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FLORIN

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Posts posted by FLORIN


  1. I just had my cream color vinyl siding power washed by a professional. Now I have what I think are called "wand marks" all over the siding. They are wiggly marks about an inch or so in width that are darker in color than the siding. Is there anything that can be done to fix this?? Needless to say, I am very upset since I hired a pro to make sure it was done correctly. Now it looks worse than before I had it cleaned.

    Thanks for any advice.

    CAN YOU POST SOME PICS.


  2. Referrals = 100%

    Deck work (non-referral) = 60%

    Housewashes (non referral) = 90% (using multi-tiered pricing approach)

    Upsell % on all = 65%

    I know this post was a couple years ago. Also I remember you going into detail on a thread on what tierr level pricing you do with your silver,gold,and platinum packages but I cant find it anymore. I would like to implement something like this in my service. Can you please go over what you offer in what packages again. I feel this aproach has great potential in my area. Thanks Ken.


  3. Looking for a company that is willing to trade labor for learning on wood restoration. My biz has been around for 2-1/2 years. Im not a total newbie to wood restoration and pressure washing but would like to tag along with someone to pick their brain and pick up on new methods or just better ones that will help my company grow in the wood restoration side. Am willing to bring my equipment and am willing to drive within 3-1/2 hours from Seattle area for a day or two.

    To make the offer even sweeter.. ill even buy lunch.


  4. Homeowner needs cedar shingle roof cleaned and restained. This job is not for a begginner. It is steep. Homeowner can supply a lift for front but in the back might need rappeling equipment or other means because cant get lift in back. Roof is defiately not walkable. Custopmer is attaching tie down hooks to peak before start of job(customer is a general contractor and has knowhow of of doing this). I met up with the homeowner today at house and let him know that i'll have to pass this one for my own safety and the outcome of his roof. He asked me to put the word out for him for other possible contractors that have the knowhow of steep cedar shingle roofs. Call me or PM if you're interested. Attached is pics of front of house. Back of house pics got lost in cyberspace.

    post-1555-137772203162_thumb.jpg

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  5. I do beleive we are in some type of climate change. Im not seeing the warmer side in my area. We are having record breaking snowfall in my area. Washington winters in the past were usually 1 day of snowfall per year and usually minimal. For the past years we are getting more of it and at later times. For the past three days we have had snow which in past hardly ever got it past February. Below are pics of just this morning as I was heading out to do a bank drive thru wash.

    post-1555-13777220308_thumb.jpg

    post-1555-137772203096_thumb.jpg


  6. What is everybody's method for staining in between the boards of a deck? I dont know if my process is at fault but i have to get down with a small brush or sponge and apply stain in between every stave/board. My process is roller and then back brush.... Do you guys even do in between or just let what ran over the edges be and call it good. Looking for tips to cut time.


  7. Just consider it a cheap lesson. If I was you, I would make the time to go check on how things went for them, and if there is a problem, insist on doing the work for free. It will go a long way with the customer, and maybe save a future relationship.

    Thanks Scott. Great Idea. Ill pay them a visit tomorrow.

    I actually figure it as an expensive lesson. Who knows what job leads I could have gotten if customer was fully satisfied. Even by passing the work off to another company, i figured i would at least be in good enough standings to at least given another shot at another job. Maybe ill be able to salvage something tomorrow.


  8. I tried the rental route at the time but they were closed early for it being a sunday.

    A back up machine is now going on my next months budget along with all the other gadgets I need to get to grow.

    I was thinking I was creating a business relationship with another company to be able to pass off work and so on. I did not for one second think it would turn out that the customer would get screwed. I have worked hard to keep a good name in this biz with my customers. It is paying off with referrals and repeat business. I am constantly everbooked(maybe its time to think about raising prices again). But I know I'm not at the point in the biz to hire more help yet.

    I just wonder why so many companies out there don't treat this profession as a professional.

    I know I have many faults that I have to work on and constantly try to but I never wake up in the morning and say" hell with this customer today, I'm going fishing"


  9. IN MY OPINION, once you start a job it is yours. I know your schedule was packed, but you should have done what needed to be done to get the work done. Stayed up late, work a long day, reschedule stuff that had not been started yet, I don't care. The responsibility was on you to get it taken care of.

    When they called me a few days after he didnt show up I offered to complete the job but they said they will just finish the concrete wih their home machine and leave the house as is. I even gave them pointers on what chemicals to use to help aide in cleaning the concrete.


  10. IN MY OPINION, once you start a job it is yours. I know your schedule was packed, but you should have done what needed to be done to get the work done. Stayed up late, work a long day, reschedule stuff that had not been started yet, I don't care. The responsibility was on you to get it taken care of.

    I actually agree with you Scott. I normally would. I couldve moved someone else off a day and finished this job. My thing was I thought I was doing everybody a favor here.... The customer by having their place cleaned sooner in the week than later... The power washing company by giving them a job on a silver platter.. And myself by giving me some breathing room since I was too greedy earlier and booked up too many jobs... Also this PW company contacted me a while back wanting to know if i would accept some sub work from him for commercial.I figured if i throw him a bone he would throw me one..Working late is not an issue. I usually work from sun up till sun down. There was no more time in a day to squeeze them back in without disrupting someone elses schedule.

    I do see my faults after the fact. I wish I was told NO I dont have time to do it and i would find an alternative way of completing the job. Even if it meant hiring another employee for a day or two to help catch up but I didnt see it coming.


  11. It is amazing how many unreliable contractors/power wash people are out there. I never understood it. Id say at least half of the estimates/proposals I go to- the customer mentions that they called someone else but they never showed up to do the estimate. Those end up being an easy sell when I just reinerate about how reliable my company is. Until now it has been to an advantage to me....

    Well that changed last week. I had a house wash and concrete clean of a small 1500sqft home in Seattle. The job was a rush job because they were taking pics today for real estate company. So I had a full week to fit it in. I had time to squeeze it in my overbooked week last sunday. I started the work and got most of the concrete work done when my machine gave out on me. I tried to fix it on the spot and had my mechanic on the phone and we came to a conclusion that the carburator needed rebuilt. I wasnt able to find anybody on a sunday to fix this. I had to quit for the day. My week was already booked with other work and was in no way possible able to finish the job. I didnt want to leave the customer high and dry so I told them I will hand the job over to another company. I called this other company which has visited this site a few times and has expressed that he has some big accounts and takes pride in his work...I gave the complete job to him. No subbing. Didnt even want to get paid for the concrete work that was already done. Just wantd the customer to be happy. It was $450.00 for a housewash and touch up concrete that i didnt finish. Get them in touch with each other... Couple days go by and the homeowner calls me IRRATE that the guy never showed up and now has only three days to have someone else come out. I tried to call this PW guy and its like he dissapeared. dont know if hes screening calls or UFO's abducted him.

    I guess im just venting a little but does anybody have an answer WHY so many so called '' companies" do this?


  12. Sorry. didn't read the "I need to tweak my sales pitch" title. That's exactly what needs to be done. I constantly read sales books to try to improve myself. I believe with a right sales "pitch" anything at whatever price can be sold. A true salesamn is able to spot the want and need in a person and be able to and put them at ease that you are able to provide it.

    I apologize if I am ranting on stuff that most know. I hear so much of this " its the economy " going on on most sites and companies that I talk to. I feel no matter what the economy is doing there is still need for our service. It is up to you to educate them why they are getting a good deal by using you no matter the price.

    OK. I'm done. Ill go back to lurking and reading everybodies great and informative posts.


  13. To me it sounds like a closing issue. Sorry to be so blunt. You have not sold them on what service you can provide them that another company cannot. In their mind your company is equal to every joe blow company out there. And their only way to differentiate you between them is price. Your/Company appearance, quality of service, punctualitity, peace of mind that you are not a fly by nighter have to be conveyed to the customer to where they know they don't have an option but to use you. Why would they want to waste their time meeting with others if you informed them on that your company is everything they have been looking for.

    I'm not saying I'm hot stuff and never get the I'm gonna look some more people but not that many. There is some that only price is on their mind. I figure those customers are not who I want anyways.


  14. I have gotten alot of decent jobs on craigslist. Of course you get the lowball guys that call but usually I could weed those out with a few questions over the phone before i go out to make a bid. I have gotten bids and jobs or at least leads to some multimillion dollar homes thru craigslist.

    I might be considered one of those overdoers/flooders on craigslist. I advertise every couple of days. I have six listings that i do for each of my main services that I provide and list the other services on each. I know this might **** some people off but the way that craigslist works when someone searches for say gutter cleaning- a list of ads pop up which the newest ads are at the top and get looked at first. If you did not advertise for a while your ad is way down the list and chances are the customer looked at a numerous amount of ads before getting to you and the chances are higher that they go with one of the first couple guys they call. People will not sit down for hours to make sure they called every possible company. I think of it this way-- Does Pepsi care that they advertise more often than 7-UP. I doubt they care they are pissing them off or that a customer is saying "gosh i have seen that commercial ten times today, im going to drink coke because they **** me off."

    If I could Id advertise as frequently with my other forms of advertising if it would be in my budget. All that craigslist costs me is that much more time used to list new ads.

    Sorry if I ruffled any feathers but that is my opinion.


  15. Any body go after this kind of business. I saw a thread on something along this type of work a long time ago but cant find again.

    Im thinking my sales pitch would be that they need cleaned because of apearance issues and would get more new kid enrollments but most of all the health issue thing. Ill present to them what kind of germs and nasty stuff is on those equipment and cleaning can substantialy decrease sick kids in their daycare which in turn creates more business because kids dont have to stay at home.

    Im hopping to get price ideas or how much time it would take. I will be using SH and a soap and rinse real well. I will also try to push the maintanance program on them. Guys that have done this kind of biz what do you think is sufficient, monthly, quarterly, annually?


  16. I really dont have too much fear of them at this time. My whole point of keeping this going is to waste their time. When i do cut it(which might be soon) i will do it cordially and not tell them off. Ill tell them something along the lines of bank verified funds before cashing or i will cut it off before the check will be sent


  17. This is the latest response... Notice the slang vergage " if you are down with me"....

    Thanks for writting me back.How are you doing today?Hope fine....I would like to ask you few question again before proceeding with this transaction....Will you be able to wire the excess funds same day and immediately you receive the payment to mytraveling agent for my flight ticket to return back to state?I am very Glad to hear back from you with your information.And if you are down with me about the payment so i need your help as soon as you recieve the check payment kindly deduct your service money out of it okay and help me to send back the diferences funds to the traveling agent for my returnning ticket back to state chrismas okay.Pls if you are okay with me i will happy to read from you soon, so that my boss can issue the check to you this week,hope to haer from you soon.Thanks and god bless you.

    Regards,

    deborah


  18. yep. I keep trying to play around with these guys and make them think that im biting. Inn some later emails to them i keep insisting on a adress so i could see the property or at least pics but they seem to not care about my price. In one of them i said how will you know your check will cover my expenses and have enough for their travels and sick mother. Got a response on instructions on cashing the check. Whatever.

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