti

President at AdeptPlus

I have a passion for providing web design and online marketing solutions to help painting businesses grow. By helping you develop your brand and strategically communicate your purpose, I can help you move past the idea that you need “just a website” and help you direct your energies to success online. Please feel free to contact me with any questions (really!) or visit Painting Business Gurus for free resources.

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The Barnes Village Development

Breathing New Life Into Barnes Hospital With Renowned Local Decorating Firm   If you have been resident in the area for some time, you will have been unable to miss the 1870’s brick built Barnes Hospital, Cheadle, towering over the surroundings. First built away from the centre of the then industrial Manchester, it was named …

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Renovation Of Older Properties

Renovating older properties and listed buildings Renovating those older – and more majestic – properties can certainly make for a desirable so it’s important to get things right from the word ‘go’! When a house builder takes on an older building, or listed property, it is the ideal setting for moderm apartments contrasting with the …

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Hiring, Firing and Training

There are several things to consider when you think about what type of work you want to do. Generally speaking, it’s better to do a few things well rather than trying to do it all. Consider what types of work are available in your area, what you are best equipped to do and what it is that you do well. This will help you to determine what niche you want to aim for and, in turn, the makeup of the crew you will need.

Hiring

Depending on the size of your operation, I would suggest a mix of skill sets and levels. A strong superintendent to help oversee your operations is key to your success. This is especially true as you grow your company. At some point you will realize that you can’t do it all yourself; marketing, estimating, contract administration, supervising, hiring, and the list goes on, doesn’t it? A reliable and capable superintendent will not only protect your interests, but will also allow you to grow. This admittedly is the most challenging person to find. I have always started with someone who has a solid foundation in the trade, and who I know I can trust. You can build on their abilities from there if need be. One critical part of your superintendent’s job description will be to supervise and train your forepersons.

Depending on your volume, you will need some number of forepersons to run your crews. These key people should also have a proven track record as well as the capacity to work with and supervise people. There seems to be a common mistake that just comes naturally when we promote from within. That is when a foreperson position becomes available we automatically tend to pick our “best painter” for the job.

That seems to have some kind of logic to it, but I have found that

not all excellent painters are excellent managers.

On the other hand, sometimes they are. I would just suggest to you that you need to be aware of this potential pitfall and promote carefully, and be willing to commit to the necessary training. The main body of your workforce will normally be made up of journeymen and apprentices. If you don’t have a Union affiliation, you may just refer to them as “painters” and “helpers”, but they are also vital to your success, as they are the people “getting it done” for you.

Your avenues for finding help are probably only limited by your imagination. I would suggest a few of the more common ones: Membership in a local Union is one obvious resource. Union halls can provide skilled people on short notice, depending on availability of course. .

• Job Readiness Programs can provide potential employees
• Linkedin is a social netwrking site
• Painter Job Hub is a terrific place to find qualified painters
• Painttalk is a popular painters forum with members from all over

One last word on hiring; I would encourage you to avoid falling victim to the pressure of demand. You will always have commitments to meet, but a “warm body” may provide only “cold comfort”. Put another way, you may fill a position, but if that person doesn’t show up for work consistently, or when they do, don’t perform, they are more of a liability than an asset. Learn to evaluate your personnel quickly. In my opinion, it shouldn’t take more than a week or two to figure out if a person is a good fit. I find that people most often fit into one of four categories: they are a “keeper”, they need training (provided they are trainable), they need motivation or they need a different job.

Firing

That seems a good segue into the topic of Firing, which I will keep short. Having to let someone go is never fun for anybody, but it is nonetheless part of running a business. If you are fortunate, hire wisely and carefully and treat your staff well, you will hopefully have people that will stay with you for years. There are times however when we all have to terminate someone’s employment. This should only come after you have exhausted the steps mentioned above, by providing training if it is needed or the appropriate motivation (each person is different), and giving everyone a fair chance. If it does become necessary to part ways it can, and always should be, done with courtesy and respect.

Training

Consistent and thoughtful training is an ongoing and critical part of any successful company. You are primarily responsible to see that you have a program in place to meet this goal. You train your superintendent, he or she trains the foreperson who in turn trains the crew; it starts with you. I often hear a foreperson complain that they don’t have time to train because they have a production quota to meet. It falls on you to empower them to take the time to improve the skills of those under them. It is surprising how little time it can take to stop and show someone a correct brush or spraying technique, and what lasting returns that investment can achieve.

This mentoring mentally needs to be ingrained in your crews, as it pays dividends directly to your operations. 

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Lynn Jackson

Owner at Paint Precise

Lynn Jackson began his painting career over twenty years ago under the watchful eye of a master painter. After many years of learning and perfecting his trade, working both on his own and for contractors, he finally settled in Northern California. Lynn continued to paint, while also earning a Master’s degree from a California State University. In 1985 he took a position running a newly formed painting company for Hignell & Hignell, Inc. With a C33 painting contractor’s license in hand, he set about growing that company into one of the largest and most profitable painting operations in the area.

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5 Tips For Better Facebook Lead Ads

Why Use Facebook Lead Ads?

Of the 14 different types of Facebook ad campaigns, Facebook Lead Ads are the best choice for painting contractors looking to generate new clients. The reason they are the best choice is simple, Facebook Lead Ads collect customer information and deliver it directly to your painting business. Better yet, the lead capture takes place entirely inside Facebook. Consider the following example of a Facebook Lead Ad:

Clicking “Learn More” on the above ad launches a form right on Facebook that users can fill out with their contact information. Once they complete the form, they go right back to cruising their Facebook newsfeed.

This is the major benefit of Facebook Lead Ads. Interested users do not have to leave Facebook to connect with a business. The form completion and lead conversion take place entirely inside Facebook’s ecosystem. The best part for painting contractors? They can download collected leads directly into Excel and easily create a hot leads list.

5 Facebook Lead Ads Best Practices

Ready to launch your Facebook Lead Ads campaign? Consider these 5 best practices before you place your next ad order:

1. Make your offer compelling. Do not simply offer a free estimate. People are more likely to respond and engage ads offering a specific service or monetary discount.

 

1. In your ad copy, tell users the exact action you want them to take and the expected outcome. In the example ad we tell people exactly what to do when we say: “Click Learn More below to schedule your painter for a day!”.

 

1. On your Facebook lead forms, only require three pieces of information. We recommend name, email, and phone number. Avoid open ended fields, such as an “Interested In” section that require users to type out what they want.

 

1. Follow up on leads promptly. Same day during normal business hours is the best practice. If leads convert at night or over the weekend, follow up on the next business day.

 

1. Use Facebook’s ad targeting to make sure your ad reaches the right people. With the “Painter For A Day” ad, we would advise targeting options that include location, homeownership status, home size, length of time in home, and income.

 

Facebook Lead Ads are a terrific way to capture new leads for your painting business. Facebook has simplified the lead collection process to make it easy for both the customer and your business. If your painting business wants to grow its sales, start collecting new leads via Facebook Lead Ads.

Need help launching a Facebook Lead Ads campaign for your painting business? Contact the contractor marketing experts at AltaVista Strategic Partners for a free consultation!

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Aaron

Vice President of Digital Marketing at AltaVista Strategic Partners

Aaron Hockel is a partner and the vice president of digital marketing at AltaVista Strategic Partners, a full service marketing agency working exclusively with commercial and residential contractors. AltaVista specializes in marketing campaigns designed to generate top of funnel sales leads. Their services include email marketing, direct marketing, search engine marketing, and social media marketing. As a proud PDCA member, Aaron and the team at AltaVista currently work with more than 40 painting contractors around the country.

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Smart Ways to Use Paint for Home Staging

If there’s one thing that doesn’t require substantial funds, but can greatly contribute to the appeal of your home to prospective buyers, it has to be the careful selection of interior colors. You may be a fan of dark or very bright colors, but keep in mind that most buyers find them off-putting.

Another thing you should also bear in mind when selling a house is the fact that people are much more likely to be attracted to a property that is ready for them to move in instantly. So, if you’re planning on putting your home up for sale, the following tips might help you.

Balancing Color Schemes

You would like to use various colors, but you don’t want them to clash and “fight” over which one is dominant color? Try using a so-called “primary” color on around 60 percent of the area, a “secondary” on 30 percent, while the remaining 10 percent should be painted in an accent color. Naturally, the accent color should be evenly distributed around the room, rather than concentrated in one part of it.

The use of complementary colours is also potentially beneficial, but only if their ratio is, say, 75:25. Any greater deviation from this ratio would either diminish their synergy or, in case of equal proportions, awaken anxiety among potential buyers.

Neutral Colors

The most popular choices for interior colors are black, grey, beige and white. Neutral colors, as the name suggests, blend well with pretty much any environment, but that doesn’t mean they are dull. On the contrary, depending on their schemes, they can be quite sleek, like in this property for sale in Sydney.

For example, grey is currently among the most fashionable colours. Not only does it let brighter colours shine even more, but it can also be used almost everywhere. People also often opt for ivory, wheat or beige when staging their homes.

Let there be Light

We are all familiar with the effect of various types of lighting on colors. What looks great in natural light may look quite the opposite when illuminated by incandescent lighting or LEDs. That’s why you need to think about the type of natural light in your home has and its distribution and intensity.

This is crucial when it comes to selecting your indoor colours and you have to bear in mind that the incandescent light will add a yellowish cast, while halogen bulbs have very little effect on colour tones. If your wall is facing north, you should probably avoid dark colours on that wall, since it will appear even darker.

Consequently, a south-facing wall should probably not be painted in bright colours, since they will only become even brighter due to their exposure to natural light. That’s where neutral colours play an important role, for instance.

Color Flow

 

One of the most important things is not to have sudden transitions from one color to another, but rather have a smooth transition, a “flow” as you walk around the place. To achieve this, you might want to use the same color in all rooms, or at least choose various shades of the same color.

Colors can also help you visually expand a room or a whole house. This effect is achieved by using the same light color on walls and baseboards. Also, you can choose to have a recurring color in several rooms. A wall in the dining room might be painted in the same color as the rug in the bedroom or an armchair in the living room.

A lot can be learnt about the use of colors in home staging by browsing through properties on sale online. Of course, the photos may show an image that doesn’t reflect the real situation to the finest detail, particularly in terms of the brightness of colors, but you should be able to get a pretty good idea about what would work in your own home.

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Getting to Know You: Noah Winkles

Noah, Nate and Chuck Winkles
Noah Winkles was born and raised in Santa Maria, California and has lived his entire life in Santa Barbara County.

Growing up, Noah had a passion for sports and played football, baseball, and basketball. When Noah wasn’t playing on a team or a pickup game with his brother, he was watching one on T.V. Noah even played on the Westmont College rugby team.

When it comes to food, he recommends a few pieces of tri-tip, pinquito beans with salsa, salad, and buttered up french bread – a meal he enjoys every weekend.

For the past seven years, Noah Winkles has been the vice president of New Life Painting, a commercial and residential painting company serving California’s Central Coast.

In this interview, Noah talks about his painting company’s greatest successes, failures, the importance of company culture, and a few other pieces of advice he feels other business owners could benefit from.

Noah, how did you get get your start in the painting industry?

Well, I was pretty much born into it. My dad started New Life Painting six years before I was born. My mom has pictures of me as an infant in New Life Painting whites. Growing up during the summer, my dad had me scraping paint off the ground when I was really young, moving tarps and paint as I got older, and by the time I hit high school, I wanted to be as far from the painting industry as I could!

I worked at Costco and an ice cream parlor during my high school summers. However, during college, I did end up doing some painting for a few of my professors for some extra cash.

When I did graduate in 2008, the economy was really bad and my dad came down to Santa Barbara and met me for lunch to recruit me. He had three painters on his team at the time and told me I could take over the painting business as he was focusing on his kitchen and bathroom remodeling company.

What do you feel has been New Life Painting’s greatest success? What was directly or indirectly responsible for it?

I feel like the biggest success has been the shift from doing mostly residential work to about 40% commercial/HOA.  Three to four years ago, I made a goal that I wanted to shift this business towards doing closer to 50% HOA work. To meet this goal, I consistently marketed, networked, and at least twice a month, was dropping off Starbucks cards, popcorn, and letters trying to get New Life Painting on the bid list.

After about a year of doing that we landed a few jobs, and it’s been really great ever since. We treat our HOAs like high-end residential homes, which our customers love.

If You’re Not Setting the Atmosphere, Someone Else Is

How does New Life Painting’s culture influence how your run your business?

We live by our company values which can be broken down into six parts:

• Communication: Means of connection with the team and our customers
• Collaboration: Leverages the collective knowledge of the team
• Respect: Treating others the way you wish to be treated
• Trust: It’s all about actions
• Love: Committed with heart and mind
• Fun: Work hard, have fun, stay humble

Everyone in our company understands that our culture is the single most important part of our business. If we had employees that didn’t live by this, everyone would feel it and the focus/culture would shift. If you’re not setting the atmosphere, someone else is.

Learning to Listen

Talk to us about a time you failed at work, what was the experience and what did you learn?

Listening to your team is so important. That goes back to collaboration and trust. We painted an HOA a few years back, and we had a particular product spec’d out for the job. The paint rep talked me into a more expensive product that he said would have better color retention and last longer. My project manager told me not to use it; he said it wasn’t the right product, and not to go with anything we didn’t know. Sure enough, one year later we had to redo the whole project due to peeling and fading. I stood up in front of the guys and apologized for not listening and that I wouldn’t do it again. It was an expensive lesson!

What is your hiring process? How do you find new team members that are a good fit culturally?

We hire strictly on attitude; skill is a bonus. It’s really that simple. We generally have two meetings initially with our office manager, then with me and my estimator. At the interviews we share our company values and make sure they align with theirs. We do background checks and we do drug testing, no exceptions. We don’t let new hires work on in the interior of a home for at least three months, and there is trust built with that employee.

When hiring, we let it be known that our culture is everything and that we hire on attitude. We invite people to leave when that attitude does not line up with our values.

Networking & Sales Education

If you had the chance to rewind the clock five years, what would you do differently?

Five years ago, I think I would have done more sales education and done more networking with other painting contractors. Four years ago, we started working with Nolan Summitt Services, which has 80+ of the finest painting contractors in America (plus a couple in Canada), and we have truly grown as a company since joining. I wish I would have joined earlier!

Excluding New Life Painting, what other companies or businesses do you admire?

When it comes to other painting contractors, there are definitely certain aspects of other companies that I really admire. The first that comes to mind is Chism Brothers Painting. Mike Chism is such a great guy. He’s humble, has integrity, cares about his employees, and his company is one of the most financially sound I’ve seen in this industry. While they’re not the biggest company, the way Mike runs his company is very smart.

I also admire the sales culture of Nolan Painting in Pennsylvania. They are so focused on sales and they train so much, it’s no wonder why they are one of the biggest residential painters in the country. When it comes to marketing and branding, I really like Two Dudes Painting. Their marketing is fun and catchy.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

My wife, Vanessa, without a doubt. She’s strong, funny, beautiful, and an amazing mom and wife. She has faith that I haven’t ever seen in anyone ever before.

Tools of the trade – what tools are essential to the success of your business and why?

I think there have been three tools that have really helped our business the last couple of years. Number one would be the use of Smartsheet. We use Smartsheet for hours tracking on jobs, helping with staging future jobs, notes and colors for customers, communication between our project managers and office staff, pre-job walks, auditing and more. Smartsheet has been such an integral part of our business.

The second would be One Step Estimating which has really helped us set up a system for estimating correctly with job hours – plus it’s easy to convert. It’s also great because it makes it easy for future estimators to learn our system.

Last, but not least is our CRM PipelineDeals. We love PipelineDeals – we use it for recording our sales, sales statistics, and it also helps with our follow-up to potential customers.

What advice do you have for other painting contractors?

I think number one piece of advice I’d like to share is to create a culture for your employees. Like I said earlier, if you’re not creating the culture, someone else in your business is. As a company, we came up with our values as a team and we did it through a values assessment worksheet. It’s important to include everyone, and it’s your job implement and protect them.

If you’re a painting contractor looking to increase online leads and sales, contact David Chism with A David Creation today.

Author information

Brian Jensen

Brian Jensen is the CEO of Congruent Digital, a full-service online marketing agency that provides cross-channel marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes. Congruent Digital proudly partners with A David Creation to provide painting contractors with results-driven digital marketing services.

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Exterior House Painting For Winter Weather

A Fresh Coat Of Paint Can Help Protect Against The Elements And Boost Curb Appeal

Winter is only a few short months away, so now is the time to prepare your home for the change in weather. If you notice that the exterior paint on your home is chipped, cracked, or faded, you might want to consider exterior house painting before the cold weather sets in.

Exterior house painting doesn’t just refresh the look of a home, it also helps protect it from the harsh winter elements. Blowing wind, snow, and moisture constantly freezing and thawing takes a toll, after all, so having an extra layer of protection goes a long way. Mild fall weather makes for excellent conditions when applying exterior paints, so now is the time to contact a local exterior house painting company before winter arrives.

Better Resistance To Damage And Mold

Exterior paint helps improve a home’s resistance to the barrage of moisture it has to face during the winter months. Rain, hail, ice, and snow can accumulate and cause moisture to seep in—but exterior house painting prepares homes for the winter by making them more water resistant. While it won’t completely waterproof an exterior, it will still help and contribute to other weather-proofing efforts

Avoiding water damage is an absolute must; water damage restoration can be an expensive and time-consuming process, and can lead to serious issues such as mold growth. The last thing you want to deal with is mold removal on top of water damage repairs. While a coat of paint might not seem like a big deal, every little bit of protection helps.

Increase the Longevity of the Paint Job

Exterior house painting experts use high-quality paint that lasts longer and help protect against the elements. Since these quality paints are water-resistant, they are less likely to be damaged by rain, snow, hail, and sleet. These high-quality paints will look better for longer without cracking or fading. A high-quality paint job that lasts for years will protect your home while boosting property value and curb appeal.

Exterior house painting experts can give your home a fresh new look while preparing it for the winter. Harsh winter elements can be especially damaging to a home’s exterior if the paint is old and cracked. Water can seep in and damage the home, causing costly and hazardous water damage, rot, and mold growth.

If you notice chipped or cracked paint, or your home is looking dull, contact exterior house painting professionals for a consultation. When it comes to the protection of your home from harsh winters and their damaging elements, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

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How Painting Companies Tackle Vinyl

Learn How To Get Great Results When Painting Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding is a durable and easy-to-maintain option for the exterior of any home, not to mention that it’s a budget-friendly option that won’t break the bank. In fact, vinyl’s probably one of the easiest surfaces to paint, provided you know how. Sorting through advice and information can be a hassle, but thankfully, you can trust in expert painting companies to get the job done and to share their best practices for painting vinyl siding.

Here’s how professional painting companies get the best results when painting vinyl siding:

Materials

What is the difference between urethane, acrylic, and latex paints? The answer might surprise you: the North American paint industry has a habit of referring to all paints that use synthetic polymers as “latex” paints. Even the latex in latex paints is a synthetic polymer, and not the product of a rubber tree. In fact, the most common paint materials include numerous polymers and resins:

• Acrylic resins which offer superior durability—but higher acrylic content generally costs more
• Latex polymers that allow greater flexibility
• Vinyl resins which adhere better to vinyl materials and soak into surfaces

There are pros and cons for each material, but generally, a paint with high acrylic content is going to offer the best results for vinyl siding. Painting companies can help you find a mixture of materials that will suit your home’s needs.

Application

Regardless of the paint you choose, the application process will largely be the same, starting with surface preparation:

• Wash all vinyl siding with a simple detergent and water solution
• For difficult stains or mildew, use a solution that contains 1/3 of a cup detergent, 2/3 of a cup powdered cleaner, 1 quart of liquid laundry bleach, and 1 gallon of water
• Rinse off all residue with a hose

Wait for a day with mild, low-humidity weather to give the paint optimal conditions to adhere. Professional painting companies always keep an eye on the forecast, letting them plan out when the best time to paint will be. When it’s time to paint, keep these tips in mind:

• Apply all coats evenly with a roller, only using a brush for edgework or difficult spots
• If using a sprayer, maintain a steady hand and coat each surface carefully
• Let paint dry between coats—this is more important for the second coat, however, which must have at least 24 hours of drying time before (optional) further coats are applied
• Be thorough—vinyl expands and contracts with changes in the weather, so be sure that all surfaces get a good two coats to avoid unsightly edges showing season to season

Tips And Tricks

Vinyl siding is a straightforward surface to paint, but there are a few tips and tricks from professional painting companies that can simplify the process easier and save you from headaches down the road:

• The higher the acrylic content, the better. High acrylic content resists water and staining
• Using paint with high vinyl content can really refresh and restore vinyl siding, but make sure it’s coupled with acrylic resin to get the best results
• Avoid darker shades and colours on exterior vinyl siding; they’ll be far more prone to blistering, as the darker tones absorb more heat, and that in turn could even cause the vinyl itself to warp
• Mild weather is a must, as it will allow the paint to properly adhere, further decreasing the chance of warping or blistering

Keep this advice from painting companies in mind when you tackle your vinyl siding paint job and see the difference it can make!

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The 5 Pillars to a Successful Local Digital Marketing Campaign

Every local digital marketing campaign requires a unique strategy. However, there are consistent “pillars” that together can work to help your local painting business increase online visibility, traffic, and sales. In this two-part post, I’m going to discuss what they are and why they matter.

Pillar #1: Research

Using the right tools and research methods can help you uncover gaps and insights that can guide your digital strategy. Every campaign needs to start with competitor and customer research.

Competitor Research

Understanding what is working well for your local competitors can save you time and money. For competitive research you’ll want to look closely at the following:

• What online channels are they active on?
• What keywords are driving traffic? If they are running a Google AdWords campaign, how much are they spending and what keyword are they bidding on?
• Where are they getting their links? Are they active on social media? If so, what channels? How frequently are they publishing and what type of engagement are they getting?
• How frequently are they publishing new blog content?

Whew, that’s a lot of questions! However, finding the answers can help you better know where to spend your valuable time and marketing budget.

Customer Research

Now that we have competitor data, it’s time to flesh out the pain points, motivations, and FAQs of your own target audience. You already have a good sense of who your potential customers are, so now apply that information online. Start by answering these questions:

What are people searching for?
Keyword and question research will help set the foundation for a successful campaign as they provide insight into the queries customers are using to find the products or services your business offers.

What Are the Most Frequently Asked Questions?
Meet with your sales team and brainstorm a list of frequently asked questions and then evaluate if you’re resolving them in your website’s page copy, landing pages, meta descriptions, and blog posts.

This is also a good time to discuss your customer’s pain points and motivations. For example, is cost, resale value, appearance, guarantees, or even the professionalism of your team questions that frequently surface during estimates or sales calls?

What Feedback Are People Leaving in Reviews?
Looking at your competitor’s online reviews can provide you with insight into what their customers liked or disliked about their experience.

Use this feedback to guide your own internal processes and to refine your messaging.

 

Pillar # 2: Optimization

For local businesses, it’s very important to send clear, concise signals to search engines that help inform who you are, what you do, and the areas you serve.

While there are over 200+ factors that Google incorporates into its ranking algorithm, here are a few optimization elements that are essential to succeeding in local search.

Structured Data
LocalBusiness markup helps send additional clues to search engines about your industry, company name, website, social profiles etc.

Below is a screenshot of a client’s homepage using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool:

Using this tool, what schema types are your painting company utilizing?

Social Profile Optimization
Make sure all of your social profiles accurately represent your business. This includes adding your name, address and phone number (NAP), the services you offer, the areas you serve and your website’s URL.

This includes Facebook, Yelp, Google My Business, Houzz, LinkedIn, YouTube, Chamber of Commerce, and any other profile you’ve established or are active on.

Citations
Citations can be defined as mentions of your NAP on 3rd party websites. Citations are a heavily weighted component of local ranking algorithms, so having your business’ information accurately listed across the web is vital.

Service Area Specific Landing Pages
Because distance is a primary Google local ranking factor (how far away your office is from the person that’s searching), it may be necessary to create a few robust service area specific landing pages.

By robust, I would suggest adding city specific project photos, reviews from customers in the city you’re targeting, and page copy that’s unique for this audience. Let your keyword research guide the optimization of these pages.

For more information, I’d recommend checking out this resource on building effective city pages for local SEO.

On-page Optimization
As mentioned earlier, it’s important to send strong clues to search engines about what you do and the areas you serve. A few tips include:

• Titles tags – use primary keyword, city and your business name
• Heading tags – make sure you’re including a variation of your target keyword
• Alt attributes – send additional signals by adding alt attributes to your images that are descriptive and specific
• List a few of your top service areas on every page e.g. “We proudly serve city1, city2, city3, etc.”
• Internal linking – provide additional crawler access points, strengthen relevancy through anchor text, distribute link equity, and help search engines understand what you consider to be the most important pages on your website by linking to them from other pages and posts on your website

While I consider these to be some of the most heavily weighted on-page optimization factors for local businesses, I’m only scratching the surface. For a comprehensive guide on optimization for local seo, read this comprehensive guide on Whitespark.

Up Next …

Stay tuned for part two of this post where I’m going to cover reviews, tracking and more.

If you have questions, feel free to shoot me an email or drop them in the comments below!

Author information

Brian Jensen

Brian Jensen is the CEO of Congruent Digital, a full-service online marketing agency that provides cross-channel marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes. Congruent Digital proudly partners with A David Creation to provide painting contractors with results-driven digital marketing services.

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Painting Business Owner: Home Office Tax Deduction

As a painting business owner, you likely conduct most of your business outside of your home (doing estimates, supervising job sites, etc). However, you can still claim the home office deduction if you are using an area in your home for your business. Claiming this deduction allows you to deduct a percentage of utilities, mortgage interest, home insurance, and property taxes on Form 8829. This can easily save you hundreds of dollars in a single tax year. However, you must ensure you are following the IRS guidelines in case of an audit.

Determine Eligibility for Home Office Deduction

To determine your eligibility for the home office deduction, ask yourself if your home office (or work area) is used EXCLUSIVELY AND REGULARLY for your painting business. Exclusively means you only use the area for working on your painting business. Some people make the mistake of using their home office for an another purpose, preventing them from taking the home office deduction. To meet the regular use requirement, using the home office at least bi-weekly should suffice. Note: your “home office” does not have to be an entire room. It can be just a corner of a room. This may help you designate a place for exclusive use for your business to meet the exclusive use test.

The next requirement your home office must meet is the “principal place of business” test. Most likely, as a painting business owner, you will be on job sites for a considerable amount of time.  However, the IRS gives a provision, allowing an individual to meet the “principal place of business” test if the individual uses the office for administrative or management activities. As a painting business owner, you’ll likely be doing the following types of tasks in your home office which will help you meet this test: entering payroll, ordering supplies, completing estimates for clients, job-site planning, and scheduling appointments.

Calculating Home Office Deduction

Now that you have determined you are eligible for the home office deduction, you can make the calculation and complete the necessary form. If you do your own taxes you can use Form 8829 and the Instructions for Form 8829 to do this. If you have a tax preparer or CPA take care of it, ensure they have the following information to calculate the deduction:

1. Square footage of your home and your home office.

2. Total mortgage interest.

3. Total real estate taxes.

4. Home insurance.

5. Repairs and maintenance.

6. Utility costs.

Many painting contractors fail to take this deduction, which is unfortunate. Some are unaware of the deduction and others believe the are not allowed. This is not the case! Just ensure you follow the guidelines I’ve set out. If you would like to learn more tax tips for painting contractors, make sure you get my free report for painting contractors.

Author information

Daniel Honan

Accountant at Online Bookkeep LLC

I am a former painting business owner and military officer, and current bookkeeper and tax accountant. With my painting and accounting experience, I'm uniquely positioned to help painting contractors save time, money, and resources. For years I worked in the residential and commercial painting industry. I did everything from prep work and painting to managing crews and completing estimates with clients. After my stint in the painting industry, I pursued an education in business and accounting and served as a military officer in the intelligence field. I have a Bachelors in Accounting and an MBA. During my time in the intelligence field, I learned the value of being proactive and staying ahead of the enemy. I apply this mentality to my accounting practice through forward-looking advice to my clients. I don't just report; I analyze and forecast. This provides immense value to the clients I serve and builds trust. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge of taxes and business to help painting contractors grow their company. I only work with a select few painting contractors and provide professional, prompt service to ensure their success.

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