As you can probably tell, there is no place to buy squeegees here. I used to have an online store, but it was not worth it for me to keep it open because it was an interruption of my daily window cleaning business. However, you should still be able to find a place to buy window cleaning supplies here. So, this space shall soon have links to places around the world where you can order equipment. I'd like to have online stores from around the world so you can choose a place that is closer to you to save time and shipping.
Thanks,
Don Marsh
I want to go on the record that I have finally decided to PAY to be linked somewhere! After talking to a guy whose business is linked to Service Magic, and realizing that even if all it got me was 2 jobs per month, it was $10 I would gladly pay. Besides, I am still invisible on Google for searches for "power washing Gainesville, FL". Power washing is very competitive here, so you get a lot of paid links in Google to compete with. Yes, I am #1 for "window cleaning Gainesville, FL", but that is not enough...
Go ahead and sign up for this reasonably priced exposure at the Cleaning Service Directory.
Don talks about being the lowballer. How competitive should you be?
Eventually, I will have ebooks, audio programs, advertising templates, software and book reviews, and website building tutorials. Please go there and subscribe, and I will make it worth your while to stick around!
Lately I have been doing more power washing than window cleaning. It used to be that I upsold power washing to my window cleaning customers. But now I get calls for power washing and these people cannot wrap their minds around window cleaning. I went out and gave an estimate this weekend, and the prospect seemed to have some vague idea that if he power washed the house that the windows would just automatically be clean. After finding out that the windows would actually look worse after power washing but before actual window cleaning, he is going to get his contractor to weigh in before deciding on this $95 job.
Perhaps I need to tailor my canvassing and sell simpler products to these lower end neighborhoods. That is why I recently designed a new flier for gutter cleaning. I am using the same sales pitch I have used to convince people to go ahead and get the gutters done, too. Most people don't know what the inside of their gutters look like, and what it can mean when they get clogged. It can mean gutters filling up with water that backs up to the roof and gets under the shingles and causes leaks. I have had this happen at my own house.
It can also mean that the gutters are becoming a habitat for snakes, cockroaches, and even rats. I have seen all of this happen, and most people find this revolting.
Is anyone out there using gutter cleaning to meet new prospects?
When I spend a lot of time editing video, it means less blogging. It will probably be a couple of weeks before I make another one.
When you go to someone's house to give them an estimate, and you see this, it's an opportunity to make a sale.
I started doing pressure washing about 20 years ago, when I got tired of people putting off getting their windows cleaned until they could get the house power washed. I finally got the bright idea to offer to do it for them. So, I started renting machines until I got tired of spending over $200 per month on rentals.
At first, power washing was an upsale; something I added the way McDonald's asks you if, "You want fries with that?" But after awhile, it slowly became most of my business. And why is that? One of the reasons is that people usually have more power washable surfaces than they have glass. When you start adding up the cost of power washing the house ($95), the pool screen and deck ($90), and the walk and drive ($115), the window cleaning ($175 or so) starts looking like an afterthought.
There is a downside to this, of course. The biggest one may be that people in the power washing business may stop referring you since they are afraid that you will take their customers. The other is that more stuff can usually go wrong with power washing than window cleaning. You can bleach people's plants to death. You can fail to notice that a window was open and bleach carpet and furniture. You can fail to make sure one of the tips was secured and shoot it through a window. But all of these things are mostly preventable if you develop good habits and take precautions. Here is a convenient list of the big ones...
- Bag all light fixtures with plastic bags to keep them from getting wet.
- Cover brass fixtures with tape.
- Do not spray bleach over outdoor ceiling fans when cleaning porch ceilings. Apply bleach with a paint roller.
- Move plants out of harm's way that can be moved.
- Make sure all windows are closed.
- Make sure door thresholds are covered. They are unreliable at keeping out water.
- Run soapy water through your machine and wet down the plants that cannot be moved first, before spraying bleach. This creates a barrier between the plants and the bleach, mitigating its effects.
- Rinse plants with soapy water afterward.
- Rinse entire house with soapy water. Rinsing with water under high pressure can force bleachy water in window tracks under the seals even when closed and locked.
- Make sure tips are secured before pulling trigger at all times.
This list is not meant to be comprehensive. There are other things for different situations and materials. But this gives you an idea of where to get started.
The need is great, especially in our humid southern climates. Mold grows very fast down here, and needs to be kept at bay regularly!
My son, Donnie, is shown here pressure washing a driveway in the Prestonwood section of Haile Plantation in Gainesville, FL. That was on December 20. Today, on January 10, he is getting married at 11 am. So, it's been a big week here in Gainesville. We had the lunacy of the hometown team, the Florida Gators, beating Oklahoma for a National Championship. The next night was Donnie's rehearsal dinner, and today the wedding. He will be on his honeymoon next week, just in time for us to get our biggest job ever: power washing all the outdoor concrete at a brand new Lowe's in Alachua. This job found me on the Internet, thus proving once again that it pays to have a web presence. How else would these people have found me? I am not even in the phone book!
Several years ago I had heard about craigslist. At the time it was a mailing list. Now it is a huge classified ad website that operates in about 450 cities around the world. My city is one of them.
I heard that the ads were free, and that this is what made craigslist a newspaper killer wherever it went. I have no problem with that. For years, classified ads were getting more and more expensive and they never really delivered. It appears that craigslist does deliver.
I posted ads for pressure cleaning and window cleaning this past weekend. I got calls for one of each. The turnaround was just a few days. Not bad for free ads. Try it out if there is a craigslist in your town. Click on the link and search by state, and then see if your city is there. Let me know how that goes.
The holiday season is over, and I am really hustling to find some work. But some of the work I am after comes in the form of creating content for this site, and for the people who have been asking for me to create more materials. I have been busy writing, and part of that process has prompted me to create even more useful materials! So be on the lookout for new tools to help you get jobs, as well some instructional products to help you to understand the window cleaning business.
Because I am working on these things, it has caused me to reconsider the use of this site. It has been a catch-all for rather random window cleaning and window cleaner news, which is not particularly edifying to anyone who is trying to start a business. That is changing. From now on, this site will be a blog that covers the following topics:
- Advice on marketing
- Personal development
- Economic outlooks
- Tools of the trade
Other things may be added to this, but that is enough for now. This will also be the place where I will announce new information products and services.
Will the forum be going away? NO! Our forum is an actual community, and its relationships and mutual help is a valuable asset. And it's been valuable to me! Some of you guys have done a great deal to encourage me to create paid products. I thank you for this...
Stay tuned!
Don Marsh
Gainesville, FL
This is an introduction to some subjects that I will be covering with longer programs that I will likely be selling on iTunes. If you want to be notified when they come out, send me an email!
,Here's a unique find. I discovered that these guys recently started following me on Twitter. TradeYourAccounts.com is a site where people can find a window cleaning, pool cleaning, lawn mowing, or some other route to buy.
Years ago, I sold a couple of routes because I was tired of driving so many miles to cover a couple of distant territories. As I recall, I didn't get much for them. That was OK with me because I was thinking about just quitting those towns anyway. But I later found out that it was customary to get only a few months gross sales for a route. I only got about $1,100 each for the routes I sold, and one of those like pulling teeth to get it.
Any how, if you are selling, it's better than nothing. If you are buying, it's a pretty sweet deal to get existing accounts and steady income for a modest investment. At least, that's how it was in the 80s. Any comments?
