Social Networking

I have been busy the last couple days getting knee deep in social networking. I have been working hard on my LinkedIn page creating a company page, creating a group for Canadian Window Cleaners, and trying to connect with other window cleaners and current and former customers, friends and colleagues. I am also learning how to use Twitter properly and the etiquette that they expect.

I certainly think that all this work I'm doing will in the end bring some dividends in terms of more traffic, more phone calls, better SEO and less of a chance that my customers lose my info and lose touch with me.

I have followed Rob Young's sage advice and made sure that I always have a signature that has all my information. I thought I did. But when I checked my signature I realized some information was missing. You should make sure that all social networking has all the necessary info filled out, including your website, phone number and other ways to connect with you.

It certainly is a time wasting endeavor. Hopefully the time will be an investment and not a waste.

Now I have to go back to the urgent matter of preparing my books to send to my accountant to do my taxes. I hate doing that.

Mike Polsky
647-409-8144
http://mmwindowcleaners.com

Google Adwords

 

I have used Google AdWords to help draw more people to my site, and hopefully get more phone calls and sales.

My initial experience has been one of disappointment. It's challenging to create an ad that will get many people to "click-thru". As well as creating a good ad you must use correct adwords that match what people enter when wanting to find your company.

I'm committed to getting my click thru ratio high because it is all part of my plan to get my phone to ring off the hook. I want to massively increase my revenue and get many more stores, condo units and residential houses.

I understand that Google advertising is optimal since you are finding people that want to use you, rather than distracting and annoying people that have no interest in your service.

My click thru ratio is a dismal 0.1%, but I have managed to double it to 0.2%. According to Facebook discussions a good CTR is between 2 and 4%. I would love to get to that point, get more sales and greatly increase my Google spending.

I have bought Adwords for Dummies, and I'm trying to implement the suggestions of some information online.

 

If you have any suggestions for me, feel free to email me

mike@mmwindowcleaners.com 

647-409-8144

http://mmwindowcleaners.com 

 

 

Updated Working As A Subcontractor

Working as a subcontractor

Working As A Subcontractor

I wanted to speak about something that could really add a nice income stream to your business. Subcontracting. Many janitorial companies in particular, don't want or don't know how to properly clean windows. Many are very eager to work with a window cleaning company to clean windows for their clients. They may be happy because they may have turned down window cleaning jobs before, but now, they can have someone they trust clean the windows, and they can make a tidy profit on it.

Also, if you think about it, many jobs are locked out of reach. Janitorial or cleaning companies have the contract to clean the windows, and no matter how much we try, it may just be out of reach for us. So working with janitorial companies, or property managers opens up a huge new market for commercial window cleaning.

I have worked with several janitorial companies over the past year. One janitorial company I have cleaned a restaurant for. Another has me clean some insurance office windows. Another had me clean payday loan centres, And one had me clean a condo sales office. Generally there are two kinds of companies, serious business owners who charge good prices, and are reaping the benefits, and ones who charge very little and are working like dogs. I have worked with both.

The important things to deal with when you work with companies is this. Provide a pay period that they must pay you by. For example due on receipt or due in two weeks. You deserve your money, and don't stand for not getting paid til the customer gets paid. Let the contractor manage the risk, that will be a large weight off your back.

One cleaner that I worked for took one whole year to pay me. Thankfully it was a tiny amount, but it really shows that you must clearly state payment terms, which I did, and be on them persistently for payment.

Try to put things in writing, even if it's just an email. For each new job you bid on send an email outlining what work you will do, and how much you will charge. Often terms are forgotten and arguments or misunderstandings may arise.

Don't feel that you need to cut your prices. I have charged decent prices, and the contractor was still able to put a decent cut on top of it.

Good communication is key. A janitor doesn't think like a window cleaner, and he might not understand your pricing, what work is involved, or other issues.

An advantage of working as a subcontractor is that you may get jobs that you may not get through your marketing efforts, or you may not be allowed to bid on.

Of course, janitors are not the only people you can work with. You can subcontract for property maintenance companies, national service companies, even other window cleaners. Any window cleaning job where the customer is not yours is subcontracting.

So, in summary. Set payment terms, communicate, put things in writing, and don't cut your prices if you don't have to.

Just recently I've added another company to the janitorial companies I deal with. It's an initial clean, that is decent money. I'm going to do the initial clean on Tuesday and we are going to sit down for coffee that day and talk about cleaning all the buildings that he cleans. He called me based on a referral from a client I serviced last year so it also shows the power of referrals.

Currently I only clean for several cleaning companies. In fact I can count them on my hand. However, I would like that part of my business to explode so that I can diversify my revenue quite a bit and not be too dependent on any one aspect or customer. I plan to call up janitorial companies and see if I can meet with them and make arrangements to provide quotes.
Thanks for reading my blog. If you are in the Toronto area, and want your windows cleaned. Call me. I am the Toronto Window Cleaner. 647-409-8144

What every window cleaner hates

Yesterday I pulled up to a gas station to clean their convenience store windows. When we parked we saw that there was a bucket and a pole and clean windows. My heart dropped. I went inside and stood in line to see that a tall man in his forties with brown long hair, a scruffy unkempt beard and eyes that looked like he was sleep deprived or a drinker or drug user was awaiting payment. I asked for the owner but he was on holidays so I spoke to the assistant manager. She is a nice women who always gives me a Tim Horton's coffee (they have Tim Horton's there sorta like Dunkin Donuts but better). She is very nice.

I spoke to her and asked what was going on. Well, a few weeks ago this man gave the invoice. He said he works for me. He gave her a small invoice, whereas mine is a nice Quick Books computer printout, 81/2 by 11. He just said they changed the invoices. I have no idea why she paid him in the past with a different price, a different invoice, and he is a scruffy scary looking guy, whereas I may be scary because I'm tall and have a deep voice. But I'm clean shaven and I try to dress neatly.

I charge her $20+tax whereas this guy charges $10 no tax. He didn't even want payment, he wanted a $10 worth of gas for his old beaten up unlettered Cargo van. He had a another guy with him that looked like it might be his brother who was just a scruffy looking.

I made clear to her that he doesn't work for me, that they are still under contract with us because they haven't cancelled. And furthermore we have been doing the windows for months.

I told her not to pay him. 

She said there was nothing that she could do, we had to wait for the owner to return. But strangely enough she still paid him, sounds like she still has some authority.

He cleans several other gas stations of the same company, but he may just be lying for all I know. And he said that the owner got him to do the windows.

So either I lost the job and they forgot to tell me, or this guy is an impostor, otherwise the owner would have told her about the change.

In any case it's a very small job so it won't hurt me to lose it, but it was maddening.

I did feel like emptying his bucket or doing something, or at the very least threatening him to never return. However I'm a professional and no good comes from revenge or getting even it would just reflect badly on me. Besides this guy could probably beat me up.

I will have to speak to the owner when he gets back and see what's going on.

This occasionally happens to me, but it's fairly rare, usually I'm told on the phone or in person that they are cancelling for someone cheaper I don't remember the last time that I had a situation like this.

Check out my website at http://mmwindowcleaners.com
647-409-8144

Fly by Night

Yesterday I was cleaning windows at a customer of mine that I have had for some time. He said your competition has been around. He has been getting a lot of people asking him would he like his windows done.

I charge $20+tax to clean his windows. It's a pretty quick job with maybe 6 or 8 small windows that I clean. It might take me 5 minutes to clean his windows.

The "competition" was offering to do his windows for $5.

I asked him why do you stick with us to clean your windows? After thinking about it for a moment, he said. Well first, holding the invoice in his hand he said, you give me an invoice, all others would just do it for cash. At least this is tax deductible.

Secondly he said that after cleaning his windows they would not return for a long time. They would only return when they need money.

So there you go, I was able to retain my customer in the midst of heavy "competition". He was willing to pay me 4 times what others were offering, simply because I always provided invoices, and I was reliable offering scheduled servicing. I was not a fly by night window cleaner.

I take many things from this. First it's always enlightening to know why the customer keeps you. It is often far different than what we may think. So always ask. Secondly price is not everything, If this customer only cared about price I would be gone a long time ago. Thirdly it is beneficial to run your business professionally, people do care about getting an invoice.

By the way, Rush is one of my favourite bands.

Want more info? email me at mike@mmwindowcleaners.com
Visit my site: http://mmwindowcleaners.com
647-409-8144

Marketing with Other Service Professionals

Today I had the privlege of doing cold and warm calling with Victor a printer and toner salesman. He sells printers and cartridges and also services them when needed. He is well liked and has two hundred and fifty accounts.

I moved out to Bowmanville where Victor has lived for many years. We both attend the same place of worship so he graciously offered to help me find accounts in Bowmanville and Oshawa.

Today for the first time I canvassed with another salesman. It was quite the fun experience. It was far more encouraging and easier.

He introduced me to his clients who were very friendly and took my card. That is what I call warmcalling. Victor simply said this is a friend of his who has moved to the area from Toronto proper and is looking for some clients. It worked well. WE only visited about 5 or 6 places and of those I have two serious prospects. That is quite something, often when I cold call I have to make several dozen visits or calls before I get a serious inquiry.

We are going to plan to do this again. Speaking in person to existing customers is very valuable since the clients are warmer and they trust you more quickly. I am likely to get jobs that I wouldn't normally get since they may only choose a window cleaner who is recommended by their friends.

On an encouraging note a pizzeria owner called me. I had left a quote and card a couple months ago, and she wanted me to come biweekly to clean the windows. She was happy with our work and is now a new client. It restored my faith that leaving business cards works at times, I was starting to think that it was pretty useless since I seemed to get little response from even serious people that took my card but for one reason or another never called me back

Are you looking for a reliable Toronto Window Cleaner. Call Mike, 647-409-8144

mike@mmwindowcleaners.com
http://mmwindowcleaners.com

Useful Window Cleaning Sites

Useful Window Cleaning Sites

 

Are you looking for worthwhile sites to improve your marketing, your expertise and to improve your business?

If you are a window cleaner you are in luck. There are many valuable Facebook groups, websites and mailing lists that will help you take your business to the next level.

 

But remember, the real problem is whether or not you will actually use the information. Many people may spend a lot of time or money to learn marketing, or how to improve their business but then put off or don't actually apply what they learn. What a waste. Apply what you learn, take a chance, implement the strategies you learn from this website and from others.

Here are some websites and resources I have found valuable.

 

Window Cleaning Resource. A discussion forum, A window cleaning store, how-to-videos, and even a marketing association, all under one roof. An amazing resource that will help you to find window cleaning equipment, learn how to window clean, and learn from experienced window cleaners how to overcome challenges 

 

Don the Window Cleaner Blog. Don Marsh is a great inspiration to me. I love watching his videos since he doesn't hold back any info from his viewers. He is not concerned about holding something back, thinking his competition is going to imitate him. His videos are very motivating. I don't agree with everything he says, and I probably price higher than he does,

Don's YouTube Channel. Here you can watch all of Don's videos. Not all of his videos are about window cleaning, he is heavily involved in local and national politics so there are some political videos there too. I stay neutral on politics by the way.

National Window Cleaning Directory is a great forum too. It has mostly died, but in its archives there are great discussions. Before the advent of Window Cleaning Resource it was much more active.

 

http://www.window-cleaning.net/aboutwcn.htm. This is the Window Cleaning Network, run by Gary Mauer. It has some good discussion through email. The strongest discussion in this group revolve around the International Window Cleaning Association, a sort of boring to myself. And Fabricating Debris which is a very important issue.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/windowcleaners/. A great group in Facebook with lively discussions about all things Window Cleaning. Ask to join. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/129112985412/. Karl Robinson's Facebook group where all window cleaning news is aggregated and compiled. I'm not sure how he gets all the news, but I appreciate it as do thousands of others.

Here ishttp://robinson-solutions.blogspot.com/. This is Karl Robinson's Blog with all the fantastic news from around the world.

 

Kevin Dubrosky is a very successful window cleaner and marketer who has helped many window cleaning business including myself implement strategies to improve profitability and advertising. Kevin's Marketing site is essential, even if you are not in the cleaning business.

http://kevindubrosky.com/ 

 

The Good Life Window Cleaning. Paul McQuillan's website devoted to improving the marketing of your window cleaning. Paul has many good suggestions, and I actively read his website and his discussions on LinkedIn.

I apologize to any I may have left out. As time goes by I'll update this post with new resources that will help to bring your business to the next level.

Thanks For Reading My Blog. Feel free to give me a call for window cleaning or any advice.

Mike Polsky

647-409-8144

http://mmwindowcleaners.com

info@mmwindowcleaners.com

 

 

Classic Repost: Are you getting paid?

Are You Getting Paid

One of the most pressing problems in running a small business is getting paid promptly. In a business like Window Cleaning there are a number of customers that pay immediately. And when your focus is on cleaning houses, you might get paid right away nearly all the time.

How do you get your customers to pay in a reasonable amount of time? Many business suffer, while they are doing a lot of work, a lot of their money is tied up in accounts payable, and people taking weeks or months to pay. That really drains your business, and could stop you from running a profitable business.

Let me share a couple ways that I keep my accounts payable under control. Perhaps you can implement these suggestions for your business.

State Terms

It is important to state at the beginning what you expect in terms of payment. The time that you expect payment, for example, on receipt, or 30 days. Be clear, state upfront what you expect in regards to how and when you get paid.

For our company, I always say due on receipt. I expect payment promptly and I don't automatically give them 30 days to pay. I expect them to take my invoice, and on the day that they usually write cheques, within a few days they will write the cheque and mail it to my office.

In a few cases, I do allow them to take 30 days to pay, but I usually don't state that so that I still keep a fire under them to pay faster.


Keep Good Records

There are many programs that permit you to keep your business organized and to create invoices and monitor accounts payable.

I use Quickbooks Professional 2012 for my small business. It keeps everything organized for me, my banking, invoicing, payment, and accounts receivable. With the click of a mouse I can see how much overdue an invoice is, I can easily email reminders, copies of the invoice and so forth. If you aren't organized you can't easily catch those who are taking too long to pay.

I also use an accountant to keep my sanity! Some things are just too complicated and time consuming for me to handle.

Remind them

After 14 days I remind the customer by email that we haven't received payment. I don't at that point say it's overdue, but I say in a nice, kindly written email that we haven't received payment and we are reminding them. I write down the invoice number and date too, and email them another copy of the invoice.

After 30 days, I email them, saying the invoice is overdue, that our terms are payment due upon receipt, and ask them to mail the cheque immediately.

If we still don't receive payment, I call them personally, in the rare instance that that doesn't work, I pay a personal visit.


Does this work?

Most of my customers pay very quickly. You are the one to state payment terms, don't shy away, dont cower. It's perfectly normal and reasonable to have strict payment terms and very few are going to question it.

Remember, it's your money (more or less). It's not rude to ask for your money to be paid to your business in a timely manner. By all means be reasonable and kind when reminding customers, but as the saying goes the squeaky wheel gets the grease, if you are not asking for your money, you may be the last business to get paid.


Thanks for reading my blog.

If you are in the Toronto area and want your windows cleaned, call me, The Toronto Window Cleaner at 647-409-8144

Check out my website

http://mmwindowcleaners.com

What do customers say about you?

What are your customers saying about you?


Have you ever asked your customers why they use you? It's a simple question, and the answer only takes a couple minutes. It can be asked casually in conversation, or you can put it in writing too.

I have been guilty myself of not asking that simple question. It reveals a lot about how you can sell your services to new clients, what customers care about, what angle of your business you can market, and what other window cleaners are not paying attention to in their marketing, hopefully.

What did my customer say? Well, he said that they were very impressed with my window cleaning, he said that we were efficient, we were flexible, able to come on short notice for specific time periods, to clean the windows for important head office visits. He said he had an issue with us regarding our workmanship once, but we quickly resolved it and it hasn't happened again.

Those comments really made my day. They made me feel happy and positive about our work and the company we are.

So do yourself a favour ask your customers what they like about you.

Hopefully, they will have something positive to say. Of course they will, and you will learn.

Do you want to check out our website. Go to http://mmwindowcleaners.com or if you are advanterous you can click mmwindowcleaners.ca

Or call me 647-409-8144

The Window Cleaner: Money, Money, Money? Are you getting yours? How to get paid quickly.

The Window Cleaner: Money, Money, Money? Are you getting yours? How to get paid quickly.

Training Employees

Do you like being a teacher? When we are teaching someone to window clean or perform any skills for us in our small business, we are the teacher. So, how can you go about teaching someone to clean a window, or do any other mechanical skill?

Well, I find that teaching someone in a very slow motion is good. Window Cleaners use an "S" technique or a swirl technique. And it is very hard to do if you show someone fast. But if you show them the motions in very slow motion, and have them go slow and not rush they will get it very quickly.

Don't feel the need to critique everything. Not everything they may do is wrong. Everyone has their own way to do things, and sometimes what they do is better than what you are doing now.

Catch major errors early, and stop them from forming bad habits that will be very hard to stop later.

Most of all be fun to be with, give sincere commendation when warranted. And encourage, and patiently work with your employee.


I remember when I was learning piano as a child. I had a teacher who yelled at me when I made mistakes. It didn't help, I just froze up, and was more likely to make more mistakes.

One of the major reasons why I stuck to window cleaning was that my employer patiently trained me. He didn't yell, he didn't make me feel bad when I messed up, he was very patient, because I was a very slow learner.

So be kind, be patient, commend where possible, work and teach in slow motion, and use whatever instructional videos that have been produced.

As it says in the bible book of Luke "A pupil is not above his teacher, but everyone that is perfectly instructed will be like his teacher."

Money, Money, Money? Are you getting yours? How to get paid quickly.

Are you sitting on a mountain of unpaid invoices?

I wrote before on the importance of getting paid. I make sure that after just 2 weeks the majority of my customers that haven't paid an invoice that is aged 14 days get a friendly reminder letter.

I have found that this has sped up payment for me and enabled me to have more cash flow and less uncollected invoices.

Another important thing to do in your small business is to make sure that you have created all the invoices for all the work that has been done, and not delay in emailing or mailing the invoices.

Today, I was surprised at the hundreds of dollars of work that I have not billed going back to Dec 2011. I was wondering why my business bank account was leaner than usual of late.

So, very simple things to do to keep your cash flow healthy is to remind customers after two weeks to pay your invoice and to make sure all invoices have been created and are sent to customers quickly. Remember you have a right to your money. You don't need to apologize for that.

Get More Homestars Reviews

Get More HomeStar Reviews


My last post spoke about using HomeStars to find a reliable contractor. And as I said I used HomeStars to find a good duct cleaning company. Canaduct had hundreds of 10 star homestar reviews. So with that info and checking their website I was sold.

I hired them in large part due to HomeStar reviews. I wondered how they were able to get hundreds of reviews. A couple days later I found out, with this follow up letter.

Now tell me is this a good follow up letter? Would you use it? Any criticisms?

Here it is:

Hi Michael,
I am pleased that you were satisfied with our recent performance, duct cleaning your home.
I would be most grateful therefore, if you would kindly give us a 10-STAR review on www.homestars.com.  It is important to our company that we continue to have updated reviews, lest we be left in our competitor's dust.
Thank you.

Paul  B***
Air quality and HVAC specialist
Www.canaduct.com
Www.heatingontario.ca
416-410-3777(work)
647-999-7062(cell)


________

I was a little surprised about how forward it was in asking for a 10 star review. But besides that it is a good idea, short, and sweet too.

Give me feedback,

Mike Polsky
647-409-8144
mike@mmwindowcleaners.com
http://mmwindowcleaners.com

Links:
homestars.com
canaduct.com

Using Homestars

Using HomeStars

A few months ago we bought our first house. We are very excited, but as with any new house purchase there are many unexpected and unwanted surprises.

We want to get our ducts cleaned. It turned out that even though this house is 10 years old, and even was renovated the ducts were never cleaned. Imagine the disgusting air that we have been breathing in.

We have never hired a duct cleaning company before, and our friends and family couldn't recommend a good one. So to find a reliable service provider I took to the net and checked out HomeStars. I looked for a duct cleaning company that was reviewed and consistently met or exceeded customer's expectations.

I found a company Canaduct that had hundreds of 10 star reviews. I was impressed. How can a company even have so many good reviews. After looking at their website I gave them a call and booked an appointment. They did a good job, though it was nothing spectacular. I was pretty impressed with all the upselling they tried to do. A good trait for a service provider. And it wasn't done in a pressured or guilty manner. The crews were on time and did good work.

Now why am I bringing this up? Because it's something I want to implement in my business. With using a new company people myself included look for online reviews. Every major purchase I have made I do a lot of research and I spend a lot of time looking for reviews.

For example when I vacation, and we are choosing a resort. I spend some time looking at the reviews of the resorts from people that have gone, and I make my choice on that, more than even the price of the trip. Same has gone for pretty well any major purchase I have made.

So take advantage of human nature. List yourself on HomeStars and put in place a system that encourages satisfied customers to post reviews. Get above just one review like mine currently stands at.


Next time I am going to show you the follow up letter that Canaduct sent me to encourage me to post a review on HomeStars, should I use something similar? You tell me,.

Thanks for reading

Check out my website http://www.mmwindowcleaners.com/ Or call me 647-409-8144

Links Mentioned: homestars.com

Hiring an employee or using a subcontractor

Hiring An Employee or Using a Subcontrator


The time comes in every small business where you don't handle every part of your operation.

Sure, at one point it might seem thrilling to where many hats. But over time, it gets exhausting. Some people choose to do the technician work of their business, and I respect them.

However, I want to focus more on my business and less on the actual work. I love canvassing for new clients, and dreaming about new accounts to add. The actual window cleaning is fun, and I miss it when I don't get out there and clean windows. But at a certain point it distracts me from my main aim. Growing my business.

That is why I have hired a technician to go out and clean my windows. I know, I can't be like some business owners who abdicate their authority and just hope that their employee takes care of things. On the other hand you have to give them a measure of trust and not micromanage.

By implementing methods to track when the work was done, for example getting signatures from each job, or having them also sign a guestbook at certain clients you can track that the work was done. At times you have to visit your clients, strengthen your relationship and make sure the work is being done to your satisfaction.

There are many other reasons to hire someone. Spending more time with family is a very important reason for instance.

So go ahead, hire someone. It should be a qualified person. You should have them sign a well thought out contract. And never abdicate your responsibility to service the client and monitor the work.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog. If you are in the Toronto area and want your windows cleaned call me at 647-409-8144. 

Keep your competition close

There is a saying to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Although a few of your competitors can be your enemy, not all of your competition is, in fact many are not.

My Toronto window cleaning competitors include some good friends and acquaintances, We respect each other, although we do get jealous of each others successes. Especially when they are ahead of us on Google.

Some we have got to know on window cleaning forums, and from there we built up a friendship and trust. And others I have known because many of my friends are window cleaners as well. Because they treasure the flexibility and good pay in the field.

It's good to keep in mind, especially in a service business that there is more than enough work out there for everyone. There is an infinite amount of windows to be cleaned. No one company can clean everyone store and house out there.

Not every business owner has the same focus of his business. In my industry, some prefer to clean stores and commercial, whereas others love cleaning residential and despise commercial. Some do add ons to their regular work, which I will not mention what they are in this post. They serve niche markets and at times make much more than window cleaning.

Keep Your Competition Close

Many times I have used my competition to pass on jobs, to have them do a job under my name. They have also been kind enough to pass on work to me often without expecting anything in return.

They have proven to give me honest and reliable advice when I needed some help with pricing, dealing with employees and subs and their compensation, and common issues in window cleaning.

Of course, you always keep some info to your self, and don't let them know every business strategy that you are planning to implement, but sharing business knowledge is far better than keeping things to yourself for fear that they may copy you. To learn and to grow you do need to share some of what you are doing now and learn what they are trying as well.

Why am I saying all this? Well today, three of my competitors, two - who I do business with who work for me on certain jobs - met up. We enjoyed a burger and fries with them. We shot the breeze, talked about window cleaning, the industry, our marketing, some of our goals and needs, and what we wanted to accomplish in 2012.

So go ahead, have a coffee with your competition. You do of course have to use common sense, take your time to get to know someone, and not give away your "secret" recipe, but sharing information and knowledge with a trustworthy and kind competitor may help you to grow and thrive in the window cleaning field, or whatever field you are in.

I'm not saying there are not unscrupulous or dishonest competitors in your field, so use your head. But there are likely many honest, decent people that are just trying to make a living for their family, that would love to sit down and have a coffee with you. You can learn a lot.

Do you want your windows cleaned? Call the Toronto Window Cleaner. Mike Polsky. At 647-409-8144.

Thanks for reading my blog.