anthony szabo
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Posts posted by anthony szabo
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I thought I would share something with everyone that has worked well for our Pressure Washing Business over the past so so many years.
The Fall is a time when I hit the advertising, but mainly our direct mail pieces hard. We send out about 4,000 to 6,000 flyer's to our mailing list customers and current and past customers. We now as of this date have enough work until winter time and we need no more business at this time.
The reason is to over book our schedule and explain to our customers calling now for bids there is a slight chance we may need to wait until next year before we can schedule work. But do not do this until you meet the customer first hand and give them the bid and have them except the bid, then brake the news to them.
I tell the customer with us being busy now and the weather to soon be changing, spring might be a better time to get started and that way they can start the spring off with a nice stain job that they can enjoy all summer.
This has worked well for us over the years. We now have our first month book now for 2009. Its a bit of a gamble and a small investment but that is what business owners do.
Hope all helps
Tony
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Beth
I will post pic's soon!
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John
Everything looks like a resort! When we were there last I don't recall the plush grounds, and its looks as if you moved the kid's play area?
I did notice in your pictures it looks like you may want to consider a deck maintenance recoat application.
Oh, by the way Midwest Mobile Washers can service East cost also! just for your information.
Deb and I just finished up our pool last fall and the final touches of landscaping are be worked on this week. We had over 95 dump truck loads of dirt brought in. Excavated 1/2 acres of 50' to 70' of tress to make way for the pool. Now we have a inground pool that is elevated, so when you are in the pool you are looking out and you are up half way of the existing border trees around the pool. Kinda like a tree pool!
Talk soon buddy!
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RESTORA - By Flood is your answer! Now you have to find it! Maybe call Flood and see if they know where to get product!
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We have never asked for $$ down on any job. We have a cleaning price and a staining price. Once the cleaning is done we ask for that payment and when the staining is done we ask for it. I let net30 days go and it also works out just find too!
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How sweet!
I'm not single but I bet if I joined you Club, I would be single!(and broke)
Looks like good times!
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We have never had that type of opportunity to bid jobs at 1m plus. Congratulations to everyone. The large scale bids that we have done tend to make me nervous. Something of a large bid means a demand and that would take most of my employees to manage the job, and then hire new ones with no experience. I'm a bit septic some what because all of my past customers of 18 years are the one who got me to where I am today and I never want to loose them.
We currently are turning down a $25,000 log home because it will require to much time vs. current customer work list.
John T. needs this job to pay his property taxes on Long Island, taxes are a killer out there!
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Psc Cleaning Solutions Products
are: After Clean and Composite Protector
Chomp Pro : Alge and Mold Barrier
V-Seal : call them
We have used Psc and Chomp Pro products as of now. Going to be trying V-Seal product soon.
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Not a big deal. Just measure to do your estimate and leave it in the mail box then move on to the next estimate.
Sometimes its nice to just do your thing for giving the estimate and leave your paper work. If they are interested they will call.
But I'm not a high pressure type salesman.
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Rod is right, almost all composite deck owners bought this type of decking to never proform maintenance on their deck. So this is what they were told. Its a great nitch to stay abreast on. The actual cleaning is extremely easy and applying a sealer is much less labor than wood decks.
Its working out with repeat business for us.
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We have serviced over 400 composite decks with a clean and seal only suggested by Composite Manufactures. I see this to be a great market for our services. The worst thing is the home owners are mislead about the maintenance. There is Maintenance to Composite Decks, our issues is that we need to re-educate the home owner. Hopefully it will not be to hard to do because all you need to do is step outback on to the deck and see the issues. Then explain the mildew spots is about a yearly to bi-yearly issue to deal with.
During our 400 composite deck experience we Never used a pressure washer to clean the composite decks. Always use a garden hose type pressure. Pressure washing a composite deck with over 500 psi will drive water into the composite boards and add to your problems. Remember the water cannot escape fast enough to stop or slow down the mildew issue it stays in the composite boards.
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Jon
Here is a web site CHOMP! Welcome to the home of CHOMP! cleaning products. as for V-Seal you would need to talk to Keith or Jay about their product.
Composite deck are constructed with plastic, saw dust, and other things. I have even seen aluminum foil sticking out of composite decks in several areas on a composite deck. When the saw dust (wood) gets wet it never has a chance to dry out. This causes the mildew to start to grow which is the black spots you see. Don't forget composite decks are also plastic and all the wood in composite is like a sponge. The water does not have the opportunity to escape the boards. This is why the mildew spots keep coming back.
Case: Notice under the homes soffet where the soffet hangs over the decking. Take note how well the composite decking looks next to the house under the soffet area? Anywhere on a composite deck that is shielded from rains, snows is where you seen no black spots.
Now we want to stop the water from attacking the wood in composite. So we now need to apply a sealer that works. But this sealer must have little to no reaction with the plastics that are in the composite decks. Truth be told some sealers with silicone do work but its just a short time before they ware off and the whole process starts all over again. Don't forget we are trying to solve a problem on these decks but 50% or better is some form of plastics that we are also dealing with. I was also once told that there are two Saw Mills in the United States that produce composite deck boards for a Large Composite Deck Manufacture and the Saw Mill in the west has extreme low issues concerning mildew spots, but the Saw Mill in the southeast has almost all the complaints where the composite decking is distributed. They claim its the difference from the type off trees used during the milling process that has to do with the wood in the composite process. Maybe; Thats one excuess for the manufactures. Wood is Wood and Mother Nature also has a oppinion here also!! Work with her (Mother Nature) and not against her. She will always win.
Like Greg kinda states "Thank You" Mr. Composite Manufactures We All appreciate the NEW BUSINESS! They have educated their customers the wrong way with "No Maintenance" and we must educate the customer the right way and most of them are not pleased to here the maintenance issues they will have years to come.
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All good advise. I would follow up with a mildew inhibitor to help show down from the mildew coming back so quickly.
I have been trying Chomp Pro product call Algae & Mildew Inhibitor barrier. We apply after the composite is dry to yield the customer more time between cleanings.
Jay T. from V-Seal also has a product that works as well.
Hope this helps!
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I will get back to you guys after I talk to my customer. It will be in less than two weeks before we talk again. This will help me out to find someone who can take care of him for serveral years to come.
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I would like to know if a Experienced Pressure Washer guy would like to be introduced to a good customer of mine to offer A Premiere service to?
This job now is a House Wash and Composite Deck cleaning and seal.
Location around Detroit area.
Let me know if a experienced company is interested.
Tony!
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Dan that is tough to beat out! You get what you pay for. You need to market customers that unstand quality and why you are the best at what you do and drill that home. There is a reason why he is cheap, they are cutting coners somewhere. Insurance-help-taxes-chems-or no chems-education (none)-equipment- there are a host of things why they are cheap.
Reasons why guys like Ron and myself keep growing every year is because of the customer base we have established over the past so many years. New customers come on board and it just has built over the years. Expanding with my past customers is important. We may have washed Mr. Smith's home and gave him top notch service. But, did you know Mr. Smith is the CEO of the biggest factory in our area? He loves the service we provided at his home for $350, now he needs to know that we do industrial work as well. Bam- that $350 house wash just got you in the door for a five digit job!
Above is just an example of how we build up our business over the years. Sometimes it may be a $300 job but it can open so so so many doors for your company.
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Dan
Don't get down on yourself so much. We have now been in the Pressure Washing service business 18 years, and I'm most of the time the highest bidded and usually get the work. Marketing-Honest- Dependable-Quality-Staying In Touch-Do special Things. Have compassion with your employees and customers. These are the formulas that make it work for us. No B.S. and never lie and never promise something you can not deliver on. Return calls asap. Top customer service is what works! Because you are in the service business.
All of the above is not just for the Pressure Washing Industry success its any business, even if you are a coat hander salesman. You must be better than your competition, what are their pitfalls? then capitalize on them.
Tony
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I thank everyone who has read and posted to these thoughts. That speaks for itself and we have a concern in one way or another, of helping guiding new comers entering our industry. Trying to find a way to direct them to good solid information with out all the icing on the cake, along with using the correct tools to put the icing on the cake is a huddle to over come. Providing strong solid information and education is important for the future of us all in the Pressure Washing profession.
We all know from way back in the day "Pressure Washing" was not a career choice and today it is so much that with ad on services related.
I'm not ab-anding this post but I will be away for about a week or better with out Internet service. Please keep thoughts and ideas rolling.
Thank you for you time.
Tony
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Carlos has a good point because I to seen Ken F. that way until I met him in St. Louis. I can relate better to him after meeting him. Although we did not talk much in Pa. rt.
Not knocking the bb's for good sound advise because it is here, and income is not a deciding factor if that advice is good or bad take that qualification out if we need to. Kinda boils down to who is leading our industry, and are they qualified to do so. I know that the net is not the best accurate knowledge all the time.
Tony
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Alan
This was just a idea I had. I'm not a leader type of person when it comes to these type of positions, but I will help out any way I can to help orginize something. I'm a pure idiot when it come to some computer stuff. I'm here to help!
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Just having a lot of time on my hands this time of year.
You see year after year people breaking into the Pressure Washing profession and using the Net for sound advise, and boom they are in business.
Can we put something together with a proven strong helpful people to guide these new people in the right direction?
Help save the name of "Pressure Washing " as a painted picture of all of us?
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This is just a brain Fart with a idea!
Some of you may know me and other's may not. I try to stay away from all the other bb's because their are just to many any more. Beth has done wonders with her site and grabbing the professional traffic to this site.
Great Job over the years Beth!
Is there or could there be a advisory board with only a select bunch of people offering advice to the new comers? Or a complete web site just for the Teaching of this industry for the correct advice. We can police the best actuate information for new people getting involved in the Pressure Washing profession.
In order to be a on-line advice column the one's giving the Professional advice must meet the criteria of how many xxyrs experience, gross sales to be xxx,xxx for so many years, has insurance, has been on a console or done something to help change our industry towards a positive movement, for examples, as the application should read.
And all of this must be prov en on paper and tax returns that way no one bull sh**s their way in.
These are just thought and ideas.
With something like this we know that all the new people trying to break into the Pressure Washing Profession are getting solid and correct information.
Thoughts
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Be 101% professional. Get educated and do not wash until you are comfortable with what you are washing. Practice on you friends and family's house.
You have a great situation of having plenty of work in the winter months and you are looking for summer time work. In general that is where we all have the pitfalls of our pressure washing business, no or limited work in the winter months.
Do not believe everything you read on these bb's, because you may be getting advice from someone that has been around for a very short time.
Becareful!
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We to tend to be using a lot of Olympic maxx cedar tone. Its kinda nice to control your inventory and buy it after you know the jobs are booked and on the schedule.
We kinda do the same as John with the maintenance and stripping but use the "remove" product from Sunbrite Supply of Atlanta.
My customers are seeing two years plus before total recoats.
Appling the product by hand and little spraying at all.
Hope this helps!
Tony
Think Spring for 2009 New Customers
in Residential Pressure Washing
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Jeff
I started doing this about 5years ago and now its a great snow ball effect that has built over those 5years and keeps our schedule full all the time.
Please keep in mind different areas of our great Country effects this entire theory.