Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
December 14, 2023
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I remember it like it was yesterday. The date was January 2, 2002. I peered through the window of my airplane, taking in the sights
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*This blog is based off original content that was published in InPaint Magazine in a Fall issue of 2014.*
In the day and age of social media, and the internet’s ability to expose and share a company for what they truly are, it is crucial that your company has a positive web, internet and SEO presence. Pushing to receive 5 star and A plus reviews is an important step in this process. Who wouldn’t want to put their best foot forward and show all who visit your site the perfect glistening photos of freshly painted homes, maybe a few testimonial videos and letters stating such things as, “amazing customer service,” “superior quality craftsmanship,” “integrity” and so forth? Once you sprinkle in the SEO magic and combine the age old steps of generating leads, building rapport, making a connection, and asking for business, you should be all set, right?
Wrong. The way we have been taught to market, sell and post all these wonderful reviews will generate business, but not nearly as much as what I am about to propose. I know this may sound crazy, it did to me when I first considered it, but bear with me.
Everyone who is reading this post has experienced a job gone awry, an irate client, or a total disaster. I have heard tales from painters about setting an apartment complex on fire, being repeatedly slapped in the face by a painter they had just dismissed, and even about the arrest of the entire painting team during a drug raid. Not exactly the information you want to put in your flashy marketing brochure, or is it?
I was sitting with a potential customer about to close one of the largest deals I have ever worked on. I was positive I was going to close this deal because of my shiny marketing brochure, until the gentleman threw it across his office and said, “This is crap (he really did, watch the video about it here) . I want to hear some real deal, crazy stuff. I want to hear about a time you screwed up badly and what you did about it.” I was hesitant and nervous to share this because I thought a mistake would look bad and set myself up for failure.
Then I gave it to him. I talked about the time I painted a customer’s house the wrong color and what we did to fix it. That’s good, but you have better, he said. I talked about painting the wrong house the correct color (I have the video here on this one too). “Oh! We finally have something, he said. Then I related the incident in which a sprayer malfunctioned and painted the client’s home’s exterior, including the customer and her 9-month-old child. Here is that tale. What followed, then?
I closed the deal. My customer wanted to know how I would stand up to a worst case scenario. He was spending a lot of money, and wanted to be sure that my “integrity” was true. Integrity shines when it is put to the test in crisis. In closing consider this:
Humans are drawn to stories of conflict, crisis and a final resolution. 5 star reviews and shiny marketing brochures don’t satisfy. They don’t build as much trust, interest, or commitment. Everyone has a painted baby story. Go share yours!
I would love to hear yours! Post a comment with your most outrageous painted baby story below.
I remember it like it was yesterday. The date was January 2, 2002. I peered through the window of my airplane, taking in the sights
One of the most magical moments of the Hike of a Lifetime on the Camino de Santiago was the fact that we completely unplugged from
When I set off on the Hike of a Lifetime on the Camino de Santiago, I never thought one of the lessons I would learn
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