Which Pressure Washing Service Should I Choose?

It may come as a bit of a shock to you but there are many different types of pressure washing services that you can choose from depending on the type of service that you are looking for.

Yes, the days of just hiring a pressure washing contractor to perform all your pressure washing tasks are long gone.  Not too long ago you were able to hire a pressure washing contractor to wash your house, strip your wood deck, pressure wash your roof, clean your gutters, stain your wood deck, pressure wash your driveway, seal your back patio and wash your dog all at the same time.

The pressure wash industry has evolved today in which contractors offer a specialty service or services that may include only washing your roof and sealing it.  Or just stripping your wood deck and staining it.  Over the years individual contractors have perfected methods where they have excelled in a particular service and offer just that service as their core service for their business.  Here is a listing of some of the specific services now being offered by the pressure wash industry:

• House Wash
• Gutter Cleaning
• Roof Washing
• House Washing and Window Cleaning
• Driveway Cleaning
• Sidewalk Cleaning
• Concrete Patio Pressure Washing and Sealing
• Driveway Sealing
• Paver Cleaning and re-sanding
• Paver Sealing
• Wood patio/stain stripping
• Wood patio staining or restoration

As you can see from the list, there are many specialized services that you can choose from.  Contractors have mastered several of the above items on the list above so that they can offer a suite of services all at one time to their customers.  It makes sense to know how to seal stamped concrete after you pressure washed it.

For example, our company New Look Power Wash does not restore wood decks.  We have attempted in the past to warm up to idea of stripping and staining wood decks but never made it beyond the thought of doing it.  Though we feel there is a huge market in Northern California today for wood restoration I just can’t overcome the thought of investing in the necessary time to this particular service today.

As one contemplates which service you are looking for, consider what you need to have pressure washed and find the contractors that offer this service.  One example I can use for this is that a pressure wash contractor that specializes in driveway sealing does not necessarily posses the expertise for wood restoration and staining and vice-versa.  It may be safe to say that if a contractor is capable of pressure washing your house then he runs a very good chance in possessing the knowledge to pressure wash your sidewalk.  However it is always good to ask what specific services a pressure wash company offers and then take it from there.

An individual company’s website should have their services listed on their site.  By doing so will give you a good indication initially of which company you should contact to ask them to bid on your project.  Always feel comfortable in asking any contractor to show you his/her work and also to explain the steps they use in to clean your property.  Depending on the size of the job a demo from the contractor may be in order and it would not hurt to ask if they could do a demo for you.  It is our standard practice to offer FREE demos to any commercial client in California.  In conjunction with this we also offer FREE estimates to any residential customer.

Pressure Wash service areas include San Francisco, Oakland, Pleasanton, Emeryville, Richmond, San Pablo, Hercules, Vallejo, Petaluma, El Cerrito, Folsom, Lafayette, Cathedral City, Clayton, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon, Winters, Davis, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Suisun City, Stockton, Pittsburgh, Pleasant Hill, St. Helena, Walnut Creek, Oakley, Benicia, Danville, San Ramon, American Canyon, Orinda, Berkeley, Napa, San Rafael, Petaluma, South San Francisco, Rancho Cordova, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Lodi, Stanford, Monterey, Bodega Bay, Carmel, Redding, Livermore, Fremont, Fresno, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, Modesto, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Hayward, Elk Grove, Sunnyvale, Visalia, Roseville, Daly City, Antioch, San Mateo, Clovis, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Alhambra, Chico, Citrus Heights, Livermore, Alameda, San Leandro, Calistoga, Campbell, Tracy, Merced, Atherton, Auburn, Belmont, Belvedere, Brentwood, Brisbane, Burlingame, Albany, Point Richmond, Rio Vista, San Jose, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Mill Valley, Burbank, Palo Alto, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Hayward, Rancho Cordova, Los Banos, San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Contra Costa County, Solano County, Alameda County and Napa County.

Hire a Pressure Wash Contractor

So you are finally looking for a qualified pressure wash contractor to perform the necessary task of applying his or her knowledge to provide pressure washing services to your house or place of business?

The likely hood that your house, building or sidewalks are pretty dirty right now and you need to get them clean, right?  Customer often wait until the outside of their building or house is either covered with algae or the dirt has accumulated so much over the years that the building itself has turned into an eyesore.

As with every significant purchase you make for the upkeep of your property you will want to make sure that the pressure washing contractor that you hire has the necessary credentials that ultimately qualify them as a legitimate pressure washing contractor.  Beyond the business license and proof of insurance you will want to make sure that the contractor has an acute understanding of what needs to be cleaned and how it will be cleaned.

It has been my experience over the years regardless of the locale i.e. Napa, San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento, Los Angeles or San Diego that the consumer has little knowledge if any of what we as pressure washing contractors really do.  One particular customer in Walnut Creek made a comment that all I do is play in water all day long.  I guess one could surmise that this is indeed true however there is many ‘things’ that we do in order to ensure that our pressure washing services are the best in California.

Picking the right contractor to perform the pressure wash services you desire can be difficult when you do not know what questions you need to ask.  As mentioned before at minimum you want to make sure that the “pressure wash” contractor is truly a legitimate pressure washing business in the first place.  As a consumer you will want to make sure that the contractor does indeed have a business license and most importantly carry the correct and enough insurance that specifically covers pressure washing as part of their company policy.  Pressure wash contractors that do have the necessary credentials often proudly display them on their website.  In our case, New Look Power Wash is fully insured and a pressure wash vendor for the County of Solano, the City of Fairfield and the State of California.  In conjunction with this we are also a certified Small Business with the State of California.  Often times other trades that claim they perform pressure washing services do indeed have insurance and will tell you that BUT the may not be insured for pressure washing.

Questions to Ask

Once you have found a few legitimate pressure wash companies to bid on your project, don’t be afraid to ask them exactly how they intend to clean and remove all the dirt and algae from your residence or place of business without damaging the actual surface.  Here are a few questions to ask as you try to decide which company you will hire:

• What procedures do you use to clean?
• Do you use cold or hot water when you pressure wash?
• Do you use any soap? If so, ask for the MSDS sheet for it so that you may read exactly what they are putting on your building or sidewalks
• Will the soap hurt my plants?
• Will the algae reappear?
• What equipment will you use to clean my back patio or sidewalks?
• Can the contractor guarantee that they will be able to get the surface clean?
• Ask for references if you wish to speak to another consumer about the contractors work.

These questions along with some that you may come up with will hopefully enable you to make the right choice in hiring a pressure wash contractor.  As you are interviewing the pressure wash company determine which company you feel will back their services up unconditionally should something go wrong on the job.

The Almighty Dollar

Pricing does play an important role if not the deciding role in determining who you hire to perform the services.  However do not let pricing be the only reason you choose one contractor from the next one.  Qualified contractors charge for their services because they have spent many years testing what works and does not work on different surfaces relating to pressure washing.  Entering into the pressure wash industry as a contractor is relatively easy but being a qualified contractor does require knowledge and experience in the field of pressure washing to properly perform the services the correct way.

Pressure Wash service areas include San Francisco, Oakland, Pleasanton, Emeryville, Richmond, San Pablo, Hercules, Vallejo, Petaluma, El Cerrito, Folsom, Lafayette, Cathedral City, Clayton, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon, Winters, Davis, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Suisun City, Stockton, Pittsburgh, Pleasant Hill, St. Helena, Walnut Creek, Oakley, Benicia, Danville, San Ramon, American Canyon, Orinda, Berkeley, Napa, San Rafael, Petaluma, South San Francisco, Rancho Cordova, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Lodi, Stanford, Monterey, Bodega Bay, Carmel, Redding, Livermore, Fremont, Fresno, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, Modesto, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Hayward, Elk Grove, Sunnyvale, Visalia, Roseville, Daly City, Antioch, San Mateo, Clovis, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Alhambra, Chico, Citrus Heights, Livermore, Alameda, San Leandro, Calistoga, Campbell, Tracy, Merced, Atherton, Auburn, Belmont, Belvedere, Brentwood, Brisbane, Burlingame, Albany, Point Richmond, Rio Vista, San Jose, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Mill Valley, Burbank, Palo Alto, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Hayward, Rancho Cordova, Los Banos, San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Contra Costa County, Solano County, Alameda County and Napa County

Staying Committed to Your Business Plan

Starting a business is easy. Anyone can start one. Keeping motivated and committed is what sustains it and keeps you ahead of the pack. It can be tough to do, especially when things are not going so well. Following are some tips to help you in your quest to keep committed:

1. Set realistic and measurable goals. Without doing this first step, there is really no reason to continue. If you want to create a business that’s there for the long haul, make sure you know exactly what you want to do and how soon you expect to do it.

2. Keep your goals in mind. Remind yourself what you want to accomplish. Dont let the mundane daily tasks keep you from your vision. You might find it helpful to write down these goals and put them in a place where youll see them on a consistent basis.

3. Be flexible. The best business plans are the ones that are adaptable to a changing marketplace. Make sure your goals and methods can easily be changed if conditions call for it. Most of all, you must be willing to change. Don’t forcibly squeeze yourself into a one-size-fits-all hat when there may be other options if you keep your eyes open.

4. Stay persistent. The flexibility mentioned previously is important, but so is a level of persistence. Dont be so quick to bail on a method if it doesnt produce immediate results. Some marketing techniques, such as search engine optimization, can take months before seeing the fruits of your labor. Stick with these types of techniques until you are positive it will never be of benefit to your vision.

5. Keep it interesting and fun. Try to make your pursuits an enjoyable task. You probably started a business with the idea of being your own boss. This should be a motivating factor as you move forward. Even if it is slow to grow, at least you are not  answering to anyone but your customers.

6. Surround yourself with supportive people. It much easier to stay committed to something if you have a good circle of people on your side, whether they are investors, friends, family, or even customers. Remember that most people that are critical of your business likely work for someone else and thus has no right to do so.

7. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Most people get into a small business thinking they can do it all themselves. This is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Starting a business is a huge undertaking and its normal to require help. Doing it on your own might seem like it would be more rewarding, but not if it takes too much time to make it successful.

8. Review your accomplishments. If you are having a bad day or feeling like you are not getting anywhere, look back at all you’ve done since getting started. Write it down. By the time your are finished you will probably be surprised at all you have done. Keep this list handy and keep updating it with new accomplishments. Eventually all this work will probably lead to more profits.

9. Expand your horizons. Try to find ways to enhance your current products or services. Look at your competitors to find out what they are doing differently. Always be expanding your mind and your business will likely follow suit. This type of effort can also keep things more exciting.

10. Most importantly Stay positive. A positive attitude goes further than you think and can be a great help in keeping you motivated. This goes for both your business and your personal life. Treat each disappointment as an opportunity to learn and grow in order to do it better the next time.

Pressure Wash service areas include San Francisco, Oakland, Pleasanton, Emeryville, Richmond, San Pablo, Hercules, Vallejo, Petaluma, El Cerrito, Folsom, Lafayette, Cathedral City, Clayton, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon, Winters, Davis, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Suisun City, Stockton, Pittsburgh, Pleasant Hill, St. Helena, Walnut Creek, Oakley, Benicia, Danville, San Ramon, American Canyon, Orinda, Berkeley, Napa, San Rafael, Petaluma, South San Francisco, Rancho Cordova, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Lodi, Stanford, Monterey, Bodega Bay, Carmel, Redding, Livermore, Fremont, Fresno, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, Modesto, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Hayward, Elk Grove, Sunnyvale, Visalia, Roseville, Daly City, Antioch, San Mateo, Clovis, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Alhambra, Chico, Citrus Heights, Livermore, Alameda, San Leandro, Calistoga, Campbell, Tracy, Merced, Atherton, Auburn, Belmont, Belvedere, Brentwood, Brisbane, Burlingame, Albany, Point Richmond, Rio Vista, San Jose, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Mill Valley, Burbank, Palo Alto, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Hayward, Rancho Cordova, Los Banos, San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Contra Costa County, Solano County, Alameda County and Napa County.

5 Things To Do ONLINE Before August 2010

Visit Your Business Plan – Read up on your business plan and determine whether or not you are on track in achieving your short term and long term goals.  Are you making the money that you projected in your financial forecast?  If not, adjust accordingly and determine what part of your business plan fell short and revise it.

Organize Your Inbox – It can be a daunting task, but purging your email inbox can help you avoid missing deadlines, appointments and neglecting customer issues.

Read An Online Article – There are tons of relevant articles on the net that specifically cater to the needs of small business owners. These articles offer up free tips on how to improve your business.  Topics range from budgets, cold calls, customer service, SEO, marketing.  This list goes on and on.  A good start would be to just  Google “small business advice”

Optimize Your Video for Search – Google’s search rankings give added weight to Web video, which means you should always look for ways to optimize.  Here are eight tips on doing it right http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/search-engine-optimization -for-video.html

Online Classifieds – If you are not advertising your pressure wash or window cleaning service via online classifieds then you are hampering your company exposure.  The most common and popular online classified website submission is Craig’s List.  To learn more about how easy to submit FREE online classifieds just follow the link.  http://vodpod.com/watch/2825641-classified-website-submissions-organic-search-engine-optimization-seo-cc

These five things are just a few of many “actions” that we in the cleaning industry should do repeatedly online every couple of weeks in order to keep our business visible and ranked online.

Best of to you as your continue to grow your business

Pressure Wash service areas include San Francisco, Oakland, Pleasanton, Emeryville, Richmond, San Pablo, Hercules, Vallejo, Petaluma, El Cerrito, Folsom, Lafayette, Cathedral City, Clayton, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon, Winters, Davis, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Suisun City, Stockton, Pittsburgh, Pleasant Hill, St. Helena, Walnut Creek, Oakley, Benicia, Danville, San Ramon, American Canyon, Orinda, Berkeley, Napa, San Rafael, Petaluma, South San Francisco, Rancho Cordova, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Lodi, Stanford, Monterey, Bodega Bay, Carmel, Redding, Livermore, Fremont, Fresno, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, Modesto, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Hayward, Elk Grove, Sunnyvale, Visalia, Roseville, Daly City, Antioch, San Mateo, Clovis, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Alhambra, Chico, Citrus Heights, Livermore, Alameda, San Leandro, Calistoga, Campbell, Tracy, Merced, Atherton, Auburn, Belmont, Belvedere, Brentwood, Brisbane, Burlingame, Albany, Point Richmond, Rio Vista, San Jose, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Mill Valley, Burbank, Palo Alto, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Hayward, Rancho Cordova, Los Banos, San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Contra Costa County, Solano County, Alameda County and Napa County.

Pressure Wash During A Natural Disaster

 

 

Over the years the pressure washing contractor has explored many ways to market their services to almost every imaginable opportunity out there.  It may come as a surprise to some but pressure washing after a natural disaster could very well be the next frontier for our industry.  My experience with working in natural disasters areas are two fold:  I spent many days and nights as a firefighter on the fire lines protecting homes and business’s from fast moving wild land fires throughout California before I owned a pressure washing business.  As a pressure washer, I traveled to southern California after the infamous L.A fires in early 2000 where I spent several days pressure washing homes that accumulated soot and embers carried by the drift smoke.

Unfortunately, natural disasters and natural disaster clean-up is big business.  According to the ISO/PCS Insurance Information Institute, in 2007, insured loss or damage cost due to wild fires was 1.6 billion dollars.  And this was just for the state of California.  Hurricane damage cost and clean-up during the ’05 & ’06 hurricane season in the southern region of the U.S. reached a staggering 58.8 billion.

Flood damage and clean up cost in the mid west and northeast also reflect staggering figures in which billions of dollars of aide from the federal government is funneled to these locales to assist communities and often time entire states get back to some semblance of normalcy.

My trip to southern California was originally prescribed as volunteer work to assist home and business owners clean up their property.  While down in the fire zone I soon realized that pressure washing was a much needed and sought out service.  Every imaginable outside fixture that fell victim to the intense drift smoke but avoided the actual fire was seemingly fair game for pressure washing.  Community after community had one form or another of drift smoke ash accumulation that required a remedy.   Insurance adjusters from different insurance companies beckoned our assistance to quickly rinse off properties and cars in quick fashion in order for them to accurately determine if any fire damage occurred, per the insurance claim filed by the policy holder.  As we jokingly say in the pressure washing industry, I was definitely redefining the term “splash and dash” during our time in this region.  No cleaning chemicals were required, just a quick rinse.  The insurance adjusters only wanted to see if there was any fire damage to the property in question.

My curiosity about the type of insurance claims prompted me to inquire in between rinsing.  I was surprised to hear one insurance adjuster reflect in saying that the majority of the policy holders file claims to have their properties repainted.  I countered by explaining that just by pressure washing the likely hood of obtaining pre-fire condition was realistic – all with a fraction of the cost it would take an insurance company to pay a painting company to repaint the property.  Beyond that I explained that if the property did indeed need painting, one must pressure wash it first.

Captain Gregory Bounds from the Suisun City Fire Department, a northern California fire department that deploys each year during wild fire season explains that ash and soot from drift smoke can blanket communities for hundred of square miles.  “With any significant wild land fire incident you can pretty much guarantee that these communities will need the services of a company to spray away the accumulation of ash.”  He further states the need of having pressure washing services at the fire base camp “De-mob (demobilization) is mandatory for the release of fire department vehicles upon that safety inspection by a certified mechanic (ICS 212 form).  For the de-mobe mechanics to inspect a dirty, muddy fire engine delays the process of inspecting that vehicle properly to get it repaired if needed and home safely.  It is not uncommon for strike teams to drive hundreds of miles for it to return home.  The power washing would allow the mechanics to visibly see damaged areas from 4×4 driving and accumulated dirt and soot that sticks to electrical components, u-joints and windows.”

Asked if pressure washing could be a viable service for natural disaster incidents such as wild land fires? Captain Bounds remarked “the need is there today, however a pressure washing company could not just show up at base camp and announce that they are there to pressure wash”. Captain Bounds recommends anyone wishing to explore this service to begin by contacting their local FEMA representative or start at their local fire department to determine who to contact to get your pressure washing company listed as a vendor during wildfire incidents. Having your pressure wash company participate in natural disaster incidents will require patience and determination especially dealing with all the bureaucratic paper work that often comes as a pre-requisite. However once you obtain the necessary clearance as a vendor you stand a good chance of traveling from once incident to the next throughout the summer months providing a much needed service to the men and women that put their life on the line by fighting these raging infernos.

Natural disasters are not just limited to wild fires in the western part of the U.S.  Take Mathew Johnson from Pressure Washing Services located in Milford, NY.  Mr. Johnson and I spoke on natural disaster clean up the summer before his service area was hit with significant floods due to the unusual amount of rainfall that year.  He put the natural disaster clean up concept to work.  “What Carlos applied in California, I did the same thing here in New York except I applied it to our natural disaster – flooding” Mathew said.  He further explains, “For our industry, it is a unique service that if you are the only one providing it today you are almost guaranteed that your phone will be ringing to provide services during a time of need.”

Now before you run down to the local fire department and ask the fire chief to give you a call when a natural disaster occurs, you must first determine whether or not this “add on” service to your pressure washing business is right for you.  There are many considerations that you must evaluate before embarking to a natural disaster area:

 

• Days away from regular pressure washing business;
• Cash on hand.  Some disaster areas will not have functional ATM’s or banks readily open in the area.
• No pay.  Insurance claims and payments can be a long drawn out process.  Can you afford to not get paid from 60-90 days?
• Emotional impact.  Working in natural disaster zones especially hurricane and flood incidents can have an emotional impact on you especially if you frequently in contact with casualties;

It would be a sound recommendation for you to contact your local insurance agent in your community first.  They could  have the contact information for you immediately verses you having to track it down.

Providing pressure washing services during a natural disaster will require due diligence and a lot of preparation on your part.  Today you may wish to begin on a smaller scale right in your service area.  A house fire, depending on the intensity, can blanket adjoining houses with soot and ash.  A suggestion would be to make up fliers about your pressure washing services and distribute them discreetly around the location of the house fire well after the initial shock that normally plaques home or business owners during this difficult time.  This concept also applies to local flooding, coastal oil spills and small grass fires in and around communities across the U.S.

As you continue to evaluate your company and the services it provides you owe it to yourself to do not ignore the opportunities that lay during times such as when a natural disaster strikes – big or small. As history has shown, disasters such as hurricanes, fires and floods will continue to hold communities hostage for years to come.  Could it be time that the pressure washing industry contributes to help build these communities back?

 

 

Pressure Wash service areas include San Francisco, Oakland, Pleasanton, Emeryville, Richmond, San Pablo, Hercules, Vallejo, Petaluma, El Cerrito, Folsom, Lafayette, Cathedral City, Clayton, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon, Winters, Davis, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Suisun City, Stockton, Pittsburgh, Pleasant Hill, St. Helena, Walnut Creek, Oakley, Benicia, Danville, San Ramon, American Canyon, Orinda, Berkeley, Napa, San Rafael, Petaluma, South San Francisco, Rancho Cordova, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Lodi, Stanford, Monterey, Bodega Bay, Carmel, Redding, Livermore, Fremont, Fresno, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, Modesto, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Hayward, Elk Grove, Sunnyvale, Visalia, Roseville, Daly City, Antioch, San Mateo, Clovis, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Alhambra, Chico, Citrus Heights, Livermore, Alameda, San Leandro, Calistoga, Campbell, Tracy, Merced, Atherton, Auburn, Belmont, Belvedere, Brentwood, Brisbane, Burlingame, Albany, Point Richmond, Rio Vista, San Jose, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Mill Valley, Burbank, Palo Alto, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Hayward, Rancho Cordova, Los Banos, San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Contra Costa County, Solano County, Alameda County and Napa County.

 

Pressure Wash My Vinyl Siding

Your house has vinyl siding and you need to have it pressure washed.  As you probably have found out, rinsing it down with a garden hose or better yet borrowing your neighbor’s pressure washer just did not get it as clean as your thought it would.  Home owners in California just assume that pressure washing their vinyl siding is as easy as sealing their concrete or pavers.  Obviously most have learned the hard way that pressure washing their house or deck is not as easy as it sounds.  Pressure washing your house, whether it is vinyl, stucco, wood or any other building material, is a carefully orchestrated process that should be left to qualified experts in the pressure washing industry to perform.

As a home owner you run a very high risk of causing costly and sometimes permanent damage to your house or property by using a pressure washer that you have no experience in using.

Hiring a professional pressure wash contractor to perform the correct and right way to pressure wash your house is smart and worth the investment.  A combination of cleaning soaps, heat and low pressure are the key ingredients to a successful pressure wash job, especially when pressure washing vinyl siding.

Don’t run the risk of having water intrusion find its way underneath the eaves of your vinyl.  This happens due to just using nothing but pressure from a pressure washer to serve or act as the ‘cleaning agent’.  This procedure is incorrect not only for pressure washing vinyl but also for most surfaces at your house.

Before you fire up the pressure washer that you purchased at the local hardware store to wash your property that you paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for, consider the option of hiring a professional to perform the pressure wash services that you need.  Pressure washing is not about the use of just pressure and water.  View more of our pressure wash pics.

Pressure Wash My Vinyl Siding BEFORE

Pressure Wash My Vinyl Siding AFTER

Pressure Wash service areas include San Francisco, Oakland, Pleasanton, Emeryville, Richmond, San Pablo, Hercules, Vallejo, Petaluma, El Cerrito, Folsom, Lafayette, Cathedral City, Clayton, East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon, Winters, Davis, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Suisun City, Stockton, Pittsburgh, Pleasant Hill, St. Helena, Walnut Creek, Oakley, Benicia, Danville, San Ramon, American Canyon, Orinda, Berkeley, Napa, San Rafael, Petaluma, South San Francisco, Rancho Cordova, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Lodi, Stanford, Monterey, Bodega Bay, Carmel, Redding, Livermore, Fremont, Fresno, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, Modesto, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Hayward, Elk Grove, Sunnyvale, Visalia, Roseville, Daly City, Antioch, San Mateo, Clovis, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Alhambra, Chico, Citrus Heights, Livermore, Alameda, San Leandro, Calistoga, Campbell, Tracy, Merced, Atherton, Auburn, Belmont, Belvedere, Brentwood, Brisbane, Burlingame, Albany, Point Richmond, Rio Vista, San Jose, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Mill Valley, Burbank, Palo Alto, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Hayward, Rancho Cordova, Los Banos, San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Contra Costa County, Solano County, Alameda County and Napa County.

Pressure Wash and Your Competition

 

 

As you continue to pursue market dominance both in the commercial pressure wash and residential pressure wash markets there are many instances when you approach a potential client  with the hopes of “getting your foot in the door” only to be told that they already have a pressure washing company that performs their pressure wash services.  Has this happened to you?  This is very common in the pressure wash industry where we as contractors walk away from a potential customers with nothing but disappointment and discouragement.  Though it may seem that you are constantly running into a brick wall with your efforts you may be surprised that you can leave a lasting impression with the customer that currently has a pressure wash company on the ‘books’.

In this article I poise some questions that we as pressure washing contractors should be asking ourselves when we come across an opportunity to leave a professional and lasting impression with potential customers that we yearn to win their business.

 

Here are Question to Ponder

Do you try to find out when the contract expires? If you get that information…WRITE IT DOWN and put it in a monthly tickler file. Also, make sure you get the clients contact information.

Do you from time to time swing by or pass through and view the current pressure washers performance? If so, write down areas where you think your service can out perform the existing pressure wash company. One thing to remember is to remain professional and never bash.

Do you leave your contact information with the client? If so, tell them that if they ever need you to “fill in” for the contractor that they should call you. What happens if the current contractor misses a service or may have to leave on a family emergency. What if his rigs break down or two crew people call in sick? The client is not worried about the problems that a pressure washing company brings with them, the client is just looking to have the service performed.  Period.

What happens if the Vice President or the President of the building or company decides to pay a site visit and only gives the Manager a 2 day notice? And the manager can’t track down the current contractor or the current contractor says he can’t do the wash because he is busy doing other things.

The positive impression that you left with that manager and your contact information could be your ticket to get your foot in the door.

When talking to commercial clients, don’t just walk away when they say they already have someone. Give them the reasons above and more to take your card.

If and when they do call you for help, this could be the beginning to the end of the other contractor. Be aggressive but be professional. If you are good at what you do i.a. pressure wash then walk around with a confidence about yourself during your time infront of potential customers.

If you know your business and know their business a potential pressure wash client will pick up on your confidence!

How Do Keep Your Foot in the Door?

Mail the client a follow-up letter.  The below letter is one that I have used for a long time to keep the attention of future pressure wash clients for my company.  It is short but to the point.  I have shared this letter over the years to pressure washing contractors and based on their feedback it is an effective way to get your foot in the door and keep it there without bashing your competition.

Please feel free to use it to your advantage.

Matthew XXXX
ABC Company
P. O. Box XXX
xxxx, CA 12345

Matt,

It was great speaking with you regarding the pressure wash services that New Look Power Wash can offer ABC COMPANY. It is our hope that ABC COMPANY and New Look Power Wash can gel a relationship together in the near future.

I would like to offer our pressure wash services in an “as needed basis” for ABC. I understand that your current pressure wash service continues to do an adequate job. The fit that I see with our company is that we would be utilized as a back-up vendor for your pressure washing needs. If your current pressure wash vendor takes a vacation, calls in ill or if their services deteriorate ~ New Look Power Wash is readily available to step-in and fulfill the contract specifications.

Our intention is to ultimately win your business and under no circumstances will my company under mine your current pressure wash service. Our purpose is to offer you an alternative if one of the above scenarios occurs with your current service.

Our reputation and service speaks for itself. Having clients such as Chevy’s Fresh Mex Restaurants, Aldredge Enterprises, the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce and a variety of Homeowners Associations throughout Solano county ~ New Look Power Wash has established itself as one of the premiere pressure wash companies in Solano county!

I will call you in early January to answer any questions that ABC COMPANY may have and also to see whether or not we can finalize this understanding that we spoke about on the phone. I would be more than willing to meet with you and/or another representative from ABC COMPANY.

The main goal when you approach a client that already has a pressure wash service in place is to offer and afford the client options to hire you.  Even it is a one time clean-up approach every client with the attitude that it could turn into a long term relationship.

Best of luck!

Pressure Wash service areas include San Francisco, Oakland, Emeryville, Richmond, San Pablo, Hercules, Vallejo, Fairfield, Vacaville, Dixon, Winters, Davis, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Suisun City, Stockton, Pittsburgh, Walnut Creek, Benicia, Danville, San Ramon, American Canyon, Orinda, Berkeley, Albany, Point Richmond, Rio Vista, San Jose, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Burbank, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Hayward, Rancho Cordova, Los Banos, San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Contra Costa County, Solano County, Alameda County and Napa County.

Pressure Wash Vendor with Solano County – Fairfield and Suisun City

New Look Power Wash was recently added as a vendor with Solano County’s Central Services Division. As a registered vendor for the county, New Look Power Wash has shown Solano County that we have obtained the necessary qualifications to bid on pressure washing or power washing contracts that are RFP’d from the county of Solano, which includes Fairfield, Suisun City, Vallejo, Benecia, Cordelia, Vacaville, Dixon and Davis!