M Pearlstein

So here are a few pics from today. Not nearly as sexy as a full deck but since a pic is worth a thousand words maybe it will inspire some comments. I am thinking about keeping samples of these unstained to show customers the difference between a straight wash with no chems, using only a brightener and a full strip and restain. Here is the order of wood from top to bot Brightener only Strip and Brighten This board shows 2 scenarios. Wash only - strip and brighten Weathered - not touched........yet

Ken- Thanks for the info. I'll let you know about the 16th. Right now my rig needs the heating unit fixed so let me know if you want to use warm water and I;ll try to get it done. Going to do it anyway but having a date puts a line in the sand :) Mark

So I will leave it to the more experienced pros to give the advice on how to restore wood but thought that this idea may add value to others who are just starting out. Instead of practicing on the first customers deck I went hunting around some homes that had backyard construction and came across a deck thathad been torn down. THe contractor was happy to let me take as much as I wanted. Now not only do I have real weathered wood to practice on BUT I also plan on taking these pieces and staining them with a variety of colors to make sample boards. As part of this process I plan on masking off some of the old stain so that I cannot only show the colors but show what the board looked like before restoring it. Hope that helps someone else who is starting out and facing the same dilemna. Mark

I am in as a receiver and not a giver except when it comes to marketing and other general business areas.

I may be new to power washing but I have been selling for over 20 years. I can absolutely tell you that this is your problem. In home sales you ALWAYS want to meet the homeowner since this is where you get to make an impression. Without meeting the homeowner or buyer in commerecial work you are not being afforded the opportunity to make an impression. Look at it this way quoting the way you do leaves the buyer no choice but to shop by price since that is all they see. Like I said above I am new to PW but this is an add on to an existing business. We will only bid a job after meeting with the customer. We all drive uniform pickup trucks fully lettered and have company polo and button down shirts for sales calls and all our guys have t shirts, sweathshirts, tank tops, hats, etc... with our logo. If you never get the opportunity to show your a pro you'll never get professional pricing. Final sales thoughts: -- perception is reality -- all decisions to buy are based on emotions that the buyer rationalizes (If you doubt this one think about any purchase you have made - car, house, etc... and you will realize that 99% of the time you will spend more to get what you are emotionally comfortable with and than rationalize the purchase.) hth

I am new to the industry and forum so pardon my ignorance. However, common sense and 20 years of business experience leads me to believe that different parts of the country will have vastly different price structures. If you take a broader - 50,000' elevation - look at the situation cost of living varies widely and so should labor rates. Based on this how can one determine from other pros what the market pricing should be without applying a cost of living or regional adjustment. Here is a classic example. While I am just getting started in PW this really is an addition to our current pool construction, restoration and pool service business. In the areas we service we can get a lot more for a high end pool finish than the same finish in South Florida. Why? Because we target consumers in highly affluent areas of Northern NJ and differntiate ourself through quality of service and being very vertically aligned. The latter point is actually contradictory since vertical companies shoudl charge less not more since there costs are lower but we sell for a premium since we can control the entire process which is critical for quality. Sorry I digressed into marketing. My question is do we as a communtiy (feeling at home already so I added the 'we') have any information on regional pricing and how to make adjustments to price accordingly? Thanks for any help,