PressurePros

Dan, the most important part of the equation for success, after the marketing, the selling and all the bells and whistles is customer service. I cannot think of a single company that offers above and beyond customer service that is not highly successful. Look at every callback as an opportunity to show your level of commitment to your customers. That's the way you build a business. Everything else is just fluff.

graz, you are making out like a bandit today

Hardwood deck in Bloomfield NJ. You call, sell, use your choice of products. John, your turn.

Terry is right. I have had requests like this and I give people the analogy of buying a cell phone. You get a state-of-the-art phone for $99 because you also buy the service plan that goes with it. The plan subsidizes the cost of the hardware. If you lose your phone and have to buy the phone by itself it is usually $300-$400.

Baker's Gray Away is very similar to the TWP200 series. (same base) Dan, WoodTux, when not reformulated, having drying issues or otherwise is a durable product. I have based my two year warranties on it without a problem. ::daydreaming:: Now only if someone would make it and get it on the shelves

Polypropolene glycol is sold at automotve stores as "safe" or "environmentally friendly" antifreeze. Read the label as most are ethylene glycol. You could also add butyl to the mix which makes the mix very potent. We apply this mix via downstreamer and it takes off oils like the Cabot's very well. I'm surprised to hear 8 oz per gallon applied direct did not strip it. Prewet siding and apply your stripper via a Shurflo style pump.

You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) how many times I get a lead, call back and hear "oh hi, thanks so much for calling back". No wonder the public hates contractors.

Just a quick wet and EFC-38. You won't damage them. Make sure they are rinsed and very wet when you apply the acid. Hardwoods are where its at in deck resto. I cannot believe the voume of calls I am getting to stain them.

Because they are incompetant. Its worse yet when a supplier does this. These people need to go get a job and work for someone.

Come on in, we are waiting ;-)

No problem, Rodathaurus. You just read more than was there. If you reread my post and follow my train of thought (and the thread itself) I am saying that you don't just not use something because the product in itself has risk. A pro will understand the risks and take the neccessary precautions. I never implied that accidents cannot and will not happen. I have had close calls with oil soaked rags but again, I was being sloppy so if I burned my house, truck, or customer's deck down, who could I blame but myself? Ask any of the guys that have had fires from spontaneous combustion and ask them two questions: 1) Did you change the way you handled oily rags and tarps after the fire? 2) Have you had any occurences since the fire?

Read this post I can get 4% returns on direct mail.. want to know how? - Paint Talk - Professional Painting Contractors Forum to get an idea how to fine tune a mailing list, break down the market into smaller financially feasible chunks and dominate it.

wayne... question. what are you cleaning at 4000 psi?

Ask yourself if either of those criteria would be viable qualifiers for a customer.

Wayne, you should turn your unloader down to the operating psi as dictated by your nozzle size. This way you will not lose any flow and the pressure build up in the hose won't be severe. For example, you are doing decks all day and your nozzle gives you 1000 psi. Open your gun and back off your unloader until the pressure falls below 1000 psi (you have gone a little too far at that point) turn it back up slowly until your reading is once again solid at 1000 psi.

I'm not sure how I could have worded that any different. Does it not come down to being a pro and taking the neccessary precautions ??

Don, the 2% is from the 20,000 name mailing list total (400). That's why I said the overall return would be higher. Two percent of 100,000 would be 2000. Kevin, I ran that through infousa.com. Use the same criteria I listed.

Kevin, I ran the zip range 95630-95864 using the following criteria: Income: $100,000-$250,000 (discludes poor and rich) Age: 35-60 (lowers chance of DIY'ers and people on fixed income) Household status: Homeowners, single family dwellings, owned home at least 3 years, home was built after 1975, one contact per dwelling Omit: Rural areas, post office boxes This is a prime list. I came back with just over 20,000 mailing addresses. Let's say you get five exposures per household including postcards, newspaper ads, lawn signs, letters, magnets, and door hangers. That might cost you $27,000. Your overall response on the campaign is 2%. (it would be higher) That means you will get 400 calls. If you are a mediocre salesman and you price a little high (average job $600.. half $400 house washes, half $800 decks) you will close 185 jobs. Trust me, people are not cheaper in your area, you are just targeting the wrong audience. 185 jobs * $600 = $111,000 Your advertising expense represents 24% of your gross sales. Not a great number but okay for a first year of true target marketing. Now Kevin I made that list very tight. Income you could probably drop to $75 K. Maybe include newer homeowners. You may also elect to systematically spread your geographic coverage rate. If you have your sh** together, you will follow up and stay in constant contact with your customer d-base, in 2009 your budget for advertising will either stay the same (for fast growth) or drop as you feed from referrals and repeat bsiness. Your gross dollars will rise. As you know of course, that means your marketing/advertising budget falls (when expressed as a percentage of gross) I could enter your market and be doing $250K in three years. Its very systematic and very predictable. To make the marketing nut affordable you break down your campaigns into smaller geographic chunks. The nicest part is that the growth is exponential. You can jump from $250K to $500K in a couple of years. Any questions or comments are welcome.

Beth, tell Rod I want him to snap some pictures of you stripping decks. ;)

1000 s/f of ipe to be stripped of TWP and sealed with WoodZotic. Customer looking to spend about $2000.

Pete.. looked at pictures 1,2, and 3. That decks looks good to go. It does look like it could use a sanding but perfection is not something that is a worthwhile investment on a deck. I'm all for it if the customer want to pay for it but the majority will not. I think I had mentioned to you that Cabot's ATO can sometimes be a difficult strip. I believe it is the tung oil.

It really comes down to being a pro and taking the neccessary precautions. I'm not saying use one product or the other.. use what suits your business model the best. If we took a stance of "I'm not going to use that, its dangerous" we wouldn't strip a deck (sodium hydroxide can cause third degree burns), we wouldn't use bleach (repeated exposure cause damage to the lungs) etc. You do what you have to do to be safe. I have heard other RS users tout this high combustion factor as a benefit and it just about makes me burst out laughing. Its only a benefit to sloppy users that leave rags and tarps laying around or to those that don't practice proper disposal technique.

Was based on a university business study of national statistics. Its out there somewhere. Forget where I read it. To those that will not learn to sell or market (no disrespect intended) it would seem like a fabicated number. Kevin perhaps you are in the area that it is one in five.. Statistically, that is unlikely but I don't want to doubt you as I am 3500 miles away. Post your zip so I can run a demographic on your surrounding areas.

a) to a consumer.. your price is always too high b) you have to work on closing your sales calls. You can't just leave an estimate in the door and hope for the best. At the very least, follow up. That simple drop of 25% could cost you your business (ie bankruptcy). Wanna know a secret many are starting to realize? Raise your price and you will be more in demand. If I could make a suggestion.. Use the search function on this forum and/or run through the entire marketing section. Residential is a different beast than commercial. You have to have a bit more business savy to keep it growing. Its not about price with consumers, trust me though a hundred guys will tell you otherwise. One in five people buy based on price. That leaves 80% of the market willing to pay for quality and a good experience. That's what you are selling.. not pressure washing.

I need to open an office in North jersey. John, if you find someone reliable, let me know I have some leads up there as well.