How I'm getting back into the game

Dave B

Dave B

New member
Hello all. Been a while since I've posted.

I'm still a newbie, started summer of last year. Kinda late in the year to be starting from scratch on a shoe-string budget, but I was doing okay IMO averaging about 1-3 jobs a week. Well, about mid-November, everything came to a dead stop. Now, I expected things to slow down due to the season and holidays, but I did not expect it to completely stop. No matter what I did to try to drum up business, there was nothing. No business since mid-November until this week. Between that and moving into a new home, things got really tight really fast. So tight I even recently had to let my website go.

When we moved into the new home, we joined a "water cooler" facebook group for just the residents in the large but young community. However, the rules stated that we were not allowed to advertise our business on the facebook group.

Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago...

The community had just signed a contract with a local street sweeping company to clean all the streets in our neighborhood. We were even encouraged to rake the leaves out of our yards and into the street for the cleaning company to pick up. This started a buzz of excitement on the facebook group and everyone was in a cleaning mood. I saw an opportunity and I was going to figure out a way to make it work. I cleaned my sidewalk in front of my house, stopping at my property line. I then snapped the picture below. I then reached out the the owner of the facebook group. I explained to him that I wanted to find a way to help people with their desire to build upon the clean streets, and asked if there was any way to use the group to do so. He told me that, as long as I didn't mention my company name, link to a website, or talk prices, I could post and if he wasn't okay with it he let me know. So, I created a post in the facebook group, uploaded the below picture, and said After cleaning the leaves out of my yard, I realized my sidewalk was dirty, so I pressure washed it. This is the result. I own a pressure washing service. If you with to have your sidewalks or homes cleaned as well, let me know.

I posted that on facebook on Thursday of last week. As of today, I've had placed 2 quotes, landed both of those jobs, and have 4 more quotes to give this week. I will also be talking with the HOA about possibly doing some cleaning around the public areas.

It's amazing how one little idea can turn things around. I'm still learning how to sell this service, but this has been my proudest moment so far.


10942661_544932628942975_6981921701276535623_n.jpg
 
Thanks all. Got two more quote requests this evening.

I forgot to mention that I'm doing a promotional discount for all neighborhood residents as well. I get to help my neighbors save a little money, I make a little, drum up some business, and get my name out there.

Mike - both scheduled jobs already said they will post pictures for me afterwards.
 
Hi Dave, glad you are back. Was wondering what happened to you. Just a question, what were you doing to drum up business? You say everything came to a dead stop. Yet you found work in your own neighborhood. How are you advertising? Now that you don't have a website it will be even harder, but there are guys from Texas on the board that could probably point you in the right direction,as far as advertising or when the business slows down.

You could even advertise your facebook page. Boost the post to the areas you want to advertise in and choose homeowner under demographics. Also I had my age range between 31 and 65, because I read that the average age of first time home buyers is 31. Just budget $10 on and ad to see if it works. I just post a regular post with my contact info in it and boost it to whatever area I am targeting. I have gotten several jobs from this.
 
Glad to hear you're still going Dave, I joined shortly after you and am in about the same boat. I'll hit some busy spurts and then slow down. These forums have helped boost my knowledge on the pressure washing side of my business, and I wouldn't be where I'm at without the help of people on pwi.

Just like your neighborhood jobs you're starting to get, it just takes that one area or client, to boost business right back up!
 
Good for you man! I can also feel your pain a little bit. I was doing about 2-5 jobs per week also. I went a little overboard on equipment when I started and bought an expensive hot and mighty trailer (this business was an add on to my landscape business. I think I used the hot water twice in 2 years. LOL anyways, after doing mailers, adds in my local paper, signs and having a nice wrap done on my trailer and truck things were still slower than ill get out. now with that said, I didn't have a website. I swear I think my problem is my location out in the country. these old farmers could care less if there is algae on there home or barns, and until I pointed it out to them, they didn't even know they had black streaks on there roof!! LOL I live about an hour from Cincinnati and decided if this was going to work I was going to have to focus on that area. in the end I decided to heck with driving 2 hours per day just to get to the work. I sold the trailer, although I do intend to buy some cold water equipment and keep a 12v roof cleaning pump around for just making "side money" when it comes about. as far as HOA's, im not even sure there is 1 HOA in my entire county. your area has to support you. I have had a landscape business for many years and that's my bread and butter. Its funny how I can have all these farmers wanting lawn care and have been customers for years and years and when you tell them you also do house washing they could care less even when there house is dirty as ill get out. Ive had so many ppl say that one day I will have a pressure washing business that will outperform my landscape business but its all about what your area will support. What im getting at is if you have HOA's around that is a huge plus! Good luck!
 
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement, folks. I've actually had 2 more requests for quotes this morning, and another is asking general questions who may want a quote.

Ralph Q said:
Hi Dave, glad you are back. Was wondering what happened to you. Just a question, what were you doing to drum up business? You say everything came to a dead stop. Yet you found work in your own neighborhood. How are you advertising? Now that you don't have a website it will be even harder, but there are guys from Texas on the board that could probably point you in the right direction,as far as advertising or when the business slows down.

You could even advertise your facebook page. Boost the post to the areas you want to advertise in and choose homeowner under demographics. Also I had my age range between 31 and 65, because I read that the average age of first time home buyers is 31. Just budget $10 on and ad to see if it works. I just post a regular post with my contact info in it and boost it to whatever area I am targeting. I have gotten several jobs from this.
Click to expand...

Quite honestly, I have had no idea what to do for sales/marketing. I had no prior experience with it. It's my biggest hurdle. And don't laugh, but probably 95% of the business I was getting last year was through craigslist. It's not that I think it's a great tool, but nothing else really worked. I probably put out 800 door hangers and not one call from them. My mediocre website got decent traffic for what it was, but most of the traffic I suspect was from sales and opportunists. I tried the "door-to-door" sales campaign for trying to get some commercial business, but I think my inexperience in the industry and my lack of sales skills caused them to go another route.

My second biggest hurdle is a lack of funds. I GROSSLY underestimated the costs of getting started when I decided to get into this, especially the costs of marketing and sales. I burned though my reserve funds quickly, thinking what I was doing was going to get me more business, but it did not. Like your suggestion of the facebook page - I had little funds to try something like that, and when I did get a little money, I was afraid of wasting it on a campaign such as that and not getting anything in return. That's why I've never been to any of the meetings/round tables, nor yet joined the Association - no funds to do so.

While I'm excited and happy about this recent boom with this neighborhood campaign I'm currently doing, at some point that will die down. So I'm worried about how to keep this momentum going and turning it into something more reliable. There are several neighborhoods similar to this one in the general area. I just have to figure out a way to get my voice heard there, or even how to springboard this into some reoccurring accounts.
 
Dave all these new accounts in your neighbor should have some family and friends. Offer a 25 referral fee to them for getting you more work. Tell them eventually they could end up with free service if they get you enough paid referrals. It works. You just have to ask for the refferal.
 
My advice here is nothing original, but one of the easiest ways to "drum up" some more business is to book a job you do get and put it on a Saturday or Sunday. It never fails that when you are in a nice neighborhood working on the weekend, two or three neighbors always seem to come up asking for estimates.


Perfect example for instance, last week one of my guys wanted to make extra scratch for his wife's Bday, so I booked a simple driveway/sidewalk cleaning on Saturday 10am. His cut wasn't going to be that much because it was just one easy job, but I told him "take your time and I promise you, people will see you working and they will want you to clean there's as well." Sure enough, he ended up cleaning 5 more driveways in the neighborhood! That sound your pressure washer makes is like blood in the water for sharks when working weekends.
 
Walker Services said:
My advice here is nothing original, but one of the easiest ways to "drum up" some more business is to book a job you do get and put it on a Saturday or Sunday. It never fails that when you are in a nice neighborhood working on the weekend, two or three neighbors always seem to come up asking for estimates.
Click to expand...

Very True

Just leave your trailer/rig where its visible

definitely works
 
Dave B said:
Hello all. Been a while since I've posted.

I'm still a newbie, started summer of last year. Kinda late in the year to be starting from scratch on a shoe-string budget, but I was doing okay IMO averaging about 1-3 jobs a week. Well, about mid-November, everything came to a dead stop. Now, I expected things to slow down due to the season and holidays, but I did not expect it to completely stop. No matter what I did to try to drum up business, there was nothing. No business since mid-November until this week. Between that and moving into a new home, things got really tight really fast. So tight I even recently had to let my website go.

When we moved into the new home, we joined a "water cooler" facebook group for just the residents in the large but young community. However, the rules stated that we were not allowed to advertise our business on the facebook group.

Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago...

The community had just signed a contract with a local street sweeping company to clean all the streets in our neighborhood. We were even encouraged to rake the leaves out of our yards and into the street for the cleaning company to pick up. This started a buzz of excitement on the facebook group and everyone was in a cleaning mood. I saw an opportunity and I was going to figure out a way to make it work. I cleaned my sidewalk in front of my house, stopping at my property line. I then snapped the picture below. I then reached out the the owner of the facebook group. I explained to him that I wanted to find a way to help people with their desire to build upon the clean streets, and asked if there was any way to use the group to do so. He told me that, as long as I didn't mention my company name, link to a website, or talk prices, I could post and if he wasn't okay with it he let me know. So, I created a post in the facebook group, uploaded the below picture, and said After cleaning the leaves out of my yard, I realized my sidewalk was dirty, so I pressure washed it. This is the result. I own a pressure washing service. If you with to have your sidewalks or homes cleaned as well, let me know.

I posted that on facebook on Thursday of last week. As of today, I've had placed 2 quotes, landed both of those jobs, and have 4 more quotes to give this week. I will also be talking with the HOA about possibly doing some cleaning around the public areas.

It's amazing how one little idea can turn things around. I'm still learning how to sell this service, but this has been my proudest moment so far.


View attachment 29310
Click to expand...
Keep doing that and things will most likely go your way.
 
red1234 said:
Keep doing that and things will most likely go your way.
Click to expand...

Most importantly- Never Ever Quit

Go after this like your life depended on it and you will see results

I talk with local guys all the time who say they have no work and when i suggest some things that require getting off their a** some come up with an excuse on why not to do it

Its a consistent effort

Years ago when i was a production manager for a company i worked for i routinely canvassed my job sites-Not just putting door hangars out i knocked on doors

Sure i got doors shut on me and curt responses (im in New Jersey) but some of our most profitable jobs came from doing just that

Dave- i know you work hard-just keep going!
 
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