dwbrooks

Hello Everyone,

I've been off on my own for about a 1yr now. I'm 24 yrs old, and am dedicated to growing my business and providing quality work. I'm learing as much as possible about growing my business and also about painting in general. I feel I do good work and provide good service to my customers.

I come on here daily and learn more everyday. I see many of you prefer residential repaints over new construction. I like both but seem to have a hard time securing jobs in the residential repaint area. I'm good with people and try hard to present myself professionally and politally. I do feel my age hinders me because people dont think I'm very experianced. I will admit many of you have been in the trade for a much longer time, but I do feel that my work is good and wish I had more of a chance to demonstate this.

My questions are- How did you get your business going and manage to get a steady flow of work? What ways do you find most effective for a new company to gain business? Does it boil down to hard work, some luck or both?
Basically what I'm saying is that I'm willing to work hard to make my business grow, but am not sure whats the best way for a newly founded company to grow as quickly and successfully as possible.

I've read the archives in the business section regarding marketing and so on.
If you could share what brought you your success and what you might have done differantly in the early yrs of your business it would be a huge help.

Thanks much

Mike Finley

There will be a lot of good replys to your specific questions but I will address a side issue you brought up.

I understand how you can see looking young as a detriment. However, I hope you can grasp actually how to turn it in your favor.

The first thing you need is to alleviate your potential customers fears that there is some defect in hiring you because you could be stereotyped as being inexperienced because of your age. This is the easiest part to do. You simply need to document your work. Take before and after pictures of your work always. Assemble a VERY professional looking book and stuff it full of only the best of the best of your work, be very discriminating. If the house doesn't look its best because of a camera problem, or the customer has a pile of crap in the yard, or the weather the day you took the photos, toss them or go back and do them over.

With a powerful book the customers fears of you being inexperienced is a non-issue. How can they think you are inexperienced when they are leafing through 30 - 40 awesome projects?

Add to that a huge list of references. Ask every customer at the end of the job if they can use you as a reference.

It's a double punch program, once you eliminate the inexperienced thoughts as far as your craft goes then you need to wow them with your energy, enthusiasm and desire to get the job done in a professional manner. You do this with everything from the truck you drive, the hair-cut you sport, the clothes you wear and the way your present your company on its documents and how you handle yourself.

Your youth will then become your asset. Believe me there are plenty of customers who cringe at the thought of some curmudgeonly old long haired hippy falling out of his truck onto their driveway and having to deal with all the baggage he brings along. A fresh faced energetic professional young man who knows what he is doing and is eager to earn their business will go a long way for you.

I been there and done that. I ran my own professional services business when I was 20, dealing with gigantic budgets and people double my age had their reputations on the line for hiring me. My youth became my biggest asset because it was unique to find somebody like me, that young who could not only hang with the big dogs but could out play them at their own game.

You ever hear of a child prodigy? It's regarded as a good thing.

That alone can help you more than you know. I also feel the same way, I not only want the jobs that I want for the selfish reasons we all have for being in business (making money, furthering our company) but I also truly feel if a customer doesn't hire me he will be getting a inferior experience at the hands of my competition. It's my task to help them help themselves by hiring me.

That's a powerful thing to have going for you.

__________________
bathroom remodeling - Denver, Lakewood, Littleton, Arvada, Westminster, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Englewood Colorado.

Control your own destiny or someone else will!

dwbrooks

Great Advice Mike, Turning a potential negative into a positive. That shines a new light on things for me, Very Encouraging.

Thank you Dan

donb1959

When I started out, I ordered 2500 door hangers, I canvassed nice neighborhoods, and hung the door hangers. I hung about 3oo hangers per day for 4 days. Then the phone started ringing. Make sure your hangers are well done, and well laid out. Put a call to action on there such as "10% off your first job!!"

If you show your professinalism your age will not be much of a factor. Here the majority of the contractors ride around in ill maintained vans, are unshaven, and wear jeans and a bud tee-shirt. I've got the leg up by showing up on time, wearing my company shirt, clean whites, and good hygeine.

Be competetive on your quotes, but bid them to turn at least an 8-10% profit. You are not in this for charity. If you are punctual, and do an excellant job, you should be getting paid. When you have some funds flowing take out a business card ad in a local paper or two. After that you can look at other forms of marketing.

It boils down to very hard work, but luck is where preperation meets opportunity. You really make your own luck. I will say though to start out, get your door hangers done and hump them until the phone starts ringing. I have a list of rules for door hanging that have been effective if you would like to use them, and I can supply with the name of the company that did me a great job on my hangers at a fair price. Best of luck.

__________________
I fish therefore I am
http://www.shimmerz.biz

dwbrooks

"I have a list of rules for door hanging that have been effective if you would like to use them, and I can supply with the name of the company that did me a great job on my hangers at a fair price. Best of luck".

That would be great if you could provide this for me, If you have time. Thanks much

Grumpy

DW I am glad you brought that up Mike I am glad you singled that since I almost skipped over it.

When I started in contractor sales I was somewhat young. Certainly younger than the majority of roofing salesmen in my area. After my first year in sales when we quit selling on low price and decided to sell on quality, I had a hard time selling and got my age as an objection.

I overcame this objection fairly easy now that I sit back and think about it. It all came down to proving my experience, and I accomplished this in a number of ways. I have said many times that when I know something is going to be an objection or complaint I like to be proactive and I like to bring it up. Sometimes the customer might not be comfortable saying to you "You look young and I am concerned about your experience in thsi trade." Then again sometimes they do

Luckily I had a picture of myself at about age 5 tearing down some walls with a sledgehammer and wearing a hard hat. The old ladies loved it! That squashed the whole inexperience thing. The other method is really really knowing your trade and proving it to them as part of your sales presentation. Go into some technical detail about the materials you are to install as well as the methods. Let them know you know what they are talking about. Also you have to have the answers to their questions. That goes back to really knowing your trade. "[i]Ok Mr. Customer I told you about our product, I told you about how we iinstall it; now let me tell you about my experience and how we operate as a company. I have been painting since 19xx and was trianed by... [/]"

Lastly just weather the storm because you are not getting any younger, and trust me managing multiple projects as just a salesman aged me quick, and then opening my own company also added some age to my face (and inches to my waist). I haven't heard a comment about my age in quite some time.

__________________
-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing

Grumpy

Oh, one last thing I want to mention about the topic of age, if you don't appear as if you are the owner, they might just think you are a salesman for an established company. Perception is reality. Nobody thinks my company is one year old, infact often people assume we are a large established company.

__________________
-Grumpy
Chicago Gutters Chicago Roofing

donb1959

http://www.doorhangers.com below you will find the hanger rules that I used and gave to folks helping me hand out to go by as well.


Doorhanger rules :

1.Never, ever take shortcuts across yards.

2.Never park in driveways.

3.Always pullover as far as possible without parking on grass.

4.Never block driveways, allow enough room for folks leaveing driveway to see past van.

5.Always leave flashers on.

6.Always set brakes when parking on hills.

7.Dogs in the yard or at the door are a NO HANG ZONE

8.Never walk across yard to hand someone a hanger unless motioned over. If the owners are in the yard just wave and continue to door to hang.

9.If handing door hanger to owner say "Hi, I'm xxx with Shimmerz Painting Company, and I'm out today introduceing our business to the neighborhood, have a nice day".

10.Never stop to talk to a child by theirself.

11.Track every street name youv'e been on. Once started on a street, always finish the street. Never vary from one street to another till the first streets done.

12.If hanging on a door make sure the hanger will not fall off. When in doubt fold the hanger so that coupon is facing handle and wedge in between door.

13. If asked anything your not sure about take a name, and number. Ask them when is a good contact time, and tell them the owner will call them.

14. If asked about prices, etc....get a name and number, see rule 13.

15.Dont wear sunglasses, people like to see a strangers eyes.

16.If someone says you bothered them etc... just say "I'm sorry for the inconveniance,have a nice day"

17.Remember the last hanger in your hand may be the next big job. It's all about the numbers, the more you hang the more possible customers.

__________________
I fish therefore I am
http://www.shimmerz.biz