Hey all:

Hope your weekend is going well. I just had to post this email that I received this morning from a window cleaner. I think it’s a great motivator and I think it goes to show that even though these are hard economic times, if we target the right market for our window cleaning business, our business will not experience slowdowns like many other businesses are facing. It’s all in the target market. Here’s the email:

My Notes: Gotta love the "recessions are for wimps" statement.  I wrote an article not too long ago about the economy and the window cleaning business. Here’s the article if you haven’t read it yet. So don’t buy into all the negative talk out there. If you do, you’ll end up with a case of "Stinkin thinkin". And then it WILL sink your window cleaning business.

Cheerio,

Steve

Hey All:

Whew…what a couple of two weeks. Lots of folks getting into the window cleaning biz. It’s a blast helping ‘em get off the ground but it’s a bit time consuming, so I’ve been "missing in action" from the blog for the last 2 week. I’m also working on cranking up a window cleaning forum which I’ll let you know more about later. Plus The Customer Factor is getting some serious behind the scenes enhancements and upgrades.  Cool stuff.  

Anyway…one subject that seems to pop up time and time again is "competition". I have a hard time understanding why anyone would be bothered by it. Here’s an email that I received the other day (my notes are after the email correspondence).

Steve,

I am a recently graduated business student. I was really encouraged by everything you had to say in your manual, everything looked good and I was really motivated to go forward with the business. UNTIL I looked into your directory at 3 Bears to check out my "could-be-competitors" It turns out someone else already has your program and is executing it perfectly in my area.

The website is designed exactly as you would have it. It has your reference letter on it and is copied to a "T". But i don’t see how I am to offer a competitive advantage when someone already has the program in my area offering the same thing? Any thoughts or ideas? My confidence in the program has dwindled

Kolby

My Response:

Hi Kolby:

Good morning. As far as competition, I really don’t understand why that would affect your mindset towards the window cleaning business.  Any idea how much glass there is out there?  There could be 4 or 5 of my system owners in your area and there would still be plenty of glass out there to clean.  So don’t be discouraged by "competition". 

Some more notes on this subject:

1.  By having another company in your area who happens to be using my "look" and "image" is a plus to you.  What this does is give the prospects in your area a feeling that your company is part of a franchise which means the company is bigger than one person.  Prospects feel much more secure knowing they’re being taken care of by a franchise vs "Joe’s window cleaning service" for example.  Two of my most successful system owners are within 25 miles of each other.  Their businesses ends up piggybacking off of each other and really provides prospects in their area a sense of security.

2.  And competition is a good thing.  I should probably do a class on this subject because of the misconception that some people have that competition is bad.  It’s not bad.  And if you follow my program, it won’t affect you at all.  There are many reasons.  Two I already explained earlier (lots of windows/glass and a look of "bigness"), but another one relates to how some prospects will call you thinking that you’re the other guy.  Now the reverse may happen as well.  So it all evens out and therefore won’t affect you in a negative way.  Keep this in mind.  To explain further…assuming he is using my "look/image", and you decide to go with the same "look/image", each time he sends out his marketing message (mails a postcard, distributes a flyer, etc. etc), he’s helping you.   

Finally…are you sure he follows my program step by step?  Unfortunately many people try and reinvent the wheel, so not everyone will follow my manual as it’s presented. 

And it really isn’t realistic to expect to be the only type of service in any town.  I’m sure there are quality carpet cleaning franchises in town.  Does this mean one gets all the business and the others don’t?  How many maid services are in town?  I’m sure there are dozens.  So similar to these types of service businesses where there are plenty of carpets and plenty of homes to clean, there are sooooo many windows out there. 

All you have to do is apply some of what I talk about in chapter 7 to make prospects aware of you.  And that’s another thing.  This other gentleman may be using postcards to market his business but not doing any other type of marketing.  See what I mean?  Between the amt. of windows out there and the myriad of marketing methods available to you, there are so many different ways to get it done in the window cleaning business.  If you just apply what I talk about in chapter 7, you’ll build a successful business regardless what the other gentleman is doing (or not doing).   

Hope this helps and get the confidence back.  If you were a bird on my shoulder and listened in on my phone conversations or read some of my emails, you would know how profitable this business (yes…even with competition) is.  Take care for now. Talk soon. 

Regards,

Steve

Kolby’s Reply

Steve
 
Wow… I must say thank you for the very detailed and thorough response you sent back… I really appreciate that and it goes along way to back up your customer service!! His message and "about us" section is identical. I am definitely not afraid of competition. There are a lot of windows here in this area and it looks like he just got going in March. But his customers do seem to Love him, according to Kudzu.. so he must be following your steps. 
 
But here is another question.. can you tell me a little more about the car situation? With gas prices the way they are, I really am not wanting to buy a company truck unless i have to, i like you blurb about making your car into a traveling window service vehicle,  I have a nice gas friendly vehicle… 2000 Nissan Sentra  But i was a little Leary of making it the estimate vehicle and the work vehicle.. cause it wasn’t a high caliber vehicle…is it a conversation starter with the car? or what are your major reasons for going with the car instead of a small pick-up? what are your thoughts on this?

I noticed in your pics that your vehicle wasn’t a super "high dollar" vehicle, any reason for this? i would think you would by a company truck or two?? Just curious as I am headed down that route I hope.
 
Thanks again!! 
 
Kolby

My Response

Hi Kolby:

Good morning.  Thanks much for your comments.

There is no need to buy a truck at all.  As you’ll see in the manual, I used my car.  I then stripped it of the work "look" and it made a nice estimating vehicle on my Friday "estimate day".  No specific reason for me not using a light truck, but if I already had a vehicle in place, there is no sense buying something I don’t need.  My focus throughout my business was to spend money on what mattered, and that was all the various marketing tools I used. I’d rather spend a few hundred dollars on getting a few postcard campaigns out to prospects vs me buying something that won’t directly put profits in my pocket.

Now that’s not saying buying a truck is wrong.  I have a number of system owners who have branched up and out by buying a truck or two along with hiring the people to run ‘em.  There’s nothing wrong with that at all.  But again, I already had my car in place and when it was stripped down, it really made the perfect estimate vehicle in my opinion.

So I would start with what you have.  You can build up over time.  The biggest mistake I see new window cleaners make is that they want to have it all from day one.  The main focus should be on bringing in that first customer.  And the next one and the next one.  The vehicle is secondary.  Put your money where it will give you the biggest return on investment.  A truck won’t do that. 

Take care for now and have yourself a great day. 

Regards,

Steve
 

Some notes: Specifically about competition. As mentioned above, I don’t understand why any person in any business would feel threatened by competition. I’ll never forget when I first started selling my window washing program back in April 2003. As soon as my product was online, I received a series of really nasty emails from a "competitor" who shall remain nameless.  No sense embarrassing them. But instead of embracing the competition and striving to make his program better, he lashed out.  Maybe he thought he could scare me so that I’d pull my product offline. Sure…like that really worked.

Another thing that competition does is it makes you better. Or at least it should. Being the only business in any town makes us fat and lazy. We develop the mindset that we’re the only game in town so therefore prospects have to come to us whenever they want their windows cleaned. But by having competitors out there, we work harder and we develop better systems. This ultimately will make us a better company and therefore a more profitable company. 

What I liked to do when a window cleaning competitor came to town is to call ‘em up. Contrary to popular belief, they’re not the enemy. So I called ‘em and arranged a place for us to meet. I let him/her know that if they have any jobs they can’t handle or if they need any help as far as information and/supplies, let me know. I’d be glad to help. And I also let ‘em know that if there are jobs I can’t handle or prospects I can’t squeeze into my schedule, then I’ll point them in his/her direction. So we both ended up winning in our respective businesses.

And finally…

The worst thing that we can do with competition is bad mouth them to prospects. It just makes us look bad and causes the prospect to think twice about your business. I never use any service business that trashes their competitors. I can’t trust a company that seems like they have a case of sour grapes. So if you run into a prospect that may have received a window cleaning estimate from a "competitor", just say "great…they’re a good company". Then proceed to explain what your window cleaning service is all about and wrap it up with…"good luck on your decision". 

Have a profitable day.

Steve 

Hey All:

I was asked recently by a window cleaner to put together a letter intended to offer customers a monthly service. I think it’s a great idea to be able to do a full window cleaning job in/out every few months and then go back later for an “outside only” window cleaning.

For me, monthly would be a bit too frequent. I’m not not sure if my residential customers would have been agreeable to that. But it’s something for you to test with your customers in your area. At the very least, you should be able to secure multiple customers who would like an “outside only” window cleaning every 3 months.

As a matter of fact, a very successful window cleaner sent me a quarterly “contract” the other day that he uses in his business to secure “outside only” window cleaning business from his customers. I’ve attached it below. Complements of Deland Moghimi. Feel free to edit it to fit your business.

But first…here’s a letter that you can use to send to your window cleaning customers letting them know about your “outside only” option:

Dear Mrs. Jones:

Steve Wright
Clearview Window Washing Service

Notes: There are different ways to use this letter. One way could be to send it after you finish up a job for the customer. You are fresh in their mind and they still have that excitement about having clean glass. So they’ll be receptive to what you have to say.

Another way is to send out the normal “Thank you” letter after the job is complete. And then follow up a week or two later with the above letter.

One thing that I would test is to also include a card within the letter. Not a greeting card, but more of a heavy card stock that the customer can simply fill out and send back. If you want to see your response rate go up, put a stamp on it or better yet, get a postal permit and have the indicia (postal permit #) printed on the card. It’s always best to provide a hassle free way for customers to respond.

You can even make this card an “outside only” window cleaning request AND a “testimonial request”. I generally sent my customers a separate testimonial request letter which you can see here. But there are many ways to accomplish the same thing. So perhaps after the job is completed, you can thank them in the letter and then reference the “outside only” window cleaning idea along with a request for them to write a comment/experience with your service.

I have had literally dozens of people purchase my window cleaning product simply because of all the testimonials I display on my “testimonials” webpage. So you should definitely place a lot of importance on securing testimonials.

Any idea how powerful it would be if you not only presented an estimate package to a prospect with references (and phone numbers), but also included 2 or 3 pages of customer comments? Wow. How many other window cleaners do this? Very, very few.

I know I got off on a tangent here talking about testimonials. ) But they really are effective. It’s just flat out more believable when other folks say good things about you. I don’t do much advertising for my window cleaning software, The Customer Factor, because members have mentioned to me that they’ve recommended The Customer Factor in forums and other places where window cleaners hang out. Ah…testimonials and satisfied customer comments. What a concept.

Oh…and click here for the quarterly “contract” that Deland sent me. Have a super day.

Best,

Steve

An email recently received.

Hello Steve,

Thank you for the email tips. I really appreciate it and the time you spent to send them.  Unfortunately i lost my job Monday and i am financially dead. I have been wanting to start a window cleaning business for a long time now. I want to do this business bad. I am 40 years old and just plain tired of working for these corporations that in the long run just don’t care about you, the one working so hard to make them wealthy. I want to be that top guy.

I am a family man with 4 kids, dog, cat, 2 birds and a hamster and of course my beautiful wife. I soo badly want to give them all a better life.

One thing i finding difficult is finding the drive on a daily basis. How do you motivate yourself everyday? Also i find it difficult to walk in the store and talk to the manager. I try to tell myself that they are just another person and don’t feel intimidated but it doesn’t really work.

Thanks,

James

My Response:

Hi James:

I’m sorry to hear about your current situation.  

Right…the window cleaning business is a way for anyone from any walk of life to literally change their life around.  I know when I first started, money was real tight.  But soon thereafter, the profits were coming in regularly and things were looking up and getting better all the time.  Although money doesn’t buy happiness, it sure gets rid of an awful lot of financial stress.  That’s for sure.   

40 years old is young so you have plenty of time to get hooked up in the window washing business and work it into a succcessful business.  I know what you mean about working for corporations.  It’s like being chained to your desk.  I remember working for Nationwide Insurance many years ago.  I spent 2 years there and it was the worst 2 years of my life.  It was like prison without the bars. 

It sounds like you’re ready to make some serious changes. 

Getting motivated for me is not difficult and I’ll tell you why.  Just a few years ago, I decided that I was going to make window cleaning and working with window cleaners my passion.  So this is all I do.  It’s the reason why I jump out of bed in the morning all excited for a new day.  There is no better feeling than seeing a window cleaner progress from ground zero to a successful window cleaning business.  It’s similar to when a brand new window cleaner does their first window cleaning job and walks away with $300. It motivates ‘em to continue.

To get to this stage though, one of the keys for me was to stop bouncing around always "searching". There was a point in time where I was bouncing from one opportunity or business to another always looking for the almighty dollar.  Although making a profit is important to any business venture, when I stopped spinning my wheels bouncing from here to there, and started focusing on just one business (window cleaning), having a passion for this business, and stopped making profit my main focus, that’s when ironically my profits went up.  So develop a passion for something.  Without it, it’s hard to stay motivated. In the window cleaning business, be passionate about the jobs you do and the care you provide to your customers. If you do, the customers will recognize that and you will see tremendous results come back to you in the form of repeat business and referrals.

Customers have a keen 6th sense when they know if someone is just going through the motions or if they really care and take pride in the work they are performing. So passion is rewarded. That’s probably the main reason why window cleaners who buy The Customer Factor window cleaning software stay with us. We have one of the highest retention rates in the industry because members see first hand all the new features and enhancements that are introduced on a regular basis.  In other words, the passion is there to constantly improve the software. Our members can see that. If we didn’t do this, then members would think we’re focusing only on the profits with no interest in reinvesting to better help them.    

I’m confused when you said "it’s difficult to walk in a store and talk to the manager."  Are you currently trying to secure window cleaning accounts in commercial businesses?  Or are you referring to something else?  I have a very low key way to present yourself to the manager if in fact you wanted to spend some time securing commercial accounts.  It’s detailed within my manual along with a flyer that’s used with it. 

I hope the above helps. If you have any questions, feel free to pick up the phone and call me.  I’m always available to talk about window cleaning.  Take care for now.

Regards,

Steve

Hey Guys and Gals:

How is everyone today?

Well…I just wanted to mention a couple of new developments that are taking place with 3 Bears Window Cleaning Directory and to thank you for all the great feedback, suggestions, and activity. Wow. This thing is really taking off. The directory is being given some great weight by the search engines which is exactly what it was designed to do.

First I’d like to say that yesterday we made changes to our Premium listing structure in 3 Bears where now everyone can create a Premium listing. The listing is still free of course just like it’s always been, but previously we were asking for either a website link from your website (if you had one) or for you to link to 3 Bears from three different social bookmarking sites. It’s something that was quick ‘n easy to do and instructions were provided. But now that’s not necessary anymore. We have software that’ll handle all of that in addition to a couple of companies that’ll assist.

The purpose of this "link building" requirement was simply because search engines really favor websites with lots of links pointing to ‘em. Anyway…that’s been removed.

So login with your username/password and upgrade from a Standard listing to a Premium listing if you currently only have a Standard listing. If you don’t have a listing yet or you have not even registered with 3 Bears yet, what are you waiting for? Whew…a Premium listing gets you your own search engine optimized webpage on the directory that’ll really do wonders for you in the search engines. Plus you’ll be able to display your business in three different cities in the main directory also. So start advertising your business right away for free.

But here’s where it gets even better…

As mentioned, all window cleaners with a Premium listing gets their own webpage on the directory. You can get an idea what a Premium listing is all about by clicking here.

But we are going to take a random number of these window cleaner webpages and advertise them all over the web in their respective locations. Ex: If you have a premium listing with 3 Bears and you live in tucson, arizona, how’d you like additional online advertising in the tucson, arizona area? Yeah yeah…dumb question. As I mentioned in the email that I sent yesterday to all the window cleaners who are registered with 3 Bears, I have yet to meet a window cleaner who would turn down free business. 

So we’ll be focusing on not only online advertising and working with the search engines for the main 3 Bears Window Cleaning Directory, but we’ll also be getting the word out for individual window cleaners who have a premium listing in 3 Bears. So….as I mentioned earlier, if you don’t have a Premium listing, what are you waiting for? Your free listing is waiting for you. 

Have a great weekend.

Steve