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At PCA we work with small business owners in the painting industry across North America – and beyond. We’ve compiled a few of our top business boosters below. Work them into your year in big (or small ways) and let us know how they worked for you!

Let’s get to it. Here are the Five Business Boosters for you to do now:

1) Develop a Marketing Plan. Referrals are fantastic, but building your brand and controlling the story around your business gains credibility and trust in a broader way. Start to take your marketing seriously by setting goals and looking for opportunities to promote your work to new clients. Bring in a consultant, hire a marketing manager or work to incorporate a new promotional extension each month.

2) Invest in your team. Bring in great people to work for you – even if they don’t know the industry. You’ll be surprised at how much they bring to the table and how quickly they can pick up on the details of the painting industry. Investing in your staff will allow you to more quickly adapt and grow your business. Can’t afford to hire? A small investment like buying lunch for your team can boost morale and productivity.

3) Polish your proposals. Be creative with your proposal presentation and follow-up. Make a connection that is memorable and worthy of a longer review, the call-back or the follow-up call. You know you can do the job. Prove your creative-thinking and problem-solving abilities by sending a proposal using fresh design or consider a video or web-based approach. Even sending a handwritten follow-up can leave a lasting impression.

4) Set and share your goals. No matter what point in the year it is, keep your sights set on goals that stretch you. You should feel the burn of meeting the mark, but at the same time, push through confidently knowing you’ll hit that sales number, land a certain account or purchase that new piece of equipment. Continually review, tweak and adapt your goals to meet your changing customer climate. Share your goals with your team. You can hold each other accountable.

5) Put your customer first. Spending just a few minutes calling customers with updates can make the difference i the outcome of the job. Even when people don’t ask for updates, they want updates. Keep the customer informed, answer their questions and take time to listen to their concerns. This seemingly small thing is customer service and your business can’t survive without it.

Enjoy these tips? We’ve got more. Check out the PCA blog or our homepage for free resources.