I would like to cold call a retirement home near me. It is a one story shingle roof, and is 87,000 square feet of roof.
I have devised a plan on how to tackle this job. That is, where I will park during certain sections of the roof, how I will block certain entrances when doing certain sections of the roof to avoid getting overspray on people etc… I estimate it will take around 800 gallons of bleach or so, and I will fill my water tank with bleach and will fill my 65 gallon bleach tank with water and have it hooked up to a water source at all times. This is to prevent constant trips back and forth to my chem supplier, if I can buy 250 or so gallons at a time (tank is 325).
I am planning on going to the Chief Executive Officer and saying something along the lines of: “Hi, my name is Chase and I own an exterior cleaning company, Wizard Wash. I believe the roof could benefit from being cleaned, and I would love to explain how we can get it done and am willing to show you a demonstration on the roof, using a drone to take before and after pictures.” If he sounds interested, I will of course go in depth.
The only issue I see, frankly is my age. I am 17 but believe my trailer build is relatively impressive and looks professional. What are your guys’ opinion on this plan? I have thought about bringing my father, however he knows nothing about this and I feel that could go wrong. And before anyone asks, yes, I have insurance.
Yeah, I think it’s technically 119 gallons, but definitely not the way to go.
Is being 17 a problem? I mean, they may think so, but not much you can do to mitigate that, other than be professional and prepared. Make sure you’re covered insurance-wise to get up there and do whatever you’re proposing.
I think that’s a good first step…you’ve thought most things through, I’m sure you’ll get more feedback from the group other than the SH thing, make sure you have the proper coverages (and let them know that if you approach them). Maybe try to get a smaller project for them to prove yourself, or examples of how you’ve done something similar already (in terms of work, it sounds like this is larger scale, but it just comes down to multiplying days in the end).
Props for starting your own business at the ripe old age of 17! (nice name by the way) Is being 17 an issue? What do you think? They will know your experience is limited right away. But they won’t know you’re 17 until they meet you in person if you are good at conversating. I’m a little more than double your age but I look funny (like a roadie for ZZ Top). They usually don’t figure that out until I’ve already sold the job & delivered the results that make their neighbors jealous. As long as you’re a cool dude that loves to talk shop & you’re always looking out for their best interests & not just trying to make a sale, you’ll do just fine but keep it over the phone or email when you can to increase your odds. That’s where the important stuff happens anyway. Customers are just people at the end of the day & most of them are really awesome folks. Personally, I wouldn’t get too invested in this one project - you’re really just slinging dookie at the wall when it comes to cold calling businesses. If you can convince them the place needs warshed, you still have to convince them why you are the guy to do it, so 2 really steep hurdles there to get over (it’s far from cut & dried even when they call you first). Might be better off putting that energy elsewhere marketing-wise. Phone calls are free to make but maybe flipping more stones would be a better approach if you’re set on it. Lastly, I had a quote request from a similar facility a few months ago. The ‘executive director’ called that shot, not the CEO but surely whoever answers the phone can help point you in the right direction. Focus on building relationships & sales just might commence. Just 2 pennies from a rookie. Nice looking rig dude!
I’ll blab all night on stuff I know (at least a little bit)…commercial, and especially cold-intro is definitely not my baliwick. I’ll market all day long before I walk into anywhere cold…personal pref.
Do you really think the phone idea is better? I’ve always thought face time was better simply because it is much harder to say no, not to mention it is more personal. Yes, my age will hurt me in this instance, but will it hurt me enough to truly make a phone call better? I don’t know.
I wanted to plan this out beforehand, even though my chances of getting this job are slim to none. I feel showing up with a plan and explaining how it can be done increases the odds, and even if I do not get it; I still spent some time planning out what I would’ve theoretically done (which may be useful for when I do actually get a job of this scale.) So at the end of the day I learned something.
Can you go into detail on “building relationships and sales might commence?”
I can’t accurately represent any customer; they are all different / unique. I feel somewhat violated when I receive another EDDM flyer from that one place that is dying to fix my care twice a week. I’d think it’s just seems like an uphill battle to target & pursue a commercial business without coming across as desperate to some degree but maybe someone has had success with it, I don’t know. “You’re extended warranty is about to expire”, they get that call too. You wouldn’t want a desperate mechanic to work on your car, even if he could point out needed upgrades to you at a traffic light. If I took his advice seriously, he’d probably still be the last guy I’d hire to do the job. Maybe cast a wider net & let the phone ring. It takes time, effort & patience. But by all means, market until you’re too busy to market. The most legit leads call me first, so I have no choice but to handle it over the phone, which is a great place to start building a relationship. Make friends with your customers. They’re just people & most of them are awesome. Are you just looking to target this place because business is slow?
Yeah, I was referring to the specifics at hand in the OP…if you’re looking to work more, I’d go with signs, flyers, maybe some PPC ads, and work on your SEO & GMB for the long run. You can always fling flyers in driveways (but mailing them is preferrable), or even door knock and say “I’m in the area and can offer you…” (but make sure they can see your setup for credibility, if poss.). What you probably need is to build that initial base of early adopters who won’t know your age until you’re there to do the work, then probably not realize you’re the “boss” until afterwards. But by then, they’ll be so impressed they won’t hesitate to tell their friends (and don’t be afraid to ask them to, “your literally helping me build my dream”, people love that stuff). There’s plenty of good ideas in here, and even on …Youtube. Unless you’re dead set on commercial, you’re better off with non-facetime marketing right now statistically speaking (if you want to be seen as a legit biz, not the "summer job kid, which it sounds like you do).
Business is steady. That is not the reason I am going for this job.
It has been the business plan from the start to go for commercial work. I started with $5,000 I saved from a pizza place I worked at. Bought my 4 gpm and wheeled it out of the back of a 2001 suburban for a while. However, due to my ridiculously low overhead since I still live with my parents, I have quickly been able to upgrade. I financed the truck through my mom and have been building the trailer since October. The goal was to build to where I am now, so I look like a company (with my trailer build) rather than what @JAtkinson said “the summer job kid”.
I feel now is the time where I need to get my foot in the door. Once I get my first commercial job, I will be able to say “I have cleaned (?) apartment complex” or whatever it may be, which further increases my opportunities.
As you mentioned, I’m going to have to sell WHY they need it. I will offer to do a free section of the roof (very small) out back so they can see the difference. When they are shocked, they will want to do the rest.
Now as far as why I’m the right guy, we’ll that’s where I begin to explain my plan, how I can get it done efficiently without interrupting their normal day to day operations and keeping everyone around safe while I am spraying bleach on the roof where overspray can be an issue.
…Youtube. Unless you’re dead set on commercial, you’re better off with non-facetime marketing right now statistically speaking (if you want to be seen as a legit biz, not the "summer job kid, which it sounds like you do).
