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Beth n Rod

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Posts posted by Beth n Rod

  1. Posted · Report reply

    We’ve all heard the stories before, stories about – contractors. Folks are eager to share their experiences with others in vivid detail. Nightmarish stories about contractors leave a bad taste in the mouths of many consumers today. Statements like, I could never reach him, he never returned my calls, didn’t finish the job, used to spit in the azaleas, pee in the bushes, smoke on my property and throw cigarette stubs in my lawn, would drink beer on my property, and the all time classic – you could see his butt crack! It’s easy to see why contractors get a bad rap. But it’s not impossible to get past this negative stereotype; it just takes a bit of work.

    Creating a negative image is easy; you don’t need to know how to do that, it’s effortless, disgusting and unprofessional. That’s the problem! Creating a positive and professional image, well, that takes a little more effort. If you aren’t up for the challenge of bettering yourself or your company then you have made a decision to remain stereotyped. On the other hand, if you want to succeed and help your business grow you’re going to have to bite the bullet and take the following steps to get you there.

    Begin with the end in mind. Where do you see yourself and your company next year? It’s important to visualize the image you want to create for the company. Next think about the impression you want to create in the mind of the customer. If you can’t imagine it, you can’t focus on it and it won’t be presented as polished or professional. If you’ve read my other articles you should know how I feel about consistency. If not, go back and read them when we’re done here. Consistency is extremely important, and is critical to the image of your company. All flyers, print ads, and brochures, should all have the same look and feel. Keep your logo, slogan, font, colors, and message consistent throughout. Make sure that your company name is on your truck; regardless of if it’s a magnetic sign or permanent lettering. Why? Because developing name recognition is all about the consumer being able to spot your company name and be comfortable because they have seen it somewhere else. Having the company name on your vehicle also presents a sense of permanence and stability to the consumer.

    Ok, so you’ve done that. Are you still getting the cold shoulder? Well, what do you wear when you go out to do your estimates? Are you in old dirty torn jeans or nice clean new ones or maybe some khakis? Does your t-shirt have a chili stain on it? Or do you have a nice clean company t-shirt or polo shirt with the logo on it? Clean shoes? Neatly combed hair and brushed teeth? Good. You should. It helps.

    Alright, so far we have professional literature and a polished looking person coming to the door. But what happens after you ring the doorbell and have to begin speaking to someone? Always introduce yourself, be polite, and shake their hand. It’s important to know what the standard questions are that could be asked of you, and it’s even more important to know how to answer them. You’ll get a feel for that pretty quickly if you’re new. A word of caution here. Don’t make it up as you go, people will be able to tell if you pull the answer out of thin air and are lying, not to mention they may well have spoken to another contractor who knew the answers and took the time to explain them to the customer. If you don’t know, tell them you’ll find out and get back to them. Then do it. Do make sure that you have a polished and professional delivery when you speak. Practice some of your answers if you are uncomfortable speaking in public or to people. It helps with stage fright. Maintain good eye contact and use only proper language. No vulgar language or staring at the ground or off in another direction. It’s annoying and it makes people feel like you are being deceptive. Remember to thank them when you leave.

    The image you’re creating should be reflected in your employees as well. Make certain to discuss the level of conduct you expect from them, including courtesy and discussions about the job. Be careful to let them know not to try to answer specific questions about the work they are not trained or experienced enough to handle. The customer is going to remember one thing, and one thing only; the employee told me that _________. Fill in the blank. You get my point. Misinformation at the hand of a well-meaning, eager employee can be your downfall. Make sure workers know to tell the customers to either call the office, or that they’ll relay the message. Shift the dialog back to the professional. It’s where it belongs.

    Employees need to maintain their appearance too. A good place to start might be to have them wear company t-shirts. Additionally, while many customers may not be in when work is performed, it is always best to check and see if someone is there when workers arrive, and also to let them know when they’re leaving. It just seems to sit better with the homeowner if you communicate with them if they’re there. It’s their property after all, and they’ll appreciate the respect for it, as well as the professionalism.

    Let’s step back and take a look for a minute, shall we? Joe Customer gets two flyers in his front door. One from you, and one from Company X. Yours seems familiar to him since you advertise in other areas like the phone book and maybe a coupon mailer. All your ads are designed to look the same. He likes your flyer. Company X has a flyer that simply says:

    “PRESSURE WASHING

    COMPANY X

    CALL JOHN 555-1212

    FREE ESTIMATES”

    Joe customer calls you both, since he wants more than one quote. Company X shows up in dirty jeans and the t-shirt with chili stains. You show up in a professional looking company outfit. Company X makes up answers as he goes. He’s not polite, doesn’t shake hands, or look at the customer. You shake the customer’s hand, are polite and informative. See how easy that was? You’ll get the job.

  2. Posted · Report reply

    Today, I’m not writing about marketing or advertising, I’m not writing with tech tips or how-to’s. Upon occasion reflection lends valuable insight into where we are going, what we are doing, how we might get there, and how we can improve along the way. It shows us who we were, and who we do not want to be, as well as who we wish to become. Buried deep within that context is an understanding of what we can reasonably expect and what we can not change. Sometimes, keeping this in mind helps along the way.

    I’ve done a lot of reading over the past years, and have listened to many conversations. I have heard many tales of hardship and of success. There’s a ladder we all climb, but we do so with hesitation and fear of having someone come along and push it over while we are on it. We are protective, and fearful of our competition. I can recall growing up and participating in sports of many kinds, some team oriented, some individual. In the end, we were taught that sportsmanship would flow into many areas of our lives, to respect the competition and to congratulate them. We were also taught to better ourselves and that the person who wins today may not win tomorrow. Betterment for all, was the message. Stretch. Grow. Expand. Shake the winner’s hand and work to win tomorrow.

    Many contractors keep to themselves, never speaking up and absorbing all that is put before them while fearing the competition. There is no right or wrong in that, but I’ll ask these questions. Do you complain about the stigma attached to contractors? Do you complain that people stereotype you and treat you as less than they are? Do you work with others in the industry in an open manner for the betterment of all to change it, or do you leave that to others and complain about how it could be better if only they would do it differently? Do you share your ideas to better the industry, or keep them to yourself?

    I want to challenge you all to open up and speak up. Share your ideas and your thoughts and experiences. There is an old saying that if you are not a part of the solution you are a part of the problem. In essence, if you sit back and complain but never speak up, it’s your own fault as well. Teamwork. It takes teamwork.

    Visit any, or better yet, visit all of the BBS’s out there today, but don’t just read, POST. Ask questions. Share ideas. Brainstorm. Help out the new guy. There are many folks out there without the benefit of a college education, but it by no means is an indicator of their ability to do business. Everyone has something to offer. Everyone. Try helping someone who has a question you can answer.

    Look at yourself, and the image you present to the customer. Do you want to go toe to toe with the toughest competition out there? Yes? Then pick yourself up by the bootstraps, and do it. Go back to may article on image improvement. Improving the industry means we all have to take a stand and be active participants in the growth and development of it. We all have to think, to speak out, to be honest, and to act accordingly. We have to get past our fear of being crushed by the competition and realize that there is work out there for us all.

    President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Hi all!

    Rod and I will be hosting a Demo Day for Extreme Soultions Products in Germantown Maryland. All are welcome! We'll be demoing HD-80, EFC-38, Citralic Acid.... and we might just be putting on a little Wood Tux too!!!!

    If you preorder by the 15th you can pick your order up that day FREE OF SHIPPING! Ya' can't beat that.

    You can also pre-order WOOD TUX! We're taking orders! (YES people are pre-ordering!!!!)

    A light lunch will be served. Those interested should email: beth@thegrimescene.com

    Join us!

    Beth & Rod

    :cool: :cool:

  9. Posted · Report reply

    No I checked with VBulliten today. There are things called BOTS that go out and hit sites with email addresses. LOTS of BBS's are getting hit. The Grime Scene is in the search engines. I just have to get used to the controls.... All the ones listed hit us. They register, then they wait a period of time, then they hit every thread with a link. I have pruned all the threads. All we have to do is post over the names. The URLs generating the addresses have been banned, there were actuall two, one I caught before the spam started! (YAHOO!) Believe be I plan to keep a careful check on that from now on. I also set the spamming control higher. I had it set too low. Sorry guys! You'll notice a delay in posting. (80 seconds between posts)

    Beth

  11. Posted · Report reply

    Hi all,

    The brochures are printed. The slogan is "Dress up your wood".

    It begins shipping March 15th. It's 89.00 a 5 gallon pail, oil based, and you guys are going to love this stuff.

    Last time Russ was this excited, he shipped HD-80! You can preorder now if you like. :)

    That way you have it when you need it, and I know the weather in the south is ready in many places.

    Beth

    p.s. The logo will be available for use on users web sites. Spinning bow tie and all. Just ask.

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Ponder THIS....

    If you don't rinse you have crystals of acid waiting to be REACTIVATED. So one night there is a little rain. The deck is damp the next day. A small child gets up before mommy and daddy on a Sunday morning and goes outside to play...barefoot. Later the child says..."mommy my feet hurt"

    Sorry.... I'm a believer in rinsing. If it happened to my child, I would call a lawyer. Don't but yourself in that place.

    Just my .02.

    Beth:)

  16. Posted · Report reply

    You are both absolutely right! Ron is the one who breathed life into them online, and made them a reality. He continues to push for the best for the industry.

    John, tell your wife it's tax deductable. It's not going to be all "boing business stuff" either... I am willing to bet there will be some fun after hours, with groups doing different things. I know some folks are going to casinos... I have heard some discussion of renting a limo to get a group around... I know Rod & I want to go dancing. There is TONS to do.

    Beth

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Ron, I think we all agree if we could have done it another way we would have, but I don't think any of us got into this with a silver spoon in our mouths.

    When I bought that refurbished (used) machine I did it online at an auction, then turned around and bought two more used, and put them up for sale on another site where prices were higher. Guess what? It paid for the first machine. So now we have a machine and we can crank it out. We focused on small residential decks, learned alot. Started getting bigger jobs.

    No truck.

    We had a Nissan Sentra, and the machine went IN THE TRUNK. (you're laughing again) :) Ladders were tied to the roof, sealer in the back seat. No kidding.

    By year two we had a truck, and a MUCH better machine. Kept the other one.....still have it. It goes out on little townhouse jobs with one of our summer crews.

    Planing is an important part of getting where you are going. Life isn't easy no matter what, but working smart makes it easier.

    If you are starting out and one of you has a job, keep it if it will support you, then if you can let the other one jump in. Put all the money back into the biz, and keep a list of prioriries for things you need. When you feel you are better equipped, PAY YOU.

    Then, raise your prices... and join the crowd.

    Beth

    :cool:

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Rod says...

    CAT PUMP

    Can't go wrong with a CAT pump.

    Choose the pump that goes with your machines capability. But Rod says you may have to upgrade the engine and pump because the pump has to conform to the machines capabilities.

    BUT.... you can easily get by with what you have this summer. Heck, yeara one we had we had a refurbished (stop laughing) 2.5 GPM (stop laughing) 2500 PSI (please stop laughing) machine.

    Worked like a mule. Is it a Honda engine?

    Beth

  22. Posted · Report reply

    HD-80 is a wonderful product. Rod and I began using it when it was first invented a few years back. We had worked with the beta and alpha versions of it before that and have been (and always will be) testers for Extreme Soultions products. It's why we carry their line of products exclusively. www.thegrimescene.com and click the HD-80 FAQ page on the menu. There are other FAQ pages there as well.

    It will cut through Sikkens, Behr, CWF, TWP, Wolman (ALL), Cabot, Cuprinol, you name it. It even strips some paints. There are some work photos on the FAQ page also.

    Rod is a picky guy when it comes to the products he will trust our name to, and he has tried most products out there. Because HD-80 will take anything off, you really don't need anything else, any stronger he says would be overkill and too strong in his opinion.

    You might want to try a 10 lb. tub. Most guys start that way, and then the next time around....funny thing is they get the 30 lb. tub. The Citralic acid and EFC-38 are wonderful too, in fact alot of folks overlook the EFC-38. You can strip with it, if it is a light sealer like Wolman F&P or Ready Seal or another oil based product. Films need HD-80.

    Beth

  25. Posted · Report reply

    This years round tables far exceeded last year's events, with record numbers of attendees in most all areas, most notably, New Jersey with 40!

    Many BBS's out there ran threads with information regarding attendance. Folks are planning now for the fall series.

    To view information on the recent events, surf the BBS's on the Hot Links Page to find photos and information about recent local events and their sponsors.

    Special thanks goes out to Everett Abrams for his hard work and dedication to making them grow, and to the PWNA for supplying kits to those holding the meetings. These weren't PWNA events and it's wonderful to see the support from our industry organization. Huge thanks go to Jack and the office staff at PWNA headquarters for their efforts.

    Thanks should also go out to Ron ********** for bringing the concept of the round table meetings to the electronic communites out there. While other informal groups have met in various places, none have been promoted or publicized until Ron began to do this with the round tables online. His efforts year one, made this year, year two, possible.

    Beth

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