Traditional Marketing: Print Mailers – Painting by Don

The Client

Don Valentino owns and operates an interior and exterior painting company in Traverse City, Michigan called Painting by Don.

The Story

We started working with Don in 2021 when he and his work crew didn’t have enough jobs to sustain them. Together we discussed a variety of marketing strategies to help bring him business; being somewhat of a traditionalist, Don believed strongly in the power of print marketing.

Sales Enablement & Business Collateral

We began by developing some internal forms to help streamline Don’s operating procedures and designed some marketing collateral to improve his closing rate at sales appointments. With our standard packet of leave-behind materials, Don’s closing rate increased to more than 50%.

Click here to view Painting by Don’s Samples, Reviews, & References booklet.

Every Door Direct Mailer (EDDM)

Through a combination of direct mailing campaigns and targeted Every Door Direct (EDDM) mailers, we created a system to capitalize on word-of-mouth advertising. Whenever Don completed a project, he would put up a sign in the yard and we’d send out a “Just Completed in Your Neighborhood” mailer.

On average, Don would close 2-3 jobs per mailer, plus an additional 2-3 jobs along the same mailing route due to yard signage and “Drive By Tour” handouts. The cost of each mailer was an approximately $600 investment, and with the average paint job totaling more than $3,000 (source), Don grossed between $15,000-20,000 per mailer.

Conclusion:

Together we leveraged a cross-functional approach to building Don’s business. From Realtor resource packets to thank you cards and referral coupons, we capitalized on Don’s existing client list to gain steady incoming business via a familial approach to customer relationships, brand advocacy, and a successful word-of-mouth referral system.

After a few months of intelligent print marketing in the spring, Don’s painting schedule is booked for the remainder of the year, and he has had to hire additional crew members to handle the volume.

Don reports that his business has tripled in size since we began print marketing.