Archive for June, 2008

The Window Cleaning mail bag…

Hey all:

Well…june is upon us. Everyone should have their window cleaning businesses up and running in full swing now regardless which  part of the country you’re in. This is fun time. And time for profits.

Today I just wanted to reach into my mail bag and see what emails I recently received related to the window cleaning business. Maybe they’ll help answer any questions or things you’re running into. Oh…but before doing that, we have some really neat changes being introduced into 3 Bears Window Cleaning Directory shortly. So stay tuned for that. Ok, here we go:

Hi, Steve

Rasheed

Response:

Hi Rasheed:

Good morning.  It’s good to hear from you.  Long time no talk.  )  I actually didn’t send letters or emails to customers in my follow up process.  I just preferred to pick up the phone and call ‘em.  It’s too easy for a customer to disregard a letter/email.  You can read some follow up information in some of my blog posts including what I said to prospects in my follow up calls.

But it was a real simple couple of sentences. The conversation carries more weight than a letter though. If you absolutely need a letter, a good one to send would be:

Dear Nancy:

Steve
Clearview Window Washing Service 

It’s short, sweet, and to the point.  But the big thing you’ll notice is that I’m not relying on the letter to close the deal.  I’m simply announcing my presence with the letter and letting them know that I’ll be calling them soon.  Ultimately a letter isn’t going to get the customer jumping up and down and calling you.  There are exceptions of course.  But again, it’s much, much more effective if you make a phone call at some point in the process.  As a side note, if you were a member of The Customer Factor, you can send personalized letters with one click.  )  Just thought I’d mention it.  

Take care.

Regards,

Steve

Next Email:

Hello Steve,

My name is Walter Lang. I talked to you briefly about one month ago. I bought the maid Service from Maid Services of America. I did not realize that your Window Washing business was included until I received the package, but I was pleasantly surprised. I have a few questions for you if I may.
  
I am in <city deleted>, Florida, how is the heat going to effect window washing. Does the work have to done in the shade or before it gets hot?
  
How much did the rain effect your business when you were in Florida?
  
Are the estimate prices per window for the inside and outside. Or an example of $6.00 for a particular window and $12.00 if it is in and out?
  
I believe you talked about hiring individuals with special circumstances, in regards to felons, how did you deal with liability and bonding issues?
  
I hope to get started within the next three weeks. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. Also, I think you did an excellent job with your window washing manual. I found it entertaining and informative.
  
Sincerely,

Walter

My Response:

Hi Walter:

Good morning. 

Generally with the heat you try and do what I call "beat the heat".  What I mean is that you generally clean the windows on the opposite side that the sun is burning down on.  And you work your way around the house like this just "beating the heat".

Sometimes though it’s not always possible to avoid the sun entirely, so if you do run into this situation, there are a couple of options:

• Do one pane at a time.  The normal method is to do an entire window.  But with the sun beating down, you may want to do only the top pane entirely as far as wet, squeegee, towel.  Then repeat the process for the bottom pane.
• You can use a product called "Slick".  It’s on page 32 in the window cleaning catalog I sent you.  This keeps the water from evaporating so fast which gives you time to squeegee it off. 

As far as rain, overall it didn’t affect me much.  If it started raining in the middle of the job, I would bring my stuff inside and start working on the inside of the home.  If it was only a drizzle though, I continued working on the outside.  Most homes have eaves around ‘em, so it prevents some of the rain from hitting the windows.  One thing I didn’t do is leave the job and come back.  I would work through it.  You might get wet, but the windows themselves are still getting clean.  So when it stops raining, the windows will look nice.  It’s hard to pack up and come back at a later time because it usually will throw your schedule out of whack. 

I will say though that if it was raining real hard before my day started and it looked like it was going to rain all day, then I did generally call my appts. scheduled on that day and reschedule.  I had fridays (this is when I did my estimates), saturdays, and sundays open, so if I absolutely needed to, I could move jobs into those days. 

The estimate prices are for inside and outside.  You always want to get in the mindset of pricing an entire job regardless whether they ask you to do the outside only.  Each window (both sides) should take no more than 5 to 7 minutes tops.  Keep in mind that if you’re climbing ladders, that adds another couple of bucks per window due to the extra climbing.

That’s a good question on felons.  I have never hired a felon, so I’m not sure how to answer that question.  This would best be addressed by a local commercial insurance broker.  You should be able to secure liability insurance no probs. regardless of the type of employee you have. But I’m not sure about bonding. 

I appreciate your comments on the window cleaning manual.  Take care and have a great weekend. 

Regards,

Steve

Another Email (in response to us talking about the postcard program):

Hey Steve,

Joshua

My Response:

Hi Joshua:

Good morning.

Right…nothing is guaranteed.  The postcard program works extremely well, but like anything that has to do with marketing, it may need to be tested and tweaked for you over time.  What I mean is that maybe the particular route you’re sending your cards to doesn’t give you the best response.  No worries.  Then test another one. 

Over time you will learn exactly where the best responses are coming from, so anytime you want to get an influx of business and jobs, you can target just those areas. 

And always, always remember to use repetition when mailing.  One postcard mailing to one area one time will give you calls, but the 1st mailing to one area always has the lowest response.  A 2nd mailing to that same area 3 weeks later increases your response.  A 3rd mailing 3 to 4 weeks after that to the same area will increase your response even more.  Prospects begin to know you at that point and begin to trust you.  So repetition is the winner in the direct mail game.

Take care and have a great weekend.

Regards,

Steve

End of emails for now.

Have yourselves a super profitable week. Your customers are waiting for you!

Best,

Steve