How to Write a Proposal for a Customer (Based on a Small House Painting Business)

If you have a small painting contractor's business and must write proposals or bids, do you know how to do that correctly? Here are a few tips.

First of all you must look at the job and take the measurements of what you will be painting. (See my article on getting the correct measurements for painting.) What helps my husband with this is to simply sketch what you will be painting. If you are going to be painting the entire interior of a house, just sketch each room. Then write the measurements inside the sketch.

Once you have the measurements you need to figure out what you are going to charge. Most contractors charge so much per square foot. In East Tennessee some jobs go for as high as $3.00 to $4.00 per square foot if it is a large subdivision with $1 million plus homes. However, you will need to adjust your prices to your area.

You can purchase proposal books at office supply stores, some paint stores, and some Home Depots and Lowe's stores could carry them.

When filling out the proposal make certain you put your company's name, address, and phone number as well as the name, home address, phone number, and the address of where you will be painting for the customer.

Make absolutely certain you write down in detail what you will and will not be painting and doing on the job. If you are not supposed to paint the trim, state that on the proposal. If you are not supposed to paint a certain room, wall, or other, state that also on the proposal. Writing out every thing you are to do and not do is just about the most important part of writing a proposal for a job.

You will also want to put on the proposal exactly what tools and materials you will be supplying and what materials (such as paint et cetera) the customer will need to supply. Of course, most contractors always supply their own tools (brushes, buckets, rollers et cetera).

Another extremely important part of a proposal is itemizing every job and its price. If you are to paint the trim, put that down and then the cost of that. Do the same with everything you are going to be doing on that job. This way the customer will know exactly what they are paying for.

You also need to put on the proposal how you wish to be paid. Some contractors will wait until the entire job is done to get paid while some ask for 1/3 of the money when the preparation work is done, 1/3 when they are ¾ of the way done, and the remaining 1/3 upon completion. However, that is entirely up to you. Just be sure the put in on the proposal the customer will be signing saying they agree to the payment plan also.

Always state the terms of the contract/proposal. Some contractors will actually allow a proposal to be good for only 60 to 90 days, and then that proposal is void. This means they will have to do another proposal and could even increase the price. Make absolutely certain that the customer understands those terms completely.

If the customer agrees to these terms and desires for you to do the job, always have them to sign a contract. However, you should always sign the contract also.

Thus, a proposal/contract is one of the most important pieces of paper a painting contractor can have. Hopefully these tips will help you when completing one.

Source:

Having a husband who has written numerous proposals in his 35 years of painting