PDCA Residential Forum

Friday, April 25, 2008

“One Day” by Devin Gehrke

It all starts with me driving my finely tuned Chevelle down a long dirt road in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. I follow this road until I reach an average sized house at the end. As I get out of my newly restored gas hog I take a deep breath of fresh air and look out over acres and acres of beautiful wide open land.

“Ahh home again,” I say to myself with a smile. I proceed to my pole barn which towers the house. “Screech,” sounds the door as I open it. The buzz of lights turning on fills the pole barn as I walk further in, revealing my kingdom of toys. But then something strange begins to happen, when I walk further into the shop I hear a strange annoying beeping sound. “Beep beep beep beep,” the noise gets louder! “Beep beep beep beep!” It is almost right in front of me. “Beep beep beep beep!”

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Rewarding Performance without a Bonus

How do you give accolades and recognition without attaching an expectation of compensation? Its not a question of being stingy. Sometimes a company may not have the resources for a bonus, especially in a down economy.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Levels of Preparation and Expectations

How do you estimate a job and explain to a client what level of preparation you will do, and how do you set your prospect's expectations.  We are curious to know how you coach a client through the process of what the surfaces will look like when finished and if your cost changes based the factors of levels of prep and their expectation. 

Advanced Shop Talk March Update

The board of the Residential Forum has encountered some problems in securing a spot for the July's Advanced Shop Talk (AST) in St. Louis. The final dates are still being decided. At the moment, the board has decided to move the dates to August. We will send out an update of the final dates very shortly so you all can begin planning your flight and travel arrangements. Thank you for your patience. We have gone several months without an executive director, so we do apologize for not having the details locked in sooner. 

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

We would like to hear from our members to see what current Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs you are using to manage your client database. Please post your comments on our blog or send us an email. 

Monday, January 21, 2008

Advisors On Target

Several years ago, Michael Chism from Chism Brothers Painting in San Diego and John Peek from Peek Brothers Painting went to seek some financial advice from a local CPA firm called, "Peterson & Company." The two of them began to receive sound financial and other business help to strengthen their business. Their hands-on consultant's names were Linnea Blair along with Rick Evans (CPA). 

Friday, January 18, 2008

News Bulletin

Dear Residential Forum member:

The Board of Directors of the Residential Forum would like to encourage ALL forum members to attend the PDCA Annual Business Meeting to be held on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 in Los Angeles at PACE 2008.

We are supporting the proposed changes in the bylaws, and would encourage our members to vote FOR the changes as well. Our reasons are as follows:

Friday, November 16, 2007

“The Top Ten Things You Need to Know about Painting in the Private Sector” by Julie Gehrke

Take a moment and imagine with me that you are a painter. You are good looking, of course, and happily employed painting new construction homes. It seems like just yesterday you were crawling on raw plywood filling nail holes in newly installed base trim. But today you find yourself painting the back steps of an existing home with semi-transparent stain. 

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

“Time Away From Your Business” by Josh Abramson

I started planning my 2007 business plan in the 4th quarter of 2006.  I was thinking about what was important to work on, what I wanted my business to look like, how I could reach my goals for 2007.  But before I start to tell you about that, I have to back up a little and tell you about something I learned from a friend, Kevin Nolan.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

“Blog Enthusiast” by David Chism

The word “blog” is colloquial for “weblog” which is basically just a glorified public online journal. It typically consist of a daily publication called a “post” with the ability to link pictures and other websites. A blog also has multiple categories and a place to leave comments. It also time stamps each post. More than just a trendy personal journal, blogs are among the most popular ways for businesses to market and get quality feedback. 

Thursday, November 08, 2007

The Forum’s New Blog

We at the Residential Forum have created our own Blog that will provide our members with valuable information to grow and strengthen their paint companies. We will be posting articles from all different business categories and topics such as: Estimating, Sales, Marketing Techniques, Training and much more. The articles will be written by other Members and also taken from our monthly newsletter, "The Painter's Rag."

Thursday, October 25, 2007

PACE 2008

PACE is the only show that brings together all segments of the paint, coatings and decorating industry under one roof. It is your one source for all the products, resources and critical information you need to grow your business, strengthen your position in the industry and learn about the latest products and services that can help you.

View Their Website

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Advanced Shop Talk

One of the most valuable member benefits is the ability to attend the Residential Forum's Advanced Shop Talk, the annual event that can change how your business operates.  Advanced Shop Talk 8 St. Louis, MO ...sometime in August. Dates coming soon.