WCBO Issue 4

ISSUE #4

>>> Cover Story

Behind the Squeegee 06

with Brett Bailey

How to Hire Window Cleaners 15

The war continues! 28

Scratch Repair System Not Working For You?

Get $1,000 for your old scratch removal system when you trade up to GlassRenu.

Trade-in Rebate That’s right. Throw your old scratch removal or polishing system into a box and send it to us — working or not. We’ll knock $1,000 off the price of any GlassRenu system as your trade-in.

Performance Guarantee We’ll not only buy your old system, GlassRenu is the only scratch removal system manufacturer that offers a No-Questions Asked Performance Guarantee. It’s simple — Try it for 30 days. If our system doesn’t do everything we say it will do, we’ll buy it back from you. Visit our Web site for details.

Because the Bottom Line is the Bottom Line.

There’s a reason GlassRenu has become the new industry standard around the globe. See for yourself. Visit our Web site for demos, before-and-after photos, testimonials and direct comparison to other systems on the market.

The New Global Leader in Glass Restoration

Repair All Surface Damage The GlassRenu Glass Restoration System is a patented 3-step dry grinding/polishing process that is fast, economical and easyto-use — even for the beginner. Repair all surface damage with no visible distortion quickly and cleanly.

• Deep Scratches • As Well as Damage Resulting From: • Acid-Etch – Fabrication Debris • Hard Water – Graffiti Artists – Construction Clean-up – Improper Handling

418 North Buchanan Circle Pacheco, CA 94553 (888) 769-0001 www.glassrenu.com facebook.com/GlassRenu

“For the price of the WCRA you get way too much and it’s great.

Honestly, I would pay double that just to join because it’s worth every single penny. I’m glad you guys exist.”

Jorge Aguilar

Empire Window Cleaning Grandview, Missouri

www.TheWCRA.com

Kevin Dubrosky

Curt Kempton

View lots more at:

Charlie Laurie

George Stricklin

windowcleaningresource.org/testimonials

>>> table of contents Check out what’s new in the may - june issue #4

Features

Tag Microsoft

>>> Cover Story

06 Behind the Squeegee with Brett Bailey

Brett Bailey, inventor of the Blade Roller and owner of Bailey’s Window Cleaning.

Download MicrosoftTag today to unlock hidden features and special videos instantly on your phone.

15 How we Hire

Window Cleaners

http://

by Don Taylor

1. Just go to http://gettag.mobi to get the FREE mobile app on your phone.

2. Download the free app to your phone.

Don Taylor of All County Window Cleaning gives us his insight on how to hire window cleaners.

3. Launch Microsoft Tag, then focus your phone’s camera over the code.

Watch as it directs you to epic mobile content instantly.

28 soap wars by tony evans

The ever-dreaded Soap Wars have made it into the magazine. Check out the Pros and Cons of your favorite, or least favorite, soaps and chemicals.

Phones it will work with: Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and many more!

WWW.WINDOWCLEANINGBUSINESSOWNER.COM

06 10 11 13 14 15 16

Behind the Squeegee Harvesting Rainwater Leadership Inspiration Customer Service How to Hire Window Cleaners Budgeting for a New Employee

17 18 21 22 28 30 32

Sales Manage How I Roll Marketing Soap Wars Websites 101 Manufacturer Spotlight

35 36 38 39 40 42 43

Add-ons New Products On the Road Safety Window Cleaning News Twitter Litter Fun

Get Featured Here!

We’re always looking for new articles for upcoming issues of Window Cleaning Business Owner Magazine.

Remember, all of our contributors are real life professional window cleaners just like you!

Please contact Stephanie for more information on how to get involved with Window Cleaning Business Owner Magazine. stephanie@windowcleaningresource.com

Check us out online at: www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com Follow Us www.twitter.com/wcbomagazine www.facebook.com/WCBOM www.youtube.com/alexwcr

A Special Thanks To all of our contributors to this issue of Window Cleaning Business Owner Magazine.

Starting from the top left, going left to right. Kyle Ballweg, Brett Bailey, Karl Robinson, Bruce Ferguson, John Webb, Stacey Jack, Kevin Dubrosky, Tony Evans, Sean Dolan, Alex Lambrinides, Thad Eckhoff, Steve Stevens, Don Taylor and Copy Editor Lowell Stevens. Become a contributor to WCBO Magazine and get pictured here! Contact Stephanie at stephanie@windowcleaningresource.com for more details.

Not pictured: Editor and Chief Chris Lambrinides and Stephanie Testa, Layout and Design.

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

May - June 2011

5

I sat on the corner and waited for people to hire me.

6

May - June 2011

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Chris: So Brett Bailey, what’s the name of your window cleaning company?

with window cleaning? Are you in it for the long haul?

Chris: Do you do any water-fed pole work?

Brett: Bailey’s Window Cleaning

Brett: Oh yeah, I love it. I did it out of necessity at first because I had to eat, but then I fell in love with it. Who knew.

Brett: No. Hopefully I’ll get more into that this year. After working with Tory and Andrew I kind of fell in love with it.

Chris: Sounds like you’re in a window cleaners paradise down there. I was talking to some window cleaners down in your area this morning and you guys have been having some great weather. We’ve been getting slammed with snow here and window cleaning has come to a screeching halt.

Chris: I saw a picture of you, looked like you were pushing a Gardiner pole; was that Tory’s?

Brett: Yeah it’s been pretty amazing.

Brett: Oh, I loved it. I had no idea what it was. That’s when I hung out with Tory, he basically lives in my backyard. He taught me the ropes.

Chris: How long have you been in business?

Brett: 2 years.

Chris: How in the world did you get involved in this wonderful world of window cleaning?

Brett: How in the world… about 7-8 years ago, my wife actually had a company that did construction cleanup for developers and I had my construction company. She was getting slammed with work so I’d go help her and I’d get stuck cleaning the windows.

Chris: So how did you do it, did you have a technique?

Brett: No, I didn’t know anything. I just got up there and got it done. But then in 2008 I had to close my construction company. I had some developers go upside down on me so I lost about half a million dollars over night. By the time it was all said and done I had about $108 left in my pocket. I thought, “How am I going to feed 6 mouths on $108?” So I took that $108 and went to Home Depot, bought some really cheap equipment. Found a 4’ x 4’ sign and I painted on there “Will clean windows” with my phone number. I sat on the corner and waited for people to hire me. And that’s how I got started.

Chris: That’s pretty much exactly how I got started. Only I started with $92. Ten years ago I got a small ladder, squeegee, a bucket and a strip-washer for $92.

Chris: So you would just park yourself on the side of the road and people would hire you?

Brett: Yeah. I still do that today.

Chris: Did you have a car at the time?

Brett: Yeah, I did have my jeep. Every once and awhile it will get slow and I’ll go do that.

It’s kind of been my staple ever since.

Chris: Yeah, that’s good.

Chris: So how busy are you typically in the winter. Do you keep plugging along, do you still have work everyday?

Brett: It’s slower then it is in the summertime that’s for sure, but yeah we still plug along.

You have a few days of rain here and there.

Even if the weather report says threat of rain, people won’t have their windows done. But we stay alright, we hang in there.

Brett: Yeah.

Chris: What did you think of it?

Chris: So are you actually in the San Diego area then, or more towards LA? Brett: I’m like 90 miles northeast of San Diego and 90 miles southeast of LA. So, right in the middle.

Chris: How big is your service area?

Brett: We’ll go 50 miles in each direction.

Chris: Do you offer any other add-on services other than window cleaning?

Chris: Do you have any guys working for you now?

Brett: Yeah, I do pressure washing, gutter cleaning and awning cleaning. What seems to be my niche lately, is everybody calls me to prep for a party. So if there’s a big party coming up, they’ll have me wash the whole house, do the pressure washing, clean the awnings, and wash the windows. I think I did 1 party and it happened to be with a really big name and the word just got out. Now every time somebody’s got a party they call me.

Brett: Yeah, I’ve got 4 really great guys.

Chris: That’s cool. Nice little niche. Maybe you can spin that into some sort of marketing angle come graduation time. Maybe send out something that says party prep, you could probably bag a ton of work from that.

Brett: Yeah, absolutely. I get a lot of weddings too. It seems like more and more people are going with having weddings at their house.

Chris: How did you find them?

Brett: Family. [Laughs]. One’s my kid, one’s a good friend of mine, a couple friends of theirs. So we’re all pretty close.

Chris: Oh that’s cool, so does that give you 1 or 2 trucks on the road.

Brett: We pretty much have 1 crew, the reason being is because I have this theory that customers hate sitting there all day watching the window cleaner. So we bomb a house with 5 guys, we’re in and out usually within an hour and a half in any house. That’s actually gotten me business too.

Brett: I am 44 years old.

Chris: Is window cleaning still more profitable than your other add-ons like pressure washing or awning cleaning?

Chris: Yeah, there’s a huge advantage when we do that in our window cleaning business as well. When somebody says I need you in and out quick we’ll send 4-5 guys and they’ll just bang it out. The down side to that is you have a bunch of people running around your house. I think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. You don’t have to sit there all day while the window cleaner is there.

Chris: When do you see yourself being done

Brett: Yes, absolutely.

Brett: It’s actually gained me quite a bit of

Chris: Did you ever encounter any zoning restrictions from parking your stuff out there like that?

Brett: Nah, I don’t worry about it.

Chris: So how old are you?

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Chris: Yeah, so that’s cool, seems like a good little niche.

May - June 2011

7

We’re kind of like in a fraternity... business.

Chris: Do you use that in your marketing angle?

Brett: Absolutely.

Chris: So how do you acquire your new work, how do you find it?

Brett: I have so many different ways, but to be honest I get about 68% just from referral. On the days that my guys aren’t working they’ll go pass out fliers and we’ll get a bunch from that as well.

Chris: 68% coming from referrals is amazing because you’re not just dumping that money back into advertising. That’s excellent, great money saved.

Chris: So what are your growth goals and aspirations for the company?

Brett: Well, my 5 year plan is to have about 10 crews on the road. That’s where I’m trying to reach and I’ll get there. There’s no doubt in my mind.

Chris: Do you feel there’s enough work out there to accommodate that?

8

May - June 2011

Brett: Absolutely. The economy is growing and it can only go up from here. People are starting to loosen up their wallets now so in 5 years I think we’re going to see that people are going to spend their discretionary money.

If you’ve got a good service and you’ve got something to actually give them for their money, they’re going to spend it.

Chris: Are you still working out of your house?

Brett: Yeah.

Chris: With 10 crews you’re going to have to get it out of the house pretty quickly.

Brett: Yeah, I don’t think I want that many people in my house. [Laughs] Chris: So what do you envision it being like with 10 crews. You think you’d still like to go out and do the hands on work or are you going to keep yourself in the office?

Brett: I think with 10 crews it’s going to be really hard for me to be out in the field. I think that it would be impossible for me to manage from the field.

Chris: Yeah, with 10 crews that requires a minimum of 4 office people to keep things

rolling. Maybe then you could split your time from the inside of the office to the field. Then you’ll be in good shape.

Brett: Yeah, maybe. We’ll see. I don’t see myself cleaning windows every day.

Chris: So what do you do when you’re not cleaning windows?

Brett: There’s off time?

Chris: [Laughs] Sometimes there has to be or you’re going to have a break down very quickly.

Brett: I don’t know, I like working on the house, working on the yard, and hanging out with the nieces and nephews, just kicking back.

Chris: So it seems like the window cleaners in your area have a pretty friendly vibe. I hear a lot of occasions where you guys get together, help each other out. Unfortunately we don’t get to see that here on the east coast. Here everybody kind of treats each other as the enemy.

Brett: For the most part we’re kind of like in a fraternity and we’ll kick each other work when we’re busy or can’t handle it. It’s just a www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Always go back to the first day you started. cool fraternity.

Chris: Yeah, that’s really cool, you’re very lucky to have that, I wish we had the same thing around here. It just makes sense when you think about it, you’re overflowed with work and you can pass it over to somebody that you trust. You’re not stealing accounts from each other; there’s a lot of advantages to it.

Brett: Totally and we all have that vibe that we’re not going to steal work from each other, we’re going to help each other out.

If I can kick somebody some work, they’ll kick me some work. It’s a good way to be; because, let’s be honest, there’s so many windows out there all of us together couldn’t clean them.

Chris: How many competitors do you have in your service area?

Brett: I think about 25 and probably half of those I work with. I mean there’s the 1 or 2 that hate everybody on the planet, but we don’t deal with them.

Chris: Yeah. Well unfortunately we have about 350 competitors here 1 hour out in all directions so it gets kind of tough. It’s a little cutthroat.

Brett: That almost explains why nobody gets along. [Laughs] Chris: Yeah, well we’re so close to the city picking up a bucket and squeegee are one of the 1st things that people go for. But it is what it is.

Chris: More and more these days window cleaners are starting to branch out, to build products for other window cleaners. I think it’s a natural transition because you guys

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

work with the tools all day and you get ideas stuck in your head of something that can make your life easier and work easier. You recently came out with something, what’s that called?

Brett: It’s called the Blade Roller! I’m super excited about it.

Chris: Tell us all about it.

Brett: It’s so exciting. I couldn’t find a way to store my blades and channels. Everytime I turned around or thought of something it wouldn’t fit and with my jeep I only have so much room. You can’t put a toolbox in there. I wondered “What am I going to do to store them without damaging the channels or blades?” So I went looking, shopping all over the place, cruising through websites for days. I couldn’t find anything, nothing anywhere, so I finally just decided to make something myself. So I sat down with a friend of mine that’s been sewing for years. We drew it out on paper, sewed it up, used it, abused it, beat the heck out of it for a year. Then I thought, who wouldn’t love this? I mean every window cleaner needs to store their squeegees: it’s like an insurance policy. That’s what we live by, we live by our squeegees. So I started making them and producing them and the response has been phenomenal.

Chris: Yeah, we were very impressed with it when we received it and we think it’s going to be a big hit. How many channels will it hold?

Brett: It’ll hold 8. It has 8 pockets, and each pocket can hold 3-4 channels in it comfortably, but then you will add your blade as well. We’re also doing custom work too so if somebody has some different size channels or wants different colors, we’ll custom make them for them.

Chris: How many colors are going to be available?

Brett: 5. Red, green, black, white and blue.

They can mix those colors up too, so if they want a blue back with white on the inside to go with their company’s colors, we can do that as well.

Chris: I think that’s a great idea. I think it’ll do very well. Will it hold wide body channels as well as standard channels?

Brett: Well, the pockets are 2 1/2” wide. I use wide body channels and it’ll hold 2 in each pocket.

Chris: So we’re primarily talking to small window cleaning business owners that work by themselves or have 1 employee that have aspirations to be where you are.

You know, running a nice size crew, have a healthy work flow. What do you recommend or what’s a piece of advice you could give for those smaller window cleaning business owners that have aspirations to be where you are today?

Brett: That’s easy. Always go back to the first day you started. The first day you started you were hungry, you were aggressive and you wanted to make a bunch of money and survive. I think a lot of people get to a place where they’re comfortable and they feel like they don’t have to go out and chase their work, they have money in the bank, they’re good to go. Don’t ever stop, just be as aggressive everyday as you were the first day.

Chris: Yeah, that’s a great piece of advice. I tell people all the time when they get in a rut, act like a startup. Act like you did on the very first day.

Chris: Well, thanks so much for your time today. It’s been great.

May - June 2011

9

Harvesting Rainwater One of the best ways to

extend the life

of your RO and DI filters is to harvest rainwater.

10

May - June 2011

Harvesting rainwater has been around since the beginning of time. As a means of survival early civilizations used ancient techniques to collect rainwater for drinking, cooking and bathing.

With the introduction of pure water cleaning over the last decade many window cleaning companies are investing in systems. One of the long term expenses of operating a pure water cleaning system is filter replacements.

Some of the RO/DI systems can cost hundreds of dollars to replace all of the filters.

One of the best ways to extend the life of your RO and DI filters is to harvest rainwater. Rainwater has little to no total dissolved solids. Many eco-friendly people are now harvesting rainwater from their roofs to water lawns and gardens. A simple Google search will give you websites that sell kits to convert your gutter downspouts into a funnel that will catch hundreds of gallons of rainwater in one downpour or all night rain storm.

This is how I designed my rainwater harvesting machine. I went online and found a website that showed me how to cut a U shape into the rain downspout, using the downspout that is least noticeable. I then pressed the aluminum back which stopped the flow of water down and redirected it out. I placed a funnel to catch the water and a tube to lead it into a three hundred gallon IBC tank that I purchased from a local chemical company.

IBC tanks are easy to find and very inexpensive to purchase. You can also buy very nice rain barrels from local co-ops or natural food stores. These are much more pleasing to the eye. Most will hold fifty to a hundred gallons of rainwater.

By John Lee John Lee Window Cleaning Friendsville, Tennessee

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Leadership In spite of what Hollywood thinks makes a great movie, just believing in yourself and the power of your dreams is not enough to be successful.

I’ve met a lot of people over the years who tell me they would like to start their own business and ask me for advice. The worst part of these conversations is usually the part where I begin explaining that just being good at something, whether it’s welding, painting, programming, baking, or candlestick making isn’t enough to grow a successful business. I have painfully watched some forge ahead with plans to become an entrepreneur in spite of not possessing the basic qualities of leadership that a person needs to be successful in business.

I say painfully because often they wind up crashed against the unforgiving rocks of business reality. In spite of what Hollywood thinks makes a great movie, just believing in yourself and the power of your dreams is not enough to be successful. Yes, I saw Rocky and Rudy, and yes, both movies inspired me, but to survive in the jungle of the start-up company, you need certain character traits and yes, even some skills. So if you lay in bed at night with visions of getting up early in the morning, drinking raw eggs from a dirty glass, and doing one handed push-ups before heading out with your squeegee to conquer the business world, here are some things to think about.

Before you begin to build that window cleaning empire you need to make sure you possess a few of the right personal character qualities.

The following list is based on my own personal observations and obviously is limited in scope and non-scientific, but these are a few of the character traits that I have seen in the successful entrepreneurs that I have met throughout my life.

1. You love a good challenge.

Business leaders like doing hard things. Too many times over the years I have witnessed people with a strong desire to start a business because they hated “working for the man,” but who were just plain lazy. Leaders are those people who love a good challenge because it is, well, a good challenge. They thrive on testing themselves and getting out of their comfort zone, knowing that with each accomplishment they grow better. True leaders dream big and don’t mind making the sacrifice to accomplish something that most people would consider too much work. If you are the kind of person who has big goals and doesn’t mind hard work, you have the makings of a good window cleaning business owner. If you are not willing to give up your nights and weekends or you usually choose to sit in front of the TV or surf the internet instead of investing in yourself by reading good leadership or business books, you probably need to realize that “working for the man” also has some benefits.

2. You thrive on uncertainty Business leaders don’t need a security blanket, plain and simple. They prefer the thrill of leaving the cave every day, making the kill and dragging it home. Doing great things means that you might win big but it also means that you might lose big. People who are timid about going down the path of the unknown or those who need every risk eliminated before they begin, are seldom successful in business. Leaders thrive on risk, not foolish risk like winding your sport bike up to 180 mph on a busy California freeway, but rather the kind of risk that could yield great results if successful, but might also cause you to come up short for your mortgage next month, if you are not. I’ve met many people who wanted to be self-employed but didn’t want the uncertainty that comes with stepping out of their comfort zone, looking foolish, or failing at something. If you need a high sense of job security probably a solid 9 to 5 is a better fit for you.

3. You solve your own problems Leaders don’t sit around waiting for someone to come along and fix things for them. That’s exactly what leadership is about, being out front as point man, getting shot at. The people who want to be window cleaning business owners but always have to look to someone else to hold their hand and walk them through the steps are only kidding themselves. To be a good leader you have to have some “skin in the game.”

Look around next time you are at a meeting and see who is sitting on the edge of their seat taking notes and asking questions, those are probably the leaders. Leaders do their own heavy lifting instead of sitting around hoping someone will come along and carry the load for them. This is not to say that leaders should adopt the “lone wolf” mentality because we all need to reach out to others for help from time to

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

May - June 2011

11

As a business owner you are going to make mistakes and get hammered for it time, but if you have difficulty solving your own problems being in business for yourself is not for you.

Listening to music on the jobsite...

Professional

or Not?

4. You can handle criticism Business owners cannot be insecure people. They do not need the continuous praise of others to stay motivated. Owning a business brings with it the fact that others will be critical of your decisions, direction, appearance, tastes, speech, ideas, and just about anything else you can think of. Good leaders listen to the critics as a way of learning and getting better, but don’t let critics rule their thought process. As a business owner you are going to make mistakes and get hammered for it, but good leaders consider the source when criticism comes, and handle it in an objective way. On the other hand, non-leaders allow an overwhelming need to be liked dictate their direction. If you get defensive and have a hard time when someone questions you or your decisions, starting your own company is probably not for you.

This is not a comprehensive list by far but hopefully a good start. The best advice I can give someone about starting your own business is this: It’s far better to realize early that you are not cut out for entrepreneurship and begin developing the skills and character that you need to be successful, than it is to get yourself in over your head. I’m not trying to be a wet blanket or pull down your dreams, but outside of Hollywood lies this place called “reality,” and if you have what it takes to make it in the real world, get out there and go for it!

By Steve Stevens Sonlight Window Cleaning Murray, Kentucky

Participate and follow this poll on Twitter simply use hash tag #wcrpoll

Tweet your response: twitter.com/wcbomagazine

Inspiration what the tortoise and the hare can tell us about being in business o start this off, let’s remind ourselves of the story of the Tortoise and the Hare: There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise, challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch.

Hare ran down the road for a while and then paused to rest. He looked back at Slow and Steady and cried out, “How do you expect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?”

Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, “There is plenty of time to relax.”

Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he came to the finish line. The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, they woke up Hare, who stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. Tortoise was over the line.

After that, Hare always reminded himself, “Don’t brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!”

When we started in business we all wanted it to grow and be successful. That’s just human nature. It’s hard not to when we are all surrounded by successful people enjoying the luxuries of life that we want to have. But with those dreams of grandeur, comes the pitfalls.

They say that hindsight is 20/20, and with this latest economic cycle, that could not be truer. Take a walk with me in Mike’s shoes. Mike was working for a company making recreational vehicles. He noticed that there was a problem when he and his friends wanted to take the bike and sand rails out to the desert for a weekend. One guy would have to pull a trailer to sleep in and another would have to pull a trailer with all the toys in it. Mike came up with the idea of combining the two together.

He started his own company making toy haulers. It was an amazing idea and Mike worked his butt off marketing the idea and building the trailers. At the time Mike started, the economy was in a lull, and Mike started off slow. Year by year, sales started to improve and Mike’s company was growing at a strong pace. In 2005 sales were really starting to take off. His brand of toy haulers was a huge hit and everyone involved in the sport wanted one. His operation was running 24/7 just to keep up with the demand and through all of the

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

chaos, Mike loved life! Mike was buying lavish houses and toys and throwing some of the most amazing parties. You couldn’t go half a mile down the freeway without seeing one of his trailers. Life was good for Mike.

In 2008, my office was next to my business partner’s office and the walls were thin so I could hear the goings on in his office. What I heard next blew my mind. Mike was crying like a little baby. He was telling my partner how he was devastated by the recent events. It seems that his production staff was working at such a fiery pace, that there were some malfunctions in the manufacturing and there was a class action lawsuit pending against him. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the economy was tanking, credit was virtually nonexistent, people were no longer spending money on luxury items and he was leveraged up to his eyeballs. He felt that all of his dreams were crashing down around him.

Mike’s problem was that he grew too fast. Were there other global problems that contributed to his downfall? Absolutely, but if he wasn’t so leveraged trying to keep pace with the growth, he could have simply scaled back, waited for the economic recovery to take place and ramp up again. But Mike was in love with the thought of growing, being the biggest and the luxuries that come along with the success.

He lost focus, as many before him have.

At this moment in time we, as Window Cleaning Business Owners, are surviving in the toughest of times and we should all be proud.

But recovery is around the corner. The economy is already showing signs of more people spending money on non-essential items.

There is nothing wrong with growing and becoming successful. For that matter, the sky is the limit! The danger is when we grow at a rate that is unsustainable. It’s imperative that we take the attitude of the Tortoise, slow and steady.

By Brett Bailey Bailey’s Window Cleaning Yucaipa, California

May - June 2011

13

Become a Super

Service Professional As proud owner of my company, I enjoy hearing reports regarding exceptional customer care. We’ve all heard the statistic that it costs five to six times more to acquire a new client than it does to keep an existing one. An important key to keeping an existing client is delivering on customer service. Delivering good customer service requires frontline workers to receive assistance from their coworkers.

In conclusion, a chain reaction of teamwork needs to happen from beginning to end. The chain of assistance is only as good as the weakest link.

the cabin crew. “But don’t worry, I’ll tell the ground crew and they’ll have it sent to you.” After hearing that comment I was convinced the gentlemen would never see his jacket again. Six hours later we arrived at the airport and an agent met him at the terminal and handed him the jacket. They put it on another flight that arrived sooner than our own. The man was shocked; he could not believe the amount of customer service he had received. Odds are the next time the gentlemen decided to book a flight he was going to give a good amount of consideration towards booking with that same airline.

The US News and World Report found that 68% of clients who discontinue service with a business do it due to bad customer service.

And it gets worse! Further research shows, from a pool of 25, how quick a bad review can poison a reputation.

Another example demonstrates the importance of the service chain involving my window cleaning business. My lead technician and another field technician were cleaning windows on a residential property. After completing the work my lead field technician did a walk around with the client to make sure everything was completed.

Before leaving the job my lead tech mentioned to the client they can expect a follow up call in a few days to make sure the client didn’t find anything incomplete from now until then. The client thanked the crew for the last time and they were on their way.

For every customer that complains: • • •

Twenty-four are dissatisfied but do not complain Six of the twenty-four complainers have “serious” problems The twenty-four non-complainers tell between 10 and 20 people about their bad service experience.

These are some significant statistics, especially if you consider the number of employees who you might depend on to complete a successful transaction. You are counting on them to also follow through with their responsibilities in the system. For example in my business there are on average three to four people who must work together to give the client a great customer service experience. The office assistant, who is the voice of my business, needs to establish a good working relationship with the prospective client. The assistant then needs to inform me of the situation so I can perform on my end when bidding and selling the job. After I have closed a job it is my responsibility to communicate any important information with the field crew.

It is then up to the field technicians to follow through on their end of the chain, by performing the service to meet the company standards.

Once the job is complete the phone person will complete a follow-up call with the client, making sure they are completely satisfied.

As you can see there are many links of communication that needs to take place in order to deliver a great experience for the customer.

One “hitch” in this system can lead to a bad service experience for the client. When I hear reports of good customer service I reward all parties involved. No matter what the source or the situation there’s usually lessons to be learned.

Last year on my way home from the IWCA Convention I experienced a good example of customer service, while waiting for my plane to board. As I was sitting on the plane, waiting for the crew to finish boarding, the gentlemen next to me realized he left his jacket in the airport lounge. He rushed to the front of the plane and asked if he could grab his jacket. “Sorry, sir, too late,” replied a member of

14

May - June 2011

The next day the client noticed a few windows in the back basement that had been missed. She thought to herself, “This is something I will bring up when they do their call back.”

But this is where the chain breaks. In the coming days a few of our employees were out with the flu, which put us behind. The client whose home we completed days before never received a call back to insure she was still happy.

The following spring when I called this client to schedule her windows she mentioned that she had already had them done with another company. When I asked why she chose to go with the other company she explained the last time we had incomplete work that was never taken care of.

The lesson learned here is that checks and balances are necessary for superior customer service. Had I not followed through with the service chain and called the client I would have never known about the unsatisfactory work.

Good customer service begins at the top. If your senior people don’t get it, even the strongest links further down the line can be compromised. When you are out growing your business this spring please remember, when it comes to good customer service your chain of assistance is only as good as your weakest link.

By Kyle Ballweg Clear Vision Cleaning Dane, Wisconsin

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

How to hire window cleaners Here are some tips to keep in mind as hiring begins.

Never hire anyone without having an interview first.

Every year we need a new crop of window cleaners to help get us through the busy season.

You will never ever be able to hire anyone that works as hard as you. So don’t be surprised when you find a new hire isn’t what you were expecting when you hired him/her at the end of an interview. That brings me to the next tip.

Everyone is a liar. They will say anything to get a job. “Yeah man! I’m not afraid of heights!” “I don’t do drugs.” “I’m not a criminal.” There isn’t really anything you can do to avoid the lying but just be ready for disappointment.

First impressions matter a lot. The first thing the customer sees and thinks when they meet your guys at the front door is how they will perceive your company the entire time they are there. If an applicant comes to the interview looking like a bum then they will look like a bum when they meet your customer. Even if you provide uniforms for your guys they can mess them up quick.

Clean your office!!! You have to make a good first impression too by setting an example. The nice thing about being the owner and in this type of business is that you can dress down and be comfortable. But, for the interviews dress it up a bit. Put on the newer shoes and a nicer shirt.

Ask,” Why?” a lot. I pretty much respond to everything an applicant says with, “Why?” I do this for 2 main reasons. 1. To see if they start to lose their cool.

Being a window cleaner means you have to be flexible and not hot headed.

2. To keep them talking so I can know as much about them as possible. They don’t need to know anything about me. They are the ones that want a job.

Also asking “Why?” helps you avoid asking inappropriate questions that can get you in trouble with the Department of Labor. Avoid asking discriminating questions like how old are you? Do you have any medical conditions? Do you have any kids? Asking “Why?” a lot gets the applicant to offer up information freely.

Write up a job description detailing exactly what it is that you expect of your window cleaners and what they can expect from the job. Think of all the mistakes that were made in the past and think of all the annoyances you’ve had as a window cleaner. Go over these details with applicants before having them in for an interview and again during the interview. The main reason why people quickly quit a job is because it wasn’t what they were expecting it to be.

Ask applicants for at least 3 references that are people they have worked with or for and never family related. Actually call these references looking for feedback.

Keep all your applicants informed of what’s going on. You don’t have to be specific but just let them know that they are still being considered and you are still making a decision.

There are good people out there. You just have to be patient.

By Don Taylor All County Window Cleaning The views expressed here are not necessarily those of WCBO Magazine, please consult your local labor board.

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

May - June 2011

15

$ The True Cost of an Employee You want to grow your company, but with that has to come more jobs. More jobs that you can’t take on, on your own. If you HAVE to hire another employee, what will that even cost!? You ask yourself, “Can I even afford it? It is REALLY worth it?”

So what is the true cost of an employee? It’s not just their hourly or yearly salaries. The Federal and State laws mandate that we pay various taxes as well. We also have expenses such as workers compensation, health insurance, uniforms and vacation pay that all need to be accounted for to calculate our true cost for that employee. Aside from all those expenses for an employee the first 90 days always come out to be the most expensive. You have to train them, do background checks and drug screenings for an employee that may not even work out in the end. If they do work out you’re able to cover that loss within the first few months just by being able to pick up that extra work from having another hand on board. Just keep your fingers crossed that the first person works out.

What does an hourly employee cost?

Let’s break it down into costs: Hourly Rate $10 per hour Federal and State Taxes Workers Compensation Premium Health Insurance

2080 hours annually x $10.00= $20,800.00 11 - 15% $2704.00 W/C Premium $2175.00 $300 month $3600.00

Total Annual Cost of Current Employee

Annual Cost

$29,279.00

Your $10.00 an hour employee is now really $14.08! Not exactly what you were expecting was it?

When looking to hire an employee it’s good to go in knowing all of your expenses, including the things you may not even think about as an expense. This includes the advertising for hire, fielding the calls coming in, interviewing prospects, drug tests, and criminal background screenings. These alone could run you upwards of $200 for each hire!

Costs for Hiring: Fielding Calls (if 20 people call at 3 minutes per call)= 1 hour Applications (if 20 people apply at 5 minutes per person)= 1.7 hours Interviews (if 8 people are interviewed at 30 minutes each)= 4 hours Total= 6.7 hours If you’re an HR person making about $15 per hour, for just those 6.7 hours of fielding calls, filling out applications, and the interview process it’s costing you about $100.50.

Fielding Calls, Applications, Interviews

Classified Ad in a Local Paper (1 week run)

Drug Test for 1 person

Criminal Background Screening Total Cost

$100.50 $100.00 $25.00 $15.00 $240.50

In the retrospect of things finding 1 good employee could cost you $250.00 or more. That’s not even guaranteeing they’re going to work out in the end. Of course there are other inexpensive and sometimes free outlets to advertise for employees in and sometimes owners even have the opportunity to work with family, which may eliminate some or all of your costs.

Hiring employees can be costly at first and come across as an overwhelming process to window cleaning business owners looking to expand. The key to overcoming this and finding that perfect employee is having the knowledge of your cost, and a plan of action to keep you moving in the right direction. So if you are looking to expand in the near future, sit down and use the expense charts in this article as a buffer of what to expect when you start the hiring process.

By Stacey Jack CFO of All County Window Cleaning

16

May - June 2011

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

May - June 2011

17

>>> Manage Projecting and optimizing a solo operation or for growing.

You have been working as a solo operation for awhile and you feel there’s room to improve your income or to work less in the field for the same income. Or, you are wanting to grow and add people to your solo operation but need some way to make sure this won’t put you out of business and will really be a good move for you. If this describes your situation, this is what these articles are all about, showing you how to optimize and to see what’s around the corner that you can’t see right now.

Where are we going with all these articles?

We are taking small steps to build a foundation of understanding as we work toward building the most accurate and easiest to use full business projection tool you’ve ever seen. So stick around.

Optimizing your solo operation

Last month we saw how we can create this 8 hour average* day $ total. Now let’s use it.

For simplicity, we are going to use the 8 hour average of one person at $500 a day.

Q: “How much will I gross in a year?”

A: $500 * .85 (typical utilization**) = $425 = modified 8 hr average $425 * 5 days a week * 52 weeks = $110, 500

Q: “How much is that a month?”

A: $110, 500 /12 = $9208 a month This is more accurate to figure the annual amount then divide by 12 because this will average all the extra 1,2 or 3 days a month to give an average monthly amount

the bar higher with a “what if” question. How do you define the lifestyle you want window cleaning to give you? Now quantify it: What income would that take in a year? Then divide backwards to the 8 hr daily modified daily average to get the most basic building block to that lifestyle defined for you.

There’s your golden ticket, that new modified daily amount. Can you do it? What will it take to get there? Will it require: • Changing your pricing?

• Cost cutting?

• Changing your current budget?

No matter what it takes you are now building your plans on the solid foundation of the 8 hr average. If you stay committed to that goal, you will reach your “Lifestyle” target.

Q: “How does this help with my Pricing?”

A: Start evaluating these numbers against your bills. If it’s not enough, start asking yourself questions about your pricing and if you can add desirable value to substantiate higher prices. Questions to you: What daily 8 hour average would it take to achieve this?

What 8 hour average would it take to achieve the improved lifestyle you are desiring?

Lifestyle? Yes, that’s the goal. You can pay your bills, barely pay your bills, pay your bills and barely have any leftover, or you can set

18

May - June 2011

“Lifestyle” Let’s talk about defining what I mean by “lifestyle”. It doesn’t have to mean making the absolute most $ at the sacrifice of everything else. Rather, this is a flexible word and represents something unique to you. It could mean you work 8 months in the year and go sporting extreme “Patagonia catalog style” the other 4. It could mean finally getting that health insurance for the family and a new car for the wife. It could mean supporting

yourself with 3 days a week in the field and doing volunteer work you thoroughly enjoy the other 4 days. It could just mean not having to owe the IRS a dime on April 15th and never dealing with them again for back taxes (subject of a future article), a very, very common issue among self-employed businesses across the board. Maybe it means working less than five days a week with the same income you are making now.

The meanings are infinite because it’s what it means to you. The important thing is to see how it can be defined by an annual revenue number and then calculated to give you a daily number that represents a) reality (after utilization modification) and b) what you need to generate each day on average. Make no mistake about it though, raising your modified daily average by $25 a day is tough stuff without some new pricing. You’re not going to do it by “running around faster”.

Projecting for Growth

If you want to add employees, the most common first goal for a solo operation that wants to grow is to have enough guys to at least make what you are making right now.

Keep in mind, with employees, “what you are making right now” would be equivalent to gross revenue minus:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Employees wages Employer payroll burden on those wages Workman’s comp insurance Increased Liability insurance Increased vehicle expenses Increased supply & equipment expenses

This amount after the above list is what EMyth describes as contribution amount. The amount “contributed” to your business after the cost of service list above.

Many make the mistake of paying too much in wages and then not accounting for items 2-6. The flawed thinking I had ages ago and still to this day I hear most is: “If I make $500 a day, then to get out of the field all I need is 2 guys and I could pay them a whopping 50%, they’d be happy and I’d be out of the field, so all I need to do is double the work I have and I’m set for life” How many flaws can you identify in that common thinking statement? I counted 7 just now.

If you’ve never employed anyone before, how can you project accurately with all those unknowns?

Let’s see what kind of averages I can share with you to help you out with a head start: Employees wages- Hourly or commission, you better cap it at 30% of revenue

Employer payroll burden on those wages13% Workman’s comp insurance- 10% - This one varies widely by state

workdays = $15 This totals up to about $219 on that $500 day, but we haven’t modified the daily amount, 500*.85 = 425. So 425 - 219 = $206

Increased supply & equipment expenses $300- sky’s the limit depending on a lot, per month, per employee

There’s your rough starting point, sure there’s all kinds of finer details in the above, but this is an article not a book, so let’s work with this number for now. Some things that will impact this even more is do you have a paid off Tacoma sitting around to use? If not, vehicle expenses will be WAY higher. Work comp and liability insurance will always be higher for someone hiring their first employee too, just like your auto insurance was higher when you got your first car in high school.

Reading this, now how many flaws do you see in that above common thinking statement?

$219 is 51.5% of $425! Wow, big difference.

Get this, $500 a day I used in this example is not enough to work with these averages, ha.

Q: So where does this end up on a $500 day for the first employee on his own?

To sum up this question: The first employee on his own at $500 a day would give you a contribution amount of $206 - $281 per full day worked. The range is from utilization and a mix of fixed and variable expenses combined in there and would be more toward the lower side for sure.

Increased Liability insurance- $125 - $250 a month per FT employee, again varies widely by state Increased vehicle expenses- $250 - $1,000 or more per month, per truck, per 10k miles per year for each lead employee

A: Wage $500 * 30% = $150 Payroll burden: $150 * 13% = $19.50 Work Comp: $150 * 10% = $15 Liability insurance: $125 /20 workdays in a month = $6.25 Vehicle: lowest would be: $250/20 workdays = $12.50 Supplies and Equip starting at: $300/20

Q: So then, how many employees do I need to replace my income at these new contribution amounts?

A: Let’s work with the lowest amount above of $206 to be on the safest side: $500

Great Deals !

Vehicle graphics

Custom truck lettering starting under $20 for a set!

Equipment Decals

Window cleaning bucket sized decals Make your window cleaning bucket a mobile mini-billboard!

FREE shipping over $70 Find us on

www.quickgrafx.com Combining cutting edge artwork and design with an affordable price!

desired daily contribution amount / $206 average solo employee contribution = 2.43.

Yep, you need two and a half experienced solo employees in 2.5 trucks. It’s that irritating .5 that creates a new level of needs that keeps you from straight across replacing your current income at this smallest level.

(What about two or three in a truck? Don’t even go there right now, that’s another article in itself, but the answer is still 2 trucks and more than 4 people. And that irritating .5 is still hanging around which means a third truck anyway.)

You start buying trucks and the expenses go up fast. Your business needs are going to rise too. Where is the 2.5 work that you need now going to come from? More advertising? That increases your expenses too. Where is everyone going to meet? Your house? Are you sure about that, will your neighbors complain and the city come out and “kick your business out”? So now you need a shop, storage or office too. How about all the paperwork and phone work that will increase with this higher volume level? You will need an assistant of some sort. Where will this person work? Your home? An office?

Considering a lot of the above, the question was at what point can you replace your income and not be tied to the field? The first time this usually can be achieved in comfort and even a little income improvement for you is at the ‘3 solo employees in 3 trucks’ level.

Coming at it from another angle, think about it this way: 3 solo employee trucks * .85 utilization = 2.55 solo employee trucks. Ha, catch that? What was the answer above in the first answer paragraph?

2.43!

There you go. To replace your income, plan on 3 lead producers that can do what you do in a day, you’ll have some flexibility when they are sick, extras to cover and move time commitment jobs around etc.

Does that mean you need three times the jobs? Nope, just 2.5 times the work to match the ‘after modifying for utilization’ amount above. Is this cool or what?

What’s the takeaway? Have 3 to get 2.5 so you get your 1. Have 3 employees to get 2.5 the revenue so you can have your 1 income you have now.

The middle part of being here and getting there is very tough be-

cause now you have to open the Pandora’s box of employees and management. Once you have good people and go beyond this point of 3 it can get even “easier” for you. Depending on how much you enjoy all the new and different responsibilities.

So how could we even get so accurate in our projections in the first place? Because we are working with the ultimate rock solid number: the modified 8 hour equivalent average. Now go start filling that information in the spreadsheet you downloaded for free in last month’s special or you can still download now exclusively at WCR and get a head start on planning your future more predictably and accurately.

Next month we’ll either consider the 52 week secret or organizational options as you grow thru the hard parts. Email me with your preference. * 8 Hour Average was discussed in detail in Issue 3 of WCBO magazine **Utilization was discussed in detail in Issue 2 of WCBO magazine

--------------------------------------------------By Bruce “number crunch” Ferguson Is there a specific projection you would like seen broken down into steps? Is there anything window cleaning business related you are trying to understand better or solve that a formula, calculation or chart could help with? Did you like this article? Did it help you out in some way? Please email me at numbercrunch@verizon.net.

Does the thought of tracking this stuff sound like a headache, too hard and too complicated to you? I’ve made it easy for you! Still available only at the WCR store is the 8 Hour Equivalent spreadsheet template. Calculations are all done for you, even time fields are included so all you do is input your start and stop time for the day and your day total. You don’t even have to calculate your total hours for the day! See your progress and averages “live” with the dashboard feature. All set up for one whole year’s worth of data. See how amazing and eye opening this is as a planning tool for your growing business.

Visit www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com and search “8 hour” to download your 8 Hour Equivalent Spreadsheet today!

The perfect Window Cleaning Phone IPhone

According to you 39.66%

Android

32.76%

Palm

5.17%

Flip Phone

5.17%

Blackberry

17.24%

What is the perfect window cleaning phone?

A poll from the WCR forum What are you guys using that enables you to run your business remotely?

Iphone, Android, Palm, RIM, Basic Flip Phone?

We ran this pole on the WCR forum and this is the response we got. What do you think?

How I Roll Check out the video Troy took of his sweet setup.

Troy Liposec gives us a sneak peek into his done up PacifiClear Window Cleaning work van. At first glance you’ll notice his large logo on the side of the van along with a phone number and their website. Of course Troy has gone a step further and even has a photo of a building they’ve done and a list of their services. You never know who’s going to pull up next to you and of course it’s all about branding and getting your name out there.

Watch the video

the spot. Next to that is a sectional ladder leaving plenty of room for his 24’ if a job calls for it. Up top is a ladder rack mounted upside down which holds all of his water-fed poles, extension poles and brushes. Every-

As we open the doors on the passenger side the first thing you notice is that on the top and the bottom the van has been sprayed with a spray on bed-liner. Being a bit of a handy man Troy has also installed his own dam for preventing water from getting into the cab of his van.

Right in front are Troy’s stacked hose reels.

He always carries about 200 feet of inlet hose, 3/8” air hose and then another waste hose that quick connects on whenever he needs it. Moving to the left we notice a pressure washer that Troy mainly uses for doing screens and other light duty house washing.

There’s 200 feet of pressure washing hose for that as well. Right next to that are one of many shelves holding a crate of some soaps and chemicals that he uses.

As we move around the back of the van and open it up we see a whole ton of window cleaning and water-fed supplies ready to go.

Right off the bat you see 2 tables which Troy uses if he needs to re-screen a screen on www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

with Troy Liposec

find a crate full of huck towels and stripwasher sleeves. Troy believes in variety and makes sure he’s always fully stocked in case a job throws him a curve ball.

Speaking of being prepared, Troy even has a full tool cabinet that holds extra fittings and various other replacement parts just in case he has to do a quick repair out in the field. This cabinet also holds his gallon containers of soaps and chemicals, razor blades, extra rubber, tarps, gloves and of course his mountain bike equipment.

One of the selling points for Troy on this vehicle was the door on the driver’s side.

It gives him easy access to all of his tools from every angle. As soon as you open the driver’s side door you’ll notice his RHG/ RO unit that has been specially mounted right into his van. He has a booster pump and a generator right close by just in case he needs it. From this angle you can see the back of his pressure washers and see the tight space he has to re-fuel it which is why he has a little funnel ready to go at all times.

thing is always ready to go so all you need to do is change out your brush and move on to the next job. All the way to the left Troy has mounted a Pulex Bucket on a Belt to the inside of his van to hold extra squeegee channels. In this location it’s basically grab and go in one quick swoop. Below this you’ll

What’s nice about Troy’s setup is that everything has its own place and while he carries a ton of supplies it doesn’t even seem that crowded. With the use of the upside down ladder racks he’s been able to get a lot of equipment up off of the floor leaving space for the larger ticket items on the ground. It’s all about functionality and we think Troy’s got it down pat.

May - June 2011

21

Squeegeenomics: Move the Heart Feelings open wallets.

“All people ever buy are good feelings”, according to expert copywriter Joe Vitale.

They buy to feel happier, to feel relieved, to feel special, confident, in control, responsible, generous, pampered, and safe. To feel loved, admired, and respected.

They buy because they want to feel something in their heart.

Unless they are renting scary movies to scare themselves silly, they want to feel the rush of good, positive feelings, and they’ll happily trade you their money for it. Revlon Founder Charles Revson famously admitted to this connection when he described his cosmetics and perfume products as “hope in a bottle.” How much would you pay for hope?

In his amazing book Shoptimism: Why The American Consumer Will Keep On Buying No Matter What, researcher Lee Eisenberg similarly states that “according to a study in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, a man’s alteration of his natural body odor makes him feel self-confident, which induces others to perceive him as such.”

Eisenberg explains, “We buy because we are prisoners of desire. Effective selling is selling that gets us to unzip, to slip out of our own emotional hang-ups into something that promises to be more comfortable, powerful, and sexy.”

Vitale agrees, “The only reason people do anything is for the feelings they expect to get.”

Have you ever viewed feelings as being that important before? You should.

As window cleaning business owners, you are inclined to make a mistake when it comes to what motivates purchase behavior. Somehow, we have been tricked into believing that the consumer with money in hand is a rational, logical, analytical creature, immune to the rushes and pitter-patters of the emotional heart. Nothing could be further from the truth.

22

May - June 2011

People do business where they feel good, not where it logically makes sense to complete a transaction.

Consider: Of all the burger places in your town, why do you eat where you currently do? How do you feel when you’re there? Of all the clothing stores where you shop, which one is your favorite? How do you feel during your shopping experience at that particular one? Of all the places you go to get your haircut, why do you patronize the one you go to now? How do they make you feel when you’re there? How about where you take your pet to be cared for? How do they make you feel at that particular vet clinic or pet spa?

If we have options, we always choose to do business with companies that find a way to make us feel good. So, ask yourself a hard, vitally important question: ‘How does it feel to be a customer of your window cleaning company?’

Researchers Robert Brunner and Stewart Emery put it this way: “People are seeking a great experience of being alive. Human beings do whatever they do based upon the expectation that their experience will be the better for it. We want things that are engaging, fun, personal, useful, productive, and desirable. And emotionally rewarding.” In the fascinating book Brand New World, marketing expert Max Lenderman speaks of “looking at marketing as a way to help people achieve their existential dreams.”

So true. Under these conditions - and as simple as it sounds - a genuine understanding of the human heart is a powerful marketing tool at your disposal.

As Joe Vitale reports in There’s a Customer Born Every Minute, when professional idea man Stanley Arnold wanted to present a giant idea to the Continental Baking Company, he went to the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Collection in Manhattan, obtained the contact information for a giant, and hired the giant to help pitch the idea to the client.

When he wanted to convince a different client that his ideas were confidential and wouldn’t be leaked to the competition, he hired a Wells Fargo armed vehicle, complete

with armed guards, to drive and accompany him to the business meeting. When he wanted to secure Macy’s as a client, he legally changed his name to Stanley Macy’s Arnold.

When asked what his secret to success was, he answered, “I’ve built my entire career on putting carts before horses, and feelings before logic.”

How about you? What are you focusing on?

Where are you trying to reach people? Are you going after their head or their heart?

There’s a big difference, and only one of them will lead your prospects to actually doing something.

Neurologist Donald Calne explains: “The essential difference between emotion and reason is that emotion leads to action, and reason leads to conclusions.” Only one of those things involves people giving you their money in exchange for your window cleaning services.

Far from being thinking machines that feel, it’s actually the other way around. Human beings are feeling machines that think.

We’re emotional creatures that factor logic in afterwards.

Of course, most window cleaning companies get this wrong. Most companies, period, get this wrong, because it sounds wrong. It sounds like we’re painting human society as some wishy-washy, feel-good hippy movement that spurns rational thought. Well, we sort of are. It’s not that people don’t want to hear about the logic behind decisions, its just that we aren’t interested until we understand how the logical stuff is connected to things we want to feel, or that we care about.

So what kind of feelings particularly move us, anyway? According to Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi (arguably one of the largest and most successful advertising agencies on the planet), emotions can be divided into two groups: primary and secondary.

Primary emotions can be felt by an isolated individual, but secondary emotions require another person for them to exist.

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

The six main Primary emotions are: Joy Sorrow Anger Fear Surprise Disgust The six main Secondary emotions are: Love Guilt Shame Pride Envy Jealousy All of them are powerful in driving human behavior. And since consumers make buying decisions based primarily on experiencing good feelings, the negative ones mentioned above are often best used as feelings that can be avoided by purchasing your services.

For instance, you can point out how having windows cleaned prior to the in-laws coming over next month will help the woman of the house avoid feelings of shame that would be felt when her mother-in-law chews her out for not keeping her house as clean as it should be.

Use negative emotions to drive people away from behavior that includes NOT using your services.

Fear is similar. Countless studies have proven that people are more inclined to move

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

away from what they hate than to move towards what they love, and fear drives much of this behavior. In fact, as Behavioral Economists Ori and Rom Brafman report in Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, “We experience the pain associated with a loss much more vividly than we do a joy of experiencing a gain.” The Brafman brothers even discovered that “the word loss alone, in fact, elicits a surprisingly powerful reaction in us”, and added “the more there is on the line, the easier it is to get swept into an irrational decision.”

How can you ethically use fear as a motivator? When it comes to window cleaning, fear can have a few different iterations, all involving fear of loss.

Fear of opportunity loss. Will they miss out on an amazing deal if they don’t act in the next 3 days? When crafting a deadline, keep in mind this important rule from marketing expert Bill Glazer, from Outrageous Advertising That Works Outrageously, “When possible, never give people more than two weeks to respond.” (glazer, 96) Fear of financial loss. Will they risk allowing $5,000+ of damage to their home if they don’t properly clean their gutter and downspout system before winter hits?

Fear of physical loss. If they try to clean their windows all by themselves, and end up falling off their ladder and breaking a bone in the process, how would that affect their quality of life? (See figure 4-3)

Tell any of those stories, and you’re tapping into the power of fear as a powerful emotional driver of human behavior. You’re also being truthful and honest in doing so.

One more thing.

In the remarkable Yes - 50 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Persuasive, brilliant researchers Dr. Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Dr. Robert Cialdini provide this caveat regarding the effective use of fear as a driver of behavior: “Campaigns that inform potential customers of the real-world threats that a company’s goods or services can alleviate should always be accompanied by clear, specific, effective steps they can take to reduce the danger.” It concludes: “Simply scaring customers into believing that a product or service can help with a potential problem might have the opposite effect, potentially cementing them into inaction if there is a failure to provide specific, achievable steps that they can take to avoid such a threat.”

In other words, fear only motivates if you show them how to protect themselves from it in clear, specific ways, and ideally if you convince them that your window cleaning company is uniquely qualified to help them do so. Otherwise, you are putting money in your competitors’ pockets, too, with your interchangeable services.

In summary, the same feeling that motivates your target market to put on a seat belt, look both ways before crossing a road, turn off the stove before leaving the house, and hit

May - June 2011

23

the gym before bikini-season can also bring more revenue into your window cleaning company. Why not try using fear in your next flier design?

The same thing can be done for the 10 other primary and secondary emotions, too.

When considering how to tap into emotion,

just ask yourself 2 important questions: How is this feeling felt when the prospect doesn’t use my services? How is this feeling felt when they do use my services?

The answers will supply you with the creative direction you need.

Which emotions will work best for your business? It really depends on the kind of people you are doing business with in your local market, and the specific offer that you’ve put on the table before them.

That being said, there are some constants.

P.T. Barnum once said that “People will spend their last nickel to have fun.”

People are bored silly at work, and in life in general. Look at how many billions of dollars are being spent on entertainment and recreation. In 2010, According to www.boxofficemojo.com, James Cameron’s Avatar earned over $2.73 billion dollars in less than 6 months flat, and it’s not done yet. People gladly spend their hard-earned money in the quest of fun, and crave any escape from the dredge of regular life.

24

May - June 2011

So, incorporate some fun into your window cleaning service offering! Try to add some sunshine to your clients’ day, and they’ll love you for it.

Joke around with them a bit. Smile when you speak to them, even if it’s over the phone (you can tell, and so can they). Write emails

pecially when it comes to making people’s hearts beat.

Are you still using cheap clip-art? Quit it.

It’s not 1998, and it’s not cute anymore. It’s amateurish and weak in today’s market.

Do you believe that words alone sell better than imagery? Experiment with a mix of the

in a light, breezy, conversational style. Leave them little unexpected gifts. Send your favorite clients a little $5 starbucks gift card, and don’t do it at Christmas, when everyone else does. Make little videos of your crew having fun (in a safe and professional way) on the job, upload them to Youtube, and embed them onto your site.

two, and do some split-testing to challenge your theory.

Be thoughtful, and treat your clients like you would a friend. Find a way to make their day a little easier and brighter.

Well, the bombarded part is definitely true, but people aren’t really sick of fliers and postcards. They are sick and tired of boring fliers and postcards.

Ask yourself “If my express purpose was to make my clients smile every time they did business with me, how would I pull it off?”

Why not start doing that from today on? I know one window cleaning business owner who printed Chili recipes on the back of his invoices. Great idea.

Get serious about your visuals, too. With resources like istockphoto.com at your disposal, it now costs you less than ten dollars to incorporate world-class imagery into your marketing pieces.

Pictures are worth a thousand words, es-

It’s quite common to hear window cleaning business owners complain that “fliers and postcards just don’t work, because people are sick and tired of being bombarded with them.”

Same goes with TV commercials. People aren’t sick of commercials, they’re sick of boring commercials, and they TiVO right through them. The great commercials they happily watch, over and over again. Remember those brilliant Old Spice commercials that took over the social consciousness last year? They were unexpected, interesting, and different. Every time they played we slowed down, rewound, and watched them again and again. (Whether or not they made any money is another more important story, but at least Old Spice temporarily proved that people are not sick of commercials as a

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

medium per se.)

view.

In reality, TiVO does what it is supposed to do - filter out the nonsense, not the good stuff. Same goes for the TiVO’s in your prospects heads. So don’t give up on your fliers and postcard campaigns. Fun, interesting, captivating fliers are harder to make, require careful thought about imagery, and earn you money, because they not only capture attention, but they make people feel something.

Objectivity is possible only through a truly detached third party, so when you find one, listen carefully.

You can even do this backwards if you wish, and reverse-engineer the emotion you are attempting to implant in your prospects heart.

Start with the desired emotional response, and work backwards from that point, to create the service experience that would manufacture it.

If, after your client is done using your company’s window cleaning services, you want them to feel special, loved, and pampered, start with a blank piece of paper and write down everything that your shopping and service experience must include to create that strong emotional outcome. Next, write down everything that you believe it must exclude.

Choreograph the entire customer experience, across every possible point of contact you can find. Now you have a blueprint. Go make it.

Crave objective input. Invite it, don’t fight it.

And resist the urge to take it personally.

It’s possible that despite your best efforts, you’re still not creating the experience that your customers want to feel. Consider asking a trusted friend from outside the industry for some feedback on the customer experience you have created, and what your company feels like and looks like from their point of

Not a subscriber yet?

It’s so easy to order!

Of course, if your customers are ever generous and thoughtful enough to tell you what they think could be done better for them in your customer service experience, then be grateful, and listen carefully. This unsolicited input is invaluable, and should be taken very seriously.

Are they irritated about something? Do they wish you would do something a little bit different? Listen carefully, and make adjustments.

Belief is also a big part of this. Unless you truly believe that you can monetize a positive customer emotional experience, chances are you’re going to default to the same old stuff you’ve been accustomed to producing up until today.

Do a little soul-searching to see where you stand on this emotional approach, and find some guts to at least test an emotionallyoriented marketing piece.

What if your customer base just doesn’t seem to care about window cleaning at all, though? Are you out of options? Not necessarily. Try connecting some dots from what they already have strong feelings about.

As researchers Chip & Dan Heath explain in Made to Stick, “The most basic way to make people care is to form an association between something they don’t yet care about to something they do care about.” These same people clean their cars regularly. Why? What

emotion is driving (pardon the pun) that decision? How does it make them feel when they are driving around in a clean car, or even just parking it in front of their home? They clean their clothes regularly, too. Why? What’s the feeling they get from doing that?

Connect those dots for people, and show them that those same good feelings they experience from their current purchases can also come from investing in your professional window cleaning services, too. Do what you can to help them visualize how good having their windows cleaned will make them feel.

In short, understand the pivotal role of emotion in driving purchase behavior. Realize that people buy based on the feelings they hope to experience, so help them to imagine feeling those positive emotions - or avoiding negative emotions - by investing in your window cleaning services.

Once you’ve got their heart feeling something, your prospects now need you to take the next natural step.

They need you to persuade their mind.

Your next issue of Window Cleaning Business Owner magazine will show you how to do that.

By Kevin Dubrosky Kevin Dubrosky is the host of the Window Cleaning Industry’s only marketing conference, “The Squeegeenomics Experience”. He is also the author of the revolutionary 255-page hardcover book “$600/hr – The Ultimate Window Cleaning Marketing Guide”. Please Google “Kevin Dubrosky” or “$600/hr” or “Squeegeenomics” to learn more about he can help you.

Subscribe

6 issues only $39.99!

Just visit www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com and search “WCBO Magazine” and sign up for your subscription today! Not on the internet? No problem. Give us a call at 862.266.0677 and we’ll process the order for you.

Why subscribe? You tell us! With less advertisements and more content Window Cleaning Business Owner Magazine can focus on helping you grow and improve your window cleaning business. Call us today!

Thinking abut getting into Pure Water but don’t know where to start?

We have experts across the country: John Kieser Tony Evans John Lee Alex Lambrinides Chris Lambrinides

Starter Kit: We have compiled several very affordable pure water starter kits

based upon customer requests. For those who want to get their feet wet before pulling the trigger on a multi stage system or for those who will only be using pure water once in a while one of our pure water starter kits will surely fit your needs.

$559 - $999

Residential: We offer the top systems on the market today geared toward pro-

ducing pure water on demand and delivering it to the first and second story of any home. The “residential” systems WCR offers can be modified down the road to pump pure water to the third story and beyond.

Commercial: Do you want to begin bidding on those mid rise buildings but don’t want to hang? Consider using a water fed pole and pure water. We can outfit your company with a premier water purification system to allow you to reach the fourth, fifth and sixth story of any mid-rise building. New multi stage systems are used in conjunction with pumps to allow users to move pure water through several hundred feet of hose and up to any height.

$1,500 - $2,999

$2,999+

We are here to help you make your Pure Water decisions!

Chris and Alex have 15 years combined experience in Pure Water and are ready to help you find your perfect fit. Not sure where to start? Check out our in depth Pure Water Manual today: www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com/manuals/pure-water.pdf It’s not unusual that we speak to a customer up to 15 times before completing their pure water purchase. From an initial inquiry to the final purchase, even after your purchase, we’re here for support. Give us a call today 862.266.0677

Commercial $2,999+

it K r e Start $999 $559

Resid

$1,50

ential

0 - $ 2,999

If you have ever heard the question – “Hey, what soap do you guys use?” then you know what comes next, SOAP WARS! Window cleaners are as passionate about the soap they use as mothers are about their children. Sometimes even more so. But how do we resolve this war and realistically, can we?

Choices, Choices, Choices At the heart of the battle is the fact that unlike previous generations of window cleaners we have a myriad of choices in soaps.

They range from the old school vinegar and ammonia concoctions to dish soaps to the modern designer soaps made to clean only window glass. With all those choices how can we expect anything more than chaos when discussing which is the best. In fact if you have ever been involved in an online forum discussion about soap you know it can easily be pages of information in a few hours.

How Do We Choose Then?

We can’t forget that many of our choices are handed down to us. We use the tools and chemicals in our business in part because the guy or gal that trained us used them. So it might be beneficial to take a broader look at the subject. In this article I will not attempt to tell you which soap to use or which is the best. Instead we will take a look at the variety of choices and the pros and cons of each choice.

Vinegar Vinegar has long been used by homeowners

28

May - June 2011

to clean their windows. In fact the combination of vinegar and newspapers is highly touted on some DIY forums as the best way to clean windows.

Pros Vinegar is a mildly acidic liquid. It’s this characteristic that gives vinegar its cleaning ability. As an acid it can eat away the organic compounds that make up much of the dirt we find on windows. It is also used today to activate certain self cleaning coatings on some glass. And as an acid it can remove minor hard water stains.

Cons Possibly the biggest strike against vinegar is the rather intense odor. I personally hate having that smell permeate my nostrils all day long even when I’ve only been using it for an hour or two. Another con is that it can be hard on the hands when used for an extended time. The time of course varies from person to person. Some have no issues and some need to use gloves at all times. It also should be diluted to avoid potential damage to other surfaces.

it leaves a relatively streak free shine it has also been recommended as a cleaning agent for windows.

Pros One of its best qualities is that is mixes in water evenly in all concentration levels. This means the solution in your bucket is the same all the way from the top to the bottom.

No worry about the cleaner not getting mixed in properly. Since it also bonds with and breaks down a variety of compounds it can be effective at removing stubborn dirt and grime.

Cons If the smell of vinegar gets to you then ammonia can be a real eye (and sinus) opener.

It is also much more caustic than vinegar and should be used with extreme caution.

Never mix ammonia in with bleach as it can produce a poisonous cloud. Also caution should be exercised where the potential for bleach overspray might be on the windows or sills.

Ammonia Ammonia is a different beast altogether. It is considered a mild base but it can combine with other compounds to become mildly acidic. Because

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Dish Soaps Dish soaps are likely the widest used cleaner by window cleaners. Designed to break up grease and dirt they seem well suited to clean windows.

They are also readily available and relatively inexpensive.

Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) TSP is an alkaline that was once heavily used in many cleaning agents due to its cheap cost and effectiveness at removing grease and other stains. Because of its inability to be removed from wastewater in treatment plants much of it ended up in watersheds and larger bodies of water. This led to large algae blooms and its subsequent removal from cleaners because of the Clean Water Act of 1977.

Pros Inexpensive and easy to find are often reasons given for using dish soap. They also are designed to break up the heavy grease associated with the cleaning of pots and pans. Possibly the most often commented on benefit to dish soap is slip or glide.

Cons

Pros No doubt its popularity is due to its cost. A 1% solution of TSP has a pH of 12 making it effective at breaking down grease. It’s also versatile. It was used in a variety of cleaners from dish soap to laundry detergent to toilet bowl cleansers. It also makes the cleaning solution extremely slippery which no doubt is a major reason for its use by window cleaners.

Like TSP the biggest con is that it too isn’t recommended to be used on windows. This can be found on the FAQ section for Dawn dish soap. Some other cons are that dish soap is designed to be used in hot water and be rinsed off. These two conditions aren’t commonly practiced by window cleaners. Of course there is some disagreement on the validity of these concerns by the proponents of dish soap.

Cons The biggest con is that TSP is not recommended for use on window glass. It has been reduced or removed from toilet bowl cleansers because it corrodes metals and breaks down grout. Metal corrosion could create a problem for aluminum frames depending on the concentration levels. The slip or glide can also create a problem when trying to hold on to your tools.

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Designer Soaps This category covers products like Ettore Squeegee Off, Unger Easy Glide or The Pill, Winsol APC-100, and Glass Gleam 3 and 4. The newest cleaners to be released have been specifically designed for architectural glass cleaning.

Pros Designed to be used only on window glass these cleaners leave less residue which keeps the windows cleaner longer. They also are inexpensive when used in the recommended dilution rate. Most are also designed to have reduced suds so there is less detailing as well.

Cons Squeegee drag is the most common complaint leveled against the designer soaps. Many of its users however say they don’t have that problem or simply add a glide agent. Of course this increases the price which is another con to those who have employees who may be used to using more soap than necessary.

Final thoughts Whatever your choice, in the end, much of what we do comes down to technique and equipment just as much as what soap we use. As long as there are discussions about soap there will be soap wars. I guess that means we are at least still passionate about what we do for a living which in itself is a good thing! So, what soap do you use?

By Tony Evans A New View Window Cleaning Washington, Iowa

May - June 2011

29

>>>Websites 101 Wordpress, joomia, static.. oh my!

There is hope!

First off, let’s explain what a static and data-driven site is. A static website is a website that you set up and forget about (basically). You can keep updating it but it usually requires you to dig into the code to do so. A static site is just there to present information. It doesn’t do much.

A data-driven site is what you see when you visit online stores. Places like Amazon and iTunes are data-driven. All of their content (their products) is what drives their website. Those websites usually start at about $3,000.00. Generally a small business doesn’t need something that elaborate.

So you’ve got your perfect domain name picked and purchased.

You’ve got your hosting account setup. You have everything in order to build a website, now what? Well you start Googling to figure out if you can build your website yourself or if you should hire someone to do it yourself.

All of a sudden you’re overwhelmed with words you didn’t even know existed! You start seeing things like html, css, javascript, php, sql, wordpress, joomla, drupal, jquery, mootools and the list just keeps going and going. Wow! Well at least you know that you’re going to hire someone now unless you just love computers and have time to learn.

So you either Google web developers or you pull out that big, yellow book (are they still in use?) and look for someone to build your website. You start calling around and you’re asked if you want a static site, a data-driven site, a CMS or something in between. You don’t know what all that is; it’s not your job to know. So you say you need a static site and you start hearing prices like $2,000.00 (which is still relatively cheap for a custom web design) or more. Now learning yourself doesn’t seem so bad. But where do you start?

Unfortunately this is where a lot of small business owners start to compromise (not you, of course). They don’t have the time to learn to build a website themselves. They’re busy doing the stuff that actually makes them money. So they decide to just use a web builder. Something where they basically drag and drop to build their site. You may be thinking, “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea”. And in principle it’s not a bad idea. The problem starts with the way most web builders are set up.

You’re very limited as to how much you can change. So the site starts to look like Frankenstein’s monster. All pieced together from various sources. Nothing looking quite right. You can forget about SEO. You can’t access the file enough to make the changes you need. But I’m here to tell you…

You do have options, though. You have drag and drop web builders that look more Brad Pitt than Frankenstein’s monster. What am I talking about? Content Management Systems (CMS for short). Namely: Wordpress, Joomla, and Drupal.

These CMS’s make it easier to manage a website. Once you have it set up it’s almost as easy to maintain as working with a Word document.

So which CMS should you use?

I’ll come out and say it, my favorite is Wordpress. It’s simpler for the

Overheard This Month!

Facebook The discussion doesn’t end here... facebook.com/WCBOM Comment of the Month: Jorge A.: Lucky enough to have got a copy in St. Pete. GREAT articles! A lot of good info. Thanks once again wcbo mag. Now to implement all I’ve learned.

Twitter The discussion doesn’t end here... twitter.com/wcbomagazine Comment of the Month: wcbomagazine.: I think this whole WCR/WCBO thing is really going to take off, lol. Yeah, I just used lol.

30

May - June 2011

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Call Today!

user to…well…use. You say you want to change the look of it. Normally you’d have to pay a designer and a developer to get a new look for your website but with a CMS it’s a matter of changing the theme. Which, take my word for it, is easy. You say you want to change what’s in the sidebar? You want to delete that page, add this page, and edit that other page? Simple.

Joomla is more powerful than Wordpress (although Wordpress is catching up). But, as with anything in the tech world, with great power comes great complexity. Granted, Joomla isn’t too complex. But since it has more features and is more flexible it takes more time to get used to and learn your way around.

1.347.SIM.POLE Or John Lee: 865.310.0728

or visit us on the web: www.SIMPOLE.com

Reach the Solar Market

Honestly, I haven’t built a site using Drupal yet (it’s on my to-do list), but from all I’ve read it’s a developers dream and a user’s nightmare. In other words, it’s more powerful and complex than Joomla. Which is great if you know what you’re doing with html, css and php. But you’re wanting this to make your life simpler, not more complicated, right?

My choice is Wordpress. It does everything you could want it to do and more. And it’s simple to use. There are some things to look out for, though. Just like with anything in life, there are good points and there are dangers. Most of the dangers come from free themes. For one a lot of free themes still look like Frankenstein’s monster, but another problem is that the embed code into the site so that you’re always advertising for them. And some even track what you do, how you use the site.

In the next issue of Window Cleaning Business Owner Magazine I’ll discuss how to use Wordpress. Show you some behind the scenes photos and what to look for in a theme and even a developer. Until next time!

John Webb http://johnwebb.info Custom Web Design and Development Wordpress Developer Check out the Wordpress Websites at Shop WCR! Just search “websites” in the store.

Advertise!

Advertise your business in the most talked about magazine in the industry!

Why Advertise?

Low Rates- Significantly lower than the other industry trade magazines

High Distribution Rate- The highest in the industry Demographics- Window Cleaning Business Owner Magazine goes to window cleaners that are serious about growing and expanding their business. Window cleaners with thriving businesses consume more supplies and services Superlative Articles!- Articles are written by some of the best

minds in the window cleaning industry. The focus is on growing and enhancing window cleaners’ companies and profitability

Less Advertisements- We are cutting our Ads off at 15 per issue so we guarantee your message won’t get lost amongst all of the others. Other industry publications have over 30 ads per issue Contact us today for more information and pricing.

862.266.0677 Ask for Stephanie info@windowcleaningresource.com

Manufacturer Spotlight

Interview with Peter Fogwill of Aquatech and the HotWash WFP System Today we are talking to Peter Fogwill of the new HotWash Waterfed Pole Window Cleaning System from AquaTech that he devised to clean better with less spotting.

With this system you can work when others can’t, and work faster as well. Peter has a well-known forum that many window cleaners pay a visit to and the first major window cleaning forum ever from an independent supplier - you can visit it here. Peter operates from Broxburn on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland and is well known in the window cleaning sector for his inventions, especially his WFP window cleaning trolley that was one of the first ever on the market.

Karl: You sometimes go AWOL for a few days – are you a fisherman or a sailor?

Peter: I do like fishing, but that is not where I disappear to for a few days. When I get a bit busy at work I have to stay away from the forums because I get so involved. It’s not as bad nowadays with you and the other moderators looking after things so I know it’s in good hands and doesn’t need me full time. I just find it hard not to answer when people ask questions, and before I know it I am on for hours.

Karl: Would that be your chosen profession if you weren’t involved in window cleaning?

Peter: Not applicable—if I wasn’t involved in window cleaning, believe it or not I would quite fancy being a chef, I like cooking.

Karl: How long have you been a window cleaner and how long have you been supplying window cleaning gear?

Peter: I first started cleaning windows about 31 years ago when I was 18 and have been in the business ever since. I am a great believer in getting the work done as fast as possible whether to earn more money per hour and spending more time with the family. I remember working in Jersey in my early days and watching the workers in the company I worked for and thinking “There is far too much time wasted here.” What the guys did was clean the front of the house, carry the ladder round the back and go back round the front for the bucket. Not much time wasted on each house but multiply that by the amount of times it was done in a day, and all the other time wasting that was going on, and it mounts up to a considerable amount over the day. Since then I have always looked for ways of getting the job done faster, and would like to think that I have succeeded to a certain extent with the time saving tools I have developed over the years.

Peter: I started selling equipment on a small scale around 20 years ago with my “Ladder Stays” and then “SqueegeeMate,” and went full

32

May - June 2011

time with the water-fed pole window cleaning equipment around 10 years ago.

Karl: What was your first ever window cleaning invention and what did it do?

Peter: The first one was my Ladder Stay. It secures the ladders on to the roof rack. All you do is place the ladders on the roof rack and pull a bar over and that secures the ladders, no tying or screwing a bolt down like with J hooks. This was a great time saver over the day, and it was much safer as well, as there was no chance of forgetting to tie the ladders on. How many times have you done some damage to your vehicle with forgetting to tie the ladders on? Although I sold quite a number of sets, I was never going to make a business out of it as the majority of window cleaners would rather spend more time tying the ladders on to save spending money. My most significant invention, and the one most people will remember is my “SqueegeeMate,” (pictured right) it was an applicator that attached to the squeegee to allow the soaping and squeegeeing to be done at the same time. Again that was a great time saver, as it had lots of advantages, including no mess to mop up cleaning inside offices etc. It was never going to be a business as most people had to be personally shown how to use it before they became hooked. I did do a couple of trade shows in the USA and here in the UK and always had a lot of interest.

It was my house that got flooded, and we were out of the house for a full year.

Karl: You had a flood a couple of years ago at your workshop – did that knock your work back considerably?

Peter: It was my house that got flooded, and we were out the house for a full year. It did take a bit of time away from me work wise as there was a lot of sorting out to do, back and forth with the workmen and insurance companies.

Karl: Which window cleaning invention of yours is your favorite?

Peter: Probably the “SqueegeeMate,” I saved a lot of time over the years using it, and got a lot of pleasure seeing the look on peoples’ faces when they get to see one being used properly. I did at one time have a whole pile of letters from people thanking me for making their job a lot faster and easier.

Karl: You were telling me about how your first mobile trolley brought some sniggers from other manufacturers on its first release. Are you happy now that they followed your lead?

Peter: Yes, it has been the only successful trolley to use 2 x 25 liters of the same containers at once. When I first got into water-fed poles

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

there was only one trolley that had either a 50L or 60L capacity, and that was a fixed tank. What people had to do was lift a 25L container and hold the weight of it the whole time it emptied into the fixed tank, a bit of a task doing that all day. My trolley was the first to have a container slide into it, much easier work and much faster. It was also designed to come apart very easily, and more importantly fit in any vehicle, as most window cleaners use small vans or cars. I wanted to make water-fed pole window cleaning available to the masses as the current suppliers then were only interested in the larger companies with fleets of vans, and their prices at that time reflected that.

At the time I was getting into water-fed poles in the early days there were about 3 other companies getting into it at the same time, and we were sort of helping each other out. I soon stopped any associations with them when they tried to dictate my pricing structure; they wanted me to overcharge to make their pricing structure more realistic.

Karl: There has been people asking for a mobile hot wash trolley for a while–-you are the first-–how long have you been working on this?

Peter: It happened by accident, I hadn’t really thought of the possibility of having a water heater on a trolley, I was thinking that if they had a water heater in the van they could transfer the water from the van to the trolley. It was only when I had discovered the propane heater that I realized it can easily be housed on a trolley with a well thought out design.

Karl: You have released the new window cleaning hot wash trolley for waterfed pole work – do you really believe hot water gives a better clean?

Peter: Yes, I do now after a few people who have had the trolley out on trial assure me that it does, and it uses less water, and is a bit faster as well. I have in the past been telling people that hot water will have no advantage on regularly cleaned windows. The reason I pressed ahead with the HotWash for this winter was the desperation on the window cleaners faces during the cold spell last winter. In my area it was around six weeks; the water-fed pole window cleaner wasn’t able to get any work done, and it is not much fun if you have a mortgage and kids and no money coming in. I had people coming along with 400L blocks of ice in the back of their vans. I had sold them the system in the first place and felt helpless and guilty that they were not able to get their work done. I pulled out a diesel water heater I had bought around three years before and went to work on it. I soon discovered that with all the parts needed to build a diesel hot water system the price the customer was having to pay was around the £2000 [US $3,250] mark, and that was quite a bit more than their water-fed pole system cost in the first place. I couldn’t expect them to pay that amount just to keep them working during the cold weather.

After all we were only wanting to heat some water, how hard can that be?

Karl: How hard was it trying to find a certified gas heater to use in the field?

Peter: I had to look for something else and I remembered I had done some research years before on gas water heaters. There was

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

a particular one I found that I thought would be ideal, but the company never bothered getting back to me. After around three months on the internet and getting nowhere I finally found a company who could supply me with what I needed with all the relevant certification, so I got samples and started testing etc., I have just took delivery of a batch before the holidays, and will soon be able to do a full van based HotWash water-fed pole system including water treatment and 40’ pole for less than the competitor’s water heater.

Karl: So what has the response been so far?

Peter: I am pleased to say that I did what I set out to do and had a reasonably priced hot water system in place for the guys mentioned above. One of them came along with his blocks of ice floating about in his van. He wasn’t aware of the HotWash as he doesn’t use any forums, he was one of the guys working away in -10 temperatures and he phoned me next day delighted that he was able to do his work, and told me his Christmas tips he would have missed out on more than paid for his heater.

Karl: Is there danger of cracking a window with a heated water-fed pole system?

Peter: It would be possible although in my entire time window cleaning I have never heard of it actually happening.

I suppose in certain circumstances it could be possible, i.e. very hot water against very cold glass. I would also think the glass would have to be pretty thin. In all my days living in Scotland in very cold winters I have used hot water in my squeegee bucket to keep me working and never once cracked a pane of glass. I would also use hot water to melt the ice on my windshield in the morning, and again have never cracked a windshield.

Karl: How hot does the water need to be?

Peter: The thing is with the HotWash system you don’t have to have the water piping hot, but just hot enough to get the water out the brush without it freezing. It is handy though to have the facility to really heat the water well, here in Scotland just before Christmas I had a couple of guys working away in -10 degrees and with the heater up full the water coming out the brush was nice and warm. By the time it took the water to travel through a 100M hose along snowy ground it did cool it down somewhat. We also discovered that a pre-heat into the tank on full power for a few minutes before starting, ensured no problems with the water freezing on the way to the heater. It was very exceptional being this cold and would have used more gas than normal, but it did get the lads working at probably the most important time of the year.

Karl: Do you still run a window cleaning business today?

Peter: No, not now. I gave up my window cleaning business around 10 years ago when I started selling the equipment, I do still go out occasionally when I need to try out new equipment.

Karl: Why the domain name ‘window tools’ and not ‘window cleaning

May - June 2011

33

tools?’

Peter: Going back around 12 years when I first decided to get my website I wanted to keep it as short as possible. I was after windowcleaning.com or windowcleaning.co.uk but they were both taken.

Things have changed now and if I knew then what I know now I would have had something with window cleaning. I remember when I first went on the internet I did a search on Yahoo (there was no google in them days) for window cleaner, and there was not even one result, now there are nearly 6 million.

Karl: You have a pretty remarkable forum, are you surprised at its success?

Peter: Yes I remember starting it off and only having a handful of members, thanks to you, Jeff, Carl and Richard it is still going strong after all these years, and is going from strength to strength.

Karl: How many members do you have on the window-tools forum?

Peter: We currently have 3965 members, and probably another one before I finish typing this answer.

Karl: Who do you admire in the window cleaning world and why?

Peter: Probably people like Jeff Brimble who are always thinking ahead and are not afraid to try anything new. He’s a bit like me and always looking for better ways to do things.

Karl: If you could go back in time – what would you do differently?

Peter: That is a difficult one. Since being involved with water-fed pole equipment and all the things I have been involved in over the last 9 years, it has really been an eye opener for me. I can now do things I would never have thought possible, things that people do a four year apprenticeship for. I now know that you can learn anything you want to learn very easily if you have an interest, even if you have not had a university degree.

Karl: After the hot trolley–-what next?

Peter: Probably one of the many projects I have started and not finished off. I suppose the time has to be right. I have been working on an additive for adding to water but had to put it aside to get the HotWash sorted out. As soon as I have the time I will get back to that one. Jeff and I tried to sort something out a number of years ago, but at that time we didn’t manage it. We have learned a lot since then though, and I think it is about time now. I will also have to get back to the clamp-less pole, which is well overdue.

Karl: What is the most important part of the water-fed kit and why?

Peter: I would say the brush, for the same reason as the rubber is with traditional methods. It is the part that is in contact with the glass.

Nothing else makes such a big difference if you are using the wrong one.

inventions?

Peter: Like I said earlier, Jeff and I tried to get an additive for the water. What we wanted was for the water to sheet off the glass better, particularly glass that the water beaded up on. I don’t know if Jeff has given up on it or not, it would be interesting to find out. If I do get something sorted out when I think I am close, then Jeff would be the first person I would give a sample to for his opinion. If Jeff liked it I would know I was on to a winner.

Karl: You’ve been working on new water-fed poles, but hit setbacks – is this a supplier problem or engineering problem?

Peter: A bit of both to be honest, I asked for something that was not the norm’ in manufacturing capabilities, and what I got was unsatisfactory. I spent a lot of time and money and I tried desperately to make it work, and when it didn’t the project went to the back of the queue. Again I have learned a lot since then, and as soon as I have the money and the time to put into it I reckon it will be right this time. I still have my patent pending and it will be for a few years due to the backlog at the patent office so I still have plenty of time, and one day it will be available.

Karl: Is lightness or robustness the main priority for you in a water-fed pole?

Peter: Probably for me robustness as a supplier. It wouldn’t be any good to me if poles didn’t last at least a year as it would cost so much in replacements. I normally ask a customer if he will be using a pole himself or if it will be a worker. If using themselves then a lighter pole is possible, but if it is an employee, then it is more advisable to purchase a considerably stronger, heavier pole.

Karl: What do you think the future of window cleaning will be?

Peter: I would think it will be very small amounts of water. I don’t want to say too much about it at the moment as it is something I have messed about with in the past, and yes, I’ll be putting in more work on the idea, sometime in the near future. It may well progress to the supply stage next time around, or it may go to the back of the queue for a future release.

See previous blog on the HotWash trolley here.

To buy the heater please visit Window-Tools.com and click the “buy it now” button. You can also visit the forum here and read the first post about the HotWash. Suppliers are welcome to contact Worldwide.

Alternatively, call Peter direct on 07751 964 450 Or e-mail peter@window-tools.com

By Karl Robinson Robinson Solutions Blogspot Photos in this article are courtesy of Mark Henderson from his DVD “Choosing and Using a Waterfed Pole System.”

Karl: Did Jeff Brimble ever collaborate with you on some of your

34

May - June 2011

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Cleaning It Softly....

Soft Washing as an Add-on

Exterior cleaning is a natural complement to your window cleaning business. A word (or two words) that you have probably been hearing a lot if you have been researching this topic is soft wash. This is sometimes a confusing term, meaning different things to different people but for this article we will start out with a general overview and get more into specific methods later.

For the sake of discussion here is my definition- Soft washing is a safe, gentle method of cleaning exterior surfaces without the risk of damaging pressure. It is using the correct combination of algaecides, soaps, cleaners, and surfactants to remove dirt, mold, mildew, roof algae, stains, spider webs, and other contaminants at garden hose pressure or less.

No blasting. No brushing. No damage.

There are many advantages to cleaning with minimal pressure to both the property owner and the contractor. The property owner gets their home or business cleaned without the risk of wand marks, surface damage, or water intrusion. The contractor is able to provide a clean property without exposing his company or himself to the dangers and liabilities associated with high pressure. The results tend to be more consistent and the time saved over traditional direct pressure methods is substantial.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

There are a couple of different methods used in soft washing. The first is direct application using a large tank with a premixed solution applied with a diaphragm pump.

These pumps can be powered in a variety of ways: 12 volt electric motor, air compressor, or gasoline engine. Each of these types of engines have their advantages and disadvantages, so choosing which one is right for you (if any) depends on your personal preferences and situation.

An on-demand pump powered by a 12 volt motor is probably the most common dedicated pump setup used for direct application.

It is relatively inexpensive to set up with a five to seven gallon per minute batterypowered pump costing between $150 and $250 dollars. By the time you invest in a tank (or tanks), hose, hose reel, deep cycle battery, and fittings you will have invested

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

less than $1000.00 for a basic starter setup. Spend a few hours getting it set up and plumbed on a trailer or inside your vehicle and you are ready to go.

You can also purchase a complete pre-assembled system and tank for less than $2000 and begin cleaning immediately. One nice thing about a 12v system is that it is completely quiet with no gasoline engines running. The main disadvantage to battery-powered systems is that they are not as robust as other systems and replacing the pump occasionally is considered part of the cost of doing business. Another disadvantage is that these pumps are generally not continuous-duty, so rinsing must be done with the customer’s water hose or some other method.

Air diaphragm pumps can be bought in the $200- $500 range. They are generally considered to be more durable than 12 volt pumps, but the trade-off is that they must be powered by a separate air compressor. These pumps can shoot over fifteen gallons per minute, which is a lot of cleaning solution for the inexperienced contractor, contributing to a little steeper learning curve versus the 12 volt pump. They are rated for continuous duty, so if you have a rinse tank to pull from, you can use these pumps to rinse after applying cleaners.

The third type of direct pump is powered by a gasoline engine. These pumps, made by companies such as John Blue and Udor, are much more expensive than battery or air powered pumps plus you have to buy a dedicated gasoline engine to mount them to.

They have more flow and pressure than the other pumps listed here, and some have the ability to split the flow and run two guns at once to allow two operators to clean at the same time.

Another method of soft washing is down streaming. This is using a downstream chemical injector and the correct tips to use a typical pressure washer as a high volume/ low pressure cleaning machine. This is a fast, effective and convenient way to apply cleaners to the property and then with a quick tip change to immediately rinse without damaging pressure. You will generally need to use at least a 4 gallon per minute pump and the proper gun and tips. Look for a gun

with the highest flow rating (at least 13 gallons per minute) and you will generally be able to run no more than 200 feet of hose.

The application tips generally should be rated for at 40 gpm and the rinse tips for 10 gpm. A 40 gpm zero degree tip with a 4 gpm machine will shoot cleaning solution up to 40 feet in the air. A 15 or 25 degree 40 gpm tip is used to coat lower surfaces quickly and evenly. Then, if you have your system set up correctly, a quick switch to a 10 gpm tip will turn off your chemical injector and allow you to rinse with clean water at a safe, low pressure.

This is a general overview of soft washing setups and techniques. If you want to learn more or have questions then post them in the Power Washing forum on Window Cleaning Resource.com and I will answer them as soon as possible. You can also learn more at the education event I host every year in New Orleans. You can find out more at www.

NolaNetworkingEvent.com.

By Thad Eckhoff Apex Services Hattiesburg, Mississippi

May - June 2011

35

New Products

Wagtail Swoop

Years of research have gone into this tool but we have only field tested this since the release of a very successful launch at ISSA Amsterdam of just the prototype!! It is faster and more versatile than all previous models. I think it is the pinnacle of all the tools designed by Wagtail.

Willie Wagtail

The Swoop is the newest invention by Wagtail. The new Swoop provides more glide hence more washing power in a single action. This squeegee/t-bar combo will make any job easier. Wagtail has found that there is always a need to pre-wash the very top edges and corners of a window and for that the Swoop has the pad to flip in front of the squeegee blade. This new tool will wash and wipe simultaneously, due to the one inch wide base extension.

36

May - June 2011

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Featured Product The History of the Blade Roller by Brett Bailey Because I work out of a jeep, space is very limited to carry my entire window cleaning tools.

I pretty much had everything worked out as far as where I would put all of my tools with one exception, my squeegee channels.

I tried using bungee cords at first, but the cord was messing up all of the blades. Then I tried using a piece of PVC pipe to hold them, but then when I wanted to find a specific size, I would have to dump them all out and dig through the pile to find the size I wanted. I even thought about using a portable file cabinet, but that took up too much space.

I went on a search looking to purchase something. Everything I found just didn’t quite fit the idea of what I wanted. Finally, out of pure frustration, and realizing that my blades and channels were a huge investment that I wanted to protect, I came up with the idea of making the Blade Roller. I sat down with pencil and paper and drew out the design, and then met with a friend who has been sewing for years. Together we came up with a plan and made our first blade roller.

I immediately thought that every window cleaner would want one and they would be a fool not to. But, before I started to market the product, I wanted to make sure mine would hold up to the rigors of the field. My guys and I used it for over a year; we tossed it on the ground, left it on the sidewalk and got hit with sprinklers, threw it off of ladders and roofs and walked all over it. I am happy to say that I still use the original today.

We did make some modifications as to the shape and added some things that were suggested to us. But over all, it’s the same sturdy construction as when we first started.

>>> On The Road On the road at the IWCA Convention. Alex gets the inside look on all of the new products, gives us the scoop on this years Keynote Speaker, Jason Evers, and talks about what you missed this year in Florida.

Attending the IWCA’s annual convention and trade show over the past 6 years has allowed me to travel to some great locations across the country that I otherwise may not have been able to enjoy, and this year was no different. Sunny Tampa, Florida, was the scene for this year’s convention and trade show. No clouds, temperatures in the 70’s and a white sand beach no more than 100 feet from almost any watering hole on the hotel property made this location ideal for window cleaners looking to escape the brutal winter gripping most of the country. Perhaps the IWCA can chalk up the location to the highest attendance in years!

The convention got off to a great start with keynote speaker Jason Evers of Coastline Window Cleaning getting everyone pumped about networking. Jason Evers is an excellent and engaging public speaker and is extremely adamant about making connections, not only with potential customers but with his competition as well. I believe everyone walked away with a new outlook on networking, gaining some helpful tips about how to reach out to fellow window cleaners and how to approach customers with an air of professionalism. A quality relationship with others can prove to be beneficial in ways beyond simply making a sale. Hopefully this made people within the industry more open and apt to share information and experiences not only at the convention, but in future meetings as well.

Information and experiences were most definitely shared as WCR exhibited at the IWCA’s trade show for the first time, and it could have not been a bigger success. Setting up a trade show of that size is a tremendous chore that most would probably take for granted, and I had never before seen it come together from the inside out.

The trade show was held in a tent-like structure with a high ceiling through the middle of the room and lower ceilings around the sides.

Some of the vendors along the perimeter weren’t too fond of the low 38

May - June 2011

ceilings, but we all made due. WCR had a great location, being in an area more conducive to foot traffic as people made their way through the various exhibits, and most importantly, to lunch! Chris was sure to take advantage of these bagged lunches, providing the WCR hotel room with constant midnight snacks. The WCR crew shared a 20 foot booth with their partner Cody from Glass Renu, who drew in crowds with his engaging demos and charismatic salesmanship. Assisting Cody was Bill, of WCR, pulling in more people and answering questions as Cody was busy with his system.

Meanwhile, in the WCR area of the booth, Curt Kempton from 5 Star Window Care gave live demonstrations on his new estimating software, ResponsiBid. This software can turn your website into a more valuable asset, allowing your customers to obtain an accurate and reliable bid on all services your company offers. This is truly remarkable software that Curt has spent over a year developing and is successfully using on his own website.

As Curt, Adam (Curt’s assistant), Cody and Bill were busy with demos, Chris and myself had a constant flow of chatter with any and all passersby. Our main focus was to hand out magazines and order forms to potential new subscribers, all while making more contacts throughout the window cleaning community. With all the activity in this large double booth, there was never a shortage of traffic or interest in our little corner of the trade show. Two days and 30 booths later, the IWCA trade show proved to be a success for all vendors and attendees, especially WCR. Be on the lookout for us next year as IWCA takes over New Orleans, baby!

By Alex Lambrinides

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

safety

Safely working with pure water systems and waterfed poles.

This winter has been one of the worst winters ever in this country, but it is finally over and spring is here. For many of us that means breaking out our pure water systems and our water-fed poles. That also means that we need to think about our safety procedures for working with them and other potential hazards.

Strain injuries If you haven’t been as active during the slower winter months, the spring rush can be a potential minefield of muscle strains and backaches. The best protection is to make sure you start slow and make sure to do some stretching before, during, and after the job. Another aid is to use this slogan – under promise and over deliver. Why? When you packed up the system at the beginning of the winter you were at top speed, so you may still be thinking in those time frames.

Now, though, you will be working a little slower, so adjust your time frame accordingly. If you could do a big job in a day late last year, then maybe a day and a half is a more realistic goal for a couple weeks.

Sometimes if you’re not careful, a pole can get away from you. If that happens just let it go. Trying to stop it can result in a bad muscle pull, or worse. We’ll talk more about that in a minute.

Trip Hazards Hoses are the lifeblood of any pure water system. Whether they are run from our work vehicle or from the system set up somewhere on the job site they present a serious danger – trips and falls. One way to reduce the potential for these occurrences is to set up signs warning of the danger. It’s also a good practice to make sure you drag your hose to the farthest point away from the system and work your way back. This way you don’t have an area with dozens of feet of hose waiting to snag an unsuspecting passerby.

Watch those power lines When working on any structure with a water-fed pole we have to be very aware of the presence of power lines. Even if you’re working with what you think is a non-conductive material never forget that it contains a hose full of water running through it. Don’t take chances; if a pole gets away from you near power lines never try to stop it! You’ll only end up severely injured or worse yet, dead.

Strange things in the water There is one slightly bizarre potential hazard – Legionnaire’s disease.

I’d suggest Googling it for more information. Of course you may be thinking “is this guy nuts”? Granted, it’s not a top level threat but there are reasons to exercise caution. The organisms that cause Legionellosis thrive between 77°F and 113°F in closed water filled systems. Since we often have our systems stored in an enclosed vehicle those conditions are easy to achieve. Have you ever taken a drink out of your system on a hot day? Ever had water falling in your face when doing windows at an awkward angle?

I’m not trying to put a health scare into anyone, but it’s worth taking precautions to avoid a potential life threatening situation. Better safe than sorry, right? Of course, not taking a drink from your system and www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

wearing eye protection are ways to protect yourself to a certain extent; however, education is the best protection.

Other concerns There are likely dozens more issues that are specific to the type of system or pole you use so we can’t possibly cover them all. As with any other safety concern common sense should be your main source of protection.

If you have employees it’s up to you to make sure they are aware of all hazards and that these are addressed in any company safety manual or meetings.

There’s no doubt that using a pure water system and water-fed poles is the safer alternative to climbing a ladder, but in the end we are the most dangerous component of any system used. If we allow ourselves to become distracted, or think “That will never happen to me,” then we will pay the price.

By Tony Evans A New View Window Cleaning Washington, Iowa

May - June 2011

39

Threads of the month >>>Stuck on the Roof Today I was cleaning the inside of this house. Homeowner was not there and I was working alone. I stepped out onto a flat roof to quickly clean the 2 doors leading to it. When I finished, I realized the door had locked behind me....

Search “Stuck on the roof” to read more.

>>>Fell off a Roof, ankles broken Well it’s time to get these employes cranking. I’m out of the job for 4-6 months and even after that I may not be able to run because my ankle is so jacked...

Search “Fell of a roof” to read more.

Search Use the Search function on the forum to read the rest of these threads. www.windowcleaningresource.com

>>>Can I place a ladder against a glass window?

I am working in a new housing estate where the main window of the houses are very high. Using a ladder I have to place the ladder against the glass of the window. The glass is double glaze. There will be no angles the ladder will be straight up. Is it safe to place a ladder against glass and without hopefully cracking the glass?

Search “Can I place a ladder against a glass window” to read more.

>>>Window Cleaning News Karl Robinson dishes on what’s new in window cleaning

S

o at this very moment – I’m wondering how to dish out these new Wagtail, one-pass “Swoops.” They are the new squeegees that Willie Wagtail from Australia kindly donated to the [Robinson-Solutions] blog to educate window cleaners on how to clean windows in half the time you were taking before. In fact, I don’t know if I can even part with them – they are ‘gold’. “Another product” you scream!

Will your work vehicle take any more? Let’s face it, every one of us has that window cleaning item that sounded great when we bought it, lying under a heap of other stuff we rarely used in the window cleaning graveyard that is your work space. This tool will revolutionize the way you work in the way that water fed poles did when you first used one. There have been many one-pass tools that promised but never delivered. The new Wagtail Swoop is doomed for success because it follows traits that other squeegee makers forget. It is simple in design, it is lightweight and it literally double your work speed and keeps the quality. Like all new work tools I was dubious at first, but after using them for the last couple of weeks, I’ve decided I either need to take more breaks on the job or lower my prices! If you missed the article in the last edition of WCBO magazine, you should make a note to yourself to order a back issue – this squeegee is probably the first ‘one-pass’ that works! I’m not plugging this squeegee to make sales, I’m doing it to help you guys become faster and earn more per job.

On to the news – what’s been happening in the world of window 40

May - June 2011

cleaning? Unfortunately, writing this article a month earlier than when the magazine is published leaves a whole load of interim space when major news could occur and left a huge gap in the ‘news waiting to happen’ sector. Nevertheless…

From all accounts the IWCA trade show in Florida was a huge success. Kolan Hairston gave a speech at the show and was featured on the blog. As I write the UK Cleaning show will commence in a few days, but this time I will not be fortunate enough to attend because of direct flight issues. The UK cleaning show and the window cleaning ‘Windex’ show usually alternate every other year, something the IWCA will be doing in the future. It seems now that window cleaning conferences are becoming ever more popular and one association or another offer a great way to network with your peers and learn even more about your business. These trade shows/conferences are a must for newcomers and great fun for people already involved in the business. Kevin Dubrosky, the window cleaning business coach also held his first ever ‘Squeegeenomics’ convention, the testimonials on ‘YouTube’ are also a testament to his work.

There are huge number of software programs on the market for window cleaners – one of them, featured on the blog - ‘Responsibid,’ was brought out by Curt Kempton and is promoted on the WCR website. I have been using “George’ since day one of its release (probably the most popular in the UK) and find it enough for the single www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

owner window cleaner. Although Curt’s creation is a breed apart from other programs, ‘George’ has me all exited as they finish the development stage of their cloud based ‘Aworka’ system where real time updating and customer retrieval is the key. I am currently testing it out for my own purposes. Whichever system you plum for – make sure it does what you need for your own end result. There is no way I could try out all the programs on the market and perhaps this is the reason I’m giving ‘Aworka’ my attention as it integrates with ‘George’ seamlessly and I can use it on my iPhone. I have been given a number of programs to try out – but the thought of inputting all the data for me would be like re-downloading all my music into iTunes again!

One news-story that caught my attention from the blog was a guy with the great name of Henry Surface, who worked in Tupelo, Mississippi with his company ‘Shiny Surface.’ A dependent prescription drug user, Henry became addicted after being prescribed a pain killer after surgery. His video interview suggested he was embarrassed to be a window washer, adding he has “a heck of an education,” and that pride had taken a back seat in his life. Now wait a minute, believe it or not, you are a window cleaner and it is one of the highest earning, low investment businesses you could ever dream to own.

If you ever get that client who looks down on you – you may think to tell him or her, “sorry, you don’t meet my criteria to be one of my clients.” I’ve used this before in my dealings and it is a mouth-gaper for the receiver.

I have noticed that US window cleaning business owners often talk about drug checks on employees, something that maybe isn’t too common in Europe, however, it does exist. The difference with Henry’s story is the fact that this wasn’t some teenager that was trying out different social drugs due to peer pressure; this was your

average, everyday guy just trying to make a living. As it says at the end, “Anyone can become addicted.”

Finally, another article was about “Mr. Brent’s window cleaner,” this guy not only managed to run a commercial window cleaning route, but on his way decided to sell window cleaner solution to his clients.

Or perhaps his proposal was turned down and thought that instead he’d make some money selling them window cleaning solution instead? It’s a great way of thinking and I’m sure many of the WCBO readers will be sure to consider the benefits of selling the client the product instead of the service. I’m sure Chris and Alex are working on this right now! Brent Ruffin also has a clothing line, although the details are not given. Anyhow, I like the way this guy thinks and this scenario has given me food for thought, once I get past the chemical trading laws.

All mentioned blogged posts can be found on the WCR forum or ‘Googled’ at will. Thanks for reading and work safe.

Cheers, Karl Robinson Robinson Solutions Blogspot robinson-solutions.blogspot.com The world’s best window cleaning blog, a must read!

nes st o e fir uldn't h t co e of t on ld, and I love to h g u s I bo ya'll so My guy y. that ppier!! every da a be h use it

At Just $1,590.00

Ettore Aquaclean EZ Pure by RHG Weighing only 55 lbs it is the smallest pure water system yet. This system consists of 2 RO membranes, a Carbon/Sediment filter and a DI Filter. Just hook it up to tap water, close valve and go! Best of all, it doesn’t require any tools for changing out your filters when you’re out on the job!

By

wtf

window cleaning twitter litter Ever wonder what people are really saying about window cleaning? Now you can see! Check out these real responses when we decided to search “window cleaner” one day on Twitter. naked? It’s like they KNOW.

ingforyou

downieashley: Tucking into my sausage butty and the window cleaners just start cleaning the living room windows, awkward

hannahmiles91: Really really hates it when the window-cleaners come, and the only place to hide is in the closet..

naijadaydreamer: Y do all window cleaners whistle? Is it a requirement in window cleaning school?

miss_froy: A man is climbing up a ladder outside! Prince Charming has finally come to rescue me! No, no, just the window cleaners..

JadeSummer: HATE the day the window cleaners come! They always time it perfect for when I’m In the shower or strolling around in my bra or something!

Alessia_x: NOT impressed with the friggin window cleaners coming to my window when I’m naked!!! Some warning would of been appreciated!!! I could cry!

kalsoom82: Things that scare the hell out of me: Window cleaners. I mean. Hello!

Shouldn’t you warn ppl before appearing in their office windows?!

marsvos: Tried to walk through a window, window won. But props to the cleaners of solgeo, that window was impeccably clean!

Zoe_Grisedale: Window cleaners!?! How invasive, i might not want to get dressed!

Oh they don’t mind if I’m not dressed? *gets dressed exceptionally quick

ArrantRose: Having a hard time staying on task today. There are window cleaners on a building nearby. I just keep staring thinking “how fun”.

Luckybucketboy: Window cleaners have just arrived, frightened me half to death! Back under the quilt I go ....

KarenMurgatroyd: Enjoying a week off walking to school every morning, spying on crap window cleaners...things I don’t normally get a chance to do

Willie_Ed: I don’t like window cleaners. They make you feel uncomfortable in your own house.

AdzybabyII: Window cleaners disturbing my rave to dubstep moment, how dare thee.

KarenMurgatroyd: Those window cleaners are definitely only doing ground and 1st floor windows. No wonder 2nd floor windows are filthy...I’ll be having words

bit_crusherrr: Tried to get my dog in as he’s going mad at the window cleaners and he attacked me ;/

SezzaXD: Window cleaners jus’ scared the LIFE outta me!...I hope they don’t expect me to pay

FernTaylorX: My dogs actually going crazy at the window cleaners, thinking she’s the boss when she’s the size of their sponge

LaurenAnnPine Why do the window cleaners always pop up when you’re practically

oneofthosefaces: All you poor unfortunates with your un-hot window cleaners ): #pray-

smalltruths: Kitten is terrified of the window cleaners, maybe they have something on him? xShellbellex: Severe hate for window cleaners!!!

ShaniceSarah: Window cleaners cleaning the house 2 away from me have just wolf whistled. Eurgh. I’m in my gym gear. evmcadam: Had an odd dream last night.

The house was been broken into by people posing as window cleaners. Quite an ingenious guise if I may say so! abbiehemsley Dancing around the landing naked isn’t a good Idea when the window cleaners there !

Are you a traditional window cleaner?

Take this fun quiz to find out if your a traditionalist or maybe a little more modern. The answers may surprise you!

1. You’re out on a residential job and your favorite method is:

6. You e-mail invoices and current sales to customers

A) Your reliable up close and

personal approach of cleaning

it by hand

B) The Wagtail Swoop,

Whirlwind, or any other specialty squeegee

C) A waterfed pole and pure

water system

2. You believe that people that use a WFP are:

A) Just too lazy to climb a

ladder and do it the right way

B) Sort of heading in the right

direction when using it on a

need be basis

C) The smartest people in the

world because WFP work IS the best 3. You have an up and running website

A) No… what’s a website?

B) Does having a URL with no content count?

C) Absolutely! It has become my best sales tool!

4. You text message...

A) What is text messaging again?

B) Your kids with what’s for dinner

C) Your clients with clever

newsletters tailored only to them 5. You accept the following methods of payment:

A) Cash Only B) Cash, and personal checks C) Cash, personal checks, and credit card (on site if need be)

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

A) Never B) When you remember C) On a daily and weekly basis

11. Your prices..

A) Have never been raised

B) Are raised occassionally

C) Are raised accordingly every year

7. It’s time to make your marketing plan for the year you...

A) Stick with what works best B) Send out a tweaked version of last years card C) Do something totally different like putting out signs in the neighborhood

8. You’re in the process of hiring new employees and a candidate with tattoos comes in..

A) No way, that is so unprofessional

B) Hey, it’s cool, as long as they’re covered

C) It’s 2011 and as long as they’re

professional, it’s fine by me 9. Your employees would love to be able to listen to their Ipod while working you..

A) Immediately squash that idea

and anybody caught with one is

fired on site

B) Allow it on jobs where the

client is not present

C) My Ipod is what gets me

through the day.. sometimes I

even bust a move if nobody’s watching.

10. Your smoking policy is:

A) What smoking policy?

B) Not in the truck or on a job C) Don’t let the client catch you!

How did you do?

Mostly A’s: You’re a traditionalist! You stick to what you know and if that’s the 20 year old brass handle your father gave you, then that’s it. You know what works the best for your business and how to keep your customers happy which is all that matters. I guess the old saying is right, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it!

Mostly B’s: Happy medium. You’re not quite into all that modern stuff, yet you know what works for your business to keep it going. Dabbling in WFP and keeping up with your marketing materials make you a well rounded window cleaner.

Mostly C’s: You’re a modern window cleaner! You like to try all the latest window cleaning gadgets and find a way to make them all work for you. Web work and SEO are a breeze to you giving you one up on your competition. Your drive to be the best brings you to the top of your game.

May - June 2011

43

“It’s not about picking up a squeegee; we all know how to clean a piece of glass. The WCRA is about taking your business to the next level.”

Michael Mole

Mole Cleaning Services Savannah, Georgia

www.TheWCRA.com

Larry Lazcko

Andrew Walker

View lots more at:

Micah Kommers

Sam Mezzell

windowcleaningresource.org/testimonials