Degree of deviation from pressure washing?

[Tronman 14]

How many times have you gone to bid on a job and wound up doing work that had absolutely nothing to do with pressure washing?

Ex. I went to bid on a roof cleaning and wound up brooming 10 years of leaves, dirt and mud from 7 aluminum roofs.

Ex. I went to bid on a roof cleaning and driveway pressure washing and wound up doing that as well as removing a huge wooden play set, Full move-out house clean, windows inside and out, and touching up all the walls in the 5,000 sq ft home.

[Jeff 232]

I always try to stick with just PWing, but I also have cut down small trees & shrubs and hauled them away. I also have done little moving of stuff for some customers, usually for the elderly, Althou I did help 2 ladies in bikinis move their pool furniture around and set up a table set at their pool, they definitly werent elderly ladies. What can I say they needed help.:lgangel:

I always have customers asking if I do painting or carpentry etc.

[Jim Carroll 14]

If I have the time and the customer is willing to pay my price then I am normally up to deviating from washing.

[bforbis 14]

Same here Jim.... Work is work and it a little smile, service and conversation will get more work.

I had a guy call me up and asked a question about his squeaky flooring. He had gotten my name from another reference and I came by to look at it. (I have jad a lot of experience in construction) Crawled under his house found the problem and made a simple suggetion that he could do to fix the problem that would not cost him but 15 min. and a few screws.

Later that year he called be back to clean and paint his house and rental prop. came in over $7K and I got more work after that. You just never know!

Be helpful, friendly, considerate.....things will come your way.

Brent

[Washaway 64]

There have been times (in the past past past) when I've accepted the so called "handyman" projects.

I do not deviate from PW at all anymore. I specialize in what I do and I am very good at it. Period. If I'm having a slow week or month then I'd rather spend my down time marketing and reeling in new accounts instead of painting or putting up a fence.

[PatrickM 14]

I have a friend who is a painter and another who is a carpenter. I plan for each of us to have a good supply of the two's business cards to hand out in those situations.

[Chappy 138]

I love doing the handyman stuff, but only when its slow for PW ing. She small stuff brings extra revenue, but $$ arent as good per hour. The only problem is that people call me when Im very busy to do the little stuff and I have to put them off of turn them down entirely.

[Craig 111]

I don't deviate at all anymore either. But I have in the past. If the customer needs something other than the services I offer we have a referral network consisting of approx. 30 people that can take care of it. We are a pretty tight family and a lot of other work comes MY way because of it. Let the professionals do what they are trained to do.

[JFife 14]

Craig,

Interested how you set up this network, or how it was created in the first place.

[Craig 111]

It wasn't set up by me, but basically here's how it works.

We have 30 different members representing approximately 30 different trades. We get together once a month on a specified day to talk about the community and what's going on. One member is responsible for hosting the get together and supply breakfast. That same member gets 15 minutes of the hour to talk about their business and what other members can expect from them. It's based on an honor system and many of us pay referral fees.

The trick to making something like this work is incentive for other members. We also have only the "Best of the Best" in our network. We know what to expect from one another.

[Jim Carroll 14]

I do pretty much the same thing as Craig. I know a lot of guys in different trades and refer work to others. I stick with pressure cleaning and minor concrete repair and coatings. I can get the same $$ amount out of the concrete repair and coatings that I get with pressure cleaning.

[Tronman 14]

So far I have found that the janitorial and pressure washing go hand in hand to make each ticket average higher. I can usually turn a house cleaning into a roof/drive/patio pressure washing as well as house cleaning. I have had many people tell me they are so happy to find a knowledgable one-stop-shop. People do not want to waist time with multiple contractors. For me it always fun to stretch and learn new trades. So far It has not interfeared with the pressure washing scheduling. I have not run into too many customers that have to have pressure washing immediatly except my commercial customers. Most of the commercial guys accept 1-2 week scheduling.

I was more curious about the SPECIFIC odd ball tasks that some of you guys have been led into...

[Barry M 73]

I showed up to do my very first deck and got suckered into helping rip out a few bushes around the deck, raking leaves and repairing the steps before I could get started. It cut into my profit alittle because it took a couple hours but what was I gonna say, it was my first job. I'm more careful now to explain to people what needs to be done before I show up, and even if it is for extra money I try not to deviate from PWing.

[JFife 14]

Tronman,

I veer further from your intended question, what have you deemed to be the demographic of the people hiring you as a one-stop-shop?? Middle/upper, upper class, or high-end?? Curious, as I and another member of the board discussed this very thing the other day. He thought people liked the idea of OSS, while I tend to notice the high-end customer likes "the specialist." Anxious to see your take,

[JFife 14]

Tronman,

My most unique add-on deviation has probably been babysitting for some customers. Seriously.

[Craig 111]

demographics has a lot to do with it. Our homes we do range in price from $400,000 to 12M.

It also seems like many contractors out here know a little about everything and a lot about nothing. Lawsuits are everywhere and you have to be very cautious about what you do. You never know when a customer will try to trap you.

[newlook 265]

We do not deviate from our pressure washing responsibilities. As Craig stated, there is too much exposure for a customer to sue you with.

[Tronman 14]

The high ticket comes more from focusing on the upper middle to upper income. The last two house cleanings I did were $300,000+ homes. The "Post-construction clean" job leads are usually after major home remodels or move-outs. Once they see my profile on Service Magic or I get a chance to talk to them the add-ons take off. When they see my expertise in floor care, window cleaning, roof cleaning, siding cleaning, concrete/brick/stone chemical cleaning, deck restoration, etc. they ALWAYS say "Thank God..." One contractor for everything. I usually itemize a walk-through and then give a 10% discount if ALL the work is done. These $6 leads avg. $1400-2,000 in revenue on a one day clean. I use some of my building cleaners or some of my friends landscaper guys for day labor. They are more responsible and have a history of janitorial work and they always appreciate the added hours. I usually pay them $6.00/hr compared to the $5.50 or so they get for night cleaning.

[newlook 265]

If you market your business with several services offered is very wise. We offer not only powerwashing but concrete, landscaping and painting.

Our angle is that if we are on a job to do concrete then that is all we are there to do. If a customer wants us to install a sprinkler system, they will need to call the office and schedule the appointment and sign a contract.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

We also work with others in a network. If we deviate, it is something small and simple.

Beth

[PressurePros 249]

I currently use subcontractors to do some landscaping, cement work and exterior repairs. I want to eventually absorb these services since my business outlook is to have a company that handles everything involving exterior restoration. I have reservations about being viewed as a jack of all trades instead of a specialist but I think the climate of today's market is exactly as Tronman described. When a person finds a contractor they trust, they like to stay with them.

As far as deviation, it also depends upon the season. Right now I am in the middle of a basement renovation that includes framing new walls, a complete new electrical system separate from that of the house, three lighting zones with seven new fixtures, leveling a concrete slab and installing a tile floor, updating a powder room, faux finish on the walls, built in bookcases, and drywalling everything including the ceiling. I have been on it for a month and it may take me another month to finish but I love the work.

[Tronman 14]

The way i look at it, Pressure washing and commercial janitorial contracts are my mainstay, BUT and that is a big BUTT, If I have an open schedule and someone is out there willing to part with a thousand dollars, I owe it to my business and family to do that work to get that money.

As far as being a jack of all trades, there are some things that require special knowledge that I do not have and I am not too proud to say "Sorry I am not equiped for that type of work". The confidence in a jack of all trades contractor comes from your conversation with the customer. Once you have transfered credibility and you are not afraid to look them in the eye without blinking, they will trust in you, and in my experience they will not even entertain a second bid. It's all about credibility, and that is earned by your salesmanship, and confidence in yourself within the first few minutes with the prospect. People only buy from people they like and trust. They also buy from people that are "like me" i.e. mirroring, neurolinguistic programing, tone, inflection, simple but buisness dress, no flashy jewelry, no facial hair, etc. All that salesman stuff. Don't get me going down that path, I could lecture for hours...

[Dave O 15]

I say if any one deviates from their intended business, then they need to be licensed, and have insurance that covers it. I know of several companies who deviated away from what they were insured for and something went wrong and now they have lost insurance, and had a lawsuit which in turn lost not just business equipment but their own personal (Home belongings) since insurance would not cover. Raking leaves and moving furniture is fine I guess , but entering a home when you are not bonded for it or replacing a electrical plug when you are not licensed for it or insured is a totally different thing. Even roofs when your not a roofer and licensed. One so called company lost everything due to a simple plug that later caught fire because he thought he would replace it, and burnt the entire house down. I know of many other mishaps that have happened. This is just a piece of advice for some that deviate a little to far for what the are supposed to be doing.

[PressurePros 249]

Dave, very good point. I should clarify that no work I am performing is under PressurePros, Inc. This work is all for a friend who has confidence in my abilities and attention to detail. I have been doing this sort of thing since I was a kid working for my dad whom was a very renowned builder. Everything is done to code with the same level of craftsmanship I apply to everything I do. In the event of any type of mishap his homeowner's insurance would have to cover him. You are allowed to do work in your home and have your friends help you as long as you have the neccesary permits and inspections.

All of my subcontractors carry the neccessary insurance for their given trade.

[Scott Stone 604]

Last year we did about 180,000 worth of work that was not pressure washing. I am hoping to do more than that this year. Almost all of it was attached to current contracts, and in line with my contractors license. What it boils down to is, if it is in the scope of my abilities, and what I consider my expertise, I will do it, for a price. Works for me.

Scott Stone

[Rodney 14]

I will help homeowners that need a favor. My partner and I moved a TV stand last month from the 1st floor to the 2nd for a older couple in a high end neighborhood.They were all smiles and gave us a $50 tip for quick and curtious service.We have also had 3 other calls form their family and friends.

As far as handyman work, I leave that to the handyman.