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It’s peak season and you have more leads are coming in than you can provide estimates for properly.

Properly, meaning spending quality time with them to really establish rapport.

Instead, it’s meet ( maybe ), measure, take a couple of photos, scratch some notes, and speed off to the next one.

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7 Prequalifying Sales Questions, E-mailed to you NOW!

business coach painting contractor

You’re trapped in the Estimating Rat Race.

The next one, 4th one for the day, happens to be a really nice job. They are are super nice people, who were referred to you by one of your A clients. It fits your target market to a T.

But you are exhausted from running around all day and have 1 more to get to, so you don’t give it your best attention.

And that’s expected from running around all day. You’re exhausted, I get it. I also used to run this rat race.

What ends up happening, unfortunately, is you lose that really nice job, but score 2 of the smaller ones you looked at for the “C” clients.

Those “C” client jobs don’t pay that great and we have to get out there and grind out 6-7 more estimates tomorrow and so the cycle continues.

The first key to increasing your close ratio today is…

Stop going on every estimate. Instead, ask some really good prequalifying questions when they call. You can download my 7 prequalifying questions for free here. 

When you prequalify, which every successful salesperson does, you greatly increase the chance that you will get the job. Not only that, but also you will have a healthy profit margins by prequalifying and not taking the C and D clients.

This happens because you are making sure you are going on high quality leads, but also because you are now going on fewer estimates. maybe 4-5 a day tops, and are now rested and have time to spend 45 minutes maybe even an hour with them.

This allows you to accept the glass of water they offered to you and to be fully present with them. Oh, and make sure you leave your phone off at every estimate.

Taking calls, even returning text shows disregard for your prospect. Leave it off.

 

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The second key to increasing your close ratio today is…

To provide your proposal on the spot. Now this takes practice and it’s not always possible, especially on larger projects.

By providing your proposal on the spot, not only are they very impressed that you are so organized to to do, but the other part is, you get to personally see their reaction right away.

If they have an objection, you can inquire about it.  If it is simply a miscommunication about the scope, as it is many times, you get to correct it right then and there. That’s big, because that very rarely happens when you email your proposal in afterwords.

But don’t slide your proposal over to them until you ask this,

The third key to increasing your close ratio,

And that is The Great Experience Question. Do you really want to set yourself apart and knock their socks off?

Of course 😀

When you are all sitting at their dining room table and you have all of the scope of work written or typed in, look at them and say:

“I have one more question, Mr. Jones, and this is very important to us. What does a great experience look like to you?

Then, be quiet. It might be uncomfortable, but sit in silence while they ponder that for a moment.

They might reply with, “Well, I don’t know.” Or, “Wow, nobody has ever asked us that before.”

Then just reply. “Everybody is different and it’s very important to us that you have a great experience with our service.”

And ask The Great Experience Question again. “What does a great painting experience look like to you?”

Not only have you impressed them, but what they tell you next is pure gold. In fact, this sets your up perfectly to earn another Raving Fan and able to collect another Video Testimonial.

Just make sure you write their answer down and include it in your scope of work, as well as pass it along into the work order.

To recap:

  1. Prequalify every lead that comes in, and only go on high value estimates.
  2. Provide your proposals on the spot. ( Start with the easy ones. )
  3. Ask The Great Experience Question.

And you, too, will greatly increase your close ratio!

Download Your FREE Checklist...
7 Prequalifying Sales Questions,

E-mailed To You NOW!

business coach painting contractor

About the Author

As many of you know, my journey has been one of grit, grace, and transformation. At 19, I was a high school dropout, single father, and struggling paint contractor in Michigan. I later moved to Florida, where I faced both personal and professional hardships. With nothing left to lose, I turned to prayer—and was blessed with a relentless hunger to learn. I devoured books, attended seminars, and discovered better ways to streamline and grow my business—even through the Great Recession (and yes, I did hit the wife lottery along the way!). In 2014, I published How To Double Your Business and later sold the painting business, launching a new chapter: coaching others to grow their businesses. For the past 10 years, I’ve dedicated myself to helping business owners scale through the DYB System, while also drawing from frameworks like EOS, Scaling Up, and The Four Disciplines of Execution. Yet something was still missing—something more adaptive, integrated, and complete. Then I found Pinnacle. After months of research and interviews with other Guides, I joined Pinnacle. Their tools and strategies have exceeded every expectation. Now, as a Pinnacle Business Guide, I help leadership teams implement a custom-tailored operating system that draws from the best in the industry—but flexes with your unique business. It’s a dynamic, proven approach to achieve clarity, momentum, and lasting growth. I’m no longer taking on any more 1:1 coaching clients… Instead, I now specialize in working with visionary business owners who are ready to get their leadership teams aligned—around a clear vision, a focused strategy, and an actionable execution plan. With the tools and process I now have as a Pinnacle Business Guide, I help turn alignment into momentum, and momentum into results. If your business is growing—but your leadership team isn’t fully rowing in the same direction—let’s talk.

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