The Pro Painter’s Guide to Painting Brick

3 min read

Avoid blistering and peeling with these helpful tips

Brick can present unique challenges for professional painting contractors thanks to its unique properties as a substrate. Blistering, peeling, and the premature weathering of alkaline burn can all result from simple mistakes on the job site.

In this article, Dennis Fiorilli, Director of Product Excellence at Sherwin-Williams, shares a few helpful tips so you can paint brick with confidence and set your painting business apart from the competition.

Continue reading The Pro Painter’s Guide to Painting Brick →

ONLINE EXTRAS

Dealing With Difficult Customers

4 min read

Turn micromanaging, indecisive, and demanding clients into glowing recommendations

Difficult customers can come in all shapes and sizes; spend any time as a painting contractor and you’ll run into one eventually. Every contractor can probably recall a customer who made their work so difficult that they started to regret taking the job.

Unfortunately, these situations aren’t only frustrating, but can potentially hurt your business’ reputation if not handled correctly. As such, you need to be prepared for these customers in order to stay successful. And in a competitive marketplace where word-of-mouth is king, retaining customers and generating repeat business can grow your bottom line. In this article, we offer suggestions for how to professionally respond to three of the most common types of difficult customers.

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ONLINE EXTRAS

Four Simple Strategies for Choosing Extraordinary Exterior Colors

4 min read

Help homeowners beat color decision paralysis and start jobs faster

First impressions are important, and for homeowners, their guests’ first impression of their home will be its exterior. It’s no wonder so many homeowners want to freshen up their exterior with a fresh coat of paint—and why many of your potential customers want your opinion on their color selection.

Though you may not feel like the right person to ask about this, successfully helping a homeowner decide on a color can help you to close more leads, get jobs scheduled and started on-time, and position yourself as a color hero to your clients. Sue Wadden, Director of Color Marketing at Sherwin-Williams, offers strategies you can use to help your clients select the perfect exterior look. Continue reading Four Simple Strategies for Choosing Extraordinary Exterior Colors →

BUSINESS BUILDERS

My 5 Biggest Mistakes, and the Lessons I Learned from Them to Improve My Business

5 min read

In this article, PPC contributing writer Terry Begue talks about the biggest mistakes he made when he started his Ohio-based residential painting company, and what he did to correct them and turn his business around.
Continue reading My 5 Biggest Mistakes, and the Lessons I Learned from Them to Improve My Business →

ONLINE EXTRAS

Are You Ready for Exterior Season?

3 min read

11 products that can maximize your productivity on the job site

Depending on where you live, exterior season is either just around the corner or already here. While that’s great news for your business, exterior painting comes with its own distinct needs and challenges.

Thankfully, we’ve done the prep work for you. Check out our checklist of 11 products you and your crews should keep stocked this season to maximize your quality and productivity.

Continue reading Are You Ready for Exterior Season? →

PROFESSIONAL PAINTING CONTRACTOR