plainpainter

That sign is responsible for about 60-70k in total sales, 30k in the first year alone, retired it by May '07 - I got the board free, already had the paint, stencils cost $10. What's the ROI on that? What's the ROI on your marketing, Chris?

The women like me, Celeste, I always get a big smile from them - it's those italian good looks of mine.

Seriously, Chris, what do you care about my 'presentation' at this point? I close at 60-70% doing the bulk of the jobs I do, what's your closing rates? And are you grossing $150-$200 man-hours? Painting is just a side thing I do at this point - not worth my time, I did an interior earlier this year - my hourly rate was like $90. But I pick and choose painting customers now - I no longer offer it to the main populace, not worth my time in general.

Didn't you just accuse me of being low?

That picture was taken back in April '07 - last time I used that sign. I made that sign in April of '05, my first year out. That sign alone got me 30k in exterior painting sales that first year out. Something no professional marketing or advertizing has been able to equal since. Guys like you, Chris, don't get it. So instead of just shaking your head and say to yourself 'well if it works for him - that's cool' No - you have to bash and insult. I chaulk that up to a guy like you is just plain frightened. Perhaps what you knew about marketing isn't quite right I was on the right track with that sign way back then and didn't know it - well it's taken 5 years to realize what was really going on. Too bad I listened to that girlfriend of mine at the time reading the riot act about putting forth a 'professional' image, and how folks would perceive me as a hack - blah blah blah.

Scott - you are working with 'chi-chi' builders and designers, and perhaps in that milieu you want a more staid marketing and advertizing model. You want these big jobs - I want multiple $1,200-$1,800 where I am marketing directly to folks. It doesn't take a super wealthy person to want their house washed, gutters cleaned, and their very reasonably sized deck restored for $1,800. It just takes finding a bunch of these folks to make a good profit - guys who are super concerned about the newness of their truck kind of shock me. I don't think folks understand the $250,000 and higher crowd - they don't look at trucks, they look at how the service is going to benefit them.

Not even for your dog house, Chris?

Rick, the only person being 'low' is you.

Jon - I can't really get much more involved in this thread, as you don't want to understand. But tell me this, how am I being affected if my closing rates are between 60-70% on deck restorations, gutter cleanings, and house washings - and to boot I am never cheaper than the middle and usually the most expensive? And to boot that van sold me a ton of work this year based upon a simple change in lettering. You guys want to continue thinking that your nice neat pristine trucks with your 'reserved' truck lettering sells you jobs. Well, two guys already have said that their lettering doesn't sell them work, and It's been my second biggest resource this year for leads. I have come to an understanding of quite a lot this year. And now I know I can increase my leads for next year by 200-400% over this year, so with the same sales presentation and my closing rate - I'll be doing just fine. You guys can continue thinking what you want to think, I hope my competitors think the same way. Because a lot of your assumptions on a 'professional' business presentation has no basis in fact. The majority of you guys are emotional, not me, because the thought of that van selling work defies everything you thought you knew. All I know, is when this guy I know who does all the billboard signs in Fenway stadium told me how he gets a 14% Return on his mailings as opposed to you guys claiming 1%-4% and then closes them all - every technique he showed me is in total defiance to everything I have read on these boards in the last 4 years.

I hate flimsy ladders, so I only buy Type 1A and Type 1AA duty.

Here are some photos I took the other day of a deck I finished up 3 weeks ago. It was a nightmare strip - two coats of Cabots SPF. I applied F-18 at 12 oz. per gallon and applied via pump-up 3 consecutive times, nada. Then I put HD-80 full strength with added butyl and surfactant and applied twice - and that finally got the stuff off. And not that it really ever dissolved it either, it was coming off like saran wrap - it was disgusting. I must have rinsed this deck 11 times, as the amount of 'soap' I applied was horrific and the wood just wouldn't give up the suds for the longest time. Finally neutralized and packed up for the day. When I returned, this deck looked like the backside of a wooly mammoth it was so furred up. So Must have run my floor sander 5-6 times with 60 grit before I gave up and just stained it - even belt sanded a bunch of the steps. Finally just did two wet-on-wet coats of A.C Cedar Toner. Not my best work, but then again the customer is ultra happy - she just hated that failing SPF stain.

Here are 3 more

LOL - Kaboom!

Here's a queasy high ladder moment for you guys - later on, those ladder jacks got moved to the outsides of the ladders, and that pic was moved up at the same height as that 3rd story window sill, in order to scrap/prime everything up there.

LOL - I had a buddy do that once, had to reach a 40 foot gable end with a 32 foot ladder. We parked the van right next to the garage doors and propped the ladder on top of his van roof and got to the peak that way - I footed the whole time. What a crazy dude he was!

If you seriously thought my Van was an 'image' problem, trust me I wouldn't want to do the work.

Laugh it up, Scott. I cleaned these gutters at this home - where the husband saw my truck and asked me to give him a quote for pressure washing their trex deck for next spring. The next day his wife called me back to fix her christmas lights on her front gutter I messed up - so I came back and fixed it. Then she saw my truck and asked for a whole exterior painting estimate and she also wanted an estimate to paint 3 ceilings, which I gave to her on the spot.

That's right - I didn't make that much from just painting alone. Did half a dozen house estimates, didn't nail one - nobody is paying for nothing when it comes to painting. About the only painting I did was one $2,400 interior job - those lamp posts - and balusters on a two tone deck. Your assumptions about my company name are wrong, it's worded like that for other reasons. I chase the services that make me money, I've done just about 3k in sales this year alone just cleaning gutters for folks. And Scott is right, I have 3 house painting estimates to do right now based upon my customers who have already gotten services done by me this year. I am no longer going to estimate painting services to folks from now on unless they have a referral from a prior customer or are a prior customer. And I don't see what's so unprofessional about this rig?

Well you're partly right - I did jack the back up this summer - put in extra leaf springs.

Sorry, Chris, looked over my data for house washing and deck restoration been closing at the 60-70% range this year - and my pricing is on the high end of what folks post on these boards. I am in the process of deciphering how folks think - and your thoughts on a nice clean professional clean truck/van are totally antiquated. The only difference between me and some of the more successful guys here is the amount of marketing leads they generate. I understand how to sell my company - and understand the reasons why my van has absolutely no negative impact on perception like you theorize it would. Ken - trust me, I don't want you to think I have a big head now - I am just answering Chris' thoughts. I still have a long way to go to be a sales guru.

Yes it's the same. I price my deck work by the SF. So having never ever done this before in my life - what else did I have to go by? I have absolutely no success in charging homeowners with a T&M type proposal and not to mention if you think guys like Doolittle think you'll go bankrupt charging $100 Man-hours, try explaining that to homeowners who are aghast at anything above $30.

I have changed about 4 times now to the present revision. Scott you don't get it - your company name isn't important and your website name isn't important, I'd go further to say your phone number isn't important. PM me if you want the real reasons why and how folks call - I'll explain further.

I cleaned out the gutters, re-painted his little back deck, and re-installed a new post to hold one of those cedar lamp posts back up, redid the wiring and restored all those posts to their present form - will post some photos.

That's Chris from New England Painting Services.

Nov. 2