- Never book work without a deposit.
- Make friends with your competition.
- No good deed goes unpunished.
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Sorry, off topic from original postā¦ butā¦
Any pointers on how to do that? Iād love to do that but I honestly only see one or two other WC trucks around but never get a chance to introduce myself.
Pick up the phone and say hi!
Iāve actually become good friends with a lot of my competitors that I would have never met in the field. In fact, the owners of this site right here were competitors back in the day!
Also, showing up at industry events is great for networking.
Give them a call! Or if you see them working, making a pit stop to food, take the time to go introduce yourself.
Youāll know quickly if 1) They are interested, 2) level of knowledge
Did that the other day. Saw the competitions truck next door to where we were working at. Walked over and introduced myself. Come to find out heās not really my competition anymore. Heās into fixing up rental properties that him and his brother own. Walked me through the property showed me what he was working on. Lots of tools in his truck but none were for window cleaning. Said he couldnāt make a profit profit cleaning windows. I know he wasnāt charging enough.
With that said hereās my list:
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Your worth more than you think you are, charge more for your services.
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Listen to the little voice in your head. Heās usually right.
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Schedule time off to have fun even if itās the busy season. The dirty glass will be there when you get back. If itās not go find some more, itās everywhere.
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as far as making friends with competition, a fellow window cleaner friended me on facebook and then invited me to breakfast with two other window cleaners. a good time was had by all and we met again last week.
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My ācompetitionā and I are working together AND passing each other jobsā¦
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Iād like to piggyback on [MENTION=3135]diamondridge[/MENTION] Lesson 1:
I really think itās worth it to have the extra man power.
[B]1.) I never want to be undermanned/falling behind- I always want to be in āSeeking Workā mode.[/B]
Itās my job to find work, and in turn I want to be ahead of schedule on current work.
When Iām behind, I back off the search (its natural) and am willing to pass on incoming inquiries.
OR I jack the prices up to the point that āitās worth it.ā
Some will look at that last part and say āoh yeah, thatās good.ā
- itās not.
I want to be consistently seeking and completingā¦ at an even level.
[B]2.) I DO NOT want to be the best window cleaner on my crew.[/B]
I nitpick my guys work with the promise that I will ALWAYS tell you the reason Iām suggesting something,
and never ābecause I said so.ā
My job is not up for grabs, and I donāt want yoursā¦ there is no competition, I just want the [I]best I can train[/I] around me.
[B]3.) Think about winter in the summer in the winter.[/B]
- Iām terrible about this, I keep the weather channel on DVR and will randomly watch 0Āŗ forecasts when Iām hot and bitchy.
and throw on a 90Āŗ in February.
Just to remind myself how quick and how different things will be.
It keeps me pushing when Iām slammed
and gives me hope when Iām dead.
(I ended the streak at 56 days, took this past Sunday off [MENTION=38575]FastFanner[/MENTION] )
I dont buy that! Once I started a winter glove post in june and you were not happy at all! lol
1- Work will always be thereā¦take time for yourself or with familyāTime gone wont come back
2- Be prepared when going on a jobā¦nothing looks more unprofessionnal when you tell the Customer I got to come back cause im missing something
3-Honesty n Hardwork pays off
great thread [MENTION=38575]FastFanner[/MENTION]
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Donāt assume you have nothing to gain from associating with your peers in the business because āyou already know everything there is to know about window cleaning/pressure washing etc.ā you donāt. rub shoulders with the guys who are fighting the same fight you are.
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Donāt get too high, donāt get too low. this business (or any business, for that matter) can be a real roller coaster. Elation and excitement can literally turn to discouragement and hopelessness overnight. Always strive to hang onto that 10,000ft view of your situation so you donāt give up when itās sucking or do something irrational with a pile of cash when youāre rolling.
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Decide what your endgame is from day 1. If you have no vision for your business it will always be a rudderless ship. And the longer you go that way, the harder it is to commit to any kind of solid longterm plan.
Professor Frank Zappa business lesson(s):
I also learned that the glass donāt lie.
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Send them a few jobs if you can, then call them up and say hi.
Make sure you have a good grasp of the currency in the Country you are working in.
Especially if you take a sales call on Facebook while drinking Rum late in the evening.
Theres a HUGE difference between 7500 pesos and 750 pesos.
Cannot blame it on a typo if they say Wow, are you sure?
And you say Yes, Maāam!
My Word is my Bondā¦
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- Donāt waste time on social media.
- Donāt waste time on social media.
- Donāt waste time on social media.
- Been said a couple times. Save for winter.
- Save for and pay your taxes
- Make sure that all of your book work and accounting is done by the end of the week. Dont wait
Great info for newbies hereā¦
Are my posts getting through?
