Cleaning up

In Top Coat, the magazine of the Ontario Painting Contractors' Association, Gerry Bechard, president of Peerless Finishing Contractors Ltd. in Toronto, observes:

It's a point of pride at Peerless that the job isn't done when the crew put down their paintbrushes.

We try to treat an occupied premise as if it was a home, which means cleaning up and putting things back at the end of the shift. I have six vacuums, some in the shop and in different buildings and stores, and my guys have all the keys, so there's no excuse. They get paid the same if they're painting or cleaning up. Clients do not want to see dust or tape remnants and debris when they arrive the next morning, just the fresh coat of paint. Cleaning up is about respect. This is so important to me, but it's sometimes hard to get through to new recruits. They claim they are painters, not cleaners. However, if they don't clean up after themselves, then they won't be staying on with us.

Here is a simple example of the kind of marketing that really works, yet costs virtually nothing. And, yes, cleaning up the job sites is indeed marketing -- it creates your brand, your image, and solidifies your relationships.