Merry Christmas To All…
Hey Folks,
I just wanted to make a quick post to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and happy holiday season. I hope you all have a great time with family and friends during this time.
In the week between Christmas and new years is also a great time to make plans for 2009. So with that said, I have some good information and tips that I’ll be sending you over the next week or so which will be really beneficial to you and your business next year. This info. will be sent out to you via email and also posted to this blog. So stay tuned over the next few days.
Well…my wife is calling me to open presents, so it’s time to scoot. Again, have a great holiday and a super duper Christmas day. Ho Ho Ho.
Sincerely,
Steve
A Window Cleaning Success Story…
Hey All:
Hope you are having a fine day today. Yesterday I received an email out of the blue from a window cleaner with a business "update". I thought it would make a good motivational blog post for those of you not yet out of the starting gate in your own window cleaning business. And even if you are out and about in your business, sometimes all this negative news that surrounds us each day can dampen our spirit and cause us to lose our focus, our commitment, our attitude, etc. So the post below should pick you back up and fill you with confidence. There is no better business to be in than the window cleaning business. Enjoy!
Hi Steve,
Been a long time. Just wanted to let you know how things are going here. Our customer base is at 350 now – up 85 from this time last year. And most of the new customers I get now are word of mouth. We were a little light on the schedule for July and August, so I put out 1000 fliers and got several jobs to help fill the void. Other than that, I have not advertised this year. My target has always been between 400 – 450 houses, so we are almost there. I have one employee who works part time during the school year and full time in the summer. I have to tell you – the hourly rate has skyrocketed since bringing him on. I was averaging $350 – $450 days before hiring him. Now, I average $650 – $850 days. I hit my highest dollar amount today – $930 for one day of work.
Anyway, I thought of you today when I cleaned a house for a new customer. I charged $380 for her house – which Travis and I had done in 3 hours. After we completed the job, I was visiting with her and her husband and they told me she needed them done for a wedding and had called another window cleaner in town. She said that when he showed up, she looked at him and thought she would rather clean the windows herself than let this guy into her house. Then (and this is the kicker) when he told her how much it was, she said she thought his price was "ridiculously LOW!!!!" I never thought I would hear a customer say they thought the price was "ridiculously low."
The last time you and I talked, I mentioned that I was getting 100% of my bids on houses and thought my price might be too low. So, I started raising prices. The first raise, I went from $5 to $6 and no one even blinked. Second raise went to $7 a window. Still, no one cared. I am currently charging about $10 a window and still getting 100% of my bids. So, the big question is, what price point do I stop at? I guess that is a beautiful problem to have, but still, I don’t want people thinking my prices are outrageous. Of course, I really only bump the prices to that level in the high-dollar neighborhoods. Average homes with medium income families I stay between $7 and $8 per window. Oh yea, when I left that house today, the lady and her husband said they knew lots of people with big houses in the area that they would be referring me to. Two biggest lessons you taught me – 1) Appearance 2) Don’t go cheap on your bids. I am on schedule to potentially make two and a half times more this year than I did as a school counselor. Thanks again Steve!
Tony McCoy
My Response:
Hi Tony:
Good morning. Thanks very much for the update. I love the progress you’re making. Cool stuff. Great news on not having to advertise this year. A tapped into customer base will continue to come back to you and also provide you that word of mouth advertising as you mentioned. It all results in us not needing to do as much direct advertising.
As far as price point, there is no definitive answer to that question. But I definitely wouldn’t keep going up and up. At some point, you need to settle in on a price and stay there (at least for awhile) simply so prospects/customers have some idea what to expect. My advice would be to go up until you’re not closing 100% of your estimate presentations. That’ll give you the feedback right there that you need as far as pricing. If 90% end up taking your bids, then you’re at a price point where folks are now thinking about it. So that would be a good stopping point for your prices. Hope this helps.
Anyway…thanks again for the business update and for your comments. Good stuff Tony. Take care and have a great day.
Regards,
Steve
Final notes: I remember talking with tony back when he first bought my package. And I remember the concerns that he brought up as far as making the leap from a counselor to the owner of a window cleaning business. Well….those concerns and fears are history. If we fast forward a couple of years, counseling is a distant memory and $650 to $850 days are the norm.
So if you have similar fears, concerns, or trepidation, just take the necessary steps, follow the program, stay focused on the end result, ignore the constant negativity that is all around us, and you’ll see success in the window cleaning business. Oh one last thing…Tony is a member of my window cleaning software The Customer Factor. This software and successful window cleaners seem to be joined at the hip.
Have a profitable day.
Steve
An Exciting Development…
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
A Window Cleaning Website Program…
Hellooooooo To All:
I’ve been meaning to mention this for awhile now, but barb wilson, my web designer has recently put together a mighty cool website program for window cleaners. You can click on the banner at the right or just visit her webpage directly. The designs are attractive, streamlined, and effective. Barb has done all my design work for years on all my websites and graphics. I wholeheartedly recommend that you check her out if you don’t have a website yet.
Many of you reading this have already used her to personalize marketing materials, create caricatures, do website makeovers, and more, so you may already be familiar with her quality and service.
And as far as her pricing, I personally think the only way you’ll be able to beat her prices is if you have the skills to create your own site. I mean I saw a window cleaning website program being offered for $779 recently. Almost 800 bucks! Wow. That’s way, way, way too much. Some designers have gone a bit overboard.
So…barb’s websites are reasonably priced and professional looking. Not a bad combo. The pricing is great for your pocketbook, and a professional looking site will really do wonders for your online image. I’ve seen some real sloppy looking websites as I’m perusing the web that look like they were homemade. That might have worked back in the 90′s, but in 2008 you need to stand out from the crowd. A nice, pleasing, attractive website that you’ll be proud to send your prospects and customers to is the way to do that.
As a side note, I’ve had a couple of folks ask me some things about this program because they were under the impression that I put it together. No…I don’t do websites. It’s Barb’s business and she does 100% of it. The only connection barb and I have is that because of the amount of work I’ve given her over the years, she has agreed to slice and dice her pricing making it real affordable to get a website built. Have a great weekend.
Best,
Steve
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
Do you have any e-mail letter samples that I can use to send to current customers to get their 6-month or 1-yr services done?
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 Wright here with Clearview Window Washing Service.
I hope you’ve enjoyed your clean windows for the last few months. But it’s that time again to make ‘em sparkle once more!
So this is just a note to let you know that I’ll be contacting you shortly to schedule a professional window cleaning service.
We thank you so much for being our customer. If you have any questions, please call us at 256-546-2446. Have a wonderful day.
Sincerely,
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,
Thanks for your help and input. I went ahead and figured out how to submit the postcard file. I am off and away now. Hopefully it will work out positively. It just makes me nervous that nothing is guarenteed. Anyways, thanks again.
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
A $10,000 Month!
Hey all:
Hope you’re having a great memorial day holiday. I just wanted to post a bit of information from a telephone conversation that I had recently with a window cleaner by the name of Kelly King. With his permission, I’ve posted it below.
I’d like to mention a couple of quick things before posting it.
One of my biggest challenges at times is to convince people that the economic downturn will not affect our window cleaning business overall. The other day I got an email from someone out of the blue who wrote "I’ll do some more research and look at the window cleaning business when the economy picks up". Huh? That’s got to be one of the dumbest statements I’ve heard in a long time. 
This guy is not part of my program. I don’t know the guy. He simply subscribed to my "6 Success keys" ecourse and I guess is looking at getting into the window cleaning business. He has obviously bought into the doom and gloom brought upon by the media and all the so called "analysts". Kind of sad really. Because of his mindset, he’ll miss out on literally thousands of dollars in window cleaning profits. Well…I wish him the best.
Yes…in some other industries there is certainly doom and gloom. Sure. Restaurants, travel related companies, and high end retailers to name a few, are certainly affected. But I can guarantee you that our target market is not going to spend their weekends cleaning their own windows. Nope.
So the trick is to target the right group of prospects. That’s it. Obviously if we distribute flyers under car windshield wipers in shopping malls or store parking lots, we won’t get much response. But if we focus on the people who still have the disposable income (upper income), then we’re golden.
Anyway…during the conversation kelly and I had, he mentioned that his projected sales for the month of may will be $10,000! Some days he brings in $300. Other days are $700. His best day this year was $1000. Um…doom and gloom? Hardly.
I’ll let Kelly finish the conversation in an email he wrote me after we spoke:
Hey Steve,
Great talking to you too. Yes, it would be totally ok for you to write up anything you want about our conversation. Yes, my projected sales this month will be $10,000. Wow!! I never dreamed I could make that much in one month. I have one really good employee that works with me. This year has been our best year so far. In May (our busy month) we do 2 to 4 houses a day depending on size. Some days we take in $300.00 and other days are $700.00. Average is about $400.00 to $500.00 a day. Our best day though this year we took in $1000.00.
In August 2008 it will be 4 years in business. Right now (in May) I have not been doing any marketing. But, yes we do postcards, door hangers and reminder calls to our current customers. What I am getting right now is repeat customers and some phone book customers. Lots of word or mouth also. I had one lady tell me a friend of hers said we were the best. So, we went out and cleaned her windows. Later that day she called and left a message on my phone saying we were awesome. That is what make my business so rewarding. I never got any praise or thanks from any employer I ever worked for.
Oh, I also joined a network marketing group called BNI. It was one of the best moves I made 2nd to buying your package and following your instructions. BNI has made me more connected to the business community and given me a broader sphere of contacts. It makes me not alone in the business community. I have friends that I can share ideas with.
Thanks mucho Steve,
Talk to ya later.
Kelly King
Please read and reread the above if you need to. "Best day $1000". "Average $400 to $500 a day." "Best year so far", and on and on. So stay motivated and keep the doom and gloomers at arms length. While other window cleaners are moping around crying the blues, you’ll be growing a successful window cleaning business!
To Your Success,
Steve
“Window Cleaner” or “Window Washing” Plus…Follow Up News.
(Click the above headline to read full post)
Hey all:
Wow…I can’t believe it’s been 10 days since my last post. Time sure does fly on by lately. One of the reasons for the delay is that we’re revising 3 Bears Window Cleaning Directory. This directory is setting the search engines on fire which means that window cleaners who are listed are getting calls. But it’s about to get even better. For those of you registered with 3 Bears, I’ll notify you soon with an update notice. You’ll love it!
Ok…I’m going to reach into my grab bag of emails that I’ve received recently along with my responses. And here we go:
Hi Steve,
Good morning and hello again. I hope you are having a great week and all is well. I just wanted to say thank you for the e-mails and advice. I have a quick question for you in regards to my business should it be Window Washing Service or Window Cleaning Service??? I read this article about that topic and this is what they said. What are your thoughts???
Is there a difference between window cleaning and window washing?
"Most definitely. Window washing, I mean, to a professional window cleaner, is almost borderline insulting. Window cleaners already have a slightly bad reputation in terms of people kind of associate window cleaners with, you know, the guys who jump on your windshield at a stop light and try to clean you with a newspaper. That’s not us. Or they associate you with the bums walking around downtown offering to clean your windows with a squeegee and a bucket for $1.50 or whatever. It’s not what we do, especially with the way I perceive my company and I project the image of we’re a professional service company. We clean windows. Anybody can wash a window, but we clean it. It’s not carpet washing, it’s carpet cleaning. Same thing with us, it’s window cleaning, not window washing".
What is your take on this? Thanks again!
Take care,
Matt
My Response:
Hi Matt:
Good morning.
I personally believe it makes no difference. I know there are window cleaners out there who feel differently. But putting yourself in a customers shoes, will they really be asking themselves "Well…his company name has "washing" in it so therefore he must not do a good job. I need a "window cleaner". Um, probably not.
A Charity idea for your Window Cleaning Business…
Hey all:
Hope your week is going well so far. It’s monday…it’s a great day…and we’re window cleaners in our own window cleaning businesses. Can’t ask for anything more than that. 
Before posting the following email, I wanted to say that 3 Bears Window Cleaning Directory is off to a rip roaring start. I just started promoting it about 10 days ago and in google if you search for "window cleaning directory" (without the quotes), it’s listed in the 21st position out of over 1.3 million results. 1.3 Million! I’m taking the search engine knowledge I’ve learned over the years and applying it directly to 3 Bears. What this means is that the window cleaners who are listed in the directory will benefit, plain and simple. So grab a free listing in 3 Bears Window Cleaning Directory for your window cleaning business if you haven’t already. And with our recently introduced new feature, you can now display your company information in 3 different cities!
Ok, I received an email a couple of days with a pretty cool idea on working with charities. For you "out of the box" thinkers out there, this is right up your alley. Here is the email:
Hey Steve,
I have to tell you…you’re a stud. I recently quit my career to become a full-time student and I’m doing windows to make ends meet. Although I like telling my buddies I’m living off my wife…it is just too humbling. I’ve been off to as slow start by my own choice – school comes first. But now that finals are almost over I’ve been out placing bids and closing some deals. Here are my questions:
1) Hard Water Stain Remover – I closed a job on a home who has never had their windows cleaned in 13 years. They’re filthy. As I was looking at them I think they have some serious hard water stain. How do I use the A-1 stain remover? I’ve done it on a few other jobs and it takes forever! Any pointers?
2) Six Month Business – Both of my last two bids have asked me about being on a 6 month retainer. Do you suggest offering a discount to land that type of long term business? I was considering a 15-20% discount if they agreed to 6 month work.
3) Referral Discounts - I want to build my business completely from referrals. My past life thrived on networking and relationships and it created long-term business for me. So I was considering a discount for referrals. For example if I got 4 new jobs from a customer then I would give that customer X% discount on their next window cleaning. Have you come across referral programs that work well?
4) Charity Benefit - Quick idea for those with a charitable heart. Since I quit my job my wife and I are not able to support local causes like we used to. So we decided to place a 20 window credit in a local charity auction and valued it at $200. It went for $250! I just went to the donor’s home today and they have well over 20 windows so if I choose to charge them for the remaining windows I could profit around $200. But the customer said that three of her friends who she out bid at the auction would like my number too. So doing something good for a local cause could end up being very profitable. A win-win!
Thanks for what you’ve done for my family!
Nelson
My Response:
Hi Nelson:
Good morning. Haven’t been called a "stud" in awhile. ) I appreciate it for sure.
Congrats on becoming a full time student and running a window cleaning business. That takes guts, so again, congratulations on doing that. I always admire folks who do the opposite of what most people do.
And now onto your questions.
1. The thing about A-1 is that it won’t work in all situations. And I can almost guarantee that it won’t work for the job you’re describing. I hate to say that, but it’s a fact that we can’t come in as magicians and give the homeowner factory new glass if their glass hasn’t been cleaned in 13 years. What happens is that calcium, iron, and other minerals from rainwater/sprinkler systems will settle within the pores of the glass. Once this happens, they can be very difficult to remove.
I did have one window cleaner call me very recently raving about a product called "mineral shock". You can read about it here. It’s not as acidic as some really harsh cleaners. I mean you could get Crystal Clear 550 from ABC, but it’s very acidic. And you need to wear gloves and eyewear when using it. So you can imagine how harsh it is. So again…it’s not possible in all situations to remove all stains. It really just depends on the severity of the stains.
2. Even if a window cleaning customer doesn’t ask you, you should definitely be asking them how often they would like your service. This is a must. I asked at the end of the job when folks were most excited about their clean glass. I didn’t offer a discount though. My window cleaning business was never built on price. That’s not saying offering discounts is wrong. I just didn’t work with discounts. One of the reasons could be because of the exact situation you’re describing. I tried a test where I offered customers a 10% discount at the door if they agreed to have me come back every 6 months. The prob though was that when I called them in 6 months, I’d get delayed. They might say "call me in a couple weeks". Or call me in a month. So I may have ended up actually doing my "six month customer" 7 to 9 months later.
So it’s possible to secure semiannual customers at full price w/o the discount. At least that’s what my test proved. But feel free to try it yourself in your area and just monitor the results. It may work for you there.
3. Referrals are the lifeblood of any business and are really fun to get, not to mention free since referrals are usually coming from satisfied customers. Similar to above, I didn’t provide a discount to folks who gave me referrals. Again though…I need to stress that that doesn’t mean it won’t work. I just didn’t do it in my business. I will say that it can be kind of tough to manage a "pay for referral" program. It would create a bunch of paperwork for you trying to keep track of who referred who. I have something I’ll be posting to the blog soon from a guy who did offer discounts for referrals, but he did it with a twist. This’ll be posted to the blog soon. So check back regularly.
4. Excellent, excellent idea on the charity. Ah…you’re an "out of the box" thinker. That’s a perfect way to get business exposure. Do you mind if I post this idea on the blog? Great idea. Some window cleaners would look at this situation and think of "lost profits". But it should be thought of as great company/service exposure and great PR. A definite win-win as you mentioned.
Thanks for your comments once again and I hope the above helps. Take care for now. And talk soon.
Regards,
Steve
