What is some advice on getting the 1st few jobs. I think there is plenty of work in my area but just needing advice on where to get started. I will have my machine ready to go about the middle of February. I know it is still the slow time of year but I dont want to wait until warm weather to get started. I though about going to a few trailer parks just to get some jobs to get started. I know the money wont be as good but they are close together and easy to wash. Any advice is appreciated.
Website and getting it going to me is one of most important.
Business cards. hand them out everywhere.
Home Advisor is hit or miss with most. It may take you a few before you actually get a lead to accept, but its great experience going to the locations and going through the motions of selling your business.
EDDM is also hit or miss.
Having some ad on your auto. (magnets etc)
Wearing around a Jacket or shirt with name/contact info on it.
I ordered signs and business cards. They will be here in a few days. After I get the signs I will take pictures of my truck with the signs and make a business Facebook page. I should have my machine ready to go by the middle of February. Just trying to get everything in order to be ready to start around the 1st of March
Just so you know, I’m down in Asheville, not too far from most points in eastern Tennessee. Please don’t hesitate to call if I can assist you in setting up your machine.
For what it’s worth, I have a 4x6 trailer (that I had my 5.5 gpm unit and buffer tank mounted on) about to go up for sale on Craigslist. I upgraded my setup this winter. It was great for just starting out, as it really made working out of my pickup truck a lot easier.
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Im sure I will have questions. I appreciate the offer. It is nice to be around people who want to help instead of hurting new guys. I never see any pressure washing going on around here. This was one of my main reasons for wanting to get this started. Now I am getting nervous, thinking that the work just isnt here. Good thing is I can travel to work if it comes to that.
I agree with @ 360PowerWashing that a website is number one on the list for getting you work. Don’t get nervous, get busy! NOW is the time to be getting your ducks in a row as far as marketing and stuff for the spring. Building a good website will consume a fair bit of time and it will keep those dark clouds from gathering in your head!
Where abouts in East Tennessee are you? There’s a lot of work to be done in the tri- cities, Knoxville, etc. just make sure your website and other marketing is focused on areas where the work is. If you’re in a town of 17,000, it might be better to focus your efforts on the towns of 75,000, 100,000, etc.
I am in Tazewell, Tn. I am about 45 minutes from Knoxville. 30 minutes from Morristown. 30 minutes from KY/VA state line. What would you recommend as far as a website. Should I get someone to make me a custom one or just go through a site like godaddy or vistaprint
Get someone to do it for you is my advice. I use Hatch and I absolutely love them! They do all the work for me and my site gets me a lot of work.
I would advertise heaviest in whichever of the larger towns are closest to you. Looks like Knoxville and Kingsport are about equal distances from you. Maybe do a landing page in each one?
Also, if you haven’t done it yet, join the PWRA. You will get a free landing page with Hatch, discounts on liability insurance, and a looong list of other benefits.
I haven’t seen Craigslist mentioned yet and it is FREE and if you rotate 7 ads daily you will always have a ‘fresh’ ad each day. It’s been recommended to me to ‘refresh’ my ads TWICE each day between 7-8 AM and 4-5 PM. I get results from all of my ad streams but Craigslist is easily a ‘top two’ stream and the only FREE ad stream. I use Craigslist, Doorhangers, EDDM, Angie’s List, Home Advisor, Website obviously, AdWords, I maintain my profile at about 20 places (from Google and Yahoo! to Thumbtack and Yelp - there are SO many.). Also, I send letters or postcards to my client list, and send every client a snail mail THANK YOU card within 5 days of finishing any job. Right now I’m working on being more deliberate about getting customer reviews as well as their email addresses.Good luck!
Jim BoucherOwner, Pressure Power503-473-5970jimboucher2@msn.compressurepowerllc.com
From: noreply@pressurewashingresource.com
Subject: [Pressure Washing Resource] [Residential] Getting 1st jobs
Pretty much all I see on craigslist in my area is lowballers (customers AND “contractors”) and crackheads working with homeowner grade equipment.
Not knocking you for using CL by any means. What would you say is the percentage of work you get from CL? (A job here and there? Lots of interest, etc)
Your “surface only” business model is intriguing. I love cleaning all the different surfaces (siding, etc) but surfaces are just a blast to clean! Good for you!
At least ten percent of my jobs come from Craigslist. The fact that it is FREE makes it something you can’t ignore. I think many/most people go to my website after seeing and becoming interested via craigslist. The website gives them a more complete picture as well as an impression that you’re legit.
Jim BoucherOwner, Pressure Power503-473-5970jimboucher2@msn.compressurepowerllc.com
Here, Craigslist is filled with the guys looking for beer money.
I had an 3 ads on rotation for about 2 months, and I did receive one call… the funny thing was that it was some lady asking for a quote for literally 1 SQFT of mold that was on her back patio. I told her, “Listen, my minimum is $100, so I recommend just going to Walmart and picking up a spray bottle, and some bleach and just spraying it down”. She ended up praising me for my honesty, but I don’t think I will be using Craigslist anymore.
All the ads here are people saying they will pressure wash driveways starting at like $50 which is so stupid.
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Has anyone had any experience with the free website templates they have on GoDaddy? Seems like a good way to get a website, for business, started, but I wanted to see if anyone’s used them.
Try to find any free avenue of advertising, get the help of friends and family for word of mouth. Offer to do a few neighbors houses. If you see dirty properties, go talk to them with your biz card. Go door to door (if it’s allowed in your area). It’s slow starting out, but persistence & patience will help you. Bunch of good info and guys on here.
Flyers work well to get first jobs as long as its a good sales letter. The foundation is to have an offer. Here’s an offer that works (it would form the headline of the flyer): Purchase a driveway pressure cleaning and get your back patio cleaned for free. That’s the offer. People love to think they’re getting a deal - use the word free. Then get them a little more interested. Something like: According to “Real Estate Weekly” the best way to increase your home’s curb appeal and increase your home’s value is with a brand new looking driveway. Now they are probably a little more interested. Now you want them to desire your service. Maybe say: 3 of your neighbours on Main Street just purchased the driveway cleaning and increased their homes curb appeal and value. Now give them a timeframe to order: Call this number within the next 72 hours to claim this offer.
Summary (further details here: http://pressurewashr.com/pressure-washing-business-how-to-start/)
In the flyer
Get their attention with a compelling offer
Get them more interested with a fact and benefit
Get them to desire your service by making them feel an emotion
Get them to take action and call you by giving a time frame on the offer.
Put all that into a 1-page flyer with a picture of you and your pressure washing gear and deliver it to 200 or so homes in your area.
Of course, businesses rely on customers to stay alive, and customers have to know you exist to make use of your services. You know what this means: Marketing and advertising .
You can go the old-fashioned way with cards and flyers, but why go through all that trouble in this day and age? It’s 2019; there’s the Internet right at everyone’s fingertips. More than anything, what you really need is an online presence. You can get by with just social media, but better to have a website and a listing on Google My Business; this will look much more professional.
We just created this comprehensive guide on how to start a pressure washing business and it is full of golden nuggets - [link removed]
