How can I get more painting contract jobs?

You will get more painting contract jobs when you improve your entrepreneurial skills. It’s not enough just to be a good painter.

There are many good painters in every corner of Australia. To set yourself apart, you need to become the best businessman among the painters from your area.

In that way, people will learn about you and want to hire you. You will build your reputation and improve your exposure. Take a look at this list of tips that will help you get more painting contract jobs in your area.

Build Credibility: Painting Contract Jobs License

Ask people what they want from their painter. Words like ‘skills’ and ‘reliability’ will be near the top of the list. One of the best ways to prove you are a reliable and skilled painter is to get licenced.

There are some licenses and certificates you can obtain which are necessary Australia-wide. In some states, there are preconditions for becoming a licensed painter. Two of such credentials are:

• Certificate III Painting and Decorating
• Painting Contractor Business Management Course

The process of obtaining your painting licence can be different across Australian states. In some states, the license is not needed. Here is the list of authorities to contact in your state. They will give you the most accurate and relevant information about licensing.

This means – if you want to find painting contract jobs in Sydney, you need a licence issued by the Department of Fair Trading, NSW.

Painting contract jobs in Brisbane are reserved for those who got their licence from the Building Services Authority, Queensland.

For painting contract jobs in Melbourne, you should check with the Victorian Building Authority. This is what their website says:

You must be registered with the Victorian Building Authority in Victoria to [:…..] provide more than one type of building work (such as plastering and painting) that costs more than $10,000 (including labour and materials). Victorian Building Authority

Specialise in Certain Type of Painting Contract Jobs

The market for painting contract jobs is huge. Every house, apartment or business venue needs to be painted sooner or later. That sounds like a lot of work. And it is! On the other hand, there are a lot of painters, as well.

If you try and land all the painting contract jobs in general – you are less likely to get them. Don’t be a generalist. There are hundreds of those. Be a specialist.

In that way, you will narrow down your market, but everybody in that market will look for a painter with your skills. It is much better to explain this with an example.

Let’s say there are currently 10,000 painting contract jobs in Australia. These jobs include interiors, exteriors, private buildings, office buildings and other paint jobs. There are around 19,000 registered painters in Australia.

Now, let’s say you choose a painting niche. You specialise in painting vintage houses. There may be as little as 1,000 jobs available on this market. But, there will not be more than a couple of businesses that deal with this type of painting contract work in your area. So, the odds of being hired are on your side, particularly if you do some research and pick a niche that is growing in popularity or trending in your working region.

Search for Strategic Allies

There are situations when painting businesses cooperate on big projects. A company gets a painting contract job that is too big for them. They approach another painting business and offer to share the project. These situations are rare, and you should not wait for them to happen.

But you can and should look for similar arrangements with other types of businesses. Reach out to companies that are in a similar industry but not the same business. Here are some ideas:

• Connect with other contractors – construction companies can look for painters to help them with finishing their projects.
• Talk to rental agencies – homeowners often paint their rentals in between tenants. Tenants, on the other hand, sometimes paint their rental homes, as well. Develop relationships with local property managers and ask them to put you in touch with their clients.
• Get in touch with interior designers – interior designers are in the perfect position to recommend good interior painters to their clients. Reach out to them and let them know you can be their go-to person. You can offer discounts to them in return or work out some other type of deal.

Image from INTERIOR HOUSE PAINTERS MELBOURNE

• Ask around for local homeowner groups – There are different local communities in which homeowners gather. These can be unofficial groups or even local councils. Find out where they are and offer your services to them.

Boost Your Marketing Efforts

Image from after-hours creative

Passive ways of approaching potential customers are not effective anymore. Giving away pens and baseball hats will not get you very far. Old-school leaflets in the mailbox are more likely to get you decent prospects. For best results, go for the personal approach.

Go door-to-door.

While you are working on a project, put up a sign with your contact details on the lawn. That’s just the first step. Take a couple of your leaflets and knock on the doors in the same street you are doing your project. Introduce yourself and give them a leaflet.

An even better idea is to do a quick assessment of a couple of houses in the street. Target homes in good areas that look like they would really benefit from a new coat of paint – properties that would gain a lot in market value simply from a new paint job.

Knock on their doors and say that you have noticed their exterior paint is chipped. Give them a leaflet with your estimate about what it would cost them for you to fix it. Maybe even suggest a colour scheme. This is an excellent way to increase your chances of winning more painting contract jobs.

Work on Your Online Presence

Face-to-face marketing is efficient, but don’t forget about the Internet. Advertising online asks for investment. You can either invest your time or your money to build your internet presence. Either way, it will pay off. Here is what you need to do.

• Make a website – this doesn’t have to be a big and complicated website. It is enough to create a website that will work as your online portfolio. Include your contact information, accreditation, before and after photos of your projects and a few testimonials.
• Create social media accounts – you can do this for free. Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest should be your first three profiles. These social networks will allow you to raise awareness about your business and display photos of your work. When you get the hang of it, you can start paid campaigns.

• Add your business to online directories – there are many business listings, both paid and free, where you can list your business. These websites serve as directories of business websites and contact information. Still, their reach is limited. There is a much better option than this.

List your business on Service Seeking. Your business will have a professional profile that is ideal for your needs. You can add a couple of photos and write about your business.

The best part is – you get to send your quotes for painting contract jobs that you like. Customers post the description of their projects and the budget that they have for them. You bid only on those that you want. You are in complete control of which projects you take and pass. Start today by listing your business and quoting on your first painting contract job.