House washes slow?!!?

[FullBlast 14]

Yea God has it all in controll. That's one thing that we can rely on.

Hey hope everything goes good for you and your biz and child, Show us some pix of the baby when it comes!! Got to run have a good day now!!!

[Thad 135]

The great thing about being self-employed with children is that if things get really slow you can buy a bag of charcoal and go into the diamond business. :o

OK, old and bad joke, but you guys can relate.

Whenever I think that it would be safest for my family for me to jump back into the corporate world with some 'security' I have to remember that the reason I left that was because there was no security AT ALL.Your job is always just a pen stroke away from being gone. Mergers, acquisitions, and "Exciting New Pay Plans" are always looming over the horizon.

I spent 50-60 hours a week in an office doing a job that I hated and when I did come home I doubt that my family was very happy about it because I was so stressed out and irritable.

I just have to remind myself to put faith and family first and work hard and things will be great.

[detailbarn 14]

The great thing about being self-employed with children is that if things get really slow you can buy a bag of charcoal and go into the diamond business. :o

OK, old and bad joke, but you guys can relate.

Whenever I think that it would be safest for my family for me to jump back into the corporate world with some 'security' I have to remember that the reason I left that was because there was no security AT ALL.Your job is always just a pen stroke away from being gone. Mergers, acquisitions, and "Exciting New Pay Plans" are always looming over the horizon.

I spent 50-60 hours a week in an office doing a job that I hated and when I did come home I doubt that my family was very happy about it because I was so stressed out and irritable.

I just have to remind myself to put faith and family first and work hard and things will be great.

Amen to that , I couldn't agree more!

[mas3372 14]

Still real slow. I think I have had 2 calls in the past week and half. I am getting nervouse. I was doing so well, tons of calls, tons of businessness. Perhaps it is just the July season that everyone seems to agree on.

I am faxing out this months newsletter as we speak. I compiled a fax list of about 150 numbers for local banks, hotels, property management, shopping centers, etc. I am just not sure what I should do next. Follow them all up with a phone call or sit and wait. stop in.

Any advise.

[detailbarn 14]

I've only had one call this week so I feel your pain. The best advise I can or anyone can give is stick with it. Advertising and marketing are a continual process, you must stick with it even when you think its not working cause it is working just slowing. I too have gotten very scared but I have been reading a book called Guerilla Marketing and it pretty much helped me get over my initial fear and keep working on my marketing plan. I highly reccomend you get a copy and read it a few times, it really explains things well.

[PressurePros 248]

The first two weeks of July are VERY slow. it's normal. All retail is down as well (unless you are beach front)

[mas3372 14]

This good to now. Come to think of it, I am holding off on having stuff done because of a vacation planned, two golf tournaments to lose, time to spend with the family and so on. I hope it picks up. I am confident it will.

[mas3372 14]

This is good to know - meant. Wow I am tired. Worked 16 hours at the station yesterday, 10 hours today. Came home, made the wife dinner, sent her to work, gave the little ones a bath, put 'em to bed. And have been glaring at TGS ever since. I think it is time for bed.

New forum idea. 12 step program to avoid TGS for just one day.

I will have to check that book out as well. thanks for the idea.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Still real slow. I think I have had 2 calls in the past week and half. I am getting nervouse. I was doing so well, tons of calls, tons of businessness. Perhaps it is just the July season that everyone seems to agree on.

I am faxing out this months newsletter as we speak. I compiled a fax list of about 150 numbers for local banks, hotels, property management, shopping centers, etc. I am just not sure what I should do next. Follow them all up with a phone call or sit and wait. stop in.

Any advise.

When nothing else seems to work, there's always door to door.

Don gave me a suggestion I've never tried, but he said it works for him. Just park at the entrance to a neighborhood that is typical of your customers, and wait for someone to notice you.

[Don Phelps 85]

Take your paperwork, phonecalls, etc and go to upper middle to higher end neighborhoods and plant yourself in the most obvious spot you can find with your rig. If you're not getting any bites, move to another simular 'hood nearby. I haven't had to do it for a while now, but back when it was dead it was better than sitting home hoping the phone would ring.

[newlook 265]

It's a risks but you could go to a neighborhood on a weekend and offer to do a house for free or the fraction of your normal costs.

Take your time and eventually the neighbor's will start gatherning around to see what you are up to.

Make sure you have plenty of business cards with you. As mentioned, beats sitting at home.

Best of luck!

[FullBlast 14]

Oh yeah!! I got 2 calls yesterday finally!!!

I have never been this slow with residental!!

It's been doing nothing but raining every other day here too so I think that is hurting it too!!

[R L S 14]

Congrats!!! Hope you land 'em

[Mike Williamson 198]

Oh yeah!! I got 2 calls yesterday finally!!!

I have never been this slow with residental!!

It's been doing nothing but raining every other day here too so I think that is hurting it too!!

Yep, that always hurts the calls...people don't get outside, so they don't see their dirty house...and if they're not thinking about it, they're not calling! Good thing, wet weather=mold down the road.

[DustinC 64]

To back up our other marketing, we've been driving around our targeted neighborhoods and putting flyers in all the newspaper boxes.We put out around 200. One call one job.This particular house has gotten at least 4 mailers/doorhangers from us including $20 coupons(which she did not use). Ht the dirty ones repeatedly. Just like all the posts have said before repetition works. Remind them they need their house washed.

[FullBlast 14]

Congrats!!! Hope you land 'em

Got one of them went and did it today. Just a tiny lil job, but better then nothing. Will find out if I get the other one on monday.

Got another small job I did this afternoon too.

[mas3372 14]

The faxing last night to my fax lists of restaraunts, PM, store fronts, etc. paid off today. I will being doing the flat work at a Cracker Barrel next week. After that I managed to schedule 3 cleanings for tomorrow. I hope I get some more calls tomorrow, it seems that when I am pressure washing, I get the calls. I also called back the 5 or 6 pending bids I gave for residential and left messages so hopefully some of them will call back as well.

At least I got some work for tomorrow.

[Don M. 14]

The faxing last night to my fax lists of restaraunts, PM, store fronts, etc. paid off today. I will being doing the flat work at a Cracker Barrel next week. After that I managed to schedule 3 cleanings for tomorrow. I hope I get some more calls tomorrow, it seems that when I am pressure washing, I get the calls. I also called back the 5 or 6 pending bids I gave for residential and left messages so hopefully some of them will call back as well.

At least I got some work for tomorrow.

Hey Mike, how did you get the fax number to the cracker barrels? I just bought a fax machine and I have heard of several people doing this.

Thanks

[Don M. 14]

I have been steady. I got caught up today, was sitting at home for 15 mins and the phone rang. Went and did the estimate, going to do the job tomorrow.

I dont know about you guys, but one thing I did this week was get call forwarding put on my phone. Now I never miss a call, and it has paid for itself.

I love doing this full-time now. I cant wait until Sept. Thats when it really got busy last year, I think this year will be great!

[Mike Williamson 198]

Hey Mike, how did you get the fax number to the cracker barrels? I just bought a fax machine and I have heard of several people doing this.

Thanks

Here's a neat link for fax numbers. They don't have CB listed in this area, but they DO have lots of business fax numbers.

http://fax.addresses.com/fax_directory.php

[mas3372 14]

Great link for the fax numbers.

I spent hours going thru the phone book and writing down the phone numbers and then calling and asking for the fax number.

I then bouth a cheap all in one printer, fax, scanner, copier and make my newsletter in MS WORD. All the fax numbers in in the address book. Just go to print, select fax, for a number I select all fax numbers, hit enter and go to bed. About 4 hours later, all the faxes are done.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Great link for the fax numbers.

I spent hours going thru the phone book and writing down the phone numbers and then calling and asking for the fax number.

I then bouth a cheap all in one printer, fax, scanner, copier and make my newsletter in MS WORD. All the fax numbers in in the address book. Just go to print, select fax, for a number I select all fax numbers, hit enter and go to bed. About 4 hours later, all the faxes are done.

Do you mind sharing your newsletter? I'm working on a similar project, and can use all the help I can get!

[mas3372 14]

When I get home tomorrow I will post my latest one. Very similar to what Jeff does down in myrtle beach. I used his for ideas.

[mas3372 14]

Mike,

I was playing with that fax website. They only give the first 61 for each town and I know there are several more. Do you know if there is a way to get around this.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Mike,

I was playing with that fax website. They only give the first 61 for each town and I know there are several more. Do you know if there is a way to get around this.

I was able to access all 247 listings for Gainesville.