Business stinks!

[ron]

reed, ive went the ''my work is not cheap and cheap work is not good'' but meny dont like that hard line tatic.
It work's better on the rich then the middle class.
The rich want a guy who they dont need to go looking for every year. They want to go on a maint program.
The middle class want your work to last for 3 year's and forget your name in 1.
in doing mostly wood you really have to keep up on your customer list. x-mas card's,spring mailer's,ect...
the second you forget about them, they have forgotten about you.
wood is a tuff road to take.
A super high quality damp wood sealer would change all that.
A TV comm. sponsered by a quality sealer mfg. about the proper way to get the best result's would help everyone in the industry.
customer education take's so long to do just to get 1 sale.

 

[Tim Lynch]

Originally posted by ron

A super high quality damp wood sealer would change all that.
A TV comm. sponsered by a quality sealer mfg. about the proper way to get the best result's would help everyone in the industry.
customer education take's so long to do just to get 1 sale.

I agree with you there but in a way they have the tv spots now. At least the last few years I recall Oylimpic and Thompsons running the TV spots in Fall right about this time and spring. I heard a radio talk show last weekend putting it's main focus on wood decks.

All this helps even if we hate the product line. It gets them thinking about what they should be doing. For me running a TV ad is just going to bust the bank, but if all the local painters decks refinishers and PWs were to pitch in for an info comercial it would help everyone even down to the fly by nighters.

Oh well thats what I get for thinking to early in the morning

 

[jrwem]

One of my mistakes is providing too TOO MUCH information to the customer. I always leave a FAQ with the estimate...on a normal year it would get me business, but when it is a damp, miserable spring, sealing a deck that isn't completely dry is out of the question...and I did try it a few times and was always questioned on it. It is a little hard to explain that the FAQ say's completely dry and I am there sealing a deck that just got rained on last night!

 

[Mike Hughes]

Time to revise the FAQ sheet then, I guess. I feel for you, John.