eClean Issue 23: Marketing on a Budget

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1.800.433.2113

Pressure Washers | Surface Cleaners | Chemicals | Cleaning Supplies | Parts | Pumps & Unloaders | Training Materials The Pressure Cleaning Marketing Bible

Profit In Power Washing, 4th Edition

Before you spend a penny on advertising your pressure cleaning business, you need to read this book! You’ll find over 250 pages filled with expert advice, tips and tricks for marketing your business.

Topics covered include: How to Target Your Market How to Use TV, Radio & Magazines How to Create Advertising Scripts Model Letters That Worked How to Up-sell Your Customers How to Set Up Packages for Pressure Cleaning Pricing Strategies How to Make the Sale How to Handle Objections How to Create and Give Effective Presentations Websites & Social Networking MKTG-BOOK

$24.95

Roll-Over Nozzle Valve 1/4”

8.750-507.0

$19.95

Shine Bright Concentrated Fabric Awning Cleaner

Just twist the top of this valve to switch from one nozzle to another. Perfect for switching to a low pressure chemical nozzle. 1/4” FPT inlet and discharge.

ROV-14

Delux D7150 Diaphragm Pump

Max Flow: 7 GPM Max: 100 PSI Liquid Temperature: 140°F (60°C) Max. Delivery Type: Demand Priming Capabilities: 14 feet (4 m) Inlet/Outlet Ports: 1/2” NPT Weight: All models: 10 lbs (4.5 kg)

Geared specifically to determining the profitability, feasibility, and marketability of owning a pressure washing business, the 4th Edition of Profit in Power Washing covers the methodology so crucial in both starting and operating a pressure washing service.

Marketable Services Equipment Selection Equipment Use Personal Safety Target markets Customer Relations Estimating Advertising Chemical Selection & Use Important Legal Issues

$38.00

Remove dirt and pollution from woven fabric awnings, and watch them become cleaner and brighter. One gallon of concentrated cleaner can make up to sixteen gallons of brush on solution. It can be used as a heavy duty cleaner or for light duty scheduled maintenance.

AC-12-XX 1 gal. $24.00 4 gal. $84.00

D7150

(*) Clearly Clean Xtreme™ A crystal clear, heavy duty concrete cleaner designed to be used in sensitive areas where colored chemicals might draw unwanted attention. It has deep penetrating properties to lift out heavy oil, grease, soil, and grime found on concrete surfaces like parking lots, drive ways, sidewalks, steps, walls, dumpster pads, fuel islands and drive-thrus. Sold as a highly concentrated powder, so it can be strong enough for any job. $239.00 Reg: $130.00 Limited Time Only: $110.00

HFV-1

V-505-Concentrated Road Kill Remover Specially formulated to remove blood, animal fats and proteins from all metals including aluminum. Use it on tractors, trailers, trucks, cars, boats, RV’s and more. This powerful pink detergent does the cleaning job completely and leaves surfaces film-free. It is sold as a powder, so it can be mixed strong enough for any job. One 50 pound box of concen- V-505 $30.00 trate will make approximately 400 gallons 2 lbs.

50 lbs $179.00 of cleaner.

100 lbs $354.00 $32.00 150 lbs $525.00

Hudson Float Valve

Automatically, stop water flowing into your tank when the tank is full with this innovative, compact float valve. There is no lever arm, or float ball to freeze or rust. It installs in seconds, and lasts for years.

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www.eCleanMag.com

In This Issue:

Issue #23

5 Blast ‘em All! A real world guide to every door direct

mail, by Thad Eckhoff, Apex Systems & PWRA

9 Facebook: Friend or Fad? Does it really work for cleaning professionals?

12 How Facebook Has Worked for Me, by Ed Pharris, New

Brite Pressure Washing

12

18 Introducing Pro-Posal: Creating professional bids with the touch of a button 21 IWCA Can Now Bring Safety Training to You 22 Window Glass Restoration: A global opportunity, by

Henry Grover, Vision Glass Detailer

24 PWNA Announces Appointment of Robert Hinderliter as

Environmental Advocate

26 PWNA Vendor Profile: Steel Eagle 28 How Well Are You LinkedIn? How to Maximize Your

44

Profile and Make Connections

31 Why Having the Right Accessories is Smart Marketing: An interview with Steel Eagle’s Todd Bradshaw 34 10 Marketing Tips from Wayne Shockey, Marketing Class

Instructor for PowerWash University

36 The Wet Mop Handle Dissected, by Rick Meehan, Marko Janitorial 39 What’s Your Uniqueness? by Dan Galvin, Envirospec 40 YouTube: The most power marketing tool you’re not

using

44 Reflections from the Northeast Pressure Washing

Seminar

47 Pressure Washing Can Bring a Fresh, Clean Image, by Paul Horsley

eClean Magazine is published monthly Publisher: Paul Horsley, paul@ecleanmag.com Editor: Allison Hester, allison@ecleanmag.com Sales: Charlie Arnold, charlie@ecleanmag.com eClean Magazine

Box 262, 16 Midlake Blvd S.E. Calgary, Alberta Canada T2X2X7 www.eCleanMag.com 3

EDDM

A Real World Guide to Every Door Direct Mail .

by Thad Eckhoff, Owner of Apex Services, www.hattiesburg.pressurewash.net, and Co-Founder of the Pressure Washing Resource Association, www.PressureWashingResource.com

If

you’re in the residential services game, you spend a lot of time thinking about ways to get the phone to ring. You want to continually attract new clients while nurturing a profitable relationship with the ones you already service.

It’s a never-ending battle against attrition to continue to grow (or even maintain) your business. You have to spend your marketing dollars wisely, and with a seemingly endless array of avenues to spend your company’s lifeblood, the choices can seem overwhelming.

Every time you turn around a new company is lining up to part you from your hard-earned cash and promising to be the solution to all your advertising issues. But I’m a firm believer in the tried-and-true.

promise to do it all?

The process has gotten simpler for many in the last couple of years. The newest exciting twist in the direct mail world is the United States Postal Service’s “Every Door Direct Mail” program, commonly referred to as EDDM. It is a relatively lowcost method of getting your marketing material into the hands of potential new customers but the trade off is

The first recorded direct mail campaign was launched in 1835, and although that first attempt wasn’t particularly successful, the importance of repetition began to manifest itself. These days everyone, from the local pizza parlor or fitness club The newest exciting twist in to regional car dealerships the direct mail world is the to Google, is utilizing direct United States Postal Service’s mail as an effective sales “Every Door Direct Mail” tool. The options can seem overwhelming. program, commonly referred You probably have several to as EDDM. It is a relatively low-cost questions. Where do I start? method of getting your marketing Do I get a bulk mail permit? material into the hands of Which one? Do I have to buy potential new customers but a list? Where from? What the trade off is that you demographics do I send to? Do I use a mailing house or try or someone who works for to do it myself? What about you has to do the initial the all-in-one services who eClean Magazine

preparation for mailing.

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So when someone says that it doesn’t work in their market I have to ask the question , “What are you doing wrong?” that you or someone who works for you has to do the initial preparation for mailing.

Instead of buying or compiling mailing lists, the Every Door Direct Mail program allows you to send oversized postcards or brochures to individual carrier routes. You can mail to residential only, or choose to include businesses. No labels are needed because each piece is addressed to “Postal Customer”.

Let me repeat that. No rented lists. No expensive permits.

You know what neighborhoods your target market lives in and now you can target them directly at a relatively low cost. Just carpet bomb the whole subdivision with your message for one low price.

There are other advantages besides the cost.

If you research demographics and rent a list you are typically sending to scattered houses in a rather large area. With EDDM you can be sure to hit every house within that coveted “golf course/lake home/all two story vinyl/whatever your perfect demographic is” neighborhood.

This means that your are working in a specific, centralized area. This cuts down on travel time and expenses, true, but the biggest advantage is that the more you work in a particular neighborhood the more work you will get in that neighborhood. Every time a homeowner sees your truck drive by or sees your company working at one of her neighbor’s houses she is one step closer to calling you.

Please note- You can not send regular 4X6 postcards using Every Door Direct Mail.

Each piece will have to conform to the postal service’s EDDM sizes.

Repeat- you can not send dinky, insignificant, ignorable postcards.

That is a good thing.

Your local post office has a handy free visual reference guide that shows you whether your mailer conforms to EDDM standards but the most common sizes used are 6.5” x 9”, 8.5” x 11” (the size of a full sheet of paper), and 6

a 4.25” x 14” tri-fold menu. For the typical cleaning business you will have to choose between the lower-priced 6.5” x 9” and the visual impact of the 8.5” x 11”. The smaller one will definitely be larger than most of your prospective customer’s mail and be easily noticeable (unless someone else is sending the same sized card!) but the larger is most commonly wrapped around the mail bundle by the carrier for a marketing message that cannot be ignored!

To sum that up- you can send out an oversized, visually arresting marketing piece to entire neighborhoods for less than half the price of a first class stamp.

What’s not to like?

Concerning the design of the card itselfresist the urge to try to cram too much information into that relatively large expanse of marketing real estate. A large, attractive, welldesigned card is going to get your prospect’s attention. The headline needs to make them aware of a problem that they have regarding their property and your call to action needs to motivate them to contact you to solve that problem- IMMEDIATELY! Invariably, when the topic of EDDM comes up in a group setting I always hear at least one “Direct mail doesn’t work in my market.”

Really? Just flat out doesn’t work?

What about gravity? Does gravity work in your market? Is the sky blue in your market?

Does the rain fall up there?

Here’s the deal. Multi-million dollar companies... multi-billion dollar companies don’t spend the money they spend on direct mail because it doesn’t work. They do it right and make it profitable. Direct mail is not their only source of advertising, but then it shouldn’t be yours, either.

So when someone says that it doesn’t work in their market I have to ask the question, “What are you doing wrong?” You see, there are a few different ways that you can screw it up. Is your homemade card just butt ugly?

Microsoft Paint is awesome and all, but this is 2014 and only your mom thinks it looks good. Or maybe she’s just humoring you. Get it professionally designed. I’ve heard time and

eClean Magazine

It ’s a pretty card but still no one called?

Maybe your message is vague . Maybe your call to action doesn’t call your prospect to action ... the homeowner probably doesn’t care . It ’s not their house . It ’s not their logo. It ’s not their problem and it goes in their trash . time again from the homeowner who called well after a campaign expired, “I saved your mailer until now. It was just too nice to throw away.”

It’s a pretty card but still no one called?

Maybe your message is vague. Maybe your call to action doesn’t call your prospect to action. When browsing the forums or Facebook groups I see a lot of blue cards with a picture of a generic house with a giant headline that says “PRESSURE WARSHING!!!” and an ego gratifying company logo that probably is a cartoon guy with a wand. The other contractors think it looks good and ask where you got it but guess what? The homeowner probably doesn’t care. It’s not their house. It’s not their logo. It’s not their problem and it goes in their trash.

The most common reason that contractors get turned off of direct mail in general and EDDM in particular is that they fail to follow the infallible rule of most marketing and direct mail in particular - Repetition is KEY. If you don’t have the time, resources, and will to mailing to the same houses at least four times then DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY. There have been plenty of studies showing that consumers need a certain number of impressions before they are comfortable with any brand. Each successive “touch” builds exponentially and is key to their calling you for a quote.

Another thing to consider is that you need to do your due diligence in testing what message and style of delivery is most effective in your area. If you live in Podunk, Iowa (or Mississippi) your target market is probably not going to react the same way to any given marketing piece that works in Boston or Seattle. You need to sell to your prospective client on their wavelength and that will vary by location and culture.

So now that you know many of the pitfalls to avoid and you’re ready to get your feet wet with Every Door Direct Mail, head over to the eClean Magazine

USPS website and get the process started. You will need to apply for a CRID number, which takes a couple of days, and in the meantime you can use their map tools to check out which carrier routes you would like to hit. You can get info such as home value, income, and number of residences and businesses. You will need to print a couple of forms and bundle your cards with the facing slip that you downloaded but all in all it’s a piece of cake and the post office website walks you through it. Now get busy and blast them all!

Thad Eckhoff of Apex Services and the Pressure Washing Resource Association has been using direct mail extensively for almost fifteen years. All views and strongly worded opinions are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of Eclean magazine, its owners, or affiliates. Please direct any angry emails to him directly at thad@pressurewashingresource.com.

Offer good thru Aug. 31, 2014

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2014 New Products Recap Stop by your local distributor to give one a try

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Facebook: Friend or Fad?

Does it REALLY Work for Professional Cleaning Businesses?

by Allison Hester A quick story...

When my husband, Michael, returned from Afghanistan in 2010, he asked me to help his set up a Facebook page so he could keep in touch with some of the people he met while serving overseas. We set up his profile, uploaded a photo, and connected with some of his friends.

“Now what do I do?” he asked.

“You just make a post,” I responded.

“What’s a post?” he asked.

“It’s just writing about something that happened to you today.”

“REALLY?!?!?” he responded indignantly. “I don’t get it.”

And that was the end of his Facebook endeavor.

*** While perhaps a bit more extreme than most, it seems that those who have “tried” Facebook for their businesses and said it was a “total waste of time” are often the ones who just “don’t get it.” And that’s ok.

It’s not something that is natural for everyone. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

When I asked industry members if Facebook (FB) has actually led to real live customers, reviews were mixed. For some, a large amount of business has been gained through Facebook. For many, a few customers have dabbled here and there through Facebook, but for the most part it’s just a way to obtain more exposure and build a higher Google ranking. And then there are those who are fed up the whole thing, calling Facebook as a “good place to see lots of photos of cats, but nothing more,” or “a total waste of time,” or even “just a fad.”

Just a fad? Perhaps, but it’s still a very popular fad.

eClean Magazine

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Here are some mind-blowing facts: Facebook is THE most popular site on the Internet, with 728 million people logging onto it every single day 874 million people actively view FB from their mobile devices, an increase of 45% since 2012.

Five new user profiles are created on Facebook every second.

More than 4 BILLION items are posted on FB every single day Facebook users generate more than 4.5 BILLION “likes” every day.

Most importantly, while FB has a ginormous audience, it is also a very targeted audience, with people in your area, sharing your interests, and in the market for your services.

Are some of those people your potential customers? You betcha – especially if you are selling to residential markets. And best of all, it’s free.

So, is Facebook a waste of time because it doesn’t work, because it’s a fad, or is it possibly because it’s not being utilized correctly?

Some real-life examples Heather Gaughan, Co-Owner of Two Girls and a Bucket Cleaning Service, Inc., in Binghamton, New York says they have spent the last three years building their business primarily through Facebook and client referrals. “We feel strongly that part of our success is due to the personal relationships we have been able to build with our clients.

Facebook has given our company a face and an everyday presence in our clients’ lives. They

We’ve got it for you.. and it’s Absolutely FREE! As one of the nation’s premiere residential pressure washing companies, our national clients know and trust our team of experts and want to work with us in other communities. We’re looking for professional, insured contractors across the nation to help. It’s still your business.

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330.819.6970

eClean Magazine or call

often comment about a tip we’ve posted or tell us they saw a humorous cartoon that made them think of us. That is what we want – for people to think of us – and Facebook is largely responsible for that.

Ray Burke of Spray Wash Hood Cleaning in Tallahassee, Florida said he’s gotten several jobs through Facebook. “My favorite part of social media jobs has been how easy the transactions have gone. Typically I haven’t even met (or verbally spoken) with the customer. It’s usually a FB inquiry, I look at a property, email a quote and getting a check in the mail.”

And we can’t forget Ed Pharris, who has taken his FB marketing and turned it into an artform. (See page 12 to learn more.)

That said, however, of the people who responded to my questions on social media, these experiences were more the exception than the norm.

Of course, Heather’s company does more with their page than most, posting several times a week, campaigning for likes, and regularly looking for items that they believe their fans will enjoy. That’s because to do FB right, you must work at it. It doesn’t have to be hard work or extremely time consuming, but effort must be made.

Aritt Davis of Aquatek Exterior Cleaning, LLC, in Hattiesburg started his pressure washing company last November and says he has grown faster and bigger than he ever dreamed possible at this early stage of his career. “Facebook has directly and indirectly generated well over half of my business so far,” he explained. “Facebook doesn’t do the work for you. It doesn’t get you the awesome before and after pictures to post. It doesn’t do the research and continuous and relentless amounts of studying, learning, networking, and conferencing that is required to set your business up for success. It’s a tool that I’m eClean Magazine

glad to have in my arsenal, but left to its own devices, it’s an empty canvas.”

S

Branding Your Page

peaking of an “empty canvas… .” The first thing people notice when they come to your Facebook business page is your cover photo – i.e., that big horizontal image that goes behind your profile pic. This is like a big billboard exclusively for your business, and it’s free. So why aren’t you using it?

When I searched through some random cleaning contractors on Facebook, what I saw was that many are not posting a cover photo at all. This is a huge mistake! Your cover photo, more than anything else, is what makes YOUR page unique. That cover photo should tell people who you are and what you do. It should also match your company’s branding.

There used to be rules about what you could and could not include in your cover photo,

Above is a good example of how to use a cover photo correctly, courtesy of Michael Goeller of Brightview Cleaning.

His cover includes a memorable image – with humor – a call to action, and contact information all in a nice, clean layout.

but those are no more. Now you can put your contact info, prices, and calls to action all on your cover photo. You can also make clickable links to your website (or whatever page you want to click to).

While you can just upload a photo for your cover photo slot, experts recommend building that cover photo to the ideal size – i.e., 815 x 315 pixels. Keep in mind that your profile photo hides the bottom left hand corner of your cover photo, so create your cover photo 11

How Facebook Has Worked for Me

by Ed Pharris, New Brite Pressure Washing Services, Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee

We have been on Facebook since June 6, 2011, and should have been there sooner. Sally, my wife, had been on FB a long time before I even looked at it. Then one night I asked Sally, “How do you search for things?”

I realized that if I can find things on Facebook, someone might be able me and my company as well. So I created a group.

In a group you can add people without asking. I added my friends – all 32 at the time.

But I came to not like groups for our use.

Instead, we started a business page. Over time it has evolved into what we have now.

The first year that our page was out there we got more work from Facebook than we did newspapers, signs or any other form of advertising. That’s still true today.

We post examples of our work – before and after pictures – and these alone draw some viewers. But, your page cannot be all about work. Over time, we’ve noticed when we post something on the personal side, we get more interest. So we post pictures of our grandkids, dogs, cats and horses. It’s a balance. You don’t want to go too deep on the personal side. Just enough to connect to your viewers.

Our page’s posts reflect us. I also like to post articles/comments by other cleaners Last summer, we also started a daily question. We hold a drawing every week and post a winner on Sunday. We give away weekly prizes to our drawing winners. Our questions vary and cover almost anything from a “what is this?” photo, to “what movie is this?” We try to pick feel-good questions that can be answered and also bring back some good memories.

These days, we try to set our questions up ahead of time using Facebook’s scheduler.

Before the scheduler, however, I was up every

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morning before 5:30 am posting it.

Our fans are our most important asset, and it has taken awhile to build them up. We’ve gained fans by posting in groups that are within 50 miles of us – including our before and after photos – as well as just flat out asking for them to join our page. We’ve offered a “like” for a “like.” We also link our Facebook page to our website, and our website back to our Facebook page.

Here are some things we’ve learned.

Share a little bit of yourself. You don’t need to post where you eat every meal, but if it’s a local restaurant that is popular let your members make a connection with you . (Just don’t overdo it.” If you have pets, share some pictures of them. You’ll be surprised how many will comment when they see a picture of a cute dog or cat.

Never delete comments, good or bad.

Good ones are great; bad ones you have to handle the right way.

Pay attention to your fans, whether they are customers of not. They are friends with someone who will need your help. That help turns into cash in your pocket.

Watch your tone. On your page, act like a responsible adult, not someone who has a chip on your shoulder. Your customers don’t have to use your services, but get them to want to.

Finally, be patient. Building a successful Facebook page takes some time. My advice is don’t give up on your page.

eClean Larry Millette of All Surface Pressure Cleaning inMagazine St. Petersburg, FL, was a recent New Brite cup winner.

with that in mind.

A lot of people just use their business card as their cover photo, and that’s ok. However, one common mistake is letting pertinent information hide behind their profile pic. A better option is to take that business card image and put a black frame all the way around it, or at least on the sides so that all of your important information can be seen.

Because cleaning is a visual industry, use photos! Whether it’s a dramatic before and after, a cleaning job on a well-known property in your area, or just a cool photo of someone cleaning, make it so that when someone comes to your Facebook page, they get a feel for what you do instantly.

You can also make a montage of images/text – just don’t overdo it. Facebook experts often recommend adding a photo of yourself and/or your crew, in uniform. For one, it helps viewers feel more connected to your company. Also, it gives them a sense of “what” (i.e., who) to expect when they hire you and your team.

that number. “We just shared our business page on our personal pages. I shared on my husband’s page, my sister shared it, and we just said we were trying to reach 200 likes, asking if everyone could help. We went from around 120 to 200 in just a couple of hours.

Since then, we haven’t really worked at adding to our like count. I believe we’re just shy of 300 now, so maybe it’s time to push for a few more!”

Growing a Profitable Fan Base

With that said, what you really want, of course, is a group of fans who care about your product or service. But getting them there is easier said than done. So here are a few tips to get you there.

Some people build Facebook business pages simply because it’s what you’re supposed to do. Some do it primarily as a boost for their SEO. But what you really should be aiming for is building your page in order to attract more customers and make more money. And the best way to do that is to build a quality fan base.

When you build quality fans – i.e., those who are really interested in what you have to offer – you are way more likely to turn those fans into paying customers. That’s not to say you shouldn’t reach out to your Aunt Martha, your old high school friends who’ve moved away, or other contract cleaners who live across the country. Having a lot of fans is beneficial from both the way in which Facebook chooses to show your posts, as well as simply making your company look more legit.

“My fans initially came from my ‘friends’ list on my personal page, but have grown to include friends of friends and other contractors, as well as a few I picked up on the ‘buy, sell and trade’ pages in my area,” said Davis.

Gaughan said that when they wanted to reach 200 likes, they actively tried to get reach eClean Magazine

Another way to get fans is to become part of groups. “For me, joining groups has been key.

I joined a business networking type Facebook group that I’ve landed a few jobs through. I actually got a lead for gutter cleaning through that group and just put a bid in for a large apartment complex,” said Tim Wagner of Wagner Window Service in Upton, Mass. “I’m also part of a town moms and dads group that I’ve landed some work through. I don’t get huge amounts of work but it’s certainly worth having an account, considering it’s free.”

Turning Fans into Customers

Remember, people are on Facebook to be entertained, NOT SOLD. So, if you are only posting about your company – i.e., “Call XYZ Cleaning for a free estimate on having your house washed,” you’re not going to be very successful with Facebook. In fact, your page’s “fans” will get annoyed and start blocking you.

That’s not to say that you can’t post about your company ever, but it shouldn’t be all the time. Facebook experts said you should have at least a 4:1 ratio when it comes to posting – i.e., four non-sales posts for every one promoting your business.

“Initially, we started the page to build our client base. We didn’t offer tips or funny items. We just promoted the business,” said Gaughan. “Over time, we have tried to balance our desire to grow the business with information people would find helpful even if they aren’t interested in our services. They 13

might know someone who is interested in our services. We want to be that company they remember because of something that stuck in their mind from our Facebook page.”

“I find the secret to social media, especially Facebook, is to be extremely active on it,” added Burke. “Put up a lot of cute, charming, witty posts, but also continually remind everyone who you are and what you do.”

Post things that your audience will like, not necessarily that YOU like. This is an extreme, but true example of what not to do with your Facebook page. There was a window cleaning company on Facebook that regularly posted photos of half-naked sexy girls on his window cleaning page. If I am Mrs. Homeowner looking for a window cleaner to clean my home’s windows, am I going to feel safe having this guy at my house?

Absolutely not.

Again, most professional companies are going to recognize this. However, what I do see are a lot of cleaning company owners posting

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things that badmouth the President, or use cuss words, etc. I’m not saying you can’t do this, but I would suggest that if you do, put it on your personal Facebook page, do not become your customer’s “friends” (unless you

Remember, humorous photos almost always get attention, plus a lot of “likes” and “shares.” Animals are generally a big hit. And, if you clean residential, a large number of your customers are female, so be sure to play up to their interests and experiences, such as with the image below.

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know they will not be offended), and set your page up so that only your FB “friends” can see what you post. NEVER post things like this on your business page unless you don’t mind ticking off potential customers.

With a little research, you can find out your audience’s interests and play to those.

Facebook has a really cool feature that I just learned about. At the top of the Facebook screen where the “search” bar is, you can type a few different things that will give you insight into your fan base. Examples: “Interests of fans of eClean Magazine,” or “Pages liked by fans of eClean Magazine.” This helps you look for trends and get ideas of what to post on your site. Even better, you can also type in the same information, only this time instead of your company’s name, use your competitor’s company name.

Likes, shares and comments will help your fan base grow. Studies show that simply asking someone to “like” or “comment” on a post increases likes and comments by around 30 percent. Asking for “shares” increases shares by 70%. Facebook rewards likes, shares and comments, and shares also let others who aren’t familiar with you see who you are. However, you now have to be cautious.

Facebook has just started cracking down on and penalizing “like-baiting,’ i.e., posts that This example is not only humorous and relatable, it actually asks for shares in the image itself. Asking for likes, comments and shares is important, but try to come up with subtle ways to do it (e.g., “share if you agree.” ).

eClean Magazine

explicitly ask for likes. You can still do it, but save it for posts that are really worthy of the request. Try to ask for the like in a saavy way as well rather than just a blatant “please like our post.”

Similarly, ask your customers for testimonials (either written or videotaped), then put them on your Facebook page and tag your customers in the post. That way it shows up on your page and their page.

“We have had clients post rave reviews of us on their neighborhood Facebook page and this has landed us numerous jobs,” explained Matthew Adwell of Adwell’s Services, Annapolis, Maryland. “While these posts were unsolicited, I now look for good situations to suggest this to a client, particularly when they are in a community that I would like to develop a clientele in. It just takes finding the right customer. Most homeowners can’t wait to share info on a good service with their neighbors. I find it much better than anything I could do.”

Post regularly. What does “regularly” mean?

Ideally, every day – or at least 5 days a week – is good. But at least post once or twice a week.

Not everyone is going to see your every post, and if you follow the ideas in this article, people should not get tired of your posts.

Does posting that often mean you are going to have to spend hours upon hours trying to come up with ideas? It shouldn’t, especially once you get the hang of it.

“We just post things as we think of them or if we see something funny that would be appropriate to share on our page,” said Gaughan. “We spend maybe 10 minutes a day working on our Facebook page. It’s the easiest and most stress free thing we do!”

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Keep your eyes out for things you can share. Subscribe to newsletters on topics your customers might like (e.g., household tips).

Any time you see a photo, idea, quote, article, etc., to include on your Facebook business page, put it into an idea folder so it’s there to grab when you’re ready to post. Or, if you’re feeling organized, use Facebook’s scheduler or a product like Hootsuite and schedule your posts ahead of time. Spend one hour scheduling 10 posts and you’ve got two weeks out of the way.

I have found that if I take my eClean posts and share them on my personal page, as well as sometimes in industry-related groups, Facebook lets more people see my eClean post. Again, it’s because Facebook LOVES shares. Plus you’re getting that business post out to an audience beyond your business page’s fan base.

So what SHOULD you post?

You want engagement (i.e., likes, shares and comments). You want to stand out from the rest of the FB “noise,” and you want people to remember you. So here are a few ideas: • Ask questions.

• Host Contests.

• Give away prizes. My kids’ dental office had a brilliant idea. At the desk where you check in, there is a “treasure box” full of dentist-approved goodies, like sugar-free gum and mints. For my kids to get a prize, I had to take a photo of them, post it on my Facebook page stating where we were, then share it on the dentists’ business page.

I’m not saying you have to carry a treasure chest with you to every home you clean – although you could – but a simple, inexpensive giveaway – like a company coffee cup or t-shirt similar to what Ed Pharris gives away (see page 12) – could do wonders for your Facebook page.

Or enter participants in a drawing for a bigger prize.

• Find humorous photos. Humor is great as long as it appeals to your audience, and there are tons of humorous photos and videos posted on Facebook. The more relatable, the better. I would just suggest keeping it clean.

I had to include at least one picture of my dog, Puggles. I posted this photo and another similar one a few months ago. The result: 68 likes, 23 comments, 3 shares. Animal pictures work!

• Tips and tricks. If you are targeting residential customers, then any kind of cleaning, gardening or organizing tip is probably a smart idea.

• Quotes are always good. While some say quotes that are used in photographs do better, I’ve personally found that if I quote something from a book I like (and lately I’ve been posting a lot of things from John C. Maxwell’s books/ newsletters on leadership), they usually get really good responses.

• Links to articles that you think they might enjoy.

• Thank you’s to your customers. This is a good one. Use a photo of their cleaned home or a video testimonial from them then TAG them so it shows on their Facebook page. Instant, free publicity without a blatant sales pitch.

• Photos of you, your crew, your family and, yes, even your pets. OK, the last part sounds silly, but I’m serious. You want your fans to get a taste of who you are, and the more candid you can be – while still presenting a professional image – the more they will feel like they know you. And people are more comfortable doing business with people they know.

And with that, we’ve come full circle. Yes, Facebook is a good place to see lots of photos of cats. But if they are YOUR cats presented in a smart way, this can be a good thing. It can actually get you more business.

For more tips on using Facebook and other social media, be sure to like our Facebook page, where we will be sharing tips all month long.

e nviro s pec Burner Students receive a

BURNER DIAGNOSTIC CENTER valued at $150.00

CLASSES START AT $25.00

As you can see - we are not doing this to get rich. We are doing it because for over 40 years we have watched while over 85% of the industry goes out of business each year simply because they have to rely on pressure washer distributors to fix their equipment or lack basic marketing and chemical application skills.

So - you can join the mobile washers ‘bone-yard’ in a year or two or you can get serious about your trade.

When you take our course you will be 10 years ahead of your closest competitor! It is not uncommon for a student to say something like... “I have learned more in the last 4-hours that I have in the last 15 years of washing.”

If you would like to attend one of our schools please...

Contact: Heather Galvin heather@envirospec.com

Professional Development:

Systems Certification School Just the other day while I was at McDonalds I ran across the son of an old friend. We sat down in a booth and began to talk about the ‘good old days’ when he was in high school. We also talked about his college life and the business degree that he earned the previous year from the University of Georgia. I really wanted to talk more but our conversation was interrupted when the manager came over and told my young friend that his break was over and they really needed him back on the grill.

Just think - you have chosen a profession that with a little luck, some hard work and a little knowledge you can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars and the most you may ever have to spend on your degree is a few hundred dollars.

EVERY 3rd THURSDAY & FRIDAY of each month starting April 2014 Number of Seats Available: 8 (reserve early) Location: Jekyll Island, GA Food paid: YES - Lunch Instructors: John Allison and Dan Galvin of EnviroSpec and Greg Dupree with Kohler Engines.

These classes have been designed to help you master your profession and to enjoy it as well. We will teach you to judge situations correctly and be able to react accordingly.

Upon completion of these Academy courses you will be 10 years ahead of your closest competitor.

Back in the early 1980’s EnviroSpec was the first to hold a systems certification school. Today we are still recognized by professionals as their first choice when it comes to education. Our students have always prospered!

THURSDAY’S CLASS ITINERARY: EQUIPMENT The class will begin when the students remove a 19hp Kohler EFI engine from it’s shipping container and mounting it on an Allison Warhorse Frame.

Next the class will install a dual-bearing gear/transmission drive on the pump. They will then install the pump on the engine. From here the class will be assembling all the components that make up the pressure washer while John Allison explains how each component works. He will also be explaining to the class how to adjust, troubleshoot and ‘field’ service each component.

FRIDAY’S CLASS ITINERARY: BURNERS This is the class that everyone who owns a hot water pressure washer has been begging for. When you leave not only will you know burners inside and out but you will also take home with you a burner diagnostic system that you can install on your system so you will be able to diagnose problems in 3 seconds rather that 2 hours.

ht t p : / / env iros p e c. c o m/S ch o o l 1 4. h tm

Introducing Pro-Posal: Creating Professional Bids with the Touch of a Button

by Allison Hester

J

a reminder system to help me follow up on ust last week, David Carroll of Lion’s the bid after it was submitted. And I needed Share Maintenance signed a quartersomething to help me save time whenever I million-dollar contract, and he won it made a sales call,” he explained.

– at least in part – by using his new bidding So Carroll hired a local software developer software program called Pro-Posal. “I feel to create a program that would streamline the absolutely certain that my bid looked more process for his business. The result was Proprofessional than anything else the client Posal, a new cloud-based software program received, and I was able to essentially put it that allows service-based companies of all sizes together with a couple of clicks of a button,” he to instantly create custom, professional looking explained. “It’s that simple.” bid packages.

Since starting his cleaning business five “Pro-Posal has given me the most valuable years ago, Carroll has used several industrything I could ever ask for in my business,” he specific programs for email management, explained. “It has given me time.” What used scheduling, invoicing, and so on, but was not to take around 45 minutes per bid now takes happy with the options available for creating Carroll approximately three minutes, and it actual bids. “There really wasn’t anything out can be done directly in the field. “Now I can there that could help me create proposals in a spend more time on sales – actually looking for fast, easy, and professional-looking manner,” work – and significantly less time trying to put he explained. “And I wanted something that bid packages together.” would let me do it from the field.”

How It Works So this was Carroll’s bidding process. See if ith Pro-Posal, any time you see a it sounds familiar: residential or a commercial property 1. You get a phone call requesting a bid. that looks like it could use your 2. You drive to the jobsite. services, you can easily generate a custom, 3. You take measurements, photos, notes professional quote in seconds. “Instead of and anything else needed to complete the bid. having to head back to the office and put 4. You drive back to the office. together a quote the old-fashioned way, Pro5. You dig out an old bid that was put Posal allows you to easily create a professionaltogether in Microsoft Word. looking, customized quote with pricing, photos, 6. You delete the old bid’s information, then customer testimonials, proof of insurance, and type in the new information. any other information you wish to include.”

7. You add photos, notes, etc., to the bid Pro-Posal also works from any smart phone, 8. You email the bid. tablet or laptop, which lets you complete and 9. You try to remember to follow up once. send proposals from the field. “Now you can 10. You forget to follow up after that. unleash your sales force anytime, anywhere.

The bid process – not counting driving to That’s what taking your business to the next and from the property – took nearly an hour level is all about,” he explained. for each estimate. It also required keeping When creating Pro-Posal, Carroll wanted up with tons of notes and several sheets of something that was streamlined and very easy paper. “I needed something to expedite the to use. Here’s basically how it works: 45-minute process of creating one bid. I needed 18 eClean Magazine

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Your bid package is now completed. You can preview it to make sure everything is correct, then send it immediately. You now have created a customized, professional quote in less than five minutes, and it looks better than anything else out there on the market,” he explained.

As for follow up, Pro-Posal has a built-in calendar that automatically schedules a followup email for seven days after the original email is sent. (You can adjust that time period.) When you log onto Pro-Posal that day – and Carroll recommends logging in each morning, just as you would your email, etc. – a reminder will pop up. “It’s right there in your face so you can’t ignore it. All it takes is a click of a button and the follow up email is sent.” And you can also use the calendar to schedule additional reminders as well.

Does Pro-Posal Really Work? es! At least it has for Brian Crowder of BC Window Cleaning. “Just the other night I got home from work at five, played with my girls, and had to be somewhere at seven that evening. After eating dinner and showering, I went downstairs and completed two proposals in about five minutes. The next day, both customers agreed for a total of $2,300. Pretty easy if you ask me.” Crowder adds that he signed up for the 15-day trial in late January, during which time he got a $1,300 project using Pro-Posal, and it was “in the dead of winter.” So far, Crowder has landed about $5,000 in work using Pro-Posal. “It has more than paid for itself.”

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And Crowder’s story has been echoed by many, many others who’ve tried the new product since its introduction earlier this year.

In addition to helping contractors win jobs, those who have tried it also like many of the program’s features. “Pro-Posal has given me a great reason to get potential customers’ email addresses,” explained Joseph Scinta of Clear Vision Window Cleaning. “I also love how it keeps all of your past proposals where you can easily re-send them with just a couple of clicks.” Scinta, who has been using Pro-Posal for residential bids, adds that he won the very first few Pro-Posals he sent out. “And it’s not even my busy season yet.”

“What I like best about Pr-Posal is the ease of use,” added Crowder. “You can quickly enter all the information needed. Next you can very quickly attach before and after pictures, insurance, an FAQ page or whatever you think the client may appreciate and that might help you close the job. The program also provides great reminders. You control everything. You don’t have to adjust things at all.”

“If Pro-Posal was a person, it would be one of my top salesmen,” adds Derrick Smallwood of Sqeaky Clean in Mena, Arkansas.

“Organized. Follows up with customers. Clean cut. Always prepared. Top of the class.” He also mentioned that he recently spent two minutes on a proposal and won a $315 job shortly after submitting the bid.

So how much does Pro-Posal cost?

“The way I look at it, it’s essentially free. If you always make money using it how can you not use it?” asked Smallwood.

Actually, ProPosal is not quite free, but it is surprisingly affordable. The cost is $29.95 a month, or $299.95 a year – and those I interviewed said they’ve won enough work in the first month of using it to more than pay for the annual fee.

“The stats as of right now show over a 65 19

percent close rate using Pro-Posal,” explained Carroll, who also pointed out that most pressure washing jobs average a price of at least $100 an hour. “If we can help you land one job, all you need to do is work three hours and you’ve paid for the entire year.”

Pro-Posal also offers a 15-day trial period available with a complimentary account set up.

“Use the 15 day trial to send as many bids as you want,” explained Carroll. “We don’t offer tier pricing, so the trial offers the full capabilities of what we have to offer.”

The Lounge hile the free trial gives users access to the full capabilities of Pro-Posal, paid subscribers do get quite a bonus. In addition to the software program itself, those who subscribe to Pro-Posal are also allowed to enter into the members-only area referred to as “the lounge.”

The lounge is an area designed to “provide insights on how to get you in the door when bidding different properties,” Carroll said. The lounge is filled with sales tools and currently features over 40 sample sales documents, including email templates, scope of work attachments, and a variety of other resources.

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The lounge also features a number of proven, pre-designed templates for postcards, magnets, and other marketing resources that can be customized for individual companies.

Beyond these tools, Pro-Prosal members also get access to a weekly webinar, or “video check-in,” where members can talk sales with Carroll. “I really enjoy talking sales, and it’s an area that people struggle with. This is a great way for me to reach out and help industry members, as well as learn what’s working for others.”

Finally, Carroll also invites members to email him any bid they may have questions on or doubts about. “I am more than happy to give our subscribers a second opinion,” he explained.

“Dave is going to not only supply software to do the estimates, but he’s giving all members a blueprint of how to find and get in front of property managers and decision makers,” explained Justin Monk. “In my opinion, ProPosal is way underpriced...but don’t tell Dave.”

To learn more about Pro-Posal or to sign up for the free trial, visit their website at www.

ClosetheJob.com.

eClean Magazine

IWCA Can Now Bring Its Safety Training to You In an industry where one error can potentially be fatal, it is important that you and your staff have the most up-to-date training possible.

This is why the International Window Cleaning Association’s (IWCA) Safety Training is so important. By investing one day, you and your staff members can experience hands-on safety training taught by experts in the field.

And now, IWCA safety training is easier to obtain than ever! The IWCA recently announced that now their safety training can come directly to you.

Whether you have a large window cleaning company, a franchise, or several small-tomidsized companies that want to host a training session together, the IWCA safety training can now be brought to your area, or even at your location.

From extension poles and ladders, to aerial man-lifts, high rise equipment and fall protection; all safety aspects are covered. The IWCA Window Cleaner Safety Training Program is not just about one method of window cleaning or one piece of access equipment. It’s about giving you the knowledge and expertise to learn how to think safely and plan ahead for any type of window cleaning you may perform and it covers the most popular types of access equipment being used today.

Specifically, during the 5-hour course, participants will learn: • The importance of creating and using a job site evaluation, which includes all the information needed for job site hazard identification.

• How to use the assessment data to develop a written work site plan, which contains work eClean Magazine

around instructions for all the safety hazards you’ve identified. Sample work plans are provided and discussed in detail.

• The importance of company-wide communication of site hazards.

• The need for holding regularly-scheduled safety meetings • What valuable resources can be used to provide the most up-to-date information to your employees.

• The most recognizable safety hazards, as well as many that most people just don’t know.

All the above curriculum can be provided in a classroom style presentation-only featuring Power Points and demonstrations using your company’s equipment. Full program workbooks are provided and attendees will receive an official certificate of attendanceThis safety training is one of a kind and the only place a professional window cleaner can receive the latest and greatest safety education is during an IWCA safety and training program.

Prices and availability can be acquired by contacting the IWCA Executive Director Mark Bennett at 800-875-4922 x3187 or mbennett@ offinger.com.

Additional Safety Training Opportunities: May 3: IWCA Hands-On Safety Training in Carson, CA. May 8: SAIA Competent Person TrainingSuspended Scaffold, Peabody, MA. Nov. 8: IWCA Hands-On Safety Training in Orlando, FL (in conjunction with ISSA) 21

Window Glass Restoration: A Global Opportunity

by Henry Grover, Vision Glass Detailer

If

you drive down any highway system but the overall cost will be close to what a on a sunny day, you will notice the simple window cleaning would be. glass on some multi-story buildings The windows are cleared this way year after is actually quite wavy. Look for buildings that year. Each time just a little more of the glass is have the glass flush with the concrete façade. taken away! Ultimately, the building becomes Acid rain (which is a worldwide problem) wavy. literally reaches deep into the pores of the This effect might happen the very first concrete leaching out various silicates. Loaded time due to various circumstances. Acids can with these minerals, the rain runs down over also turn many plates a milky white. Either the glass leaving behind mineral deposits as it way, glass etchants always create surfaces dries in the hot sun, which are chemically very that tenaciously hold onto new spots with a similar to glass. Such deposits become locked vengeance. into the micropores of the window glass. These Acids can very easily degrade the physical hard water spots go all the way to the top of integrity of reflective first surface pyrolytic multistory buildings. coatings, creating a situation where the coating Can you imagine 44 floors of windows totally can be stripped off in patches the next time the covered by stains? One building can easily acid is used. Even polishing compounds can cost $50 thousand to professionally restore, strip off acid damaged reflective coatings. whereas a simple window cleaning might only The use of certain acids on pyrolytics cost one to two thousand dollars. create another problem. That is, if there were In order to sell the restoration job, a any scratches left behind from a previous company must be able to guarantee that the ‘restoration’, these can and usually are covered stains will not return. This can be difficult, if over with new deposits. not impossible, for most. For this reason, along Second time around the acid will remove with the expense of professional restoration, such deposits, and at the same time greatly cleaning contractors along with building accentuate the old scratches, which now will owners opt in favor of doing what is called an stand out really bad in the bright sunlight acid wash. No guarantee. Stains will return, from the inside looking out. This effect can be 22 eClean Magazine

totally missed from the outside looking in.

Considering all things, why would anyone want to use acids? Simply, that they work almost every time, and they do it at a price very close to what it would cost to just run a squeegee. This satisfies the cleaning contractor and the building owner. The problems explained herein are usually unkown.

Hard water stains can also be left from sprinkler systems carrying ground water.

Ground water is also loaded with silicates due to acid rain.

The burning of hydrocarbon fuels releases certain gases into the air that react with rain making it very acidic. As rain seeps down into the ground, it reacts with the minerals there.

Breaking them up and bringing them into the ground water systems, which are used to water lawns and clean vehicles. Sprinkler heads are put too close to the windows. As a result windows become covered with hard water spots.

When buses are cleaned and rinsed with ground water, they collect spots. I haven’t found a travel bus yet that didn’t have hard water spots all over the front, side, and rear windows.

Other than the use of acids, how do some people remove hard water stains from their windows and vehicles? The green solution involves the use of polishing slurries such as cerium oxide. Unfortunately, the correct technique is often times missed.

To cover many square feet in very little time, large rotary felt wheels are used. They are dampened and the edge of the pad is loaded with just the right amount of dry cerium from a box. Then the pad is used to rip into the glass edge on. This will remove the stains very fast but also leaves zillions of microscopic scratches which show up in the direct sun as an abrasion haze.

There are, however, some very good commercial systems that use wet slurries, and bonded superabrasives. Most use rotary motors that run polishing disks.

Some effort is put into eliminating what is called the “bobbing effect.” This is difficult to do since the wheel wants to grab on one side.

To completely eliminate the bobbing effect, eClean Magazine

maximize efficiency, and minimize abrasion haze, it is necessary to keep the polishing pad completely flat on the glass at all times.

This can be done by putting a universal joint between the drive shaft of the rotary motor and the polishing disk.

I use a six-inch aluminum disk that I have cut six large holes in around the center. I also use a six-inch hard felt ring instead of a circular pad. These two alterations move most of the weight to the outer edge giving the polishing wheel gyroscopic properties.

A fail safe collar keeps the potential angle of the drive shaft at about 12 degrees. The key to a truly efficient polishing system for engineering precision surfaces involves the correct matching of machinery to superabrasive technology. Professional window glass restoration is not an acid wash. The next article will focus on selling professional glass restoration.

Henry Grover Jr. specializes in product development for companies that perform glass restoration. He also writes an online newsletter called the Vision Glass Detailer (VGD), which is available free for the asking at henrygroverjr@ gmail.com

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PWNA Announces Appointment of Robert Hinderliter as Environmental Advocate The Power Washers of North America (PWNA) is pleased to announce that Robert Hinderliter has been selected to fill the position of the association’s Environmental Advocate (EA). The EA plays a vital role in overseeing the PWNA environmental certification program as well as the PWNA’s training workshops and seminars.

Ty Eubanks, PWNA Board Member, recognized Hinderliter as the best choice to fill the new position. “Robert has been selected due to his unprecedented positive influence and impact on our industry,” Eubanks explained.

“A company’s success is not only defined by its size and profitability, but by the manner in which it conducts business and how it is perceived in the community it serves,” added Eubanks. “Understanding and implementing environmental regulatory Best Management Practices (BMPs) is a vital component of being a responsible contractor.”

Hinderliter has been involved with the power washing industry for the past 40 years, and has held various roles as as contractor, distributor, manufacturer, supplier and environmental expert. He has also had a tremendous impact on wastewater reclamation guidelines, working with various governmental agencies to develop responsible and reasonable practices for pressure washers across the country. His efforts have proven to bridge the relationship between contractors and government to serve the interest of PWNA members, the pressure washing industry and the environment.

Hinderliter will stay abreast of the many

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complex compliance codes across the country, which vary by state and municipalities. As the new Environmental Advocate, he will be responsible for updating members on changes in regulations and designing PWNA’s training and workshops to include regulatory updates and required changes in procedures and methodology. Members will have a direct connection to Hinderliter through the new PWNA Environmental Advocate webpage on the association’s new website, as well as in the new quarterly PWNA newsletter. As Environmental Advocate, he will offer members a resource by providing the necessary support to avoid potential costly violations.

Eubanks said he is confident the PWNA can strengthen its certification program and training by utilizing Hinderliter’s expertise and passion. “Robert is driven by his enthusiasm for empowering contractors to confidently provide customers a compliant cleaning option.” He added that Hinderliter’s commitment to the creation, education and implementation of BMPs has brought credibility to the power washing industry.

Since its inception, the (PWNA) has been committed to regulatory compliance and educating its members on best practices to protect the environment. While power washing plays an imperative role in making properties cleaner, safer and healthier, power washing discharge can have an adverse impact on the environment if not performed according to local, state and federal regulations.

The PWNA believes it’s important for professional power washers to be made aware of the proper methods for preventing illicit runoff from entering the storm drains and, in some cases, the sanitary sewer system.

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It’s simply a vital component of owning and operating a successful, responsible power washing company. The PWNA recognizes that appointing a member in the role of Environmental Advocate will solidify its commitment to educating members and its dedication to the protection of the environment.

The Environmental Advocate’s Role The Environmental Advocate will serve as a representative for the PWNA in any and all environmental issues. As such, activities may include, but aren’t limited to the following: • Keeping PWNA BMPs up to date, taking new regulatory changes into account • Representing the PWNA in assisting federal, state and local governments develop or amend regulations concerning the methodology and practices used for power washing activities.

• Posting resources for Authorized H Jurisdictions to use as guides for developing BMPs. • Providing contractors with plans for developing inexpensive, do-it-yourself reclaim equipment.

• Speaking at relevant events such as trade groups, environmental groups, and AHJs meetings.

• Publishing seminars on BMPs. • Creating short videos on how to operate different environmental cleaning power washing accessories.

Four Pillars of PWNA The PWNA’s mission is founded upon four pillars – Education, Certification, Networking, and representing a United Voice in the industry – which, together, provide a foundation of sustainability. The addition of the Environmental Advocate falls under the education pillar; the new position will give members the necessary resources to clearly understand the environmental requirements for compliance. The EA also provides the PWNA with a united voice for facing environmental issues together and helping ensure united representation on behalf of the PWNA membership.

To learn more about the Power Washers of North America, visit their new website: www.PWNA.org. eClean Magazine

PWNA Certification Courses, May 2-3, Indianapolis, IN

The PWNA will host four certification courses May 2-3 at the Central Indiana Double Tree Hotel Courses and costs are: • House Washing - $149 • Roof Cleaning - $149 • Wood Restoration - $395 • Fleet Washing - $249 A $99 discount will be given to those who take 3 courses and a $149 discount for those taking all four classes. Attendees must be PWNA members to receive certification. The PWNA has negotiated a discounted hotel rate of $139.99 a night. To learn more, email Jackie at info@pwna.org

BMP Workshop for Orange County, CA

Orange County, California will be cohosting a workshop to be held near the end of June, 2014. Robert Hinderliter, PWNA Environmental Advocate, has coordinated with local municipalities to develop a workshop curriculum that will cover applicable BMPs for the Orange County area.

The workshop will be held as a cooperative effort between Orange County, CA, and the PWNA. Ty Eubanks, PWNA BOD whose business is in Orange County, has spearheaded the cooperative effort between Orange County, CA and PWNA.

New Members

• Lindon Balan, TBA • Annie D. Garcia, ADJ Services, Inc. • Dave Garcia, Prime Cleaning Services • Steve Hagar, Hagar Insurance • Grant Kehler, CK Mobile Pressure-Washing • Luis Orts, Revitalize Pressure Washing • Jerry Rhodes, RPM LLC • Roy Thomassaian, Window Works Window

Cleaning • Hugh Wessan, Hines Industrial Site Services Group

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PWNA Vendor Profile

Nestled in the American heartland, in the small town of Elk Point, SD – population around 2,000 – is a 130,000 square foot facility that serves as home to Steel Eagle (SE). Founded in 1993 by Pat Wingen, Steel Eagle has become a leading pressure washing accessory manufacturer and is known for its quality products and top-rated customer service.

“Our business is all about the customer,” stressed Sales Director Todd Bradshaw. “It doesn’t matter if they are buying a $10 part or a $60k diesel rig, we appreciate and treat everyone with the utmost respect.”

Specifically, Steel Eagle specializes in hose reels, surface cleaners, undercarriage cleaners and vaccum recovery systems. All of their products focus on using on the best quality components available and being designed as some of the most ergonomically friendly products within the industry.

Part of the reason Steel Eagle offers such high quality products is because they house some of the best manufacturing equipment available.

This includes items such as laser tables, a tube laser, a mandrel bender, presses and brakes, milling machines and an in-house powder coating facility.

Over the years, Steel Eagle’s products have undergone a number of changes. In 1993, for example, Steel Eagle only had the one patented, adjustable height surface cleaner. Now, they offer many models that range in deck size and 26

by Allison Hester

many different handle configurations.

Today, Steel Eagles’ surface cleaners can be used for typical surface cleaning or for reclamation with certain clean and capture models, which utilize vacuum systems for reclamation. Steel Eagle is the only company to utilize spun aluminum surface cleaner decks. “This allows our product to weigh less than some competitor’s models and allows for great corrosion prevention,” Bradshaw explained.

Steel Eagle has also expanded its vacuum lineup from just a single model of the early days, all the way up to complete, all-in-one diesel systems. “And, even though we have been copied, we were the first to introduce our production version of a compact vacuum system for reclamation,” Bradshaw added.

Steel Eagle was one of the first to introduce stainless hose reels to the pressure washing industry. SE’s hose reels can be used for standard pressure washing applications, low pressure applications, garden hose storage, fire industry applications and even vacuum hose storage.

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The most recent additions to the Steel Eagle line are its undercarriage cleaners (UCs).

Steel Eagle is only one of two companies that currently manufactures professional undercarriage cleaners.

(See the article on page 31 for more on about uses for the UCs.) The Bottom Feeder™ line was designed and developed in 2006; Steel Eagle acquired the Bottom Feeder™ line in 2009, along with the patents and trademarks.

“There have been several companies that have tried competing in the undercarriage cleaning market, but Steel Eagle still stands strong and provides a model with unique features,” adds Bradshaw.

Working with the PWNA Again, Steel Eagle strongly believes in building customer relationships, and one of the best ways they’ve found to do that is by working

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through organizations such as the Power Washers of North America (PWNA).

Steel Eagle recognizes that networking and building relationships with is essential to providing them with the best possible service and products. That not only includes existing products, but also new ideas gained in talking with contractors at events such as the PWNA national convention. Because contractors are in the field, they see what is necessary to make the job more efficient. Bradshaw stressed that Steel Eagle always listens to feedback and uses it to try to improve existing products, or even create new ones.

Most of all, Steel Eagle is appreciative of the relationships they’ve formed through PWNA members and other end users. “I say ‘relationship’ because that’s how we are. We want to develop those relationships with each client.”

To learn more about Steel Eagle and their products, visit their website: www.SteelEagle. com

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How Well Are YOU LinkedIn?

How to Maximize Your Profile and Make Connections

by Allison Hester

If

you are a cleaning company that focuses representing more than 5 million businesses on commercial clients, how are you actively • More than 25 million LinkedIn profiles are building your referral network? According viewed every day to Constant Contact, 82% of small business • LinkedIn adds over 172,800 new owners have said that their main source of new members each day, and is growing two times business comes from referrals. One of the best faster than Facebook or Twitter places to make new commercial contacts is • More than 80% of those on LinkedIn are Linkedin, and you can do it for free. key decision makers in their businesses What Facebook is for residential, Linkedin is • 77% of these users are age 25 and over for commercial – and maybe more. If you own • The average income of Linkedin users is a cleaning company, you need to at least have $83,000 your profile optimized on LinkedIn because • 1 out of every 3 business professionals is it ranks high on Google. (More on that in a on LinkedIn moment.) If you sell to commercial clients, you People are on LinkedIn to build business need to not only have an optimized profile, you relationships and network. That means they need to be working it on LinkedIn. are there looking for connections that they According to a Hubspot Survey, out of want to do business with.

3,128 B2B customers, Linkedin’s visitorto-lead conversion rate is four times higher Your LinkedIn Profile than Twitter and seven times higher than Having a well-thought-out, optimized Facebook’s.

LinkedIn profile is important, and not just for Here are some other staggering 2013 use on LinkedIn. If a potential client searches statistics about Linkedin: for your name in Google, your LinkedIn profile • Linkedin is the number one B2B site is going to be one of the top ranked items • LinkedIn has more than 277 million users they will see. You have about 30 seconds from 28 eClean Magazine

the time they click on your link to wow them.

Without the right information, they’re going to move on.

Here’s how to optimize your profile.

• Figure out your keywords. What words are potential clients using if they’re looking for a professional cleaning contractor? Window Cleaning? Building maintenance? Fleet Washing? Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning?

• Use those keywords in your title, your headline, and in your past experiences (if you can work them in). One very common mistake is to use terms like “Owner” or “Manager,” then your company name – especially if your company name doesn’t tell what you do. So figure out words that explain what you do.

Also, if you’re targeting a particular geographic area, include that as well. For example, Little Rock Fleet Washing Company Owner. To get it into your past experiences, you can type something like “before I was a Little Rock-based fleet washing company owner… .”

You can also do something like “Professional Pressure Washing Business Owner, specializing in commercial properties, building washing, parking lots, gum removal…” and so on.

• Maximize your summary. Instead of focusing on what you do, focus on the client’s needs and how you can take care of those needs. “Here’s how I can make your property more attractive, safer and healthier for your customers.”

Write as much information about what you do as you can think of, and sneak those key words in a little bit. (Don’t overstuff though.)

You can also do some unique things like include a video in your profile.

• Write in first person. Instead of “Joe Blow is a professional window cleaning business owner specializing in …” it should be, “I am a professional window cleaning business owner.”

• Keep your content professional.

LinkedIn, in many way, is the opposite of Facebook. Here you keep it professional. You’re talking business. No cat pictures.

• Use a quality profile picture. Some experts recommend having a professional headshot made for your LinkedIn profile. While that may not be necessary, Linkedin is not the place to put a photo of your dog or your kids or eClean Magazine

your favorite quote as your profile picture. Put a decent photo of your face. Period.

• Add a specific call to action. Whether you want them to call you or to visit your website, be sure you include what their next step should be.

• Look for ways to make your profile stand out. One idea that will likely help you stand out from your competitors is to include one of your YouTube videos directly on your profile.

You can test changes you make immediately. After you make your profile changes, search in LinkedIn for the words you are targeting and see where your profile shows up. If it’s not where you want it, tweak your profile then search again.

Even if you don’t take your LinkedIn account beyond your profile, you have done your business a service by optimizing your Linkedin page.

Making Connections Your primary purpose for using LinkedIn is to connect with potential customers. There are also groups – including cleaning groups – that are good for networking and exchanging ideas with other industry professionals .

Start by connecting with people you already know, even if you won’t doing business with them. LinkedIn only makes it easy for you to connect with people you already know, and with what they call second level connections – i.e.., your connections’ connections. So you need to connect with everyone you know, then from there your connection list can grow.

Ideally, for LinkedIn to get you business, you need to focus on making connections with key decisionmakers of companies that can use your services. So search for those. Realtors.

Property Managers. Restaurant Owners. And so on. Try to find shared connections. (As your connections grow, this will get easier.)

Another really good way to make connections is to join groups that are of interest to you, and are of interest to your target connections. You are only allowed to 29

join 50 groups. That sounds like a lot, but use them wisely. Focus on joining groups that your potential customers belong to, then selectively choose any industry-related groups where you’d like to be able to network.

“LinkedIn is a great place to consistently find people that can afford your services. Just get active in groups local to your area and include in your byline what it is you do, and the name of your company,” explained Omar Amar Ghose of ZenMaid Sofware. “You can both network and find clients this way.(Try to not blatantly promote your service.)”

Build Top-of-Mind Awareness Ideally, you’re going to try to post something to your page every day. If you don’t want to come up with original content, look for articles that your target audience would like. You can also post these in the groups you belong in.

Ask questions in these groups and respond to questions. Get your name out there. You’re not trying to sell them directly at this point.

You just want them to know who you are.

As you’re posting in groups, watch for people you want to connect with who respond to your posts, or who respond to other posts that you respond to as well. Ask for their connection.

If there’s someone in a group that you really want to connect with, watch for their posts and comments in groups and be sure to respond.

You can do this by searching for connections as well. Search for specific criteria. Find a list of people you want to connect with because you’d like to get their business. Figure out what groups they are in and possibly join those. (Note: some groups are open, others are private.) See if you have shared connections.

This may sound silly, but it’s a strategy that’s supposed to work really well. If you have someone you really want to connect with (we’ll call this person “Bob”) and you have a shared connection (“Sally”), ask Sally if she will recommend to Bob that you and Bob connect.

I know, it sounds like Jr. High. “I like you, do you like me?” The other thing to do is tell Sally you’d like to connect with Bob and ask if she thinks that’s a good idea and if you can use here name. She says, “sure.” So then you go to Bob and send him a note: “Hi, I’m Jim. I 30

see that we have a shared connection in Sally.

She said she thought we would make a good connection. I’d really like to find out more about your business.” Bob will most likely say, “sure, let’s connect.” Then you have a stronger connection with Bob more than you would have been had you just sent a connection request. At this point, you can message Bob and say, “I’d really like to learn more about your business. Can we schedule a phone appointment?” If Bob says yes, then you’re able to do the sales/prospecting call and it didn’t take nearly as long as it would have to just let things work organically.

One of the biggest no-no’s of LinkedIn is going directly for the sale. LinkedIn is about building rapport, and you can do that through the methods we’ve already discussed, including the “Sally and Bob” idea I mentioned above.

Watch the people you’re interested in targeting as customers. Study what they are interested in. Comment on their posts. Send them articles you think they’d like with no strings attached.

Eventually, you can ask them to take the conversation off line, meaning a phone or inperson meeting.

Before you do this, however, you need to have proven you are credible and knowledgeable about your industry. Then you can begin to work on turning the prospect into a client.

Does LinkedIn work?

If you work at it, it can work. It may not happen overnight, and it may not be direct.

It may be a friend of a friend that brings you business.

Or, maybe it will happen overnight.

I started implementing some of these strategies about two months ago, beginning with my profile. Within two days, I had a new connection come to me about advertising with eClean, and I’ve had others contact me since.

I’ve added a ton of new subscribers as well.

And all I’ve done are implement the strategies spelled out in this article.

Watch our website, Facebook Page and, of course, my LinkedIn page for more tips on how to maximize the benefits of using LinkedIn.

eClean Magazine

Why Having the Right Accessories is Smart Marketing

An Interview with Steel Eagle’s Todd Bradshaw

by Allison Hester

In

today’s business world, diversification is key in many cleaning situations.

While some contractors have developed a specific niche product or service, these days they are more the exception than the norm.

In most markets, selling a singular product or service is difficult, which is why so many contract cleaners are crossing over into additional markets. Pressure washing contractors offer roof cleaning. Roof cleaning contractors offer gutter cleaning. Gutter cleaning contractors offer window cleaning.

And on and on.

When it comes to marketing on a budget, being able to sell more services to fewer customers typically makes more sense than having to sell fewer services to more customers.

This is particularly true when all that is needed to offer more services are a few additional accessories. And adding those accessories also opens the doors to more customers.

Additionally, having the right accessories helps you clean faster and more efficiently.

As we all know, time is money. Accessories also lessen user fatigue, which in turn leads to increased efficiency, not to mention helps prevent injuries.

In this article, we’ll look at a couple of easy add-ons accessories for pressure washing contractors that can make a big difference in your company’s bottom line.

Flat Surface Cleaners

Flat surface cleaners are a favorite accessory for power washing contractors, and for good reason. With this one item, a whole world eClean Magazine

of new opportunities is suddenly available.

By adding a surface cleaner – or perhaps by purchasing a larger, or smaller, model than you already own – you’re opening yourself up to an array of possibilities.

The price on surface cleaners varies greatly because there are so many models out there to choose from. Prices can range from just over $100 for small units, up to around $3,000 for large models with reclamation units.

Choices range from basic models, to adjustable height model, all the way up to units with reclamation. Price also is dependent on the materials used, which can range from plastic models, to nicer aluminum and stainless steel models, all with a variety of different options.

And just as the model prices vary, so do their uses.

While driveways and sidewalks are excellent uses for surface cleaners, a large portion of Steel Eagle’s clientele uses these products to clean large parking lots and parking decks.

Some of the smaller units have handle systems that allow a user to clean vertical walls as well.

Even the small hand-held reclamation units can be used for cleaning restaurant hoods, ceilings, and other difficult areas where a standard pressure washer cannot be used.

Another potential marketing tool is the ability to offer vacuum recovery when cleaning flatwork. With the environmental emphasis growing, water reclamation is becoming more and more necessary, and even required in some instances. Steel Eagle’s vacuum recovery models pick up nearly 100 percent of the water/dirt/debris/grime that it is cleaning.

This way, the grey water is captured and not 31

left on the job site. Contractors can market reclamation which, to most customers, is a huge benefit because reclamation relieves them of the worry of anything toxic being left on their property or run-off.

Undercarriage Cleaners

Another smart accessory for contract cleaners is the undercarriage cleaner, or UCs. These are used in many different markets that include automotive, commercial, sanitation, and off-roading, just to name a few.

If there’s one person out there who knows and understands undercarriage cleaners, it’s Todd Bradshaw, Director of Sales for Steel Eagle. Bradshaw actually designed and patented/trademarked the Bottom Feeders, which he used to manufacture in Alabama, before eventually selling the entire line to Steel Eagle. “I have personally sold nearly 4000 units worldwide and built nearly half of those,” he explained. “I’ve been around these products and studied the process and designs since 2006.”

The undercarriage is one of those “out of sight, out of mind” afterthoughts, and yet the undercarriage is one of the most vital parts of a vehicle or piece of equipment. “On vehicles, you can have all sorts of things underneath

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and, during the cold months, you can have road salts that are doing all sorts of damage by corrosion,” Bradshaw explained. Lawn mowers and golf carts are often coated with fertilizers on their undercarriages, causing corrosion, damage, and premature wear. By cleaning the undercarriages, you can protect your client’s property by removing everything that is causing corrosion. This not only prevents premature wear and damage, but is also safer to work on because there is less of an opportunity for debris to fall into eyes, or corrosive products to get into open cuts, and so on.

Traditionally, the only way to clean an undercarriage was to lie on your back and clean from there, which presents a number of safety and health risks. UCs can clean a wide variety of vehicle undercarriages, from lawn mower decks to golf carts to passenger cars to semi-trucks, and so on. The Steel Eagle models have been known to clean anything from typical undercarriages of vehicles to being modified to clean vertically, or even cleaning the municipal-provided garbage cans. “There is really no application that our SE model can’t be modified to make work for a client,” added Bradshaw.

Being able to offer undercarriage cleaning services can really set you apart from the

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majority of contractors out there. Based on the information Steel Eagle has gathered from contractors, the charge for cleaning an undercarriage can range from $35 to $50 for typical situations, and well over $100 per vehicle in heavily-covered situations.

By adding undercarriage cleaning, a contractor who already offers pressure washing and surface cleaning can offer clients a more complete package, in turn becoming a onestop shop/service. By adding undercarriage cleaning, a contractor can now clean buildings, sidewalks, parking lots and vehicles – literally top to bottom. Steel Eagle is one of two companies to offer professional grade UCs, and their units have an MSRP ranging from $940 up to just over $1700.

Smart Marketing Also Means Using Your Equipment Correctly

As a final note, part of smart marketing means keeping your equipment looking good and running correctly. Bradshaw adds that he regularly sees contractors misusing their

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surface cleaners, in particular.

Bradshaw explained that users need to make sure the nozzles are correct for the pressure washer they are using or they will over-pressurize the pump and cause damage.

Another issue is modifying the spinner arm assembly to change the rotational speed, which will lead to damaging the swivel because of the over-rotation, not to mention clean less effectively. Or even operating a surface cleaner with bent arms or clogged nozzles. “Lots of people don’t understand that seemingly small things like this can do damage, but they do cause damage and it is usually costly.”

What’s the point of saving money on your marketing if you’re only going to end up spending it on costly repairs?

To learn more about the proper usage of surface cleaners as well as how to choose the product you need, read “Selecting the Right Surface Spinner: An Interview with Steel Eagle GM Carl Harry.” To learn more about Steel Eagle, visit their website at www.SteelEagle. com.

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10 Marketing Tips from Wayne Shockey Marketing Class Instructor for PowerWash University

by Allison Hester

At

the age of 18, Wayne Shockey worked as a door-to-door salesman selling books, vacuum cleaners and insurance. “It was quite the experience trying to sell people door-todoor,” he explained.

When he needed some flyers for his business, he wen to a friend who owned a print shop. That’s when he learned the printing business was for sale, and Wayne ended up buying and running it for the next 20 years.

“Every day some new startup business would come to me to get business cards, letterhead and flyers. Lots of the things they were doing were not work very well, so I began helping them redesign their advertising pieces to get better results,” he explained.

Wayne also started attending several marketing workshops, and later went back to college to study advertising, design and marketing. “I’ve designed thousands of marketing pieces.”

In 1992, Wayne came to Texas developed a friendship with a man who had a power washing business who asked him to help build his business. As part of his research, Wayne began helping him part-time and developing a marketing plan. “We had good success. That’s how I got into the cosmetic cleaning business.”

Wayne has worked in the power washing, rust stain removal and awning cleaning business since 1992. “I lov it very much, expecialy as I get to use many of the things I’ve learned over the years.”

In 1993, Wayne started working with Robert and now Michael Hinderliter, teaching classes for what is now Power Wash University, including their two-day marketing class.

The following tips are a few of the things he’s taught in more than 200 classes to over 500 contractors.

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1

Avoid being too clever. A lot of contract cleaners come up with clever names, clever logos, clever vehicle wraps. They may look and sound glorious, but unfortunately, a lot of times they do not make it easy for customers to figure out what you do or how to contact you. “My company’s name is Awning Cleaning Services. It’s simple and tells people exactly what I do.”

2

Keep an Idea File. Any time you notice a marketing-related idea that you like – a slogan, a piece of mail, a unique concept – write it down, take a photo, or put the actual item into a file. Wayne calls this his “swiped” file, as in he “swiped” the idea from someone else. It doesn’t have to be cleaning related.

But it may trigger an idea of how you can implement something similar in your business.

For example, Wayne’s slogan – “It’s not just an awning, it’s your image” – was based off a slogan he saw in a phone book in another community for a completely different industry.

3

Make cold calls. “I know people hate cold calling, but if you want business, you need to do it. The only way to sharpen your sales skills is to practice, and cold calls are the best way to practice.” In fact, he often tells industry newcomers to make at least 20 cold calls a day. “Go out and walk an area.

Pass out flyers. Talk to people. If you’re afraid of meeting people, you’re never going to be as successful at this business as you could be.”

To get better at cold calling – and at sales in general – you need to practice. A great way to practice is to role play. Rehearse your sales pitch – which should focus on educating customers, not selling customers – so that it becomes second nature.

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4

Get quality before and after photos, then carry them with you. If you are new, you need to get good before and after photos, even if it means cleaning at a deep discount to get them. Clean your own home and for friend’s and family’s homes. Take tons of photos then carry them with you. “I know a lot of guys like to put their photos on iPads, but I prefer to have prints made and placed in an old-fashioned photo book. Then I don’t have to worry about my battery running out, or losing it, or dropping and breaking it. If something does happen to damage the photos or I lose the album, it only costs me a few pennies per print to replace them.”

5

Offer a sample cleaning. While you’re making cold calls, a good way to get business is to offer a sample cleaning – i.e., a free demo on a small section of whatever you’re trying to sell. When you do a free demonstration, pick a dirty area where it will make a big difference, but make sure you don’t clean the whole thing. That way not only can they see the before and after difference, the potential customer is now stuck with area that looks even dirtier because there’s a clean spot right in the middle of it.

6

Offer a money back guarantee. For his awning cleaning service, Wayne guarantees the customer will be satisfied or he will come back and clean it again. If the customer still isn’t happy, he will refund their money. In 20+ years of business, he’s had to reclean a handful of awnings. He’s never had to give anyone their money back.

That said, he also stresses that he does not overestimate what he can do. “I tell them I can make their awning look 85% better.” As already mentioned, he also always offers a free demonstration – especially when he’s unsure of the results. “I’ll tell the potential customer, ‘Let’s try cleaning just a small spot and that way we can see what the results will be like,” he explained. That also gives the customer a realistic idea of what the results will be if it’s a job that might not clean up 100 percent.”

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7

Network. Wayne stresses the importance of building reciprocal relationships with people in other industries that target the same markets, then cross promoting one another.

You send them business, they send business to you. Similarly, he suggests looking for successful/wealthy business people, then treating them to dinner so you can pick their brains. “There’s a reason they are successful,” he adds. “If you pay for their dinner, they’re likely more open to letting you ask them about how they’ve become successful.”

8

Be a walking, talking billboard. “I wear my company shirts when I’m out. I strive to be friendly, respectful and enthusiastic. I answer my phone with smile on my face, and I make sure my voicemail message sounds cheerful. I keep my business cards on me at all times. All of these things help people know who I am, whether I’m out working or not, and they remember me when it’s time to hire someone to clean their awning.”

9

Don’t spend too much, too fast. “I’ve seen startup cleaning companies spend a ton of money to ensure they have the bestlooking equipment and vehicles out there. The problem is they couldn’t afford to have the best – yet – and they end up going under because of it.” Instead, Wayne suggest getting good quality equipment, but not more than you can afford.

Rather than getting a fancy truck wrap off the bat, get nice looking, easy-to-read vehicle signs that are designed to make it easy to recognize what you do, and easy to contact you.

10

Satisfy One Customer at a Time.

Particularly when first starting out, Wayne explains that the best thing you can do is gain one happy customer. Then another.

Then another. Then you have a customer base and you have a referral network. That’s how you slowly build your business and become successful.

To learn more about Power Wash University’s Marketing and other classes, go to www.

PowerWash.com/training/powerwashuniversity. 0 35

The Wet Mop Handle Dissected

slouch in your chair. You simply couldn’t, and forget extricating your legs in a hurry. You’d end up tumbling in the floor with the chair on top.

That’s the way it is with incorrect mops for the task too. Ergonomics actually translates into the ability to work longer with less strain.

A properly matched mop-to-job ratio allows janitorial staff to work more efficiently without getting hurt.

Let’s break down the moving parts. A mop consists of a handle and a head. When choosing the right combo, several factors must be considered: Length – handles come in a variety from 54 to 64 inches.

by Rick Meehan, Marko Janitorial, www.MarkoInc.com

M

ops and mop handles are the staple tools of the contract cleaning industry, yet many janitorial and maid folks do not know how to choose the right combination for a job. Strangely enough, as with most tools and equipment, the right mop can mean the difference between mediocre and great performance.

For this article I will use the terms for “mops” and “mop handles” fairly interchangeably to reduce confusion and verbiage. After all, it’s hard to use a mop head without a mop handle.

Suffice it to say that getting the right combo can mean the difference between profitability and breakeven, backache and heartache.

Width – handle frames come in widths of 6 to 7 inches.

Diameter – handle diameter ranges from 1 to 1.25 inches.

Weight – handles combined with heads can top out at about 5 dry pounds.

Style – handle and head styles directly affect ergonomics and efficiency.

The Person – the size and strength of the person using the mop determines the style of handle and mop head, not the job size.

While we have always been told that bigger is better, not so with mops. A custom fit is far more important than size. If you wear out the janitor, work stops; therefore, it is always best to fit the mopping equipment to the person.

Let’s begin a custom fit by considering handle length. The rule of thumb is this: if the person is 5.5 feet or less in height, choose a handle of less the 60 inches long; if the person is greater Ergonomics is a big word that became trendy in the 1980s. I was enamored with the backless than 5.5 feet tall, choose a handle longer than 60 inches. When the mop hits the floor, as secretary chairs that came out. Hook your shown in the picture at right, there should be knees under the stirrup and sit comfortably straight for typing at a desk. What wasforgotten approximately a 45 degree angle formed by the handle, the floor, and the janitor’s body. in the design was the need to rest periodically – 36 eClean Magazine

CORRECT MOPPING POSTURE

WRONG Backache coming! \s

WRONG Shoulder fatigue imminent!

RIGHT

\s

Back straight, knees slightly bent using figure-8 motion from the hips!

\s

Coupled with slightly bent knees this is a balanced stance, ergonomically sound.

Next, the size of the mop head itself is a weight issue. While my next article will discuss the materials used to make mops, in general it is eClean Magazine

a good idea to use a lighter mop head for a smaller person and conversely a heavier mop head for a larger person. A 12-ounce rayon mop head together with a 54” tall handle only weighs about 1.5 pounds dry. Once wet, the weight increases to about 2 pounds. A 32 ounce cotton mop head together with a 64” tall handle weighs about 3 pounds dry and 7 pounds wet. Placing a 7 pound combo in a 98 pound lady’s hands would be like hanging that much lead weight from her neck at the start of 37

the job. By the time she finished mopping 1000 square feet, every muscle in her body would ache. Remember, she not only has to push the mop, but rinse and wring it out constantly in the mop bucket. Lifting, pulling, tugging – one can only get used to so much exercise. Lighten the load to 2 pounds and get twice the work done in less time before she poops out.

Handle thickness can cause issues too. The same small lady most likely has hands to match her stature, so a thick handle would mean that her grip would have to be stronger to control the extra weight. To prevent undue strain from an improper grip, tennis players have their racquets customized. The same principle should be applied to a mop handle. A proper diameter relieves pressure in the hands so a person may work longer with less fatigue.

The width of the mop frame at the end of the handle determines the size of mop head that will work well for that handle. If the frame is 5 inches wide and the mop head is 8 inches, there’s going to be some cramming going on.

Generally, the width of the frame needs to be slightly wider than the mop head for easy installation and removal. This is just another little time factor that adds up toward less getting done on the job.

Another time eater is the ability (or lack thereof) to remove an old mop head quickly and easily.

Handles are offered with a variety of framework choices: straight bar, swing-away bar, claw gripper, and threaded post.

Straight Bar

Claw Gripper

Swing-away Bar

Threaded Post

The straight bar handle is the least expensive monetarily but most expensive time-wise. A string mop will most likely have to be cut away from the straight bar, while all other handle types allow for easy frame access. In order of speedy head replacement, the threaded post is quickest followed by the claw gripper, swingaway bar, with the straight bar in last place.

Consider the human factor too. A big mop is daunting to a small person; a small mop is frustrating to a large person. If a janitor is not very conscientious on the job, meaning he or she tends toward laziness, then choosing an incorrect mop may be a way of going slower, getting less done in the time allotted, or simply becoming fatigued faster so as to take a longer break. On the opposite end of the spectrum, someone wanting to get done quickly would be quite upset using a 6-inch-wide mop on a large area. They may never get done with the job! So remember, mop size must be matched to the person and the purpose, not the overall job size.

Get a handle on job costs by controlling the ergonomics behind simple mopping equipment.

Prevent injury and undue fatigue by matching the right length, width, weight, diameter, and style of handle to the person slinging the mop.

Next time I’ll address how to choose the right mop head for the job, but for now, access your handle situation and be prepared for the “wow” when the correct handle is put to use.

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eClean Magazine

What’s YOUR Uniqueness?

by Dan Galvin

Why should the prospect choose you over all the other power washers out there?

Power washing is just power washing and everyone does it the same, right?

The sad fact is that’s what people think. They have no clue what’s involved in power washing.

Bottom line? It really doesn’t matter what you are washing: a house, fleets, hoods, flat surfaces, etc. In order to ‘stand out’ and land the big money jobs, you must be unique.

So my question to you is: are you UNIQUE and do you promote your uniqueness?

Let me share with you how my uniqueness in house washing has made me hundreds of thousands of dollars and has made me one of the top power washers in my area.

There are 365 bodies of water in the town where I live. Therefore, there is a lot of moisture in the air, which breeds mold and mildew on a house in as little as three months and in less than six months the house looks like it was never washed. This drives people crazy!!

What I tell prospects is this: “I will not only wash your house with environmentally safe detergents, but I will also leave the soil, shrubs, plants, bushes exactly as we found them, which is especially important if you have children, grandchildren, pets, or you want to plant flowers in the near future.

“An additional bonus when we clean your home is that once we are done with the cleaning process we apply a protective sealer that we guarantee will PROTECT your home against the return of mold and mildew for up to one year.”

All the prospects say the same thing: “Guarantee no mold or mildew for one year – no one does that!” Or “Protect my home? No one told us about that before.”

That, my friend, is the “unique benefit” of my service. What’s yours?

You must ask yourself, what are you really eClean Magazine

selling? Or, more importantly, what are your clients really buying. Why should they invest their hard earned cash in you power washing service? I can tell you one thing: they are not buying you or what you are doing! They are buying the RESULTS that your power washing service is providing.

Learn what your clients are buying and you will be successful.

Dan Galvin Joins the EnviroSpec Team Since writing his book back in 2010, Dan Galvin has helped hundreds of contractors through the PWNA and through his SuccessInPowerWashing.com weekly marketing tips.

Now, by joining the EnviroSpec team, Dan will be able to reach, educate and instruct thousands of contractors. “However, my two biggest reasons for joining the EnviroSpec team are John and Shelley Allison,” he explained.

“The Allisons are two of the most exceptional and generous people I’ve ever met. The value they’ve brought to the power washing industry is just astonishing.”

Dan began working in his new role with Envirospec on April 1. “I can’t tell you how proud I am to be working with such an industry legend. The knowledge John Allison has and the way he thinks ‘out of the box’ has made EnviroSpec the one place to call when you need help. It doesn’t matter if you are calling about equipment or what soaps to use, John has the answer. nd now, I will be working side-by-side with the legend, who knows more about this industry than anyone I have ever met.”

To learn more, or “to just say hi,” call Dan at 800-346-4876 ext. 1.

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The most powerful marketing tool you’re NOT using

If

you’re like most people, you’ve watched some sort of YouTube video at some point in time. In fact, if you’re like most people, you’ve watched a YouTube video at least once today. But have you posted a video on YouTube today? Probably not. In fact, most people have never posted a video on YouTube – period.

This is GREAT news. Right now, YouTube is probably the most under utilized form of social networking there is. Lots of people are watching videos; very few are posting videos.

So depending on your location, it may be fairly easy for your business to dominate your particular cleaning market on YouTube.

Let’s look a few statistics: • YouTube is the third most visited website out there, with more than 1 billion users each month • YouTube is considered the second most popular search engine on the Internet.

• 72 hours of video are uploaded every minute • YouTube is owned by Google, which means that YouTube sites get high Google rankings (and Google smiles upon YouTube backlinks).

All this is to say that if you have not yet started a YouTube channel, you should. And you don’t have to have high quality equipment, professional editing experience or a picture perfect smile to do it. In fact, you can make videos without having to be on camera at all.

Here is one by Lee Kendall of Kendall Scapes Roof and Exterior Cleaning.that involves no one on camera, no talking, and no video taping.

As he explained, “Even if you do not have an actual video, you can create a slideshow, publish it as a video, which gets you ranking just as fast. The main thing with the videos is that they rank extremely fast for your keywords and usually on the first page.

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Here is another example, this one by Barry Riddell for Cyclone Pressure Washing.

Riddell said he made it to “have a video to show concerned homeowners the delicate nature of soft-washing and the results. I wanted the viewer to see the transformation before their eyes. I get hundreds of calls a year from homeowners from this video, most complimenting me for showing the process in ‘real time.’ Their comfort level is sky high and regardless of backlog, many are willing to wait. It achieve its purpose.” And it’s had over 10,000 views so far.

Here’s another example of making a video without saying anything. This one is by my

eClean Magazine

friend Lee Burbridge of Window Cleaning Magazine in the UK, who is a master at YouTube marketing!

I am only going to be able to skim the surface in this one article, but we will be creating some supplemental pieces about YouTube in the weeks to come. In the meantime, here are some things to get you started.

• Remember, traffic is not your primary goal. While it’s exciting to see the number of views on your video going up, if they are by people with no interest in buying from you, you’re missing the market. You don’t just want traffic, you want conversions. You want people to buy your services. And that comes from getting targeted traffic.

To get targeted traffic, you need to consistently create relevant and valuable video content with a compelling call to action.

“Relevant” means answering your customer’s questions. So think about that. What does your customer want to learn from you? How can they find you?

• Optimize your video through the title, description, and tags. Like with all internetrelated marketing, keywords are critical. Think like your customer, come up with the words they are looking for, then put those in your title and description. In fact, try to include it a couple of times in your description. Then use those key words to tag your video. Generally, experts agree you should include about four to six tags. (We will look at keywords and tags on our website this month as well.)

Here’s another idea. A lot of people look things up using the term “how to” do whatever, eClean Magazine

so it’s a good idea to label your video that way.

For example, “How to remove black stains from roofs.”

Because YouTube is targeted, also be sure to include the geographic areas where you work in your title and/or description and tags.

• Upload a transcript. Most people don’t do this, but you should upload a transcript of your video. YouTube reads every word, just like Google, and this is hugely important for getting higher ranking on YouTube and Google alike.

If you don’t upload a transcript, YouTube will come up with its own, and it’s usually nothing like what your video actually says.

Knowing this, think about those keywords you’re using in your description and make sure they are used in your video itself so they can be placed in your transcript. Even if you only use slides and no talking, you can make a transcript of the words on the slides.

• Create a strong first eight seconds. Ok, I know I said that traffic is not the ultimate goal, but if you have someone viewing your video anyway, you want it to count. YouTube does not count views that are less than eight seconds. So do something that will hold their attention for at least eight seconds, then you can let those who aren’t going to buy from you go away.

• Write a script and practice. If not a script, at least write down some notes. Then practice before you videotape it. This will not only help prevent you from stumbling through what you want to say, it will ensure you get those important keywords in. And, it will keep you from saying in four minutes what could be said in one minute. You want to hold your audience’s attention, not ramble on.

• Add a clear call to action. Whether you want them to go to your website, call you, or subscribe to your channel, tell your audience what they should do next. You can even add annotations to your video that will take you viewer exactly where you want them to go.

• Get (cautiously) creative. YouTube videos don’t have to be overly fancy, but they also don’t have to be boring either. Like all social media, people want to be entertained, not just informed. So if you can come up with some ways to make things fun, by all means 41

Here is a fun commercial that an old friend of Mike Hockman’s put together – for free – as a surpise for Mike’s company, GutterDogs.

Google – provides strong backlinks, and your ultimate goal should be to get your viewers to your website, and in turn, make a sale.

give it a whirl.

That said, be cautious. Avoid the use of too many special effects, fonts and different colors.

• Ask for – and accept – constructive criticism. You may put together a video that you are super proud of, but it’s best to get a second opinion – at least when you’re first getting started – from someone who will give you honest feedback. Your critic may notice some things that you don’t.

• Post your videos everywhere you can think of such as on your social media pages and your website. Some industry bulletin boards have spots for you to post your videos as well. In addition to creating exposure, you’re building backlinks.

• Link your YouTube videos to your website. Again, YouTube – being owned by

Types of Videos o Make In some ways, this is the harder part.

Again, with YouTube you’re looking to build a channel, not just a video. That said, here are some general ideas on types of videos people are doing in the industry: • An introduction to your company and channel. Take three seconds to introduce yourself, a few seconds to explain what you have to offer your viewer (i.e., benefit), then explain how you can provide them that benefit.

• Demos of cleaning processes. Seeing the black stuff melt off of siding is a very powerful image.

• Testimonials. This is a powerful tool.

While you can explain what you do and why using your company is great, seeing it come from an actual satisfied customer is much more powerful. (See sidebar) • Fun stuff. By this, I mean getting a little creative. Whereas TV commercials are expensive to produce and run, YouTube gives you the ability to be creative on a very low budget. It’s ok to play around and make your own commercials, informational videos, and so on.

Ed Thompson of Thompson Roof Cleaning and Alex Curry of ARC Power Washing has started what Power Washing asked one of his customers for a he calls his “Weekly Rant.” The information is good video testimonial. This is what she surprised him with. and they’re fun to watch.

42 eClean Magazine

Tips for Getting Good Customer Testimonial Videos

by Michael Goeller, Brightview Cleaning, www.brightviewcleaning.com

Over lunch at the NorthEast Pressure Washing Seminar, I had the pleasure of hanging out with a bunch of great folks, including someone I now consider to be a marketing genius – Michael Goeller of Brightview Cleaning. In our discussion, one of the things he shared was how he goes about getting customer testimonials video. I asked him to relay the information for eClean.

We book an extra 30 minutes per job so that we have time to ‘wow’ our customers. Then we tell the customer we’re running about 10 to 15 minutes ahead of schedule. “Is there anything they need help with while we’re here and we have our ladders available?”

So we “wow” them by doing something nice for them. That’s when I ask if I can show them something. I pull out my phone and show them some of our other customer testimonial videos.

“Would you be willing to do one for us as well?”

The women almost always say, “I would, but I look a mess!” This is where the plan comes in. I intentionally bring up the videos before we pick up and pack up the truck. So I tell them we’re going to finish picking up our tools. “Why don’t you take a couple of minutes and fix yourself up if you’d like to, then come out when you’re ready.” They go do their blush and hair, then come outside and do the video testimony.

The other important step is guiding them on what to say. Try to collect different types of eClean Magazine

comments, like ‘I thought they were expensive but still decided to try them. Now I realize it was a bargain!”

Now you can use that type of video when a customer objects to price. You just let another customer reply for you.

Another good one is to guide them to speak on your quality of work. Or about their experience with another company verses yours. You want them to speak truth, so you have previously questioned them and know what they feel strongly about. Then you can guide them to include those points.

Don’t be afraid of multiple takes.

Finally, if you don’t have any customer videos to start with, ask a family member to do one for you. Don’t use it obviously – such as on your website -- since it’s not a real review, but use it to show to the customer so she/he can see another “customer” doing a video.

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Reflections the Northeast Pressure Washing Seminar

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In early March, around 150 contractors and vendors gathered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for a weekend of training, education, networking, and prizes galore.

Not to mention “an amazing spread of food.

Some of the best food I’ve ever had at any convention, really,” said Michael Goeller of Newbrite Cleaning.

It was the Northeast Pressure Washing Seminar and Networking Event, a collective effort put on by three industry event leaders: Jack Kramer (Pressure Washing Seminar in Albany), Tom Vogel of ACR Products, and Thad Eckhoff of the Pressure Washing Resource Association. The teamwork and collaboration among these three industry leaders was infectious, and was reflected throughout the entire event.

“There was no ego to speak of. Everyone was eager to learn and to help,” Goeller added. “The presentations and food were amazing, but even more amazing was meeting and networking with so many great people.”

“This group felt like family,” agreed Becky Post of MD Pressure Washing Services. “There was no pressure put on us by anyone, and everyone was more than interested in helping one another. It was a great atmosphere and event all around.”

“I was happy to chat at length with a good number of business owners who are down-to-earth and face the same challenges as I do,” added Dan Wagner of Dan Wagner Window Cleaning. eClean Magazine

Education The pre-seminar took place Thursday and Friday, with Jack Kramer teaching pressure washing and wood restoration basics, with Tom Vogel teaching an equipment maintenance class on Friday afternoon.

Andrew Reinsel of A2Z Pressure Washing, LLC, took Vogel’s equipment maintenance class, and while he said he already knew the basics of rebuilding his pump, he felt the hands-on class was well worth the money.

“There’s a big difference between repairing a pump in the field and having someone looking over shoulder while you do it,” he explained.

“Tom gave us so many invaluable tips that will help me in the this season.”

The seminar officially kicked off on Saturday morning with a keynote presentation by Curt Kempton of Five Star Window Cleaning. “I could have easily listend to Curt for four hours,” said Goeller.

Another featured speaker was April Dodson of Bidslot, Answerworx and Grease Pro. “April gave a very intelligent, thoughtful presentation on Systems and Automation. It was great to hear how she has applied these ideas and principles in her own businesses,” said Goeller.

“I went home with quite a few notes of things I’m going to implement.” eClean Magazine

On Sunday morning, attendees had a variety of choices of breakout sessions to select (three options at a time), and the information shared was invaluable.

“The small group settings on Sunday morning were great for pressure washing contractors at all different stages of company growth to learn,” said Tim Fields of Signs2Day. com (see ad on page 7), who also gave a talk on the 10 things every new pressure washing contractor needs to know. “The morning was full of tips and strategies that all contractors could take home and begin to implement Monday morning.”

“I wish I could have attended all of them,” added Goeller, who presented a breakout on effective sales to property managers and HOA boards. “I learned a lot on subjects I thought I already had a pretty good handle on. Chris Cartright, in particular, really impressed me with his SEO knowledge and applications.”

“I gained a greater appreciation for some of the speakers whom I had known online, but never met,” Wagner added. “They all were very lucid and truly helped my perspective when it comes to refashioning my business.”

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Networking While the education was top-notch, most agreed the networking opportunities were even better. Because heavy hors d’ oeuvres were provided Friday night, and all meals were provided Saturday (plus breakfast on Sunday), attendees did not have to leave to go find food, giving all more time to network.

The networking was capped off Saturday evening with a first-class dinner, featuring everything from broiled fish to prime rib. And it was during this time that numerous prizes were given out. “Even the way they did the giveaways was fun – tension an drama!”

Goeller added.

“I enjoyed the people and the whole goodtime atmosphere,” added Fields. “I hope to attend this event on an annual basis now.”

“The Pennsylvania event – or any event that Thad Eckhoff throws for that matter – is always amazing,” added David Carroll of Lions Share Maitenance. “There is nothing more valuable then spending time around like minded guys with the same goals and aspirations I have for myself.”

“The Northeast Pressure Washing event was both enlightening and fun,” added Chris Cartright of “As always, the speakers were on point and informative, but I also enjoyed the networking aspect of the event. I love to bounce around ideas with like minded individuals who have taken the reigns of their respective businesses. The camaraderie in this industry is second to none! All said and done, the Bethlehem event was an inspiring kick in the tail to start off our 2014 season with.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed this event,” Goeller concluded. “One of my only regrets is that is wasn’t longer.”

Becky Post of MD Pressure Washing Services won the grand prize, which was donated by Window Cleaning Resource. In all, over 35 prizes were given away during the two-day event.

Pressure Washing Services Provide a Fresh, Clean Image

by Paul Horsley, Publisher

If you are wanting enhance your company’s image this year, you may already be wondering how to accomplish such a task. There are many different approaches you can take, such as creating a new marketing message or launching a public relations campaign. However, the simplest technique, and one with an instant payoff, is often the most overlooked: pressure washing. For commercial buildings, vehicles and trains, pressure washing is effective at producing clean, sparkling surfaces that will impress potential customers and improve the way the world views your company.

Whether you own a retail business, head a trucking company, work in the construction industry or run with the rail industry, there are many reasons to take advantage of what power washing can do for your business.

PRESSURE WASHING FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AND PROPERTIES Appearance is everything. A clean environment possesses an air of safety and value, whereas a dirty warehouse or a commercial building coated with grime suggests an air of neglect— as if the business owners do not take pride in how they appear to the public.

Pressure washing for commercial buildings and warehouses is a fast and reliable way to enhance your company’s reputation. Because pressure washing can clean surfaces like brick, eClean Magazine

wood, metal and concrete much more easily and thoroughly than other methods, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to spruce up a storefront or other commercial building.

Pressure washing for commercial buildings not only makes your facility more attractive to customers, but it improves the environment for employees or tenants, as well.

PRESSURE WASHING FOR CONSTRUCTION SITES There are few vehicles that attract as much dirt, rocks, muck and grunge as the heavy equipment at a construction site. Within a matter of days – and even, in some cases, a matter of hours – construction equipment can get all gunked up. If there is excessive rubbish on the equipment, it might compromise the machine’s capacity to function properly, and that can pose several risks such as employee injuries, machine malfunctions and the delay of necessary work.

Regularly pressure washing these large, heavy and necessary machines can minimize some of these safety and efficiency issues on the work site and will keep your crew working like clockwork. Pressure washing for heavy machinery may also lengthen the working life of your equipment, as it will help mechanics more easily spot any number of malfunctions, leaks or issues the machine may have.

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WORKING ON THE RAILROAD: PRESSURE WASHING FOR TRAINS Rail cars pick up a lot of dust and dirt while barreling along the tracks from coast to coast.

Unfortunately, cleaning a 125-car metal serpent is no simple task without a pressure washer. Pressure washing for trains can save a huge amount of cleaning time by getting rail cars back on track in a matter of one or two days.

Trains are also graffiti magnets. As they coast alongside the highway, they can expose passersby to a whole host of gang tags, vulgarities and other messages from vandals.

Fortunately, pressure washing for trains is effective at removing even the nastiest graffiti marks; the right power washing company can even apply an anti-graffiti coat, which makes future cleanup twice as easy.

IT’s COMING!!!

The eClean Magazine

PRESSURE WASHING FOR TRUCKS AND FLEETS Trucks are moving advertisements for your company. If they’re thick with dirt, grey from exhaust and coated with flaky bug bodies, your business will project an image of sloppiness.

Pressure washing for trucks is a safety issue, as well. Clean trucks are more visible to other cars, and they’re also much easier to maintain properly, as grime can often conceal leaks or other mechanical problems until it’s too late.

Pressure washing for commercial buildings, trucks, rail cars and construction equipment can benefit your company in various ways.

Most notably, it can boost the image of your business by giving you a good, clean leg to stand on. So when you’re planning a strategy for improving your company’s position within the economy, make a resolution that is easy to achieve, environmentally friendly, and reliable: regular power washing.

Contact Charlie for Advertising Information: charlie@ecleanmag.com

Roof Cleaning Issue eClean Magazine, May 2014

Photo courtesy of Thad Eckhoff, Apex Services and

PressureWashingResource.com

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