Paint Training Made Easy

There is no doubt, the world is changing. In some categories, the paint world hasn’t kept up. Critical skill and knowledge standards that painters need have not evolved into reliable and accessible digital form.

There are plenty of marketing, estimating and sales resources, but paint training for crews in the field remains behind. Paint contractors can sell beyond their ability to deliver. That is a problem – a training problem.

If you hire the right people, they really can learn and train using online resources. It just hasn’t been done correctly yet…

Interactive and Social Paint Training

Paint contractors search online for the quickest answers to most problems, including this one. And that can send you deep down a rabbit hole of mixed search results. Google doesn’t always put the best in front of you, especially when there is no real “best” to be had.

Social media as an educational platform falls short in functionality. Almost as soon as something is said or posted, it is buried in a sea of clutter. That applies to Facebook, with popular “live” video and good posts that you’ll never see again. Twitter never educated anyone. And Youtube has almost become a victim of its own hugeness. Although it is one of the most used “search engines”. Video is what people prefer, over reading or other methods of learning.

That said, we are seeing a rebirth of the good old fashioned website as a learning tool. Yes, you remember actual sites – destinations that archive critical information that people need. By way of example, Blogging Painters is exactly that, a reliable site where you know you can find news and information. And now, that site-based principle is available in the area of paint training.

Education doesn’t happen without action. Watching videos without doing something (to learn) is mostly passive & entertaining. #painttraining

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

How is a Focused Online Paint Training Center Possible?

This one hits close to home. Blogging Painters assists and partners with many segments of the paint industry, including some high profile “sister” sites powered by BP founder Chris Haught’s Partner’s in Sites web networking platform. The long standing tool junkie site, Topcoat Review is a popular example. As is the online home of paint industry education pioneer, Prep to Finish.

Paint Trainers Todd and Scott

The latest educational resource to hatch out of this collaborative group is a new Online Training Center for painters – paintertrainer.com.

This digital division of Prep to Finish distills the essence of highly successful P2F ‘hands-on’ active learning methods into a gated online community where professional painters can learn without the confusion and distraction of surfing online for good information.

If there is a paint industry education entity that could figure out how to bring “learning by doing” to a video based online venue, it would be paint trainers and educators, Scott Burt and Todd Pudvar who are noted for their curriculum development abilities. And if there was an online creator that could twist the nuts and bolts to make an interactive training site simple for painters, it would be Chris Haught.

What is unique about the paintertrainer.com Online Training Center is that, for the first time, painters will be able to learn on an easy to use site that is video based, with downloadable materials, real skill building assignments, accountability and implementation support daily from the trainers. It is designed to speed learning curves and will set standards for job completion, efficiency and profits by making processes consistent and predictable for companies.

We may be biased, ok, we definitely are. We built it. The Online Training Center for painters is a solution that allows you to use outsourced paint training talent in an “in-house” manner. We can only say that because we built it. And we built it because it was needed.

The first class starts on January 9, and registration is now open on a first come first served basis.

Check out the first class by pressing here.

If you have questions or feedback about this new resource, please talk to us right down below in the comments.

 

 

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Blogging Painters

The Blogging Painter is always out on the web looking for the best information to share with readers.

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4 Strategies for Maximizing Word of Mouth Painting Referrals

In the service industry, existing customers are your bread and butter and you need to make sure they have an amazing experience. Yes, you might get additional business from them for add-on work, but that’s not how they are most valuable. According to a Nielsen survey, people are FOUR TIMES more likely to buy when referred by a friend.

Source

Thanks to Brandon Lewis of The Academy for Professional Painting Contractors for sharing these tips in a Blogging Painters exclusive video!

How many of these tips can you implement this winter?

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Chris Haught

Editor at Blogging Painters at Partners in Sites

Chris Haught is the editor of Blogging Painters, the leading resource for paint contractors. Chris also works with contractors to improve their website and social media presence. When not blogging about the painting industry, she works in the educational sector as a media and technology mentor.

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Be Fully Engaged in Managing Your Reputation

Yelp. Google Reviews. Angie’s List. Ugh.

Doesn’t it seem like everybody always has something to complain about?

Studies have shown that, unfortunately, people are more likely to write a review of a negative experience than a positive one. So even if only one out of twenty jobs leaves a customer feeling unsatisfied, you might find that only that one negative experience ends up out in the world for everyone to see. We’d all like the opportunity to address our customer’s concerns one-on-one, but that doesn’t always happen. It’s frustrating to find out that you’ve lost business because someone has posted a negative review online. Plus, let’s be honest, it hurts to hear that someone is saying nasty things about you, your employees, and the way you make a living.

The best way to resolve an issue with reputation is to not let it get to the internet. Although this isn’t always possible, most people just want to be heard and feel like they’re being treated fairly. If a customer calls to complain, take the call and listen attentively and with a sympathetic ear. One of my colleagues has a great series of posts covering how to deal with unsatisfied customers at Field Nimble that I recommend you check out. But what if a customer doesn’t engage directly and jumps right to negative reviewing online?

What you can’t afford to do is bury your head in the sand and hope the reviews will go away.

Whether you like it or not, nearly 70% of potential customers now look for reviews online and an even higher percentage say they trust online reviews. In order to maintain your reputation, you need to be engaged online.

It’s crucial that you respond to EVERY online review. Everyone loves feeling appreciated and responding to a positive review shows the customer that you care about their satisfaction beyond completing the job. When a review is negative, be courteous, make it clear that you are sorry that the customer was unsatisfied and publicly ask for the opportunity to talk in private and see how you can make it right. If you resolve the issue, ask the customer if they’d be willing to remove the negative review or post a follow-up indicating that you’ve satisfied their complaint.

If you can’t persuade a customer to come around and clean-up a negative review, the best option is to make sure you have enough positive reviews to drown out one voice. This means actively engaging customers for review. One of the simplest ways to do this is to make sure you get your customer’s email as part of the process.

First, incentivize your employees based on customer reviews. Reviews are incredibly important, so having a monthly award for the worker who gets the most reviews is money well spent. When your worker is at a customer’s home, have them tell the customer that the company is going to send out a VERY SHORT email survey about the quality of the experience. Have your employee personally ask them to fill it out. People are more likely to do something for an individual than for a company, so be sure to train your people to let customers know that the employee’s performance is graded on the review. In the email, put a direct link to your page on a referral review site like Angie’s list, Yelp, or Google.

It’s important to not focus only on negative reviews. When customers praise your service, thank them and let them know you appreciate their business. Showing other potential customers that you are engaged and grateful for business is as important as demonstrating that you are concerned about addressing problems and making things right when there is a complaint.

Even more important than online reviews are direct referrals.

In the service industry, existing customers are your bread and butter and you need to make sure they have an amazing experience. Yes, you might get additional business from them for add-on work, but that’s not how they are most valuable. According to a Nielsen survey, people are FOUR TIMES more likely to buy when referred by a friend. With 65% of new business coming from referrals, no other marketing channel is going to perform as well as having happy customers tell their friends how great you are. Unfortunately, you can’t assume that customers who have had an exceptional experience are going to remember to make a referral. In a study by Texas Tech, only 29% of customers end up making a referral… even though 83% of customers would be willing to do so.

Here’s what this looks like in the real world:

Friend: “I need to get some work done on my bathroom Didn’t you have someone do yours earlier this year?”

Customer: “Yeah, my contractor was great.”

Friend: “Great, who was it? I’ll give them a call.”

Customer: Blank Stare

We all want to think that when we do great work, our customers will have our name at the tip of their tongue. The reality is that everyone’s life is just as busy as yours and no matter how wonderful a job you’ve done, most people aren’t going to remember.

Fortunately, there are ways you can combat this problem. Start by keeping in touch with your customers after you’ve served them. A great way to spark referrals is to give your customer a leave behind they’ll use and keep handy. How about a refrigerator magnet that has this year’s calendar for your NFL team or measurement conversions for cooking? Giving away something that’s useful beyond just having your customer get in touch with you keeps you and your services at the front of your customer’s mind.

Steve Raines Co-founder, COO at Field Nimble
For over 20 years, Steve been passionate about putting the right people in the right seats and giving them the tools to make amazing things, profitably. Steve is the co-founder of Algonquin, SWRemote, and VCAMP. He loves bringing his experience in residential home services, professional services, SaaS, and mobile to bear with humility for successes and a hard, honest look at failure. Steve is an active angel investor and spends time working with and mentoring young entrepreneurs.

 

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Avoiding 3 Painful Tax Penalties

Don’t look like this guy during tax time.

“Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.” – Herman Wouk

Imaginative fiction that can cost you, if you’re not careful. There’s nothing worse than paying penalties on top of what you owe the IRS. The IRS can hit you with many different tax penalties. Here are 3 basic IRS penalties and how you can avoid them.

1. Underpayment Tax Penalty

Painting contractors are often not aware of the underpayment penalty. This penalty is given when a taxpayer fails to pay taxes on earnings throughout the year before the designated deadlines in April, June, September, and the following January. The penalty can range from 0.5% to 3% of taxes owed. The most common exception to the underpayment penalty occurs when the taxpayer owes less than $1,000 in federal income taxes for the tax year.

I often see self-employed painting contractors get hit with the underpayment penalty. Since the self-employed painting contractor often does not have tax withholding from payroll wages, they only pay taxes on or around April 15th every year. This usually costs the individual a few hundred dollars in underpayment penalties.

The best way to avoid the underpayment penalty is to pay the safe harbor amount. The safe harbor amount is 100% of the previous year’s taxes or 90% of the current year’s taxes. It’s usually easier to pay the former since it’s a set amount. For example, if you paid $4,000 in federal taxes for your 2015 tax return, to avoid the underpayment penalty on your 2016 tax return, you should pay $1,000 on the four estimated tax deadlines throughout 2016 (in April, June, September, and January).

2. Non-filing Tax Penalty

The IRS applies the non-filing penalty when the taxpayer does not file their tax return by the April deadline. This penalty can hurt the most, with a 25% maximum penalty on unpaid taxes for an unfiled tax return.

Sometimes, I see painting contractors get caught-up in the ramp up of busy season and neglect to file taxes on time. Your best bet is to knock it out in January and February when business is usually slower. Or, at the very least, have your tax preparer file a 6-month extension so you can file in October. This will allow you to avoid the non-filing penalty.

3. Nonpayment Tax Penalty

Not paying your income taxes on time also have a penalty. This penalty is applied even if you filed an extension to file your tax return. This penalty also ranges from 0.5% to 25% of the unpaid tax bill, depending on how delinquent the payment is.

Sometimes you can get an abatement of tax penalties, especially if you are a first-time offender. To avoid tax penalties in general, your best bet is to keep yourself informed.

If you would like to learn how you can set yourself up for success from a tax and accounting perspective, ensure you attend my free bookkeeping and tax webinar for painting contractors on December 15, 2016.

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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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Understanding Project Manuals

Project Manuals are the other tool that is provided, along with blueprints, to enable us to assemble an accurate bid. Whether you are bidding to general contractors or directly to the owner of a project, often you will be provided with an FTP site link where you can download the “Plans and Specs”.

Once you have these “Bid Documents”, you can either print them or import them into your estimating program, such as On-Screen Takeoff, eTakeoff, or a number of free programs that you can access from certain sites such as iSqFt or BXWA .

Format and Structure

Commonly known as spec books, project manuals (along with the blueprints), are your road maps to many of the projects you will be bidding. They are intended to tell you exactly what the owner and the architect want you to do, how to do it, and when to do it.

Virtually all spec books follow a standardized format which has been determined by the Construction Specification Institute. Although each one may vary to some degree with regards to layout and content.

General information and requirements referred to as the Contract Documents are included, as well as instructions (specifications) for each trade. Each of these sections has been assigned a “division” number, normally ranging from Division 01 to Division 33 or higher. Sometimes, you will see the contract documents designated as Division 00.

Sections

Each division is comprised of several sections. Each section is further subdivided into parts and their subsections. Every section addresses a specific trade or function of the project. For our purposes, the areas of a project manual that will contain the majority of the information relative to painting are divisions 00, 01, and 05 through 09. This is not to say you do not need to pay attention to the other divisions as an architect may include information within any one of them that could possibly impact your bid. Items typically covered in Division 00 (Contract Requirements) are as follows:

• Who the owner is.
• When and where to submit your bid
• M/W/ESB/DVBE requirements
• Safety and environmental concerns.
• Bonds you must supply.
• Mandatory prevailing wage and per diem rates.
• Insurance requirements.
• Submittal and substitution procedures.
• Change order procedures.
• Guarantees.
• Standard contract language.

Division 01 (General Requirements) may contain some of the items listed above, as well as instructions relative to:
• Preconstruction meetings
• Publications used to establish standards
• Requirements for submittals
• Directions for use of temporary structures
• Project record documents
• Testing and laboratory services available

You are responsible to be familiar with and to comply with all of the aspects of the contract requirements and general requirements.

Division 09 – Painting, provides much of the information that you will use to put together your bid. Within this Section is where you will find the instructions you need for painting, wall coverings, and occasionally special coatings. (Special coatings can also appear in Division 07, Thermal and Moisture Control). Usually, this section is comprised of three main parts: General requirements, Products, and Execution.
Part 1 supplies a broad scope of general ground rules which you will be asked to comply with. These may include assurances of quality, environmental, and governmental regulations and a number of other instructions. Exactly which surfaces you are to paint will be found here as well as which ones you are not to paint.

In Part 2, you will typically find specific directions as to which manufacturers you can purchase your materials from, which materials are called for, and occasionally what colors have been selected. More often than not, you will see something similar to “Colors to be determined by the architect”. This can have a big impact on your costs if deep base colors are selected as they usually are considerably more expensive, and often don’t cover very well.

Part 3 of this Section is comprised of details relative to inspecting the surfaces to be finished and assuring that they are ready. (If you paint it, you bought it!). Be sure that the drywall contractor’s work is acceptable, scratches are sanded out of wood, all surfaces are free of dirt or grease, and so forth. In addition, you will commonly receive instructions as to acceptable temperature ranges you can work within, drying times to allow between coats, protection of surfaces not to receive finishes, proper preparation, and (pay special attention to this one) detailed instructions as to how you will be required to apply materials. This can be critical if you are limited to application by brush or roller only, or if you are directed to backroll coats of paint.

Conclusion

Project Manuals are typically large, somewhat complex and will vary in style and content to some degree. You are, nonetheless, responsible for the entire contents. Pay particular attention to Divisions 00, 01 and 09 (099000), but keep in mind that any other division may have information you could be responsible for.

Other than these three divisions, you are most likely to find painting requirements and specifications in Divisions 03 – 08; Concrete, Masonry, Metals, Wood, Thermal Protection and Doors.

 

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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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Better Display Ads For Your Painting Business

Display ads are a great way for painting contractors to boost their brand awareness and drive more online leads. They are very affordable, easy to set up, and the argument can be made that every contractor needs to be using retargeted display ads.

For painting contractors already using display or retargeted ads, or considering setting up a display ad campaign, here are 3 tips to make sure your ads are optimized to capture clicks and drive online leads.

3 Tips For Better Display Ads

Take a less is more approach with images and copy

Due to the amount of activity on the typical website, the best display ads make a clear concise offer and present a strong call to action. Images need to be clutter free, high resolution, and especially relevant to the intended audience.

Make sure your display ads include a strong call to action (CTA)

CTA should distinguish itself from the rest of the ad. Try highlighting it in a different color text or put it in a box or shape to create the appearance of a button. Great CTA’s for a painting display ad would include:

• Free Painting Estimates
• Start Your Painting Project
• Speak To An Expert
• Get Your Free Quote

Include an offer, discount, or promotion in your ad

Nothing is more likely to entice a click on a display ad than a great offer or exclusive discount. For a residential painter this could be a discount offer such as “$500 Off Exterior Home Repaints” or “15% Off Home Painting Services”.

How does this all come together in an actual ad?

Combining these 3 tips, here is an example of a basic 300 x 250 display ad. This ad would typically appear on the sidebar of a website to the left or right of the main content. You can see other examples of these ads right here on Blogging Painters to the left of this article!

Need help setting up a display advertising or retargeting campaign for your painting business? Contact the contractor marketing experts at AltaVista Strategic Partners for a free consultation by phone at 443-960-4004 or by sending them an email.

Have a question or comment?
Post it in the comments below and we will be sure to follow up with you!

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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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Moving? Hire A Painting Company First

Why You Should Hire A Painting Company Before You Move Into Or Out Of Your Home

Moving into a new home? A fresh coat of paint before you unpack can refresh your new home’s look and save you time and stress—after all, you haven’t unpacked yet, so there’s nothing to get paint on! Painting companies also recommend putting a fresh coat of paint on your old home after you’ve packed up your belongings for the same reasons; in fact, some landlords may even request you repaint rooms in a rental when you’re ready to move out.

If you’re planning to move, consider interior painting services for right before you move, so you can benefit from the following:

Fast Service

Painting companies employ professional and experienced painters who will get the work done quickly. Speedy interior painting comes in handy when you’re pressed for time, especially when there are only a few days available for you to paint before or after you move. If you’re leaving a place and need it painted, you can schedule your interior painting services for the day of or the day after your move. Or, if you’re painting your new home and have access to it before moving, hire a painting company to come in a day or two before you move in. Professional painters will get the job done fast so your old or new home can be ready as soon as possible.

Efficient Work

Even though professional painters get the job done quickly, they are still able to do quality work. Painting companies can provide your home with a professional paint job that you probably cannot match yourself. Interior painting services include all of the tasks and painting steps to ensure your home is painted well. Professional painters have an eye for quality painting.

Convenience

Moving is stressful enough, so having a painting company paint your home means one less thing for you to worry about. Since all of your belongings are packed away right before or after you move, you also don’t have to worry about protecting everything from the paint. If you are able to schedule interior painting services when your belongings are not in the home, that’s even better.

Health

Once your home is painted, it needs to be aired out. Fumes from paint can leave you lightheaded or dizzy if you can’t air out the room, so it is better for your health to avoid being in a freshly-painted home. If you can schedule your painting for while you are not currently living in the home, then you can avoid having to breathe in the harmful paint fumes.

Painting companies recommend putting a fresh coat of paint on your home’s walls soon before or after moving in or out. It can easily help cut down on the stress of a move and leave your new or old home looking good as new!

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