Focus on your painting company's strengths and skills.
Whether you're just getting started with a painting business or trying to grow an existing business, there are several things you can do to help your clients and potential clients understand why you're the best choice for their painting needs. Whether you specialize in interior, exterior, commercial, residential or mural/artistic painting, the more clearly you can communicate your expertise, the more likely you'll impress clients.
Something for Nothing
One way to convince potential clients that you're an expert who cares about your craft is to offer free information about painting to all potential clients. This can be an informational sheet comparing different types of paint finishes so the client can learn the difference between flat, satin, semigloss and other finishes, or it might be a paper discussing the environmental effects of painting and how your company works to reduce negative environmental impacts. Keep the sheet strictly informational--no sales pitches--but make it clear through the information presented that you or your company has clear expertise.
Promote Your Strengths
While customers may say they are looking for the cheapest deal, you may have other strengths that make your painting business better than your competitors. Make sure these strengths are clear on all of your promotional materials, including your website. Such strengths might include full cleanup after the painting is done, free touch-up services for the next year, extremely knowledgeable staff, environmentally friendly practices or other factors that make your business standout from others. Check out your competition's ads and websites to make sure your strengths are truly different in your area and then do your best to promote them.
Foster Partnerships
Signs that say "House Painters" or some similar wording and offer a business phone number tend to spring up along the roadside as soon as the weather warms up enough for people to start thinking about home improvements. Keep in mind, though, that people who drive by these signs may not have time to write down a number or a website. To target your clientele in a more memorable way, partner with related (but not competitive) local businesses that fit your target market. Interior decorator firms might partner with high-end painters who show expertise in faux finishes and high-quality decor. Home improvement stores may be willing to partner with low-cost painters who have a target market of borderline do-it-yourselfers who are too busy to take on the project themselves. For environmentally conscious painters, consider partnering with a local sustainable-living cooperative. Approach potential partners as if they're potential clients by offering a comprehensive portfolio of your best work and a detailed plan of how they'll benefit from partnering with you, such as shared client lists or greater marketing exposure.
Tags: potential clients, partner with, make your, partnering with, target market