Painters – How to sell at higher prices than the competition

You may think that there is only one thing that will help a painting business make money. You keep saying to yourself, if only Joe Blow worked harder and smarter, or if you lived in a different area, or this and that or some other lame excuse or reason why you don’t make money. Perhaps the brainstorm occurs and you think that if you buy your paint cheaper you will make money with your works.

Why do all of our jobs end in a fight to finish before another hour’s pay is subtracted from your own pay? Why does it seem so unfair for the owner to ask you to do a little thing when you practically gave the job away? Mainly, why do all your jobs end with peanuts for you?

A simple answer will make all these problems go away. This one thing will make jobs fun again. Hears! Mr. and Mrs. The homeowner asks you to move your wicker furniture outside on the porch for the summer, no problem. Suddenly he wants to do the best job for his clients. Now you realize that instead of being the cheapest painter, you are known as the highest quality paint company.

Here is the answer. Nothing else will. Earn enough money to make a good living and still do the same job. I’m sure you’re saying I can’t raise my prices because the going rate is… this or that. But people want the cheapest work. Bad and bad again. We are almost always the highest bidder. And you know what else? I freak out if I find out I’m the lowest bidder; because I must have missed something in my estimation. There are times when I’m low or in the middle; because there are some painters who have a reputation for being expensive. You know, they’re the ones you can’t believe do any business or have fantastic connections. Did you know? Nonsense!

Half of the 800,000 companies starting up this year will be gone next year. Why? Do you think it’s because they’re making too much money? Why do paint companies have a bad reputation? Is it because they do quality work? Why are the oldest companies characterized by being “High Priced”?

Okay, you say. For just a minute you believe me; but, then you say, people want a cheap job. That is purely false. What do you want when you buy a brush? Most painters buy quality brushes because they last longer, do a better job and will cost less in the end because you will be buying 2 or 3 cheap brushes for the price of a good one. Do you buy the cheapest food? Have you ever skimped and bought a cheap tool like a cheap broom or mop or something and it fell apart in your hands?

A guy called me last summer (June) and he sounded like he was going to cry. I asked him what he wanted; he said he needed a painter. I told him that we could do anything until September because we had all the reservations. He was still intrigued why his voice was so disturbed, so I told him I’d try to refer him to a good painter or whatever he could do. Asking him to tell me his story was a real pleasure, not because of his pain; but, to prove this point. He told me that he had a reference to this painter from his brother-in-law, and that he received 4 offers and this guy was the lowest. Prices were cheap reference $2300, next $2500. Then $3400 and $3600, and there was one at $11000 (maybe he gave this to piss off the guy or whatever, he obviously didn’t need the job that much) so what I said, what happened to make you so mad? He said the short guy started painting his condo, and he was immediately harassing the guy. The owner commuted to a job that required him to leave early and come home late. The first thing this painter did that bothered him was that he smoked in the boys’ house (the owner didn’t smoke), the second thing that bothered him was that the painter was painting the ceiling of his room by walking on the boys’ bed with his shoes. on and without drop. The third thing that really grossed him out was that the painter used the toilet and didn’t flush it, and it wasn’t just urine. Finally, the guy gave him the second installment of the job and the guy never came back. It was the cheapest price, so I ask you, how many of your clients would want this type of work?

Price is not the most important factor. Most people would say that quality is. But, if you think about the things this owner mentioned, he never said the quality was bad; but, I bet he did. He was upset that the painter was blatantly disrespecting him. People buy for many things; But, above all buy on emotion. They buy because they “feel” that everything is fine. Then probably the quality, if the client perceives that everything is the same then he will buy by price. And it is that ignorance of theirs that causes the problem. The sad thing is that painters continually play this game with them. When the job is done and it has been an absolutely horrible experience. The homeowner will mourn everyone who will hear that all contractors are bad, not understanding that he created the mess himself, by buying a paint job based on price alone.