painting contractor business coach marketing

It may be winter now, but remember this ‘ol scenario?

I’m busy, so incredibly busy, but… how did it get this way?

I’m behind on my schedule and it seems impossible to catch up and it’s only the end of June.

Summer has just begun and my anxiety is through the roof!

How did I get into this mess???

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

business coach painting contractor

My painting schedule has been booked for months, but I want to sell more jobs.

I ask myself:

Should I hire subcontractors? (but I don’t need any more problems…)

Hire more employees? (but they don’t know my systems, they’d need training… if I can even find anyone qualified!)

How much more money can I make this summer? (and how much will this cost me in time, stress, and time away from my family)

…Will it be worth it?

All while looking at my summer calendar … it’s full of “B” clients sprinkled with a few “A’s”.

Quick Client Classification:

  • A Clients are Raving Fans who fully respect the value you provide and are happy to pay retail.
  • B Clients are also Raving Fans, but they just need a little deal of sorts to feel good. Nothing big, maybe we throw in a front door, or a deep base color in one room for a full interior repaint, complimentary.
  • C Clients need those crippling 10-20% discounts…  (If they ask you if you can do better, tell them yes, add 20%) (;
  • D Clients are unreasonable all the way around. Not only do they demand a steep 10-20% discount, but they are plain miserable to work with.

Make sure you get really good at pre-qualifying, so not to get caught with a C or D Client. You can download our Prequalifying Process for free here: DYB Prequalifying Process

Let’s look back at my summer dilemma…

I see some really good jobs and customers, but some of them will be too picky.

They may ask my crews to do small side jobs without telling me, or maybe they’ll keep asking for a discount even after the job has been finished…

Worst of all, I’m dreading the day a few of the jobs start!  I’m thinking of preemptive strikes and white glove tactics to just get the job done unscathed.   (This is a “C” client.)

How do I know this, maybe I’m psychic?

Actually, this exact thing has happened to me, and more than once….until I learned to ask myself this 1 thing (thanks to Derek Sivers, pg 189 in “Tools of Titans” by Tim Ferris).

But before I ask myself the 1 thing, I use this:

“DYB Sales Process”

A stellar way to help you decide who to work for so that cash flow and life is good, very good. 😀

Here is the Process:

When a lead calls in or books an appointment on our online appointment scheduler YouCanBookMe they are qualified with several questions that must be answered before I drive over and meet them for a price.

You can get FREE access to a video showing you step by step how to install YouCanBookMe into your website here: Get Your Access NOW.

During my onsite visit, I ask them a list of questions that helps me determine a price but most importantly these questions help me determine what kind of customer they will be.

I am interviewing them.

Why?

I’m selfish and want all “A” clients.  I want them to love us, refer us, and give us tons of video testimonials, too!

So now, what is the question I ask myself to determine if I want to submit my proposal or do the job?

Is this job a, “OH YEAH!! I want this job!” or “NO, I don’t want this job,” or “Maybe…”?

And a “Maybe” is a “NO!”

What I’ve found is by saying “NO” I have created more time and energy to find my “OH YEAH” clients, the “A” clients.

P.S. – There is a way to say no to a job with tact, leaving the prospect happy and glad they met you. You can watch that here.

Less stress, fewer fires to put out, no bad subcontractors to clean up after, and, best of all, more profit!

Get started today by implementing the DYB SALES SYSTEM and saying, “NO,” to the wrong jobs!

Get Your FREE Prequalifying Checklist NOW

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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