How to Win Work as a Painter and Decorator Without Competing on Price

I’m a Painter and Decorator in the Northwest of England who focuses mainly on domestic work (peoples’ houses). I see debates on social media amongst tradespeople about how much a Decorator can charge. One of the arguments I see is, “people just wouldn’t pay good money in my area”. However, I’m not 100% sure I agree with that.

I thought I’d take the time to sit-down and write a very quick blog on how to win work as a Painter and Decorator without competing on price. I’ll try and keep it short because I know I can waffle on, and this entire write-up is based solely on my opinion and experience. This is what works for me.

I’ll focus more on the actual quoting side of things. It’s obvious that if you can increase the number of enquiries you receive, you will need to convert less to stay busy, so you can raise your prices. But if I start talking about marketing then we’re going to be here forever. That said, if you do want help with marketing, check out Social Media for Decorators (click here), or Sales and Marketing for Decorators (click here).

How to Win Work – the Consultation Stage

Right, you’ve had your enquiry, and someone wants you to carry out some decorating in their house. Say it’s a couple of bedrooms and a lounge. You agree a day and time, then head round to see your potential client.

I find it’s better to turn up in my whites. It’s a uniform after all and looks professional. Always take your shoes off at the door, and make sure the client sees you doing it. Say something like “I’ll just pop my shoes here”.

Things like this sound silly, but you’re essentially trying to make a sale, so you need to build trust. Your aim while you’re in the house is to let the client know you take care in peoples’ homes, you’re an expert in what you do, and you’re going to take steps to ensure the work is carried out to a great standard. This is how you stand out as a Decorator! This is how you win work without pricing too low.

I don’t tend to accept hot drinks, just because I need both my hands to point and write notes. Plus, I don’t want to hang around after I’ve finished talking through the work.

Talk Through EVERYTHING and Upsell Where you can

Don’t go into a room and come out with things like “ok, 2 coats of white emulsion on the ceiling, 2 coats of coloured on the walls, and satinwood on the woodwork”. Any Decorator can do that, and you need to prove you’re better than any Decorator.

You might walk into a room and start by talking about painting a ceiling white. At this stage you should point out any cracks and explain how you would fix them. You should then recommend a ceiling paint and explain why you’d use it.

Say something like, “Tikkurila Anti-Reflex is the best white emulsion for a ceiling. It’s a very low-sheen paint that cuts down on defects like flashing and picture framing and hides imperfections on the plaster. It might cost a bit more, but it will look gorgeous”. (obviously talk about your favourite products, which aren’t necessarily the same as the products on this blog).

Same sort of thing with the walls. Sometimes a client has a brand in mind, sometimes they’re happy to take your guidance…. Always give guidance! Explain what you use and why you use it. IF you get the sense the client wants the best of the best, you upsell again. Instead of using Johnstone’s Covaplus, you recommend Perfect Matt. Instead of Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt, you recommend Heritage.

Woodwork is an easy thing to upsell. I use water-based paint, which gives me plenty to talk about. If you’re the same, tell them about the 2010 VOC restrictions and the issue with yellowing. Explain water-based technology has come a long way in recent years. Give your recommendations and explain why you use it. Say something like, “Benjamin Moore Scuff X is the best on woodwork. It is expensive, but it’s fully water-based, looks fantastic and is durable. A cheaper alternative might be WRX Satinwood. Again, it’s a fantastic paint that leaves you with a crisp white finish that looks awesome and is hard as nails”.

Oh, the other thing you need to do is explain what you will need from them if you go ahead. You need to tell the client that you will buy all the decorating materials, how you want the rooms prepared, the “extras” that may occur while you’re carrying out the work etc. Get it all out of the way now to make your life easier further down the line.

The Quoting Stage

The actual quotes are dead easy. Get the spec down on letter-headed paper (prep process, number of coats, the materials used etc). Get your terms across too, outlining payment terms, what you need to carry out the work, what you’re liable for etc. Mention your liability insurance etc.

Email everything across as soon after the consultation stage as you can. Then, if you don’t hear anything back, follow up with a text a week later “hi, it’s Mike here from ……. I got that quote over to you last week. I just thought I’d follow-up to make sure you got it”.

The other thing you could do is sign up to AppyQuote. This is an app for Decorators to create professional-looking quotes for jobs in minutes. You can use it on your phone, which makes things even easier.

It comes with a 30-day free trial, and then if you use code AQDFUK when you sign up, you also get 3 months half price, which is another bonus. Click here for more info.

Final Thoughts

If you do everything on this blog, then you will win more jobs as a Painter and Decorator without needing to compete on price. Let me tell you a secret – most Decorators are unreliable! A potential client might phone them half a dozen times, and then it takes the Decorator weeks to turn up, do the consultation, and then send a text with the quote on. A lot of clients have a nightmare trying to find someone, or they have tales of bad Decorators they have had in the past who carried out substandard work!

These are the tradesmen you’re competing against! Stop trying to compete on price! Just be reliable, make sure the client knows how good you are, and get the quote back quickly. Do that and you can charge good money and you will always be busy.

I hope that helps.