In the Window Cleaning Business, It's all About Keeping Your Focus: Proper Focus Equals Success

Hey Folks:

This month, I wanted to talk to you about the benefits of keeping your focus in your window cleaning business.

So what do you say we get right to it? Here we go...

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The benefits of keeping your Focus

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Without beating around the bush, I see a lot of window washers trying to either:

1. work other businesses in addition to window washing hoping something clicks.

and/or

2. offer many, multiple services in addition to window washing.

Let's talk about number 1 first.

1. Working other businesses in addition to window washing hoping something clicks.

This is probably the hardest thing for me to do...keeping focus on one business/one opportunity. Can you relate to that? I think that's a problem with many people.

I mean there are soooooo many business opportunities out there, and they all sound great when reading

about them. They really do. So what do we do when we're surrounded by all these supposedly "great" opportunities?

Well...I used to buy into or join lots of them. But I'll tell you the first thing I did when entering the window washing business. I looked back over the years and analyzed the successes and failures I've had. I knew that window washing was the last stop for me, so failure wasn't an option. The wheels had to stop spinning.

After my little "realty check", it finally hit me like a ton of bricks...

It simply all boiled down to having too many irons in the fire all the time. It's tough to spread yourself out among 2 or more businesses. Not only in terms of time, but in terms of deciding which ones to invest in.

Something has to give, so the end result was nothing really took off. In one time period, I was selling asset protection to high income prospects, servicing a bunch of payphones I bought, and talking to day care centers about buying some personalized books for the little kiddies.

Needless to say, bah humbug on that. And the bank account showed it.

But being a "business start up junkie" required some discipline as my window washing business grew. Whenever a business looked appealing or an opportunity arose, my blinders had to come on. Contrary to popular belief, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

After my initial success of capturing window washing customers, I quickly realized that the profit potential in the window washing biz can be absolutely enormous. Why veer off course and dilute that profit by spending time building or doing another business?

One of the reasons I think I was so intent on forming another business is because of the philosophy of "don't put all your eggs into one basket".

This was drilled into me from a very young age. But here's the thing-windows are NOT going anywhere. We'll have glass forever, and more of it is appearing every day. It's a business that will never dry up and blow away unless people start living in caves. :o)

So I encourage you, regardless whether you're in the window washing biz part-time or full-time, give it 100% part-time or 100% full-time effort. The rewards can be tremendous as I am seeing all across the country from hundreds of my students.

2. Offering many, multiple services in addition to window washing.

This is a killer way to make lots of additional profits on top of window washing profits, but my experience has shown that if you do this BEFORE you've established a certain level of trust with the customer, it'll be much harder for you to accomplish this smorgasboard approach.

At the completion of a window cleaning job is a perfect time to go after the add on business like cleaning ceiling fans and mirrors like I discuss in my manual How to Start Your Own Residential Window Washing Business. But before you even secure them as a customer, it's way too early to bombard them with lots of other stuff.

Just plant a seed. Be subtle about it. The best way I've found to handle it is to use a "leave behind card" after the job is done, and then cement it further throughout the upcoming months, and throughout your entire relationship with that customer by sending out periodic correspondence.

Your little leave behind card could be similar to a tent card that you see in hotels. Inside the card is a listing of your additional services. Or have a flyer made up that details all your additional services and leave that with the customer.

And as far as "future correspondence", below is a letter you're more than welcome to use in case you

want to capture additional business besides your window washing jobs:

Dear John and Nancy:

Thank you so much for the opportunity to regularly

maintain the cleanliness of your glass.

As you may be aware, in addition to cleaning and

maintaining the windows of our ever-growing cust-

omer base, we have recently expanded our services

to include:

--pressure washing

--blind cleaning

--gutter cleaning

--driveway sealing

--awning cleaning

And if you are in need of assistance with anything

else, please let us know. Although window washing

is, and will continue to be, our main focus, our

customers are continually asking us if we do any

additional services, so if we have the knowledge

and tools to get your desired job done for you,

we'll be glad to take care of it. If not, we'll

point you in the direction of a reputable person

or company who can.

Thank you once again for the opportunity to be of

service to you and we'll see you soon for your next

window cleaning.

Sincerely,

Steve Wright

Clearview Window Washing Service

There's a goldmine sitting with each customer if you stroke 'em over the years using the above approach vs. using the one time "hit 'em over the head" approach.

The above letter also serves the dual purpose of keeping your company name in front of your customers, so even if a customer didn't need any additional work done, you'll still benefit from the exposure.

Now I talk about customers above, but what about prospects?

Well...when dealing with prospects, the trust factor definitely hasn't been established yet, so it makes

it an absolute necessity to focus on capturing the window washing job and forgetting about the myriad

of other services you perform.

I mean if you're marketing for window washing prospects, and they respond to your window washing

advertisement, it only makes sense to hone in on window washing, right?

Yet I see a few folks try the "jack of all trades" approach where if the prospect doesn't make a decision to get their windows cleaned after the estimate has been presented, the window washer will immediately turn their attention to service #2, service #3, etc.

I know the theory is that if you offer 10 different services, they have to pick one, right?

Not necessarily.

Too much stuff presented can cause confusion and indecision. People really don't like to make decisions, so too many choices forces them into making a complicated decision. Therefore they don't make

ANY decision.

If you try and push too much down their throat, they may resist, and then you walk away with zilch, nada,

zippo. A lot of income could be lost over the years as a result.

I'm sure you've heard about the saying that goes like this: "Jack of all trades, master of none". That fit me like a glove for years UNTIL stepping into the window washing biz.

As I mentioned earlier, that's when I looked back over the years and wised up, and then instead of

"master of none", it was more like "master of one". The results were extraordinary.

So try it if you don't already. Present your window washing estimate, attempt to close the deal, or through your proper follow up strategy get the deal closed for window washing. Turn them from a

window washing prospect into a window washing customer.

THEN step back and watch your relationship with that new customer turn into all kinds of additional services and jobs, in addition to you raking in the profits by regularly cleaning their windows.

In conclusion, resist the distractions and resist the urge to branch out into other "things". Focus, focus, focus! If you're in the window cleaning business, then BE in the window cleaning business.

'til next time.

Best Wishes,

Steve

Steve Wright is the author of How to Start Your Own Residential Window Washing Business, and has started hundreds of individuals on the path to success in their own window washing business as evidenced by reading what some of his students have said here. Mr. Wright has also developed a revolutionary online web-based system called The Customer Factor to assist all window washing business owners in maintaining and growing a successful business. Using both of these resources provides the one-two punch needed for maximum success in the window washing business. For more information, give Mr. Wright a call at 256-546-2446 or visit either of the websites posted.

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Cleaning Your Windows Like a Professional

What makes cleaning windows so difficult is that we really expect them to be perfect. You don't want to see a streak across the window harming your view of the beautiful sunrise.

Nor, do you want to touch the window frame and feel dust and grime.

Yet, possibly because windows are so important in our lives, we (and our children too!) often cannot resist putting our fingers up to the windows and admiring what lies outside.

The first thing to tackle are the inside window panes and frames. This is often the place you will find grime from fingertips and pets. The frame services as a catch all and often has dust and debris caught inside the window tracks. Finally, the outside pane of the window will often have weather related grime on it.

So, how do you find the perfect solution for cleaning your windows so they look as if a professional did them? There are several things you will need to do.

Home Made Window Cleaning Solution.

First, you need to know what to use to clean your windows. As much as you would like to go out and find some type of chemical that works like magic, the best tool for professional quality clean windows is just plain, warm water.

Add 20 ounces of warm, clear water to a spray bottle.

Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to the water.

Mix well.

If windows are extraordinarily dirty, you can add a few drops of a mild dish washing detergent to them.

Keep on hand old newspapers to dry the windows with.The Best Method for Cleaning Windows.

Now that you have your cleaning solution ready to go, apply some gloves and off you go.

There is no need to worry about having many different chemicals on hand as these just make cleaning the windows more difficult. Remember, whatever chemicals you apply to the window, the more chemicals you will need to successfully remove if you are to have a clean, streak free window.

Start by washing the windows on a cloudy day. You do not want to clean your windows in the rain, but that does not mean you want a sunny day either.

The sunlight streaming through your window will actually help to create streaks on your window rather than help you remove them. Simple sunlight will dry the cleaning solution faster than you can wash it off, so it's very important to avoid this if at all possible.

Next, using a terry cloth to wash the windows, apply the cleaning solution to the windows.

When working on inside window panes, wipe the windows horizontally to clean them. When working outside, make sure to use a vertical stroke for a streak free look.

Then, take some old newspapers, wad them up to wipe and shine your windows. This will help give that streak free shine to your windows. And, you won't waste money on paper towels.

For professional window cleaning tips, read below.

Cleaning Window Frames.

Although many people clean their windows regularly, few take the time necessary to wash the window frames and tracks.

Start with the outside frame. You should use a clean terry cloth to get into all the grooves and between the windows.

If you can, remove the sliding window to provide more access to cleaning the track. You can also use a vacuum cleaner attachment to get out most of the dust that gets into the grooves.

Once you have cleaned the track, wipe down the frame. Make sure to get the top edge of the window frame as well as the sides and the bottom.

If there are smudges, use your cleaning solution for the windows to help remove them. Be very careful getting the paint next to the windows on your walls wet or using too much force in cleaning here as this can damage the paint.

Finally, make sure that you never use anything abrasive to clean your windows or your window frames.

This will cause scratches in the glass or in the frames that will be much harder to clean. For high up window cleaning, call on a professional unless you have a well supported ladder to help you with this project.

Window cleaning is anything but fun to do. Many of us are looking for a few good professional window cleaning tips that we can use in our own homes.

Mrs. Clean is a House Cleaning pro.

We've been cleaning house since 1975, we specialize in professional cleaning services, house cleaning & stain removal tips, stain removal forum, cleaning service directory, and vacuum cleaner product reviews.

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