Streamlining the sales process and creating a seamless flow between contract signed

and project start date is always on my mind.

How can I create better systems to free up my time as the business owner and lead salesperson?

There are many sales strategies and system implementations that achieve this,

but what makes that goal EVEN BETTER is when time creation is coupled with

a higher closing rate and clients who are raving fans from the very start!

About six months ago, I was still stuck in the cycle of personally being the full service paint concierge for our clients.

I would:

• take the appointment

• follow up with the pre-qualification call

• do the estimate

• close the sale

• offer color sampling/ideas

• procure samples and deliver them to the client

• follow up with the pre-qualification call

• do the estimate

• close the sale

• offer color sampling/ideas

• procure samples and deliver them to the client

Nothing inherently wrong with that chain of events.

IN FACT, it was sustainable for a while as our company grew

and we were referred often due to our diligence with the customer experience leading up to the actual painting.

But then, we got busier and busier, and the more leads we closed and jobs lined up meant more and more color consults.

I know some of you may be thinking at this point,

I’m not opposed to letting the customer pick out their own colors.

Often I encourage them to do so when the project is smaller and/or they already have ideas in mind of what they want.

We’re Not Competing on Price Anymore…

When Steve teaches not to compete on price, but on value, this is one of the ways to add value that he is talking about.

The reason a customer signs a contract on the spot is because of added value offered at the point of sale – like free color consultations.

Color Consulting is low hanging fruit that, in my experience when offered, has never been met with skepticism or negativity.

It’s usually welcomed with smiles when offered.

A color consult on average for us takes 3 hours totaled up.

• drive to meet with customer

• chat about ideas

• trip to the paint store

• color samples procured

• return trip to customer

• decision!

I, for one, would love to use that time for building our business and freeing up time for the most efficient use of my time–

(see our video about knowing your Hourly Responsibility Rate – ie: only doing those activities that produce that rate and delegating everything else.)

How to Find Color Consultants

I reached out to local designers on Instagram that already followed our painting page

and started a dialogue with them regarding what we were looking for and the expectations we would have.

The result…two designers (one for each half of our county) who respond to customer requests for color consulting from our office.

They contact the customer, do the color dance 🕺, send over selections with customer stamp of approval…and an invoice for their flat rate.

PRO TIP: SET A FLAT RATE WITH OPTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL COSTS KNOWN TO THE CUSTOMER AND DESIGNER. THIS WILL KEEP COST PREDICTABLE AND SET PARAMETERS FOR THE DESIGNER TO STAY WITHIN.

It’s important to note, we do not offer a free color consult to every customer.

It is not in writing on the contract and I do not recommend it.

Typically I verbally state it during the estimate when the customer voices that color is a pain point for them

or I can sense that it could tip the scale in our favor by adding value to close the deal on the spot.

Then I just build the cost of the consult into the materials portion of the estimate.

Outsourcing color consultation is a WIN-WIN!

You win back your time and the customer wins an enhanced experience that could be the reason they turn into Raving Fans!

Not to mention the added sale for the color consultant!

Do you have any color consultants in your local network?

Do you have color consultants that refer work to you?

Do you have color consultants that already follow you on social media?

Now you know what to do…go make your own Win-Win by contacting them today!

I’d love to hear how you create win-wins with your color consultants.

Dream Big, Hustle Smarter!