Posts tagged "starting a window cleaning business"

Window Cleaning “Competition” and other Stuff…

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 

Get More Profits From Your Window Cleaning Customers

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

Find Your Passion!

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

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 

Batting One Thousand in the Window Cleaning Business!

From the window cleaning mail bag. 

Hi Steve:

Matt (the weatherman as primary job) writing from North Carolina. All is going well.  Batting 1000 so far with estimates- getting all jobs (7 for 7).  Doing them during afternoon and weekends.  Average house is on a lake and costing 250 to 350 bucks.  I’m spending 3 to 5 hours cleaning outside and screens first day and 3 to 5 hours the second day doing inside and putting screens back.  I spend a lot of time on a ladder as these are home from 3000 to 5000 square feet. 

Frankly, those darn screens can eat up to 3 hours of my time taking them down, cleaning and reinstalling!  I charge 2 bucks a screen now after initially charging 1 buck.  Most homes have had 35 or so screens.  No advertising so far- just putting the sign at the curb and most times someone walks buy and asks for an estimate, or, they find my website.

Matt

My Response:

Hi Matt the weatherman:

How are you doing this morning?  How’s the weather over yonder?  Sorry…couldn’t resist.   

Fantastic on batting a 1000.  Cool.  A couple of things to talk about along with some suggestions.

First off, you may want to look at your pricing.  It may be a bit early to do this since it’s only been 7 jobs, but my rule of thumb was if I closed 100% of the jobs I presented, my pricing was too low and it needed to be boosted up.  If you close around 85%, your pricing is perfect. If you close a low 50% or 60%, then you’re pricing is a bit high.  Just some thoughts to keep in mind. 

Again…it’s still a bit early yet though, so you may want to wait a bit.  But if you do 20 estimates and you close all 20, that’s not necessarily a good thing.  I know that sounds strange, but if everyone is saying "yes", price needs to be looked at.  Of course it could also mean that you’re a heckuva of a "closer".   You just want to make sure you’re making the profit per hour on each job.  

But the reason why I’m talking about price is that you mentioned houses are going between $250 and $350.  A $250 house should take you no more than 6 hours tops, inside, outside, screens, etc.  So 2 days on a $250 to $350 house is a bit too much time.  So I’m suspecting that maybe your pricing might need to be boosted.

I do need to say though that you will be slower now then someone who has been in the biz for awhile.  So keep this in mind as I talk about speed above.  I think maybe we should talk after you’ve done 20 or so jobs.  Because at that point, you should have most of your internal systems ironed out and humming along, and you should have picked up some real good speed.  Screens for example should take no more than 30 to 45 minutes at most.  If you have any questions on this, call me.  But definitely not the 3 hours it’s taking.  This’ll also be one of the things that you’ll get faster on over time though. 

Cool on the sign.  Yeah, a yard sign is a great form of advertising for sure.  And word of mouth will spread nicely for you too.  Hopefully soon you can step up your advertising although I guess you would need to be careful there due to possibly getting too many calls.  I suppose that could interfere with your day job or you’ll be forced to schedule customers a few weeks into the future.  This is not a bad thing necessarily, but some customers don’t want to wait 6 weeks to get their windows cleaned. So if you do get started with flyers for example, maybe you could test the waters by putting out 200 at a time.

But to your main question.  I personally was not a member of MWCA, but an organization like this certainly can’t hurt you.  Right…there is some material benefit and of course you’ll be able to use their logo on your marketing materials. But the main benefit to me would be that extra online exposure like you mentioned.  So it’ll be a worthwhile investment at only $50. 

I think a better investment would be BNI.  Not sure if you would be able to invest the time into it though.  It’s a super organization that’ll bring you plenty of business. It’s a bigger investment than the $50.  But of course the returns are much greater too.  The cost depends on the chapter in your area.  In order to make bni truly effective you need to show up every week at their breakfast, so I’m not sure if you’re able to do that in your current weatherman position.  If you can’t, then it’ll be a wasted investment.  But it’ll give you plenty of jobs and customers if you can manage it.

And stay tuned to 3 Bears Window Cleaning Directory. We have some really exciting things planned.  Did you create a premium listing or a standard listing? If you only created a standard listing, we’re removing all requirements for a premium listing so that everyone can get one.  We’ll be announcing that later.  And I’ve hired a couple of folks who are going to  work real hard on getting 3 Bears boosted in the search engines.  So this’ll be great for all window cleaners who are listed.

Take care for now.  Have a great day.

Regards,

Steve  

A follow up:

Steve:

I do have a premium listing with you in 3 Bears Window Cleaning Directory and it’s listed under 3 cities.  I love it!

Matt

My Response:

Hi Matt:

Good morning.

Sounds super.  Wow…2am for the primary job.  That’s a toughie.  Sure….after a few more jobs, things will be a bit more streamlined.  I think a lot of the time savings come from just not having any wasted steps. It’s seems like at the beginning we spend time looking for stuff or having to think about what to do next.

 But over time we know immediately when we pull up to the house what we need to do…step 1, step 2, etc.  It’s all 2nd nature after awhile which really helps our job speed. 

Sounds good on the internet discount.  I think 30 bucks an hour is super for someone who is still relatively new.  Right…casements with no screens are cake. 

Super hourly on that job.  Yeah…the mwca is a wise investment at only $50.  Right…give me a call anytime.  We haven’t spoken yet, but I’m always available by phone 7 days a week.  Window cleaners call me all the time, so definitely no probs on calling for sure.  256-546-2446.

Take care for now and thanks for the "infinite wisdom" comment.  )  Have a great day.

Regards,

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

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

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

Hard Water Stains…

A very helpful window cleaning/hard water stain removal tip provided by tom spitz:

Hi Steve,
 
I was reading your blog post on 5/5 and was intrigued about the question of hard water stains. I recently did a house that had a glass sun room attached. The back wall of glass had been hit with sprinklers for over 20 years and it was ugly. I have used Mineral Shock in the past and it is an excellent product, but have come across another product called Magic Al’s Glass and Metal Magic. The web site is http://www.groundfloor.org. I used this along with a buffing machine and was able to get the glass clear. I have attached some pictures to show the results. Some of the areas took 6 or 7 passes with the machine but they came out clear, as you can see. I charge by the hour for this process and the people were thrilled with the final result. I also use this with great success on shower doors before I seal them. The best part of this product is that it does not contain acids. Just some info I wanted to pass along.
 
Tom

Here is a follow up email by tom with more information:

Hey Steve,
 
It is best to use a variable speed buffing machine. I bought a Makita that cost a little less than $200. I wouldn’t go cheap on the machine.     
   
On glass with screen damage from metal screens (such as Andersons) you can apply the cleaner to a white scrub pad and scrub it out. Immediately wipe off the glass then wash it. If you do part of the window and then show the customer, they can’t help but tell you to continue, because it doesn’t come off with soap and water.(I charge $10 extra per window for removal of the screen damage)
   
On glass with hard water stains (depending on how long they’ve been there) you can use a white scrub pad but using the buffing machine will be quicker and easier on the window washer. Believe me I learned the hard way. Also it is easier on your customers pocket book (I charge $75.00 per hour for the hard water stain removal). Just apply the cleaner to the glass, covering the area you will be working on, and let the machine do the work. Depending on the severity of the staining, it can take multiple passes of the machine but the results are awesome.  I seal shower glass and have to get it clear before sealing it. People are happy that they have an alternative to replacing the glass, whether it be windows or shower doors.
 
 Feel free to use whatever you need for the blog. Whatever information we can share with each other to help us make more money, is always a plus. Use the photos also. Fortunately I am a much better window washer than I am a photographer. If you have any other questions, let me know. Enjoy the weekend.
 
Tom

Photos of a hard water stain removal job that tom did from beginning to end:

Thanks very much Tom! Great information and a great photo collection. It’s much appreciated.  Have a great weekend.

Regards,

Steve