Issue #5

ISSUE #5

Behind the Squeegee with Sharen Valuska pg 06

Your Online Success 5 Ways You Can Reach Out Right Now pg 20

Turning employees into

a llstars

pg 12

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>>> table of contents Check out what’s new in the july - august issue #5

Features

Tag Microsoft

>>> Cover Story

06 Behind the Squeegee with sharen valuska

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

Sharen Valuska, owner/operator of Crystal Clear Window and Gutter Cleaning talks about what it’s like to be a woman in the window cleaning business.

12 Turning employees

http://

into all stars

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

2. Download the free app to your phone.

WCBO got to score some time talking to Don Taylor of All County Window Cleaning about turning his new hires into professional window cleaners.

32 Manufacturer Spotlight featuring mark unger from unger global

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

Watch as it directs you to epic mobile content instantly.

Phones it will work with:

Mark Unger tells all (well, a lot) about how Unger came to be and how the tools we love just keep getting better.

Windows Phone 7, Windows Mobile, Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and many more!

WWW.WINDOWCLEANINGBUSINESSOWNER.COM

06 10 12 15 16 18 19

Behind the Squeegee Women in Window Cleaning Turning Employees into All Stars The Part Timer Customer Service Sales Commercial Window Cleaning 4

July - August 2011

20 22 26 29 30 32 36

Your Online Success Marketing Manage Websites Add-ons Manufacturer Spotlight New Products

38 40 41 42 43

On the Road Safety Window Cleaning News Twitter Litter WCR News

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

impossible without

Starting from the top left, going left to right. Brett Bailey, Karl Robinson, David Turner, Bruce Ferguson, Kevin Dubrosky, Tony Evans, Sean Dolan, Dawn Evans, Cody Thomas, Micah Kommers, John Henderson, Charly Caldwell, Sherry Martin and Copy Editor Lowell Stevens.

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

Get Featured Here!

Check us out online at: www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

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

Follow Us www.twitter.com/wcbomagazine www.facebook.com/WCBOM www.youtube.com/alexwcr

>>>Behind the Squeegee Chris: How many years have you been in the window cleaning business?

Sharen: Twelve years.

Chris: Do you love it?

Sharen: At times. [Laughs] Most of the time I do. There are times, just like any other job, that I wonder what am I doing here? But most of the time I have to say I love it.

Chris: So is it just you that runs the business, or is your family involved?

6

Sharen: My current husband, Paul, who I met in 2002, has been a big help. He has a construction background and has helped increase the construction parts of the business, gutter repairs, adding downspouts, replacing gutters, things like that. He helps on larger jobs too. I also have three part time employees. My son is one of them, he helps in the summer when he’s home from college. Then I have two other college kids that help me, one year round and then one again part time in the summer. My daughter Kristin helps in the office too.

Chris: So how did you get involved in the

July - August 2011

with Sharen Valuska

window cleaning business?

Sharen: It started back when I was married the first time back in ‘99. My first husband worked at a local steel mill and kept getting laid off. We were just kicking around some ideas for starting a business and I just happened to be cleaning the windows at our house one day and it kind of just struck me, “how hard could this be?” From there I just got a truck, a couple of squeegees, a ladder and there we went. We started hitting our neighborhood with door hangers; we put a half off coupon on the bottom and started getting calls. Then he got called back to

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

out in neighborhoods we want to try and get work in and that’s been very successful for us.

Chris: Do you run any phone book ads or anything like that?

He got the house and I got the business.

Sharen: We do Yellow Pages and this year I’ve done a little bit of Newspaper advertising. I did join the chamber of commerce and I got some business from that, but that’s basically it.

Chris: Do you have an internet presence?

work. We hired two guys to work for us and it just kind of took off from there. My first husband and I divorced in 2002 and he didn’t want the business, so I took it over. I’ve been running it by myself since 2002. He got the house and I got the business.

Chris: Do you think that was a fair trade?

Sharen: I think that was a very fair trade.

[Laughs] More in my favor, I’d say. That was when I actually started to go out and clean windows. We had two guys working for us and I thought, why should I pay an extra guy when I can do this, how hard could it be?

Chris: So you’re in Ohio, how many good working months do you get out of the season? Nine or ten?

has the best attention to detail, she’s the quickest, she runs circles around the new guys, and the customers absolutely love her because she has a nice friendly demeanor inside the house.

Chris: So do you just run one crew or do you have a second crew out?

Sharen: Usually just one. That’s one of the things I’d like to do, get a second crew going.

Chris: When do you think that’s going to happen, is it sort of an official plan?

Sharen: Just sort of in the works right now.

Chris: What’s the window cleaning market like, how many competitors do you have?

Sharen: We usually work through December and January and February we’re off. And when I say off, I mean that we stop residential and keep our commercial jobs.

Sharen: Probably three or so I’d say.

Chris: The customers must like it having a woman in their house.

Sharen: About 30 minutes in all directions.

Sharen: You know I think there are some advantages and disadvantages. I think female clients are more comfortable with me being in their house. It’s just a female thing. And a lot of people are surprised that a woman is cleaning their windows. Usually the woman is the one answering the phone in the office and I’m the one out there cleaning their windows too so they’re kind of surprised.

Chris: It’s probably a nice surprise.

Sharen: I hope.

Chris: No, no it really is. We have a few female window cleaners in our business.

One in particular has been with us for seven or eight years now and she’s the best. She never gets any customer complaints, she

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Chris: How many towns do you cover, how far will you go out?

Sharen: Yes, I do have a website, but I’m not real sure how much I’m getting from the internet yet. People are still looking me up in the phone book it seems like. I’m hoping eventually I can just be online.

Chris: Yeah, that’s kind of everybody’s goal.

It’s a little bit cheaper than all of the phone books. So in any of your advertising materials do you play up the fact that it’s a female owned company at all or do you not even mention it?

Sharen: You know, I usually don’t mention it.

I put my name as owner in there but I don’t really play it up. I had a local paper do an article on me and they kind of highlighted on that, that I was the only female window cleaner in the area and I got a lot of business from that. Sometimes I think it’s a disadvantage, especially when I’m on a construction site dealing with guys. They tend to think that I’m not as capable because I’m a woman, what does she know about being in a lift or anything like that? But I’ve done it all.

Chris: So if you were to look at your work spectrum across an average season what’s your breakdown, like how much is residential, new construction and storefront?

Chris: Are you in a rural area?

Sharen: No, we’re in a town but we can get to West Virginia and Pennsylvania. We’re right on the border, very Eastern Ohio. So we can be in any one of them very quickly.

Sharen: New construction is very little.

Residential versus commercial I would say it’s about 80% to 20%. I’d like to get more into commercial work; I think there’s more money in it.

Chris: When you say commercial do you mean like commercial complexes or storefront routes?

Chris: So far how booked out are you typically this time of year in busy season?

Sharen: The rain has put us a little bit behind. I’m just trying to work in the jobs that we’ve canceled, trying to work in the new customers. I would say a couple of weeks.

Chris: Where do you get most of your work from?

Sharen: I have some car dealerships, restaurants and hotels so I’d like to get more of that. Storefronts are nice little easy jobs you can pick up $20, 30, $40. But the bigger ones, car dealerships, ones like that tend to be worth more.

Sharen: A lot of referrals. We also do postcards as far as marketing. We hand them

Chris: Do you have one set day a week that you do route work where you go do a couple

July - August 2011

7

ably could have went higher. I have actually increased my prices because some of the guys on the forum were talking about it and no one even questions it. So I think before I became a member on your forum my pricing was too low.

Chris: Yeah we do a lot of pricing experiments inside of our office. One day I’ll come in and say “Okay phone ladies, just for the sake of experimenting today, let’s bump our window cleaning price up to $20 per window.” And nobody even blinks at it. It’s crazy.

This time of year I think you can do it, it’s supply and demand.

Sharen: Even with this economy I have not seen a decrease in my business.

Chris: Well that’s great. I think window cleaners are doing very well across the country. So do you basically see a steady increase in work every year then, or have you had any down years?

Sharen: No, in fact last year was my best year and I’m a little bit above last year already.

Chris: Wow, that’s great. So what are some lessons you’ve learned over the years in window cleaning that have helped you improve your business?

Sharen: I think it’s just not being afraid to price our services for what they’re worth is one thing. Giving them a price and not even thinking about it I think that’s the biggest thing. Marketing. I wish I would have marketed years ago. I just got into marketing the last couple of years. That makes a tremendous amount of difference. So those are the two main things, marketing and price.

of stores or is it mixed in with residential?

Sharen: It’s mixed in because I go by areas. Especially with the price of gas today, I try to keep all of the jobs as close as possible.

Chris: Yeah, well with the price of gas today it’s getting a little tough. So have you passed along the cost of the gas increase to your customers at all?

Sharen: Yes but they don’t realize it.

I think you get better results dealing with a person face to face.

Chris: What’s your close rate when you go out to sell a job?

Chris: [Laughs]

Sharen: I don’t get all of them, and I try to be reasonable price wise. I would say out of ten calls or estimates I probably get seven.

Sharen: I don’t make it specific I just add it in.

Chris: That’s not bad, that sounds about right.

Chris: So do you bid any jobs over the phone or do you like to look at them all?

Sharen: I don’t expect to get every one of them.

Sharen: I can give a ballpark over the phone but I don’t like to do it. When a customer says that they have 15 windows it’s not 15 windows like I count, it is probably 30 or 40.

I like to go to the job and introduce myself;

Chris: Well if you get every one of them your prices are too low I think.

8

Sharen: Right, and when people jump at the prices sometimes I think, oh man I prob-

July - August 2011

Chris: So what are one or two pieces of advice you can give to somebody that is opening up a new window cleaning business?

What are some common rookie mistakes?

Sharen: Underbidding, I would think, would be one of them. You’ve got to find good employees, people you can trust. Don’t try to do it all yourself. It’s tough to find good employees; I know it is, because I’ve been down that road many times. I guess you have to surround yourself with people like you. And market and do a good amount of advertising, whatever type of advertising works for you. What works for me may not work for someone else.

Chris: What do you think is the perfect demographic for an employee, what age?

Sharen: Right now I have college-aged kids who are great. One’s my son, of course. But www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

the two other ones, they’re nice boys, they’re respectful, which is hard sometimes to find at that age group.

Sharen: I’m on every single job site.

saying.

Chris: Do you always want it to be that way?

Chris: I agree with you on the college kids.

Sharen: No, that’s one of the things I’d like to do is sort of remove myself from the actual cleaning and just have one or two crews out and just keep maintaining the office. I have to do all of the bookings and everything in the office when my daughters not helping me in the office.

Chris: What would you do if you left window cleaning? What are your other interests?

Sharen: Yes, you know they need some spending money so they’re willing to work and we have fun together. They all feel like my sons and we just really work well together.

Chris: That’s good. I think the college-aged guys and specifically the guys that do go to college are actually perfect and that’s who we really look for in our window cleaning business. It says a little something about their character that they’re actually attending school and trying to better themselves and they’re committing to go to school and committing to show up every day. So it’s a good age, I think.

Chris: So that’s the long term goal to completely extract you from the actual physical work?

Chris: So how do you pay your employees; are they on an hourly rate?

Chris: Do you have any plans in place to do that, or are you just kind of going to wing it?

Sharen: Hourly, yes. I do give bonuses too.

If we complete a big job and they’ve busted their butts I’ll give them a little extra. I usually buy lunch, I give Christmas bonuses, if it’s their birthday, and I try to take care of them as much as I can.

Sharen: No plans right now, honestly. Right now I feel like I need to be there.

Chris: That’s good. So are you on every single job site or do you ever let them cruise out without you?

Sharen: Yes, I think that if I don’t do that I’d probably end up selling the business. I mean I have a couple different ideas. This is within the next few years I’d say. If I don’t sell the business and I keep it up I would like to take myself out of it.

Chris: Where do you see yourself at the 20 year mark of being in business?

Sharen: Let’s see, I’m at twelve years now.

I’d say about the twenty year mark I should be out of the business and have two crews going. If I still have the business is what I’m

Sharen: I couldn’t do a nine to five job inside, that’s just not me. I have to be active, I like to be outside. I don’t think I’m the average woman, this isn’t the typical woman job obviously, but it keeps me in shape. I like working out, I’d probably do something more of that line of work or something outdoors.

Chris: We are talking to small window cleaning business owners today that typically work by themselves. A lot of them aspire to be where you’re at, full time crew running, busy work schedule and successful business.

What are one or two pieces of advice you can give to the small window cleaning business owners that have aspirations to grow to where you’re at?

Sharen: Be persistent, be consistent, and don’t be disappointed when people say no.

You really have to go after the business. I think that’s one of the things I do around here. If there’s a new business opening, I’m trying to contact who’s in charge for the window cleaning, sometimes I get them sometimes I don’t. That’s how I got the construction clean-up; it was a new animal shelter. I probably had to make 5-6 calls before I got to the right person and we got the job. So I think you really need to be persistent and go after the business yourself. I don’t think you can wait for it to come to you all the time.

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Women I n t h e W i n dow C l e a n i n g I n d u s t r y

I am the owner of Lambert/Martin Power Washing and Glass, we service commercial and residential clients. I handle commercial store fronts, use most extensions poles with ease, and can do the super swirl with either a 12in or 30in. squeegee. In two years I have built my client base to over four hundred accounts. It has not been easy; however, if something is too easy, it’s probably not worth going after. My partner Curtis and I are constantly educating ourselves professionally.

With working on our residential accounts, I can climb an 8ft. step ladder, handle all inside glass, and I was weaned on triple track storm windows, and it doesn’t get much harder than these. We live in the Northeast where we work year round, so the temperatures are fluctuating all the time.

On the power washing end, I am good at what I am capable of doing and never take on anything that I can’t handle.

I understand that there are so few female window cleaners, but who says we can’t clean windows just as good, if not better than our male counterparts? Historically, women were passed over in favor of their brothers or other male family members. Research from companies with “Daughter” in the name has increased by a third over the last four years. It seems that women are good for business, and folks just don’t wish to see guys with their pants half down and their back side showing, not to mention going shirtless.

Women are social beings by nature, so when it comes to sales we are naturals at talking and communicating, when you add this to any business, why wouldn’t you have unbelievable success! In my area I have only seen one female window cleaner, and we talk from time to time.

Again, she is limited to doing only commercial store fronts, simply because she is a female and the all-boys club will not train her to be able to do residentials or the higher paying jobs.

There are benefits for women in this industry, and they do not have to be the owner. I have found that women who are single moms, and wish to spend more time with their children, the hours are great for them. The work is pleasant, and the pay is competitive.

I wear a few different faces as a business owner; there are days I am in a business suit, and then days I am in my jeans and company shirt with work boots/sneakers. I am constantly searching for new and innovative ways to better myself in the field and at the same time, work well within my capabilities, and take no unnecessary risks.

By Sherry Martin Lambert/Martin Power Washing and Glass Cranston, Rhode Island

10

July - August 2011

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

A Woman’s Perspective of the Window Cleaning Industry With these economic times, you may be finding it difficult to grow your business without paying such high costs of hiring help. What can be done?

Well, here is a suggestion: Talk to your girlfriend/partner/wife. She is quite likely to have a profession of her own, but could some changes be made to help you out? Let me tell you why I bring this up.

I was working for our local school district. My husband was working by himself as a window cleaner. When he would need help on jobs I would go along to be an extra pair of hands. Sometimes I would be a “gopher” or vacuum tracks, run the strip washer ahead of his squeegee, or follow behind and detail. I have to say he was extremely thankful for anything that I did. Even if I really didn’t feel up to helping too much, he was grateful for the company. It was nice to be able to have lunch together. Gradually, I began to ask questions and reluctantly would try something new. He let me play with the squeegee and make some streaky attempts at actually cleaning a window.

He always commended any feeble attempts that I made and showed me how to do it an easier way without making me feel stupid. He encouraged me to just sit and talk to him while he worked, if I wore out. He had a very good, positive attitude about his job and always expressed such enthusiasm at the instant gratification of seeing a crystal clear piece of glass, where a filthy one had been there only seconds before. That part I loved from the start! Eventually I started doing the whole process on my own. It was a gratifying job.

But here is a disgusting truth: We could make as much money in one or two days of my helping him, as I personally could, in a whole month of working for the school district. Eventually the business grew enough that he needed help on a regular basis. Should he hire someone? If he did, my whole paycheck and more would go for the hired help’s wages. The obvious answer was for me to finish out my contract and start that summer working with my husband full time. It was one of the best decisions we ever made!

Things to think about...

1. Can we work together all the time, or even part of the time? Some couples need to have their own space. What works for some couples won’t work for all. Test it out in small doses. Can she help out on a weekend or vacation day and just see how things go? Maybe the

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

greatest way she can help is by being your cheerleader.

2. Be careful of what you expect from her! Remember she is only there to lend a hand and not to compete with you. Especially at first, it may actually not save you a lot of time or effort since you are trying to show her different aspects of the job. That will come with time. At the moment remember that you are getting other things; companionship, an extra pair of eyes, or someone to keep the customer busy while you get some work done.

3. Does she want to learn new things? She may be content with doing the ‘grunt’ labor. But getting her, her own tools, company shirt or letting her try new things, even if it is a different technique, helps her to see that what she is trying to do is valuable to you, and that you want her to be a part of this, to whatever varying degree.

Her attitude is going to have a lot to do with how successful this can be. Does she naturally try to compete with you? This actually could be helpful if it encourages her to try new things and keep improving her skills. But it could also be a detriment if it causes too much competition and stress between the two of you.

There are an endless amount of variables to consider in making this decision. And each couples’ situation will be different. The biggest recommendation is communication. Talk about expectations, hopes, goals, and what happens if things are not ideal. You have to realistic.

You will find women in the window washing industry filling many positions, all of them unique. She may be your greatest cheerleader, your bookkeeper, in the field with you washing windows or even the owner of the company. (There are tax incentives and grants that could benefit you from a woman owning the company.) Are you taking full advantage of possibly the greatest asset your company has?

By Dawn Evans A New View Window Cleaning Washington, Iowa

July - August 2011

11

Turning employees into

a llstars Chris Lambrinides, owner of Window Cleaning Resource and WCBO Magazine, also owns a very successful window cleaning company in Northern New Jersey called “All County Window Cleaning.” In the last issue we got to hear from Don Taylor, a manager at All County Window Cleaning, about the hiring process they have there. Don is in charge of hiring the great crew they have on staff now and training all of the new employees they hire. Not to mention the million other things Don does on a daily basis to keep things running flawlessly in the office and out in the field. Somehow amongst one of the recent training weeks we got to score some time asking Don how things actually ran and how he molds (or tries to.. it’s not always a success) new employees to being professional window cleaners.

WCBO Magazine: So you’ve hired a bunch of guys, what’s next?

Don: Next is two days of orientation/training at our facility. We do this so the newbies can go out into the field knowing what we will expect of them and so they don’t appear clueless in front of the customers.

When we were smaller we used to just send them out into the field and have the supervisor train them. That’s how my first day was. It was embarrassing just standing in front of a window at a customer’s house for an hour trying to perfect fanning while the rest of the crew cleaned all the windows on the house.

WCBO Magazine: What kind of training exercises are they put through? Is everything hands-on, or are there safety videos?

Don: We do it all. We go over our company handbook and our training manual. They watch videos on ladder safety and fabricating debris. Which they are then tested on.

There are tons of hands on as well. I set up an obstacle course with cones, buckets, and tires for them to walk/climb through while carrying the 32 foot ladder. I show them how to set up the ladders to safely work from them and of course they clean all the windows in the facility. Sometimes the girls in the sales department help by pretending to be angry customers yelling at the guys for leaving streaks and drips. The whole time I’m talking to the newbies, telling them stories about experiences we’ve had over the years, telling them www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

In the beginning everyone wants to stick around. Also, no one really leaves us. The majority of the time it’s us ending the relationship.

WCBO Magazine: How long are newbies actually “in training” when they start going out on the job?

Don: Two months. If after that they show they can handle supervisor duties we start to work with them in that direction. Sometimes though they just like to clean windows and that’s it. I know! It’s odd to give up a chance to make more money isn’t it?

WCBO Magazine: Do they even get to clean windows on the job within the first 3 weeks of being hired?

Don: They start cleaning windows their first day. By the end of the day they know the seven steps to cleaning windows just like everyone else: scrub, scrape, scrub, squeegee, detail, clean sills, clean screens.

WCBO Magazine: What tools are they given (if any) to start/work with?

Don: They’re given a tool box with a tool belt, a hammer loop, a BOAB, an 18 inch strip washer, a ten inch strip washer, 2 different size squeegees, a scraper and a sill brush.

WCBO Magazine: Beyond what they’re given, what if they want to try something new or something breaks?

Don: If they want to try something new I just ask that they show it to me first. I have to be sure if they are bringing something they made from home that it’s safe and will not differ from what we advertise or what we tell our customers about how we clean windows. And, if something we issued them breaks we replace it for them immediately. about the other people that work here, and correcting their mistakes as I see them happen.

WCBO Magazine: What is the hierarchy amongst the employees, what are their titles?

WCBO Magazine: Do all of your trainees actually make it through training? About how many would you say make it through out of a bunch?

Don: Starting from lowest pay rate to highest:

Don: Well it’s not really training. The training never really stops.

During those first 2 days at the facility the newbies only learn about 2% of what the job is actually like. I call it “Orientation” now. The rest happens out in the field actually doing the work. In those first 2 days we usually have between five and ten come in, and by the end we always lose at least one. We commonly lose them because they didn’t pass the drug test, or are really afraid of heights and just didn’t know it yet, or they showed up late.

WCBO Magazine: Can you tell ahead of time the ones that will quit and the ones that want to stick around for the long haul? Are there ever any warning signs you’ve noticed throughout the years?

Don: Nope. The very few times someone left us for a “better” job it was a surprise. Losing an employee is the most discouraging for me.

It’s such a huge waste of time, effort, and money.

What’s funny is a lot of the time they come back to us within a year or two. Only those going to college do we really expect to leave and we’re prepared for that when they are hired. www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Window Cleaning Technician Lead Window Cleaning Technician Supervisor Window Cleaning Technician Senior Supervisor Window Cleaning Technician WCBO Magazine: Once they’re out in the field working, how do you gauge their progress?

Don: I spend half my day meeting up with crews to see how they are doing and to offer advice when needed. At this time I get to see them in action and speak with supervisors to get their input on how they are doing. All of our supervisors are accomplished window cleaners so I really trust their opinion.

WCBO Magazine: Do you reward employees for good behavior or for doing good work? Are there any incentives laid out to do well, or up-sell jobs?

Don: We pay commission for every up sell. We offer a hiring bonus where they can earn up to an extra $300 just for showing up on time for the first 6 months. We also offer a $500 referral bonus if they can refer a friend to work here for a period of time. Other than that I July - August 2011

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just keep reminding them their good behavior and work ethic will be rewarded in tips from the customer. It’s possible to make up to $100 a day in tips. Sometimes more.

WCBO Magazine: How do they get punished for bad behavior, work? Is it an immediate fire or are there warnings?

Don: That really depends on the severity of the case. I’ve fired employees right on the spot. And, others I could understand their issues so I would offer ways to remedy them. We give warnings and document every single instance.

WCBO Magazine: Is it tough to keep employees?

Don: It’s not tough to keep them from quitting. Everyone wants to work since it’s a great work environment that is provided for them.

What’s difficult is to keep me from firing them. We are located in an area where there are not many jobs and a lot of applicants to choose from. So, It’s much easier to get rid of an employee quickly that doesn’t produce or is spoiling the rest of the work force with their bad behavior. But, please don’t get me wrong and think I’m a firing Nazi. I’m not waiting for a reason to fire someone. That’s stupid. I bend over backwards for every one of our employees, trying to work with them and be as fair as possible. We are a very strict business with strict policies in place. We have to be since we are in people’s homes.

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WCBO Magazine: Does it get frustrating always having to re-train new people? How often is training/do you hire new people?

Don: Nah, it isn’t frustrating at all. It’s what I do. We train every spring depending on the weather and we hire more employees in the fall just for gutter cleaning season. They don’t learn anything about window cleaning because they are only around for about a month or two until everything freezes. But if they do well in that time, then we offer them a window cleaning position in the spring.

WCBO Magazine: When you do have great employees, how do you get them to stay rather than them quit and go out on their own?

Don: I would like to say it’s because when we hire newbies I am able to make them truly feel they are joining a family and the success of this company so greatly depends on them being here. With this in mind they feel as though they really are a part of something bigger than just cleaning a window when they work and the work is then extremely rewarding because their success here helps the success of everyone they work with. This is what I try to express in every orientation and the continued training of customer service. As much as I like to think that’s why they don’t leave, I know it isn’t the real reason.

The main reason they don’t go out on their own is the non-compete agreement we have them sign.

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

The funny thing is I don’t consider myself a “real” part-timer.

THE PART-TIMER We were all one once. Do full timers look down on the part timers? I hope not. Going from part timer to full timer is not an easy decision, or process for that matter. A lot of people have regular jobs and are doing the “part time” window cleaning to supplement their income. They do it because they enjoy it and dream to one day “jump ship” from their regular job working for “the man” and start their own business.

What’s to consider? Financial concerns are number one. The big question is “Can I make it financially?” You are secure and comfy getting your regular paycheck every two weeks.

Time is huge also. Working forty hours a week is hard enough, now add twenty or more hours in your off hours and days off to make the dream happen. Stress adds to it also. Adding more hours puts a strain on everything from health to family life. This list can go on and on. Many of you on the WCR forum have done such a feat. I salute you, because once you take that big step, after weighing all the options, asking questions and so on, it’s either sink or swim. And sinking is not an option!

I spent a good three months reading and asking questions on the WCR forum before I even started my business. The information that is available on the WCR forum is astounding. The experienced and knowledgeable window cleaners on the forum answered countless questions no matter how trivial. Just type your question in the search bar and I’ll bet it’s been asked and answered.

The big question is “When do I go into it full

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time?” Well, my opinion is that it depends. I think every person’s situation will be different. What I will say is everyone should have a reserve or cushion of cash to get them through the transition. That amount will vary, as everyone’s monthly expenses vary. My own opinion is having at least six months’ expenses socked away.

The funny thing is I don’t consider myself a “real” part-timer. You see, I have a full time job (I’m a firefighter), but the way my hours work, I get a bunch of days off in between my shifts. This is where I schedule my jobs, weekends included. But, the big difference is that I don’t have the “worry factor” to worry about. If I sank I still had my day job. The real part timer who converts to full time has a lot to worry about. I consider window cleaning my second full time job because of the hours I put in. I will retire soon from the fire department and look forward to running the business “full time”.

Now one of the alleged problems associated with the part timers is they are not “legit”. In the window cleaning jargon, meaning they don’t have insurance or licensed (if required).

They obviously don’t make the income a full timer makes, but that is no excuse for not being properly insured. I know in my state (NY) my insurance premium was calculated by my estimated income. There is tons of information on WCR forums about insurance.

Another problem people say is they “lowball” or underprice. Prices for window cleaning vary all over the country. A window in California may be $12 to clean and the same window in Florida is $6 to clean. The key is to know your region. Know what the prices

are for your area. You want to be competitive in price with other window cleaners, but not desperate. It will take time, you will learn your worth and value.

So, part time or not, you should have insurance and any other license you may need for your state or county. Your county government building is the best place to get any information you may need about licensing requirements My business has been growing nicely since I started in 2007. I’m still learning everyday, and have more to learn. I’m glad I found window cleaning as a business venture, and WCR played a huge part getting me up and running.

If you’re thinking about getting into the window cleaning business, it’s probably the lowest start up cost business you can find. You will hear prices from $100 to $1,000 to get going. Either way it will take time, dedication, and persistence.

For the part timer looking to make that big step, fear not. Hopefully you have already proven yourself as a professional window cleaner. You already hit the road, but you just have to run a little faster now. Learn from the pros on WCR. Read, ask questions, and read more. I myself will be an official “Full Timer” soon. Remember, all you need is a squeegee and a dream!

By David C. Turner Dr. Squeegee Professional Window Cleaning Washingtonville, NY

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>>> A look into what your customers really want. Have you been listening?

Window Cleaners are from Mars

Customers are from Venus

The other day I finished working at a customer’s house. As usual, I chatted with her while she was writing the check, making small talk as she wrote. She told me what a pleasure it was to have me back in her house again to do work for her. She shared with me how she keeps telling everyone that she meets how wonderful it is to have me do work for her. She commented on how prompt I was, my neat appearance, what a great sense of humor I had and how it was apparent to her that I was educated (I guess she forgot to mention great looking). When she was done praising me, I looked around at the windows I just cleaned, making sure not to hit my swollen head on a chandelier, and asked her, “What about the great window cleaning job?” She commented back, “Oh yeah, that too.”

As I was driving home that day, I thought about what she said. As I replayed the conversation in my head, I actually heard what she was telling me. She wasn’t trying to inflate my ego. Rather, she was telling me what is important to her. She likes people who are prompt, well kept, have a sense of humor and are educated. As far as window cleaning was concerned, she expected without hesitation that the job would be done correctly. And I also notice she didn’t mention my price. Apparently that wasn’t on the top of her list, as long as she could have someone do work with those qualities.

So often, we assume that we know what our customers want and tailor our marketing to reach those points. Then, when our marketing doesn’t garner the results that we had hoped for, we sit back in frustration wondering what happened. I have seen in so many times on the WCR forum. Over and over people ask for advice on marketing pieces. After all, they put their best specials on the fliers, offered deep discounts to sign up by a certain date, pointed out that climbing on a ladder is dangerous, clearly stated that they have insurance, and so on. But they didn’t get the results they wanted and don’t know why.

Have you ever heard that birds of a feather stick together? That is one of the most underrated phrases I have heard, yet so incredibly accurate. When someone hires me to do a job I ask two questions without fail. The first one is “How did you hear about me?” The answer that follows says volumes. If they heard about me from a marketing piece, then I know that what I sent them triggered a response in them to pick up the phone and call me telling me that it was an effective piece. If they say that they heard of me through word of mouth, then it tells me a lot about the person I am standing in front of. It tells me that they probably have about the same salary and education level as the person that referred them. And they probably have the same values and expectations as well. That kind of information can guide you both in the estimate for the work as well as executing the work that will be pleasing to the customer.

The second question I ask them is, “why did you hire me instead of the other guy?” The answers they give me vary, but I make sure to pay close attention to what they have to say. The information that they share with me will guide me in a more productive direction in the

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future. In some neighborhoods in town, the only thing they look at is the total price for the job. In other areas of town, they care less about price and more about my reputation. And others tell me they have seen me or my signs so often that they just called me. Some are very honest and tell me that they other guy did terrible work and they wanted to try my services. Whatever their particular reason may be, it is the most important information that they could give me. Not just for this job, but also gaining more business in the future.

Relating to and understanding our customers is such an important part of our industry. We have to be virtual chameleons. We have to be able to relate to the contractors, the lawyers, the doctors and the railroad engineers and everyone in between. Not only do we have to relate to them, but we also have to meet their particular version of expectations and needs. The window cleaning, pressure washing, gutter cleaning or whatever work we do is secondary to them, and it should be to us as well. Let’s face it, we are professionals in our business and we could probably accomplish most of our tasks with our eyes closed.

It’s vital to the long-term growth of any business to know their customers needs. People who eat at Wolfgang Puck’s could care less if their kid has a 50-cent toy in their kid’s meal box. Conversely, people who eat at McDonalds could care less if the potatoes for the French fries were imported from another country and wouldn’t pay a penny more if they were.

Success in business won’t happen if we don’t listen; and I mean really listen to our customers. Please don’t be afraid to talk to them, ask them questions and be willing to listen to what they are saying, and even what they are not saying. After all, they speak a completely different language than we do.

By Brett Bailey Bailey’s Window Cleaning Yucaipa, CA

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July - August 2011

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Setting Goals I believe that anyone who goes into business for themselves is by their very nature a goal minded individual. Business ownership is a risk and it takes a driven and highly motivated person to be successful. Setting defined and well thought out sales goals is a key ingredient to reaching the level of success that you desire.

Your first step should be to come up with a number, whether it is monetary or a specific amount of new accounts. Keep this number reasonable and attainable yet one that will take some effort to achieve. Some may be a bit too ambitious and set a goal that could never possibly be reached or set one too low and therefore does not require much effort at all. The number needs to be one that will require your greatest effort to reach and by doing so will provide you with the greatest level of satisfaction when it is reached.

The next step should be to get this goal on paper. When you see it staring back at you it becomes a reality, almost like a living thing pushing you to achieve it. My suggestion is to put it on a piece of poster board or even just a print out and hang it on a very visible portion of wall space.

Doing this will allow you to never forget what you are after, forcing you to look at it every day and work harder towards it.

Along with writing your goal down, you should keep detailed track of any and all progress. Make weekly, monthly and quarterly charts to monitor how it is moving along. It is all too easy to set a goal and at the end of the year say, “Oh well, I didn’t make it.” By keeping a close eye on your progression towards your goal, you will have a better idea of how to move forward as time goes by. At the end of the week, look how each day ended and see if there were certain things you did that worked better than others. Do the same for the weeks at the end of the month and for the months at the end of a quarter. This close watch will allow you to see exactly where changes to your sales processes need to be made, if any need to be made at all.

Business owners naturally have a lot on their plate. They have a never ending to-do list. One of these things, especially when starting out, is to reach a level of growth within their business. And this growth can only come from some form of sales work. Setting sales goals is the absolute best way to achieve that growth. Just remember to make it realistic, make it visual and keep a close eye on it. Begin with those three tips and you should be well on your way to any goal you can imagine. Best of luck.

By Sean Dolan Commercial Sales Operations Manager All County Window Cleaning

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>>> Gaining Commercial Contracts via Telemarketing epending on a window cleaning company’s preferences and setup, commercial contracts may be the Holy Grail for some people. No more waiting for Mrs Bennett to remember to pay you the seven bucks she still owes you and no more dealing with the hungry Rottweiler left parked in the back garden. Of course, if Mrs. Bennett owns a company as well, you’re still in trouble!

So, how to attract commercial contracts?

A well designed website is always a good start though pretty useless on its own to attract new business. Without successful SEO implementation, the site will remain off the radar. Links, articles, blogs and other social networking all help but need constant attention to keep yourselves bouncing up to the top of listing pages. Websites should be viewed as part of the bigger marketing objective.

Word of mouth will rarely work on the commercial side of the things as most will be perfectly happy to leave their competitors squandering in the dirt, smugly waving from their squeaky clean premises. Business is harsh—harsh but fair! Well-designed, signwritten vans may help increase enquiries, but once again, should be viewed as part of the bigger marketing objective.

Flyers, either leaflet dropped or emailed may be successful if you’re lucky, but how do you know that they’ve reached the decision makers? As we all know, most end up in the bin or are directed to trash via the delete button or spam filter. All in all, this method lacks the control of getting past the receptionists’ wicket keeper’s gloves!

Cold calling is another route but again needs a good pair of Nike’s to swerve past the receptionist’s attention only to find that the decision maker is in another meeting. Also, with the price of fuel nowadays, a Segway or an electric car is a necessity!

So now we get to telemarketing, many of the problems apparent in the above are still there, it is just a question of damage limitation. Due to cheaper telephone services and without the need for Nike’s (slippers will do) or even navigating a Segway over a curb, telemarketing provides a relatively efficient method of marketing.

The downside of telemarketing is the cost of TPS and TPCS laws, unfortunately it is illegal to pick the Yellow Pages up and call

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prospects, willy-nilly. Companies can be fined $8,000 for calling companies that have opted out of unsolicited sales calls. The process of acquiring TPS checked phone numbers is relatively simple and there are several companies providing this service – at a price, though deals are available dependent on demand.

The advantages of telemarketing over the routes mentioned above are a question of control. The ability of the telemarketer to get past the first line of defence i.e. the receptionist is the first hurdle. Armed, only with a headset and slippers (flip flops will do) there is an improved chance that the defences can be breached in order to speak with the decision maker. If the decision maker is unavailable, telemarketers can then find an appropriate time to call back; the lead is not dead.

This, in effect, is a direct improvement on the “straight to bin trash or spam phenomenon”.

Another advantage is the ability to create an on-going database of clients’ requirements.

Companies contracted to specific cleaners may reveal details of the current contract allowing you to “stick your nose in” at a time close to contract closure.

I quite often think window cleaners think there is a secret to gaining commercial customers. It’s quite often a case of being in the right time, right place and in the know. If you have to rely on reactive sales, via phone, website etc., you are not exploiting the potential of proactive sales.

This is where telemarketing can be a lucrative tool. You can either outsource the campaign to a freelancer, or employ somebody to for fill the position in house. One of the advantages of contacting prospects by phone is you can speak to several business-

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es in a short amount of time, covering a wide area from the comfort of your office.

With telemarketing, it has some distinct advantages, your telemarketer will get to speak directly to the decision maker, and with technology today, literature can be sent within seconds to the decision maker, no printing costs and no paper costs and no petrol expenses either By sending information electronically, you also are at an advantage whereby should you do any future promotions, and as long as the customer doesn’t mind opting in (though you must have an opt-out facility) you have their details to send any up and coming promotions you may have in mind.

Contact via phone is also a useful way of building up information on companies, so your database grows and grows, with email addresses, contract renewal dates, comments etc.

Ideally the aim is to get an appointment with the decision maker, this means they are prepared to set time aside to talk to you and show you round the premises, its organized and professional.

The telemarketer will also follow up the appointment and get feedback for future reference.

So the ground work has all been done, information gleaned and now down to you to close the deal.

By Kate Baker Telemarketing/Research/Sales www.acacia-technologies.co.uk

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Your Online Success

5 Ways You Can Reach Out Right Now If you’re like most, you’ve had to really pinch pennies over the last few years and assure any advertising you’ve been doing is producing results. Usually those results are measured in people calling your business, or contacting your business through your web site or email. One thing is for certain, the playing field has changed, and the typical amount of calls people used to receive through such things as the Yellow Pages have dwindled. Those who are truly leveraging the power of the internet are making up the difference through phone calls and contacts via their web site or e-mail.

What’s even more interesting is that in the last four years millions of people have begun making buying decisions directly from their smartphones! (You may be one of them!)

Needless to say, it’s really important to me that you understand exactly how to put your business in alignment with how people are searching online. So that if someone uses Google, their smartphone, or tablet (such as the iPad) to find the types of services you provide, you show up!

Here’s the 5 ways you can reach out right now to assure you’re: * Connecting with the proper audience, * Reaching into the right places online, and * Helping people understand you are the right company for the job.

The best part?

Everything listed below is no cost, it’s simply you, a computer, and your time!

Step 1 - Find Your Customers It’s really important to me that you understand how to find out exactly what words, or phrases, your potential customers are using online.

There’s a great tool, provided by Google that will let you do just this—it’s so powerful, because it shows you the average amount of searched per keyword phrase.

For example, it shows me that “window cleaning Fort Myers” has an average of 110 people searching for a month.

To get started, simply go here: http://bit.ly/find phrases and start entering phrases. If you’re not sure what to type, think “service + city” such as “window cleaning Tampa” (incidentally, that as 260 people per month searching for it!)

You’ll probably want to stay away from the word “windows” because that word relates to Microsoft Windows, and if you search “windows cleaners” you’ll see results for programs you can purchase to keep Microsoft Windows running.

Step 2 - Get Listed Once you’ve developed a list, I recommend 3 to 5 phrases, that you know are good phrases that you want to people to find you with -- it’s time to “Get Listed” by assuring your business is in Google’s Local Places, Yahoo, Bing, etc.

The easiest way to do this is by using the free service -> www.

GetListed.org.

You’ll want to assure that when given the opportunity, you use your keywords in your company’s description or bio; along with selecting those keyword phrases when asked as well.

IMPORTANT: It’s really important you “claim your business”, which is part of the “GetListed” process, because I’ve seen a few instances now where savvy competitors are “stealing” their competitors’ online identities, and changing the phone number & web address to theirs!

Step 3 - Create a Facebook Business Page (assure it’s optimized!)

If you haven’t yet, be sure to create a Facebook Page, and assure your Business Page name is optimized as well. You have room to leverage keyword phrases in the title of your business page on Facebook - be sure to use this, because Google will see this and index your Facebook Page!

Instead of titling your Facebook Business Page “ABC Window Cleaning”, use “ABC Window Cleaning & Pressure Washing - Fort Myers,

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Tampa, Orlando”. Use the services, and cities if possible.

Here’s a real simple strategy for keeping your Facebook Business Page updated as well: * On the next job your company does, take twelve pictures of the setup, the work (before and after), and the tear down. * Post a TWO pictures from that photo set every Monday & Thursday, and describe what you did. Assure you include your phone number, and link to your web site in EVERY photo. * This will keep your Facebook page updated for three weeks (4 photos per week x 3 weeks). * Repeat on your next job!

Step 4 - Create Your LinkedIn Profile Be sure to create your LinkedIn Personal Profile, and Business Profile page. Use the keywords in your description & bio, and link to your Web Site from your profiles!

Be sure to connect with both other Window Cleaners, and see how their using LinkedIn, and existing customers. Remember, LinkedIn offers a ‘recommendation’ feature where you can reach out to potential customers through an existing customer!

Very powerful, and best of all, free!

Step 5 - Participate online!

The final step, after setting up your profiles, is to understand the types of customers you’re really looking to attract. It’s really important that you know your priorities too.

If you’re looking to obtain recurring business, or maintenance contracts (the best form of income, recurring, right?) then you’ll want to prioritize talking to those types of clients.

For example, if you’re a Window Cleaning company and in an area with high-rise condos (and your company can do high-rise windows) you’ll want to work in LinkedIn to find Condo & Homeowner Associations, along with Condo & Homeowner Managers. Connect with them via LinkedIn, and introduce yourself.

You get the idea; it’s very similar to networking in person, except you’re doing it through your keyboard!

About Charly Caldwell II: Charly Caldwell II is Founder & President of Internet Services Group of Florida, LLC (ISG) founded Florida in 2002 - ISG is an cutting-edge Web Design & Web Marketing firm. With two teams, one dedicated to Web Development, and one dedicated to Web Marketing, ISG has been to not only help people create a solid online foundation, but use all forms of New Media to reach their online goals.

Charly’s extremely passionate about helping you achieve your goals in business and in life. Prior to ISG, he was Founder, President & CEO of Internet Services of Michigan, Inc., which was acquired in 2000, giving him the opportunity to retire 10 years ago at the age of 29. In November 2009, he was featured in Success Magazine’s “Passion in the Workplace” segment.

Charly can be reached via e-mail at: charly@isgfl.com, or by phone at (800) 775-9280. We are Internet Services Group of Florida, LLC, and we help people all over the nation with Web Design, Web Development, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Conversion Rate Optimization and so much more. You can visit our Web Site too at: www.ISGFL.com.

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Squeegeenomics: Persuade the Mind Your purchase behavior is driven primarily by emotion. Feelings open wallets.

There is an important second step, though. Just before your actions take flight, your mind gets to put its two cents in, and unless it’s on the same page, warning bells go off inside your head, you stutter step, second-think, and then hesitate to take action. When that action would have involved a purchase decision, you put your wallet back in your pocket, and take your money and your business somewhere else.

That’s why it’s not enough to conjure an emotional response in your marketing; you’ve also got to speak to the mind of your prospective buyer. The mind is the voice of reason, the one keeping you from doing the truly crazy, outlandish things that will get you into trouble down the road.

Your heart wants to buy that brand-new jet-black BMW M5, but it’s your mind that reminds you that your wife would kill you if you drove home in it. Your heart wants to book that trip to Bora Bora, but it’s your mind that reminds you you’re still paying off your tax bill. In most cases, your mind is a big chicken. It can always find a reason not to let your heart do what it wants. Unless, that is, it’s persuaded to think and conclude otherwise.

You must write to a singular individual. Remember: singular. Write to one person, and one person alone, because only one person at a time is reading it. When you refer to him as a group, you disconnect him, and he mentally and emotionally unplugs.

Since you care about people one at a time, why not write the same way? On your website, postcards, estimates, invoices, business cards, videos, and emails.

2. Use power words.

Did you know that a small collection of special words are guaranteed to be powerful in motivating purchase behavior?

In fact, the least sentence used three of them. Can you pick them out? Re-read the last sentence and see if you can. They are special, guaranteed, and powerful.

You, free, new, announcing, at last, exclusive, fantastic, urgent, limited offer, breakthrough, and revolutionary are all on the list, too.

Thus; the need for you to persuade the minds of your prospects when trying to sell your professional window cleaning services.

Can you use some of them in your next window cleaning flier? Your readers won’t know why they can’t take their eyes off of it. And the longer you can keep them glued to your message, the better your shot at moving them to give you a call. In short, it will be more persuasive.

The ironic twist is that plenty of weird patterns emerge when it comes to persuading buying behavior. As researcher Lee Eisenberg explains in Shoptimism, “irrational decision making is not just human, it’s pretty much the human norm.”

My suggestion: Start with finding ways to use the power words you, free, and new first, and then try experimenting with the others ones after that. One reminder regarding the use of the word free: if possible, attach a dollar value to the item that is being offered for free.

Therefore, many of the following persuasion methods must be described as counterintuitive. They are fascinating to explore, but please expect to crinkle your nose at how silly some of these things sound. Silliness aside, persuasion is the name of the game, and these are 5 plays will help you win:

Instead of merely saying “Free Track Cleaning for up to 25 windows”, say “$97 Track Cleaning Upgrade - Free!” to build more value into the offer. If something is free, we assume it’s junk, unless it has a dollar value attached to it. Don’t let the minds of your target market assume that your valuable bonuses are junk!

1. Speak to only one person.

3. Stay in front of their faces.

Only ever write to one person.

Psychologists call this the mere exposure effect.

Just like the way I’m talking to you right now. I’m writing these words to you as a single individual, not to a group of people. I never write to you as if you are part of a mass of people in front of me, even though thousands of subscribers may end up reading this article. Write your stuff the same way. Write to one person.

Simply by being exposed to your target market over and over again, your prospects will form a familiarity with your window cleaning company, and in time familiarity can breed affinity. I once had a client request an estimate because she found us online and then quickly saw one of our lawn signs on the same day. That coincidental exposure of our brand across multiple touch points communicated stability and confidence to her, and motivated her to call us for an estimate. She’s been a client for four years now.

Loads of window cleaning business owners mess this up when it comes to their mass email marketing strategy, in particular. Do you have a collection of client email addresses in your possession? Do you ever send them a mass email message? If so, good! You should be using that method of communication. Just remember to start them the right way, writing to ONE person.

“Hi all!” is not writing to one person.

Neither is “Good morning everyone”.

Same goes for “Dear valuable clients”.

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Many experts conclude that your company needs to be in front of a prospect seven times before they will take action and consider doing business with you. The actual number doesn’t matter, the point is clear: the more you can become familiar to your target market, the more they will like you. That’s the mere exposure effect at work.

When the Eiffel Tower was first built, Parisians hated it. They thought

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it was ugly, and even protested its existence. As time passed, hatred became acceptance, and eventually acceptance morphed into love.

You know that young woman who used to drive you nuts? You ended up marrying her, didn’t you?

That’s how powerful curiosity is. It can make your prospects care about things that they didn’t even know they cared about four seconds ago. Use it. You’re marketing is going to be more persuasive as a result.

Think, too, of your own consumer behavior: What company do you give your money to right now that used to annoy you? What happened? Was it a case of the mere exposure effect?

Joe Sugarman, the enormously profitable copywriter, once remarked that of all psychological triggers that could capture attention and motivate people to take a prescribed action, curiosity was the most powerful.

Have a plan to get in front of your prospects faces on a regular basis.

You’ll persuade more of them to become your clients because of it.

As marketing expert Bill Glazer explains, “Most businesses forget that it is not the job of the customer to remember that the business exists.”

4. Arouse curiosity.

George Loewenstein is a Behavioral Economist at Carnegie Melon University. According to his research, ‘Gaps cause pain.’ And ‘curiosity happens when someone opens up a gap in our knowledge.’ This is otherwise known as the gap theory.

Similarly, Chip & Dan Heath compare the burning desire to fill a knowledge gap to “having an itch that we need to scratch”. Sounds about right. Just saying the word “itch” makes me want to scratch.

(Sorry about that, I probably made you want to scratch a brand-new itch just now.) Curiosity can be almost that automatic, too.

How do you open up a knowledge gap? One way is to ask a wellworded question that involves the reader.

Another little trick is to add the word “these” to a well-worded question.

“Is your window cleaner ripping you off?” is a pretty good question for a headline. By shoehorning the word “these” into it, you can make it even better. Changing it to “Is your window cleaner ripping you off any of these 3 ways?” makes it irresistible to read. I just wrote that headline, and I know that it’s fake, but I still want to know where I can find the answer! www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

Another great way to arouse curiosity is to break a schema. Wikipedia defines schema [psychology] - to be “a structured cluster of pre-conceived ideas”. When you break that structure, you arrest attention.

Here’s one example: “Local Home Seller gets $34,337 over asking price after spending $549 to have their windows cleaned!”

What schema could you break? What strange ideas do people in your area have in their head regarding window cleaning, or hiring a contractor that are totally wrong, in your experience? What would they be shocked to find out? What would change the way they make decisions about window cleaning?

Find a schema, and shatter it. It’s a great way to gain an upper hand with your marketing.

5. Suck in their dimes with stuff that rhymes.

Let’s be open about something.

You and I both know full well that we are too smart to be influenced by the power of rhymes. We’re not six years old anymore. We’re grown-ups, for goodness sake. We’re intelligent business people who rationally determine value and worth using logic and understanding, not by whether or not something rhymes. Right?

Wrong.

Rhyming is one of those tricky, weird, irrational tricks that us humans

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are extremely susceptible to.

“Uh oh, better get Maaco.”

“The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.”

“Gillette - the best a man can get.”

When phrases rhyme, they instantly appear more authoritative, more truthful, and more likable. Irrational of course, but true. Researchers attribute this attractiveness of rhymes to something called processing fluency.

According to a study conducted by Hyejeung Cho & Norbert Schwarz, out of the University of Michigan, “The meta-cognitive experience of the ease or difficulty with which new information is processed, referred to as ‘processing fluency’, has been shown to influence a wide range of human judgments including judgments of truth and preference (e.g., Lee and Labroo 2005; Reber and Schwarz 1999; Skurnik et al. 2005; Winkielman et al. 2003). In relation to preference, high fluency has typically been found to increase subjective liking of the judgment target due to the positive feelings elicited by the fluency experience (see Winkielman et al. 2003).”

In other words, we automatically like something more when the description about it rhymes. We experience more positive feelings, and we assume that the object is more truthful and preferred, compared to non-rhyming options. So put on your rhyming cap, and come up with a rhyme or two for your window cleaning services.

If this is a strategy you’d like to use, here are a few from which to choose:

Joseph Scinta

Spending my day listening to my customers tell me about how **** window cleaning offered to cut my price by 40% fun days....

DTWC

Really can’t take phone calls from across the country to talk about the window cleaning business. Please stop.

The discussion doesn’t end here...

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July - August 2011

facebook.com/WCBOM

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The Best Trend Tracker >>> The best ways to track your company’s growth

How do we track our growth? Numbers in a spreadsheet and a couple column or line graphs are ok and helpful, but I always found irritations, things that made comparing this month or that month, or whatever, a far cry from apples to apples. I have found as soon as you discount something like that, it immediately loses all value and the whole comparison in general is worthless. What do I mean? Well, if you are comparing July to July of previous year and you want to see if you’re doing better this year, what can happen? You start discounting the result: “oh, well that’s because I went on vacation in July instead of August that year” or “that July had 5 weekends and this one only had 4”, stuff like that. Once you start in on that the whole comparison becomes worthless because now you’ve added a “yeah but . . .” which you end up tossing it out of your mind and not thinking about it for another month. Then the same thing happens next month. Now you just are left with mostly gut feelings that don’t really help you out.

So what does everybody else do?

Giant corporations, like Coke, Frito-Lay, etc, have their guys living or dying by exceeding “last year” numbers, usually same day or week sales.

Restaurants and retailers are definitely same day sales, they want to see growth on this

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Dec 24th vs last year Dec 24th or this Aug 12th vs last year Aug 12th, that’s their way of keeping it apples to apples.

As usual, window cleaning is its own type of business with unique needs to give the best feedback to the owner. Some issues with the way other companies look at their information and doing the same with your window cleaning business:

Our business cycle! Slow in winter, slower in summer Each month has a different number of days

Ugh. Fine, use the same Monday. The 22nd Monday vs the 22nd Monday of the year last year. Now you’ve gotta pull a calendar out every time and count out 22 Mondays to see when that was. Then those 5th weeks get in the way again, the 22nd Monday of last year was in May but this year it’s June, one was before Memorial weekend holiday, one WAS the Memorial weekend holiday. What a pain the calendar is!

Restaurants solve this by using a 13 period year. That means each period is 4 weeks or 28 days, nice! So every year has 13 4 week periods. Now you can have same period comparisons nicely, they are all 4 weeks.

Yeah but . . . it’s irritating in itself, Quick! Tell me what months is period 9 gonna cover?

See what I mean? It ends up being 2 partial months and creeps the whole year. Great for restaurants, not for window cleaning.

Business cycle. This is my pet peeve part about month to month comparisons. Chris blogged about this April being wetter than the last year. So April to April comparisons tanked. So one might write off Aril and wait for a better May. Then there’s a good winter, a bad winter, a wet summer a dry summer, on and on with the weather. Again, if you say “well, that’s because . . .and that’s why that comparison is terrible and we didn’t break the goal. . .” That information has been already tossed out of your mind and you’ll be waiting for next month’s numbers. . . again.

You could use the super high-resolution of same day, but then you still have the “creep” of the days and you start discounting that too. Are you going to use the date? Then the problem is this year’s Tuesday is last year’s Monday. But you took last year’s Monday as a day off and worked this year’s Tuesday.

Another point, if you are seriously tracking something important, do you really think it’s the best idea to do it once a month? Those slow coming balance sheets and accounting reports are usually going to be a week or two after the month ended anyway and aren’t going to tell you a lot of other stuff that you’re

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www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

really looking for. A month is a long time, if you are trending downward in something you want to be trending upward in, wouldn’t you want to know as soon as possible to do something about immediately? I mean you are driving your car, that tachometer is giving you live feedback NOW. You don’t get a monthly report halfway into next month about how you redlined it far too long and toasted your motor while racing that guy on the highway.

Fine, track it week by week, you say. This eliminates the “extra day” syndrome. So I had 52 week spreadsheets and compared week to week data. Pretty good stuff. Some decent charts could be made with lines (columns are kind of irritating). But then there’s the super drop offs when you go on vacation, or the weather is nasty. So same problems, even if I ran the years consecutively rather than comparatively, those same dips are always there driving me nuts and I’m always saying to myself, “yeah but . . . that’s when . . .”. And of course it’s always the same thing, spikes here, drop offs there, you can add an average line in the chart but still, up and down, up and down, up and down. I’m looking for trends and growth and this isn’t helping at all, yeah I know I was above average in July and below average in January, so what, am I making progress? You can run a total, but what good is one total?

Looking down a column of 52 weekly numbers isn’t exactly the definition of clarity at a glance either. I started color coding the boxes, cooler colors for below average numbers and warmer colors for above average numbers, a different color for each 1,000. Yeah, it was ok, but the same thing, the same vacation drops, the same weather drops, the same graduation peaks, the same holiday peaks, so what. It’s good to see week to week comparisons, but if you’re on an upward trend of growth every number is going to be higher than last year, big deal.

And if the economy bit you then last year or the year before you just kept seeing the numbers were lower than the previous year, same story, again, so what.

I endlessly fought all these irritations. I tried the 13 week thing, ugh. I have lots of data over the years and did line charts, column charts, combined, added average lines, hi/ low lines, you name it, I tried it and nothing gave me satisfactory results. I want to see something that is ALWAYS apples to apples and takes into account the fluctuations of the seasonal nature of window cleaning. I want a number that combines it all, so that AT A GLANCE I can see where the trend is going.

So, what number will equalize the seasonal highs and lows, be apples to apples every www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

time, can’t be discounted in your head and written off, yet also gives you RIGHT NOW feedback as to whether you are going up or down in trend? My all time favorite: The 52 Week Average! Finally, a number I love and use with just about EVERYTHING! I use it for revenue, phone calls, new customers, contribution, # of jobs, Average job money per invoice, you name it, I love using it. I recently just started using it on my reams of weather data I downloaded and continue to update regularly.

52 Week Average Each week, take the last 52 week total and divide by 52. Now repeat. It’s simple, but so

effective!

It can be used in reverse to do projections too. I use that for yearly revenue projections each week. Just take this week’s 52 week average and multiply 52 and you’ll see what a year’s revenue would be based on that average. Very effective in growth mode when on fast upward trends.

“Each week?!” you groan. Aw, c’mon, aren’t we all computerized anyway? Once you have what’s important to you set up, it’s just a matter of plugging in last week’s info into the spreadsheet, the rest is done for you. I am a real geek with stuff, yet it only takes me

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Year comparison: Slowest feedback, good clarity

less than an hour each week to run all the reports and plug in the numbers in the vast array of spreadsheets I do and even to think about it as I input and see the results too.

This has given me extraordinary insight into what’s going on in the business, good, bad or ugly. The Pulse of my business I call it.

Look how the spikes are smoothed out, the seasonal variations eliminated the equally comparable number each week without the extra days here and there. You wouldn’t get that doing this only with monthly numbers, that’s why it ended up at weekly.

Why use a year? Because, thank goodness, we can count on the weather cycle, it’s a year. Versus something wildly unpredictable like the construction or real estate business cycles which could be many years and are different each time. For once, we can count on the weather: it’s only a year long before it repeats. That predictability gives this number its apples to apples-ness.

Why not just use the year’s total instead of dividing into a weekly amount? Well, you can for some things, and it may be better to. But how do we work and think? Isn’t it closer to: How did we do last week? How much did we make last week? How many new customers did we get last week? How many new jobs would we like to get this week? See what I mean?

What is more meaningful to you? 500 year total of estimates or 9.6 average estimates a week? Then the next week you see an uptick to 9.8 in 52 week average of estimates and you know you are on your way to a better year AND can see at a manageable weekly volume level, almost 2 a day, etc.

The best application years back the helped incredibly was in budgeting. I could take my 28

revenue 52 week average and compare it to my bills and see if I was going to make it thru winter right then and there and each week up until I got to winter. I took the total of all my bills, multiplied by 12 months, then divided by 52 to get my bills 52 week average amount, since there’s that 13th month from the 4 extra weeks in the year I had to get rid of it by converting monthly bills to a 52 week average.

If you’re solo revenue 52 week average is $3,000, but your bills/expenses (including absolutely everything) is a $3,100 52 week average, you’re going backwards. You know you need to cut at least $100 a week in bills, or drop a $400 a month bill. (It’s a long road to just get a 12MWA number to rise high and fast) It can take a little adjustment to get used to the smaller weekly numbers, but it is just a little adjustment that is quick once you see how helpful it is.

The best part is seeing it track along over time, each week in a sense representing a “new year” or “this week’s new year”. It has helped me immensely and I hope it helps you as well, enjoy.

------------------------------

By Bruce Ferguson, the numbers guy 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.

July - August 2011

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! Available only at the WCR store is the 52 Week Average template. Calculations are all done for you. 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 to track your progress in meeting your goals.

Download your 52 Week Average spreadsheet for FREE (a $40 value) until July 31 at: shopwindowcleaningresource.com search 52 week . Just add it to your shopping cart and use coupon code 52week and it’s yours totally FREE!

An Overview of Cloud Computing Cloud computing is already in your grasp, available to your computer at home, in the office, even to your mobile smartphone.

You’re most likely using cloud-based technology and are not even aware of it. Simply put cloud computing means that most of the processing power and calculations are done on a server that is hosting the web site. This means that mobile devices with less processing power and memory can still interact with the web site. How cool is that? The multitudes of web sites that make up the Internet are all stored on thousands of these servers located all over the world; these are referred to as server farms. Most of the large corporate IT companies have their own server farms like Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Cisco Systems etc. and we know them as hosting companies. You can choose from thousands of hosting companies and they will provide you with space on their servers to store your website. They also provide you with a web address so you can view and share that address with your clients, customers and colleagues. It’s possible you’re using Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Google Mail, and MSN or maybe your broadband provider has provided you with an email address when you signed up with them. Your emails that you receive and send each and every day are also stored on these servers. Your browser offers you unlimited access to thousands of sites world-wide so that you can add and store your personal information within them, such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogger, EBay, PayPal, YouTube etc. the list covers everything really including forums and chat rooms and online game centers.

So in one sense you are already relying and interacting with cloud technology to store and protect your valuable information. So why are they ranting on about Cloud Computing then? Well, as the Internet has become more successful and more reliable, as well as global, the server farms can now guarantee 99.99% that your web site will never fail to show. With that sort of guarantee and access to your information wherever you are, it sounds like the computer hard drive could become a relic of the past, left to join those old computers, games machines and floppy drives from a bygone era. We will simply store all our information in the clouds with unlimited storage and access. With the success of smartphones, iPads, slates and tablets swamping the market, connecting to the Internet means you can access your information whilst travelling from one location to another 24 hours a day, no need to be tied to a computer desktop.

Many diehards wouldn’t dream of letting someone else look after their information, who knows what they might do with it? Then let me ask a question, when was the last time you backed up all your files and documents? Have you worked out how long it would take you to get your computer up and running should the hard drive fail? What about viruses? How about when you install a new program and you worry about the possibility of it stopping your other programs from working? What about if someone stole your computer? I could go on forever, and no doubt you’ve suffered at least one of the above drawbacks.

This is where the cloud stands out; you no longer have to worry about any of the previous drawbacks, that’s all left to the web site owners. If you have a Facebook account like so many people do, you can use any computer with any operating system and with any

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browser, and amazingly Facebook works just the same. All your personal profile details are there as well as your family pictures, friends and contacts. In this scenario, you are relying on the good folks at Facebook to protect your information, save it, back it up, protect it from viruses and not hand out any of your personal details to any scrupulous third parties. Facebook does all this work for free; albeit, your Facebook account is subsidized by advertising, so in this case everybody wins.

Another scenario you may have encountered, let’s say you’re using spread sheets at work to store your customer’s names, addresses, payment details and many other bits of information and other word processing software to create invoices. No problem there. You need to pass the file or document on to a business partner via email, but they have a different version of the software and cannot open the file. They may even be using a different operating system to you. So for a while, the files go back and forth until you find a way round the problem.

So, what if your spread sheets and docs were stored in the clouds, just like your email, Facebook page and Twitter page? On a daily basis you log in through your browser and update the relevant details. Now, if you need to provide your business partner access to your files you simply give them a password so they can log in to your documents, amend the details and they can see the very latest version of your files. Now you have one document, in one location that multiple users can work on from any computer or mobile device. And, you could still save the documents to your USB stick drive for that extra peace of mind. You don’t have to worry about software upgrades, incompatibility issues, virus software, operating systems or keeping up with the Jones. Now, how cool is that?

By John Henderson www.acacia-technologies.co.uk

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>>> Expanding your Profit Potential- Part 1 of a 2 part series

Scratch Removal as an Add-on Considering the possibility of adding other revenue streams to your Window Cleaning business? Among the many opportunities available to you, adding Scratch Removal to your business may seem somewhat different than other “add-on” services your competitors provide. However, scratch removal offers an additional revenue stream that closely aligns with the scope of your current business line.

dow Cleaner then, is not so much a person who simply washes the glass, but rather is someone who restores the windows and surrounds to a like-original luster and clarity.

Despite the simplicity of this fundamental definition, it is an important distinction that needs to be made.

As a Window Cleaning professional, you are tasked to restore a major feature of your cus-

While Scratch Removal may seem novel or an odd choice to you as a professional Window Cleaner, to your customers, this service may be seen as a natural extension to the services you currently provide. If Window Cleaners clean glass (seen as restoring glass to clarity), then removing surface damage (scratches, etching, hard water, etc.) is nothing more than a completion of the process. This final step in the restoration process offers you the opportunity to elevate your business to a new level of professionalism, while adding a significant new path to profits from existing customers.

Conceptually, Scratch Removal as a part of glass restoration is nothing new. Odds are probably good that at some point in the past you have run across or used some type of Scratch Removal system, seen a demonstration or at a minimum, spoken with someone who has tried with varying degrees of success. In reality, it’s only been in recent years that service professionals have had access to the tools capable of removing damage from glass with acceptable results.

My intention isn’t to pitch the benefits or performance of one tool over another. My goal is to help you and other professional window cleaners explore how offering scratch removal services can vastly improve the bottom line of your business.

To understand the positive impact that glass restoration can have on your business, it may be helpful to accurately define what business you are in. As all competent Window Cleaners will readily agree, cleaning windows entails far more than simply removing dirt from glass — cleaning windows is a process of restoring the glass from tarnished to transparent. The tools used to effectively restore glass not only address the dirt on the glass, but also stains left from water, salts and other atmospheric impurities. The process also addresses the frames, tracks and screens that surround the glass. A Win-

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accustomed to the presence of window damage and no longer see it, the owners certainly do. These blemishes pock their view everyday and often have not been repaired due to nothing more than a simple lack of knowledge about restoration, or because the cost to replace the glass is beyond their current means. One of our top users loves to tell me how he “makes believers everyday” simply because the act of scratch removal is beyond the scope of most peoples’ realm of possible.

So, you think I’d have you believe that scratch removal is the answer to your profitmaking dreams, right? Of course not (well, maybe). My message to you is simply that scratch removal as part of a glass restoration service offers the opportunity to build your service business in a meaningful and powerful way. While there is great money to be made hanging holiday lighting or cleaning gutters, neither strengthens your core business of window cleaning. “Add-on” services that dilute your core value proposition also dilute your profit-making potential.

tomers’ home or business by cleaning and caring for their glass and enclosure systems.

If you sell your service as simply cleaning the glass by removing surface dirt, you may be considered by some as a janitor. When you package your service as a restorative process, then you’re elevated to the rank of a professional who provides a valuable service. (Not to sound too much like Kevin Dubrosky here, but this is a very important point.)

With the understanding that a Window Cleaner cleans more than just the surface dirt off the glass, it is easier to see how you can easily create even more value for the services you provide.

Enter Scratch Removal.

As an exercise, think back to the last 10 windows you cleaned before picking up this article. How many scratches do you remember seeing? How many blemishes? How about at the store you visited today — not to clean but to patronize. Were there scratches on their windows? Now, make a point to take the time to inspect the next 10 windows you clean for scratches, etching or other surface blemishes. While far too many have grown

July - August 2011

When considering the possibility of adding service extensions to generate incremental revenue and profit, focus on how you can differentiate yourself from your competition, provide maximum value to your existing customers and build on the foundation of your current business. If you offer a complete window cleaning (glass restoration) service, Scratch Removal can be the essential final step in the full process (and most likely the greatest profit generator in your business).

As you contemplate how to grow your business, read the forums, ask questions, research available technologies and find solutions that fit your business model and customer needs. Some WCR loyalists consider scratch removal as a low-cost insurance policy, while others view it as the next big service opportunity. There’s no right or wrong answer here. If it’s right for you, you’ll know it. If not, at least you’ve considered the option.

By Cody Thomas Owner/Operator GlassRenu Co. As always, I encourage you to post your comments in the forum. Feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have. Send them to Cody@glassrenu.com

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Manufacturer Spotlight

Interview with Mark Unger from Unger Global

Today we’re talking with Mark Unger, one of the 3 Unger brothers that own the Unger companies world-wide, one of the largest manufacturers for window cleaning and janitorial supplies in the world. Unger is one of the first window cleaning supply manufacturers and can actually take claim to inventions such as the stainless steel squeegee, strip washer and the telescoping pole. These are things that some professional window cleaners today can’t live without.

Henry Unger

Chris: We’re very excited to be speaking with Mark Unger today and as you know history always gets a little jumbled, so right from you, how did Unger really come to be?

Mark Unger: Well, my father used to be a window cleaner in California and he went to Europe as a tourist. There he saw that people weren’t cleaning with the modern squeegees and equipment that he had become accustomed to. He happened to meet my mother, who’s from Germany, in Europe, and they fell in love and my dad visited her in Hamburg where she lived. He was a window cleaner himself, so he would check out other window cleaners and they were using things like chamois and towels to clean the windows. Then he kind of just up and sold his business, married my mother, moved to Hamburg, put some squeegees in his car because he took over his car, he didn’t go over on an airplane, he went on a coal ship. And he went on the streets and set up shop.

He started showing the German window cleaners how to use a squeegee and he didn’t speak very much German obviously, but he was able to convince the Germans and the people in Hamburg that his professional tools were a more efficient way to clean and that they could make a lot more money. So he started selling on the streets to those German window cleaners and he eventually got enough customers (he traveled all over Germany) to sustain a business model. From there he started manufacturing himself in Germany. He moved to Solingen, which is near Düsseldorf and very famous for its cutlery. This was a perfect location to begin manufacturing and selling to distributors like ladder distributors in Germany.

He invented the stainless steel squeegee because in those days most people used brass, the Ettore model, but brass was expensive to produce with and Germany had a lot of stainless steel. He designed a squeegee without clips called the “S” Squeegee. It was a single spring with 2 teeth that would 32

go into a channel and lock down the rubber without clips and was stainless steel with a rubber grip. He got very innovative, and that product started to sell all over Europe. He invented a bunch of other stuff pretty quickly after that, strip washers which replaced boar’s hair brushes, telescoping poles, which replaced ladders, and scrapers instead of putty knives. As he was a window cleaner, he understood the problems the pros faced and was able to create tools that solved problems and made the cleaners more productive. He

July - August 2011

figured that if a tool would improve quality and speed window cleaners would buy them.

And over the next 10 years he travelled all over Europe demonstrating his tools and building his business.

In 1975 he started selling to the U.S., to Racenstein as our first customer; bringing over shipments from Europe of his equipment. So, he set up a business. In 1978 he decided that he wanted to go back to the U.S and live there, so we all moved in 1978 to Connectiwww.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

really matter. That’s our core focus in the tool business and that’s how we came up with the Ninja. On the water fed pole side, we’ve been in the market for roughly 10 years and there we are also focused on the poles and the brushes. We view the water fed market as a growing market that makes a lot of sense. I use it myself at home, and I think it’s great for exterior window washing. It is definitely a big money saver for it.

Chris: Do you clean the windows at your house yourself?

Mark Unger: I do. I have a window cleaner that comes in once a year that does some inside high ladder work that I don’t want to do. He does some other work around so I like him to come in and do a professional job on it once a year.

Connecticut Office cut where my Uncle was a builder in Weston.

He then started really growing the business in the U.S. from there. We had a general manager in Germany that was running the business, and the business grew in the U.S. heavily from the East outward.

In 1992 my parents called a meeting and said they were done with what they wanted to do with the business and wanted to sell it to us, or give it to us if that was possible.

We bought it in 1995, my two brothers and me, and we started running it ourselves. It continued in the same tradition with our focus on window cleaning innovation and also branching into other areas that you may see in janitorial like restroom cleaning equipment, mopping equipment, dusting equipment, and really broadening our product line all with hand tools. Unfortunately my dad passed away in 1996 from Lou Gehrig’s disease, and that was a big blow to us because we had just taken over the business. We pushed through though and I moved to Germany from ‘97-99 with my wife and kids to re-organize the business over in Germany. Then I opened up a company in England, where we started distribution for the warehouse and a sales force in the U.K. When I moved back to the U.S. I took over the responsibility to run the professional business worldwide as well as global manufacturing. All the products we sell to contractors, distributors, anything in the commercial trade is my responsibility. My brother Dane runs the retail business and R&D [research and development] where we’re in Home Depot nationwide and about 600-700 Lowes, William Sonoma and a bunch of other different accounts and different product lines. My other brother Jan manages finance, strategy and HR. By the time we took it over it started growing well and it’s about five times the

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size of when my parents got out of it. We just really continue to focus on the quality of products, innovation and making sure we solve the problems of customers trying to make them more money. So that’s really it in a nutshell of how we became to where we are now.

Chris: Wow, that’s a really awesome story.

So, how much of Unger’s total global revenue is window cleaning equipment?, How much is just straight professional window cleaning equipment, as opposed to janitorial and stuff like that, percentage-wise?

Mark Unger: Right, I’d say it really depends from country to country. One of our challenges in the European market is that we have a very high market share in window cleaning, probably 50% or something like that. In the U.S. we only have about 15% or so of what I would call the professional window cleaning business, guys that are making money cleaning windows. So we’ve been working hard in the U.S. trying to build a broader market share. The challenge is that window cleaners are very conservative. When you look at it globally, the window cleaning products are probably half of our sales and the other half is non-window related. I’d say in Europe more window related and the U.S. less so if you balance it out I’d say 50/50.

But the window cleaning market is really our core market and that’s very important to our business, we pay a lot of attention to it. In the window cleaning market we really have focused on ergonomic and high quality hand tools. I actually used to be a window cleaner back in high school and it’s my belief that the professional is more interested in a good quality product then a low price. They get a very high return on investment for a $10 or $20 squeegee so that it’s got to last and feel comfortable and have features that

Chris: Oh, that’s cool. So what’s your typical day look like, how much time a day are you working?

Mark Unger: Well, I get up and check my e-mail normally with my coffee just to get rid of anything that may be urgent. Since I have operations in Europe, by the time I get up, their day is half way done. So I do that and then I head to the office around 8-8:30 and have a morning staff meeting. We talk about any urgent issues and the top priorities of the day. I make sure everyone is coordinated and important projects are on track. Normally my day is spent half the time in meetings, various different meetings, financial, marketing and I coordinate a lot of different projects and I have oversight on financial as well as any major campaigns that we’re running or new initiatives that we’re undertaking so I stay on top of that. I work with the managers to make sure that decisions are being made and projects are moving forward like they should.

The other half I try to work on development that I’m doing myself as well as some strategic projects from new product development, some marketing activities as well as the operational issues that pop up. We run a major global company so there’s a lot of work that we’re doing around operations, manufacturing. Costs are going up real quick like in ‘08 with the oil prices. You have to make sure you keep up on that or you lose margin real quick. I also do quite a bit of traveling. About 30% of the time I’m off traveling some place.

I go to Germany four times a year, I go to different trade shows in Europe, I go to trade shows in the U.S…There’s actually one going on right now for the national restaurant show, because we’re also in the commercial food supply business.

July - August 2011

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I’m a PC guy. I’m always using a PC, although tomorrow’s my birthday and wife is getting me one of those new iPads.

Mark and his brothers in the warehouse

I try to do a lot of coordination management in the summertime and I try to take some time off and let the good people that we have run the business. I mean normally I’m home around 6 and have dinner with the family.

Maybe do a little more work in the evening and then hang out a little bit more with the kids and my wife and then go to bed.

Chris: So you mentioned you had a window cleaning business growing up, what was that called?

Mark Unger: Weston-Westport Window Washing. The Four W’s.

Chris: How long were you in business?

Mark Unger: Well, it was in the summer time and I was working as a camp counselor but I wasn’t really making much money. So I stayed home one summer and was able to get a beat up old station wagon and started making up fliers and for about 2 summers I had the business. I put the fliers out, called people and made a log of people we used to do jobs for. We used to do about three

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to four jobs per week. I had a partner, you know, one of my buddies was in it with me.

I wouldn’t call it a professional business because it was only a summer job. But it was good money, got rainy days off, got to work outside, and it was very enjoyable.

Mark Unger: We have offices in the UK, Birmingham, England, Paris France, New Delhi, India and near Shanghai in China.

Chris: Yeah, that’s cool. Kind of how we all got started.

Mark Unger: It’s primarily research and development as well as vendor management.

All of our retail products are made in China.

Mark Unger: I wish I would have had a water fed pole in those days.

Chris: [Laughs] Chris: So are you a Mac or a PC guy?

Mark Unger: I’m a PC guy. I’m always using a PC, although tomorrow’s my birthday and wife is getting me one of those new iPads.

Chris: Smart phone or flip phone?

Mark Unger: I have a Blackberry. It was a great business tool choice.

Chris: So what countries do you have offices in, other than Germany and the U.S.?

July - August 2011

Chris: Wow. What goes on in the Shanghai office? Just distribution in to that country?

Chris: How many people are employed by Unger worldwide?

Mark Unger: We have about 250 employees.

Chris: Can you give me some main observations from a window cleaner’s perspective; what are the differences between the U.S. and the European markets?

Mark Unger: In Europe there isn’t the demand for homeowner window cleaning service like there is in the U.S. Independent window cleaners are mostly for commercial jobs, not really for residential ones. Except

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for the U.K. where there’s a big residential market, most of Europe is limited. The other big difference is in Germany you have an apprenticeship system where you become a master of window cleaning. You get a degree and you’re licensed by the government as a professional cleaning contractor. So in order to start your own business in Germany you need to be licensed according to the standards of the school that you go to and the apprenticeship that you do. So it’s more structured and it’s more of a trade. I think it’s more professional and there’s more standardization of how people do things because it’s monitored in a way. It’s the same in France and when you go into more southern Europe, it’s much more like the U.S. is where anything goes. In the U.S. there’s professional window cleaners and just guys that clean windows, but there’s a lot of people out there that are professionals that still use Windex and paper towels to clean somebody’s house.

ing one?

Mark Unger: We’re getting our first prototypes soon. We’re not changing the shape on the outside, but the inside’s going to be a little different to accommodate the wider channels and the clips. We are changing the color and it’s going to be black. We’re giving the Ninja look to it with the logo and everything.

Chris: So this is the second Ninja product.

There was another product you guys had years ago called the Ninja, what was that?

Chris: So we’re talking to thousands of professional window cleaners today, is there anything you’d like people to know about the Unger company and its line of products that they may not know?

Chris: Yeah.

Mark Unger: Well, like I said earlier, I’m hoping that the Ninja squeegee is a good example to make a professional window cleaner look again at Unger and what it stands for and the products. See that we’re truly a window cleaning specialist company and we have a lot of high end quality products that we hope that we’ll get a chance to market as well as the Ninja.

I appreciate their confidence in us and a little but more of the U.S. market would certainly make me happy and certainly make all of our engineers that work at Unger happy.

Mark Unger: The U.S. market, I think, is much more diversified with many small window cleaning companies, 1, 2, or 3 men operations and I think that’s really great. They’re just hard to reach, hard to market to. We struggle to get our word out to people that are still using traditional tools.

Chris: How long did it take you guys to come out with the Ninja?

Mark Unger: four years.

Chris: It seems to me like it’s a pretty amazing success. Has it met your expectations, did you realize it would be this big?

Mark Unger: Yeah, I’m very happy. We knew in the U.S. there was a market for the wide body channels and we just took a long time to put it together. We felt ergonomics were important. The clips, I think, were key to it.

It took a lot of time and effort on this one and I got to personally manage and oversee everything on it and was very active in its development. I’m happy to see that it’s done well. I’m kind of hoping the U.S. window cleaners will give Unger a chance and try some of our other products that they may have never tried before. I’m sure they’ll be happily surprised.

Chris: So by the time this interview comes out I’ve heard you’re going to have a BOAB to go with it. Is it going to look like the exist-

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even turn over the remote control to them.

[Laughs] We’re not at that point yet, but it’s certainly a family business, and I have my two other brothers in the business and we’re all committed to it. I think our roles and our objectives moving forward is to continue to professionalize the business and really try to bring in the best talent that we can find to run the business so we don’t have to run it on a day to day basis. We put a lot of time and effort into really growing the business.

We enjoy doing it but as it gets bigger it’s just more and more work. Certainly if our kids are capable when we’re ready to retire then they should have an opportunity to work at the business, potentially run it if they’re able. We’d really like to keep it in the family instead of selling it.

Mark Unger: Yeah, I would say it was a poor attempt at a wide body channel. What we did was we created a channel and painted it black; put some yellow Ninja logo stickers on it. Took one of our steel squeegees and painted that black and called it Ninja. Some people liked it, some didn’t, but after a year or two we had to kill it because it wasn’t really selling that well. There are still some out there somewhere, but we decided we’d like to bring it back the right way.

Chris: So how long are you in this game, do you have another 20 years in the company.

Are you going to turn it over to your son?

Chris: Well you guys built a tremendous company. My very first tools when I started window cleaning in my business were basically an all Unger setup.

I got my first Unger squeegee, and my first Unger BOAB. Our window cleaning company to this day, 50 window cleaners out there, are all outfitted in 90% Unger stuff. We love it.

Mark Unger: Well, thanks, I appreciate that, that’s great.

Chris: Well Mark, it’s been great talking to you; thanks for your time today.

Mark Unger: Absolutely. We’ll talk again soon.

Mark Unger: That’s a good question, my kids are 13 and 15 and right now: I wouldn’t

July - August 2011

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New Products

Unger ErgoTec Ninja

Revolutionary End Clip Design These easy to use end clips actually let you know when they’re open or closed. Easy enough to use even when you’re wearing gloves!

Ninja Star Markings There are special Ninja stars on each channel to help you find the center easily.

The Unger Ninja handle has a 180 degree swiveling head and an anti-slip grip for a more comfortable grip. Includes the TriLoc Channel locking mechanism for quick release and changing of channels. Also this handle has a special over molding in the head (for thumb) and along the sides for more control when using larger channels.

www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com search Ninja

Thumb Pad Thumb pad on top of the handle for complete control

Ergonomic Handle Ergonomic handle for a more comfortable grip all day long.

Tension Adjustment Coin adjustable swivel tension.

Quick Release Quick release underneath makes switching out channels a breeze.

Swivel Function The 180 degree swivel function is great for angling your squeegee for those hard to reach areas.

www.shopwindowcleaningresource.com search Ninja

The Fourth Annual New Orleans Contractor’s Networking Event was held on April 22nd, and 23rd of 2011. NOLA has never disappointed, but this last event was phenomenal. It was said by many that the catalog of speakers was unequaled by any event previous. Included were 3 keynote speakers of past IWCA conferences, contractors who were successfully running multi-million dollar businesses, manufacturers of world-class cleaning equipment, marketing gurus, social media experts, software inventors, and the list goes on and on. Just about any service related business could have benefited from this interchange of information. In fact, the audience was not limited to just window cleaners or pressure washing contractors – other businesses such as landscapers & roof cleaners were present.

The laid back environment of the Big Easy provides a great atmosphere for the NOLA event. The speakers took their time and even paused their presentations at different points to field questions from the audience. Many money-making “secrets” were shared this way. You can’t read these ideas, tricks, or different service opportunities on the internet, a lot of these are trade secrets that helped launch a business into big profitability. A contractor would hesitate to post that in a public forum, or even offer it as part of a class – but in a smaller setting these ideas are passed back and forth openly.

One can only take in so much great information before getting hungry. Good thing NOLA is known for some of the best food in the world. Nobody could complain about not having anything good to eat. The very first Window Cleaning Resource Association meeting was held that Friday night on Bourbon Street along with dinner. Each evening groups of attendees enjoyed the night life along with eating awesome food. New Orleans is definitely not a boring city!

So, who spoke and what did they speak about? John, known as “bumblebee” on the WCR forum posted this synopsis about Friday’s agenda: Let me repeat...THANK-YOU THAD! You have put together one of the best events I have ever attended in my nearly 30 years of window cleaning. The speakers you managed to bring together under one roof at a single event has been like getting a drink from a fire hose. From the opening salvo where Curt Kempton talked about thinking outside the bucket, Followed by Jason Evers who really raised awareness about how to create small business success, by telling us to “Embrace our competition,” you piled on even more. Charley Caldwell overwhelmed this writer, and I suspect, the other attendees with his absolute command of the internet and how to optimize our place within it. After I thought that was the highlight of the day, Chris Lambrinides stepped up and told us how to use the force to increase our sales through E-mail marketing. Shawn Gavin was not only gracious enough to provide a thorough Q & A session about pure water and water-fed pole technology, he set up a “hands on” demonstration where the event participants could use a working system for themselves...Thank-you Shawn. Kevin Dubrosky wowed the group when he came out and told us point blank that time has

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July - August 2011

nothing to do with price, forget about obsessing with quality, and we all need to know that we need to realize that we should obsess over what our customers’ preferences are instead of our obsession with quality. AC Lockyer closed out the day’s speakers by telling us that “We got to figure out who we are, who we want to be, and position ourselves to be the best.” We cannot lose when we force our competitors to play the game we create in our own markets. All these speakers added details to the thin synopsis I have posted here, but everyone in attendance took away information to help us grow our businesses...and ourselves immediately. Imagine someone telling you to shut down your business, reopen it and increase your sales 30%?! And then...telling you exactly how to do it!” -John Bumblebee Then on Saturday Mr. Don Phelps, a roof cleaning expert, did a question and answer for the audience on adding roof cleaning to their business. The audience contained people who knew very little about roof cleaning to contractors running successful roof cleaning businesses – so there was a wide array of questions posed, and Don answered all of them!

Following Don was Kevin Dubrosky who gave a presentation totally free – a presentation he generally charges over $200.00 to attend.

That two hour long class that was packed full of slides can’t be talked about here, that information was top secret and only for the attendees.

Charlie Laurie, a local contractor, hobbled to the front to give his presentation using crutches. It was during his talk, which was about owning a business rather than a job, that the audience didn’t feel so bad for him after all. Even though he had been using crutches for the last 6 weeks, his business was strong as ever – thanks to the systems he has in place and utilizing employees.

The last speaker was AC Lockyer who gave a powerful presentation on how to grow our business successfully. AC used these tactics when growing his roof cleaning business, but they’ll work in just about any service oriented business.

Saturday was a half day, which allowed everyone plenty of time to relax and sight see before going back home. Nobody really wanted to www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

leave, but everybody was pumped up and charged to implement what they had learned into their own businesses.

Sad you weren’t able to make it? Plans are in the works now for NOLA 2012. Will it be just as good as NOLA 2011? You’ll have to be there to find out!

Other quotes about NOLA 2011 “NOLA is the best business-mind-expanding event I have ever been to. Period. And the fact that it’s geared toward window cleaners and pressure washer companies? That’s just a bonus.” - Curt Kempton, 5 Star Window Cleaning and ResponsiBid “Not only did I have an awesome time in New Orleans but at the NOLA Networking Event, I met many great individuals, who approach running businesses like I do - work hard, play hard, and test and measure everything! Thanks so much, Thad, for putting on this wonderful event - can’t wait until next year!” - Charly Caldwell II of Internet Services Group of Florida “Attending many seminars a year across the country, NOLA 2011 experience was the most impacting for my business. Speakers were very informative and open when answering questions. I’ve learned the most from any networking event and will return each and every time.” -Jorge Aguilar, Empire Window Cleaning “Once again, the 2011 NOLA networking event has proven to be the gold standard in our industry. Consistently year in and year out, it’s at the pinnacle of quality for knowledgeable speakers, networking and fellowship within such an entertaining social environment. No one ever comes to this event and leaves with anything less than a wealth of new and usable knowledge, as well as many new friends

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and a renewed enthusiasm for what we do. Many thanks to Thad for his tremendous ongoing efforts and resulting success!” - Don Phelps of Orlando Roof Cleaning and Roof Cleaning Forums.com “NOLA 2011 was an awesome experience. It was so refreshing to meet new faces and interact with so many window cleaners. It heightened my awareness of several new products in use in the window world, that I feel would be a slam dunk for use in Soft Washing. I will not miss next year’s event.”

-AC Lockyer, Professional Business Guide “The trip to NOLA for George and I was amazing. How can you put a value on sitting in a room with guys and gals just like you who have already climbed the mountains that stand in your way?

And that’s not even including the incredible line up of speakers that Thad had. Those guys blew my socks off. If I can put to use just 10% of the information that was shared at the NOLA Networking event then my company will easily increase profits by 50% or more.

All that being said, I think the most valuable thing I came away with was the chance to build relationships with positive, successful people. The fun and camaraderie that was shared around the dinner table and over a hurricane or two left a lasting impression on me and I can’t wait to get back to NOLA again next year.” -Sam Mezzell, That Window Guy “NOLA 2011 was epic. This event never fails to deliver, and NOLA 2011 with its elite class of presenters and quality of content ranks #1 on my all-time list of networking events I’ve ever attended. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2012.” -Josh Dodson, GreasePros and Bidslot Marketing

By Micah Kommers We Wash Windows Anderson, South Carolina

>>> Next Up Midwest Window Cleaning Conference Networking, networking, networking! That’s what you will get at this year’s MWCC. At the Coralville Country Inn and Suites on Friday and Saturday July 22nd and 23rd window cleaners from around the country will converge to share their knowledge and gain more. The three-time IWCA Image Award Winner and mastermind of the hit software system Responsibid, Curt Kempton, is our keynote speaker this year.

There will be discussions on running your business, marketing, glass surface defects, pure water technology, online bidding, and much more. We will also have a ton of outdoor demos in the afternoon including scratch removal w/ the Glass Renu system, water fed poles, pure water systems and more.

Added to this is the great catered BBQ lunch and a ton of prizes and freebies from great sponsors like WCR, Unger, AquaDapter, Flip Fast, Mr. Squeegee, Screen Mouse, NanoPhase, and more added each week.

If you want to be a part of this great networking opportunity make sure to register and get hotel info at: shopwindowcleaningresource.com/ midwest

Safely working in the heat of the summer.

It’s Getting Hot out Here!

Summer is upon us once again, and that means picnics, swimming, and visits to the old fishing hole. Unfortunately it also means dangerous temperatures and humidity to work in as window cleaners. Even if you are one of those people who love warm weather there are some serious safety concerns when we are out in the heat.

Dehydration An immediate concern when working in hot weather is that we are losing valuable body fluids as we work. If left unchecked, dehydration can lead to headaches and body aches and even heat stroke and death. To combat this, make sure we are drinking enough fluids to offset this loss. But what kinds of fluids? An obvious answer might be water, but that doesn’t take into consideration that we are losing more than just fluids. As we work, we lose things like minerals and electrolytes. These must also be reintroduced in order to avoid more serious issues. So in addition to water you could include a sports drink or take an electrolyte tablet on your breaks. That’s right I said breaks! Taking a break every few hours to rest and reintroduce fluids will allow you to keep working safely.

Also, if you happen to be a fan of sugared or caffeinated drinks, consider cutting way back on them during work hours, as they can increase the effects of dehydration.

The Real Danger - Heat Stroke If you ignore the need to take in fluids it can eventually lead to heat stroke. This is a form of hyperthermia, an abnormally elevated body temperature with accompanying physical and neurological symptoms. Unlike heat cramps and heat exhaustion, two other forms of hyperthermia that are less severe, heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not properly and promptly treated.

What are those symptoms? Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include: Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, headache, muscle cramps and aches, and dizziness.

Symptoms and signs of heat stroke include: high body temperature, the absence of sweating, with hot red or flushed dry skin, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, strange behavior, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, disorientation, seizure, and/or coma.

What if I or an employee is showing symptoms? First Aid for Heat Stroke: Move the person out of the sun and into a shady or airconditioned space. Call 911 or emergency medical help. Cool the person by covering him or her with damp sheets or by spraying with

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July - August 2011

cool water. Direct air onto the person with a fan or newspaper. Have the person drink cool water or other nonalcoholic beverage without caffeine, if he or she is able.

Whether you work by yourself or have employees make sure to go over these signs and have definite First Aid procedures in place.

By taking a few more breaks and keeping up your fluid intake you will make sure you are around to enjoy the picnics, swimming, and that all important fishing trip!

By Tony Evans A New View Window Cleaning Washington, Iowa

www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

>>>Window Cleaning News Now spring has sprung and we are rolling towards the summer months. Many of you may seem to hit a slow month around the month of August, especially the people in the hotter climates on this planet. I can’t really attribute this too much to anything other than clients wanting to relax in their homes in peace or maybe all the work has already been done in time for the hottest part of the year. I’m quite thankful really, it’s not a month I enjoy working in and I suppose for many others, they will feel the same too. The good part about spring is that most of the Internet related news talks about springcleaning and urging homeowners to do something about it. I’ve noticed a lot of column writers talking about this and more of them are actually advising to call a professional window cleaner for better and faster results – this can only be a good thing! The other side of the coin are column writers who have never washed a window in their life, giving out instructions on how to make ‘green’ window cleaners, with your usual assortment of additives like vinegar, cornstarch, rubbing alcohol and ammonia. I’m sure the next time around the windows need cleaning the housewives will reach out for a pro instead, realizing all the effort and hard work is best left to someone who knows what they are doing.

Cleaning windows – least favorite chore: An article released by a ‘Herald-Net’ correspondent stating that cleaning windows for most home-owners was on their ‘don’t-like-to-do list’ was no revelation, but articles like this and “my favorite way to clean windows is to write a check” only serve to help window cleaners to gain more traction when home owners reach for the phone book or go on-line to find a pro’ to carry out the work for them. Talking of phone books and particularly the Yellow pages, I also see that San Francisco is stopping their supply to residents as the internet has superseded print.

The internet has taken over our lives in so many ways, one window cleaner that went missing for reasons unknown was found with the power of Facebook!

This year’s weather and natural occurrences has made for some startling setbacks for home-owners and window cleaning companies.

As I write from Spain, we are going through thunderstorms, cold days to extreme heat and back again, but this is nothing compared to the American South and Mid-West. Let’s spare a thought for those that have lost their business, livelihoods and families and to the people in those parts and other areas of the World, we hope you recover. Personally I don’t believe in all the global warming hype that’s attributed to the weather, but that’s another discussion. Earthquakes have also been up there in the news spotlight, not only in Japan and NZ, other countries are also suffering, but with less media coverage. Another volcano in Iceland also decided to let off some steam, thankfully for now, it has calmed down again. There is an article on the blog about the do’s and don’ts when cleaning windows after an eruption – it may be worth a read (Google: volcanic eruption window cleaning).

New window cleaning tools made their appearances in window cleaners lives, namely the Ninja from Unger and the Grafter water fed pole from Ionics. The Ninja has been reviewed well on both sides of the water, usually when a wide bodied channel comes out, most have handle issues, weight issues or rubber issues, and Unger seems to have done their homework on this one. The media boost and money behind the Unger name has also made for a few interesting videos that are worth watching. If only Unger had added a ‘zerodegree’ option to the handle! The ‘flip-fast,’ a quick release adjustable WFP gooseneck angle adapter was also talked about, alas, not a www.windowcleaningbusinessowner.com

new invention - Jeff Brimble had one he made himself from at least five years a go. There is even a picture on the window cleaning resource forum that I added around two years ago of Jeff’s model! I like to cover most new gear on the blog, well … keep the readers informed about them. I try to be impassive on what my personal favorites are; except for one … the Wagtail is still my number one choice of squeegee. Look out for more new inventions from Willie and his brainstorming ideas as more unique window cleaning gear comes out of the Wagtail stable.

The arrival in a Lady Gaga video of Canadian Rick Genest and his skeletal tattoos sparked a discussion on tattoos on the window cleaning resource forum. Rick (pronounced with a silent ‘P’ at the start of his name) was once a window cleaner. I think the main consensus was that employees with tattoos would be OK, as long as they were good, reliable window cleaners and nothing obscene was written.

Other more conservative owners mentioned that tattoo’s would have to be covered on the job. Rick has done well from his fame after being featured in the aforementioned video, he has now moved on to cat-walks in the model industry. We only have to ask once the novelty wears off what he has planned for the future? Would you employ him as your window cleaner? On the same novelty theme, the blog also covered a cleaning company that supplied employees that worked in the nude for $90 an hour. When I posed this to the window cleaning resource forum, some claimed they already earned this keeping their clothes on. Another blog of note was cleaning with lasers, although only in its infancy, it is now commercially available to buy. Of course I also included the ‘Jet-Pack article on the blog for window cleaners that may have their eyes on doing some higher commercial work.

With a height of just short of a mile and a half hour working time and a parachute (just in case) – who knows, it could be a reality sooner than we think. If you have a spare $100K, why not try one out?

Another past couple of months have been littered with window cleaning accidents occurring from working at height and deaths from electrocutions using water fed poles. If nothing, the window cleaning blog provides the news on accidents, how they happened and hopefully what YOU will glean to stop it happening to you or your employees.

As I write, a good month before the release of this magazine, many more will succumb to accidents that are usually due to operator error, bad training, malfunctioning equipment and window cleaners that should know better. Please be safe out there – all mentioned blogged posts can be found on the WCR forum or Googled at will. Thanks for reading and work safe.

By Karl Robinson Robinson Solutions BlogSpot robinson-solutions.blogspot.com

July - August 2011

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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. simonepotts: mmm getting the best view of a hot, shirtless window cleaner opposite my house. hello (: thegoatfeeder: Living on the third floor is fine, but when the window cleaner fires water through an open window attempting to clean, its annoying.... jakesbakescakes: I’ve just heard the window cleaner shouting and swearing outside my house. I think he’s lost his rag.” excellent.

AmazinglyAce: In bed, eating hula hoops, still trying to get my head around Bartoli’s serve. Window cleaner just saw me naked. He has my apologies. Haha GreigThompson: Hiding behind my door from the window cleaner.. I don’t like him GreigThompson: I really don’t like the window cleaner. I’m still hiding. I can hear him.

MikeDunbar: The window cleaner just called me David several times in a 2 minute exchange.

Another one of his mind games. lifeofchloee: I haven’t seen the window cleaner at all today. Maybe I won’t have to go ninja and

dodge the rooms afterall..

Gralala Rev: My window cleaner’s such a top bloke. Just answered the door to him there and he says: ‘How ya keepin’? Still a rock star?’ Legend. skull_queen: Now the window cleaner is all o’er my bed.

GREAT! The day just gets clumsier....

Blakeybelle13: Awkward moment when your singing along to honey, I’m home and the window cleaner is laughing at you through the window..... mattabaster: Guy knocked on our door, I thought he was the window cleaner so I asked how much it was.. turns out he wasn’t. #awkward emma_shone: Neighbour news: the window cleaner just told me, The she devil & devil child (the child who only knows how to cry) Is moving out on 15/7.

AnneMarieGaze23: lovely time watching a film this morning,while my window cleaner watched it through the window with me. givemeadisaster: all the talk of universities is making me so scared, i am going to fail everything and end up being a window cleaner or something

oOSTVOo: at 25 I still have no clue on how to act when a window cleaner is working on the room i’m in.

BieberYourMinex: great!..so the window cleaner is watching me sunbathing in my bra?.. fab Malte: I like how the window cleaner is totally relaxed and singing while hanging in a little box in front of our 16th floor windows.

ChanceAdams: Omg, just walked past a really fit window cleaner. Had his top off, and he was really tanned. Nom<3 chavalanche: There are 3 windows in my kitchen. One at front of house, 2 at back. Window cleaner at each. I’m absolutely surrounded.

SophieAnnTweedy: Omg I thought someone was breaking into the house, it was the frigging window cleaner. My heart literally went :0 JeniferChampion: Im dying on the sofa whilst the window cleaner cleans the french windows whilst the curtains are open. I think he thought I was dead.

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John Kieser has a new video series on Water fed Pole work:

June was innovation month at WCR! 14 new features have been added.

>> *WCR Window Cleaners Video of the Day >> New Features Features The 2011 Pure Water Manual has been updated. Pick it up free of charge here:: www.windowcleanerproducts.com/the-pure-water-manual.pdf Get the App! Both of them actually. Shop WCR and The WCR Community are now available on the Iphone / BlackBerry and Android phones.

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Mixing Glass Gleam and Dawn Randy Carson, 6/12/11

Glass Gleam

Check out WCR Live view in real time who is on the site and what they are up to.

Reward Points now available in the Store. Sign up for an account today and we will start you off with a few WCR bucks in your account.

Bird crap on window ledges mdefiel, 6/11/11

Bird Crap

I’m proof you can make it on storefronts alone Flywatersmallie 6/08/11

I’m Proof

The Devil is in the Detail(ing) Randy Carson 6/11/11

Detail(ing)

16 new WCRA only postcards have been released. Looking to take on more commercial midrise? These are the cards for you.

How much money do you need to start a window cleaning business? jrf91 6/10/11

How much money?

10 new WCRA only commercial proposal templates have been released.

Coordinate your companies unique branding to gain more high-end commercial work.

Direct Mail to Realtors Time2Clean 6/7/11

WCR is now powered by Google, the best search just got better.

Realtors

Product Questions launched ask questions and view others questions before you purchase.

WindowPedia has been launched; join us in cataloging all the worlds’ window cleaning information. thewindowpedia.com

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Managing this housing association keeps my schedule full. That’s why I leave the windows to All County Window Cleaning Bill Hardy, Property Manager

SAVE A BAGFUL OF CASH!

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MENT

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973.827.8311

s If you schedule for the month of July you will receive $20.00 OFF of your service (window cleaning or power washing) and you will get a FREE gutter inspection! ($25 value)

LIDAY UTTER PRE-HO W & G IALS!!T! WINDOING SPEC ING OU RUNN T TIME’S CLEAN

time to Now ’s the

CLEAR

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$

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LE YOUR

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You offer the BEST care for your patients

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LE: HEDU

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time to No w’s the

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the windows…

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Our

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a Fact. Car dealerships is a re

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with beautifully sparkling windows sell more cars.

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Any Size Home! (Vinyl Only)

Professional Chandelier Cleaning Risk-Free Glass Scratch Removal Gutter Cleaning, Whitening & Protection Systems

AN L SPECIAl st ea l!

REGULARLY $275

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Chris Lombrinides, President All County Window Cleaning 973.827.8311 x 306

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REGULARLY $300

PRE-HOLIDAY WINDOW CLEANING! 20 WINDOWS - INSIDE & OUT! FREE BASIC SCREEN CLEANING! FREE FRAME AND SILL WIPE-DOWN!

JUST $189!

WHILE YOU TAKE CARE OF OUR TOWN, WE’LL TAKE CARE OF YOUR OFFICE

TOO LATE

REGULARLY $275

SPRING PRESSURE WASH SPECIAL!

W “ENWINDOIN G

LE BECAUSE YOU’RE A SPECIAL CUSTOMER!JUSTC$197!

REGULARLY $279

REGULARLY $300

D-OF-SU

SPRING WINDOW SPECIAL!

Up to 20 Windows Inside & Out! (Excluding Storms) FREE Basic Screen Cleaning FREE Frame and Wipe-Down

JUST $189!

JUST $219!

Chris Lombrinides, President All County Window Cleaning 973.827.8311 x 306

MMER

REGULARLY $300

REGULARLY $300

SUMMER WINDOW CLEANING! 20 WINDOWS – INSIDE AND OUT! FREE basic screen cleaning!

FREE frame and sill wipe-down!

IT’S NOT

JUST $197!

WE’LL HELP YOU “SPRUCE UP” FOR SPRING!

“

Ask About Additional Super Specials!

LIDAY R PRE-HO W & GUTTELS!!

WINDOING SPECIANING OUT! CLEAN …BUT TIME’S RUN

SPRING WINDOW SPECIAL! Up to 20 Windows Inside & Out! (Excluding Storms) FREE Basic Screen Cleaning FREE Frame and Wipe-Down

973.827.8311

Professional Chandelier Cleaning Risk-Free Glass Scratch Removal Gutter Cleaning, Whitening & Protection Systems

973

REGULARLY $300

With installation of Rain Flow total Gutter Protection™!

973.827.8311

WE’LL HELP YOU “SPRUCE UP” FOR SPRING!

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FILM !

JUST $227!

FREE GUTTER CLEANING

ENJOY YOU your summer parties!

WIN DOW

School’s Out For the Summer...

CLEAR

CALL NOW TO SCHEDULE:

973.827.8311

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$

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Storm windows not included.

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ANY SIZE HOME! (Vinyl Only) OFFER GOOD NOVEMBER 1 – DECEMBER 23!

CALL NOW TO LEARN MORE!

Any Size Home! (Vinyl Only)

Rain Flow: We come and install an aff effective barrier to stop debris build-up worry about gutters again!

time to Now ’s the

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REGULARLY $300

OFFER GOOD OCTOBER 1 – OCTOBER 31!

973.8

SPRING PRESSURE WASH SPECIAL!

311

1. Gutter Cleanin 2. Rain Flow Gutter Pr

SAVE $25.00! BOOK YOUR GUTTER GLEANING WHILE THERE’S STILL TIME!

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BACK-TO-SCHOOL POWER WASHING! ANY SIZE HOME! (Vinyl Only)

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REGULARLY $275

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973.8

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REGULARLY $300

Don’t end up with gutters so packed f they overflow. Even worse if they clog causing an ice dam that will damage yo

Bill Hardy, Property Manager

FALL GUT

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PRE-HOLIDAY POWER WASHING! OFFER GOOD 11/1 – 12/23!

Chris Lombrinides, President All County Window Cleaning 973.827.8311 x 306

$

Fall Gutter C SeasonCALLIsTODH EXPIRATIONN 4/23/10

PRE-HOLIDAY WINDOW CLEANING! 20 WINDOWS – INSIDE AND OUT!

ANY SIZE HOME! (Vinyl Only)

“We guarentee you will completely satisfied with both the workmanship you receive, and your entire service experience with All County Window Cleaning. You have my word on that.”

JUST $197!

FREE ESTIMATE FOR INSTALLATION OF TOTAL GUTTER PROTECTION™.

OFFER GOOD NOVEMBER 1 – DECEMBER 23!

Storm windows not included. Standard 2 pane windows.

: T TODAY

SPRING POWER WASH ANY SIZE HOME (Vinyl

Just book your Pre- Holiday Gutter cleaning before 11/15!

REGULARLY $300

Professional Chandelier Cleaning Risk-Free Glass Scratch Removal Gutter Cleaning, Whitening & Protection Systems

YES! YOU’RE PROTECTED UP TO $1,000,000!

REGULARLY $279

ON GUTTER CLEANING!

JUST $187!

FREE basic screen cleaning!

FREE frame and sill wipe-down!

Ask About Additional Super Specials!

JUST $227!

SPRING WINDOW SPECIAL! Up to 20 Windows Inside & Out! (Excluding Storms) FREE Basic Screen Cleaning FREE Frame and Wipe-Down

Any Size Home! (Vinyl Only)

$

Managing this housing association keeps my schedule full. That’s why I leave the windows to All County Window Cleaning

E 10/31

Chandelier Cleaning Risk-free Glass Scratch Removal Gutter Cleaning, Whitening and Protection Systems also available!

JUST $18

SAVE $25!

FREE GUTTER CLEANING ($200 VALUE)

WITH INSTALLATION OF RAIN FLOW TOTAL GUTTER PROTECTION™

REGULARLY $300

CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE:

YOUR

REGULARLY $300

973.827.8311

EXPIRATIONN 4/23/10

BEFOR

JUST $21

SPRING WINDOW CLEA 20 WINDOWS - INSIDE FREE basic screen cleanin FREE frame and sill wipe

CALL NOW TO LEARN MORE!

SPRING POWER WASHING ANY SIZE HOME (Vinyl Only)

BOOK

BECAUSE YOU’RE A SPECI

REGULARLY $300

FREE basic screen cleaning!

FREE frame and sill wipe-down!

1. Gutter Cleaning 2. Rain Flow Gutter Protection

JUST $189!

$

EARLY BIRD SPE

JUST $219!

SUMMER WINDOW CLEANING! 20 WINDOWS – INSIDE AND OUT!

FILM !

EXPIRATION 4/23/10

Rain Flow: We come and install an affordable, highly effective barrier to stop debris build-up forever! Never worry about gutters again!

REGULARLY $279

$

WIN DOW

OFFER GOOD JUNE 1 –JULY 31!

Storm windows not included. Standard 2 pane windows.

With our gutter cleaning service we can easily take away your problem of dirty gutters. Count on us to get you through the winter without damage, to your or your home.

EXPIRATION 4/23/10

“I had a house full of clean windows in only 2 hours and I didn’t lift a finger.”

CLEAR

Do You Have A Checklist For Your Fall Cleaning Projects?

the windows…

ENJOY YOU your summer parties!

time to No w’s the

We have 2 affordable solutions for your home:

SPRING WINDOW CLEANING! 20 WINDOWS - INSIDE & OUT! FREE basic screen cleaning!

FREE frame and sill wipe-down!

AY:

TMENT TOD

APPOIN

973.827.

WE’LL DO

Any Size Home! (Vinyl Only)

EARLY BIRD SPECIALS…

BECAUSE YOU’RE A SPECIAL CUSTOMER!

973.827.8311

REGULARLY $275

SPRING PRESSURE WASH SPECIAL!

Don’t let a nasty slip off your ladder or roof ruin your Fall... err Autumn. Let us handle the hard to reach leaves in your gutters and you can take care of the ones on the lawn.

WWW.ALLCOUNTYWINDOWCLEANING.COM

CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE: www.allcountywindowcleaning.com

JUST $197!

OFFER GOOD NOVEMBER 1 – DECEMBER 23!

Storm windows not included.

RAIN FLOW

END-OF-SUMMER WINDOW CLEANING! 20 WINDOWS – INSIDE AND OUT!

FREE GUTTER CLEANING

FREE basic screen cleaning!

FREE frame and sill wipe-down!

With installation of Rain Flow total Gutter Protection™!

OFFER GOOD AUGUST 1 – AUGUST 31!

Storm windows not included. Standard 2 pane windows.

JUST $187!

REGULARLY $300

END-OF-SUMMER POWER WASHING! ANY SIZE HOME! (Vinyl Only) OFFER GOOD AUGUST 1 – AUGUST 31!

Where have you been?

Where hav

You offer the BEST care for your patients www.AllCountyWindowCleaning.com Call today for a FREE no obligation Quote

973.827.8311

LET US WIPE AWAY THE WINTER OF 2011!

We miss you!

We miss yo

Hello,

Hello,

I am contacting you today because it has come to my attention we have not heard from you in awhile.

I am contacting you today b we have not heard from you i

I have reserved an exclusive offer for a very select group of customers.

I have reserved an exclusiv customers.

If you sschedule for the month of July you will receive $20.00 OFF of your service (window cleaning or power washing) and you will get a FREE gutter inspection! ($25 value)

If you sschedule for the mon OFF of your service (window you will get a FREE gutter in

Please call now to schedule or to ask any questions.

Please call now to schedule

SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY:

973.827.8311

Chris Lambrinides 973-827-8311 AllCountyWindowCleaning.com

Chris Lambrinides 973-827-8311 AllCountyWindowCleaning.