# When work is not coming in...



## Melissa (Feb 23, 2006)

Paintguy26 said:


> Ok, a little bit about me. I'm 27, married, and closing in on my first year in business. This is my first winter. I'm already booked for next spring and part of the summer, but things aren't really rolling for this winter... I am licensed in CT and RI.
> 
> I specialize in small to large residential repaints, inside and out. I am trying to get connected with a contractor or 2 who can use me on a more steady basis.
> 
> ...


So, of the jobs you have scheduled for Spring, are any of them interiors that you could start on now? 

Could you place an add- 10% off winter special or something? I'd think with the holidays coming up, people want to paint the interiors, and this kind of add would be perfect :thumbsup:


----------



## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

Have seen door hangers mentioned. Maybe look in a reverse directory and make cold calls to people in the vicinity of the job you are doing? I find interesting to look at a reverse directory online and see the names and numbers of the people in an area or on a street. Hehhe, and it is free.


----------



## Richard (May 21, 2006)

Melissa said:


> So, of the jobs you have scheduled for Spring, are any of them interiors that you could start on now?
> 
> Could you place an add- 10% off winter special or something? I'd think with the holidays coming up, people want to paint the interiors, and this kind of add would be perfect :thumbsup:


good ideas...I have all exterior work in the spring planned~3 or 4 jobs now, so spring/summer will be hoppin'. I actually do offer a 10% discount on fall/winter work, have since I started. 

I'm trying hard these days...taking all the advice from you all, mixed with my own ideas...It's paying off so far, thanks


----------



## kevjob (Aug 14, 2006)

how about a repair and repaint ad? I often get calls for gorut and tiles falling off etc... some of them turn into total redo, some not all but you never know :thumbup:


----------



## MattCoops (Apr 7, 2006)

you can call other guys who may need some subs
builders work winters, get in touch with them

on the work you have scheduled for Spring, did you take a third down deposit?
then you'd at least have bills paid and food on table
and if you didn't take a deposit, then you have no work scheduled.

I'm telling you man, prowl Home Depot and Lowes, and be on lookout for any potential customers
Put them BUSINESS cards to good use


----------



## Richard (May 21, 2006)

MattCoops said:


> you can call other guys who may need some subs
> builders work winters, get in touch with them
> 
> on the work you have scheduled for Spring, did you take a third down deposit?
> ...


I have actually been talking with a contractor, realtor, and some other local painters recently. All for potential work. I dont go to HD or Lowes hardly at all, I'm a painter! But when I do, I'll be sure to _be on the hunt_


sidenote- should I get a deposit? I'm used to that initial payment as the deposit, but when I start. Not this far ahead. Afterall, I'll use that deposit for materials, bills, etc. then. So, if I use it now...I'll be needing it later on. Am I thinking whacky about this? Any help would be great. Keep in mind, I'm in my first year. I've purchased over 14K worth of equip/van/etc. I haven't yet been able to grow a savings. I'm just now getting to that point.


----------



## dirt diggler (May 14, 2006)

Paintguy26 said:


> sidenote- should I get a deposit? I'm used to that initial payment as the deposit, but when I start. Not this far ahead. Afterall, I'll use that deposit for materials, bills, etc. then. So, if I use it now...I'll be needing it later on. Am I thinking whacky about this? Any help would be great. Keep in mind, I'm in my first year. I've purchased over 14K worth of equip/van/etc. I haven't yet been able to grow a savings. I'm just now getting to that point.



If you get it, just be wise with it. You do not want to start your 2nd year off with Peter and Paul ....

What's wrong with getting at least a PT job to tide you over. Especially if you've got a 14K debt ... and you haven't grown a savings


----------



## POOLMANinCT (Oct 7, 2006)

dont heat your house w/ deposit money lol

spring work i take a small $250-500 NON REFUNDABLE scheduling deposit.. qualifies them as a serious lead & when snow melts i get the deposit needed to run the job...if they change there mind i just picked up 250-500


----------



## Ray R (Dec 9, 2005)

DON'T GET IN THE HABIT OF USING DEPOSITS TO FUND TODAY'S BILLS!

Did that get your attention?

Many a contractor has ended up working for someone else going down that road.

Here are some ideas:

Make a new set of cards that state you specialize in interior painting. Do you wallpaper? If not, learn how. This is also a great source of winter work.

Make a list of every upscale condo development (especially 55 and up communities) around. Dosen't matter if they were just built. Builders use generic paint and these new condo owners like to add their own personal touch. Make flyers and spend a day visiting condos

Target neighorhoods and use door hangers.

Don't be afraid to drop your price if you are in dire need of work or paint 2 rooms for the price of one. Remember that every job you get is a potential lead source. Think long term as well. Don't try and pound people because you are slow.

How about commercial? You never know what business may need painting services and more importantly these people own homes as well.

One last thought:

How about calling each one of your previous customers and let them know that you are available for interior work this winter. Many times you won't even get though your customer list before you land some work.

Hope this helps. 

Last resort is getting a pickup with a plow and removing snow.


----------



## Richard (May 21, 2006)

Thanks for the fresh info Ray...more good stuff


----------



## Ray R (Dec 9, 2005)

No problem. Good Luck.


----------



## Brendakeen (Oct 30, 2006)

*I'm good at this one!*

I was a high tech marketing person for the last 10 years after I left engineering - so translated this into getting work for us. As a consequence we have TOO much work right now. 

Here are some of the ways I got work: 

1) Join www.servicemagic.com You can set your spend target and they send you prequalified leads and they only send them to 2-3 contractors. You then get ratings, and if you do a good job, the prospective customers can see your ratings. 

2) Join www.reliableremodeler.com This company sends you lead descriptions in email with a price, then you can pay for the lead. A bit expensive, but we have gotten some good jobs from it. 

3) Two others you pay by the month are www.constructiondeal.com and www.bidclerk.com You get unlimited leads for a flat fee here

4) Set up a good website, and hand submit it to all the search engines. 
There are a lot of easy website design programs out there - Netobjects Fusion comes with premade templates so all you have to do is fill in pictures and write some great things about yourself and company

5) Set up meetings with local engineers and architects - they are good at referring business

6) Spend about 100 bucks for magnetic signs to put on your truck - we have gotten 2 - $100K remodels from our signs. Signorama is a national company, and they are quick and cheap! 

7) Set up a blog and write posts about what people should do with their houses. Here is mine http://keenerbuiltconstruction.typepad.com/the_home_remodelblog/

If you go to www.typepad.com you can pay a flat fee yearly and they give you hosting, ready-made templates, etc. All you have to do is post blogs and I am sure ALL of us have plenty to write about. Sometimes I rant (check out mine on Micromanaging customers). But this has brought us a readership and paying customers

8) Get a Yahoo listing - $10 per month and well worth it.

Here are some of the ways NOT to get work:

1) DO NOT post on Craigslist! The Craigslist clientele are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP! They don't want licensed contractors....

2) Don't go to the phone book, noone uses it anymore that can pay our overhead 

3) Likewise with the local papers. Expensive, and people want low ballers. Boo hiss. 

Hope this helps......


----------



## Richard (May 21, 2006)

dirt diggler said:


> If you get it, just be wise with it. You do not want to start your 2nd year off with Peter and Paul ....
> 
> What's wrong with getting at least a PT job to tide you over. Especially if you've got a 14K debt ... and you haven't grown a savings


I missed your comment here....I dont have any debt from my business- paid the 14K in cash...:thumbsup: Is there any other logical way? :no:


----------



## Richard (May 21, 2006)

*Thanks Brenda....*

Thanks for the time you took to post that exhaustive message ...

1)I've heard many, many, many not-so-good things about servicemagic. I was all ready to go with them, and decided not to.
-The other lead sites are worth checking out though.

2)I am in the process of creating a website

3)My van is completely and professionally wrapped in my logo and information. I find magnetic signs very cheap and would never get one. Plus, they can get stolen.
I've got over 2000 business cards and 2 yard signs. Just ordered my first company shirts:thumbsup: 

4)I have a yahoo listing, but didn't pay for it- is there something else out there that is more in depth?

-The blog idea is cool-I'll check it out

So much good advice Brenda...thanks again- between your answer and everyone else's I'm gonna be busy in no time!


----------



## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

Paintguy26 said:


> I dont have any debt from my business- paid the 14K in cash...:thumbsup: Is there any other logical way? :no:


Paintguy, this is one of the downfalls of paying cash for items that could easily be leased/financed.

If you are able to lease equipment with low interest rates, that money can be invested into items that provide higher returns. At the very least, you will have some cushion for the lean months.

Say for example, you had finananced all that equipment and your monthly payments were $1000. Now, you would still have $14,000 in the bank, minus any payments you would have made. In addition, you would be generating money every month to make those payments. So, in essence, the equipment pays for itself.

But bottom line, even if you had $1000/month payments, you would have $10-12K in the bank to cover you for the next 3-4 months that will be slow. In the meantime, you can pickup whatever jobs you can and make the extra money.

Does that make sense? One of the largest killers of businesses isn't lack of revenue, it's lack of cashflow.


----------



## dirt diggler (May 14, 2006)

Paintguy26 said:


> I missed your comment here....I dont have any debt from my business- paid the 14K in cash...:thumbsup: Is there any other logical way? :no:


you're still in the hole 14K whether you paid cash, credit, or had Santa Claus bring it


----------



## Debookkeeper (Jul 23, 2006)

dirt diggler said:


> you're still in the hole 14K whether you paid cash, credit, or had Santa Claus bring it


Not if Santa Claus brought it - it would have been a gift. :whistling


----------



## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

yeah, but then he'd owe the IRS the taxes for it.


----------



## dirt diggler (May 14, 2006)

mahlere said:


> yeah, but then he'd owe the IRS the taxes for it.


haha --- no kidding


----------



## mahlere (Aug 6, 2006)

Actually, Paintguy is in the same position as a lot of small contractors, cash poor. He has equipment, he has some equity, but none of that helps him pay the bills. The key is to have the cashflow for the slow times. It ain't easy. So a search here for some of Bob Kovac's posts, or go back and look at some Sonny Lykos' posts. i don't know if they actually talk about it, but those 2 would have some good answers if anyone would.


----------



## Brendakeen (Oct 30, 2006)

*You are most welcome!*

We haven't had any issues with Service Magic. It is true that you are charged immediately for the lead, but if it is a bogus lead they are pretty good about refunding your money. 

You just have to be VERY specific with them about what type jobs you want and what type you DON'T. This goes for geography too. 

I'd say 50% of our work comes from Service Magic. 

And yes, here is the link for featured Yahoo directory listings: 

https://ecom.yahoo.com/dir/submit/intro/

You will have to set up a user name and password with Yahoo, then click on this link...


----------



## davidwright (Nov 4, 2006)

I don't think I could work for any one but for myself again.When things get slow look to your fellow contactor,find houes flipers,or just hang at your local home depo


----------



## mseneker (Dec 22, 2007)

In a slow market it is a good idea to keep your expenses very low. It may not be a good time to buy extra tools for example. I stay away from fixed costs such as rent on a building or lease on a vehicle. You have to pay those regardless if you are working or not. This will allow you to come down in your bids when it is critical. Although I'm not suggesting you low bid everything. If you low bid everything you would just be left with a lot of work and no money. When the good stuff came around you would be tied up on cheap stuff.

What has been working for me is lineal growth. We are selling services to existing customers that we had not sold in the past. A service the customer needs and make their job scheduling a little easier. For example, we now offer job site cleanup. You will hate to hear this as a painter (I am a drywaller), but we also now prime walls and paint ceilings after drywall if requesting. We however, do not offer the priming or painted ceilings to customers who hire professional painters, only the ones who had planned to do it themselves.

Lineal growth is great. Can you think of a service you can provide which you currently do not? After all, you already have your existing customers trust and know how to work with them.

We also target markets that have long-term growth potential. Why start going after a market segment that is flat with no growth, such as spec homes. 

Takes a couple of years to start really getting referrals. After one year in business, you are 1/2 there. If you stay in business long enough, when the market is down, poorly run competitor businesses will fail and you can pickup some of their customers if they are appealing.

I like these forums and appreciate everyone trusting each other with business advise. I've learned so much from other contractors on these forums and want to share when I can.


----------



## SelfContract (Dec 6, 2007)

When the going gets TOUGH, the TOUGH must get going! :thumbsup:


----------



## Milhaus (Feb 11, 2007)

It's great to hear positive feedback from all of you that have been in this situation before. I'm in a similar boat, and it's definitely testing my patience. Great ideas for how to get more work. I've got some work lined up for this spring as well, but I was not as prepared for the holiday weeks as I wanted to be. 

mark


----------



## john elliott (Oct 23, 2005)

SelfContract said:


> When the going gets TOUGH, the TOUGH must get going! :thumbsup:


That's really good! What does it mean, in this context?

John


----------



## marc (Mar 18, 2005)

Richard said:


> Wanted to see what you all do when just you cant book work.
> 
> have any of you ever gotten a job (aside from owning your business) to hold you over? maybe for a few months or something? or would you never even consider going back to not being the boss?



Two question to ask yourself is.................

Did I start a business? or did I create a job for myself?

If you started a business, the business should have money in it to get through the slow times.

If you created a job for yourself you probably don't have any money left and you would have been far better off working for someone. When you have a job, you know there is always a paycheck at the end of the week and you don't need to worry about all of the business stuff that comes with owning a business.

Food for thought


----------



## Canuck Sparky (May 29, 2007)

mahlere said:


> Paintguy, this is one of the downfalls of paying cash for items that could easily be leased/financed.
> 
> If you are able to lease equipment with low interest rates, that money can be invested into items that provide higher returns. At the very least, you will have some cushion for the lean months.
> 
> ...


 
I'm second what mahlere is saying here. His thinking is particularly valuable to a newbie like you. Your thinking may be more applicable down the road, once you're well established.:thumbsup:


----------

