New to Business

[MDossett]

This is a great site. Very good information. What is the best way to "educate" potential customers on being in this business? I have done cold calls and business cards. I plan on doing mostly commercial, residential and flatwork. Thanks for the info...

 

[Dan Flynn]

Thanks and welcome,

You sound like your on the right path. You may want to check out you local paper for residential. Get in the phone book with a small ad. Maybe some door hangers. It varies in each area. So you're going to have to test things. Then stick to what's working.

For commercial called calling is hard at first, but a good route.
Hope to hear from you often. Good luck.

 

[Oldtimer]

WELCOME!

Stick aroun d this place will grow on you.

 

[ron]

To educate customers you need a dog and pony show. PICTURES THE #1 ANSWER SURVEY SAAAAYS 100 POINTS. DING DING DING
Get your self a white vinyl house full of mold,grass on the high side and untrimmed bushes[everything a little over grown] pay someone to take a real good quality digital picture and mark the spot where he stands to take it. Then have the landscaper come in trim everything up and cut the grass[try to get some dirty side walk in the first pic.] Then do your washing take your time make it perfect and dont forget to do the gutters. Then take the AFTER pic.
Also take a close-up of before and after of the gutters,vinyl,sidewalk,landscaping ties,ect... Then write up an ad telling people that there house is there biggest investment and how cleaning it will make it look better-last longer-and make them feel better about there home
[if you can get a section of fence in the shot[picture] that is well weathered then cleaned and stained you will have hit a home run.
Get the picture of a well dressed wash operator and your professional rig in one of the pics thats a GRAND SLAM.
Then offer a list of happy customers[upon request]
Then put the ad in the mailer that comes to your house every 2 weeks-you know the ones with all the other professionals in your area.
Do the same thing for a commercial building or local commercial hot spot[or very well known biz.] and show that co. sign in your advert.[get permission] they get free advert. and if a big biz. trust you the rest will trust you.
With so meny people needing a way to sell there services in this profession im thinking of making up a whole program that i have just described and selling it.
I wish more people could get together and get form a group that would get us better buying power-as in insurance and some kind of standered or becoming a "MEMBER OF" that would give other biz. an idea of what to exspect from a MEMBER of the "EXTERIOR CLEANING PROFESSION" UNITED WE STAND
Please Rate this cont. because i want to know if anyone ever reads,agree's/dis-agree's or cares and if anything i ever say helps anyone or should i just shut-up?

 

[Dan Flynn]

Nice post Ron,

Creative thinking.

 

[Dan S]

it's the best business in the world......

great post Ron .......

 

[Sergei]

Another idea is to take "before" shots when it's cloudy or rainy.

Potential danger in playing with camera is that people will expect you to make more difference than humanly possible. Then they either realize that all it was is just fiddling with pictures or assume you did a lousy job.

That's why I try to be as honest with pictures as possible, so people don't expect miracles.

 

[ron]

sergei

serigi remember, evan the best fishing lure in the world has to catch the fisherman first-if you get my meaning? If you are taking pics of your own work i dont see it as being dis-honest.
I have yet to get a big mac that looks like the one on the commerical? have you?
ever see the before and after pics from a fat burner comm? In the first pic you will NEVER SEE A SMILE, and they are dressed as a pig. The after pic they are TAN,HAPPY, AND HAVE A NICE NEW BATHING SUIT ON. Then in very small print on the bottom they say "your results may very and that what you have just seen is not typical." Hell im offering a service that will do what i say it will do. EVERY TIME I DO IT. I have a happy customer clause in my washing contract-if you are not happy with my service i will come back and fix anything you deam not satisfactory.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GARENTEE WITH ANY SIGNED CONTRACT. Try to get that in writing from anyone that dose service work. [good luck]