Home/Growth/🎨 Painting/Upselling trim work is killing me, clients just say no every time
Upselling trim work is killing me, clients just say no every time
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SawdustSavant
·6mo·78 replies·44 participants
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SawdustSavant⭐ ExpertOP6mo
130
I've been painting interiors for 8 years now, mostly residential jobs, and trying to upsell things like crown molding or baseboard refreshes is a total crapshoot. Just finished a whole house in Benjamin Moore Aura on the walls, quoted $800 extra for the trim detailing with Sherwin-Williams ProClassic, but the homeowner shut it down flat saying they wanted to DIY it. We're in Texas so the humidity makes everything take longer anyway, and I'm tired of leaving money on the table. Saw a post on r/paintingbusiness about using option sheets, but it didn't help much. Someone in the Painting Contractors Facebook group mentioned bundling it with the main job for a discount, but these clients act like it's gold-plated. FML, how do you guys actually close these upsells without pissing people off?
same here man, every job feels like pulling teeth.
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JoltJester⚒️ Journeyman6mo
26
try showing them a before and after pic on your phone from a past trim job, works 60% of the time for me.
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VentMaster5⚒️ Journeyman6mo
30
ugh i feel that, just did a kitchen and they skipped the cabinets too.
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VoltageVagabond4⚒️ Journeyman6mo
32
proud of my crew, we hit 75% upsell rate on trim last quarter by prepping samples.
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RoofRat872⚒️ Journeyman6mo
20
bundle it as a package deal from the start, quote the full interior including trim at a slight premium.
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TileTerror2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
58
damn, lost a $600 trim upsell last week, hurts.
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ChillMasterC⚒️ Journeyman6mo
19
screw these cheapskates, insurance companies are worse though.
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RollerRabbit⚒️ Journeyman6mo
24
we're at $250k this year mostly from upselling exteriors to full packages.
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SpringSpecialist4⚒️ Journeyman6mo
28
homeowners acting like pros now with their tiktok tips, total BS.
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RollerRanger9⚒️ Journeyman6mo
24
got so frustrated i stopped pushing and lost a whole month of revenue.
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DustBunnySlayer3⚒️ Journeyman6mo
29
i know the feeling, trim jobs pay my bills.
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PaintSplatterPat3⚒️ Journeyman6mo
25
never upsell without a visual mockup, had a client freak out on colors once.
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WeedWhackerWill2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
29
PE firms buying up painting outfits and dictating no upsells, rage inducing.
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KeyTwister⚒️ Journeyman6mo
30
contractors getting screwed by these lowball expectations.
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BloomBoss2⭐ Expert6mo
24
just show the value, like how trim makes the walls pop with that Emerald urethane.
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NotAnElectrician29⚒️ Journeyman6mo
18
SharkBite for plumbing but for paint, upsell or die trying.
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WireWizard882⚒️ Journeyman6mo
27
clients ghosting after the quote, hilarious in a bad way.
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NotAnElectrician11⭐ Expert6mo
14
had a guy say no to $400 baseboards then called back begging after seeing the bare look.
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WireWizard99⚒️ Journeyman6mo
30
these DIY wannabes ruining the game for all of us.
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TileTerror11⚒️ Journeyman6mo
54
yep, same crap with my tile jobs.
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BenderBreaker⚒️ Journeyman6mo
16
watching idaho painter's ig stories helped me frame upsells better.
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RidgeRunner⚒️ Journeyman6mo
30
bundling is key, but clients still whine about the total.
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DustDevil3⭐ Expert6mo
27
i hear ya, upselling in this market sucks.
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BugBlaster⚒️ Journeyman6mo
17
trim work takes half the time but doubles the profit, don't give up.
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DirtBagLandscaper8⚒️ Journeyman6mo
32
lost out on a $1200 exterior trim upsell to some hack.
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PaintSplatterPete⚒️ Journeyman6mo
23
we're all in this together, clients be damned.
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FrostBiteFred⚒️ Journeyman6mo
16
i feel your pain, especially on repeat jobs.
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WireWizardWalt⭐ Expert6mo
25
same boat, but try educating on why trim prevents wall wear.
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SprayTanSavant⭐ Expert6mo
20
quote it separately but mention the seamless look with Duration paint.
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SafeCracker⚒️ Journeyman6mo
3
how do you track your upsell close rates?
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BeamBoss3⚒️ Journeyman6mo
17
trim no-gos make me wanna quit some days.
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HammerHead⚒️ Journeyman6mo
17
solid advice from the house painting professionals group on this.
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EaveExpert⚒️ Journeyman6mo
19
yeah, clients thinking they're experts now.
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NotAnElectrician24⚒️ Journeyman6mo
39
i get it, upselling fights every time.
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DirtBagLand⚒️ Journeyman6mo
24
try the good better best approach for trim options.
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HaulHound⚒️ Journeyman6mo
27
that texas heat makes clients rush decisions anyway.
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FlashingFox⚒️ Journeyman6mo
20
saw a similar rant in contractors network.
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CircuitSurfer4⚒️ Journeyman6mo
22
controversial take: charge more upfront to weed out cheapos.
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ShingleShaman2⚒️ Journeyman6mo
27
client said no to trim, then tripped over the old baseboard, comedy gold.
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NotAnElectrician7⚒️ Journeyman6mo
17
all these no-upsell clients are killing small painters.
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KeyKeeperKate⚒️ Journeyman6mo
23
totally feel you on that frustration.
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BoardBenderBob⚒️ Journeyman5mo
48
same here man, every job feels like pulling teeth.
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JoltJester⚒️ Journeyman5mo
6
pulling teeth? more like root canal on a bad day.
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VoltageVagabond4⚒️ Journeyman5mo
23
proud of my crew, we hit 75% upsell rate on trim last quarter by prepping samples.
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RoofRat872⚒️ Journeyman5mo
2
75%? damn that's impressive, what's your secret sauce?
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VoltageVagabond4⚒️ Journeyman5mo
31
just consistent follow-up calls after the initial walk-through.
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TileTerror2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
16
nice, mine's at 40% tops.
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RollerRanger9⚒️ Journeyman5mo
30
got so frustrated i stopped pushing and lost a whole month of revenue.
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DustBunnySlayer3⚒️ Journeyman5mo
21
don't stop, that's where the real money hides.
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WeedWhackerWill2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
27
contractors getting screwed by these lowball expectations.
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KeyTwister⚒️ Journeyman5mo
17
yep, and the big boys undercutting us all.
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NotAnElectrician29⚒️ Journeyman5mo
17
SharkBite for plumbing but for paint, upsell or die trying.
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BloomBoss2⭐ Expert5mo
20
upsell or bust, no middle ground.
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WireWizard882⚒️ Journeyman5mo
17
clients ghosting after the quote, hilarious in a bad way.
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NotAnElectrician11⭐ Expert5mo
24
ghosting is the worst, blocks numbers now.
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BenderBreaker⚒️ Journeyman5mo
22
watching idaho painter's ig stories helped me frame upsells better.
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RidgeRunner⚒️ Journeyman5mo
14
idaho painter's got some gold tips, yeah.
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DustDevil3⭐ Expert5mo
23
i hear ya, upselling in this market sucks.
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BugBlaster⚒️ Journeyman5mo
14
sucks but necessary, keep at it.
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DirtBagLandscaper8⚒️ Journeyman5mo
22
lost out on a $1200 exterior trim upsell to some hack.
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PaintSplatterPete⚒️ Journeyman5mo
22
hacks ruin it for everyone.
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FrostBiteFred⚒️ Journeyman5mo
28
i feel your pain, especially on repeat jobs.
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WireWizardWalt⭐ Expert5mo
32
repeats should be easier, but nah.
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SodSlinger2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
0
man, same boat here, clients nod at the basics but shut down hard on any trim add-ons. its like they think were tryin to rob em for a few extra bucks on crown molding. been chasin that upsell for years and it still stings every no. just gotta keep pitchin the value without soundin pushy i guess.
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SprayTanSavant⭐ Expert5mo
26
quote it separately but mention the seamless look with Duration paint.
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SafeCracker⚒️ Journeyman5mo
18
duration's great for that smooth finish.
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BeamBoss3⚒️ Journeyman5mo
25
trim no-gos make me wanna quit some days.
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HammerHead⚒️ Journeyman5mo
14
hang in there, better jobs come.
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EaveExpert⚒️ Journeyman5mo
28
yeah, clients thinking they're experts now.
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NotAnElectrician24⚒️ Journeyman5mo
29
tiktok's fault entirely.
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DirtBagLand⚒️ Journeyman5mo
27
try the good better best approach for trim options.
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HaulHound⚒️ Journeyman5mo
22
good better best changed my game.
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FlashingFox⚒️ Journeyman5mo
19
saw a similar rant in contractors network.
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CircuitSurfer4⚒️ Journeyman5mo
30
those groups are full of truth bombs.
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CircuitSmasher3⚒️ Journeyman5mo
0
man, upselling trim is the biggest pain in the ass, clients always shut it down flat. been there more times than i can count, feels like a waste of breath sometimes.
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ShingleShaman2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
24
client said no to trim, then tripped over the old baseboard, comedy gold.