Pressure Cleaning Contractor Magazine

February/March 2011

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www.graffiticontractors.com

www.PressureCleaningMag.com

In This Issue:

FEB/MAR 2011

Additional Features: 5 Read This First! A Quick Guide to Pressure Cleaning Contractor TOC

21 Winter Work 28 Are We Speaking Spanish, English or Japanes? Parts, Plus Stuff I Did Not Order!

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Pressure Cleaning Contractors Are Cleaning for Heroes

29 Quick Connect Terminology 30 PWNC: How a Regional Network Is Adding Professionalism to the Carolinas 38 4th Annual NOLA Networking Event, April 23-24 40 Do You Have “Care, Custody & Control” Insurance Coverage?

42 Underpressure Goes Hollywood 44 On the Fan

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Spotlight: Dan Galvin of East Coast Power Wash

Pressure Cleaning Contractor is published bimonthly by Steve Stephens Consulting, www.stevestephens.biz.

Steve Stephens Consulting 12300 Nebraska Ave. N. Little Rock, AR 72118 501-517-1620 pccmagazine@live.com

50 Window Cleaning Basics 60 Finding Balance in Your Business

Cover Photo

provided by Jeff LeCours, JL Pressure Washing, Myrtle Beach, SC

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www.PressureCleaningMag.com

Our Team Publisher: Steve Stephens Editor/Designer Allison Hester Technical Support: Linda Chavez Technical Writer DC Buchanan Photographer DeeCee McHose

In This Issue: Departments

6 Publisher’s Note: Creating a Tsunami 8 Editor’s Note: Reflections 18 Why I Use What I Use: Discovering Green 22 My Story: XStream Pressure Washing 25 What’s Happening 41 For the Consumer: Before You Hire a Pressure Washing Contractor 54 Steve’s Inspirations: Your Input Determines Your Output

Marketing:

26 The Approach 36 Your Website: for Ranking or Selling?

63 A Tale of Two Pressure Washers

Add-On Services:

34 Yes, We Do Windows!

The puplisher and editor of this magazine do not accept responsibility for the content of any advertisement, including statements made by advertisers herein, or for the opinions expressed by the authors of bylined articles.

The intent of this publication is to provide general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations. Appropriate legal, financial or engineering advice or other expert assistance should always be

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46 Whose Lunch Is This? Add-on Business Opportunities in Sealing Pavers

Association News:

49 Introducing the Window Cleaning Resource Association 58 PWNA Update 59 UAMCC Update

READ THIS FIRST! A Quick Guide to Pressure Cleaning Contractor

by Allison Hester

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Begin with the Publisher’s Note and Editor’s Note on pages 6 and 8. We want you to know what we are, who we are, where we come from, why we are here and where we – as a whole – can go. I cannot stress enough how important these pages are!

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Read on, and get ready to share.

This magazine is for contractors, by contractors and that means we NEED you!

Without your contributions, this publication will not succeed. If this publication does not succeed, your business is missing out on a pivotal resource for growth!

We need articles on all types of topics. We need photos. We need suggestions. And we need feedback.

There are a few articles that I hope will become regular features:

Giving Back – Our top story this issue is about a wonderful organization, Cleaning for Heroes. I am so proud of how our industry is leading the way in helping disabled veterans and first responders.

One of my dreams for our new magazine is to help contractors remember that this life is about much more than just “me.” It’s about helping others. So I want to hear how you are doing just that.

My Story – on page 22 – is simply a focus on one company owner per issue who shares his or her story. Ups. Downs. Ins. Outs. It’s about why you clean what you clean. (Bryan did an awesome job on this first issue, by the way!)

Why I Use What I Use – whether it’s a type of equipment, certain cleaners, a specific distributor, technology – if you are a raving fan of some particular product or service, tell us why. Doug Rucker did a great job in this issue on page 18.

Question of the Month – In each issue, we will pose a question to our readers. We want YOUR responses. Then Steve, who has 30 years of pressure cleaning experience under his belt, will give his thoughts on the topic and we’ll compare notes.

This Month’s Question: Trailer mount or truck mount? Email us (pccmagazine@live. com) with as much information as you like!

Photos of your rig are welcome. The purpose is to help each other sift through all the drawbacks and benefits.

For the Consumer – Each issue, I hope to include a one-page article that is designed for the end user. This month’s topic is on page 41. Each issue, there will be some white space left so that you can add your logo to the page, then use it to educate your customers. Put it on your website. Place it in your mailings. It’s yours to use as you see fit.

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Let us know what you like, don’t like, would like to see. We are here for you!

Suscribe! C’mon guys. Surely this is the best 11 cents per day you can spend to grow your business. Sign up before the end of February and save even more!

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Tell others about us! The more we grow, the better we’ll be. The more subscribers we have, the better educated our industry will be. The more subscribers we have, the louder our voice will be. We will create a “tsunami” of contractors…which leads me back to point #1. Start with Steve’s piece on the following page.

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Publisher’s Note Steve Stephens Publisher

Creating a Tsunami

Did you know that a tsunami is actually a series of small waves that all come together, triggered by some sort of explosion generating massive volumes of water and energy to create an overwhelming force?

That’s right. Individual waves. Massive explosion. Coming together to create an overwhelming force.

That’s what we want to happen to our industry – a tsunami of individual contractors working together to create a force so powerful that we cannot be ignored.

And I believe that Pressure Cleaning Contractor, our new online magazine exclusively for the contract cleaner, by the contract cleaner, is the “explosion” that can launch this massive movement.

There are many wonderful resources already available to our industry. The bulletin boards are a wealth of information.

Cleaner Times is a great publication. The industry organizations are full of wonderful people and programs. However, there is division among all of these. The boards and the organizations are full of politics.

Cleaner Times’ focus is divided, and largely directed toward manufacturers, suppliers and distributors. As of yet, there is no single-minded, massive force that brings every professional contract cleaner together to thrust our industry forward in a way that manufacturers, distributors, retailers and even the general public cannot ignore.

Pressure Cleaning Contractor online magazine can be the “explosion” that gives professional pressure cleaning contractors 6

the education and the exposure – and thus the power – that they deserve. This is our vision and our purpose.

What if we could form a bond that ties us all together and unites us as one?

Throw out the politics! Throw out our differences! Throw out our egos! As one, although we may have differences, we have power!

Our goal is to make sure everyone’s voice is heard: every group, every association, every educational resource out there. We want to promote this industry and what is available. We want to do it fairly, without bias, without outside pressures that come from sponsors, advertisers, manufacturers and cliques.

We believe that everyone’s voice is equally important.

My dream is to see the giants of this industry come together and let us all be equals. Let us respect and honor those with 20, 30 or more years in this industry and learn from them. But those same guys can also learn from the “newbies” who have unique backgrounds and experiences as well.

Can we unite all of the contractors to put aside our differences and join together in a tsunami to flood the industry and be heard? Is it possible to have the leaders in the contracting industry join together and multiply successes from their wisdom?

Can we stand alone and be honest about equipment, chemicals and accessories?

Imagine the benefits of all the industry

tsu·na·mi

[tsoo-nah-mee]

pioneers joining with all the guys from one year to 60 years in this business united to help one another succeed! To be a mentor!

Imagine being the person who helps a company reach its goal. Imagine knowing because of you a family across the United States is able to buy their first house! You pioneers, you know who you are! I need you! I need you so we can build an industry that is built upon integrity, chararacter hard work and knowledge. Knowledge is not power. Knowledge with action is power! I plead for us all to join together.

By building and unifying the industry, those who that have been turning their noses up at the professional contract cleaner will be begging us to come to our industry’s events! Gentlemen and ladies, there is power in numbers! We can make this happen! We can grow together! We can be heard without editing because we might hurt an advertisers’ feelings. We can get the media coverage we deserve!

Together, we can make history. The key though is “WE” – together.

Therefore, I plead with every pressure cleaning contractor with a wand , business ethics and character to allow us to join together with you!

We will give all our heart, we will never quit, we will keep going no matter how hard the fight because together we are strong. Because together we are unbeatable.

Because together we can change our industry. Together we can improve our industry one company at a time.

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Editor’s Note

Illustration by Allison Hester

yIn 1997, I wrote an editorial for Cleaner Times magazine commenting that I felt distributors, as a whole, needed to give professional contract cleaners more respect.

The publisher knew that running the piece was a risky move, but I will give her credit.

She let me do it. Shortly thereafter, the threats for pulling advertisements started coming in.

I even got a personal “invitation” to meet with the CETA board to discuss my comments. It was wild. All because I said I felt that contract cleaners deserved respect.

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Let me backtrack...s

In 1994, I found myself out of a job. I had worked for a small ad agency right out of college where I made a whopping $15,000 a year to write radio and TV commercials. Then the agency lost their large client and filed bankruptcy.

Looking for work, I answerd an ad in the local paper for an editorial position. I never will forget driving to this little shack in the woods – that’s what it was at the time – and interviewing with Charlene Yarbrough to write for Cleaner Times (CT) magazine. “You want me to write about what? Pressure washers?” I had no idea what that even meant.

But three months of unemployment was

enough. When I was offered the job, I took it and began the greatest career experience of my life. It was an exciting time in the industry.

Pressure washers had just hit the big box stores and were gaining attention. The Internet was just taking off as well, creating a whole new information explosion. I was a 24-year-old female who quickly became a fairly big fish in a small, male-dominated pond. I admit it was pretty cool.

When I started with Advantage Publishing, they actually had two magazines – Cleaner Times, which went to manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, and Pressure Concepts, designed for the contract cleaner. However, it became very clear very early that there simply was not enough advertising to support the two magazines. Charlene decided to stop producing Pressure Concepts and allow contractors to receive Cleaner Times.

Wow. Was that a controversial decision!

But, CT stuck to its guns and continued to support the contractor despite some opposition. CT continues to be a great resource for the entire industry even to this day.

That said, however, CT will likely never be able to provide the in-depth information that is needed to really push the professional contract cleaner to the next level. We want to continue to encourage end users to receive CT because it does have good information and besides, they’re just good people.

You know what else I’ve found?

Professional contract cleaners are good people too. As a whole, this industry is made up of hard working, family-oriented business people who are willing to share their experiences and expertise so they can grow the reputation of this industry as a whole. We want to create the forum for that through our new magazine, Pressure Cleaning Contractor (PCC).

In my role with CT, I found there was a constant battle of trying to balance how much contractor-based information could be included. I suggested articles based off of information I found, or suggestions from contractors, only to be shot down time and again because we had too much contractor information as it was. Or it was by a nonadvertiser. Or it might offend an advertiser. Or

this. Or that. In fact, I suggested an article on Cleaning for Heroes and was told it seemed more like an Industry News piece. I felt it deserved more, so you know what? It’s PCC’s cover story!

I also had to constantly worry about stomping on manufacturer’s and distrubutor’s toes. Remember the editorial I mentioned? All because I said professional contractors should be treated with respect.

I understand these things. That’s business.

But I want this new magazine to not be just about business. I want it to be about bettering the industry as a whole. That is partly why we will be subscription based. While we will solicit advertising and we appreciate our advertisers, Steve and I agree passionately that we will not be dependent on advertising dollars to survive. That’s why our rates are so low, and one of the many reasons why we are charging a subscription fee to readers. We will not be swayed by trying to please certain groups or individuals. We want to be an open voice for anyone who has valid information to share.

That said, you may see an article in here by someone you don’t like. That’s ok. The industry is divided. I’m learning that! You know what? We don’t have to all like each other. That does not mean, however, that we don’t all have valuable insights or experiences or perspectives.

I am so excited about this venture. I’m thrilled by the idea of having the authority to say, “Yes! That’s a GREAT idea. That’s valuable information. We’d love to include an article on that.” So send them on. Ideas, articles, photos – we need ‘em. We need you!

We are starting this journey together. So hang on. It’s going to be an amazing ride!

Allison Hester Editor 9

Pressure Pressure Cleaning Cleaning Contractors Contractors are are

Cleaning for Heroes

by Allison Hester 10

“I have been absolutely floored to see how much enthusiasm has come from the pressure washing industry,” said Torrey Shannon, Executive Director and Spokesperson of Cleaning for Heroes. While all cleaning industries have shown interest, Torrey added that she has “never seen such an overwhelming response as from the pressure washing industry. The have stepped up much faster than any other industry. They came in droves. They are hands down the most patriotic and giving in their commitment to veterans. It’s been very refreshing.”

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ast year, a fallen soldier was returned home to his home in the Liberty, South Carolina community. As the police escorted the body down the main street, parades of people gathered alongside the road to show their gratitude and respect. A woman quietly placed small American flags alongside the road in honor of the fallen hero.

As the crowds departed, the woman carefully recollected her flags, so as not to litter. Only when she reached the lawn of a bank branch, she realized the flags were gone.

Asking what had happened, the bank manager came out and explained she was afraid of offending customers, so she had removed the flags.

This caused quite an outrage in the community. For Len Sutton of Palmetto Home and Deck, it struck a chord – and a nerve.

He began talking with other pressure washers in his area about ways to help support the military community. Shortly thereafter, he saw something on Facebook for Cleaning for Heroes, a non-profit organization that provides a variety of free cleaning services to disabled and elderly U.S. veterans and first responders.

“I thought it was a good thing, and I immediately jumped on it,” he explained. “It is a simple way of giving back to those who sacrificed for our country.”

Sutton is by far not alone.

The Story Behind the Organization

Cleaning for Heroes was founded in March, 2010, by Anne Aldridge Baligian, owner of Ocean State House Cleaning in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Anne comes from a long line of military service members, and started researching whether there were organizations that would match up companies like hers to help veterans in need. She came up with nothing, so she decided to start a nonprofit of her own.

Torrey joined the team about a month later.

She had formerly owned a maid service until her husband, SSG John Daniel “Dan” Shannon, received a gunshot wound to the head during a gunfight in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on November 13, 2004. Torrey spent the next three years “stuck in the system” while trying to help her husband in his recovery at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. It was through his tragedy that Torrey and her husband both became advocates for veteran’s services.

When she learned of Cleaning for Heroes, it seemed like a “perfect fit,” allowing her to use her background in the cleaning industry and her passion for the military.

SSG John Daniel “Dan” Shannon

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How the Program Works

Through Cleaning for Heroes, qualifying veterans and first responders who have been disabled – whether while in the service or later in life – are given free cleaning services by qualifying providers. For routine services, such as house cleaning, the volunteering provider comes one time a month, for four months. For other services that are generally considered single cleanings, such as pressure washing, one free cleaning/restoration is provided.

Volunteering service providers can determine how much and how often they want to donate. For instance, a pressure-washing contractor may say he wants to donate $100 worth of services each month. Based on that amount, the contractor can choose to do $100 per month, a $200 job every two months, a single $1200 job per year, or all kinds of options in between. “We want to give them every opportunity to donate at a comfortable amount and never ask them to give more than they can happily do,” said Torrey.

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www.sealnlock.com

Once a service provider signs up, Cleaning for Heroes sends them an application. They screen to make sure the company is legitimate, that they carry proper liability insurance, and make them agree to do background checks on their staff. If approved, they then work to match them with a veteran, who has been screened as well.

“We are really adamant about not excluding any era of service, and not excluding any level or type of disability,” Torrey explained. “Whether their disability is emotional or physical, we will serve them all.

They all impact their life.”

More Than Just a Clean Home

On paper, Cleaning for Heroes is simply providing these honorable men and women with a clean home. In truth, however, they are offering much more. “The amount of help they receive not only helps them financially, but it also helps them know that we care. It may just be a few hundred dollars of services to the provider, but it may mean the world to those we serve,” Torrey explained.

For instance, Cleaning for Heroes recently brought in a professional organizer in to help a disabled vet. “That was the first help he’d received from anyone,” Torrey said. “This simple gesture helped offset the discouragement he had received from other agencies giving him the run around. It made him feel he was important enough to invest in.”

Cleaning for Heroes is concerned about protecting the privacy and confidentiality of their clients. “Inviting people into their dirty home is very humbling,” she said. “They are often very prideful, and we want to honor them and help them maintain their dignity.”

Maintaining dignity is a huge factor for Cleaning for Heroes, and helping keep these veterans’ homes clean helps them keep their independence, whereas they might otherwise have to go into a nursing care facility.

“It is our job, our responsibility and our honor to relieve them not only financially, but remove the stress from their shoulders,” Torrey added. “Just for us to come in and say we care means the world to a veteran. Giving them one less thing they have to worry about is huge.”

Our Industry’s Role

According to Torrey, the pressure cleaning industry currently makes up close to half of their organization’s volunteer companies.

Len is one of the few who has actually gotten to do a job so far, simply because veterans are just starting to learn that these services are available. In Len’s case, a Vietnam vet contacted him for a quote on cleaning his deck and mentioned he was a disabled vet with limited income. Len connected him with Torrey, and the man qualified for free services.

Len cleaned the deck, but the man insisted he would stain it himself. To help with this, Pete Marentay of Sunbrite Supply gave Len $1600 in cleaning and staining products to use for this and future Cleaning for Heroes projects.

Pete, who describes himself as being “very red, white and blue,” currently has three nephews serving in Afghanistan. Growing up in the Vietnam era and seeing not-so-favorable responses to veterans, Pete said he “couldn’t wait to jump on Cleaning for Heroes.”

Len is one of the lucky ones. There are many, many more in our industry who have volunteered and are currently chomping at the bit for a job needing to be done. “We are anxiously waiting for the first call,” said Russ Spence of Prokleen Power Wash in Fairhope, Alabama. Russ tried to volunteer for the military during the Gulf War, but was turned away due to several knee injuries. “I’ve wished so many times I could have served as well.

Kermit Smith Hughley of Wulfers Window & Mobile Pressure Cleaning Company (WWMPCCO) in Marble Hill, Missouri, was one of the first pressure washing companies to sign up last summer. “We are trying to broaden the awareness of this wonderful organization and believe that we all should try and give back what so many have sacrificed,” he said.

“Getting involved is simple. Just go to the website and enter your information.”

Approved companies also receive promotional support through Cleaning for Heroes, such as press releases to send to local media and logos to put on marketing materials. “What better way to show off your talent and your professionalism than to donate

your services?” Torrey asked. “Good will is a very powerful tool. Paying customers will notice the contribution you’ve made to their community and will reward you with their business. You actually do well by doing good.”

“I would love to donate money to help the veterans, but I can’t do that,” said Len Sutton.

“This is something I can do.”

Russ agreed. “This is my way of giving back. I have the utmost respect for all of our armed services. They are the backbone that helps this country be what it is today.

It’s not just a job, it’s a commitment. They have to walk away at times from their homes, friends and families just to provide us with the freedom that we are accustomed to. There is no amount that I could ever give or do to repay them for what they have done for me.”

To learn more or to sign up, go to www.CleaningforHeroes.org.

www.SunBriteSupply.com

877-5-SUPPLY

www.sunbritesupply.com

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Spotlight

Dan Galvin

East Coast Power Washing

by Allison Hester

Dan Galvin of Plymouth, Massachusetts spent a long time searching for the right career. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy where he spent six years as a fire control technician, the unit in charge of radar repair and firing the missiles.

Next he joined his family’s business, Galvin Insurance Agency, where he worked as an insurance broker for 13 years. “I had to wear a suit and tie every day. I was stuck in an office, and I absolutely hated it,” he said. So in 2000, Dan went out on his own and started selling insurance software. “At least it got me outside, going door to door, talking to people. But it still just wasn’t me.”

Stumped by what to do next, Dan took a 14

year off of work to try to figure out his future career. Then, in 2003, he got a phone call from his uncle. “He said, ‘Hey, do I have a deal for you!’” His uncle had been in the pressure washing business since 1977 and was ready to retire. He had a couple of accounts, an “old, beat up Hotsy pressure washer,” and he knew Dan “had money.” Dan saw the offer and realized it might actually have some potential.

So he paid $10,000 for “about $2000 worth of equipment,” and with the deal he got his uncle’s company – S.A.M.S. (Suburban Automotive Maintenance System) Mobile Wash – and his uncle’s knowledge. He also got his uncle’s two accounts, one was an electric light company’s vehicles, and the other was

for graffiti removal for Fenway Park, home of the Boston Redsox. “That was all I had. I think the monthly income was around $500 between the two of them.”

His wife was less than thrilled. “She said, ‘How on earth are you going to make money with a &#@! garden hose?” Dan laughed. “Like so many people in the world, she was clueless to what pressure washing was and how to make money from it.”

Dan said his uncle really did understand how to clean, but he didn’t know how to market. “It took me less than three months to make my $10,000 back, so my wife was happy,” he said. “That was with me having no clue how to market. I was ecstatic.”

Growing and Changing

While Dan admits his marketing skills were weak at first, his past as an insurance salesman certainly helped with his sales calls. Dan just went around and talked to people, told them what he was doing and started getting new accounts. “I was just spraying and praying,” he laughed.

In the neighborhoods surrounding his home, he noticed a lot of vinyl houses that were moldy. So he hit them hard with a “cheesy” postcard and got some business from that. He also gained some construction and fleet washing accounts.

“I think I made more the first year I had the business than my uncle had earned over the past several years combined. He also washed his own “tiny” cedar shake house. “It took me two whole days,” he laughed. “I’ve always been very careful while cleaning.”

In 2005, Dan purchased a local competitor’s business, East Cost Power Washing. Liking the name, he kept it and ditched “SAMS.” Then in 2006, he purchased another competitor’s company, Dave’s Pressure Washing.

By 2007, about 90 percent of Dan’s business was commercial, particularly cleaning heavy equipment for construction companies. Then the economy hurt many of his clients and he ended up losing work.

That’s when he began focusing more on

residential, which he said is still “doing quite well.”

Dan said the way he washes is a bit different than those who utilize the growing “soft wash” methods. “I feel like you need to have an agitator and you need to have a surfactant,” he said. “I’ve always used the proper soaps, the proper cleaners, and (depending on the type of house) always put some sort of sealant on when I’m finished.

Then I guarantee it for a year.”

East Coast offers two guarantees – one that mold won’t come back for a year and also a satisfaction guarantee. “That’s one thing that sets me apart in my area.”

In 2009, East Coast produced around $350,000, and Dan now has 3 full-time and two part-time staff, including himself and his wife, Heather, who quit a job she “absolutely hated” in 2008.

As his company has grown, so has his ability to give back. In 2006, Dan participated in the “Clean Across America” project, cleaning around the Lincoln Memorial. But every year, his company tries to donate at least one community service project. This past year, he cleaned/restored a large wood shingle church and school in Cape Cod. “We spent about 40 man hours doing it and also donated a lot of stain,” he said.

Joining PWNA

Very early on, his uncle told him to join PWNA, saying it “was one of the best things” he could do, so he became a member in 2003.

He attended his first meeting in 2005, “and I was kicking myself because I didn’t go sooner, Dan with Roy Chappell of Chappell Supply.

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The first convention was amazing. I became absolutely hooked.”

It was at that first PWNA meeting that Dan realized power washing was an actual industry. “I had no clue what the field was about. I just had my truck and I went out and did my business. I didn’t realize there were thousands of others out there doing the same thing, struggling with the same struggles I was having.”

Dan also was amazed by the people he met.

At that time, Paul Horsley of Scott’s Pressure Wash was president. “He was the nicest guy in the world. He would tell you anything you wanted to know – marketing strategies, tips on washing, how he did it,” he said. “Wow. This guy was just telling me anything.”

At dinner that evening, he met “another guy,” Daryl Mirza and his wife Christy. “I was making $250,000 and thinking I was doing really well. Then I sit down next to Daryl.” Dan said he asked Daryl how many employees he had. Daryl answered, “Oh, about 500.”

“What!?!?! Wow! I never even fathomed the idea that there could be a nationwide power washing company,” Dan laughed. “So you go from little corner store to nationwide. That’s what you have in the PWNA. Everyone is there to help everybody.”

In 2006, a couple of board seats opened up and Dan submitted his name for consideration.

He was elected to the Board, and then served as President from 2008 to 2010.

“The connections you make through PWNA really are incredible,” he added. “I keep in contact with guys from around the country.

I’ve had people come to my house and let me teach them how to do this or that. Everyone is willing to help each other.”

Finding His Company’s “Sweet Spot”

During the 2010 PWNA conference, several million-dollar producers participated in a panel discussion where they mentioned the significance of finding your company’s “sweet spot” – that is, the place where you are making the right amount of money for you.

Dan said he is currently in such a place, and struggles with the idea of whether or not to grow the business, because with growth comes the need for more staff and more equipment.

“My wife is really comfortable right now,” he said. “She likes it where we can go away when we want to go away.” The Galvins do travel quite a bit.

Also, “one of the great things about where we are is being able to say no to people and jobs,” he added. “People are flabbergasted when you do that, but there’s an incredible sense of freedom in that.”

One of Dan’s biggest focuses is getting systems in place so that the business will continue to run without him. “My goal is to make 2010 the last year I have to pull a trigger,” he said. (He added, however, that he probably still will continue to clean some “because it’s fun.”)

In addition to the need for systems, Dan offers this bonus tip: “If you want to make a profit and be successful in business, let your wife keep your books.”

Education, Education, Education

According to Dan, Home Depot and Lowe’s are “probably some of our best allies.” That’s 16

because through these stores, people are becoming more aware of pressure washers.

“Some of my most appreciative customers are those who own their own pressure washer.

They’ve tried it and realized how hard it is. Or they don’t know how to do it right. They don’t use the right cleaners.

They throw on some bleach and the mold is back. They don’t understand why the house I washed next door to them is still clean.”

Because homeowners are aware of pressure washers, it is easier for Dan to educate them about proper cleaning. In fact, Dan spent part of last winter writing a book – 7 Costly Mistakes Even Smart Homeowners Make When Hiring a Power Washer – a consumer guide to educate his homeowner clients. He gives the book to his higher end clients – i.e., ones that will be charged at least $1000.

“The book is a marketing tool. For one, it gives you instant credibility because you wrote a book,” he explained. “It puts you heads above every other power washer in the area.”

Marketing is a key area that Dan has spent a lot of time and money to learn in order to grow his business. “In the past two years, I’ve spent around $50,000 to educate myself on marketing. How to speak properly. How to speak to customers. What to put in postcards to customers. Personally, I’ve spent a lot of money because I want to grow to where I’m very comfortable,” Dan explained.

In late 2010, Dan began taking his personal investment in marketing education and turning it into a program for contractors. His new endeavor, successinpowerwashing.com, is a marketing training company designed to teach pressure washing company owners the necessary skills for “achieving six to sevenfigure success.” These include things such as teaching power washing business owners how to get more leads; position their company from their competition’s; charge more and still get more business; implement systems, automated technology and the internet; and double their

income without adding more clients.

“There’s enough business out there for everybody if you are educated,” he concluded.

“You start with the business owner. If the business owner gets educated, then they educate their clients, then the clients educate other friends of theirs. Then everyone, including our industry, wins.”

www.dcs1.com

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Why I Use What I Use

Discovering Green

by Doug Rucker, Clean & Green Solutions

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“Is

there anything you can do to get this oil stain out of my driveway?”

That has been a question I have been asked many times. In the past, I always gave the standard answer: “Mr. Jones, nothing will take oil completely out of concrete. The best I can do is lighten it a little bit using hot water”

For years I tried many different products attempting to remove oil stains from concrete driveways, and always with no success. These products usually consisted of heavy degreasers, caustics, acids, and other harmful chemicals. The degreasers I tried did absolutely nothing to the stain, and the acid . . . well, we know all that only removes a small layer of the concrete. The stain and shadow would always remain.

I have been a reader of Cleaner Times for many years and have always been able to get great information through the articles published as well as discovering some great product distributors and manufacturers.

I began noticing in December of 2007 an advertisement in the classified section for a product that would remove oil from concrete, asphalt and soil. The product was also environmentally friendly, containing no VOC’s or harsh chemicals.

Finally, in June 2008, I called the number in the ad and asked for a free sample. About a week later I received my sample – a tiny four-ounce bottle with liquid in it and labeled with complete instructions.

My first reaction was, “What the heck am I supposed to do with this?” I was sort of surprised that all the company sent was four ounces. I was expecting a gallon or at least a quart. I told myself there was no way this small amount could cut through oil in concrete. I tossed it on a shelf in my office and forgot about it.

After looking at that sample every day for a couple weeks I finally called the company back and got the national sales manager on the phone. I asked him what in the world I was supposed to use this small sample for and how could this small amount remove an oil stain from concrete.

He

explained to me how the product has millions of tiny little microbes (bugs) and good bacteria in it. He said to spray a little water on the oil stain, lightly agitate the product with a stiff bristle brush – just until a white lather forms – then walk away. He also told me to try to time it so that it rains six to eight hours after I had done this. Otherwise I could use a pressure washer and go back and pressure wash the stain. He further explained that the millions of tiny little microbes (bugs) would immediately begin to eat the oil away all the way deep into the pores of the concrete.

That afternoon, I went up to the local NAPA auto parts store and asked the owner if I could try the product out on of his parking spots. He agreed. It took me a total of 15 seconds to apply the product per manufacturer instructions.

Later that evening, we received a rather good thunderstorm and the next morning it was nice and sunny. I headed up to the store to see the results. I was shocked to say the least.

You could not even tell the oil stain had been there. It had been removed completely with no shadow. I immediately went into the store to get the owner and brought him out to show him. After standing there speechless for about 15 seconds he finally said, “I have 12 different products on my shelf and they all say they will do that, but none of them do. I’ll take a dozen of those right now.”

This success led me to investigate this

product line more, place my first order, and eventually becoming a distributor for the product line. I found out that these products are manufactured with microbes, enzymes, and natural surfactants. These ingredients are what cause such dramatic results if the cleaning person is willing to be patient and allow the product to work. I also found out that these products can clean a wide variety of surfaces and stains while at the same time posing no threat to me, plants, animals, or any type of surface. In fact, one of the selling points I use is that a person could actually have his or her hands in the product all day and not be harmed in any way.

As you will see in the pictures below, the same product I use for removing oil stains is a great product for removing and actually preventing mold and mildew. The pictures reflect a house I cleaned recently that was built with Mexican brick. I was able to clean this house using very soft (low) pressure in a very efficient and timely manner.

I eventually changed the name of my company from “Doug’s Pressure Cleaning” to “Clean and Green Solutions” and I began advertising that “We use CERTIFIED GREEN cleaning products that are safe for you and the environment.” I have seen my sales increase by 30 percent and I have closed a lot of jobs because of the fact that I use GREEN cleaning products.

I would challenge all contractors to

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investigate the integrating of green cleaning products into their cleaning product line, and learning the difference between “certified green,” (which means the product is certified by an independent 3rd party) and those that

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www.thegreasebox.com

are labeled “environmentally friendly” or “biodegradable.”

There is really quite a difference!

I realize that green cleaning products will never be the only solution to every cleaning challenge, but the more we can use these safe products, the more we can help protect and preserve our environment and create safe work sites, not only for our employees but

for the general public as well.

For more information, please contact me at dougrucker21@gmail.com or visit my web site at www.cleanandgreensolutions.com.

www.filtershineusa.com

Winter Work

By Rob Huffman, Aspen Pressure Washing

As the weather gets colder, many contractors see it as the end of their moneymaking season. This can be a stressful time with limited work and scrambling to adjust the budget to accommodate the winter months.

With proper planning and focus, the winter months can actually prove productive for you and your business while allowing some much needed down time to rejuvenate for the upcoming spring season. I have put together some suggestions and practices I have implemented to thrive in the winter months.

• Realize that at the end of the year businesses still have money to spend, and many companies will determine what contractors they are going to enlist for the upcoming year. This is a good time to call on potential commercial clients to bid on current projects and projects for the upcoming year.

• Secure monthly contracts that will keep you working all year. Concrete can be cleaned year round and as long as temperatures are above 35 degrees you can run a power washer. Although it is possible to power wash in colder temperatures, the safest scenario is to clean at temperatures above 35 degrees.

• If you know temperatures will go below freezing the night before your planned work take time to prepare. First use a broom to push puddle water off of surfaces. Second use salt to treat any areas you service that may create ice. As a professional contractor, it is your responsibility to make sure you leave the site safe. After all, the last thing you need is a call from a client claiming someone fell as a result of ice left on a surface you serviced.

• When the weather doesn’t permit power washing invest in your equipment by winterizing to ensure your machines are up and running when you need them. This is also a good time to focus on marketing and your business plan. Make solicitation lists and send holiday cards to current clients with well wishes for the New Year. Prepare a mailing with addresses and postage so that it is ready to drop when the time is right. If you do residential business you can offer an early booking discount to clients who need house washes and other services to encourage them to book now for the spring season.

• Be diversified in the services you can offer customers. Adding services that are weather related can keep you working year around. Look for alternative services to power washing income that compliment your current services and book of business.

• Wrap up the books for the year. Organize receipts, update current client lists for solicitation, finalize accounts payable and receivable, and set yourself up for a productive new year with a clean work space.

• Take time for yourself and family to relax and rejuvenate for the upcoming year. Sadly, burn out is common in our industry and it is imperative to have downtime. Spend time with the kids, celebrate the holidays, take up a non-business related hobby, and stay positive. Soon will you will have plenty of work and find yourself longing for time to recuperate.

Rob is owner of Aspen Contractors, a property services company, based out of Aberdeen, Maryland. Rob’s credentials include PWNA Environmental Certification, PWNA Wood Restoration Certification, and BASMAA Environmental Certification along with several other certifications. He is an active member of the National Parking Association, PWNA, and the UAMCC. 21

MY Story

Xstream Pressure Washing

by Bryan Henson

A

s the owner of Xstream Pressure Washing of Oklahoma City, I chose to specialize in an area that most would not venture into. Owned and operated by myself, Bryan Henson, and my partner, Jamie Sobkowiak, we at Xstream Pressure Washing have been making a name for ourselves in the car lot industry.

Many may question why we chose to specialize in this area when there are so many other more common pressure washing to focus on, but when it came Xstream Pressure Washing it wasn’t just a choice. It was a make it or lose everything choice.

How We Started

Xstream Pressure Washing was started in 2008 as a part-time business while I was

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working full time in the hotel industry. On October 28, I got the news that everyone hates to hear: “We would love to keep you, but business is slow so we will no longer need your services.” I was laid off with no hope in being re-hired. The first thing that popped in my mind was what am I going to do?

We were already planning a trip to Ft. Worth, Texas, to attend a roundtable hosted

by Michael Hinderliter with Steamaway and Ron Musgraves of the National Cleaning Expo (NCE). We learned about the roundtable from www.pressurewashinginstitue.com. I called Ron and explained that we would not be able to attend due to my recent layoff. What Ron said to me during the phone call hit me so hard that to this day that it still gives me the chills! “You need to come to Ft. Worth. You and your company cannot afford to miss this round table.”

We attended the November 14th roundtable and was Ron so right! That was the day that changed our lives, our business and the way we looked at the pressure washing industry in general. We now had drive and a reason to succeed.

The drive home all we talked about was what we learned and how we were going to use the information. Something

needed to happen and it needed to happen fast. So we focused all our energy in an area that would allow us to generate income immediately.

At that point in time, our company had one restaurant account and one car lot with roughly 60 cars total. Car lots were the answer!

We needed a plan of attack so we got company shirts made, set our sales goal for the day and walked out the door. Jamie and I took turns going in one lot, then another. We needed to see which one of us was going to become the selling force for our company. With no surprise to me, Jamie blew me out of the water.

We both delivered six candy jars a piece with our company business card tied to the lid. I landed one out of six.

She, on the other hand, distributed five out of six. So we were batting 50 percent success with the candy jars. Overnight we went from one car account to seven. From 60 cars to 200.

We were growing!

We washed our lots on one day and delivered candy jars the next. We stuck to our marketing plan and never turned back.

We just keep growing – adding a lot here and adding a lot there. Here it is now just a little over a year from my layoff and the results have been outstanding. Today, Xstream Pressure Washing services 40 lots, 30 of which we clean weekly. Our company washes 5000-plus cars a month, and we wash more cars in a day than most people wash in a lifetime.

Additionally, Danny Bates with Lone Star Power Cleaning in Dallas, Texas, whom we met at the roundtable, has been using Xstream Pressure Washing as a sub-contractor for some of his cleaning accounts in Texas and in Oklahoma. Still, the car lots remain 90 percent of our business.

What We’ve Learned

Out of all the lots we wash, only one is a new-car dealership. The rest are used dealers.

We choose used dealers for one reason and one reason only: CASH FLOW. Used dealers pay when the job is complete so there is no net 10, 15 or 30. Paid daily! Immediate income!

Servicing used dealers also allows us to charge more for the services we were offering.

In some cases, it’s even double the price we would get from a new dealership. We looked at it this way: sure, we could do 300 cars on a lot and make $300, or we could wash five smaller lots, same amount of cars and make $450. It was a no brainer.

We have washed so many cars that I now can wash a car in 30 to 45 seconds and every inch of that car is washed. Jamie can completely dry a car from top to bottom in 45 to 60 seconds. Average lots have 70 to 80 cars and can be washed and dried in 45 minutes. I know what it costs to wash each car from fuel to insurance. My overhead is low and my profit margin is high.

Services we offer to our lots are: Rinse and Dry Brush Service (This service alone accounts for 25% of our income ) Hand Wash Service Tire and Wheel Service Refresh (Wash, Vac and Dry) 23

Washing cars is not for everyone. You need to be focused.

Sure, anyone can wash a car but there are only a select few that can wash 400 in a day. Becoming successful in car lot took some time, but the systems we now have in place came from these five key elements: 1. Show up: I know it sounds simple, but that what makes us stand out from the other companies. Do what you say your going to do. If you tell them Mondays, be there on Monday. If you tell them every two weeks, don’t show up every three. Being reliable and dependable is what they expect. We show up to every lot, every week. We call the lot before we show up just to let them know we are on our way. It also works the other way. If you’re not going to be able to make it, you need to call them and let them know. It says a lot about your company.

2. Routing: You can’t make it in this business by driving 30 miles to one lot then 20 miles to the next. Your drive time needs to be minimal. The closer your lots, the more cars you can wash in a day, putting more money in the bank.

3. Vehicle Placement: You need to be able to wash as many cars as possible without moving. You cannot afford to stop, turn off the machine, move the rig, start the machine and continue to wash. When you do this, you just lost five to seven minutes. By the end of the day, you lost a lot you could have washed, costing you money.

4. DI Tank or RO water: DI stands for deionized water and RO stands for reverse osmosis. These systems convert regular tap water to spot-free water. Either one of these systems is a must to do car lots. Washing with regular tap water will hurt you in the long run, either by slowing you down or by damaging the car windows and paint.

5. Dryer: Saved the best for last. The person/persons you have drying the cars is what keeps the lot managers happy. They expect no spots or streaks on the car. It’s about the appearance when it’s dry. You need to take the time to find the right people to dry the cars. They need to be very picky. If they tell you need to rewash the car then do it. Without them there is no way you will make it in the car lot side of the pressure washing industry. In my opinion they need to be the highest paid employees. The dryers are the ones who keep the accounts on the books.

This one key alone is what builds the loyalty between you and the lot.

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A Final Note

Jamie and I both owe a special thanks to Ron Musgraves for being true to the pressure washing industry and believing in us enough to say that we could not afford to miss the roundtable. Also would like to say thank you to Danny Bates and the networking we have been doing for the last year. Together, both of these guys in one way or another have helped Jamie and I make Xstream Pressure Washing what it is today.

I am also the moderator over the car lot forum on www.fleetwashacademy.com, which is run by Trevor Steel of Clean Image LLC, where I help anyone with questions about car lot washing. We have also talked to several other companies around the country and guided them in the right direction in adding a car lot division to their companies.

Danny Bates has also come down and worked alongside us and has been washing cars for several weeks now. His first account was 280-plus cars.

That account alone will add thousands to his bottom line.

We at Xstream Pressure Washing have plans to add another rig in the beginning of 2011. This will allow our company to wash an additional 5000 to 8000 cars per month. We look forward to the day that we hit the onemillionth car washed. We have our sights set high. We will not accept anything less. We are building our empire one car at a time.

What’s Happening Feb. 8, Roof Cleaning Institute of America (RCIA) Webinar, “Time To Drop The Dime, Five places you should be spending advertising $$$,” www.roofcleaninginstitute.org Feb. 15, RCIA Webinar, “Here’s Something In The Sauce: Mixology 101,” www.roofcleaninginstitute.org Feb 16-19, International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA) Annual Convention and Trade Show, St. Petersburg, FL, www.iwca.org Feb. 22, RCIA Webinar, “Five Biggest Organizational Mistakes Killing a Small Business,” www.roofcleaninginstitute.org Feb 25-26, Power Washers Network of the Carolinas (PWNC), Old School Round Table, Myrtle Beach, SC, www.pwnc.org March 1, RCIA Webinar, “Ten Fingers and Ten Toes: Coming Home Safe Every Day,” www.roofcleaninginstitute.org March 6-7, ACR Products, Inc Round Table, www.acrproducts, inc.

March 8, RCIA Webinar, “It’s Time For Prime-Time... Hiring and Keeping Good Employees,” www.roofcleaninginstitute.org March 15, RCIA Webinar, “Chootz and Ladders, Up-sells: Are You Leaving Money on the Table?” www.roofcleaninginstitute.org

March 17-18, Powerwash store Contractor Training Seminar, Milwaukee, WI, www.powerwashstore.com April 1-2, Delux Cleaning Supply Round Table, Ft. Worth, Texas, www.dcs1.com April 6-7, International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association (IKECA) 2011 Annual Membership Meeting, Naples, FL, www.ikeca.org April 22-23, Nola Networking Event, New Orleans, LA, www.nolanetworkingevent.com April 30, Sunbrite Supply Sixth Annual Round Table, Lawrenceville, GA, www.sunbrite. stores.yahoo.net/roundtable.html May 28-29, South Side Equipment, www.pressurewasherky.us/, Kentucky July 28-29, National Cleaning Expo (NCE) East, Tampa, FL, www.nationalcleaningexpo.com September 22-24, NCE West, Phoneix, AZ, www. nationalcleaningexpo.com Septembber 24-27, Cleaning Equipment Trade Association (CETA) PowerClean 2011, Scottsdale, AZ, www.ceta.org October 20-22, Power Washers of North America (PWNA), 2011 Convention/ Technical Seminar, Nashville, TN, www.pwna.org 25

The Approach

By Jason A. Wellman, FilterShine USA, Inc. & The GreaseBox, LLC

Door-to-door marketing can be an effective tool on many levels, letting you meet first-hand with potential clients and have the opportunity to personalize on a level that a phone call could never have established.

Many techniques are used to get the first one-on-one meeting established. Most try the traditional, walk in to an establishment and ask for a manager or an owner, while some will take a few steps further by having a paid consultant make an appointment for them.

Both methods will allow your company to grow.

I have put together a great introduction with do’s and don’ts on how to speak with the potential client and have the best outcome of your visit to their facility. My example refers to restaurant owners, since that is my area of expertise, but can be adapted to all types of cleaning customers.

Creating a Strong First Impression

When meeting with a potential client, there are many things you must keep in mind if you want to leave a positive impression on your visit. First, and perhaps most importantly, is the introduction.

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Introduce yourself as a professional by giving a quick, yet effective description of your business. This step is key to determining if this will be a fulfilling conversation or an “I will hold onto your card” conversation.

Introducing yourself must be a quick process, with as little interruptions and topic changes as possible. How strongly you introduce yourself will determine the impact left after you are gone.

While in the introduction, a quick and easy catchy sentence is helpful to make your mark. An example: “Hello, my name is Jason Wellman. I am a licensed kitchen exhaust cleaner out giving free inspections to restaurants in your area. Our company has been servicing this community for the last 10 years and is trying to meet local business operators such as yourself.”

Reaching out with a quick but descriptive statement like this will allow for many branches of the topic you are trying to pursue. Also, announcing that the person you are speaking to is in a higher position than you (in this situation) allows their defensive instinct to lessen, and sometimes disappear altogether.

Creating a local background allows a client to feel hometown service rather than

large corporate numbering service. Simple, sweet and to-the-point about being a licensed professional in the field you service allows peace of mind for conversation as well.

Establish Common Interests

Establishing common interests is a simple task. This does not mean you have to learn about their family or where they come from. All this is stating is you have to be open to different personality traits.

Most restaurant owners (or other small business owners) have a similar go getter, my facility is better than the rest attitude. These sound a little off tilt, but think about the way you speak of your own company and how high your pedestal is.

You must remember that no facility manager or owner likes someone coming onto their property to show where they could be wasting money or point out that they are not spending enough. Instead, approach this conversation with a willingness to listen and learn from the person you are speaking with. You will blow this client’s mind when you are personalizing the statements they are making instead of constantly speaking about yourself.

Once again, by finding something similar in common, you will lessen the territory dance in the conversation. Be attentive to statements that the person is saying, and do not over talk that person while they speak. By taking a lower talking position you are allowing the conversation to revolve around the facility operator’s time schedule, while also showing true concern for the topic.

A List of Don’ts and Do’s

Moving into a seller’s approach most of the time may seem difficult for some people. This process is very simple and easily practiced. Here are some not-to-do’s:

• Do not spend your short time pointing out everything wrong with the system. (This is what an after service follow-up report is for.) Only point out true high-risk fire hazards.

• Do not spend your time bad talking your competition. (This makes you appear desperate.)

• Refer very little to what is already being done at the facility by another company and spend more time on how your company will benefit them to change service providers.

• Never allow yourself to stray from one service to another and back. (This provides confusion and may lead to a no sale, no call.)

On to some ideas of what you should bring up to the client:

• Do explain different types of grease and how they will affect the system, not just the hood. (Good leader point for what is on the roof.)

• Always take in as much information you can about the facility before you start naming prices and pointing out solutions.

Closing the Deal

This is a very touchy and important time in the conversation. You should not only establish yourself, but also have convinced this person you are what their facility needs.

Remember that overselling yourself is very easy to accomplish and should be avoided.

Concentrate on the topic at hand and after your first service, introduce new services that the facility could take advantage of.

Do not ever refer to your company as being the best in the industry or area that you are in. They have heard this statement too much as it is. Results will establish this soon enough. Always provide a professional quote and marketing materials at the end of your conversation. Providing the facility with references is always a great note to leave the person with as well.

By following these simple steps you may not pick up every facility you stop at, but you will be networking in the industry and creating great brand recognition for your company.

Brand recognition is what will fuel your company to succeed.

Jason Wellman is the president of FilterShine USA, which is a National Grease Filter Exchange Service, and The Grease Box.” To learn more, go to www.FilterShineUSA.com or www.TheGreaseBox.com.

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Are we speaking Spanish, English or Japanese?

Parts, plus stuff I did not order!

by Steve Stephens

How many times do we excitedly get our boxes of parts from our distributor and happily rip the box open as if it were Christmas day?

Oh how I remember feeling like an eight year old so thrilled to get my boxes of goodies! My heart beat extra fast anticipating new rotomax nozzles, deluxe dual lance wands and an array of new guns so I could try each one out and enjoy finding that perfect gun for my hand and specific application.

Like a school kid, I would bring so many things home and into the living room floor in front of the TV. I would prepare my equipment with a passion similar to that of getting all my lures and lines ready for a big fishing trip!

The difference was obvious to all who knew me. I loved this process and the next day to come more than the joy a fishing trip could ever bring. Pressure cleaning is in my blood. I was most happy when I was blessed enough to have a gun in my hand spraying water and getting wet!

Oops!

As I completed wrapping my Teflon tape perfectly straight and very tight around my threaded lance, I searched for the plug and with little disappointment, I discovered I was sent the wrong plugs. No big deal, because I had many at the warehouse and could always use these in the shop later. But I did feel a little like the kid who got his favorite toy on Christmas day but the batteries couldn’t be purchased until the next day.

Well anyone who knows me and the love I have for pressure cleaning knows time, day nor 28

weather would stop me from going to the office to get my plugs. So when it came time to play the next morning, I was playing with all the right stuff!

Saving Christmas

When Allison and I were brainstorming, “How can we help the pressure cleaning contractors the most,” this illustration was one of the first things that came to my mind.

Now I know solving this problem will not change your life. However, if it can save you a few trips to your office at 10 PM and keep you from missing the best parts of The Andy Griffith Show, it has to be worth the cost of this magazine.

So Allison and I talked and thought about all the pressure cleaning contractors that suffered the same problem as I. How could we take the English, Spanish and Japanese and turn it all into one language in which we can all agree?

I recalled an article I had read in an Envirospec catalog years ago. That was the reading that changed my ordering habits. It also kept the eight-year-old boy in me from opening presents only to be saddened by a lack of batteries.

We contacted Envirospec and unfortunately they could not find the article in time. I knew I could write the article; however, I wanted to make it as easy on our contractors as possible.

If I wrote it I may not make it as clear as someone like Envirospec’s staff who educate daily on this very subject.

My goal is for us all to unite and speak the

same language and never be disappointed when we open our packages again. This will save us time, money and sacred endings of Andy Griffith as Gomer screams to Barney “Citizens arrest! Citizens arrest!”

Our thanks to Envirospec for taking the time to write this new piece to help contractors learn a world-wide language.No one is saying this is the best language, but if we can save money and time, remember

we are about saving the contractor both of these.

I would suggest you print this piece out and tape it on the wall by your desk so when you order from whomever you order, you will always be consistent. Your Christmas gift will always come with batteries.

Thank you my contractors whom, I am honored to serve. – Steve

Quick Connect Terminology

by Envirospec’s Technical Department

Coupler – The quick connect that the plug is inserted into. It can also be called a socket. (I’m going to use coupler) Plug – The part that is “plugged” into the coupler.

Keep in mind that industry standard size is 3/8” before the trigger gun and ¼” after the trigger gun.

Whatever you do, when talking to people about these parts, please do not refer to them as females and males. Reserve that terminology for the end of the part with the threads. Call them couplers and plugs.

When you call the parts by their names, you can then talk about the threads. I use a coupler with a 3/8” female pipe thread on one end of my hose. I use a plug with a 3/8” female pipe thread on the other end of my hose.

Quick Connect Installation A plug should point in the direction of the water flow through a pressure washer. Not everyone sets equipment up this way. Think of a plug like an arrow. It points the way. Why does it matter? When you are dragging your quick connected hose around and it is hooked up backwards debris is forced into the coupler. When you are dragging quick connected hoses around that aren’t under pressure with the quick connects installed backwards they can come apart when the coupler hits a bump or a rock.

Also, when you think about the water stream moving through the plug into the coupler, it encounters less resistance when the plug points the way.

Here is a list of how quick connect should be installed: Inlet of HP hose - Coupler Outlet of Coil/Pump - Plug Outlet of HP hose - Plug Inlet of Injector - Coupler Inlet of trigger gun - Coupler Outlet of injector - Plug The only exception to the “plug points the way” rule is at the end of your lance; if you use quick connect nozzles. The coupler is installed on the end of the lance.

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PWNC

How a Regional Network is Adding Professionalism to the Carolinas

by Allison Hester

If you were able to steer pressure washing contractors in your area to a more professional way of thinking, what do you think would happen? Would they A) Continue their not-soprofessional ways; or B) Use the information they learned to create a more solid business stance and implement better business practices?

Celeste Gothorpe of Carolina Prowash in Graham, NC, thinks the answer is B. In fact, she believes in this concept so strongly that she’s created one of the nation’s only regional pressure washing associations – the Power Washers Network of the Carolinas, or PWNC. “Who would you rather be in competition with - a decent business person who understands how to run a business successfully, professionally and legitimately - or one that doesn’t possess any of those qualities?” she asked.

“When we first started networking with other companies around our area, we found very quickly that it was much easier to be in business when you had the support of your colleagues and competitors than not,” she explained. “The PWNC is simply an extension of that concept.”

PWNC’s Creation and Growth

In 2005, a group of professional pressure washing contractors in the North and South Carolina area created an informal group – “laughingly called the I-40 co-op” – so they could network, learn from each other and “have each other’s backs in times of need,” according to Celeste.

In late 2007, Celeste announced the 30

formalization of the group with a new name, Power Washers Network of the Carolinas, or PWNC, which is now open to all area contractors, service providers and vendors “who share the same goals as business owners and professionals.”

Celeste stressed that the PWNC was not created to be a professional organization with formalized training or certification.

Rather, it is a network of contractors and industry vendors, working together to learn how to successfully run their businesses, raise the professional bar for our area and provide education to home & property owners.“

However, in 2008, this network became about much more. As North Carolina – particularly the Raleigh area – suffered from a severe drought, the pressure washing industry was hit hard, being misconstrued as a “banned” and unnecessary service. The media jumped on the anti-pressure washing bandwagon, mistakenly announcing that all pressure washing was prohibited.

In truth, pressure washing was not banned. The use of municipal water for pressure washing was, but there were other sources – such as water from neighboring counties, pond and well water, and other options – that were perfectly legal.

The media also misrepresented the amount of water that would be saved by banning pressure washing. “We did the math and their claims were absolutely ridiculous,” she added.

Then things turned ugly. A pressurecleaning contractor who was using legally

approved water sources, “trying to feed his family,” was physically & verbally assaulted by an angry, vigilante homeowner.

The PWNC had already gone to work, fighting irresponsible press and ridiculous restrictions. When this act of violence occurred, the media was notified immediately, demanding something be done.

“We emailed the media and put them on notice that if one person was injured because of their miscommunication that power washing was prohibited, that we would take legal action and hold them responsible,” she said. “You’re hurting people here. You’re putting people out of business.”

The PWNC also contacted the Governor’s office to explain that pressure washing was indeed not an unnecessary industry.

Because the ground was so hard from the lack of rain, and because areas such as parking lots were not being cleaned due to the drought, on the rare occasions it did rain, the polluted ground water was washing directly to the sewer system. “Pressure washing can actually be a good way to keep from polluting our storm drains,” she explained. Another argument was that because pressure washing was assumed “banned,” the amount of graffiti tagging significantly increased. In fact, the increase in graffiti actually led husband Roger to get more involved in the importance of graffiti removal.

The PWNC did get the media to run retractions and also managed to make their mark in local newspaper headlines, television news across the state and in Cleaner Times magazine.

“Local contractors helped to solve the problems,” she said. “No

“The PWNC has afforded Camelot Pressure Washing, Inc. the opportunity to align ourselves with like-minded professional pressure washing companies, not only in Charlotte, but in our expanded region. It has allowed us to become united through one voice on issues we face that are specific to our geographical area, like drought, environmental laws, and reclaim issues. The group is comprised of outstanding professionals in the field of pressure washing that offer insight and guidance to both contractors and the public they serve.”

- John Greene Camelot Pressure Washing Inc.

February’s Round Table

On February 25 and 26, the PWNC will be hosting a free “old school round table” event at the Caribbean Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The round table will kick off on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and go until everyone’s finished.

There is also a golf tournament starting at 12:00 on Friday the 25th and a mixer that evening.

“This is an informal meeting designed to help us gear up for the upcoming cleaning season,” Celeste said. “It should be a great time to network and learn.” To keep the setting conducive to interaction, the PWNC is limiting the round table to 40 participants.

(As a sidenote, our publisher, Steve Stephens, who is based in Raleigh, is planning on attending and moderating a discussion.)

This event is open to all, members and nonmembers alike.

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national group did anything.”

Small but powerful steps in establishing a foothold in the Carolinas took place that year and carried on in 2009 in Charlotte NC, when one of the national industry organizations entered into conversations with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Management to establish BMP’s for pressure washing. The PWNC has continued communications with this office since that meeting and maintained a close watch over their efforts to regulate residential washing.

The PWNC Today

Participation with the PWNC has some tangible benefits, such as being featured on the network’s website, being including in coop statewide advertising discounts, sharing on shipping costs of products, and some reduced rates on services. For instance, PWNC funds have been used to purchase full-page ads in printed advertising such as in the Building Owners and Manager’s Association (BOMA) and the Southeastern Association of School Business Officials (SASBO) directories.

The website has a section for homeowners, builders and commercial property managers searching for reputable contract cleaners.

Network Associates get business-card ads on the site itself as well as a listing and links to their own websites.

“Our website encourages homeowners and property owners to search for a PWNC associate. We also provide tools to these same people so that if they do NOT choose to use our participants, they are still armed with the knowledge when they do hire,” Celeste added.

However, most of the benefits of such a local network are intangible.

For one, Celeste says associates have more than once teamed up with other associates to take on jobs that would be too big for a small two-to-four person operation to implement.

“With the support structure that is in place – 32

not one of the companies in the PWNC needs to worry about the size of their company – there is someone to back them up, be it additional manpower or even expertise,” she explained.

These contractors have loaned each other equipment when machines were down and also passed work to one another when it was out of their territory or other conflict arose. As an example, one company gained a statewide contract for a large retail store. After washing a store in Charlotte – two hours from their hometown – they learned they missed a second entrance. Rather than having to return to the store to clean a 50 square foot area, they were able to call on a fellow PWNC associate who fixed the problem.

Finally, those members newer to the industry have access to those who have been pressure washing for awhile, giving them a great advantage and learning curve. There is also a mentoring program for those wanting to be involved.

Working with and building the PWNC has been my way of giving back to an industry that has been our lifeblood for the past several years,” Celeste concluded. “It’s not about becoming a huge, nationally recognized icon – it’s about taking care of our industry where we work. What we can accomplish will help all vendors and contractors - associates or not – but those that do choose to participate, of course, get some pretty good perks.”

Pressure Cleaning Contractor

We Hit The Bullseye!

At Pressure Cleaning Contractor Magazine, we have only one aim – to make your business more successful.

While other industry publications are expanding their focus, we are zeroing in on our only target – helping professional contract cleaners grow their pressure washing businesses.

Invest in your company’s future – Subscribe Today Regular Price $7.50 per issue (every other month)

Early-Bird Special: $6.50 per issue (thru 2/28/11)

www.pressurecleaningmag.com

33

! s e Y We

Don’t Do Windows

by Thad Eckhoff, Apex Services

I

n an effort to thrive in today's turbulent economy, many pressure washing contractors are seeking ways to broaden their businesses and increase their profits. One way to do this is by offering complementary services to their current clients. Some have added parking lot striping, holiday lighting, or snow removal to their existing offerings in order to make the most revenue that they can from each client.

One hot trend that we will examine is adding window cleaning.

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www.ciwindowcleaningsupply.com

A Natural Add-On

“We're seeing a lot more orders from pressure washing contractors – most of them new customers,” says Chris Lambrinides of the window cleaning supply company Window Cleaning Resource.com, and owner of All County Window Cleaning, both based in Vernon, NJ.

The staff at Window Cleaning Resource (WCR to those in the know) are also getting a lot of questions from pressure washing guys on their window cleaning forum as well as through calls to the store. “We get asked every day what kind of equipment they should buy, the difference between traditional methods and pure water technology, and how to get the best results. It's really quite a natural add-on since they're already on the client's property and it's a way to keep money in their pocket.

It's important for businesses to diversify these days. Why give that money away?” Chris asked.

Chris noted that prices for reverse osmosis units, deionization tanks, and water fed poles have continued to drop due to advances in technology and market competition. “You can now buy a water fed pole setup for residential

and smaller commercial accounts for less than a thousand dollars.”

Danny Bates of Lone Star Power Cleaning has definitely jumped on the window-cleaning train.

“We are a one-hundredpercent commercial company. One of our power washing accounts with 38 locations asked us for a window cleaning bid. We gave them a price, they took it, and we started offering window cleaning to our other existing accounts. We have now added another full-time employee just to clean windows.”

In addition to their many weekly and biweekly window cleanings, Lone Star also provides parking lot striping, landscaping, awning cleaning, and interior tile cleaning to their customers. “Our goal is to be a one-stop shop for our clients.”

Not everyone is as eager to grab a squeegee, though.

“I would have to be pretty desperate to start cleaning windows,” laughed the owner of First Choice Power Washing, Michael Kreisle. “I don't want to do it!”

Michael’s Lexington, Kentucky company primarily services residential customers and he doesn't want the distraction of offering a lot of different services. “I think a lot more window cleaners are interested in learning how to power wash because window cleaning just doesn't have the same profit margins as power washing. I make a lot more profit per hour when the pressure washer is running so I fill up my day with house washing.”

To keep from missing out on clients who want to get their windows cleaned when they get their house washed, Michael has an easy solution. “I refer them to Michael Stuart, the owner of Fayette Window Cleaning. We actually share a shop and I trust him with my

customers. I would much rather network with a window cleaner than try to do it myself. I think you need to concentrate on one thing and do it well.”

This brings up a valid point. There is definitely a learning curve involved in cleaning windows. Some pick it up quickly, some struggle, but everyone needs quite a bit of practice before they can effectively get good results. Anyone considering adding window cleaning to their list of services also needs to decide what methods they are going to utilize.

Cleaning residential glass entails using ladders, strip washers or brushes, a scraper (only with a signed fabrication debris waiver in place), different sizes of squeegees, lint-free towels, and a lot of technique. There are a lot of options for learning the correct way to do the job: books, YouTube videos, and commercial DVDs are all available but the only way to master the art is to practice.

Thad Eckhoff owns Apex Services of Hattiesburg, MS. His company provides professional pressure washing, window cleaning, and roof cleaning to all of south Mississippi. Thad has organized and hosted the NOLA Networking Event every year since 2008. www.NoPressureWashing.com 35

Your Website:

for Ranking or Selling?”

by Anthony Blanton, HoodCleaningHelper.com

S

o you want to optimize your website, huh? Here is an idea - instead of worrying about what snazzy things the gurus are saying to do to impress Google, Bing or Yahoo, how about impressing the visitors that actually find their way to your site already?

If you build a website that is genuinely educational and truly about whatever service or product you are offering, the search engines will recognize that and you will eventually get some rankings. We can talk about how to drive traffic in another article, but for now let’s concentrate on optimizing your website for your readers Below: I utilize the immediate viewable screen with a benefit loaded headline that screams ‘GOLDMINE’ to get and keep my visitors attention.”

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First: Recognize WHO is coming to your website.

You must be very targeted. Stop trying to be a jack-of-all-trades in one website and target your market like a laser! If you are targeting restaurant owners of mom and pop type operations, then great. Talk to THEM. Find out what keeps them up at night and speak to that.

You cannot talk to mom and pop owners and chain store managers the same way. This is why most people generalize their information, water their sites down to nothing, and wonder why they receive no business from them.

How would it change the way your site looks if you knew that the next 100 visitors were going to be mom and pop owners that are tired of their last contractor washing their vent hood filters on the ground out back and leaving a greasy mess all over their parking lot? You would probably advertise nice ‘after’ pictures of a clean parking lot, wouldn’t you?

Instead, most people have pictures of exhaust fans, ducts and access panels, which most people have no idea what they are looking at. Or, they just expect that you will do your job when it comes to that stuff, and they are more concerned about having a mess left in their kitchen after you are done cleaning.

Secondly: You must realize that the immediate viewable screen, without scrolling down your home page, is the MOST important part of your website. You must use this valuable piece of real estate to your advantage! Your targeted prospect has a very short attention span, and they must immediately say to themselves, “Wow, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for,” without scrolling down the page.

Does your site say that?

Or does it have something like, “Welcome to our site, here is how great we are?” What can you do better to make your potential customer think they’ve struck gold without scrolling down the page?

That leads us to point #3: Make your website about them, NOT ABOUT YOUR COMPANY! This may come as a big surprise to you, but nobody cares about you or your company other than family and friends.

Homeowners, restaurant managers and other potential customers do not care what your mission statement is or what kind of super duper pressure washer you use. Most of them don’t care how long you’ve been in business until AFTER they have emotionally bought your service and now want to justify their decision by making sure you’re a legitimate company.

They want to know what’s in it for them, period.

So, a sure sign that your site sucks for generating leads is if it opens to a big picture of you with something like, “Welcome To My Website” in the most valuable spot of your page.

When writing the text for your website always think in terms of, “This is what you get,” not “This is what I got.” That will help guide your decisions when you are wondering if your home page should be titled “About Me.”

#4 Navigation bars bug the heck out of me! For the life of me, I can’t understand why people want potential customers skipping all over their website at will. I have been preparing sales presentations for various products and services since I was 16-years-old, and it would be foolish to give the client my sales presentation flip chart and let them flip through it as they please. Had I done that, I’m quite certain I wouldn’t have sold anything!

If you wouldn’t do that with your sales presentation, why do it with your website?

Your website can be the best presentation in the world if used properly. You can have slide shows, videos, voiceovers, text, etc. Don’t screw it up by having a navigation bar in prime real estate on your web page so it breaks any form of flow and emotional appeal that you may have built by your headline and/or text or video.

#5 Have an actual offer on your page. If your offer is something like, “Call for a Free Quote,” don’t expect too many people to call. Let me tell you why that doesn’t work very well. Let’s pretend that you came to my house because I was selling puppies and you are in the market for a new puppy. I’m on an important phone call when you arrive, so I tell you to have a seat and feel free to help yourself to a drink

from the fridge because it’s so hot outside.What are the chances you will go to my refrigerator and get yourself a glass of iced tea? Not a very good chance, right? Even though I “offered” - and you are thirsty - not too many people would get up and go poking around in the refrigerator of someone they don’t know too well.

Now, let’s picture the same scenario, only this time after you have a seat, I pour you a glass of iced tea and bring it to you. Now what are the chances you take it? Very good, right?

Even if your offer is what people want or need, most people will not take the first step to go get it.

However, if you bring it to them, they will usually take it. That is just how we’re wired.

So does your page have a real offer or an ethical bribe? You have to come up with something better than “Call for a Free Quote.”

Last but not least #6 comes right on the back of number 5. Make it easy for potential customers to take the first step.

If you’re a hood cleaner, don’t make visitors fill out some form that asks the size of the hood, how many filters, if their duct work has access panels, etc.

If you’re a pressure washing contractor, don’t ask homeowners how big their driveway is or how many square feet their house is. Start small and make it very low resistance. For instance, “Simply enter your first name and email below, and I’ll send you a FREE report on how to save $5000 in the next 2 years.”

Nothing intrusive, nothing “sell-sy” about it. All that is left to do now is capture the names and emails, build a relationship and when it’s time for them to buy, sell them your service.

My point of this article is to show that it doesn’t have to be about meta tags, keyword density, title tags, or any of the other techy stuff that you old farts (I say that lovingly) know nothing about or want to learn about. That stuff has it’s place for sure, but don’t use that as an excuse for not getting business from your website.

You can find more about the author, Anthony Blanton, at www.

HoodCleaningHelper.com where he helps other hood cleaning contractors be the best at what they do. He is the co-founder of The Grease Police and the first recipient of the Nobel Grease Prize.

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4th Annual NOLA Networking Event April 23-24 April 23 and 24,Thad Eckhoff of Apex Services will host the fourth annual New Orleans Networking Event (or NOLA for short).This event, hosted by contractors for contractors, is designed to help anyone in the service industry build his or her business.

by Allison Hester 38

“We’ve had pressure washers, hood cleaners, window cleaners, landscapers attend,” explained Thad. “The focus is on how to be a more successful service business. It is not a how-to pressure wash course.”

Thad began hosting NOLA after attending a traditional lecture-style meeting a few years ago. While he says the lectures were beneficial, he found he learned more from just talking with people outside the lecture hall. “That’s when I made relationships and first saw the power of networking.”

That insight, along with several requests to put something on in New Orleans, led to the creation of NOLA. “From the very beginning, we’ve tried to make it more of an interactive exchange of ideas rather than just sitting through lectures and waiting for the next break,” he explained. “I don’t want to see people tapping their foot impatiently. I want to see them leaning forward in their chair with their hand raised, ready to jump into the next conversation.”

So, while NOLA will have selected topics and speakers, there is no formal schedule. “I don’t ever want people to pick and choose which topics to listen to and which ones to skip. You may end up missing something beneficial and you won’t get as much out of your trip,” he explained. “Also,

if a topic takes off and is really just flying, why should I have to stop it because the allotted time has run out?”

Additionally, Thad intentionally leaves open spots in the program and uses a suggestion box to allow people to talk about whatever they are interested in.

“Whatever it is, there’s at least two or three people attending who are experts in that field and can lead that discussion,” he explained.

Anyone attending needs to come prepared to participate. In fact, Thad gives a speech

at the beginning of the event each year. “If you have a question, don’t be embarrassed to ask your question. There are probably three

other guys in there wondering the same thing.

Somebody’s got to ask it.”

Also, whether you are new to the industry

or running a million-dollar business, there is something to learn. “A lot of times the new guys will ask a questions and it triggers something

new that those of us who have been doing it for awhile had never thought of. And that’s pretty cool. Opens the dialogue to a new path.”

Because he feels networking is so

important, Thad also plays “matchmaker” during the event. “If there are two people who don’t know each other and I think they should, I blind date them. I know it’s been beneficial for them and led to some great working relationships.”

To keep the program interactive, Thad limits how many people can attend. The event takes place at the small, family-owned Hotel Provincial in the French Quarter, which is ideally located within a block of the shopping district, the art district and Bourbon Street, making it an ideal place for those wanting to bring their spouses.

NOLA will take place all day on Friday and ends by around noon on Saturday, leaving the rest of the day and evening for sightseeing. The event is $97 per person.

To learn more, or to register, go to the NOLA website, www.nolanetworkingevent.com.

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Do You Have “Care, Custody & Control” Insurance Coverage?

by Bonnie Bradburn, Joseph D. Walters Agency I am sure you are all aware of how important it is for you to carry insurance on your business – especially general liability coverage. All general liability policies will cover your company for bodily injury and/or property damage that you may cause while you are doing your job. But, have you ever thought about what may be EXCLUDED from your policy? That dreaded word: exclusions.

If you take the time to read your working policy under the exclusions portion, you will probably see that coverage is excluded for that particular part of any property that must be restored, repaired or replaced because your work was incorrectly performed on it.

What does that mean to you? It means that if you damage the exact thing you are working on, you have no coverage! Here’s an example. Suppose you were hired to wash the siding on a customer’s home. While cleaning, the water seeps in the windows, damaging the wallpaper, the drywall and the carpeting. In this case, you would have coverage under a normal general liability policy.

Second scenario. While washing this siding, the solution dropped down and damaged the plants and shrubs. You would have coverage under a normal general liability policy.

However, if you damaged that siding – the exact item you are working on – you would not have coverage for it.

It would be considered “property that must be restored, repaired or replaced because ‘your work’ was incorrectly performed on it.”

When purchasing your policy, be sure that you advise your agent that you want an endorsement added to your policy called “Extended Broad Form Property Damage Liability Coverage.” This endorsement will give you back coverage for care, custody, and control. In other words, you can be covered for the exact thing you are working on. The limit on this is normally $25,000 but you can purchase higher limits on an optional basis for an additional premium.

Don’t wait. Review your policy today with your agent and make sure you have “Care, Custody, and Control” coverage.

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Eash issue, we will include articles designed for the end user, such as the one on the following page.

Feel free to add your company info/logo in the spot provided (or we can do it for you for a $5 fee), then post on your website, give to your customers, use however you want to promote your company and this industry.

Have an idea for a topic you’d like us to cover?

Email us at pccmagazine@live.com.

Before You Hire a Pressure Washing Contractor The following is a REAL post from a website*:

“A

person was doing some odd jobs around my home and was using a pressure washer he had recently purchased. He turned the machine off. Two hours later, he was showing me the work he had done and released the trigger of the washer, spraying me in the face, causing a permanent scar on my eyelid and side of my face, and a lot of pain. I am sure he has no ‘renters’ insurance, and no other insurance that would cover this. He regularly works for an electric company by day, and was just doing odd jobs for me for extra money. Can the manufacturer or the place purchased be sued for damages, pain and suffering, etc?” *Taken from a 6/7/08 post on Lawyers.com

The lawyer answered that yes, the manufacturer can be sued – because you can sue for anything. Will the homeowner win? No.

Can the homeowner sue the contractor?

Yes. The problem is that if the contractor can’t afford to carry insurance, he probably can’t afford to pay a winning judgment.

That’s why when hiring a pressure washing contractor, it’s important to hire a professional – not only because professionals are better educated on the art and science of pressure washing, but also because they will carry insurance in case something does go wrong.

From Pressure Cleaning Contractor, Januarly 2011

Before hiring a pressure cleaning contractor ask the following:

1. Do you have general liability insurance? This insurance protects against damage or negligence of the contractor, his employees or any subcontractors he hires and brings on your property. The industry standard is a $1 million policy. But don’t just ask. Make them show your paperwork, check the expiration date, and even call the issuing agency if you want to make sure the policy is still in force.

2. Do you carry worker’s compensation? This insurance protects you from liability if a worker is injured while on your property. Be aware that if the contractor doesn’t carry workers’ compensation coverage, you could be liable for any injuries suffered by the contractor or any of his employees on your property.

If the contractor is a one-person operation, s/he can be exempt from worker’s comp. However, you should still ask to see a certificate of exemption. If this is the case, make sure he does not show up with a helper because there will be no coverage if the helper gets hurt.

Bottom line - It is always safer to deal with a fully insured contractor.

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Underpressure Goes

by Allison Hester

Jim Lewis of Underpressure Power Washers, Inc., in Oak Hills, California has a history of taking on unusual cleaning jobs, from water park volcanoes to giant public sculptures. In October of this past year, Jim received a call to do a fairly “normal” job, but for a bit unusual client.

One typical day, Underpressure received a phone call from a location scout with Radical Media in New York. The company’s representative had been perusing the Internet, looking for pressure washing companies in the

42

www.powerwashstore.com

Los Angeles area. After extensively studying thier website, she determined Underpressure appeared to be a reputable company and professional enough to call to the set where a series of national vehicle commercials were being filmed.

“They want professional people working with them. They have high expectations and they expect you to show up,” he explained.

“And when you’re there, you need to have your protocol in order because they don’t have time to mess with you.”

The “set” was a large area car dealership, which was busy with action when he arrived.

Jim was supposed to meet with the lady who had contacted him, as well as the location manager, neither of whom were there at the time. So they took him straight to the commercial producer.

“This guy knew what was going to go on, he just didn’t know where yet,” Jim explained.

“They were out perusing the parking lot trying to figure out what needed to happen where. They were filming several different commercials on the lot that day.”

The producer, who did not have much time to spend with “the power wash guy,” gave very vague instructions about where he wanted the

The next time you see a Jeep climbing up a “snowy mountain,” it might actually just be a manmade set. While Underpressure was on the lot, they witnessed the transformation of a metal and wood frame being turned into a snow-capped mountain.

“It was really cool to watch.”

However, what the producers didn’t expect was for the commercial’s star – the Jeep – to have stage fright. The Jeep could not make it up the mountain.

Eventually, with the help of some coaxing from the production crew, the vehicle reached its destination and a masterpiece was created. work done, but did explain that the parking lot needed to be spotless. “The producers were adamant that there could not be one loose rock or stone because a stunt man was coming in to do some stunts with the car,” Jim explained.

“Anything that got kicked up from it could do some damage to not only their crew or equipment, but also to the other vehicles in the car went through three sets of tires during the area. It was really a precision job.” shoot. “The burn marks going round that tree

So Jim and his team brought in their were incredible,” Jim said. To make matters vacuum truck to the parking lot, where there worse, they also had a hydraulic leak right was “a lot of wind, a lot of debris, piles of sand next to the lot’s entrance. and broken asphalt. The parking lot was just a

The producer called Jim back in to get an mess,” he explained. Jim warned the producer estimate on what it would cost to clean up that they would likely kick up some of the their mess. The car dealership management asphalt because it was so worn. The producer was understandably unhappy. However, the said not to worry about that; just do the job production team decided they had spent he’d been told to do. enough money already, so they did not pay for

While the job was precise, the producer the clean up. wasn’t, just sort of pointing to the general area

While the car dealership was dissatisfied, that he wanted cleaned, then shooing Jim the production company was more than on his way. The Underpressure crew came in thrilled with Underpressure’s work. “Our about 9 p.m. and the production crew arrived report was very good. They’ve asked if we’d be at 5 the next morning. The producer fussed: interested in other jobs,” Jim concluded. “It’s “Oh no. You’ve got it all wrong. We want it over fun living out here. You never know what’s here.” going to happen when the phone rings.”

Luckily, they got the correct area cleaned

quickly. “The producer was very happy and told us to stick around and watch if we wanted,” he said. Having put in a full night’s work and having guys still on the clock, the Underpressure crew decided to head home.

The commercial’s end result was pretty spectacular, with Dodge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73HHKzCEp_Y Challengers drifting around a Christmas tree. The parking lot’s end result, however, was not as cool. The

View the finished commercial on You Tube:

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Kitchen Exhaust

On the Fan

By Jason A. Wellman, FilterShine USA, Inc. & The GreaseBox, LLC

In this article, I will be going into multiple areas of what should and should not be present on the roof of a restaurant. Based on many studies ranging from roof warranties and possible exposure, you may be placing your company into being liable by servicing exhaust fans with out proper equipment installed on the exhaust fan. I will also be discussing why documentation and pictures are important in system efficiencies as well as quality control.

When on the subject of what should be installed on a fan for standard operating, there are multiple items that are needed for safe operations.

Hinge Kit

Structural designs of the exhaust fan were designed for an upright or skid-mounted atmosphere. When a fan is taken off of its mounting and set on its side or off its base, you will run into many hazards that are not always apparent at first sight. When thinking of liability for your own company, you should consider the factors involved for your responsibility and exposure into providing service to a fan that does not have an adequate hinge kit in place.

The exhaust fan will sustain damage over time that will impede on its running operations when set on its side. For an example, the fan will begin to lose its center of rotation and become off balance. The base of the fan will begin to separate from the bell of the fan as well. The wiring will deteriorate and begin to develop weak spots in the wiring that will pose to be huge fire hazards in the near future.

When choosing the proper hinge kit to install on the exhaust fan, you will have to keep in mind the size of the fan, the weight, and the surroundings of where the fan will tilt.

Never place the hinge on the opposing side of the wiring for you will run a high risk 44

of unnecessary damage to the wiring.

The hinge should distribute the weight evenly across the base of the fan to eliminate damage to the base.

Hinges that require chains or wires to secure the fan at a 90 degree angle are dangerous for your employees and will cause a bowing in the center of the fan base. Side mount hinges distribute more evenly and are easier to maintain without damage to the fan itself.

Grease Containment

All roof warranties have a clause written in them worded much like this: “Animal fats: Do not exhaust kitchen wastes (vegetable oils) or other animal fats directly onto the roof surface.

If incidental contact is likely, contact Versico for recommendations on membrane type and usage. TPO and PVC membranes for restaurant rooftop use will not void the warranty. A rooftop maintenance program must be in-place to ensure that accumulations of animal fats/ grease are regularly removed and the rooftop surface is cleaned with a mixture of warm soap and water and/or by other approved cleaning methods. See Versico’s Installation Guide for specific cleaning instructions.� Information provided by Versico, LLC PO Box 1289, Car l i s le, PA 17013 Tel : 800.992.7663 Fax: 717.960.4036 Web: www.versico.com

Many warranties are written in the same context of grease being hazardous to the roof membrane and cleaning efforts have to be handled in a timely manor. This also brings up another point that if not cleaned up properly will also cause a void in the warranty.

By the NFPA standards, a rooftop grease containment system should be: NFPA Code 96 Section 4-8.2.1

The ability to drain grease out of any traps or low points formed in the fan or duct near the termination of the system into a collection

container that is noncombustible, closed, rain-proof, structurally sound for the service to which it is applied, and will not sustain combustion. A grease collection device that is applied to exhaust systems shall not inhibit the performance of any fan.

With this in mind, when you choose a grease containment solution for your client’s roof, make sure you decide on a solution that meets the NFPA Codes and also will meet the needs of the facility. All too often a system is chosen by a price and not by performance.

Remember that when you bid a job for cleaning the system, you may not be the cheapest, but you perform better than your competition, and that is why you were chosen to perform the cleaning.

You will want to choose a system that is 100 percent weather proof, enclosed, and cost effective to the facility for operation, while not putting a risk of void on the roof warranty.

The best way to go about this is to contact the roofing company and present the solution to them first and receive a revised warranty accepting the solution you provided. I know this seems to be a large amount of work.

However, the risk and exposure your company takes on by not doing this is much greater than producing a solution.

Do not decide to design your own system or create a knock off of one on the market. If you do, you will be accepting all the responsibility for the end result. If the system you make fails, you will become the one responsible to pay for the roof repairs. Normal liability insurances

The above photos represent problem areas to look for when examining the fan.

Fan Left: Hinge kit installed on wrong side of fan, with the fan wiring being too short.

Cleaners removed screws to the hinge kit to access duct, but did not reinstall properly.

Fan Center: Traditional grease cup was over burdened by the weight of the grease and water, causing the system to collapse and cup to fall onto the roof.

Fan Right: Older grease containment designs that involve systems to sit on the roof lack enough absorbent material and have poor drainage for run of rain water, thus causing a soupy grease mess under pads and long term roof damage will not cover a situation like this. It is better to go with a system that has been proven and the company has the proper manufacture insurances in place.

In closing, remember that it is very important to photograph and document all hazards, or refusals of repairing hazards that have been acknowledge. If you do not protect yourself you will have a higher risk of being posted as the responsible party.

Jason Wellman is the president of FilterShine USA, which is a National Grease Filter Exchange Service, and The Grease Box.” To learn more, go to www.FilterShineUSA. com or www.TheGreaseBox.com. Since 2008, Jason has been invited to speak at several conventions on the topic of “Rooftop Hazards & Kitchen Exhaust Management.”

45

“Whose Lunch is This?”

Add-On Business Opportunity in Sealing Pavers

by Russ Heitman, Seal ‘n Lock

A

7:55am

fter parking in front of the upscale colonial, I grabbed my portfolio from the passenger seat and set it in my lap.

Closing my eyes, I began a short ritual that was part of my success routine: four deep breaths, followed by my only mantra: listen… listen… listen…

I have found that “the reset,” as I call it, may be the most important “secret” to sales success. Taking the time before meeting a client to clear one’s mind of the stress of driving, prior events, and one’s own agenda, is key to being open to really hear and focus upon the client’s needs.

Listen….listen…. “WHOSE LUNCH IS THIS???”

So much for my plans. The woman was chasing out the front door after two kids headed for the bus stop. The early morning appointment was scheduled for promptly 8:00 am. She insisted. The busy mother, wife, legal secretary and PTA Vice President had a tight schedule. She also wanted her pavers to look better. She was a past customer.

As a paving stone installation contractor, the average sales appointment could take a couple of hours. Discussing design options, taking measurements, informing about proper construction techniques, and instilling confidence in our abilities took time. This “service” appointment was different, it could be much shorter.

I waited a minute and cheerfully hopped out of my truck. “Good morning!” I proclaimed as I strode up the drive.

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“This way”, she replied turning away from me and heading for the back yard. Listen…

Listen…. Listen…

When we reached the patio, I waited for her to speak. She began, “When you sold me this patio, you said it would be maintenance free.”

I just looked at her eyes. “Now, look at it. It has weeds along the edges, some of the sand is missing, it is dirty.” I nodded slightly, twice. “I have sixteen people coming next Saturday for a birthday party out here, look at this!”

“That’s pretty soon. We’ll need to move fast,” I said. I pulled out my tape measure and started. Length * Width = Square feet. I scribbled on my “assessment form” attached to a clipboard, 560 sf. I checked off the box for weeds and skipped by the box for repairs, none were necessary this time. After some quick math tied to our production rates and materials, I arrived at a price and wrote it on the proposal form. I spent a couple of minutes thoughtfully writing her name, address, phone number, on the form.

8:05 am

heard what you said,” I began. “When you bought this paver patio, you wanted an outdoor space you could enjoy without the hassle of maintenance. If you wanted maintenance, you could have put in a wood deck.” She nodded. “We have learned recently that the sand joint between the pavers can become a real issue. Fortunately, we have also found a great solution.”

“I don’t have much time this morning,” she interrupted. “Can you just give me your price?”

“I

Had I lost my mind? She called me out for a solution, now she didn’t even want to hear about it. What was I missing?

Listen… Listen… Listen….

I looked at her quietly for a few seconds. She softened, “My husband said to get three quotes and we would pick one. However, I think you should give me a discount because you put this patio in and it has weeds in it.”

I responded, “I’m sorry the patio has some weeds. Weeds grow in the top of the paver joint when the sand recedes or washes out and the void created is filled with dirt or grass clippings. It is a maintenance issue, not a construction issue. It sounds like you need a long-term solution with someone who will be here for you. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” she stated, “and I need a good price. I’ve already paid a lot of money for this patio. I don’t want to keep spending money on it,” she said.

8:10 am

HOSE LUNCH IS THIS?” As the paver installation contractor, I thought, “three quotes?” Where would she even get three quotes? We are one of very few paver construction contractors that even do maintenance. This is my lunch.

I decided to focus on the benefits she would receive. I pulled out a sample board of sealed pavers and showed her the color enhancement that could be achieved. I also mentioned that if she didn’t want the enhanced color, she could choose a “natural look” sealer. She preferred the “Wet Look” sealer, like 80 percent of our customers. I took a quick minute to point out that we use a two-part urethane sealer that can “lock” the new clean joint sand we put in. This inhibits weed growth, wash out, sand tracking, and ants. Additionally, the sealer protects from stains and preserves the surface and color of the pavers, protecting her investment.

After handing her a brochure on the sealer she had chosen, I passed along the proposal

“W

Before (top) and after (bottom) application of Seal ‘n Lock products. and asked for the business. She told me that she would be getting proposals from her landscaper and pressure washing contractor and would get back to me soon.

8:20 am

ack in my truck, I reflected on the sales process that had just occurred. Among my thoughts were the following:

Although the paver contractor, in this case myself, thinks he is the incumbent, he may have only met with the customer once or twice several years ago. The customer may have a relationship with her cleaning contractor or landscaper whom she sees several times per year. The relationship and the add-on business it presents may be theirs for the taking. The lunch may be theirs.

B

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The Table is Set:

hile nearly eight billion square feet of pavers have been installed throughout the United States over the last fifteen years, only 5% have been sealed. The opportunity to seal pavers is quite large. The market may eventually exceed several billion dollars annually. This opportunity has been left mainly untapped for several years for a few reasons:

1. Often pavers were sold as “maintenance free” and the need for maintenance and restoration is just becoming apparent.

2. The use of solvent based sealers over the years has created problems. Contractors who have used them report that they do not “lock” the joint sand which is one of the main customer concerns. Also, the need to apply the solvent based sealer on a “bone dry,” but clean, substrate has caused contractors to return to the same job two to three times creating large mobilization costs. With solvent based sealers, if any evaporating moisture is present,

W

855-351-9274

the risk of “white blush” or trapped moisture in the curing sealer is high. Because of the risks involved with solvent based sealers and relatively low profitability, contractors have not promoted paver sealing to their customers.

ecently, the introduction of water based two-part urethane sealer and high quality single stage urethane modified acrylic sealer has changed the whole dynamics of the paver sealing opportunity. These products “work with the water” that is needed in the cleaning process.

These sealers allow contractors to clean, sand, and seal the pavers all in one day.

This reduces mobilization costs and greatly increases profitability. Also, these new high quality products enhance paver color, protect the surface, and lock the joint sand in one easy application.

Cleaning contractors who offer this addon service to their existing customers have the “relationship advantage” over construction contractors. Cleaning contractors who promote paver sealing as an option will likely gain new cleaning customers who initially find them via their promotion of paver sealing.

Cleaning contractors already possess the skills and equipment needed to offer this high margin, high dollar add-on service to their existing business.

R

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Lunch is Ready:

So, Whose Lunch Is It?

ow the story ends is up to you. Will you look into the opportunity presented and offer paver sealing to your existing customers?

Will you promote paver sealing in order to gain new customers? Are you going to go out and grab this great add-on opportunity? It may just be the time to offer paver sealing and grow your business!

H

To learn more, visit Seal N Lock’s website at www.sealnlock.com.

Introducing the

Window Cleaning Resource Association

by Chris Lambrinides, Window Cleaning Resource

The WCRA was formed and exists today for the benefit of its members and for the ongoing improvement of the professional window cleaning industry. We decided to start the WCRA to help window cleaners accelerate their growth. When I first started my window cleaning business 10 years ago, there weren’t many resources available. I knew how to do the physical work of cleaning windows, but I had no idea how to run a window cleaning business. Lets face it they physical aspect is the easiest part. Generating work, managing employees, staying organized, and making a profit is the hard part.

It took me a good five years in the business before I really figured things out. Blood, sweat, tears, hunger, frustration, demolished personal life and relationships, sleepless nights, endless anxiety. I was trying very hard to build a successful window cleaning business, and things were not going the way I had expected. You know it and I know it, the window cleaning business is no joke. It can and will be extremely difficult. Weather, cash flow, employees, vehicles, bidding, competitors, the list is endless.

I couldn’t help but think there was a better way. All the little things that tripped me up could have so easily avoided if I had someone there to actually show me how to run a business. With that idea Window Cleaning Resource was born! In late 2007 we decided to take all that we learned and share it on a new website - http://windowcleaningresource.com - WCR quickly grew to the worlds number one destination for professional window cleaners to congregate, laugh, learn and share.

In 2010 we decided to take the site a step further and create an association to represent the thousands of window cleaners that checked

in on our site daily. The WCRA was born! We jam packed the WCRA with every possible benefit we could imagine. We wanted to take it 20 steps further then the other window cleaning associations that simply provide their members with a sticker and a t-shirt. We crammed the following benefits into the WCRA: • Huge discounts on every single item from our supply store. Every single item in the store is always on sale for our members.

• $4,000.00 worth of free marketing pieces and business forms. These have all been tested in my window cleaning business before being released to our members.

• A private members only forum. It comes packed with highly advanced features not seen on most forums.

• A free printed safety manual $99 value.

• A listing in our directory of “Insured Window / Pressure Cleaners”. Your certificate must be submitted before listing goes up.

• Professional monthly webinars from the experts at E-Myth and Jean SeaWright Associates. These typically cost $159 per person per session, but they are free of charge for members.

My window cleaning company “All County Window Cleaning” in NJ is about 35% pressure washing work; so all the benefits are interchangeable. A lot of the marketing material and forms are all ready designed with the pressure washing industry in mind.

For more information on our association and how it can help take your pressure washing business to the next level in 2011, please check out our website: http://windowcleaningresource.org

Get signed up today, I am looking forward to seeing you on the inside!

49

Window Cleaning Basics

by Levi Bradley

You have knocked on a thousand doors, made 10,000 phone calls, attracted 100,000 visitors to your website by way of SEO. You have offered some great deals to lure them in to buying your service. You have prepared

and arrived at their house and done an The first thing you need to think about when amazing job at washing their home and pricing and doing the job is access. How will y driveway. reach the window? Let’s presume for the mom

“Thanks Jim. We are really happy you are reading this article because you are with your work and our house looks just getting into window cleaning or are at lea amazing now for the open house considering it. So for now we will set aside the tomorrow! By the way, do you know of a WFP (Water Fed Pole) jargon. How do you reac window cleaner?” window? Ladder or extension pole?

What do you do? Do you call in a The best rule of thumb is this: if you can cle window cleaning company, or do you do window by hand, you will have the best result it yourself? This article is not designed to if at all possible, you will want to use some ty talk you into offering window cleaning as ladder to get your person to the glass. You wil a large part of your repertoire of services, only be able to do a better job, but you will be but to guide you in how and what to use see your mistakes, and there will be some. to make the extra money by being able An aluminum extension ladder with “ladder to say “Sure, I can do that,” more easily levelers” is preferred. If you are doing one sto and effectively. small two story houses, a “little giant” is a gre

So you decided to offer window ladder because it can be used inside as well. cleaning. Great! Why would you not?

You already put all the work into getting the customer and building a relationship with them. Why not take advantage of the situation and provide a service that will not only please your customer that much more, but also increase your profits at the same time.

So let’s talk equipment!

Now you must consider what soap to use.

There are several good chemicals on the market.

To keep it simple, I recommend using Zep concentrated glass cleaner or Glass Gleam 3 by Titan Labs. Zep can be obtained for around $12 per gallon. Glass Gleam 3 produces better results but it runs about $35 per gallon. Drop about a cup in a five gallon bucket and you’re ready to clean.

Ladders

Chemicals

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n you ment

ast e ch the

ean the ts. So ype of ll not e able to

ory or eat

Extension Poles

Having an extension pole in your truck is a must. There will inevitably be windows that have a garden or permanent fixture placed in such a way that a ladder is not safe to use. This is where an extension pole is handy. There are many on the market. The only thing you need to consider is getting one that will reach the height you are working at. For my company I use Unger TelePlus poles. These come in sizes ranging from 8’ to 30’.

Shown: Unger TelePlus 2 Section 12’ (6’ Set)

Scraper

A basic retractable blade scraper is fine to begin with, but if you are considering new construction houses then you will want to consider upgrading to a larger one, as they come in 6”. This will save a tremendous amount of time. But for now your basic scraper will work.

Tools: T-Bar and Sleeves

Hand tools are the biggest part of what you need in order to clean glass, which is why there are many different products from which to choose. First you need to choose how to apply the soapy water to the glass. The best and most proven method is using a strip washer and T-Bar. A T-Bar is basically a bar and handle that looks like a T. The strip washer fits over the bar and provides a surface for you to scrub the glass. The sleeves are made of cotton, microfiber or synthetic materials. Microfiber is the choice for most conditions. So pick up either the Monsoon Sleeve by Unger, or the MicroTiger

by Pulex. Both of these will hold a lot of water (which saves trips to the bucket) and remove the dirt from the glass. You will also pick up the appropriate T-Bar that matches. T-Bar and Sleeves come in sizes ranging from 6” to 36”. If you are cleaning residential glass, you will want to at least have a 6” for small windows and a 16” or 18” for the bigger windows.

Shown: MicroTiger by Pulex

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Squeegee and Rubber

A Basic How-To

So now you’re ready to clean Again there are many to choose from and after the windows. Set up your ladder, some time you will choose a handle and channel starting at the top window. Make that you prefer. Starting out, I would recommend sure your ladder is placed safely. the Unger ErgoTec “Standard” handle and Unger’s Wet your T-Bar and sleeve and place standard channel. The channel will slide in the it in your holster so you can ascend handle from the side then tighten in place with the ladder safely with both hands screws to provide a handle and channel. Your free. Apply the water and cleaner to standard handles and channels will range in price the glass in a top to bottom motion. but the above sizes will be around $10 each.

Use your scraper while glass You will then need to select your rubber. Most is wet if needed. Then using your sites sell the channels with rubber already in place, squeegee starting at the side and top but you will want to make sure you always have – applying minimum pressure to the extra. glass – remove the water by sliding First make sure the rubber fits the channel you the squeegee across the glass until choose. Then you will want to consider either you meet the edge of the window hard rubber of soft. Hard rubber is designed to last on the opposite side. Overlap your longer in the hot summer months. The soft rubber strokes until you reach the bottom is designed to be a supple rubber in cold winter of the windows. Now using your months. If you are taking my recommendations surgical towel, wipe all corners and on handles and channels, then the Unger’s EroTec any mistakes you made and you Rubber will suit you fine. have a clean window.

A good window cleaner will learn from every house. You will build a supply of tools A must for your hand tools is a B.O.A.B. eventually to ensure the best or Bucket on a Belt. This will attach to results no matter what type of your belt and allow you house or glass you are cleaning. to keep your T-Bar and

Once you have decided to squeegee at your side when clean windows as a service, you need. The added benefit it will open up many more is you can keep water in it so opportunities to you. So take it you don’t have to waste time one window at a time and take running up and down to the advantage of your hard work, bucket. There are four or so increase your profits and enjoy models to choose from. I recommend Unger’s more time and freedom with Bucket on a Belt as it will hold to squeegees family and friends. and a scraper.

That’s what we are all after right?

Next issue, we will talk about how water fed pole systems can further increase your profits!

There again is several to choose

Levi Bradley is the owner of from but by far the best choice CIWindowCleaningSupply, which sells is blue surgical towels. These are window cleaning and pressure washing usually sold by the pound but I products and offers product reviews and video demonstrations. To learn more, visit www.CIWindowCleaningSupply.com.

BOAB

Towels:

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53

Steve’s Inspirations

All your life you have heard “as you sow, also shall you reap.” Then the computer people came along and made it completely negative when they said “garbage in, garbage out.” But the good news is when you put the good stuff in you will get the good stuff out! That’s what Pressure Cleaning Contractor Magazine is doing, putting the good stuff in! So lets get this ball rolling and fill our minds with the good, positive and prosperous!

Your Input Determines Your Output

by Steve Stephens

“You are where you are because that is exactly where you want to be.”

The first time I heard that it sounded profoundly wise. In fact, it sounded so wise I started telling everyone everywhere I spoke that they were exactly where they were because that was exactly where they wanted to be.

Then one night in Atlanta, I was desperately trying to find my hotel from the airport, but the roads were under repair. It was late, so I stopped for written directions. I followed these directions precisely turn by turn only to find out an hour later I was 40 miles farther away from my destination.

Now, I was not there because that was where I really wanted to be. I was tired and sleepy. I wanted to be warm and snuggled in my hotel bed. I was there because someone had given me the wrong directions.

Let me switch gears for a moment because I want to emphasize this point. If you’re broke, if you’re despondent, if you’re in debt, if you’re not realizing some of the happiness and fulfilled dreams and success in life that you desire, I don’t believe that

54

is where you really want to be. It could be because you haven’t had the desire to get there, but I believe there is also a possibility that you may have been given the wrong directions. (Now don’t get too comfortable with this thought because I am going to pull that rug right out from under you very quickly.)

Who is to Blame?

No matter where we are in life, we are not going to be blaming others. When we blame others or even ourselves, all it does is fill us with bitterness, anger and resentment, which makes it difficult to focus on the more important issue: the future.

Instead, we should accept responsibility for our own future because regardless of what the past has been, I believe what we do today can make that future absolutely magnificent!

Some years back, we were literally robbed by a computer. A couple came by and told us this machine would do payroll, taxes, sell books, schedule speaking engagements, make coffee, clean the kitchen and take the dog for a walk. I was so proud of this computer. I was telling everybody everything this computer was gonna do.

Now about four months after I bought it, I was downright defeated and that computer was for sale. You talk about a fouled up affair. We had just been robbed! We were over billing some people, under billing some people and simply not billing some people.

You can’t imagine how upset some of our good clients were when we tried for the third time to collect the same bill.

I said to my staff, “Get rid of that piece of junk even if we have to give it away at a huge loss. Fortunately, we could not sell it.

Now I say that because eventually the

computer became worth thousands more than we paid for it. What was the difference in the computer we hated and the computer we loved? Well…let’s just say the first man I had running the computer could have fouled up a two-car parade. As a matter of fact that’s what he was doing.

Then one day a lady came walking in our front door and said, “Mr. Stephens, I can make that computer of yours laugh.

I can make it talk. I can make it whistle. Why, Mr. Stephens, I can even make it… work.” I told her to come on in.

Not too many months later I was in the back talking to that computer and it was laughing, talking, singing and it was working! On many days, one of our staff members would press one little button and that thing would work all day long. And it did good work too!

Now what in the world did they do to make such dramatic difference? We changed the input! When we changed the input, we changed the output.

So, What’s New?

Why everybody knows when you change the input you change the output, right? Oh, but I disagree. Perhaps everyone has heard it 10,000 times, but most people do not really know it.

See, you can memorize things but still have no earthly idea about what they mean.

“Change the input you change the output.”

I’ll guarantee you before we finish this series, you are going to understand clearly what that means.

You see, the truth of the matter is you and I want exactly the same things.

You want to be happy. You want to be 55

healthy. You want to be secure. You want to be reasonably prosperous. You want to have friends and you want to have peace of mind.

But let me ask you a question. If those are the things you really want on a regular basis, then why are you not daily planting happy, healthy,

56

prosperous, security filled friends and peace of mind thoughts into your head?

Let me stop and say I realize that life sometimes gives us difficulties that are out of our control – illnesses, losses, unexpected catastrophes. But even with those, we can control how we choose to face them.

That said, most everything you have is a direct result of choices you have made and actions you have taken. So if you want to change what you have and what you are, you have to start changing some of the input into your mind. Because you see if you keep feeding your mind like you have been feeding it, and if you keep on taking the same actions you have been taking. In short, if you keep on doing what you have been doing, you’re gonna keep getting what you been getting!

How many of you have gone to a movie and laughed? How many have gone to a movie and cried? Do you think it is because they have put something in the seats or is it because they put something on the screen, which went in to your mind, which affects the way you are going to perform? You see, when you choose the input in your mind, you also choose the output in your life!

If we want to be happy, healthy, secure, have friends and peace of mind, if we want to be at least reasonably prosperous, there are a couple of things we need to understand.

We need to number one understand you are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind, and you can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind.

Something I will always emphasize is you will never hear me say that it is easy; because life is not easy. Life is tough. But when you are tough on yourself, then life is going to be infinitely easier on you.

For over 25 years I chose to weigh over 190

pounds. I say I chose because I have never accidentally eaten anything. When I choose to eat too much today I have chosen to weigh too much tomorrow. If I choose to get drunk tonight then I have chosen to feel miserable tomorrow. If I choose to light up a cigarette today I have chosen to die 14 minutes earlier than I other wise would have died.

A few nights ago a young man walked into a Subway restaurant. I have never seen a human being so badly mutilated on purpose.

This kid’s hair looked like the Governor’s pardon got there just as the warden was plugging in the chair.

What is wonderful about the United States is we are free and have the right to look anyway we want. I would have literally gone to war and fight for that young man’s right to look exactly like he does. You bet I’d fight for his right! But, I still wouldn’t give him a job!

The reason is simple. I would have to spend most of my time explaining this fella to my clients and so would you.

So what am I saying with this example?

When that young man chose to look that way, he chose to eliminate 98% of all employment opportunities.

I am not saying it is right or fair but, with my age showing signs of gray and loss of hair, I am saying that’s the way it is. We could debate right or wrong and waste valuable time or we could choose to win the war. By winning the war I mean choose the good. Stand up for what’s right. Keep your mind pure and company good. Guard your eyes.

Have you ever watched a program that left you feeling empty or like you had witnessed an actual murder? Are we getting it yet? Have you witnessed an event or movie that made you want to shout for joy? That’s the feeling to shoot for! Those feelings will actually be conducive to making the proper choices!

My utmost desire for you is to make the right choice today so tomorrow you will be counting your blessings and your money.

Then perhaps you can say I chose to be rich in family, friends and business today because of the choices I made in my life yesterday. I look forward on continuing this segment in the next issue!

I highly suggest watching the short but powerful video to gain a clearer understanding of the truths I’m sharing.

– Steve

http://www.thestrangestsecretmovie.com

www.thewcra.com

57

Association News

PWNA Update

The PWNA is an organization that represents contractors in the power qashing industry.

We represent all power washers, from aerospace cleaning, concrete cleaning, kitchen exhaust, wood restoration as well as everything in between.

Our purpose and reason for being is to provide our members leadership and direction in four important areas: • Education • Networking • Conventions • A Voice for the Industry

We are excited to announce one of our most ambitious and beneficial educational programs

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we have ever created: the Certified Contractor program. To raise the level of professionalism within our industry and to increase the profitability of our members, we have created the following certification programs: • Concrete Cleaning (flat work) • Fleet Washing • House Washing • Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning • Roof Cleaning • Water Reclamation • Wood Restoration Throughout the year at different Round Tables a number of these certifications will be available to PWNA members. Certification courses will also be available at several locations across the country and at the PWNA annual convention. Set yourself above your competition and get certified in your field of power washing.

2011 Round Table locations include: • Atlanta, Georgia • New Orleans, Louisiana • Easton, Pennsylvania • Lexington, Kentucky • Myrtle Beach, South Carolina • Orlando, Florida • Ft. Worth, Texas • Phoenix, Arizona • Los Angeles, California

We will announce dates and details as they become available.

Editor’s Note: We welcome updates from all industry related organizations. If your organization has something to report, please send the information to pccmagazine@live.com.

UAMCC Update

The United Association of Mobile Contract Cleaners (UAMCC) is the only association composed of, run by, and run specifically for power washing contractors.

The UAMCC believes that no other segment of our industry can better provide contractors with the tools needed to be the best contractors we can be. These tools include a unified voice to address the authorities with jurisdiction over our daily operations, a network of fellow contractors and meetings and online forums for discussion, and inter-discipline information exchange with experts from the past, as well as those working in the field today.

Our contractor members are shareholders in the association, and are able to add whatever value they wish, while garnering the benefits that come with membership. We are able to meet online in a real-time basis to discuss industry events and developments as they happen, and to plan our response, as members, and as small-business owners. Because we are run for contractors, by contractors, members can be sure that the association is looking out for their best interests.

When environmental regulators hold hearings to discuss regulating us, and to ensure our compliance with the Clean Water Act, the UAMCC can be there. We have member experts at our disposal who have been part of these sorts of discussions before, and who have been or are still power washing contractors themselves. The best management practices we have garnered from around the country are based on exactly these kinds of interactions, and we continue to hone that expertise, so that we can stand ready to speak up for contractor members around the country. The UAMCC is ready to help contractors shape the ways we are regulated, to ensure they are fair, and make sense. We want to be good stewards of our environment as well as of our members’ interests.

We are assembling a program to certify our members’ awareness of the best management practices for each of the various power washing

disciplines. Experts from each field have been discussing those practices, with a special emphasis on avoiding controversy, while seeking systematic, easily-practiced methods that have been proven through long experience to work well, and safely, while complying with all regulations. These certifications should begin to be available in the coming spring.

Whether your business is mostly fleetwashing, wood restoration, kitchen exhaust cleaning, flatwork, building washes, etc., the UAMCC has members in your field working to ensure that we contractors are not drowned out in discussions that will affect our businesses.

We also have joined with other businesses to make benefits such as insurance, cell service, equipment rental, and others more easily available. We are forming bonds with at least two state universities to provide expertise as we search for ever improving methodology not only for cleaning, but also the other aspects of operating small businesses.

We provide real solutions to some of the most basic problems faced by contractors daily. That is the reason for associations of all stripes; it is why there is a UAMCC.

The UAMCC is contractors working together to move our interests into the foreground of discussions that will have an impact on our incomes. By forging a tight network of contractors willing to pull together, we who do the business of power washing daily will have our voices heard by the authorities that regulate us, by the companies who provide our equipment, and by the members of the public who are our customers.

The UAMCC knows that contractors have what it takes to run an organization to represent our interests, because we are those contractors. We network together to exchange ideas and to hone our craft. We speak up for ourselves, with a loud, clear, and intelligent voice. We pull together so that we all can do better in our businesses while safeguarding our environment and educating our customers.

This is why we are all proud to be UAMCC.

To learn more, visit our website at www.uamcc.org.

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F inding B alance in Y our A

s with any trade, contractors entering into the pressure cleaning industry usually have one primary goal in mind: to make money and LOTS of it.

This is probably the most common reason why pressure-washing contractors join the rank and file of this industry. Obviously there is nothing wrong with making money. This is why you are in business, right?

A contractor’s success is often measured by prescribed benchmarks passed down from one generation to the next, the most common of which is how much money do you make? The formula has always been that money equals success. The other is how busy are you. If a contractor is busy, then the old cliché is that they must be successful. And if a contractor is busy seven days a week from sun-up to sundown, then obviously they are making great money – right?

I

The Rat Race of Success?

magine having a five-year business plan that yields a tremendous growth surge so great that the only way to accomplish it is to place everything else in your life on hold.

For instance, with the increase in business comes an increase of sales calls, which all must be answered within 24 hours. Once answered, you must then schedule the estimates. You must also some time aside at night to keep 60

by Carlos Gonzales, New Look Power Wash

your company’s web presence in the forefront for your customer base and to answer emails from customers that opted to not call you during the day.

If you are a one-man operation, you obviously will need to finesse your washing schedule in order to make time to actually perform the work that was booked from those sales calls. If you hire employees, you’ve got to train them, which will take a good chunk out of a workday, so plan accordingly.

Phone time with your distributor is a must in order to keep the chemicals/soaps stocked.

The phone time with your distributor also affords you the opportunity to ask technical questions about the “rattling noise” you hear on your rig when it is in operation. For some of you, if your rig goes down then you are nonoperational at least for the next 24 to 48 hours at minimum.

Then you must make time for marketing.

Your time is spent creating and proofreading your marketing fliers/postcards in between answering all the sales calls and the estimates that you just scheduled.

In the past, you were able to make bank deposits every Friday, but today you just cannot seem to make it to the bank until after it is closed because you literally have a thousand other priorities going on with the success of your business.

In between this fast operation tempo, you may manage to give your spouse a call on

the phone to let her know that you will not be able to make it to your son’s little league game or your daughter’s dance recital again as promised. You offer up a sincere and heartfelt apology not only to your spouse but more importantly to your child who is obviously upset that you will not be there – again.

You had every intention to make it this time when you left for work that morning, but as luck would have it a customer frantically called at the last minute saying the stain you applied yesterday was not the right color! Before you hang up with your wife, you mention that you will not make it home for dinner either.

Has this been your routine lately? Do the demands of your business and the priorities associated with it overshadow the very reason why you are in business of pressure washing in the first place?

What is Your System?

B

usiness growth and the effort that is required to manage that growth can be a pleasant experience for a pressure washing business owner. As your business grows externally (i.e, sales, marketing, increase in contracts), you must ensure that your internal business infrastructure (i.e. employees, managers, sales team) is also growing to compliment this external growth.

It is highly recommended that your business plan not only speaks on “systems,” but more importantly, that you understand the action on your part to place the right people into your business so that the “systems” in writing can turn to “systems” of reality.

As business owners, we often overlook the infrastructure portion of our business plan by diverting our attention on only how to get our phone to ring. When this happens we find ourselves running our business in what is commonly known as “catch up mode.”

This means that no matter what time of the day it is, you are behind schedule or in catch up mode because your systems still lay dormant.

In conjunction with just being behind schedule every day, we also unconsciously run a very high risk of losing out on the joys of spending quality time with our family and loved

ones as described in the example above. Does this sound like you?

T

Who is in Charge?

here is good news. Today you are empowered as the owner of your business to stop this madness cycle and take control of your business instead of letting your business control you.

The first step in regaining control of your business is arriving at the understanding and belief that constant business growth is not necessarily the only indicator to success. As a pressure washing contractor with a family, you owe it to your significant other and children to ensure that the growth of your business does not constantly overshadow the simple things in life that everyone in your household needs and wants.

A

Who ME??

s a business owner, you have the luxury and the ability to scale back your time in the field in order to make the time to give your family the attention they deserve.

Why? Because you are the owner and the BOSS. That is right: YOU call the shots on the day-to-day operations, as well as the operation tempo of your day will be like.

If your systems action plan has only been written down but never implemented, then you run a very high risk of burning yourself out very quickly. This, coupled with the mental peer pressure from your significant other that you have not spent quality time with your family in the last four to six months, make it plausible that one day you may wake up and realize that you do not enjoy pressure washing.

Instead of starting your pressure wash season with only the purpose of making as much money as you can, could it be feasible that you

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approach your pressure wash season with the mindset that your business and family will sustain a “balance” throughout the year?

Oh the joy of seeing a young boy’s face light up when he sees BOTH parents sitting in the bleachers to watch his little league game in the middle of the afternoon. Or the smile from earto-ear when a young daughter happily jumps into your arms because you came to pick her up from school.

Establishing the right systems in your pressure-washing business takes time and ultimately some trial and error. It is ok if you do not get it right even after several attempts, but be mindful and confident that you will get there eventually. Managing the growth of your company may even mean temporarily not growing at all until you are able to find the right individuals who posses the skill set your business needs to take it to that next level.

Time To Reflect

If you find yourself in the middle of the pressure wash gauntlet today, take a moment and reflect on what is really important in your life on your terms. Ask yourself why you became a pressure-washing contractor in the first place? Was it because you and your family wanted the freedom that you could not obtain working for someone else? If so, where is that freedom today?

Take inventory on how your time away from the family may be viewed by your spouse and your children today. If making money at all costs is what drives you, then congratulations on your success.

If you seek that balance between pressure washing and family, remember that you are empowered to be in control of your days. One of rewards of being a business owner is that you have the ability to keep any schedule that you wish.

I personally know a pressure washing contractor located in Kentucky who has carved out a pretty decent pressure washing business. One of the keys to his success is that he manages his business verses letting his business manage him. It is not 62

uncommon for him to be out riding his Harley in the afternoon or taking his beautiful family to a local restaurant for an early supper on any given day.

This is a prime example of how one pressure washing contractor has taken advantage of why he is in business in the first place. It is ok to enjoy life! I do not know how much money he makes a year but I would guess that he, along with other pressure washing contractors who have mastered this balance between work and family, is probably one of the richest guys in the industry and has very little if any to do with the size of his bank account.

Let’s Go Out for Dinner

So as your phone continues to ring off the hook and you are attempting to be superman for all your customers all at one time, stop and asked yourself whether or not it is really all about the money? If so, continue on your journey and you should be applauded for your sacrifice. If not, I am sure you would be superman to your family, at least for a night, when you show up at the house unannounced to tell them you are taking them out to dinner!

Carlos Gonzales is the owner of New Look Power Wash, a pressure washing company that provides services in California. To learn more, go to www.newlookpowerwash.com.

A Tale of Two Power Washers

by Dan Galvin, Success in Power Washing

Now, this story is not about just two particular power washers, but more a story of two different groups of power washers.

I want so much to change this industry into a well respected profession that people will look up to and not think of us as some guy with a pickup truck, a box store pressure washer and a couple gallons of bleach. However, to my surprise, the biggest challenge I have found is ourselves and the way we think. Change your mindset and you will change your life.

I talk to one group of power washers and they say “if I could only make $500 or a $1000 a week I would be doing ok.” Doing ok? Why would anyone want to just do OK? And $1000 a week, they should be like the second group of power washers and saying, “wow, I make a $1000 a day easily in this business. What a great business to be in.”

You know the old saying “give a man a fish he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish he will eat forever.” Well, the first group of power washers seem to just want to be given a fish so they can eat for a day because they say that the fishing pole is too expensive and they don’t want to buy it, so they will go hungry for a couple of days until someone comes along and feeds them. That’s got to be one of the stupidest ways to live but I see so many power washers living that way all the time.

The second group of power washers took the time and money to invest in themselves by educating and training themselves. They went out and bought that fishing pole so they don’t have to rely on someone else to feed them.

That’s why they are the power washers that are achieving the six and seven figures.

I hope by now that you know that I am not really talking about fishing or a fishing pole, I am talking about marketing and the way power washers look at marketing.

Marketing is a mindset that only a handful of power washers have and they are the ones that are easily making the six and seven

figures. The lack of marketing mindset is when you misunderstand what marketing and selling really is and that lack of marketing mindset will kill your business.

Here is a real life example. It was last October during the PWNA 2010 convention in Columbus, Ohio. Steve Stephens was the keynote speaker, he is a brilliant and awesome guy that spent more than an hour with the whole group talking about marketing mindset. At the end of a really good presentation that was filled with fantastic to the point tips that anyone in the audience could take back with them and use immediately in their power washing business, Steve promoted his book The Pressure Cleaning Bible - Marketing .

In this book you will find 30 years of Steve’s life experience written in plain easy to read text that has everything a power washer could want in a book. This book contains thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of information and like I said, this book has everything power washers could use to improve their businesses.

So at the end of his speech Steve offered his book, which he should have sold for at least $1500 or more, for a crazy low discounted price of $25 to all of the PWNA convention attendees. I wish I could say that I was first in line, but all the power washing millionaires ran up and purchased the book before me.

Why were they first in line? I mean these guys already make over a million dollars a year and some of them make multi-millions of dollars. Why would they buy this book? They don’t need it. They have already succeeded in the power washing business. Why would they waste their money?

I will tell you why. Because they have the marketing mindset. They know that if someone takes 30 years of their life 63

experience and packages it into a book or product that you can learn from, you would be a fool not to purchase it.

The thing that kills me, besides a good blow to the head, was that there were a huge percentage of people that did NOT buy Steve’s book. These are the guy’s that are waiting for someone to throw them a fish because the fishing pole is too expensive. These are the guys that are going to complain that they don’t have any work this week and can’t pay their truck payment.

Change the way you think and start living the way you always wanted to. The first thing you need to do right now is to take action and order Steve’s book today. I am not making any money on this and Steve did not even know I was going to write this. This just my strong belief that we as a group can improve our industry and maximize our profits.

Go right now to www.stevestephens.biz and order your book, because if you don’t, you may be waiting a long time until someone throws you your next fish.

You may be wondering, “Hey Dan, I thought you were the Power Washing Marketing Mentor and had you own marketing products. Why

are you promoting Steve Stephens’ book?”

That’s a great question.

The truth is, in marketing there is no magic pill you can take to make you a million dollars over night. You need to learn from any and all people and materials you can get your hands on. Not everyone learns the same way, I will learn different than you will on many things. However, if you can just learn one tip, trick or step that will save you time and money, Steve Stephens’ book will pay for itself a hundred times over.

Go right now www.stevestephens.biz and order Steve’s book, because the better each one of us becomes, the better our industry becomes and besides, I like Steve and think very highly of him.

I am going to leave you with a quote that I have used before and you can also find it on page 117 of Steve Stephens’ book The Pressure Cleaning Bible - Marketing. “To become successful you must be a person of action. Merely to ‘know’ is not sufficient. It is necessary to know and do”

Dan Galvin is owner of East Coast Power Washing and founder of www.SuccessInPowerwashing.com.

“Steve’s book is one of the best I have ever read. I want to say thank you for bringing this book to my attention. Eveyone that has a small bussiness needs to read this book.”

– Larry Hildreth, Dirty Deeds Power Washing “I received my copy of the book last night and am already 140 pages in. Already, the time and money it’s saved is more than I could have fathomed. The $30 I spent on this book has already been saved ten times over just in what I learned last night.”

– Davron Bowman, Pressure Washing Plus

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