PCA Articles

The slow season can be challenging for painting businesses, but with the right strategies, you can make it one of your busiest and most profitable times of the year. Here are three powerful lead generation and sales systems that can keep the projects coming in, even during the traditionally slower months.

1. Fix Your Sales Funnel: The “Leaky Bucket” System

Before you start driving in more leads, it’s essential to plug any “leaks” in your current sales funnel. A leaky sales funnel means that potential jobs are slipping through your process, often due to a lack of follow-up, poor client experience, or unclear sales expectations. Here’s how to solidify each stage of your sales process for maximum revenue from every lead:

Key Metrics for a Solid Sales Process:

• Close Rate: This measures how many estimates turn into actual jobs. Aim for a close rate between 30-55% to ensure you’re maximizing each lead’s value.
• Charge Rate: Calculate your hourly rate per painter. To stay competitive yet profitable, aim for a charge rate between $75 and $90 per hour per painter, factoring in both labor and materials. This ensures your business maintains a healthy margin.

Key Steps to Fix Your Sales Funnel:

• The Setup Call: First impressions matter, and a short call to confirm details with the client can make a huge difference. Establish the project’s scope, timeline, and budget. This “pre-sales” setup reduces potential objections and builds trust before your team even steps through the door.
• The Perfect Estimate: Your estimate isn’t just a quote – it’s a chance to win the job on the spot. Arrive precisely on time, ideally sit down with the client at their kitchen table, and walk through each part of the project. Be transparent about costs, the timeline, and what they can expect. By the end, ask for the job right then and there.

BONUS TIP: Automate Key Follow-Ups

If you’re juggling multiple estimates, leads can slip through the cracks. Tools like DripJobs automate lead follow-ups and appointment reminders, reducing “lead slippage” (missed opportunities) and increasing your close rate without additional work from your team.

2. Door-to-Door Marketing Mastery

Door-to-door marketing is one of the oldest but most effective methods to bring in high-quality leads. But here’s the twist – it doesn’t have to be you knocking on doors! Building a dedicated team to handle this aspect of your marketing can result in a steady stream of leads, even during the slow season.

The Potential

• Revenue Impact: With just one part-time marketer, you can generate 12 estimates per week. If your close rate is around 33% with an average job value of $5,000, this alone could bring in up to $86,000 monthly revenue.
• ROI Calculation: By hiring two marketers for 9 hours each per week, you’ll reach approximately 77 estimates per month. At a 40% close rate, this translates to about $154,000 in monthly bookings, with a marketing cost of just over $5,000 – an impressive return on investment (23x ROI).

7 Steps to Door-to-Door Success:

1. Prepare Marketing Materials: Invest in professional-looking materials for your team, like branded polo shirts, hats, door hangers, and lanyards. A consistent, professional appearance builds trust with potential clients.
2. Craft a High-Converting Script: Equip your team with a simple, tested script that covers essential details. It should address what makes your business unique, and position the team as ready to provide free estimates.
3. Choose Ideal Neighborhoods: Look for neighborhoods with well-kept homes, good curb appeal, and a lot of potential customers. Use tools like Google Maps to identify these areas.
4. Try It Yourself First: Try going door-to-door yourself for 5-10 hours to better understand the process and gather data. This experience will help you refine your team’s script, targeting, and approach.
5. Hire the Right Team: Use platforms like Indeed or ZipRecruiter to find individuals with great people skills, motivation, and an organized approach. Look for candidates who make a strong impression and demonstrate drive.
6. Onboard and Train Your Marketers: Training is critical to help your team succeed. Go with them door-to-door initially, so they gain confidence and experience success. Show them how to handle objections and book appointments directly into your calendar.
7. Ongoing Management: Consistency is key for sustained success. Check in with your team before and after each shift, discuss goals, and help them reach their financial targets. This type of management creates a sense of support and accountability that will keep them motivated.

With these steps, a strong door-to-door team can bring you enough high-quality leads to keep your business profitable, no matter the season.

3. Strategic Partnerships for Commercial Repaints

Commercial repaints are a game-changer for painting businesses, often bringing in high-value projects with less frequent, but regular, demand. Establishing strategic partnerships can generate a steady stream of commercial repaint work, even during slow months.

The Impact of Commercial Partnerships:

• Revenue Potential: An average commercial repaint project is worth about $20,000. By building relationships with strategic partners who each send you just one job per year, you could bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
• Scaling Potential: Add one new partner per week, and within a year, you could have 52 partners. If even a quarter of them send you a job annually, you’ll have an additional $260,000 in yearly revenue. As these partnerships compound, they can bring up to $780,000 by the third year.

How to Create a System for Commercial Partnerships:

• Identify Ideal Partners: Look for property managers, realtors, builders, general contractors, and interior designers. These are people with regular painting needs, especially for larger projects.
• Build Your Contact List: Google Maps and LinkedIn are great tools to build a list of ideal partners in your area. Aim for a list of at least 50–100 contacts to start.
• Track Engagement: Use a simple spreadsheet to track interactions with your partners, or, if you’re ready to scale, consider a CRM system specifically for managing partner relationships.
• Initial Outreach: Begin with a call to introduce your business and explain how you can help. Use a script that positions you as a resource for them rather than just another vendor.
• Request an In-Person Meeting: The goal of your initial call is to set up a meeting at their office. Bring along a portfolio of your work, a flyer or brochure, and maybe even coffee or a small snack to break the ice.
• Nurture Relationships Over Time: Check in with your partners regularly. A monthly call or visit, even if there isn’t an immediate project, helps keep your business top-of-mind when they do have work available.
• Stay Consistent: Make it a weekly goal to secure at least one in-person meeting with a new potential partner. Consistency in outreach will yield a steady stream of high-value commercial repaint opportunities.

Why Strategic Partnerships Matter:

Not every partner will have work for you each month, but over time, you’ll build a reliable network that provides consistent opportunities. By investing as little as two hours a week in nurturing these relationships, you’ll see significant returns in both revenue and job consistency.

Ready to Transform Your Painting Business?

The slow season doesn’t have to mean slow business. By fixing your sales funnel, building a door-to-door marketing team, and creating strategic partnerships, you can keep your painting business busy and profitable year-round.

Let Us Help You Scale! At Painter Growth, we’ve helped hundreds of contractors implement these exact systems and grow their businesses, even in challenging seasons. Book a call with our team today for a custom growth plan and unlock access to resources, training, and support to make this your best year yet.

Special Limited-Time Offer

For a limited time, when you schedule a call, you’ll also get access to:

• A 7-Figure Sales Training Video Course
• Exclusive Door-to-Door Training Modules
• A Custom Hit List Template for Strategic Partnerships
• PLUS a free 1-1 coaching call to help you implement it (Valued at $497)

For a FREE toolkit with these resources, please go to www.paintergrowth.com/pca to download it now!