September 16th, 2011

Greetings!

For those you who are reading this newsletter and have read our others in the past, you can see that this now a seasonal newsletter. I hope that you find it as fascinating as our others. By the way, you’re now able read any of our past newsletters. Just visit our website, www.elizabethstpainters.com and look for our archive link. That’s exciting, don’t you think. You know, we always try to put some useful information (and our preferred vendors) in each issue. And this issue should be no different.

For those of you who have been hanging in wait for “Hiring the Right Home Improvement Service, Part II”, well it’s here. Aptly subtitled – “Fast, Cheap and Good – pick any 2″.

Our final bit of exciting news is about kids and basketball. Elizabeth St. Painters is sponsoring a club basketball team, the Elizabeth St. Elite. That’s right, Coach Bill has organized a really great group of 13 year old’s to play in tournaments and in the ARC Basketball League (see our preferred vendors for this issue). The team has already played in 2 big tournaments and done quite well. We’re starting league games this weekend and planning on more tournaments in the future. We’ll have a website, Facebook page, really cool uniforms, fundraisers, and we plan on volunteering in the community as well. Sponsorships and donation opportunities will become available soon. Keep a look out for updates as they happen.

Thank you all for being customers. Until next issue……

Coach Bill

Elizabeth St. Painters

Hiring the Right Home  Improvement Service,  Part II Fast, Cheap & Good

An associate told me about eight years ago when discussing new business, “tell your customers that there’s fast, cheap and good. They can have any 2 but not all 3″.

It’s very true. The cheapest and fastest painters are usually apartment painters. They can spray a 2 bedroom apartment in one day – trim, cabinets and all. Just don’t ask for repairs, patching, prep, smooth finishes or color consultations. And don’t expect them to come back and take care of any problem. Not what you want for your home. Not good.

Then there’s the painter who works alone or with one maybe 2 guys. He’s a craftsman, takes a lot of pride in the work that he prefers to do himself, nobody else is good enough. Thing is, since he’s the boss, he’s the one who goes to the paint store in the middle of the day, or has to run out for another estimate. If he doesn’t have enough work lined up, he’ll let his helpers go so he doesn’t miss a days work himself. Your job slows down and drags out. He’s good and maybe cheap (certainly if he’s unlicensed), but he’s not fast. .

Lastly there is a company like ours. You’ll get an owner/project manager/color consultant and also up to 5 talented painters / handymen, depending on the job. Once your job starts, no painters leave in the middle of the day to go to the paint store. Your project manager is there every day to make sure the work is getting done as agreed and according to schedule. We’re not interested in prolonging any work, we get paid when we’re finished. We’re good, fast, but not the cheapest. That’s not what we want to be anyway. However, we may save you the long run by doing the job right the first time. We’ll also be available next time with the same guys who worked on your house before. We’re trying to build a relationship, not just do another paint job.