Commercial Painting Bid Lists and Leads
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, painting contractors pull in a mere $40,000 a year. Despite long hours and laborious work, a lack of streamlined business operations leaves many painting contractors struggling to make a liveable income. Although painting income statistics are bleak, many painters have failed to tap into a highly lucrative business: commercial painting contracts.
Residential projects remain the primary business objective of most painting contractors, but residential painting fails to provide the high-profile clients, consistency, and lucrative contracts of its commercial counterpart. A residential job typically runs between $2,000 and $5,000 per project. Alternatively, a commercial painting contract can be priced at $100,000 for a single project, with larger projects priced in the millions.
Commercial painting contracts involve painting commercial establishments, such as office buildings, universities, or manufacturing plants. In general, most commercial contracts will involve buildings that are 40,000 square feet or larger. While residential projects are usually small in scale, commercial projects are big undertakings and usually require at least a month to complete. Traditionally, painting contractors have been plagued by low salaries and poor business strategies. Commercial painting bid lists and leads provide opportunities for painters to increase their personal income. At Painter’s Academy, we provide the essential marketing tools painters need to generate commercial leads and build their way to financial success.
Commercial vs. Residential Painting Projects
Most painting contractors focus their energy on residential projects. However, residential projects are small in scope—bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens—and don’t provide the consistent revenue that comes with commercial accounts. Here are some additional downfalls of residential projects:
- Clients are often emotionally charged and harder to satisfy.
- It can be a hassle to get paid in a timely manner.
- The projects don’t provide recurring revenue.
- The scheduling is time-intensive.
Projects usually pay enough to cover overhead costs and have thin profit margins.
It’s hard to make a sizable profit painting bedrooms. Commercial projects are the best way to scale your painting business; they offer larger projects with higher profits. Most importantly, commercial accounts provide consistent, reliable revenue. Universities, manufacturing plants, and large office buildings typically need their halls, rooms, and basements painted once a year. As a painter, landing a commercial client means gaining annual paychecks you can rely on.
Additional benefits of commercial projects:
- Facility managers just want the job done and have lower expectations than residential clients.
- You’re more likely to get paid in a timely fashion.
- The projects take a month or longer.
- You can send your crew out on a project for long periods of time and minimize time-consuming scheduling.
- Commercial projects are usually priced to give painters a 40–50 percent profit margin, which is much greater than residential projects.
If you’re a painter who has struggled to build the income you deserve, tapping into commercial contracts is your pathway to profits. With good commercial contracts, you can start to pay off your mortgage, send your kids to better schools, and ultimately build a financially stable lifestyle.
Painters looking to break into the commercial industry should set a business goal of having their project percentages be 95 percent residential and 5 percent commercial. Over time, with hard work and effective marketing strategies, your goal should be to increase your percentage of commercial projects. Gaining commercial contracts requires focusing on four key strategies: market research, effective messaging, marketing campaigns, and timing.
Market Research: Finding Commercial Projects in Your Backyard
Many painting contractors fail to identify commercial projects in their backyard. All communities, —even rural ones—have a couple of big employers. Big employers have big buildings that need painting. The first step to gaining commercial contracts is to conduct market research and identify a couple of promising prospects in your community. If you don’t want to manually create a list yourself, Painter’s Academy provides marketing tools that will do the work for you. Our system provides a list of commercial leads and opportunities your team can use to create contacts. Once you’ve identified a couple of facilities that have the potential for lucrative contracts, you should reach out to their facility managers.
Painting contractors often complain that the industry is too competitive. Specifically, painters are plagued by the idea that landing a commercial project requires having connections. However, the reality is that the competitive landscape of commercial contracts is wide open. Most facility managers use their existing painters simply because they have not been approached with a better offer. In such a profitable sector of the painting industry, untapped potential and opportunity abounds. With a streamlined marketing strategy, you can start landing clients that will improve your financial stability.
Messaging: Strategically Approach Facility Managers
You’re not going to land commercial contracts by showing up and asking the facility managers to give you work. In order to land a contract, you need to show up with a strategic pitch. You must effectively explain why your services are better than those of the painter they currently use. Facility managers have a tough job, and many of them have to manage contractors that don’t show up on time, aren’t reliable, and don’t get the job done on schedule. They have problems and they want them solved. If your messaging doesn’t center around how you are going to solve their problems, it’s going to fall on deaf ears.
Successful messaging requires a system and strategy for developing and tracking outreach. Painter’s Academy helps painting contractors develop a service trial program to pitch to facility managers. This approach helps get you in a door that would otherwise be shut in your face. Because commercial contracts can add so much value to your business, free trials are a smart investment of your time. With a free trial, you provide a way to build trust with facility managers and land commercial contracts.
Marketing Campaigns: Implementing a Multi-Step Approach Across Various Mediums
Landing commercial contracts is not a walk in the park; it requires an aggressive marketing approach across various platforms. Many painting contractors fail to do the hard work of consistent, targeted marketing. Once you have a list of contacts, you need to call, email, and most importantly, visit them to get the deal. Landing commercial contracts is not a single call or email ordeal; it is a long-term marketing strategy. You will make dozens of calls and send many emails before you get a bite.
The biggest challenge of this portion of outreach is identifying the decision-makers in a company. You might call a school or manufacturing plant a couple of times before getting the contact information of the person you really need to be talking to. While it can be easy to get discouraged in this process, it is essential to stay persistent. Painter’s Academy can help you implement marketing campaigns across various mediums that will help you maintain communication with commercial prospects. With hard work, multi-media marketing pays off and will land you high-profile clients.
Timing: How to Close Repaint Jobs
In the painting industry, timing is paramount. For your average commercial bid, you only have 72–96 hours to build trust with the facility manager. In order to land a commercial contract, you have to act fast and be prepared with a pitch that will close the deal. Facility managers buy the show, not your craftsmanship. You may be proud of the work you provide, but in the sales process, the thing that makes managers hand you a check is your ability to convince them why you are the best. When pitching to facility managers, many painting contractors lack the ability to focus on selling their skills. At Painter’s Academy, we provide the business coaching you need to nail your pitches and land clients in a short time frame.
Use Painter’s Academy to Take Your Business to the Next Level
Many painters focus their energy in the residential market; their business model is focused on small projects with thin profits. When you bet on residential, you’re most likely to get bedrooms or, if you’re lucky, a whole house. Conversely, when you bet on commercial, your smallest gigs will be floors and basements, and when you hit it big, you’re painting whole buildings. Commercial contracts are necessary for painters looking to grow their business and increase their profits. Landing commercial clients requires hard work, targeted marketing, and thorough market research.
Getting started in the commercial paint industry can be overwhelming. Most painters get stuck because they do not have a marketing system for finding commercial repaint contracts for maintenance painting. At Painter’s Academy, we provide the tools and business coaching painters need to obtain commercial contracts. Our Core 5 system teaches you how to find, sell, and keep commercial repaint contracts. Our team is passionate about helping small businesses succeed. With more than 13 years of experience helping painting businesses grow, we have the expertise to take your business to the next level. If you want to start generating commercial leads, call today at (423) 800-0520, or fill out our online contact form.
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Is there a published commercial list?
You can get close with certain lists, but you must use a specific process to further identify the decision maker and turn them into clients.
I would like to request the free information to assist me to get more commercial projects. Thanks so much!
Alexander Legg
Alexanderlegg@yahoo.com
Alexander, thanks for asking about our services for growing your painting business. Jennifer in our offices will be reaching out to you. Take care!
I am interested in information about improving my business. Comercial repaint os a market where I have alot of room for growth.
Shay, Jennifer is sending out the commercial repaint and marketing information you requested for painting contractors. Commercial repaints are important, but if you are missing the basics – a customer reactivation and retention system and, plus a sales process for high closing rates and profit margins, you’ll often carry the same problems you have in residential with you to the commercial market. We won’t be able to know if this is the case until you schedule your diagnostic call. We look forward to speaking with you Shay!
I am interested in any insight you guys may be able to provide to grow my business and improve its efficiency
Daniel – I replied to your marketing questions about your painting business in the commercial post thus:
Eric, that’s a long question for a short medium. Marketing a painting company has lots of facets. I will say this, I see one huge mistake: Many owners think that going after commercial will cure all their ailments. Often, it only disappoints for this reason: Other marketing sales systems are broken or absent.
If you chase commercial work without a customer retention, customer reactivation, sales, or referral generation strategy, you’ll only fail faster.
It’s like trying to run the Boston Marathon if you can’t make it around the block without getting winded.
I would appreciate any insight from you guys that would both grow my business and improve its efficiency. I have a background in commercial real paints and would love to know hot to get these contracts
Eric, that’s a long question for a short medium. Marketing a painting company has lots of facets. I will say this, I see one huge mistake: Many owners think that going after commercial will cure all their ailments. Often, it only disappoints for this reason: Other marketing sales systems are broken or absent.
If you chase commercial work without a customer retention, customer reactivation, sales, or referral generation strategy, you’ll only fail faster.
It’s like trying to run the Boston Marathon if you can’t make it around the block without getting winded.
Hi . I’m just wondering what the best lead company there is . I have30 guys .i am currently doing CMH hospital six story’s all me . We came in after two other contractors made a mess of things . I have a hot shot crew . I treat my men with respect I don’t raise my voice and always tell them what a good job they are doing . My main guy gets 4000 a week and I don’t pay anyone under 18 .dont get me wrong we had to weed out the bad, but we have a kick crew and we have about 4 more months here . I just got my company back going after losing my brother best friend and partner in a surfing accident in 2009 then my father gotstage 4 cancer and economy crashed on top of all that so I had to shut down . Now I’m back and one fire but need more big jobs . We cleaned things up got it caught up and made everyone happy so we have the best references ever . If any one could lead me in the wright direction I would. Appreciate ittremendously my # is 805 994-6665 .or 8054046492 ask for Tony thanks
Tony – This is a great question, but requires more than a blog reply. I’ll have Jennifer in my office reach out to you directly. Thanks bud. BL
Hi Brandon! Ive been following your youtube videos for a while now. Im very thankful for all the advices and lessons you have been sharing. I am from the Philippines and I would like to ask how do i avail to the other programs you are offering. I want to learn more.thanks
Thanks Lorenzo! You are very kind. I will have Jennifer in my office reach out to you!
Looking for some good painting leads
Hi I would like to receive bid list thank you. Tom.
Tom, we help painting contractors generate commercial painting leads on their own – repaint leads specifically. We do not, however work with new construction if that is what you are looking for.
hi how do i get the list of commercial repaint job in my area.. thanks
That’s a long question for a short medium. I’d recommend you reach out to our offices directly s we can assess your painting business’ current situation and market.
Hello – I am at a standstill on figuring out how to generate leads for my new business – we have a few clients that we got from people we know, but would like to figure out how to get a list of companies (that I know is out there, but seems to be like Pandora’s box at this point) to market to. We are a small, family business and we are not interested in new construction work, we just want to have a go at making it in the industry. Between my father in law and my husband, there is 40+ years of experience, but that was working for other companies.
Thank you in advance for your time and any help that can be thrown our way.
Shannon, please download the free report on this page or call our offices at 423-800-0520. We would be happy to help you generate more painting leads.
Hi Brandon – I’ve been contemplating taking your course for over a year now. What really has me caught up is that I know my marketing and sales systems well, and I know what works for my business.
However, when it comes to commercial repaint lead generation, I’m deeply curious. I’d like to get on the phone when you have time. Please email me.
Happy to help you with generating commercial painting leads. Will reach out. BL
Need more information about this leads
Domingo, we will reach out to you about generating painting leads.
I need help with learning how to get my name in there for bidding commercials projects
We will reach out to you about generating commercial painting leads!
timothymoran85@gmail.com
I have 24 years painting experience but I am just getting started with my own llc company in New Jersey. I would really appreciate your assistance and advice in gaining repaint list. Thank you
I would like you to send me the information you are talking about. Thank you
Hello. I am interested in generating my leads for my company. We have a strong crew and with winter around the corner I’m just trying to get a fuller schedule so I don’t lose anyone or have send anyone home. I seen that u guys can help generate leads and was wondering the process. My cell is 765-215-4789 I’m in Muncie Indiana but we work all over Indiana and are willing to travel if is worth it to us. We are competing but most of all u just a great stand up company. I have yet to see anyone yet to do as good as job as we do leaving a project. I’m super anal when it comes to turning over my jobs so I make sure all is well or perfect when doing jobs and turning them over for invoicing. I would love to find more leads and have the chance to grow even more. If u can help pls do. We are willing to do everything possible to keep everyone busy. I’m stuck in the field most days so it’s very hard to generate leads for myself other then what we get. We stay pretty busy from referral work and existing customers. But would like to take on more.
I am looking for some leads
I have a terrific crew looking for more work
Thank you
I hi would like to do more commercial work but need a better way to get the opportunity to bid plus to estimate better.
I like to get more information on how to acquire more commercial work. Thank you
I’ll have Jennifer reach out regarding how you can generate commercial painting leads through our programs. Thanks!
Is it possible to get more information for commercial leads? I would really appreciate it!
We are having a Commercial Repaint Bootcamp coming up soon. Would love to have you! Call our office at 423-800-0520 to get the details. Thanks!
I just started my Residential/Commercial Painting company. I am being asked to place a bid for a local builder. Do you guys have a template I can follow?
Warmly,
Our advice would be to stay away from new construction of any sort and focus on repaints. New construction is high risk, low margin, slow pay, high stress and ZERO equity. Not a good market to chase.
you have brought up a very good points, thank you for the post.