February 02, 2018 4 Comments
The problem softwashing contractors often face when building their softwashing business is the grinding "churn" of having to constantly find new customers.
Fortunately there is a simple and profitable solution ...
Window cleaners have a great business because customers want them to come back every month to clean their windows. They have a repeat business. And everyone who runs a business knows that repeat business is the best business because constantly finding new customers is both tiring, labour intensive and expensive.
The answer lies in our Benz Bio Cleanze softwash product.
We all know that a first clean often (but not always) needs the rapid cleaning power of Benz Lightning Cleanze to quickly shift the ingrained contamination that is the result of years of neglect. This gives our customers the rapid results most people want and expect.
Then we follow up immediately, or after a few months, with a treatment of Bio Cleanze to give longer-term residual protection against re-colonisation.
But then what?
Most contractors never go back to their old customers. They think they need to always find new customers, spending large amounts of money on advertising and often travelling great distances to do the resultant work.
This ignores a facet of softwashing that we seldom hear talked about: Many customers want their properties kept perpetually clean, just as they want their windows kept perpetually clean.
And Bio Cleanze is the perfect softwash product to offer this service to your customers. This is because, once surfaces have been cleaned from the years of built-up contamination, a relatively quick and simply spray with Bio Cleanze is all that is required to keep the surfaces permanently clean.
This means that the hard work you put in during the first clean does not have to be repeated. Simply capitalise on the "Spray & Go" nature of Bio Cleanze, which requires no rinsing and is fully biodegradable, and you'll have a simple, easy and profitable softwashing business.
To keep your customers happy for several years – and have a nice flow of money into your bank account during those years – simply offer an ongoing softwash maintenance programme using Bio Cleanze.
Now let's be clear here. We are not suggesting roping your customers into a written legal contract. Realistically a simple verbal agreement is all that is required. A written contract, apart from being unnecessary, would likely put most customers off.
Patios and paths are the easy "low hanging fruit". They can repeat every 6-12 months, especially given the damp, warm winters we are experiencing and the subsequent rapid algae growth.
Even walls and roofs can be put on a maintenance programme, although the time span of the repeat will be more like 2-5 years. This may at first seem too long to run a repeat business ... but think about it.
If a contractor makes a note of when they clean a property and stays in business for 5 years, at the 5 year mark they will have a database of "warm" prospects to offer their services to. And assuming the contractor did a good job, those customers will welcome the renewed contact.
Quick Tip: Obviously people move house, so make sure you leave your business card and/or leaflet with your customer and ask them to add it to the helpful information pack they pass on to the new owners.
But if not set up at the start, and the contractor calls back (when of course, the customer will not be expecting them) the customer is highly likely to think the contractor is just trying to con them out of more money. Consequently the success rate of the contractor's canvassing will be greatly reduced.
This is a very, very important – and highly profitable – bit of sales psychology. This simple principle, of setting up your customers to expect a call from you at some point in the future (timing determined by the nature of the work), will pay dividends for as long as you run your softwashing business.
You'll find that when you carefully explain to your customer the reasons why you will be calling back, so they understand the benefit to them, they will welcome your call when the time comes.
You'll find that a small amount of time invested in explaining the reasons and benefits of why your customers should accept your maintenance programme in advance of your call-back is infinitely more effective than spending hours attempting to explain later.
Cheers,
Ben, Leo & Fiona
December 05, 2018
Hello Ben, Leo & Fiona,
I came across your sie while surfing the web for soft washing info. I did not need to search any longer. Your insightful web pages got me so absorbed that I am 3 hours past my bedtime… have an early start in the morning rain. Rain is no longer an excuse when soft washing with Benz.
Have been cleaning windows, carpets… for almost 20 years. I am always looking to add services to my business and now I have found it. I am ordering all of your products to trial them.
Do your product work on solar panels and what would be the procedure?
Speak soon.
Frank
07881 807 990
February 03, 2018
Glad you found the info helpful Colin. Yes, as you say, it’s largely a question of working “smart”.
February 02, 2018
Thank you I found your insights really helpful and encouraging. I am keen to build recurring income as smartly as possible.Please keep sharing your nuggets of wisdom Ben, Leo and Fiona.
Colin
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April 01, 2021
We recently tested – just out of curiosity – some old Tornado Cleanze that was nearly two months past it's best-by date. We wanted to find out how long it could be stored for and still produce effective results. And stored badly at that ...
Want to know what happened? (the results even surprised us)
Click the link on this page to find out ...
March 11, 2021
Cleaning caravans and mobile homes is an excellent soft washing market.
The process is simple and straight-forward. And cleaning several on the same day can be highly profitable.
Click the link on this page to learn more ...
March 04, 2021
Huge thanks to all our customers for your loyalty in making Benz your softwash product supplier of choice. We appreciate the fact that so many of our trade customers come back to us week after week, month after month, year after year.
And by way of practical appreciation, we've decided to no longer pro-actively seek domestic customers for our products and will not knowingly sell products to the customers of our trade customers, i.e. those who want to play around with d.i.y.
Click the link on this page to continue reading ...
It's a free resource for people wanting to learn about the soft washing industry, to expand an existing business, or build a new business.
Soft washing reduces, or even eliminates, the need to use high-pressure washing.
Instead, once the build up of algae, lichen, fungus, moss and mould – the root causes of properties looking "dirty" – has been treated, the natural "self-cleansing" of sun, rain and wind removes the surface residue through time.
By educating the cleaning trade and public about soft washing we are helping develop an industry that offers sustainable treatments to clean and maintain exterior hard surfaces.
Subscribe to our free trade tips blog to download your "Professional Soft Wash Contractors Pricing Guide".
The free guide shows you – step by step – how to easily, quickly, and accurately create softwash business quotes.
This saves you time, is a highly professional approach, and increases your chances of winning new contracts.
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Leo
December 05, 2018
Hi Frank. Thank you for your very positive comments. You can find the info you want on cleaning solar panels in another Trade Tips post. Just copy and paste this link into your browser: https://www.benzsoftwash.com/blogs/trade-tips/clean-solar-panels