Recent News From New Posts
National Cleaning Expo/ Sunbrite 2010 Pressure Washing Event
Reprinted from: Sunbrite’s Registration Page Details of this event are also hosted at National Cleaning Expo’s website!(www.nationalcleaningexpo.com)
Sun Brite Supply is staging a round table meeting for our new Georgia store on March 19th and 20th.
On Friday (the 19th) we will start with outdoor demonstrations of tools and products.
*Just added: Sun Belt Rentals will be giving a Aerial Lift Safety Training Friday morning!
On Friday afternoon, we have speakers lined up to talk to you about selling, landing contracts, and closing the sale. We will also offer a session on KEC work and we will have an informal pricing survey that everyone can participate in.
We are planning to offer two mechanical clinics at this event - one is on rebuilding a pressure wash pump and the other is a Deckster clinic. We urge all of you to bring your Decksters. We will have parts on hand and Tracy will help you learn how to fix any problems you might experience. Even if you don’t need to fix anything, it will be a great chance to take yours apart and put it back together with someone looking over your shoulder.
On Saturday the 20th we will start out with dynamite sales specials every hour. Sometime after lunch we will draw to give away prizes.
If you find yourself with nothing to do at any time during the day, we have a special treat for you. We will have a brand new 50″ plasma flat-screen HDTV and a brand new Wii console for you to play with. Challenge a few other players at different sports and have a blast!
Please call Nichole at 877-5-SUPPLY or 770-277-9924 or Click Here to make reservations to attend.
All attendees are entered to win a Wii Console with extra games and Wiimotes!
Grand Prize Drawing: 50″ Panasonic Plasma HDTV!
Hotel Info:
Country Inn and Suites
989 Duluth Highway
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
770-339-1991
Rooms $69.00 per night (excellent rate!)
BE SURE TO ASK FOR SUNBRITE RATE!
Pressure Washing Industry Leader Robert Hinderliter Retires
After serving almost four decades as a pressure washing industry leader, Robert Hinderliter, President of Rahsco Cleaning Systems, announced his “semi” retirement after selling the company assets to son Michael Hinderliter. Under the new leadership, RAHSCO will become Delux Cleaning Supply.
“I’m excited about taking over the company and continuing to move us forward in a way that’s beneficial to the contractor,” said Michael. “We also want to celebrate all that Robert has done over the past 37 years.”
Robert founded what is now RAHSCO Cleaning Systems of Fort Worth in April, 1973. That was when he started his mobile power washing company, Mobile Enterprises, which continued to serve the greater Ft. Worth area for 10 years. At its height, Mobile Enterprises employed 26 staff members, had five mobile power wash units, and earned over $1 million in sales.
In 1983, Robert turned his attention to equipment distributing, and has since grown RAHSCO Cleaning Systems of Ft. Worth into a national mobile power wash supplier of equipment, parts, chemicals, schools, seminars and training videos. Since that time, Robert has been on the cutting edge of the pressure washing leadership. His endeavors include:
· Founding two industry trade associations for power wash contract cleaners, the Power Washers of North America (PWNA) in 1992, and the United Association of Mobile Contract Cleaners in (UAMCC) in 2006.
· Speaking at several trade associations, including the international Window Cleaning Association (IWCA), the International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association (IKECA), the Cleaning Equipment Trade Association (CETA), PWNA and UAMCC.
· Developing the industry’s first online bulletin board in the mid 1990s1996.
· Leading the country in environmental education, and helping create the ordinance environmental code for the city of Ft. Worth, area (wording?)which is now on the EPA’a website as an mModel oOrdinance for other municipalities.
Robert is excited about the new business, and will continue tojoin the company serve part-time in sales, and technical support and to share his environmental expertise. Michael will take serveover as the company’s president.
As Robert’s son, Michael grew up in the pressure washing industry, working nights and weekends for his dad before starting his own business, Steamaway, in 1985 in order to pay for his school and housinghis first home. “I focused on truck washing because it worked well with my school schedule,” he explained.
Michael graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in accounting, but quickly discovered he could actually earn a better living washing trucks. Along with Steamaway, Michael also now owns Facilitec Southwest, a kitchen-exhaust cleaning company. Now, he is adding Delux to his list of companies, and will focus on providing education to the contract cleaner and selling power washing supplies.
“I believe that all of my experience in the industry will be a great asset in my new role as a distributor selling back to the contractor. With the education programs that we have, the business information we present, the quality products we offer, Delux will be available to support the contractors so they can be successful,” Michael concluded. “In my opinion, making sure the contractor is successful is what makes us successful. I’m excited to be able to do just that.”
Fits and Starts: A Well-Wish For You All
Sounds like a law firm or comedy team, doesn’t it? Only there is nothing remotely funny about the way many of us in the pressure washing industry begin our seasons.
We have just finished a stretch of months of weather-mandated downtime, we have been running down the saved money from last season that we salted away, we haven’t seen our equipment since we put it away (winterized) in storage, and we aren’t ready. Even when we are ready, we don’t think we are.
The last season stretched out longer than we thought, so we booked extra work and put off storing the machinery. We were making hay while the sun shone, right up to the day before the first winter storm. On that day, we remembered suddenly how urgently we needed to get the equipment put safely away. We rushed to get the job done, and then spent the next months fretting over what we might have overlooked.
We hoped for a January thaw like we “always” get, but this year, no dice. No January specials or chances to drag the machines out to be sure they are wintering well. The cold dragged on, and we spent our planned marketing bucks, took the early calls, followed up with the last Fall customers, tentatively scheduled the work, and the thaw just stayed away. The tentative dates passed, the fall-back dates passed, now the Spring finally springs and we find ourselves overscheduled and understaffed.
The phone is ringing better than expected, but we are so booked we can’t see daylight. We work every available second, getting the equipment back in running order, buying supplies, and actually (finally) washing something. Just as we have the schedule functioning right…late-winter storm. An unexpected return to sustained temps hovering five degrees either side of freezing. We could cope with that, if it weren’t for the sudden addition of 6 new inches of heavy snow and slush, that just starts to thaw each day, and then freezes each night as soon as the sun has set.
Back into winterized limbo goes the machinery, and the chems that mustn’t freeze. We run heaters as well, just to be safe, and that isn’t free but it is cheaper than a frozen line would be now. Daylight Savings ends, and still we freeze each night. The jobs we can do have to be inside, or chemical-free, as the frozen substrates slow the processes unacceptably. Work is piling up, which is good in a way, but the latent fist of sleepless nights and endless days is looming larger as the temps inexorably rise, waiting to smash my sensibilities, to make a zombie of me and my help…if I can ever hire any.
And then we are busting loose. The fist falls, and just as I expect I get crabby, tired, and hard to deal with. I’m working so much that I don’t know when I ate last, or what it was. My son begins to be visible only in the wee-est morning hours; to him I am missing, or at least invisible. My wife knows I’m around because the coffee is disappearing faster than she can buy it, and the business account balances are constantly in flux. We become desk-blotter pen pals, and share an occasional phone call at odd hours. We can’t find any hirable help, we are going it alone.
Pressure washing contractors, I know your pains. My earnest prayer for you all, is that you stay safe and profitable, and that you can see the points in the story above that can be changed by systematizing and being better at business. I pray you all can work smart enough this season, that you needn’t work so hard at the job.
Every crisis is also an opportunity, so I wish you so much business this year that you have to make changes to accommodate it. Here is to all of us having too much to do, and to finding ways to do it.
Scott Millen
Home and Garden Shows Part 3: After the Show/Follow up
The show is now over and you have made several leads but how should you begin to contact them?
Hopefully your leads provided you with the correct phone number and address and email. (This is why its important during the show to make sure they give correct information while entering your free house washing drawing, free estimate form, etc).
When you get home, divide your leads up. Weed out the “fake” or bad ones. After you have done this, create a spreadsheet document. Make columns for name, address, telephone numbers, email, and several other blank columns. You can use these blank columns to document the times you attempt to make contact with the leads.
Call your leads anywhere from 1-3 days after the show. At this time, the home show is still fresh in their minds. If you wait any longer, the excitement of the show and the willingness to improve the curb appeal of their home will have most likely worn off your potential lead. They are back to dealing with the pressures of everyday life….work, school, family, etc. If you reach the contact (or get an answering machine/voicemail), identify yourself and give the name of your business. Speak moderately slow and clearly, so the contact can understand you. Thank them for visiting your booth and mention that you are following up with them. If you are not comfortable with making calls, make yourself a script or recruit someone who is to make calls for you. After you call each lead, be sure to record the day and time on your spreadsheet.
Second, you could also develop a “Thank You” email and distribute it to all your leads. One idea would be to attach a special coupon or home show discount for the recipient to utilize if you did not already give them one at the show. You may choose to send this email out the same day as your first telephone call, or wait a day or two after. When you send the email, record it on your spreadsheet.
When you start getting jobs or estimate requests, be sure to accurately keep track of them. Home shows can provide you with several at once so be sure to stay organized. Since the potential customer provided you with their email address, you may also choose to send them newsletters, or ask if they would like to sign up to your blog. Also, don’t forget to ask for referrals.
Home Shows are a lot of work but in the end can generate tons of leads for your business. Hopefully you have a better idea of what you have in store for you. If you decide you want to advertise in a home show, good luck and remember to stay positive! You can do it!
Jenny Flinn
Gulf Coast Power Washing
Sun Brite Supply’s Georgia Roundtable
Roundtables are an excellent way to grow your business as well as your relationship with other contractors. Sun Brite Supply’s roundtable was no different!
This roundtable was held in Atlanta Georgia on April 18th and 19th. Saturday’s key speakers included Carlos Gonzales with the UAMCC, Henry Bockman, Dennis Bunker, Robert Hinderliter (Delco), and Ron Musgraves.
On Saturday
UAMCC spoke about the organization and what potential members can expect out of membership. At the end of the roundtable, UAMCC was happy to have 10 new members according to Carlos Gonzales.
Henry Bockman spoke about developing an effective website and “ad ons” for your business.
Although he was not able to attend due to illness, Dennis Bunker, gave his direct mail presentation via speakerphone!
Robert Hinderliter gave a presentation on environmental cleaning and spoke about how contractors need to educate themselves on the Clean Water Act and EPA regulations. He stressed getting involved to avoid extremely unreasonable restrictions.
Several folks including Ron Musgraves, B. Welker, P. Marentay, Robert Hinderliter and others were available on a panel for attendees to ask questions to.
Representatives from AT&T also spoke about designing a Yellow Pages ad. First American Payment Systems was also on site to discuss their credit card services.
Saturday night, roundtable attendees enjoyed a “Fun Night” at The Pool Room where they able to network and mingle with each other.
On Sunday
Sun Brite opened up their shop for contractors to enjoy a $50 discount. Several contractors took advantage of the savings. There were a few demonstrations that were conducted on site that included Delco environmental equipment, concrete staining, Prosoco products, Ready Seal, window cleaning, and graffiti removal.
The day ended with a game of “Redneck Horseshoes” where several others won prizes.
Many who attended commented on how well the roundtable was organized.
Nicole Anglin with Sun Brite said "We are pleased at the success of this roundtable meeting. Our speakers were very informative and the attendees felt they all gained something from attending. This was the best turn out we have had for a roundtable."
Jenny Flinn
8 Advertising Mistakes That Cost You Money
1. Shotgun Marketing: Confucius say, “Do not use a canon to kill a mosquito”. You may have heard the saying that advertising is a numbers game. At the core, there is some truth to that, but like any well oiled machine, its more about efficiency than it is brute strength. It may be best for a company owner to look at return on investment (ROI). Yes, sending 10,000 postcards will yield more leads than sending 500, but the person sending 500 well designed mailers with an attention grabbing headline and a good call to action will get a far greater ROI.
2. Poor Mailing Lists: Before starting a campaign, ask yourself about your preferred customer demographic. Who is most likely to buy your service? If your business is about servicing multiple commercial locations, target the right audience. The key is to match your company’s specialty to your market. In residential work, zip codes are not always an accurate indicator. Some zip codes will include variances in property value and income level. Work with a local mailing house that knows your service area. Lists will be a bit more expensive but will produce more viable leads.
3. No Attention Grabber: In everyone’s brain are what’s called reticular activators. These are subconscious sensors that less us know when something is worthy of our attention. A child’s scream, the screeching of a car’s tires just before an accident.. these are examples of events that make a person take notice. We’re the best, licensed and insured, In business since 1908, these are not attention grabbers and are easily ignored. A well thought out and properly written headline, an eye catching graphic, an unusual shape or color.. these simple tricks get far more mileage.
3. Too Much to Say In Too Little a Space: A postcard or a letter is not a brochure. Many contractors will water down their message by listing all of their services. Can you expect your prospective customer to sort through that list and find something that suits them? At that point, all impact is gone. Most often a laundry list has the opposite effect of parlaying, “jack of all trades, master of none”.
4. Not Getting Enough Exposure: This ties in with #1. If a contractor throws all of his money into a single mailer or advertisement, they have no budget left for future exposure. To react to advertising a person may need to be exposed to that company’s message several times in various media. If you are targeting 10,000 potential customers, you had better have a whopper budget. Using targeted lists with multiple exposure will allow you to stretch your budget.
5. Not Appealing To Emotion: Consumers buy what they want, not what they need. You will have an easier time convincing a potential customer that they want a great looking deck for their next barbecue, than you will telling them that their deck needs to be stained to protect it from the weather. Your marketing and your selling go hand in hand. It should always be about what benefits the consumer, not the contractor. Yes.. we all know our trades, but customers just want to know what’s in it for them.
6. Its Not About You: Truth be told, the customer does not care about you in the advertising stage of the game. Use words like “you” and “your” versus “we”, “our” and “us”. Always make your material all about the customer.
7. No Call To Action: If you have hand picked your list, written a killer headline, perfected a graphic design and wrote good benefit selling copy, there is one thing left to do.. make the customer act. Think of an infomercial you have watched. There are frequent calls to action.. act now.. call now and save.. order within the next ten minutes and receive.. Give the consumer a reason to react.
8. Not Sticking To A Budget: This is the biggest killer of a contractor’s marketing efforts. Set a budget percentage that you will continuously dump back into advertising. Try not to deviate from that. This is how you keep your lead generation machine rolling.
One final note that ties into your budget. Track your results and your return on investment. Marketing is a continuous cycle of fine tuning. The only way to know what works is to change things methodically and keep track of the results. Over time, doing these things will allow you to spend less and less money on advertising and grow your company faster than 99.99% of the companies out there.
Five Words To Never Use In An Ad
Written By Ken Fenner
A Delaware County, PA Pressure Washing Service
Technology: Making a Difference In Pressure Washing
As pressure washing professionals, we often fall into the "bigger is better" trap. We are always searching for more gallons per minute, more pressure per square inch, and the largest surface cleaner our machine can handle. We do this in the interest of serving the customer better, faster, and making more money in the process. As much as we concentrate on our equipment and chemicals, many of us lose sight of the tools needed to get us to the job. Technology has afforded us the opportunity to excel at customer service and many of us are not taking advantage of it.
Blackberry’s, email, and GPS units are simple ways to improve your customer service by offering instant communication in ways that are unprecedented in our industry. My company has sold many jobs based solely on our response rate. In addition to doing exactly what we say we’ll do, we try and make communication as instant as possible. This includes late night emails, instant call backs on holidays, and making the extra effort to contact potential customers instantly and when it’s convenient for them. Today’s consumer is not only intelligent, but technologically savvy. It is your job, as a business owner, to keep up with your customers by meeting their demands…in this case their demands being instant communication.
These tools can be expensive, but will often pay for themselves quickly. Let’s use the example of GPS. Since purchasing GPS for our trucks we have not only saved paper and gas, which is an important “green” step for our company, but we have saved time in responding to quotes and adding jobs. In this case, we paid for our new technology within a week. There are many contractors that are resistant to new technology. You gain an instant advantage over them by gaining the knowledge necessary to keep up with the average consumer.
The next time you are considering an equipment upgrade, or more gallons per minute, consider making yourself more money by saving time. Spend the extra money on the tools that will allow you to be more efficient, leaner, and meaner. The ability to offer better quality customer service will make your business better…and in terms of your bank account, bigger is certainly better.
John Greene, Pressure washing Charlotte and all surrounding cities.
Latest Articles From New Posts Category
National Cleaning Expo/ Sunbrite 2010 Pressure Washing Event
Pressure Washing Industry Leader Robert Hinderliter Retires
Fits and Starts: A Well-Wish For You All
Home and Garden Shows Part 3: After the Show/Follow up
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