Guest Interview: Loraine Sanchez – A Strong Why Breeds Success

Published On: August 5, 2024

Categories: Podcast

Loraine is the owner of Lime Painting of San Antonio, a residential and commercial painting company out of San Antonio, TX. Prior to entering the franchising world, Loraine held several management positions in call centers, program and project management positions as well as various marketing roles. Loraine prides herself in helping San Antonio residents fall in love with their homes again by carrying out the LIME Painting values of love, integrity, mission and excellence.

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Welcome to the Painter Marketing Mastermind podcast, a show created to help painting company owners build a thriving painting business that does well over 221 million in annual revenue. I’m your host, Brandon Pierpont, founder of Painter Marketing Pros and creator of the popular PC A educational series. Do grow marketing for painters. In each episode, I’ll be sharing proven tips, strategies and processes from leading experts in the industry on how they found success in their painting business. We will be interviewing owners of the most successful painting companies in North America and learning from their experiences in this episode of the Painter Marketing Mastermind podcast. We host guest Lorraine Sanchez. Lorraine is the owner of Lime painting of San Antonio, a residential and commercial painting company out of San Antonio Texas. Prior to entering the Franchising world, Lorraine held several management positions in call centers program and project management as well as various marketing positions. Lorraine prides herself in helping San Antonio residents fall in love with their homes. Again, by carrying out the line painting values of love, integrity, mission and excellence. If you want to ask Lorraine questions related to anything in this podcast series, you can do so on our exclusive painter marketing mastermind podcast form on Facebook. Just search for paint marking, mastermind podcast form on Facebook and request to join the group or type in the URL facebook. com/groups/painter marketing mastermind. Again that URL is facebook. com/groups/painter Mary Mastermind. There you can ask Lorraine questions directly by tagging her with your question. So you can see how anything discussed here applies to a particular painting company. What’s going on, Lorraine? Hi, I’m happy to be here. Yes. Very, very excited. So gave a brief introduction there. If you could tell a little bit more about your company, your background, how you entered the painting space? Just kind of what you want everyone to know. Yeah. So uh line painting here in San Antonio two years ago. Um my background was spent about 200 years at AT&T and mainly in marketing. So um we’ll end up marketing strategy. You’re a dirty marketer. I’m one of those. That’s what I did. Yes, I did, I did uh direct, direct mail marketing and email marketing and uh commercials. I did dear TV. So of course, at AT&T, the budget was much, much larger than we have here is not the same as AT&T S. No, I don’t know why, but one day maybe Brandon. That would be neat. Oh, it um but yeah, so that, that’s where I uh I was in a leadership program there as well. So I got to, got to do different things. Project management and finance. And so it was, it was great, a good spend and, and then I was laid off. So I, I got, got that layoff notice. Um And it was interesting that at the time, um when I was looking for what my next um adventure would be. Uh my daughter was a senior in high school. And so I asked the question, what, what do you wanna do? What do you wanna study? And she said, um, uh, she said, I, I have no idea because I’m scared that whatever I choose, I’m gonna have to do for the rest of my life. And then look what happened to you. And I thought, oh my gosh, that’s, that’s what she saw. And that was the, that was, um, the impression that I had given her, my husband’s also been in the same company for, um, all of her life. So that’s what she saw. And, um, that’s when I decided to stop looking in another company for another corporate job and re invent myself because I told her you can re invent yourself. You’re in a, in, uh, you know, your, your generation completely reinvents themselves all the time. You can do it. And, um, she, she just wasn’t certain about that. So I decided to re invent myself, Brandon and here I am I found from the front. Yeah, I love it. So, uh it’s a passionate, I mean, that’s a heck of a why. Right. There. Absolutely. So, uh, so I found line painting of life painting is a, is a franchise. And like, as you mentioned, um, the, the values line standing for Love, integrity, mission and excellence, I just thought, wow, that’s, that’s something that, you know, sets, sets in line with what I feel and what I’d love to give. And, um, and I had also had someone who had recently come and then done some work for me in my, in my home. And it was, was two contractors, one that came and did drywall work texture and it was, it was really, really, really bad texture everywhere. It didn’t cover, it didn’t grab. And then the painter came and followed because, um, I got the first contractor to, to move, move aside. And so hired another paint contractor and, uh, he did such a beautiful job, just, just a beautiful job, beautiful prep. And I felt so good that I thought that’s what I wanna have. And that’s the feeling that I’d love to give my customers. Um, so it just, it aligned and I was, I’ve been very happy with, with the decision I made. Um, as you know, it’s tough, right. Owning your own business is tough. It’s definitely not like the corporate world where we can close the computer after at five o’clock and then not think about it anymore. But, uh, but I’m very happy with the decision I made and, and, uh, and here I am, man. That’s exciting. So what, what year did you get laid off from? AT&T? It was um right before COVID. So it was 200 23. OK. And your husband, you said still works at AT&T? No, he works in corporate America as well, but he’s in um he’s at Spectrum. OK. So he’s at Spectrum you at AT&T um He was like those communication companies a lot. We were always always at opposite ends. And so you, you got laid off, your daughter then approached you concerned about what to study, concerned that she’d be locked into the rest of her life. You wanted to convince her that she can be flexible, stand on her own 22 ft, you know, not, not be afraid. And you had an opportunity arise in her life where you could essentially prove it to her. Yeah. Yeah. That’s right. That’s right. It’s, it was great and you know, uh you, you just, it’s something that triggered that you just had to um my father also instilled in me to be independent to go and do what I wanted to do. And um he, he put a hammer in my hand when I was young and you know, I learned how to change my own tires, my own oil, you know, cause he said you, you, you can be independent and, and do whatever you want to do and you don’t have to depend on anyone. So um I also did projects for him when he, when he was sick with cancer, um, he had a skin cancer and, um, I didn’t, I wanted the space to be nice for him. So I stayed up late nights while I was going, getting my, uh MB A to help him out. And I think that, that, that those, those values that he instilled in me is also something I wanted to make sure I was transferring to, to my Children as well. But they, she can, they can and, and anyone can and the, the our young generation is, is, is bright and they’re super capable of going out there and doing whatever they want to do. So, and the, the why, as you mentioned, starting a business owning your own company is not easy. So the why is really important and a lot of times that why does come down to family either providing for a better lifestyle or in your case showing what’s possible, you know, leading from the front being the example, uh which is great, you know, I think it’s, I think it’s something people don’t always contemplate. Maybe they know it, but they haven’t really verbalized it or potentially written it down. And I think when the going gets tough and things get pretty rocky, having that solidified can really be helpful. Yes. It, it, it’s what makes me go every day. I really, I’m excited to, to wake up in the morning and do what I do because I know that, you know, it’s, it’s a continuous, it’s, it’s continuous. Uh you know, ebbs and flows in a, in a business but, you know, you wanna keep pushing forward for growth. Um And so I, I am, I’m excited. I, I really love what I do and why is the, why is what, what keeps me going? Yeah, 23%. So you launched this company then in 210 2021 2022 2022. What were some of the challenges that you faced early on? Well, um long list, yeah, Brandon. So it was, it was um the timing was not ideal. Uh When I launched the business the same month, my mother went in to uh get open heart surgery and that went very, very bad. And so she was in thank you. She was in IC U um for a month. Um and so as I had tried to launch the business. Um and um but she was in another city, she was in Dallas. I was in San Antonio. She was in the hospital there and trying to uh um be there for her and launch the business was, it was difficult, it was really, really difficult and then she subsequently passed away in May or on Mother’s Day. And so then there’s all the emotions that come with what it takes to, to, to build a business, to own a business, to wear all the hats in the business. Um Plus, um the grief that I was feeling um of having lost my mom. So, um it was, that first year, was, it was, it was a, a mountain of struggles um trying to keep, um trying to keep the, the, our, our, our employees um trying to, uh you know, just, just retention, uh keeping customers uh continuing to get revenue, the growth and wearing all the hats, learning how to be a business owner, right? Um Coming from the corporate America hat where you have 0101 hat you’re wearing, you know, everything about this one thing that you do versus having to know about a plethora of uh of areas in your business, right? Um To, to try to keep the business moving. So it, it was um that, but, you know, the emotional, the um trying to, to figure out how to be a business owner. Um but I can say that um I had a good system with wine painting corporate to lean on. So uh leaning on them was, was helpful. Um And then I found that yy, you really? So, so 1st, 1st year was, did, did not look good was it was rough. Um And I contemplated, do I do I just close the doors and, and just maybe this wasn’t for me, but of course, that why was still there? And how could I I can’t fail, right? You’re the first entrepreneur ever to think about kidney no one ever thinks about that. Yeah. And then of course, II I kept saying, I don’t want to be a statistic. I am not going to be a statistic, you know, the statistic that 33% of businesses close their doors. Uh The first year I said, I, I’m just not gonna be that I’m going to push through and things will look better. Well, I pushed through and then second year was, it was amazing. Uh It was wonderful, found the right team. Um It was uh it was just everything started to fall in place, you know, you, you give yourself time to establish your brand in the market and that helps um surround yourself with good people that, that support you, that lift you. And, and I did that by joining business um business groups, right? Business networking groups, um um having meetings with other uh of my friend, business owners and asking them, what do I do and leaning on them and crying with them. I just wasn’t sure if it was going to um work or not. Um So it was a, a little bit of all of that. But then once, once I, I found and, and the other thing Brandon is, I love my customers. I, I do, I love my customers. And I as, as, as foo foo as that sounds, I think that it’s important for a business owner to recognize that if they do, then they’re gonna do the best for their customers and um their customers are gonna recognize that and then they get referrals. So I, I loved my customers and I didn’t want to as well, you know, just kind of bail because I told them that I would be around. Um and um I think having, having the right people was there and then of course, having having the right processes. So putting the right processes in place so that you could continue the growth um is really important. So, yeah, I think, I think that idea of loving your customers and you doing a better job and probably enjoying your life and your business more as a result of it’s really important, right? So prior to, prior to painter marketing pros actually being a generalist agency, uh we worked with a lot of niches, one of which was lawyers. I don’t work with lawyers anymore. It’s really important to like your customers, right? Uh makes makes your life a lot more enjoyable. Um So one of the things I I wanna talk about with you, especially given that your big motivator was showing your daughter what’s possible, removing that fear, you know, increasing her sense of independence and ability in her life. You are in the traits, right? Trades is heavily male dominated. I know that you were, you were given a hammer, you know, when you were young by your dad and did projects around the house, but you’re still operating in a largely male dominated industry. How has that been for you? Um It’s, it’s interesting, uh it’s definitely interesting and that, and that was another, another reason that, that, that this, that I wanted to do this is because it was also going to be an additional challenge, right? Not, not just that it was um I was entering into just any industry that might be easy, but I was going, I was giving myself an additional challenge of entering into a male dominated industry um to um to be able to um uh show at the beginning show customers that I, I was um that I knew what I was talking about, that I, that I wasn’t just, uh you know, that I, that I wasn’t just there. I, I did. So I had a customer for instance and, and it was really interesting. This is one of my 1st, 1st in my, in my first year and, and gentlemen and, and um, and it was right after my mother passed away and then this, uh my, my, uh my employee also left. So I was alone and I went to uh do an estimate for a customer. And uh I said, hey, I would like, I need somebody else, I’d like somebody else. And this was before I think even I Brandon felt like, um that I dominated, right? My confidence level was still not the utmost right. I was, I had just started, right. So I, I kind of wanted a buddy. So I called my Cheryl Williams rep and I said, can you just go with me, please? Just, just go by my be on my side and, and he said, yeah, yeah, absolutely not a problem. So, yeah, he was awesome. He is awesome. Josie Lee, he’s the best. So I took him with me and, uh, and the entire time we’re there, the customers to him talks to him. Yes. Doesn’t even make eye contact with me, continually talking to him and Joe. But it’s funny he keeps saying, well, that’s, that’s her, her decision, but he keeps trying to red, red, redirecting him, redirecting. Well, she’s the one who’s gonna do the work. So, yeah, if you should ask her and I don’t work for this company, I’m just here. It was really funny. So, what do you all do? He would say to him what? Um, so she’s the one that, and so it was just really, it was, it was interesting but I, but it didn’t bother me. Um, I, it just took it. I, and I rolled with it. And so, um, I think that this is a male dominated industry but I think as a fe, I have found that there is some things that we can offer. Um, many of our customers are female. Um, and so I think females, um, sometimes trust, um, that there’s another female and, and, um, we can, uh, you know, we can win that trust. Um, because we’re inside the customers homes, we’re on their properties. We’re, we’re mixed up with their pets and their kids and, you know, so winning that trust is really important. So I found that, um, I think we, we can do that. We are good at, at um establishing the trust with the customer. Um, and uh the attention to detail that a female has sometimes is not always, um, you know, it’s, it’s pretty, it’s, it’s good. And I think other females and men who um are also very much uh pay attention to detail. Appreciate that. So I think learning what it is that we can offer uh or what I could offer. Uh the painting industry is what has helped me grow and has given me the confidence that I belong here and, and it’s a good place for me to be. I have a couple questions for you number one. And this is, I love running the podcast because I can ask the questions. So if I, you know, if I listen to this and I want to know something 5050 whether the, the podcast uh interviewer asks it, but I get to ask whatever I want. Did you close that project? Did you land that sale? Yes, sir. I did. You did? Very cool. That would have haunted me. I wanted to know and then uh not super relevant in the grand scheme, I just wanted to know, but that was the power of the customer. Oh my gosh afterwards. So, of course, you know, the cost was an issue. Um, but it was so interesting that we did it on, on the weekend because it was a, it was a commercial project and they wanted us to do it when the, the, the clients weren’t there. So we did it, did it on a weekend and he walked in and we were there working and he walks in and he says, whoa, oh my gosh. And, and where’s Joe? We looked at him, we looked at him and said what? He said? I didn’t, I don’t think I realized the amount of work that it takes to paint. Um uh because we were painting the ceilings. Uh It was, it was too drastic colors of ceilings from the walls. And so we were covering up this big commercial space, the walls so that we could do the ceilings. Um And, uh, and so he said, I, and so it looks like this huge y you know, it was all covered in plastic from, you know, from the top to the bottom. He said, I, I don’t think I realized how much work it took um to, to paint. I really thought it was just a, you just wet the roller and you roll it on and he said this is, this is, this is great. So, yeah, he, he was AAA big advocate has referred more, more customers to me. Um And uh and he’s become a great customer. That’s great. So you, so you, you went on this estimate, it was your, your first or one of your first estimates, Joe came along uh despite repeated attempts by Joe to point the conversation your way didn’t really end up happening. So you, you rolled with it, you were OK with it, right? It’s not great, but you understand. OK, this is where we’re at. How do you then leave something like that and build the confidence that, hey, I’m gonna go out and do it on my own without Joe and I’m gonna, I’m going to succeed because an experience like that would, would kind of be jarring for most people. Mhm. Um It’s going back to that. Why? Right? And it was, it was going back to the why? Because I had decided to enter a male dominated field and prove to my daughter that it could be, it could be done. So um I think that it was um uh it was, it was sad. Yes, I was, I was disappointed. Um But I just went back to, it’s OK. I i it’s not OK but I, you shrug it off, you kind of reset. You remember what it is that you’re doing there and you say I’m gonna prove that this is my space and you don’t see it now. You may not see it now, but you’ll see it later and it’s OK that you don’t recognize it right now. Not everybody is on the same plane, not everybody sees what it is I can give. Um And so, and that, and you know, there, there are people out there and, and you know, Brandon and you, you do this and you talk to many painters, there are, are people in this. Um And in this, um I I in painting that we know we’ve got the best solution for the customer. We know that we’ve got the highest quality, we know that we’re going to do the best job and, and they choose not to go with us, uh for whatever reason, Bryce or whatever. Um And sometimes that, that really bothers me because I feel like, um I didn’t convince them. Right. But, um, I think it’s there, it’s recognizing, they just don’t recognize it and it’s ok not everyone does, we’re not gonna win them all. There’s enough for everybody and that’s all ok. Um But it’s back, going back to your why and recognizing that, that people think differently and that’s ok. Yeah. So I think, uh I think you put it, well, it’s not OK that it happened but it’s something that you decided you’re not going to let deter you, but you’re still going to succeed. Um, because things that are not ok happen in the world. Uh The, another, another interesting point that I wanna, I wanna focus on right there is your focus on sales really Right. So, so you know, you’re talking with a customer, potential customer, you know that, that you are the best option, you know, that you’re convinced of that, right? You know, you care, you, you give it, you, you, you really care about how the job is gonna go, right? And you know, you’re gonna go in there to produce quality. If you say you’re going to produce quality, quite honestly, it doesn’t mean anything because everybody says they’re going to produce quality. Nobody’s like, hey, you know what, we’re gonna do an ok job, the materials were used, they’re not going to be the best, but they’re not the worst. Uh Here, it’s a sign here, right? It’s always, hey, hi. You know, we have quality work, we have great customer service. We use quality materials. So that basically means nothing. And when you don’t land that customer, you feel bad because you, you almost feel like you did a disservice to them, even though they’re the ones who chose not to, to listen to you. And I think that’s the effective, that’s effective sales mindset, right? If you have a product, you truly believe in, then it is your duty really to the market to, to effectively market that product and then to effectively remove objections to sell so that you can allow naturally skeptical prospective customers to get out of their own way and ultimately move forward. Because if you do not convince them, if you do not, not a find them by doing effective marketing and then b convince them to move forward with you by, by demonstrating enough value more than what you’re asking for, for the price. Then what you do is you leave them to any, any Joe Schmo, any truck in the truck who rolls up and now you’ve essentially abandoned them. So I think this is, it’s a big sales and marketing shift because people think marketing, you know, I made the joke about dirty marketer. People think marketing is bad, right? Or sales is slimy. But if you actually believe in your product, you are doing a disservice to people. If you do not find them or you do not make it so that they find you and you do not remove their objections so that they can safely proceed with the company that’s going to treat them. Well, that’s, I’m glad you brought that up. That’s absolutely right. And I, and I, and I, I do want to say that that’s, I’ve grown into that so I can’t say that when in my day one, I watched this business, I was woohoo gung ho. This is the way it is. I think I had to learn that on my own. Right? Um I, I grew into that mindset because when I did marketing for AT&T, I just, I did marketing. That’s, that’s what I did. I just, I, I knew what I was, I had a task that was that was a task for me to do. Um Did I really know my customers? No, I, I, there was hundreds of thousands of people that I was marketing to. II, I didn’t know them but I did know that it was important to love your customers even when I was in marketing there. So II I did what I could to implement that love of your customer when I was there. But I think that, that, you know, all goes back to what you just said is if it’s, it’s true that effective marketing is important when you love your customer, you know, that you’re going to be the best option for them because you’re giving them what they need, right? And so um I think how, how, how passionate you are about what you do is important. I love it. So let’s switch gears here a little bit. Um I know that you recently spoke at the International Franchise Association’s uh 2024 annual convention. Uh One of the, the things that you spoke on was diversity in the workplace um As a Latino woman, you’ve noticed there’s not necessarily enough support within the industry. So we’ve talked a little bit about female um empowerment within the trades, the, the obstacles faced. Let’s talk about uh diversity in that sense as well. OK. Yeah. Um I think it’s really important to have um a diverse group uh because in order to move forward, you have to have a diverse mindset on your team, you can’t all think the same and if you do, then you’re all going the same direction and, and you’re gonna go slow. We’re in an ever changing world and in order to be able to, um, to, to move quickly with that ever changing world, it’s, you have to have diversity. And so, um, so I, I have, I have a, a diverse team right now. III I, it’s funny that um uh my, my team now and it, it was, it was not, not really by, you know, by doing, it’s just kind of by accident, but right now it’s, I have my two sales members are, are female. Um uh And um and then I have a marketing admin who is also female. Um And so they are wonderful. We work well together. Um They are younger but I did and, and it was something that I talked about at the, at the International Franchises Association Conference, leadership Conference. Um I, I um interviewed a gentleman, a gentleman came to me asking for a job and he was 73 and my initial, my initial mindset was uh 73. Can you keep up? We’re out there canvassing, you know, we’re, we’re out there checking on jobs. There’s a lot of walking, it’s, you know, the heat and, and I thought, oh goodness. Well, and he was persistent and I thought, ok, that persistence, it, it, it accounts for something. So let me talk to him. Wow, Brandon. When I sat down with him, he, he had the energy level of like, you know, like double the energy level of the 21 year olds that I was, um, interviewing and, and the experience was there. And, um, he, he was just, uh, yeah, he, he was great, like a wonderful candidate and I wanted to bring him on, but he, uh, he got another job offer somewhere else that worked out better for, for him and his family. So he went that direction. But it made me realize that sometimes uh we are our own biases. Um can, can hinder us, right? Um We just have to be aware of those biases and uh so that they don’t get in the way of our, of us trying to create a diverse team. So, um I’m, I’m, I’m growing, I’m, you know, I’ve, I’ve learning and I’m, I’m hopeful to, to continue to grow my team with more diversity. Uh But excited that uh this is my very first uh all female team that I have right now. Um And, and we’ve, we’ve done great. Um There’s a lot of a lot of cohesion and, and collaboration. So, and, and they understand not only my why, but they have whys as well. And um and I, I do wanna bring this up and I know this is uh a little bit different but we lead our meetings with our values every time on our, on our weekly meetings and what we do is share where we saw someone else demonstrate those values. And I think that’s really important to do uh for anyone who’s starting a business who wants to retain their customers, retain their, I’m sorry, retain their employees and you know, have, have that growth mindset within your employees as well. Uh When everyone understands what your core values are, um and you’re all aligned then um it just creates a lot more cohesion. So you guy, I wanna make sure I fully understand this. You have meetings is this each morning. Uh we meet, we meet daily, but when we do this is on in our weekly, in our weekly. And then you are, you guys are finding someone else in the team who has demonstrated a core value over the past integrity, mission and excellence, right? That’s neat. Yeah, that’s neat. And I think your focus on having diversity brings different perspectives. It allows you to be more creative and then having those values that you uh you know, just write down, think about brainstorm, list them and then forget them, but you actually integrate them every single week in a very hands on way. Uh ensures that as you bring in people who might have diverse backgrounds and experiences that you can harness that while also not having the train essentially go off the tracks because everyone’s lining up behind the same value system, right? I love it. Yeah, I, I wanna, so you have two female sales people right now, two female estimators. Ok. And then, you know, going back to, to the initial challenge that you faced and now you say you, you think maybe it’s a strength, right? Because a lot of the people you’re interacted with are women and, and you’re going inside the homes and it’s very personal. Um, I have heard both ways and I think some of it might be head trash, but I’ve heard from some women who have gone out and conducted sales that, oh, it’s a disadvantage, right. They, even when you’re talking with a woman, they, they might like you or trust you more but they think you don’t know what you’re doing and then I’ve heard the other way, which is more what you just said, which is, well, you can really connect. There’s, there’s, they, they think, you know, you can lead with empathy a little bit more easily. Um, they trust you more around the kids and whatnot. Uh, so it’s a huge strength. Do you think that both those things are likely to be true? I mean, you can’t give me a definitive answer here because you don’t know even who I’m talking about. But do you think those things are likely to both be true or do you think it’s more mental limitation or how do you view that? So, yes and yes. Yes. It’s very likely to be. Yes. And yes, it’s very likely to be true. Yes, because there are people out there and it doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter, they’re just gonna come in with that bias that you’re a female and you don’t know. And so there’s nothing you can do when they have that bias. And, and you, then as, as someone who does know your space and you are a leader, you, you, you’re, you’re confident then you, you try, um to uh to, to show them that, you know, but if they are, if they go into that conversation with a bias, then it really sometimes doesn’t matter what you say, right? Um But that happens with anything, I mean, it could, it could, it happens with anything and with everything people have biases. And so the, there’s only so much we can do about someone’s bias and we, we can always change that, but we can do the best we can to um to demonstrate to them that we do know the space and we do know what we’re talking about. So, um that’s the wonderful thing I think my, my team has is they, they’re confident, they know they know the space and, and they know um they go in there and um yeah, they, they, they um influence and, and, you know, it, they try to influence the customers to um demonstrate to them that they, they are um what am I thinking experts in, in the area? Yeah. And I think sometimes, you know, there is no getting around it, but you probably dodging a bullet anyways, right? Because we have some people come in and they, they start telling us about how marketing works, right? How this is actually this is what works. Ok, great. Like go do it right. We’re, we’re maybe not the right fit. So I think if somebody comes in and says, well, you’re a female clearly, you don’t know this. Um, awesome. You’re, you’re probably gonna be a more difficult to police customer. You’re likely to find an issue because you know everything, you know, so much that, you know, that half the world is incapable of actually understanding this. You, you know, you must know more than we do. Probably not a fit for us anyways. Exactly. Yeah. Not, not everyone is our customer, not everyone is the right customer for us, which is it ok? And that’s something I’ve also had to learn to struggle. Right. Yeah, it is, it is like something’s wrong on your end or, or they should, you have to, you have to accept that you are not the right fit for everybody. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, you want, at the beginning of, of, of opening your business, you want to please everyone and you have, you can feel that it’s, you’re a failure if you don’t. Um, and it just, you know, it comes with growth and knowing that like you said, we’re just not the right fit for everyone and that’s ok. Yeah, that’s all ok. So going with this, loving your customers, it’s important, it motivates you. You know, it’s gonna obviously make your quality of your, your service offering be better. How do you maintain that when you have some customers who are, who make it hard to level? Right? Maybe there’s someone who, who leaves you a scathing review and it, it really wasn’t justified. Right. WW We see that happen sometimes. Um maybe a customer is happy and something happens later months after the painting company leaves really wasn’t related and all of a sudden that five star review becomes a what? Uh or you know, you get sued, right? This happens. We’ve, we’ve interacted with painting companies, they get sued and maybe it was justified, but sometimes it’s not, sometimes you just, you happen to cross a crazy person’s path. How do you not let something like that sway you away from loving, loving all your customers? So, um so I have another story. It’s ok to tell another story. So um it was um a commercial um and we were uh re repainting. So, so the estimator underestimated we, we were doing lim wash on all of their interior walls. Um And um I was very excited about doing this job and um and it looked amazing and so there was the owner and then there was the owner’s father and, and um that, that were kind of working with us and, and the owner, um, never, never said anything. Just would kind of walk by and look and just walk away. Right. Which was, you know, it was just odd because we were, I was thinking we were just rocking it. We, it was beautiful. Oh my gosh. And then, um, and then the father came in and he said, 00 my gosh, this looks amazing guys. And he said, um, I’m sorry that, um, I’m sorry that my, uh, my daughter isn’t expressing and, and he wasn’t there when she wasn’t expressing, but he knew her and he said, I’m sorry, she wasn’t expressing. Um, I’m sure she wasn’t expressing, but I want you to know you guys are doing an amazing job. And I thought, oh, ok, that’s really nice. Ok, let’s keep going. So that just filled our, filled our cup again and we kept going, kept going, kept going. And then there was a, in the end, a small area that was kind of a hidden area and, and she, the owner said, um, just paint it any color doesn’t matter because it’s an area that nobody sees. That’s kind of, you know, where your feet, the kick kick area, right? Um, under, under the desk. And so, ok, II I did, you know, I said, ok, well, then we’ll, we’ll pick a color that’s, you know, kind of, you know, matches them. So I painted an area and said, hey, this is this work and she said, uh, yeah. Yeah, that’s fine. So I finished painting it and then the next day she said, why did you painted that color? And, um, I said, um, this is the one that I showed. You remember? Yeah. But it was, there was not a lot of light. So why would you even pick that color? That’s, that’s horrible. It doesn’t even go and I thought, 00, my goodness. So, again, I go back to that. It was underbid. So we really were working like working our tails off for something that, you know, we weren’t gonna get paid a lot for. But we were super proud of it because we just thought it was like it was pristine, it was looking incredibly beautiful and this was the very last piece of the job and this turned her off completely. And she said, yeah, you just, um, just get out. I just don’t wanna see you anymore. And that Brandon broke my heart. It did because we poured ourselves heart and soul into that area. And um, and I know she loves it because she’s a like a, an influencer. And so she, she showcases her walls often and, and so I know she loves it. I know she loves the walls, but never once said that she was happy with it and just was mad about that one area. And I said I went in and I said, OK, I, I, I’ll repaint it for you whatever color you want, you know, that’s fine. You just tell me what color and, but because I had said you already chose it, she did not like that response. And so of course, I beat myself up for having said, well, that’s the color you chose instead of saying what color would you like. And I, I think I spent that, it probably took 22 full, 2 to 3 days for me to get out of my head that that customer was just gonna be like that and that there was no, there was nothing that I was gonna be able to say or do and I, that made me realize that there are those customers out there. Um And, and that um we can’t beat ourselves up about it because we’re not always gonna be perfect. We’re not always gonna say the right thing for the customer, you know, not always. We, we mess up and it’s ok and we need to give ourselves that grace to mess up and we need to and just move on because we’re not going to please everyone all the time. But I still love all my customers because they, they, they, they are the ones that I choose right? They, they, we, we choose them. So yeah, it’s, it’s Yeah. No, it’s an excellent point. You, you choose your customers, you ultimately choose the business that you run. That’s part of what makes entrepreneurship difficult. There’s no room no one else really to blame. You know, we could, we could all if, if we don’t like our company, well, we don’t have to keep doing it. You can’t just complain about the mean boss. We are the mean boss. So the uh right, not the main boss, but we’re the boss. So then, uh I, I um, I actually work with my team on things like that. Right? So, so when, when someone says, hey, use this color or, or hey, I’m OK with this or, or please do that and then you do it and then it comes back and there’s something, something negative, right? The natural reaction is, but you said to do this or, but we talked about this, right? But I, I find the best way to handle it and I’m not telling you, Lorraine, I’m just saying it for the podcast. Um the best way to handle situations like that is to in your mind, get on the same, same side of the table as that person, right? Because as soon as you say, but you chose this color that was, you know, she was gonna be a difficult customer. You were probably never going to get a glowing review out of that project. That’s who she was. Um But you sort of gave her something to push on, right? Because you said, but you chose it. Well, now it’s like it’s true. It’s a fact, it’s ridiculous what she did, but you’re kind of like pointing a finger. Get I view it as like you’re putting up a rock and she can push on it. So instead in that situation, if you say, hey, you know, foot brown, I’m on the same side of the table as you. Um, you know what? I, I can see that I can see it doesn’t entirely match. Uh Yeah, maybe we should have done a different color. I remember you and I talked about this and we thought it was a good fit now with the lighting, it seems like maybe it’s not. What do you, what do you think would be a good solution here? Because now it’s like we talked about it, you know, I remember you and I, we talked about this. We thought it would be a good fit. Now in the light it seems like maybe it’s not, maybe it’s not the best fit. How do you think we should proceed? Right. So that, that’s what I find with really difficult customers. But then I also take a mental note like, ok, we probably have a problem here because that person is just gonna be another thing and another thing. So you, you can try to like avoid explosions but also like, yeah, people are certain people are that way. Yeah. Yeah. No, I, I learned on that and how to, about my, about the Buts and yeah, I, I would, I, like I said, I beat myself up for a few days just thinking, why did I, why did I do that? Why? Exactly. It’s my, I ruined it and I ruined it. I did it. But, but you know, like you, yeah, I do, I do a whole lot. I do a whole lot. So but, but I learned um and like I said that we, we make mistakes, we learn from them as long as we learn from the mistakes, we grow from it. And uh yeah, and I think as you have to almost develop a short term memory as an entrepreneur, you know, you, you have to have a long term memory in the sense that you take away the lesson like you did like, OK, what did I do wrong? OK. Let me figure out how to better handle, handle, you know, how to, I guess, be more uh tactical, you know, be more strategic in, in exactly the words that I use. But then you have to kind of forget to, right? Like take away the learning and then just the pain, the emotion of it. You, you just gotta throw that out because otherwise it’s just gonna drown you if you just carry all that stuff with you because you, you get stuck, you, you get stuck in the sludge of the emotion and negatives. They, they tend to hang on a lot longer than positives. If you love it, you’re a positive with the dad, right? But what was sticking with you? For those several days was the negative was her. Yes, that negative. Right. Exactly. The dad was thrilled and, and we were thrilled. We knew we had done a beautiful job but, but I, I did not want to leave a customer, are not happy. And so that broke my heart. Um, but I’ll say another thing that helped me in that time is, is having that support system. So calling fellow business owners who were my friends and say, wow, this happened to me. It seems like a such a big deal when you’re early on in your entrepreneurial career. And then they’re like, you, you talk to someone who’s been in it for 10 years, like why are you calling me about this? Yeah. Yeah, they’re like, hey, these are going to happen to you. I promise this is not the only time this will ever happen. Here’s a secret. It’s going to be worse than that. Things are going to happen to you. Exactly. It’s just gonna, you know, so, so it was those that kind of, you know, the help, the support, the reinforcement that you didn’t, you didn’t do wrong, you’re OK. You, you, you’re fine just, you’re, you’re fine, just keep going. And that support is so huge. And I think the, a lot of, a lot of entrepreneurs, a lot of painting companies make that mistake where they don’t go. It’s something you have to be proactive about, right? I’m, I’m very passionate about the painting contractors association, about joining that, um, tapping into that community. There are local gathering groups in each state that we’re, that we’re growing right now. But also, like you said, Chamber of Commerce, things like that. Right. B and I just even, even just can you connect with friends? We, we have friends that we have intentionally made that are business owners because then you, you, it just makes this journey a lot less lonely and a whole lot easier and actually you do a lot better because they tend to have good advice. Exactly. I love it. Um Lorraine, as we, as we come to uh the conclusion of this episode, I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been awesome. I like your stories. Is there anything else that you wanna share? I think um I think just to your audience just keep going. Um We don’t fail until we give up. Yeah. Uh So just keep going and believe in yourself. It, it will happen and work together, um Collaborate with other business owners, collaborate with other painters, like you said, um there’s enough work for everybody. Um So it’s great when you’re able to collaborate with other painters, other business owners and, and just lean on each other to help, help you grow. Um And there are those that lift you up, so lean on others. Um And, and don’t give them. Absolutely. And my, my mantra for years was the only way it fails if I quit and I will not quit. If you keep that in mind, you will, you will not, you will succeed because it’s statistically impossible for you not to. That’s right. I just can’t, I can’t. Right. This was a treat. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. Thank you. Thank you, Brandon. It was wonderful being here. I appreciate you. I appreciate you doing this. Absolutely. If you want to learn more about the topics we discussed in this podcast and how you can use them to grow your painting business. Visit painter, marketing pros. com/podcast for free training, as well as the ability to schedule a personalized strategy session for your painting company. Again, that URL is painter marketing pros.com/podcast. Hey there, painting company owners. If you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure you go ahead and hit that subscribe button. Give us your feedback. Let us know how we did. And also if you’re interested in taking your painting business to the next level, make sure you visit the painter marketing pros website at painter marketing pros. com to learn more about our services. You can also reach out to me directly by emailing me at Brandon at Painter Marketing Pros. com and I can give you personalized advice on growing your painting business until next time. Keep growing

Brandon Pierpont

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