dwbrooks

I've been running my own company for 2 years now. Until recently the majority of my work has been with general contractors. I havent had to go out and do many hard sells, the jobs have always been a shoe in pretty much.

I've been doing quite a bit of advertising lately and have been getting a good response. I've done 7 estimates in the last week which is more than I've done in the past. I'm pretty good with people and seem to be able to establish a good report with them. I know the money I need to get in order to do a quility job and feel that I'm fairly competive in my pricing.

I'm 25 so I'm not super young but I wonder if my age hinders me as far as customers feeling confident I can do a good job. I'm well educated about painting and the products that need to be used and believe I convey that too the customers. I know people are always looking to get more estimates since it seems everyone does them for free.

Do you have any tips on closing a job right away or do you just wait for a call back? Is there anything you find works espically well when trying to sell a job?

farrellpainting

dwbrooks, im 23 and i started my biz last march, i can definitely tell that people are stand off'ish when i first meet them because of it, also i only look about 18-19! but i think it all comes down to couple of things despite age!

personality, spending a little extra time talking to the custo, smile, joke around a bit, a prospect has to feel comfortable with the fact that youll be in/on their property for a couple of weeks. 90% of the time they have to hand over the keys to you while they are at work, so they also have to feel that you are trustworthy!

professionalism, i try to explain to them my knowledge of products, procedure, and technique, most of it goes right over their heads but it shows to them that you are a pro and not just some guy that paints houses!

price/bid, i always like to do an overview of the estimate face to face, it gives me a chance to work the above two into the price(soften the blow), instead of mailing or stickin it in the door, when you do that all that they see is a dollar amount coming out of their acct for what they might think is just a simple paint job! being face to face will also allow you to close on the spot, however i never push it on a customer, you dont want to pressure them to sign, cause if they do sign under pressure their going to have doubts from the time you pull out of the driveway, and the whole time your working for them, itll just become a stressful mess in the long run, collection will be a PITA too!! most people just say ok when can you start, if they seem hesitant i tell them to think about it, get a few more estimates and call me when you want to schedule.doing that instead of waiting for them to tell you, is alot better, cause when you leave your still in control, and will make you look better than the next guy that shows up! i usually get called back!
i think when doing an estimate your last impression is your best!

now i dont have this mastered by any means, but it worked pretty damn good last season!

im open to some constructive criticism!

Grumpy

How to sell a job? Stay away from hard sells.

Meet with the customer. Find out their needs, explain how you will fill their needs. Prove your experience and professionalism. Be a genuine person, not a sterotypical sales person, and allow the sale to fall into your lap.

Age is another story in terms of hinderance. Everyone makes purchasing decisions for different reasons. I know when I first started in home improvement sales I was slightly younger than you are now. I know I did lose some sales because people thought int their heads "how much experience can this guy have? when in truth I had way more experience than the "salesman" I was bidding against who never touched a tool in his life.

At the same time I know I did fairly well with older couples who seemed to want to give the young whipper snapper a chance and perhaps hired me because I was young. Or perhas it was because I would sit for hours and hours listening to them tell stories about their kids and show me pictures of their grand kids.

If you are confident that you can do a good job, make sure the customer has the same confidence and you will do very well.

__________________
-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing

farrellpainting

grumpy that old folks thing gave me a laugh, i thought i was the only guy that would sit and listen to the old folks for hours, and im serious when i say hours, they just dont let you leave!this one fogie i listened to for over an hour,eventually i said what ever i had to so i could go on with my day, i thought i got away and right as i opened the door to leave he started right back up again!! i really wanted to pretend like i didnt hear him and shut the door, but i just couldnt, instead i stood at the door while he talked for another 1/2 hr! i seriously almost fell asleep on this guy!

its a huge part of the sale,but what do you do now to get around it, if anything?i have to give this same guy another estimate this season!
thanks!

Ed the Roofer

Farrel,

A real good way to take care of business and be a friend to the lonely elderly was shown to me by a former salesman.

The old guy did the same thing with my guy, Dave. After the second extended session with him, Dave just told him, "You know Mr. xxx, why don't we just finish up this business stuff and then we can get together anytime you want to watch a baseball game together at your home. I really like talking to you, and would appreciate having you as a friend, but as long as this agreement isn't accepted, its makes it sort of hard to just come over here as a friend.:

It worked. he gained an immediate acceptance of the agreement and got a baseball friend to watch the games with at the same time.

Ed

farrellpainting

thanks ed, the downside is, the guy lives not even 1/2 mile from my house, im afraid if i give the buddy idea he'll be swingin by my house in his golf cart. the upside is when i work for him he lets me use his golf cart, im in an urban area too, i used it once to go do an estimate across town,i get lunch in it, pick up materials its awesome! i will definitely use your good advice for the next fogie episode! thanks!

this guy is cool as ever, but i can only have so much empathy for a guy thats talkin to me in his whitey tightey's!

ruskent

My age effects me. I am younger then both of you. But whats funny is the only people that make a comment about my age are the ones with the cheap little project i wouldn't want anyway. I get a kick out of it when some fat house wife who has made nothing of her life says something like "How are you going to level my shed pad, it looks like you just got out of high school"

I have better luck on the high end since i come up with good design ideas, and know how to sell myself to people who want a quality project

Grumpy

Another check in the list of reasons not to work from the home.

__________________
-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing

farrellpainting

i figured that out the hard way, i painted half my street last season, its really annoying when everyone on the street asks you to paint somethin, and then every time they see me its always some talk about their house or my biz. i have to take what i can get for now, but im practically living in my work!ugghhh!

skyhook

With the price of gas and TT. Sounds like it could be a good thing.

boman47k

Sounds like they helped you get started. Don't get uppity and pi** them off because thet are interested in you. They may very well be rooting you on.

Magnettica

http://www.markupandprofit.com/books_mark.html

Great book!

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farrellpainting

they are helping me get started and im very grateful, gas and mileage on my new truck a +, im always nice to them, and ill talk to them for as long as they want, in the spring/summer when i drive down my street ill get flagged down by one ho, and the rest come runnin, its like im the ice cream man for adults! i grin and bare it, but it gets annoying when i cant even drive down my street w/o being stopped and stampeaded at each side of my truck, i only have one head! most of them are single or stay at home moms.i can get tied up talkin to them for 1/2 a day!its seriously like being the prom king in a parade, only its everyday i go to and from my house!

it just burned me out workin on the same block that ive been on for 23yrs,i understand their only tryin to help, but it makes me feel like the neighborhood painting kid, and thats not what im out to be! i only left the hood for 4 jobs last/first season, and it was like paradise!

john elliott

Sounds like a great street to live and work in. And they come running when you drive down the street? Do any of them need new kitchens, do you think? Maybe I should emigrate

John

__________________
Ed the Roofer said "John too, in his crass and blunt demeanor.............."

farrellpainting

one mans dump is anothers gold mine, i guess! maybe i forgot to mention im still with the rents, in the same house i grew up in, on the same street,day after day,week after week etc...etc... its more of a nightmare than a dream! after all i started this biz so i can get the h**l outa here!

i think im gonna go puke now!

boman47k

Heheh, 23 years old and street full of stay at home moms stopping you? Hmmm, lol! A true rock star..oops not into drywall. Paint right? Seriously, I can see your point on the chit-chat thing. It is time consuming, and time is a precious commodity.

Gordo

__________________
Looks like some pros were here.

farrellpainting

boman, i already took care the only decent lookin one! funny story however, she came down to my house around 8-8:30 one night and asked me if i needed some work. i told her id come take "a look", when i got there she had a 12 pack on the porch, and told me shes got the day off tomorrow, and to put the icing on the cake, after a couple beers and chit chat, she asked me if i have a girlfreind to help me on jobs.ding ding ding!!!!! i said no, and she said her ex hubby used to do carpentry, COME IN ILL SHE YOU WHAT HE DID!!!! it was an awkward initiation but, by far the best estimate yet! ill be doing an estimate for her 19-20 yr old daughter this season lol!

sorry to any of you ladies that take offense, what do you got drywall guy?

oh yea she gave me a check for 219.00 to paint a couple of windows, LOL!

Ed the Roofer

Farrel,

Try attempt to limit the ice cream street time, why don't you put together some common upgrade ideas related to your painting and some other related minor upgade trades.

Get a few of your small time but good quality buddies with non-competing trades, together and invite all the neighbors to your back yard for a combo bar-b-que and informational seminar about potential design ideas and upgrade options.

Invite all your neighbors and tell them to bring a friend who could use the suggested ideas as well.

Free referrals. Instant "expert" credentials. Less ice cream street time. It sounds like a winning situation to be in.

I might consider doing the same thing at my home, except for the 12-Pack estimate portion.

Ed

farrellpainting

thanks ed, but my goal is to get out of my hood, i hate to ruin your guys dreams but im not in an upscale neighborhood with hot single moms runnin around all over the place!i wish!!!!!!!! my back yard is practically the soccor feild of the middle school that i went to 9yrs ago!!!! house's here go for 100k-150k, middle class income.ed thats a good idea, but i dont want to live in my work! this may kill some of you guys, i actually skipped my hood picnic last year, cause i knew that every word spoken to me would be about painting.i dont go every single year anymore anyway, but when im in my hood i like to relax, and forget about work!

ed, you seem to have too much ambition for your own good, from what i read in your post's.or you just overloading one area with it. i mean too much of anything, good or bad is a bad thing ya know!dont you do well enough with roofs as it is, theres plenty enough roofing/roofing sales to be done in a lifetime, it seems like your pullin your hair out over your roofin biz, when to me it sounds like your doin just fine!
the SCA idea like purty said, no HO is going to want to listen to that(overkill), i didnt even want to read it.i think the best thing to do to help your sales is to not focus on it soo much!!!! with your vocabulary,proper grammar, and lengthy post i bet you could write some good books or somethin(not about roofing)? or better yet go do a 12 pack estimate, f the roof, then f the HO (lol)! im sure im gettin a lil personal but try somethin new man, its seems like you already have roofing conquered(maxed out)

someone stated something on here somewhere,that i'll remember for the rest of my life. "no one goes to their grave regretting that they didnt work enough!"

p.s. ed expanding advertising, and Pwashing,window cleaning, sandblasting are in the cross hairs, just gotta wait for this damn snow to stop, so i can generate some more $$$$$ for it!