Brian Phillips
Most professional painting contractors understand the importance of developing systems for their business. For those who want to get out of the bucket, it is absolutely imperative. Unfortunately, developing systems can be a very imposing task, and many contractors don’t know where to start. However, it doesn’t have to be a daunting task. If they use a system, the process can be much easier and far more effective. In other words, use a system to develop systems.
To illustrate, let us say that you find your crews frequently doing work in the wrong order. They wind up wasting time and cause you unnecessary frustration. How can you correct this situation without being a baby sitter? The first step is to identify the problem, or more specifically, the undesired result. In this case, the undesired result is wasted time. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t know what it is. The next step is to identify what actions (or inactions) are causing the result. The undesired results have a cause, and if you want different results, different actions must be taken.
Returning to our example, if the crew is doing work in the wrong order, the solution is to identify the proper order. For example, for an interior repaint this might consist of the following tasks:
- Clear the room
- Prep the surfaces to be painted
- Paint
- Clean up
- Put the room back in order
Of course, there are many steps involved in each of these tasks. For example, prepping a room might involve drywall repairs, sanding woodwork, caulking, masking, and more. The process of painting a room might involve dozens of separate tasks and steps. And that is usually where the process of developing systems becomes overwhelming. Many contractors think that they need to develop a procedure for every one of those tasks, and they think that they have to develop all of them at once. If they feel overwhelmed, they might wind up developing none of them.
However, the chances are good that the crew is generally doing the work in the proper order. It is unlikely that they are doing the clean up before they do the prep. Usually, the problem occurs in a fairly narrow range of activities, such as in the prep. That is where you should focus your efforts. In other words, return to step one above–identify the undesired result and then identify the action or inaction that is causing that result.
Let us say that you figure out that during prep the crew is doing drywall repairs last. As a result, they wind up waiting for the patch to dry and the start of painting gets delayed. Your solution then, is to identify the proper order for prep. As an example:
- Repair all drywall cracks
- Sand and caulk woodwork
- Remove switch plate covers
- Mask
This order allows the crew to be performing other tasks while drying occurs. There are, of course, multiple ways of addressing this issue. Quick set could be used or multiple rooms could be prepped at once. The point is, identify the order that you want followed, and then document those steps.
Your preferences may seem perfectly logical to you. You might wonder why anyone would do the work in a different order. But the fact is, unless you have a highly unusual crew, they are not mind readers. They don’t know your preferences unless you tell them. They may have learned a certain order to do the work, and have never questioned it. They may not be concerned with efficiency. Regardless, until you tell them your preferences, they simply don’t know.
Once you have addressed, and hopefully eliminated, this problem, you can move to the next. For example, you may then find that clean up isn’t as efficient as it could be and should be. Develop a process for that issue. In short, this system allows you to address the things that aren’t going right, rather than trying to fix things that aren’t broken. It allows you to address the things that are causing the most problems. And, as you reduced or eliminate those big problems, you can then move to smaller issues. You wouldn’t try to perform every task involved in painting a house at one time. Don’t try developing systems that way either.
Brian Phillips
In 25 years as a contractor, I have yet to meet a contractor or a painter who didn’t claim to do quality work. But what does quality mean? Is, to paraphrase an old adage, one painter’s quality another painter’s junk?
One definition of quality is: a distinguishing attribute. It could be argued that a painter who refuses to use a drop clothe and gets paint on the customer’s furniture is producing work with a distinguishing attribute. But it is unlikely that this is what most painters mean when they speak of the quality of their work.
Another definition of quality is: a degree of excellence. This is what most contractors and painter mean by quality. But what is excellence? Does it mean laser-straight cut-in lines? Does it mean woodwork that is as smooth as glass? Or, does it mean something else?
I suspect that we could ask ten different painters these questions and get ten different answers. But since this is a written article, and not a call-in talk show, I’m going to stick my neck out and give my answer. And it may surprise you.
From my perspective, quality has little to do with the appearance of the paint on the wall. Certainly, walls with more runs than a cheap pair of stockings would not qualify as quality. But I assume that any competent painter can achieve an acceptable finish. When I speak to painters or contractors about quality, I mean something much different.
Painting is a service business. Putting paint on the wall is only one part, and a relatively small part, of that service. I expect a professional painter to do that reasonably well; it is the minimal skill that one must possess to even qualify as a professional painter. What then, do I mean by quality?
Consider the many different aspects involved in hiring a professional painting contractor. From the first phone call to the final payment, there are often dozens, if not hundreds, of individual events. Each of these contributes to the overall experience. If a painter fails to wipe his feet and tracks mud onto the customer’s carpet, the appearance of the paint is going to pale in comparison. If the crew is habitually late, the customer isn’t going to notice that the drywall repairs are invisible. If the painters look like prime candidates for the Betty Ford Clinic, the experience could be wrought with angst. In other words, painting well isn’t enough to provide a quality experience. And, from the customer’s perspective, the experience is as important, if not more so, that what is on the wall.
As another type of example: you take your significant other to dinner at an elegant restaurant. The atmosphere is perfect, the food is delicious, and the waiter is obnoxious. Which of these are you likely to remember? Will the taste of the food overcome the demeanor of the waiter? Or will the evening be ruined? In any service business, the product is only a part of the equation.
Good service won’t make up for poor painting skills. But poor service can ruin the best paint job.
Brian Phillips
Over the years, on many different boards, I have been asked dozens of times about my use of subcontractors. The questions vary, but the underlying premise seldom does. In short, many contractors (if not most) view subs as completely different from employees. In terms of essentials, this simply isn’t true.
Whether our production personnel are subs or employees, the basic issues remain the same:
- Dependability
- Quality of work
- Customer service skills
- Problem solving
- And much more
In other words, production personnel are production personnel, no matter what label we attach to them. Certainly there are differences between subs and employees, but those differences aren’t essential. Those differences are merely details in how we pay, the control we exert, etc. These differences are certainly important, but they aren’t as important as some seem to believe.
The essential goal of our marketing is to generate leads. There are many ways to accomplish this. Whether we use the internet, the yellow pages, direct mail or any other medium is a detail. These are the means to our end.
The same applies to production. The essential goal of production is to put paint on the wall. There are many ways to accomplish this. Whether we use subs or employees, whether we pay hourly or piece work, these are simply the means to our end.
As business owners we strive to provide a superior overall experience for our customers. We have many, many options in what that experience looks like and how we provide it. Again, these are the means to our end.
While there are certainly wrong ways to accomplish any of our goals, there are many right ways to do so. For example, a marketing piece that says “Hey Bozo, call me if you want your house painted” won’t work well. But there are many messages that do work well.
Ultimately, our ends determine the means. What we want to accomplish determines how we accomplish it. At the end of the day, all that really matters is whether we accomplished the goal or not.
The issue of subs vs. employees isn’t the real issue. The real issue is how we solve the problems associated with production.
Brian Phillips
I recently painted my front door. Since I am a painting contractor, and have been one for 24 years, it may seem odd for me to make a point about painting a door. But my wife is very happy that I did so.
I rarely touch a paint brush. It isn’t that I dislike painting. I’d just rather spend my time doing other things, like writing blog posts. So, I hire people to do the painting and I spend my time on activities that are more enjoyable and interesting to me.
Some contractors fear what might happen if they aren’t on the job site. I fear what might happen if I am. I tend to make the painters nervous and distract them from doing their job. So I stay away as much as is possible and rarely visit a job site. (I think I made it to 2 job sites last month, and once was to look at additional work.)
My attitude is, if I need to baby sit grown adults then I probably have the wrong people working for me. If they can’t do the job I am paying them to do, then I should hire someone who can do the job. Of course, this is easier to say than to do. But it isn’t impossible.
I have a rather stringent system for hiring painters. My hiring process focuses more on character traits than painting skills. Painting skills are rather easy to identify–hand the guy a brush and have him paint a door. Character traits are more difficult to determine, and in my opinion, the primary source of problems with production personnel.
For example, if a painter doesn’t take directions well, or is habitually late, or is rude, or any number of other things, he can easily create problems on a job. No matter his skills, if he is rude to customers you are going to have problems. If he is regularly late, you are going to have problems.
So, if you find yourself complaining that good help is hard to find, maybe you should re-consider your hiring practices. Good painters do exist. So do good people. The trick is finding them.
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