See how painting contractors are using Bolster to win 20% more jobs annually, 15% more often. Create detailed estimates, present to customers, give them selections, and then automate your project management.
Painting contractors using Bolster are, on average, winning 15% bigger jobs, 20% more often.
Save time, win more jobs, increase profit, and get paid faster with Bolster.
Get startedBidding on painting jobs is more than crunching numbers. It’s about building trust, demonstrating your expertise, and showing customers that you’re ready to deliver on schedule and within budget. Whether you specialize in residential or commercial painting projects, getting the details right can set you apart from competitors and keep your painting business thriving in the construction industry. Below, we explore strategies for creating winning bids and highlight how innovative painting estimating software like Bolster can give painting contractors a real competitive edge, all while helping you work smarter from start to finish.
Before you can confidently present a customer with a quote, you need accurate estimates based on careful measurements, accounting for square feet, linear feet, and any additional materials. Miscalculations at this stage can throw off your entire estimate, leading to unexpected costs, longer project timelines, and dissatisfied customers. By noting architectural nuances and prep work, you set a trustworthy baseline.
Rather than juggling multiple spreadsheets or scribbling notes, a great program such as Bolster’s painting estimating software simplifies your process. With pre built and custom assemblies, plus templates, it’s easy to handle labor rates, material costs, and overhead. You enter dimensions, and the software auto-populates the numbers you need for precise estimates and accurate calculations. This helps you create estimates fast, saving you just a few minutes compared to old-school methods.
Once you’ve gathered measurements, outline the scope of work. Will you repaint doors or repair walls first? Are you doing multiple coats, or focusing on a single pass of paint? A thorough scope using painting estimating software reduces human error and eliminates unwanted surprises.
Using Bolster’s Interactive Presentations, you can showcase color schemes, finish options, and schedules. Instead of a static PDF, offer a dynamic view of your work. It’s a user friendly way to highlight your key features at the point of sale, giving you the advantage over competitors. When painting contractors offer beautiful estimates through estimation software, you stand out in the painting industry.
A well-prepared bid accounts for labor costs, materials, overhead, and markup. Unforeseen issues like water damage or structural flaws can appear. Always factor in additional materials such as primer, drop cloths, and tape.
Bolster’s painting estimating software includes an estimating tool that streamlines this process. Input measurements, and it instantly calculates material quantities, job costs, and timelines, helping you avoid scope creep. With Material List & Budget automation, you’ll know exactly what supplies to get before starting. This not only controls your costs but also helps you allocate resources for more projects down the road.
Your formal proposal should convey confidence and clarity. By itemizing every step from prep work to finishing touches, you help customers see the value in your services. When you break down painting jobs systematically, it reassures them you’re a reliable partner.
Beyond digital slideshows, consider how often you have to revise documents. Bolster’s templates let you produce consistent, professional bids with minimal human error. You simply copy a template, adapt your production rates, and send it off. Clear, organized documents also help you reduce wasted money on do-overs.
Timing can make or break a painting business. From home remodels to commercial overhauls in the construction industry, you need to deliver on time. Inconsistent timelines or delays undermine trust and lead to fewer bids accepted in the future.
Bolster’s Scheduling feature connects your estimates to a project calendar automatically, no more guesswork. Once you generate a new quote, the program creates a suggested timeline, ensuring your painting contractors know exactly when each stage begins. Since it’s all on one platform, you can coordinate tasks across multiple projects without double-booking.
Mid-project adjustments are common. A customer might opt for a premium finish or ask you to repaint a few extra rooms. If you don’t keep track of these alterations, your painting business can lose out on profits or run behind schedule.
Bolster’s Revisions & Change Orders tool ensures fast takeoffs for any new additions, so you can finalize updated bids quickly. This keeps customers in the loop and maintains transparency. Plus, it helps you avoid missing out on charging for additional materials or extra labor hours.
A finished job doesn’t matter much if you’re not getting paid promptly. Offering multiple payment methods and clear invoicing can increase overall customer satisfaction and stabilize your cash flow.
Bolster’s Payments & Invoicing integrates daily transactions and makes collecting funds straightforward. With everything in one office-friendly system, you can keep an eye on pending payments and never lose track of your data. That level of support can drastically reduce unpaid invoices.
Once you secure more bids, ongoing communication is essential. From updates on painting jobs to unexpected weather delays, customers appreciate transparency. Staying proactive helps build loyalty and leads to referrals, ultimately driving more jobs your way.
Bolster’s Client Portal centralizes key information and messages so your painting contractors and your customers remain on the same page. This eliminates the need to sift through endless emails. Meanwhile, the Messages feature keeps everything from work orders to color confirmations tracked in a single place, reducing chaos and ensuring you work smarter.
Sustained success in the painting industry requires more than one-off projects. You must nurture leads, maintain past relationships, and see the bigger picture of your operation. This is where robust project management is critical.
Bolster’s CRM Pipeline delivers an all-in-one view of every customer, lead, and current job. You’ll know exactly where you stand from painting estimating software processes to finalized invoices. That top-down approach helps painting contractors avoid missed appointments, respond faster to potential clients, and focus on bringing in more bids and more jobs.
Sure, anyone can offer a low price. But not everyone can ensure consistent quality, professionalism, and a streamlined process that delivers accurate estimates. Bringing painting estimating software into your workflow gives you the ability to generate offers that stand out. You’ll also reduce human error, handle changes easily, and keep your crews on time and on budget.
Automating tasks from calculating labor rates to scheduling jobs means you can tackle painting projects faster, take on more bids, and excel in the construction industry. Tools like Bolster let you harness the power of the cloud with only an internet connection, so you can handle everything in one place. By focusing on the details that matter, painting contractors gain a true competitive edge that boosts profitability and reputation.
Bidding on painting jobs involves more than a quick square-foot calculation. In today’s fast-moving painting industry, you need reliable painting estimating software to keep track of material costs, schedules, and changing demands. With a user-friendly platform like Bolster, you can get accurate bids out the door quicker, communicate effectively, and maintain top-notch service.
Adopting a modern solution that aligns with real-world project management not only helps you avoid wasting money, but also strengthens your painting company’s reliability. Whether you’re serving new homeowners or large commercial clients, leveraging Bolster’s tools positions you to capture more bids and bring in satisfied customers time after time. Learn more here!
"The software is a huge upgrade to the customer experience. Bolster allows me to book more jobs with accurate costs while providing excellent customer experience for ongoing projects."
