Jesse

I thought this was worth sharing. I may have posted it before? This article and many more are at http://www.hometechonline.com/. They are the links to the right of the page. Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com When it comes to sales, the only limited resource for contractors is time. Save time and avoid rejection by recognizing a simple fact: You can only sell to people who can buy! Some sales people are optimistic enough to believe that anyone who calls to inquire about a home improvement is a potential buyer. With some experience, many figure out that there are two types of callers--"prospects" and "suspects." In order to separate the prospects from the suspects, use these simple descriptions. the prospect: has a need and recognizes. has the resources, ability and authority to satisfy the need. has a sense of urgency. has agreed to listen to you. in open to communication and establishing rapport, even over the phone. the suspect: may have a need, but doesn’t know it. may or may not have the resources, ability or authority to pay for the product. may or may not have a sense of urgency. may or may not want to listen to you. resists open communication or formation of a business relationship. Always withhold final judgment on the quality of the inquiry until you have talked with all the decision makers involved. In the case of husband and wife home-owners, make every effort to talk with them separately before finalizing your judgment. Often the individual who makes the call will relate only a portion of the situation. A remodeler recently shared a story of a "Mrs. Home-owner" who called his office expressing interest in a new garage. She said she was calling several companies, shopping for price and was in no hurry. She requested that someone just call her and give her a price over the phone. Armed with that information, the remodeler might have been cool about the inquiry. Instead, he called in the evening and spoke with "Mr. Home-Owner," who revealed that he was referred by a co-worker for whom the remodeler had just finished a similar garage addition. Mr. Home-Owner related that he was quite impressed with the company’s performance on the co-worker’s project, was anxious to get the project done before winter and was aware of what his co-worker had paid for his garage. The remodeler recognized that Mr. Buyer exhibited all the identifying characteristics of the "prospect," and the lead moved up on the priority list. One of the most important tools in identifying prospects is the lead form. Every company should have one, and everyone who answers the company phone should use it. Think of it as a script with such open-ended questions as: What type of work are you thinking of? How soon are you thinking of starting? How long have you been considering this? How long have you owned your home? How did you get our name? Are you thinking of financing or paying cash? What remodeling projects have you done in the past? Open-ended questions get answers as big as the sky in Montana and provide more that enough information to determine whether an inquiry represents a suspect or a prospect. Use them to determine how strong your prospect is in relation to three factors: 1) What is the need that drives the call? Urgency represents a higher level of need. Is there deadline on the horizon? 2) What effort did the caller put forth in order to find your phone number? Did your number come from the phone book, or were you referred as a result of active inquiries? 3) What ability does the caller have to pay for the job? If he is planning to finance, does he have equity in the property? Has the caller just sold another house freeing up the cash to remodel his new purchase? It is more important to know that the customer has the capacity to pay the bill than to know how much he is planning to spend at this stage in the buying process. The greater the effort spent to find you, the more urgent the need and the better the ability to pay, the higher the chances are that this caller is a true prospect to whom you can sell a job.

WHO'S YO DADDY? The following are all replies that Dallas women have written on Child Support Agency forms in the section for listing father's details: These are genuine excerpts from the forms. 1. Regarding the identity of the father of my twins, child A was fathered by Jim Munson. I am unsure as to the identity of the father of child B, but I believe that he was conceived on the same night. 2. I am unsure as to the identity of the father of my child as I was being sick out of a window when taken unexpectedly from behind. I can provide you with a list of names of men that I think were at the party if this helps. 3. I do not know the name of the father of my little girl. She was conceived at a party at 3600 Grand Avenue where I had unprotected *** with a man I met that night. I do remember that the *** was so good tha I fainted. If you do manage to track down the father, can you send me his phone number? Thanks. 4. I don't know the identity of the father of my daughter. He drives a BMW that now has a hole made by my stiletto in one of the door panels. Perhaps you can contact BMW service stations in this area and see if he's had it replaced. 5. I have never had *** with a man. I am awaiting a letter from the Pope confirming that my son's conception was immaculate and that he is Christ risen again. 6. I cannot tell you the name of child A's dad as he informs me that to do so would blow his cover and that would have cataclysmic implications for the economy. I am torn between doing right by you and right by the country. Please advise. 7. I do not know who the father of my child was as all ****** look the same to me 8. Peter Smith is the father of child A. If you do catch up with him, can you ask him what he did with my AC/DC CDs? 9. From the dates it seems that my daughter was conceived at Disney World; maybe it really is the Magic Kingdom. 10. So much about that night is a blur.The only thing that I remember for sure is Delia Smith did a program about eggs earlier in the evening.If I'd have stayed in and watched more TV rather than going to the party at 146 Miller Drive, mine might have remained unfertilised. 11. I am unsure as to the identity of the father of my baby, after all when you eat a can of beans you can't be sure which one made you fart

In my opinion the Decker Topper is much more versatile than a regular shureflo pump. It also has viton seals and is adjustable so you have more control when spraying sealer. Beth sells the 12 volt version in her store but I think she can get a 110 volt also. A sureflo set up is great and a cheaper way to get started if you are low on cash, but for just a little more money you might as well have the best. Orshlens Farm and Home Stores often carry surefloe's along with hose and spray wands.

This was a footer on my newsletters and flyers. The message is subtle, but I think it gets the point across that there no such thing as a high quality "jack of all trades." You either do one thing very well, or you do many things just so-so. Ryan, No disrespect intended, but I am a 3rd generation Carpenter/ Remodeler who excels at both Handyman work and Wood Restoration. I personally believe they go hand in hand. Can a wood refinisher not replace rotten stairs, handrails and posts.....how about rotten cedar siding? Should they bring in a Union Carpenter? I can do all of the above.... including replacing a single redwood or cedar lapboard using a Dremel Tool (without destroying the brittle and neglected boards above and below). A true “Jack of All Trades” should be respected and looked up to. I only hope to earn the title one day and to know half as much as my elders. Were I come from it is very common and is matter of integrity and pride in workmanship. My father passed down his knowledge and taught me to learn as much as possible. No matter what the economy does there will always be work for good men who can excel in multiple trades. Again no disrespect intended I enjoy your posts. Its just that there are low life’s in every field, but I will not allow them set the standard for the rest of us. I have heard that Leonardo da Vinci was a “Jack of All Trades”, but I am just an uneducated country boy so I cannot comment on that. Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

Don, Do you post at the forums on LawnSight.com? Your logo looks familiar, I also noticed that everyone over there lists their equipment like you do. You have a lot off nice equipment that’s for sure. I go over there to get ideas on marketing. I also bought a couple of the marketing tools from the store about selling to commercial clients. I recommend checking out their forums to anyone who wants to get fresh ideas for their marketing. I do not cut grass but I do push snow and found it thru a search on snow plowing. There is a lot of good stuff over there to read about. Also if you think only power washers have trouble with low ballers.... you should listen to these lawn guys. I hope it never gets that bad for us. Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

Three contractors were visiting a tourist attraction on the same day. One was from New York, another from Texas, and the third from Florida. At the end of the tour, the guard asked them what they did for a living. When they all replied that they were contractors, the guard said, "Hey, we need one of the rear fences redone. Why don't you guys take a look at it and give me a bid?" So, to the back fence they all went to check it out. First to step up was the Florida contractor. He took out his tape measure and pencil, did some measuring and said, "Well I figure the job will run about $900. $400 for materials, $400 for my crew, and $100 profit for me." Next was the Texas contractor. He also took out his tape measure and pencil, did some quick figuring and said, "Looks like I can do this job for $700. $300 for materials, $300 for my crew, and $100 profit for me. Without so much as moving, the New York contractor said, "$2,700." The guard, incredulous, looked at him and said, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?" "Easy," he said $1,000 for me, $1,000 for you and we hire the guy from Texas." Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

Hey Nick, I have not had any luck with oxidation in the past other than evening it out with a green tip. The x-jet just makes it more noticeable. Same thing with shutters. Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

The MEK worked great! You can only do one extremely small area at a time (about 4 square inches) then hit the area wit a wet rag. If it dwells to long it dries quickly if you hit it again it melts the siding. This is only my first experience using this method but it worked well for me. I am keeping a list in the truck for all of the methods recommended. Every job has its own special challenges so who knows what will work next time?. Thanks for your help Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

Beth, The siding is white and the shadow of the Wood Tux is what’s left. It was on the siding about one hour before we started cleaning it. Full strength HD80 was used, I like to mix my HD 80 full strength in a 50 gallon barrel when I first get it. The last time sealer got on the siding it was Wolman F&P. The color came right off the siding and less than a year later the color came right off the deck also! That is why we now use Wood Tux. Shane, I will try the Xylene and MEK this morning on the concrete. After the deck has cured I will hit the spot with hot water also instead just the hose, HD80 and scrub brush. Thank you both for your help, Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

I had the same problem today using Warm Honey Gold. Normally I just use a rag with paint thinner and the sealer wipes off very easily when we are finished. The home is in a new subdivision and less than 5 years old. The siding is not oxidized at all. I have not tried Easy Off oven cleaner yet, but have tried HD80 and Goof Off with no luck at all. Maybe some HD80 booster? My laborers also got sealer on the concrete in a small area. I hope something works because the customer has turned out to be very anal and is also complaining about sealer in the grass. I will never use an airless again, from now on everything will be rolled and brushed. Just had to get this off my chest. I will be up all night worrying about it. The money is insignificant, I am more worried about what a Woman with this type of personality will say about my company. I DO NOT want to be one of those Contractors from HELL that we have all heard about.

Nick, I think Aron may have introduced us when I upgraded to the larger machine 2 years ago. It sure is a small world. This is a great board that has helped me a lot and I am glad you found it. I still do a lot of tuck-pointing and masonry restoration. I started Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC this year to handle all of that plus wood restoration and general power washing. I still own Kirchhoff but I changed over from Home Improvement to strictly Handy Man work. It is much less stressful and there is a HUGE market for the service. Im glad that you are doing well and I may sub some decks and siding out to you in the Columbia area if things keep picking up down at the Lake of the Ozarks. Next year should be the best ever if things keep going well. Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

Hey Staudend, I live right down the road in Jefferson City and heard about that job from my PW dealer in Columbia. He said that he gave the college my name and # , but no one ever called. I was wondering if your brother in law was on a preferred vendor list for MU or if they just got him from the phone book? Thanks a lot Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

John, Were you able to find a rebuild kit or did you have to get a new swivel? I have the new style cleaner with the "Gum Blaster" and "Water Broom". My old hydrotek surface cleaner is on the bench at my shop with its second broken swivel. The first broken swivel for my old hydrotek surface cleaner was $400 at my dealer. After the second replacement I decided to upgrade to the new style machine instead dumping money into the small one. I really don’t do much concrete work and can’t figure out why this is happening to me. Has anyone else had problems with the hydrotek surface cleaner swivels? If so please let me know how you solved the problem. Thanks a lot! Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

Hey John, Did you find out anything on your 27" hydrotek surface cleaner swivel? Mine went out on a 10,000 square foot concrete clean and seal job last Wednesday. It is less than a year old so I am really surprised it went out like that. I took it apart and the bearing was in pieces. I would like to get a rebuild kit also if they are available. Thanks a lot, Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

Here is some additional gas price info from another forum that I like to read. I have found a lot of good business type info on "www.jlconline.com" at the top click "Forums". Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com 6/10/04 11:52 a.m. Does anyone have any info on current rates for charging for additional mileage with the increase in gas prices? We typically only do jobs within a 15 mile radius, but a local customer has a property 80 miles away that he wants us to do some work on. It would mean an additional 3 hours per man/day for drive time as well. Any info on how this is typically estimated/billed would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Pete Re: Additional Charge for Mileage SamT 6/11/04 10:53 a.m. Briefly: $.36 times (160 miles minus 30 miles)= $46 $46 times # of vehicles (1) = $46 Plus 3 hours times # of men (3) = 9 man hours 9mh times Billable Rate($50) = $450 $46 plus $450 = $496 $496 divided by Billable hours (3 men x 8 hours) = $20.67 Billable Rate plus Adjusted Travel Charge = $70.67 Results: Bid job at a billable rate of $70.67 instead of $50.00 with no OT for travel time. Your crew may accept a lesser pay scale for travel time, meaning you can lower your bid by that amount. They may accept a flat fee for travel time, use that figure instead of the $496 above. Someone else here will have a different method, so take your pick. SamT

I use a modified a 4 gallon back pack sprayer and a short hose with shut off. Basically just took off the handle and some extra parts inside. It has never spilled down my back in the last 2 years of use since it only has a small vent on top with a check valve. I also use a different 50 foot hose for my Corress 40 foot wand. The backpack, hose and wand is a lot to handle tho and I wear out quick. Like Paul B. , just keep everything rinsed daily or your chems. will eat up the rubber seals in no time. Jesse R. Kirchhoff Kirchhoff Handyman Solutions LLC Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Local 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 Fax 573-634-8882 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

Can anyone give me some advice? I own the Hydrotech SS series 6.5 G.P.M. hot/cold power washer. This morning while cleaning heavy equipment the by-pass valve kicked on while the machine was running. It has no pressure and is flushing all of the water from my tank. I have no idea what to do. The dealer charges $70 per hour to even look at it. I have to drive 90 miles round trip to drop it off then another 90 to pick it up. Any help is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services Kirchhoff Home Improvement Maintenance and Repair 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Office 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708

Hey Beth, I bought it new almost 3 years ago but it has very low hours. Overall it has been a good machine. The burner fan went out last year and the reset button also went. Russ Johnson, a Hydrotech dealer from Kentucky, saw my post and called this morning. With his help we were able to remove the breakaway disc and replace it with a threaded plug just to get us by for now. Russ also recommended getting it to the local dealer soon to have the burner serviced regularly. If my PW dealer would have recommended that any of the times that it was in his shop already, maybe this could have been avoided and been cheaper in the long run. I’m just glad there are so many good people on this board willing to help. Heck, I’m glad this board is even here, it has saved me more than a few times when I didn’t even realize that I was screwing up until after reading posts from others. Thanks guys and thank you very much Russ Johnson Sincerely, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services Kirchhoff Home Improvement Maintenance and Repair 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, MO 65109 Office 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708 E-Mail jessekirchhoff@mchsi.com

They come with threaded ends, strait or swivel, and are crimped on by the dealer. I just thread on my own couplers from there. I get it in 200 ft length which barely fits on my real. I used to use couplers between 100 ft sections but they do not roll up as well and take up to much room on the real. If you happen to bust a hose from running over it to often it is very easy to have 2 more ends crimped on or just a splice. Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services Kirchhoff Home Improvement Maintenance and Repair 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Office 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708

I have been using 200 ft. of ½ hydraulic hose for the past 2 years and they have held up very well. There are a lot more places in my area to buy and repair hydraulic hoses also. Only my PW Dealer would repair my PW hose before. Good Luck Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services Kirchhoff Home Improvement Maintenance and Repair 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Office 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708

I believe the bypass is for safety. I have heard that it blows instead of the machine if the water becomes super heated. The blower does not seem to be working and the reset button is down. Maybe that caused it to overheat and blow the bypass? I know nothing about working on theses things and just took it for granted that it would keep running. I wish there were a repair manual for these things

Brian, Replacing ends is another reason I switched to ½ inch hydraulic hoses. No one wanted to crimp ends on my stock PW hoses except the dealer and he took days to return them. It is much faster and easier for me to run over to any of the industrial supply shops and have them fixed there while I wait. It is much cheaper to have them fixed, I pay $11 per end for crimping. The PW hose was $2 per foot. I now by hydraulic hose 200 foot at a time for $1 per foot (after a very nice discount for buying in bulk) Good Luck, Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services LLC Kirchhoff Home Improvement Maintenance and Repair 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Office 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708

It seems like when vehicles run over my hoses that they rupture much more often. The power wash hoses my dealer used to sell me were crap so I switched over to hydraulic hoses. They seem to take a lot more abuse have worked extremely well for me. When the hose blew on my 40 foot Corress wand I replaced it with a small diameter hydraulic hose also, instead of waiting for a new replacement to arrive from Canada. Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services Kirchhoff Home Improvement Maintenance and Repair 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Office 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708

Where can I get a high quality foamer? I bought one from Delco last year and it was crap. It melted on the first day of using hot water. It looked like something bought at ACE Hardware made for a do-it-yourselfer. They stood behind their product and returned my money so I can’t complain about that. I haven’t checked with Beth, maybe she has them or may get them? The short amount of time that mine lasted I definitely liked the dwell time of the foam. Thanks a lot Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services Kirchhoff Home Improvement Maintenance and Repair 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Office 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708

It looks like the chimney had bricks replaced because of spalling (water gets behind the brick face and freezes, popping off the face). I have found that it is very hard to match existing brick that is over 7 years old (new styles are introduced every 7 years or so), especially the blonde style brick. When I tuck-point and have to patch or replace brick I take one of the ruined faces down to the paint store and get an exterior solid latex stain. With this you can stain the faces of the brick before patching or relaying. Always tuck-point around the stained brick to make it blend in naturally with the surrounding masonry. After 10 years of using this method I have had no complaints at all. I have used "vanatroll" which is made by Prosco to clean sensitive brick . It is much gentler than straight muriatic acid. Hope this helps Jesse R. Kirchhoff Advanced Power Washing and Restoration Services Kirchhoff Home Improvement Maintenance and Repair 114 Forest Hill Ave. Jefferson City, Mo 65109 Office 573-635-2708 Toll Free 1-866-635-2708