It's About Time

This past spring, I realized that my neighbors and I had entered into an unofficial competition to achieve the greenest, healthiest and most lush lawn. It was sort of an unspoken contest marked by many hours of fertilizing, mowing and battling weeds. In this suburban battlefield, we have all tried to one-up each other in order to hold the title of "best lawn on the block."

In this quest for lawn supremacy, many methods have been tried, many dollars have been spent. In fact, my friend across the street spent a substantial amount of money on high-end fertilizers and weed killers. However, he unknowingly used too much fertilizer and quickly found himself with a yard full of burnt brown grass; a sharp contrast from the result he was trying to achieve. After consulting a local landscape business – which cost him yet more money - my friend (and lawn nemesis) learned that there was nothing that he could do to remedy his beloved yard until that coming fall when the grass had grown out and healed itself.

The moral of my story is this: without the right information, even the best intentions and plans can go awry. Had my friend been more educated about the right time to execute his landscape plans, he would have saved both time and money. This principle applies to any aspect of life, including painting. Believe it or not, there is much to consider when planning a paint project and a subsequent repainting schedule.

Planning Ahead

Painting is a great way to refresh and rejuvenate the look of any store; especially those stores that experience a high level of traffic. It is a fairly simple and inexpensive way to give your retail location a cosmetic facelift, and as we all know, first impressions are so very important. For that very reason, many retailers choose to paint and re-paint quite a bit to keep a consistently fresh, appealing and updated look for their brand image. One thing to keep in mind when planning these projects is how busy the store is during any given season.

Many retailers choose to enter into repaint service agreements. These are agreements in which the organization plans ahead and anticipates future paint needs, thus placing themselves on a revolving paint schedule. These agreements take the guesswork out of determining when to refresh a paint job and can result in cost reductions. As with any contract, signing up for future work can mean discounts and price reductions. This is because rather than paying for each job individually, you're usually quoted a lower rate based on a series of paint jobs.

As a general rule, most retailers experience a lull in business during the first few months of the year after the holiday rush. This is a great time to plan an interior paint project because the project won't impinge on the stores during their busy and somewhat hectic season. This seasonal nature also applies to the painting business; choosing to paint during the "off season" could potentially yield discounts of up to ten percent. Be sure to inquire about these discounts, as they may already be built into the price quote you receive.

Even with these potential savings, this time of year can be accompanied by budget constraints. Since the fiscal year doesn't end until February; many retailers are reluctant to spend money on paint maintenance with an already tight budget. Good news - a little creative thinking can keep your store looking great without impacting your bottom line. Choosing a painting company that is willing to work with you and provide flexible payment plans means you can paint now - and opt to have the company invoice you in the new fiscal year.

As if saving money weren't enough, another perk to painting during this time is that it provides a convenient means for retailers to transition their look to accommodate the new spring merchandise through new colors and hues. Of course, many retailers choose to keep the same basic colors in an effort to maintain brand integrity and recognition. Regardless of your marketing strategies, clearly an off-season interior paint is best for all parties involved.

In addition, beginning an interior paint project during the cooler months positions retailers to then plan ahead and address exterior maintenance issues when warmer weather rolls around. Although there have been many advances in paint products in recent years, the weather still plays a significant role in the successful outcome of a paint job. Historically, temperatures needed to be at least 50 degrees before you could even think about applying paint. Fortunately for us, paint manufacturers - such as Sherwin Williams who pioneered low temperature paints - have developed more versatile products that perform in temperatures as low as 35 degrees. By doing so, the window of opportunity for exterior paint application has been significantly extended. Using these products means that application can begin in early spring for those areas subject to colder winter months.

In the fast-paced and occasionally chaotic world of retail, it pays to plan ahead and work with your painting experts to outline a schedule and budget that will work for your organization. It is important that the paint company you choose is sensitive to the demands of the retail world and is willing to partner with you each step of the way. A little bit of planning can go a long way. Selecting the right company to meet your individual needs means that you can have "the best lawn on the block!"

Dan Haer is the National Accounts Director for DJ's Painting, a New Jersey based painting company which serves clients such as Apple Computers, Gap Inc. and McDonalds.