RCBill

Yes, writing your own letter may be the only way to get a good stack of letters. If you have trouble sitting down to write a letter for yourself, think how much trouble it would be for a client, regardless of how happy they are with you. First, introduce them to the idea of your writing the letter when you are leaving the job and everyone loves you. "Many people would write a letter for me, but people are busy.. howsabout I write a letter for your endorsement"? Second, identify those qualities that prospective clients look for; competent, good clean-up, is nice to the dog, etc. Third, write a letter that would appeal to a prospect that also has some relevance to your client's experience with you. Fourth, present the letter to the client and ask them if they feel comfortable with this endorsement. Continue to ask for these testomonials even when you get rejected. You don't need every client's endorsement. But testomonials may be the best marketing initative that you can invest in. A good day to present the testimonial is the day after they receive your Thank You card. Bill

Hey Mathew, nice job. But I'm writing to complement your marketing. Nice website layout. Did you put it together? Is that Frontpage? There is a lot I like about your marketing. Are you doing it? Would you be offended if I took a couple ideas? Beside all this good stuff, I have family in a town up there somewhat near West Point. I'm from NJ, now in NC. Man, I gotta tell you, if you can build a PW business there, the Carolinas would be gold to you. Fished Polaski for a half-dozen years. Pretty good stuff. Bill

Good job Ken.

Hello Brian, We became acquainted 4-5 years ago through MAC. I am glad to see MAC is doing well, I'm sure you deserve a lot of credit for that. So, I see that you've decided that costing should be your domain. I like your approach. I visited your site. Am I correct that you make your software available to subscribers for $199/yr? A couple observations; The importance of knowing costs isn't obvious. Posting that you are a painter doesn't warm hearts here. I am Bill Lightner, a former member of MAC. My website is mypainterwebsite.com.

I know of a painter/owner that was hurt too badly to work. He had work pending when he went down. He paid his crews a certain number for a job. For instance, he told the guys, "I'll pay you $3,000 to paint this house, materials included". The job was completed. All parties were happy. Next. This piecework became his business model. He became successful, had time to start a real estate business, and consult. He will tell people that getting hurt was the best thing to happen to him. Rod, from my perspective, you have more going for you than this guy had when he went down. Maybe its time to 'go the next level' as they say.

Man, do I like my new XM radio. I was sitting at the table listening to CSNY, and just jammin. I'll bet a six-pack nobody posts who CSNY is in two hours.

Well, an approach to a market can be vertical or horizontal. Ken, I know you are all over this. I came into washing from painting. So, many readers will think that I am a painter looking to make a quick buck washing. A little truth in that. However, a number of years ago an acquaintance who is much smarter than I, explained his business model to me. I quickly understood his position, passed through a few gyrations, and am now making money washing. His position was to give people what they need. The difference is from; 'I am a painter', to 'I serve the people in my sphere of influence'. Perhaps the hardest paradigm to own is that we are what we chose to be. And, the results of our choice is our reward. To expect less or more is foolish. We, as self-determined business people, choose our market and how we approach it. If we are not getting the response that we desire from the market, who is responsible? I'll tell you from many unsuccessful years of doing business, it is not the market's fault. It is a heavy burden, but the business person that accepts responsibility for everything, is the successful one. I am aware that I am preaching to the choir, AND that many readers are doing better than I. However, there are readers who are a little less experienced than I am. I hope to take a few bruises out of the learning curve. Peace.

BUD LIGHT!!! Well, all right. I knew that was too easy. Let's see how I can get this to you.

I didn't read most of the posts. This has got to be painful for people. I did see a reference to Vietnam. I am of the age where Vietnam was a milestone. When I was sixteen or so, there was a venomous argument about our participation in that war. It was ‘Hawks’ versus ‘Doves’. There is little difference in the arguments now as then.

Jamie, I do not have the chops yet to speak with authority about deck restoration. But I have been selling services for many years. And, deck restoration and upgrades look to be an excellent offering for terrific profits. A method of presenting services developed by Sears is the Good, Better, Best. As this applies to selling deck work, an approach may be to attack low-ballers (painters call them station wagon bandits) with the good process, do a normal clean and stain with the better process, and offer upgrades with the Best. When you offer a prospect really good services, your perceived value will increase. This means you can get better money than the other guy, for the same work. But the prospect must see it, in your marketing materials and your sales presentation.

Did that yesterday and learned the value of GPM.

missed by a pretty good amount.

Well Griz, gotta give that a try.

You'll need to seal the stain with shellac; Bin or Kilz. Make sure you use alcohol based sealer. I think your biggest problem will be to match the new paint to the old. Feather out the paint edges. The worst that'll happen is that you'll need to paint the entire ceiling.

Nice job Ken. I guess the thing for me to do is link back to you? Maybe I'll include a notice for those out of my geo.

Jesse, What are most frequently requested services? What are the most profitable offerings? What services are the least profitable? What services can be offered in a yearly maintenance program? There is a handyman franchise here that gets $75/hr. TIA Bill

Yeh, man. Broke 90 last week.

Recently, I cleaned a deck with Powerhouse and a good amout of SH and it did a nice job. There was dirt, algea, and mildew on the deck. I wanted to post the Powerhouse ingredients but they are not easily available to me now. It does include Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Metasilicate, and a couple other chems. This seems like a pretty good universal wood cleaner to me. Is there a downside that I am not aware of?

Well, some times you just gotta put up or shut up. Hope to see other wanna be woodies in October.

I would appreciate someone posting a link to their site. In fact, I'd like to look at other suppliers. If you have someone that you like, please post a link to their site. TIA, Bill

I also thank you Pete. I was washing suds for quite a while. Thankfully the client did not want a stain. Dodged that bullet. I am trying to get a mix with enough SH to kill the mildew and algea, get the dirt up, AND break down an old undetected sealer that may be there to cause problems. I've washed with EFC-38 in the past to mixed results. A second pass with a SH solution got the organics the -38 did not get. Can the -38 handle 3%? I've read Rod's "everything gets striped with -80" approach. Do I have that correct Rod? I still get nightmares about cleaning my cedar fence with -80 and a good amount of pressure. Talk about tough lessons! Wore out an Osbourne. You haven't lived until you've sanded 360' of shadow box. But, I gotta get to a never fails solution. Rod, I see on page 19 in Cleaner Times, that you recommend the wood certification..... My wife sends her gratitude to you all. I'm out of the house every day now.

I bought a better Shurline recently. The pad was more firmly attached. I've glued the pad to the handle in the past. Just threw the whole thing out when I was done.

1. You are only as good as your word. If you say you can and will do something, do it. Or get a job with somebody who will. 2. You need to know what you are doing. In my opinion, you don't need to be the high sultan of a particular trade. But people that hire you think that you can deliver the goods. If you cannot, be a helper. 3. Know your numbers. You gotta know if you are making a profit. If you don't know if you are making a profit, or you are not making a profit, this is a hobby. 4. Marketing is the most important thing an owner does. 5. Work on your business not in it. 6. Build management systems. Or spend the rest of your life with sixteen balls up in the air. 7. Don't let your ego get in the way of growth. Speaking of growth, there are few avenues of life experience that will teach you wisdom. Building a business is one. Unfortunately, I think there is a direct relationship to pain and wisdom. 8. When I worked for another, I keep a daily log of how I 'spent' my time. This is very appropriate for every owner. If an owner does not know how he or she allocates their time, they do not know what their profit is. 9. Essential to profitablility is knowing what goes in, and what goes out. So we are talking Revenue minus Direct Labor, minus Direct Materials, minus Indirect Expenses, minus Taxes equals PROFIT. The thing that gets small service providers is the indirect costs. The man I learned how to allocate these costs from is Irv Chasen. You can Google him to get more information. This is where a small service provider can start, or boost, profitability. 10. Do not let a faulty paradigm set your price. Bill

Greetings from the Cape Fear, I believe in trade organizations. As washing is becoming a bigger piece of the pie, it is time to look at the PWNA. Surfing the site, I can see that learned posters here are in leadership positions there. I can also see that the training offered is just what I need. Well, there are several other good things that I would like to be a part of and contribute to. But I would like to get some feel for the group before sending in money that I lost weight to get. If members, and former members, would PM me with comments, I may be able to form a better picture of what to expect. Bill

John, When I click the link in your signature to your site, I get something that is not a site.