Alright folks there are a lot of new folks here including myself that want to know how did you obtain your first customer? Was it passing out flyers was it a meet and greet with property managers or was it door to door sales etc???
Hank Timmermann said
Aug 20, 2013
My first paying customer was a former neighbor of mine. Here was a guy who seem to dislike everyone in the community based on his actions or lack thereof. I was spraying the roof of my home and shop when I noticed him standing in his driveway, which was up the street. When I finished he started walking toward my home. My first thought was he was going to complain about something. As he got closer he extended his hand to shake mine. His grasp of the english language was terrible but he tried to let me know that he wanted his roof cleaned. He had me follow him home where I met his grandson who explained to me that his grandfather is misunderstood because he doesn't speak English very well and is self conscious of it. I gave him a fair price and he loved the results. Soft Washing breaks down barriers. Although I don' t speak a word of Arabic I have been friends with him since that day. Btw...he is one heck of a cook.
Hank
Alejandro Riojas said
Aug 20, 2013
Hank Timmermann wrote:
My first paying customer was a former neighbor of mine. Here was a guy who seem to dislike everyone in the community based on his actions or lack thereof. I was spraying the roof of my home and shop when I noticed him standing in his driveway, which was up the street. When I finished he started walking toward my home. My first thought was he was going to complain about something. As he got closer he extended his hand to shake mine. His grasp of the english language was terrible but he tried to let me know that he wanted his roof cleaned. He had me follow him home where I met his grandson who explained to me that his grandfather is misunderstood because he doesn't speak English very well and is self conscious of it. I gave him a fair price and he loved the results. Soft Washing breaks down barriers. Although I don' t speak a word of Arabic I have been friends with him since that day. Btw...he is one heck of a cook.
Hank
Hahahh that's awesome to know especially made a new friend from it!
Jeff Thompson said
Aug 20, 2013
My first paying job was a neighbors shadow box fence approximately 2000 sq ft. Clean and seal. Charged him $500.00 and boy did he jump on it. Figured how hard could it be. After all I had great equipment, the right chemicals, read up on how to do it and even practiced. I knew everything there was to know about sealing wood. The cleaning/stripping and neutralizing went great, no problems.....just like they said it would. Then I filled my little pump up hand sprayer from Home Depot and the disaster started to unfold. Went through 5 gallons in 20 minutes and only got about 300 sq ft done. Then I did the math and figured that if I kept going at this rate it would cost me around $1000.00 in stain. All of a sudden it dawned on me not everything I read and was told is the way it is. Scared to continue down the same path I broke out the brushes and started doing the entire fence by hand. Took me two solid days on this old, weathered, pitted, rough fence. Even got my wife involved so I could have it done before they got home from a weekend trip because it was a surprise for his wife. Needless to say my wife was less than impressed.
That's when I decided education is the only way to go, and took classes in everything I offer...and it is paying off. To this day, three years later I see that fence everyday and it still looks good...And i have a good chuckle and shake my head. If I would have only taken that wood restoration class before hand that fence would still be looking good.....except I would have had a whole lot more money in my pocket, plus it would have been done in about five hours ... instead of the two days it took me four years ago.
This is why you will be seeing me in January down in Florida !
-- Edited by Jeff Thompson on Tuesday 20th of August 2013 09:31:33 PM
Alejandro Riojas said
Aug 21, 2013
Jeff Thompson wrote:
My first paying job was a neighbors shadow box fence approximately 2000 sq ft. Clean and seal. Charged him $500.00 and boy did he jump on it. Figured how hard could it be. After all I had great equipment, the right chemicals, read up on how to do it and even practiced. I knew everything there was to know about sealing wood. The cleaning/stripping and neutralizing went great, no problems.....just like they said it would. Then I filled my little pump up hand sprayer from Home Depot and the disaster started to unfold. Went through 5 gallons in 20 minutes and only got about 300 sq ft done. Then I did the math and figured that if I kept going at this rate it would cost me around $1000.00 in stain. All of a sudden it dawned on me not everything I read and was told is the way it is. Scared to continue down the same path I broke out the brushes and started doing the entire fence by hand. Took me two solid days on this old, weathered, pitted, rough fence. Even got my wife involved so I could have it done before they got home from a weekend trip because it was a surprise for his wife. Needless to say she was less than impressed.
That's when I decided education is the only way to go, and took classes in everything I offer...and it is paying off. To this day, three years later I see that fence everyday and it still looks good...And i have a good chuckle and shake my head. If I would have only taken that wood restoration class before hand that fence would still be looking good.....except I would have had a whole lot more money in my pocket, plus it would have been done in about five hours ... instead of the two days it took me four years ago.
This is why you will be seeing me in January down in Florida !
heck yeah I went to the cali softwashapoluza it was great I learned a lot of things I probably wouldn't have figured it out bymyself and I will be going back to the one in Orlando to learn more!!
AC Lockyer said
Aug 21, 2013
My Grandma's roof. Crawled the entire thing on my butt. It was a 7/12 pitch and about 18 squares. That was thousands and thousands of roofs ago.
AC
Ray Burke said
Aug 21, 2013
a church steeple and exterior
Tim Teed said
Aug 21, 2013
I threw. Rock flyers. $1100 roof and siding for a cop. Flyer customers are best because they are less likely to shop prices
John Smith said
Aug 21, 2013
My first was a Lake front resort, 11 roofs. Walked in and talked to him.
Alejandro Riojas said
Aug 21, 2013
Wow guys that's amazing good knowledge being passed on!!
Doug Ford said
Aug 21, 2013
I actually cleaned some of my rental properties. I figured if I screwed up I couldn't call the bbb on myself! ;). Long story but a tried it with a pump up sprayer on a 4 thousand sq ft house with about an 16/12 pitch. Lets just say I barely made out alive. This was pre any kind of pump other than a 2 gallon pump. Yes I was stuuuupid. About 3 years ago.
I use it as my soft washing testimony!
Eric Seitz said
Aug 22, 2013
Popcorn marketing, rock and a post card.
Eric Owen said
Aug 22, 2013
My first roof was from my YP- add it took me 3-full days and it was black,black, tile plus the drive way and pool deck. I got 3- more jobs out my first one those only took one day. All of these homes were 6,000.00 sq ft plus man was I sore!!
Zach Maynard said
Aug 22, 2013
My website was the initial way I got my work in my first year. I would not recommend this as your sole means of getting work!
AC Lockyer said
Aug 22, 2013
Tim Teed wrote:
Flyer customers are best because they are less likely to shop prices
Alright folks there are a lot of new folks here including myself that want to know how did you obtain your first customer? Was it passing out flyers was it a meet and greet with property managers or was it door to door sales etc???
My first paying customer was a former neighbor of mine. Here was a guy who seem to dislike everyone in the community based on his actions or lack thereof. I was spraying the roof of my home and shop when I noticed him standing in his driveway, which was up the street. When I finished he started walking toward my home. My first thought was he was going to complain about something. As he got closer he extended his hand to shake mine. His grasp of the english language was terrible but he tried to let me know that he wanted his roof cleaned. He had me follow him home where I met his grandson who explained to me that his grandfather is misunderstood because he doesn't speak English very well and is self conscious of it. I gave him a fair price and he loved the results. Soft Washing breaks down barriers. Although I don' t speak a word of Arabic I have been friends with him since that day. Btw...he is one heck of a cook.
Hank
Hahahh that's awesome to know especially made a new friend from it!
My first paying job was a neighbors shadow box fence approximately 2000 sq ft. Clean and seal. Charged him $500.00 and boy did he jump on it. Figured how hard could it be. After all I had great equipment, the right chemicals, read up on how to do it and even practiced. I knew everything there was to know about sealing wood. The cleaning/stripping and neutralizing went great, no problems.....just like they said it would. Then I filled my little pump up hand sprayer from Home Depot and the disaster started to unfold. Went through 5 gallons in 20 minutes and only got about 300 sq ft done. Then I did the math and figured that if I kept going at this rate it would cost me around $1000.00 in stain. All of a sudden it dawned on me not everything I read and was told is the way it is. Scared to continue down the same path I broke out the brushes and started doing the entire fence by hand. Took me two solid days on this old, weathered, pitted, rough fence. Even got my wife involved so I could have it done before they got home from a weekend trip because it was a surprise for his wife. Needless to say my wife was less than impressed.
That's when I decided education is the only way to go, and took classes in everything I offer...and it is paying off. To this day, three years later I see that fence everyday and it still looks good...And i have a good chuckle and shake my head. If I would have only taken that wood restoration class before hand that fence would still be looking good.....except I would have had a whole lot more money in my pocket, plus it would have been done in about five hours ... instead of the two days it took me four years ago.
This is why you will be seeing me in January down in Florida !
-- Edited by Jeff Thompson on Tuesday 20th of August 2013 09:31:33 PM
heck yeah I went to the cali softwashapoluza it was great I learned a lot of things I probably wouldn't have figured it out bymyself and I will be going back to the one in Orlando to learn more!!
AC
Wow guys that's amazing good knowledge being passed on!!
I use it as my soft washing testimony!
Just TRUTH there!
AC