1234me.com

This thread is great! I hope it is educating everyone, as I will admit it has tought me something. Maybe I am leaving some money on the table. But even though my prices are lower then others I do not bait and switch people ever period. I have found through my own experiences there are different customers with different expectations. I can adapt to them. Some people want you to fix their deck, add lights, or simply just wash it. Do you remember the phrase the customer is always right? Even when they are wrong. You can spend all day expaning the right way to handle their deck, but in the end they have to live with it and it's cost. Maybe it's the advertising which is bringing me the "value" customer. As my internet customers tend to want things done the right way and are less concerned with cost. Someone else wrote it took them 3 years to figure this out, so I am still ahead of the "curve" , but yet I'm chastised and insulted or a lowballer just because my prices are lower my work must also be. I am not the fall guy for the "lowballers" I am just trying to make a profitable business just like everyone else, I use different methods, not dishonest ones like a true lowballer does. Jarrod I really hope we get to meet the same people next season since you also advertise in the same places. Never once have you admitted to what you charge or even if it more. Have you heard about the guy with a product from Italy which lasts 25 years? He wanted $6 a square ft. I tend to believe that is what dishonest people do. I do believe in tiered pricing. It qualifies people for me. If they won't even spend $1 a square I don't want the job or the wasted time doing the estimate. Just like McDonalds (med, large, & supersized) not everyone has sikkens to remove, or boards replaced, etc. Some are washes some are complete strips. I have lost jobs to people also who do it at a fraction of what I charge. For those of you who do not put prices in your ads does that help or hurt? Is the saying true if you have to ask you probably can't afford it? Did it cut down on the "value" customers. I've got 2 years of advertising experience and another reading about what everyone else does. For you guys with more experience that is your advantage for the moment

Sorry. I forgot the point. Can someone do a poll on if I should remove the links for the forums. I think I know the answer, but some are set up for contractors vs homeowners.

1. I haven't had a request for a house wash in 2 years. So I haven't taken any anyone off the market. I'm not talking about your house wash prices. It's your deck ad that sucks. I was trying to get the little jobs, you know like the front porches/decks 2. Are you they guy who stole my signs last year? (Rephrase) - Are you the guy that did the public AND the industry a great deed last year? So you are the guy who took my signs 3. Why don't you send me an email telling me what prices you think are fair. My prices do change depending on what my materials are, but seriously can you really get $2 a square foot in Michigan in today's economy? If so you really are a better salesman then I. You already believe that it can't be done, so the answer is "No, you can't do it." I've had many customers tell me they laughed at some guy trying 2 a square or even 1.50 4. You call be a lowballer, I disagree. My prices are fair. i lost a job to someone who washed a Gazebo for $25. Really $25. I won't work for $10 an hour as my reate is several times that. $89.00 deck ads? I saw your ad. Yes, it's competitve as you should know there are about 10 others with the same numbers, 4 starr, millenium? 1800 deck seal, etc. they all have fine print, chemicals extra, must also purchase stain for XX, 5. A disgrace, I've seen many, many, many others in the same publications we are in at $99. It's being competitive. I lost my corporate job because of competition. That's life. Yes I'd like to make $10 bucks a square, but that is not reality. Go get another corperate job. I always found corp. guys to be useless and ignorant (false sense of reality) Being competitive? Why not try charging more, giving a better service and being successful? (I really don't know why I waste my time.)I'm sure my work is on par and I have always been successful. I've paid for college while working in a shop, and am probably more handy then you. 6. Just because you've been in the industry doesn't mean your doing everything right! Just longer. Doing things right = doing things longer.What? Bad equasion. Each job should be done right period. 7. I'm going to be here so deal with it. That's fine, you can have the crumbs that fall from my table. When you starve on them and go under, I'll still be in business - deal with that. Not going to happen, your not conversing with an idiot. I'm glad your diversified as I'm sure I'll take some of the residential market away. 8. I'm fair and reasonable.Rephrase - "I'm a lowballer." Not quite, I don't take people for rides just because I can. Fellow pros, this is an example of what I'm surrounded by every year. People wonder why I HATE the $99 hacks so much, well this is why. They are all the same - stupid, useless idiots that do nothing but cause this industry to suffer. Do hacks actually spend time learning about their craft and going to these forums for useful tips? - No they don't. If I didn't care about what I do I wouldn't be here in the first place. Trying to get better. That is what should really bother you. I can compete at a different price level and deliver the same or better results. Some of you reading this are probably thinking "Wow, Jarrod's being kinda harsh." Yes, I am! And rightly so. One thing is for certain, you can't change a lowballer's mentallity. They are that way because that is simply that way they are wired. I refuse to even attempt to help them anymore. Instead I treat them accordingly - like an irritating peice of gum on the bottom of my shoe - scrape it off and move on. You reap what you sow. I believe in treating people fair and with respect. That is why in time I'm sure I will have no problem keeping my customers. People like honest people with integrity.

Jarrod - 1. I haven't had a request for a house wash in 2 years. So I haven't taken any anyone off the market. 2. Are you they guy who stole my signs last year? 3. Why don't you send me an email telling me what prices you think are fair. My prices do change depending on what my materials are, but seriously can you really get $2 a square foot in Michigan in today's economy? If so you really are a better salesman then I. 4. You call be a lowballer, I disagree. My prices are fair. i lost a job to someone who washed a Gazebo for $25. Really $25. I won't work for $10 an hour as my reate is several times that. 5. A disgrace, I've seen many, many, many others in the same publications we are in at $99. It's being competitive. I lost my corporate job because of competition. That's life. Yes I'd like to make $10 bucks a square, but that is not reality. 6. Just because you've been in the industry doesn't mean your doing everything right! Just longer. 7. I'm going to be here so deal with it. 8. I'm fair and reasonable.

No, it's just the way the flash is set up. After having the site up like this for a little over a year I'm going to make some renovations. I have received some great input about that header and I'm going to remove it. I think I going to move a slideshow into the main page instead and I can run only 1 flash file at a time (without getting into some tricky web design that's over my head) on a single page.

Wow thanks for all the input! First of all I've sold about 5 packages total. I'm not going to write a book here, but I'm going to take issue with some people's inability to cope. 1. I have to update my website, the prices were a test which failed. I did this in response to not getting jobs priced below $1 per square foot. I regret that decision. 2. I have NEVER baited and switched anyone for any reason with lower prices. That is dishonest. I am not. 3. My prices in the test were by my sample size and my area. We all know that each job is unique and requires a look to have an accurate estimate. 4. I'm not in the JB Dollar book, it's the monthly shopper along with the phone book. For me knowing people are looking for value it was the right place to be. 5. This season another "power washer" tricked me into doing an estimate at his house. I'm not dishonest. I have a college education and I can control costs better then most of you since I still do all the work myself. 6. Do you know why I'm on ebay? Probably not. ebay ranks high on google > people find me on google > then I get jobs. I pay little on advertising as half my business comes from the web (no detail as it is my competitive advantage) 7. I can charge 1-1.50 a square foot, increase my customer base, and perform a high quality job. Once I have staff and my overhead changes I'll reexamine the numbers. 8. Seriously it is all part of low cost advertising! The people who buy this stuff on ebay are usually kids who don't follow through, but if the do don't you want them not to remove customers from the marketplace? 9. What I make per job is fair in my mind, it's not rocket science and it pays my bills. 10. If you think I'm only going to be a fly-by-night guy - guess again! my sales and customers doubled in the last year. I'm coming, watch out! Heck I'll even give you my $1 per sq ft customers in exchange from the ones I take from you! I've learned they give me the most trouble as their expectations far exceed what they are willing to spend to make it happen. 11. I might not have the same experience, but I have done a good job and know how to package/market myself. 12. 1234me - try looking in a phone book, online or other, in our alphanumeric sort orders I will be ahead of you. Numbers before letters, so when a customer only calls 3 people - I'm one of them. 13. Sorry if you can't compete. I'll need people next season :-) 14. Here's a tip: Track your mileage at .485 it adds up fast, probably even more then your car payment. 15. I've got a family to support, and that is what I'm doing! 16. No hard feelings, it's just business. 17. Thank you for your concerns. Ed J. Fouchey

No. I haven't, but I will. I wanted to get as much info as possible before I head back out there as it's about an hour and a half away from where I'm at. I got a call from the factory manager as he was trying to deal with customer complaints and has a few cases for me to try and clean. Since it sounded like there may be more jobs coming I just wanted to know the correct way, or levels of cleaners/ acids for cement, but I should ask about how to handle asphalt as well just in case.

Hello all, I'm trying to remove stains in new (1 year old new construction), nonsealed concrete. The stains are the result of RED rubber multch which had some of the paint come off. I've done two of these one was no problem, but the other isn't coming up completely. When do I turn to the acids? Any suggestions as I've mainly been working on wood.