charlie

Check out the laws if the paint is lead base. Here in Wisconsin you have to be certified to remove lead base. Charlie

Oh henry Everyday they have someting on there website for 24 hours about business, sports or what ever. All I did was copied and pasted to this website. I gave credit to the editor and where she is from. Because I am not in the consulting business or publishing a book I can email or give this article to anybody I want. You may want to copy this and print it and stick it on your wall or give it to all the people you help End of Subject. Charlie Alan My mistake didn't read all the intials. Charlie

Henry I got this off of netscape.com so instead of having you go to the website I just copied and pasted. Charlie

Check with the state you may not be required to charge sales taxes for the service part of the business. Only if you sale products to the customer. Charlie

I thought this was good to share Top Seven Traits That Lead to Success Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor What does it take to become successful? How can you become accomplished in business today? Would you believe that a 17-year-old has the answer? High Schooler Douglas Barry asked more than 150 top executives, "What does it take to become a CEO?" The result: sincere, heartfelt and personal responses from some of the most accomplished and influential business leaders today. Barry collected the letters in Wisdom for a Young CEO (Running Press). Despite the varied backgrounds of those CEOs, an insightful and inspirational pattern emerged. Barry found there's no secret ingredient to success and there's no prerequisite. You don't need wealth; you don't need to be a great student. It just takes a dream, the desire and some common characteristics. Whether you are just getting your foot in the door or have spent several years climbing the corporate ladder, Barry says there are seven attributes needed to succeed. Passion -- Do What You Love; Love What You Do. "The people who have the greatest chance of being successful are those who work hard and are excited about what they are doing. There is no substitute for energy and enthusiasm," Jacques Nasser of Ford Motor Company says. If you follow your passion, success, whether material or abstract, will be an added bonus to doing what you love. Respect -- Make People Your Priority Leaders agree it's all about the people. You're only as good as those who work for you. A great CEO listens to others, feels their concerns, delegates authority, and nurtures the company's talent, writes Barry. Respect is a two-way street – give respect and you will earn it. "Always treat people with dignity and respect, particularly those who work for you," Merck and Company's Raymond Gilmartin advises. "Not only is this appropriate behavior – if you follow this principle, you will attract and retain talented people, which you will find is essential to your success." Vision -- Clearly Communicate the Future "One of the key qualities that any CEO (or successful person) needs – a willingness to stretch yourself and go after goals that others think are too visionary, too hard, or too ambitious to accomplish," Richard McGinn of Lucent Technologies says. Leaders don't have to be visionaries, writes Barry, but they do have to have vision. In order to accomplish something, you need to know how you are going to go about doing it. A good leader sets a definite course of action with a vision that is attainable and inspiring. Humanity -- It's Not Just About the Paycheck Successful people need to have compassion. "The bottom line about success in life isn't about whether you are financially successful, but whether you have given of yourself in some way to help others less fortunate than you and to serve your community and your country," P. Anthony Ridder, CEO of Knight Ridder says. You should have a desire to make your community a better place and to live and embrace diversity and bigger ideas. You should work so that others, not just you, are happy, inspired and productive. Curiosity -- Look, Listen, Learn Learn for learning's sake, not just to make grades and to win academic honors. By doing this even those students who aren't at the head of the class can go far. Learning takes place everywhere, not just in the classroom and if you ignore this, you'll be missing out. Continue pushing the limits, climbing to new heights and acquiring new knowledge. Try everything and don't be afraid to fail. "The more you know, the better equipped you will be to tackle all the obstacles you meet on your way to reaching your objectives," Ivan Seidenberg of Bell Atlantic Corporation says. Integrity -- Honesty Above All, to All "Live each day as if your actions would be the headlines the next day in your local newspaper," advises Jon A. Boscia, CEO of Lincoln Financial Group. Personal integrity and ethics reflects not just on the leader, but the company as a whole. Making integrity a priority is crucial to the bottom line. Lying is never acceptable. If you're dishonest, then dishonesty becomes your mode of thinking. Pragmatism -- Know What You Don't Know Be humble. Concentrate on the things that matter most and get better. Don't take yourself too seriously and learn to laugh at yourself. You need to have failures and learn from them. A leader needs to be humble and confident – confidence shows you believe in what you're doing and humility lets you recognize other ideas and opinions. "An important mark of a good leader [is] to know you don't know it all and never will," Anne M. Mulcahy of Xerox Corporation says. Copyright 2004 CareerBuilder.com. All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without prior written authority. 01/01/00 12:00

Matt Just because you don't go the PWNA convention doesn't mean that they can't better there business. The convention is only one tool you can use. Have I gone to a convention no. Would I, maybe if it wasn't on one of home shows that I do. Charlie

Here is my rule of thumb. If you close 80% or more you are to low in price. 0 - 40 % to high. 50 - 70% give or take 10% you are doing well. This is for residential. Also I do not consider myself to be a salesmen only a need creator. Charlie

Henry C'mon I can't believe anybody closes 98% of his sales and I bet that alot of people on this board will agree with me. Charlie

The only time I charge for estimates is when it is insurance claim. If I get the job I then deduct the amount off the bill. Charlie

Henry You close 98% of estimates? Charlie

Beth Ask him if he is related to Kurt Warner. Charlie

Do yourself a favor don't sell the powerwasher. One thing is that once you have had a business it is hard to work for somebody else. Charlie

I had a call the other day from a lady for a deck cleaning and treating she wanted me to remove the paint off the deck. I told her to replace the boards it would be easier and cheaper ( not a big deck). During the conversation she told me another company said the hot water pressure washing should do the job. What a joke. Now back to the original post always do a test before taking on the job. 2 Reasons. 1) Shows customers what beautiful wood they could have. 2) Reassures yourself that you are able to do the job. Charlie

What do you mean? Charlie

Now you are thinking. Chances other people in your area are not doing before and after pictures. Charlie

First of you were oky on your pricing. Second you called here back and said I will knock $200.00 off never do that it just told her you are not comfortable on your pricing structure. Third you are to worried about one job. If you have enough proposals out there one won't make a diffence if they don't go with you. I am not trying to give you a hard time. You have what the customer wants portray that to them. We all don't get them all. Good Luck Charlie

My biggest competition is my self. I always tell that to new businesses that ask me for advice. By the way you think powerwashing has alot of lowballers try the pest control industry. Right Everett. Charlie Everett how long have you been in the pest control industry?

When I started out I would run into the situation you wrote about. The only way to combat against it is to find out what other people are doing and then do something that they might not be doing. Always set yourself apart from the other guy. Every year I change or add something in the way I do something or on how to sell my service. Charlie

Try this http://www.menco.com/v-sealpage.htm charlie

What does the label say or if the answer isn't on the label call the manufacture. Charlie

That is correct Mike. Charlie

Have a water bottle that can mist water they will not come through the water. Learned that trick several years ago. I was doing a deck and walkway hit the bushes and got stung 11 times in 30 seconds. Took the water and blasted them out of the air I was like rambo. But before I realized it they were trying to attack me from behind so I took the wand and spun around providing a barrier, so the yellow jackets wouldn't get to me. Or you can buy a bee suit. Another thing if you charge for killing bees you might have to have a pest control license. In WI we have to. Charlie

When people offer me a tip I usually tell them to give them a favorit charity. Charlie

Probably muriatic acid.

Carpenter Ants Charlie