Desperate Times

It seems that a lot of painting contractors are experiencing desperate times. Leads are down and they are not sure what to do. As their bank account slowly dwindles they are hesitant to spend money on advertising, but also know that without advertising their will not be any leads.

There is no easy fix, but sitting around watching Oprah isn't the answer either. If I were in such a situation, I would take two simple steps. First, I would contact past customers. Personally, I would (and do) use newsletters. These have greater shelf life, are more informative, and from my experience, are more effective than other media. A less effective option is to use postcards.

The second step I would take is to design and print fliers or door hangers and hit the streets. If I did not have a job, it would be my job to get one.

Handing out fliers is no fun. When I started I did it several times a week. But it works and it is inexpensive. You can target the areas where you want to work (assuming that fliers are allowed). More importantly, it is pro-active. Leads are not going to magically fall into your lap. If you want something, you must work for it.

Building a business isn't always fun. Sometimes it requires that we do things that we do not enjoy, or even hate. But sitting around crying in our beer isn't going to make the situation better.

And when you get a job, put 10% aside for future marketing. Develop a marketing plan and then implement it. Otherwise, you will find yourself back in the same situation at some future time.