How to Estimate a Paint Job - Painting Contractors Getting the Job by Looking Different

The estimating part of the paint job is easy, if you know your job costs, and your overhead.

The part of the paint job estimate that most painters don't understand is that in order to sell a job, you need to look different, and be different from the other painting contractors. The trouble is most painters think the way to look different is to be the low bidder. Here are some tips, some are things to do and some are things not to do.

1) The "Going Rate", first if there was such a thing and you bid using the going rate, you would be copying other painters. If you want to stand out from the crowd then don't copy other painters.
That doesn't mean that at times you might have the same price, it's just that you don't deliberately try to match their price. Matching their price is not where you should focus if you want to look better than the other painters.

2) Stop selling on price-everyone else is selling on price so how can you appear to stand out from the crowd if you are doing exactly what the crowd is doing? Does that mean that you ignore the pricing process? Not at all. It just means that you should focus your selling on value, quality and service.

3) Believe it or not most customers want the best value for their dollar; they don't want the cheapest price. If the customer knows you are going to do a perfect job, on time for a little more money than the other painter who the customer doesn't trust but is cheaper, the customer will choose you.

4) I find that if I offer to use a colorization program to show the client what their job will look like when done makes a big difference towards making the sale. Don't do this service until the customer signs the contract.

5) Definitely do a two call estimate and sale that is a measure call, and then a sales call where you meet with all buying parties. On the measure call we just measure we don't sell, we save the selling for the second call.

6) Don't fax, mail or email your estimate, that's what all the other painters do, and guess what, when the customer lays the estimates down on the kitchen table, the only thing the customer sees is the price they don't remember you.

7) One thing I ask the buying parties for at the sales call is that they either say yes or no, I don't want to hear them say, "We will think it over".

Most of these things are unconventional by design, and I routinely get the job where I am the high bidder. Why do you suppose that is? Because I position my company as being better, quality, value and service.

Source : Ezinearticles