If you have a homeowner that is willing to let someone get on their roof for $99 you may as well have some fun with them and relieve some frustration. Ask them if the last $99 job will pay for the damage to their roof. After all, they don't care if the guy has insurance. Or ask the homeowner if they have relitives close buy to move in with when someone falls off the roof and they end up losing their home because homeowner insurance doesn't cover anyone working on their property. Tell them to keep a set of jumper cables handy, those 71 Chevets can be tricky.
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Dan Shay(304) 233-6288 Ohio Valley Roof Cleaning Roof Cleaning Wheeling WV 26003 Weirton West Virginia Roof Cleaning StClairsville Ohio Cleaning Roof Steubinville Ohio Roof Cleaning
I always like to say things like: "I understand if you can't afford it." If it is a man, many times they will reach for their wallet and say "I can afford it" Hit that ego...
For women, I ask "Don't you meet alot of shady, untrustworthy contractors out here it is just rediculous?"
Women..."Yes it is so sad and hard to find honest contractors."
ME... "Well that's what we are..Honest contractors. We have explained why it costs this and this is the best price I can give, any less and I can't feed my family. If you need some references here they are. Here are some pics and a copy of our guarentee."
Many times she will take it...If not then I call the next day, then 3 days later, then one time per week until I get a definite yes or no.
I have won some pretty large jobs by calling many times over a period of a few months even. I have 1 $8k bid on a farm I call once a month for a year and am about to get it. Many times they just can't do it yet or are unsure of the costs and some time is all they need. After a few weeks most other contractors they may have called are not calling them anymore and have moved on. After they get to know you better from your constant calls, they feel they can trust you more and more.
I just got a very small house restoration by spending a couple weeks being patient with a customer out of philadelphia that has a house here. The bid was for painting, but the first thing she wants done now is the roof. She didn't even think about it until I sent her pictures. Treat them like gems and educate them. Here is the pot at the end of the phone calls.
Here is some of the conversation after 4 phone calls. Her request is fine as this house is 15 minutes away from me. And alot of pricing for a newbie:
I have received your outline for accurate pressure wash. I am wondering if I could do the work a little at a time.
----- Forwarded Message ---- From: liam booz <liamjara@yahoo.com> To: ******** Sent: Saturday, May 2, 2009 11:15:58 AM Subject: Cleaning the House in Dover DE
Hello, Here is a bid for all the work we saw at 840 ********Dover, DE 19904, from Accurate Pressure Wash Inc.
Pick and choose the services you would like from all that we bid.
1700sq. foot wood house washed (prep for paint) @ $.20 each................................................$340 Includes: Trim, door area, cellar doors, small front deck, and gutters whitened for free 72 linear ft. Gutter Cleanouts @ $.50 each.................................................................................$36
1700 sq. foot house restained w/Cabot and 2yr. guarentee @ $1.10 each....................................$1870 Includes: all materials such as paint and tarping. 132 sq, foot White Trims painted w/Cabot and 2yr. guarentee @ $1.10 each.............................$146 Includes: all materials such as paint and tarping, also includes: Free door trim and door touch up 36sq. foot storage doors (Brown) painted w/Cabot and 2yr. guarentee @ $1.10 each..................$40 Includes: all materials such as paint and tarping. 48 sq. foot Small entrance Deck painted (brown) @ $1.10 each..................................................$53 Includes: all materials such as paint and tarping.
1100 sq. Foot deck, benches and steps Cleaned @ .35 each.......................................................$385 1100 sq. foot deck, benches and steps stained/painted 2 tone (clear, brown) @ $1.10 each........$1210 Includes: all materials such as paint and tarping and 2yr. guarentee (will need to use small boat for one area)
Little Bridge near the pond restored, repaired and repainted........................................................$150
192 sq. Foot shed cleaned and repainted w/Cabot and 2yr. guarentee @ $1.30 each....................$250
We also offer NO PRESSURE roof treatment that kills the black algae on the roof and makes it look new and white again... 660 sq. Foot roof treated (front) 2yr. guarentee @ $.55 each......................................................$363 660 sq. Foot roof treated (rear) 2yr. guarentee @ $.35 each.........................................................$231
This Bid include free: Front cement walkway cleaned, Gutters whitened, Gas tanks cleaned, Front door touch up, concrete blocks around base of building cleaned.
Please pick and choose the items you want to have done, some of these prices are negotiable. Attached is a copy of our guarentee and info about roof cleaning, as well as some pictures of your building.
Total for everything on this bid is...................................................................................................$5,071
I feel everyone on this topic and I get a little angry everytime I get out bid by someone who will do it for half. I did a bid in Heathrow in Lake Mary in a non-walkable 2 story f-tile 10,000 plus sqft total coverage for $1,500.00 and had the job locked in, then he calls me and said he found someone cheaper, I asked him how much cheaper? $475.00 is what he told me. I have been watching the prices on roof cleanings go down by 75% since 1999 and it is really making things harder.
For instance I would clean a B-Tile roof 5000 sq ft at .25 per sq in 1999 $1250 and now your lucky to even get .10 sq ft which is $500. People just don't have good sales skills or they are not carrying proper lic and ins or they just suck at cleaning. I would think that prices would go up as time moves on.
Luckily, I have repeats that have been paying the same prices for years and won't use anyone else. I believe there should be a standard on pricing with shingle, slate, shake, tile and asbestos roof cleaning and exteriors too. Make it where the best man wins not the cheapest!
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ORLANDO / CENTRAL FLORIDA "SAFE NO PRESSURE ROOF CLEANING" AND PRESSURE WASHING Since 1998.
Just curious, how do you decide how low to go??? I have a 4450 sq. ft. house with approx. a 10 pitch. I try to start at $0.20 and offer incentives to bring the price down (sign in the yard, etc.). Sometimes I'll start at $0.18 depending on the customer. Some are nervous at $0.16 and some don't sweat $0.20.
Here you were at $0.1477. Just curious how you decide where to be on the price.
i'm a newbie! amazing! sharing knowledge and expertise. I went to Home depot this week end to look at some roof cleaning solutions and equiptments, people there will just tell me what they sell, not how it works. some body please educate me about surfacants,SH, Fatboy, apple cider?
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Roof Cleaning Southern California Advance Roof Cleaning Company Chino Hills, CA. 91709 Tel.#: 1-909-342-9298
i'm a newbie! amazing! sharing knowledge and expertise. I went to Home depot this week end to look at some roof cleaning solutions and equiptments, people there will just tell me what they sell, not how it works. some body please educate me about surfacants,SH, Fatboy, apple cider?
Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:
jordande1 wrote:
i'm a newbie! amazing! sharing knowledge and expertise. I went to Home depot this week end to look at some roof cleaning solutions and equiptments, people there will just tell me what they sell, not how it works. some body please educate me about surfacants,SH, Fatboy, apple cider?
Do a search, read, learn. Soon, you will learn
Chris has the secret. Not only does be have the technique, but also people LIKE AND TRUST HIM. Learn how to sell and most people won't look for other quotes.
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Ada Mobile Wash
2694 Ashville Dr. NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
616-285-8115
kennethpaul@vzw.blackberry.net
Roof Washing Exterior House Cleaning Grand Rapids, MI
If you are not losing around 20% of your bids due to price you are priced too low. People will pay for quality, whether they do it now or later they will pay.
To sell the "value" of roof cleaning, I'll sometimes estimate what the cost of replacing the roof would be. Maybe $150 per square (100 square ft) just for labor. Just something to put the roof cleaning cost into perspective.
Low Ballers are a fact of life. Saw an add in a local area news paper just today promoting Roof Cleaning for $150(no other details given). As any honest person will tell you we have all underbid jobs in the past due to knee jerk reactions or a lack of call preperation and or confidence. In my market price most often is a factor and a few prospects care about nothing but the lowest price. My best success selling/closing profitable business happens when I do the following
1. I try to learn every detail I can find on the internet about the Roof and home. Size, layout, photos, color, age the more the better before talking price.
2. Follow up,Follow up, Follow up. I keep my phone with me seven days a week ready to take the customers call. If they have left a message or emailed me for information I immedalty look up the home on the county tax roles and on google street view or Bing/Microsoft earth. If they did not leave you an address got to the free whitepages.com type in the phone number under reverse look up to retrieve the address.
3. As soon as possiable I send an Intruduction or call follow up email that includes my proof of insurnace, my BBB link, a link to my website and some Tech Data on proper roof cleaning With out the prospect having to ask.
4. I always offer the closest recent and older refferance I have available in the prospects area.
5. I keep the communication going until I close or loose the job. I routinely close customers that I have quoted as much 6 months ago that for what ever reason delayed a decision. Microsoft outook is a low cost easy to use effective tool to organize a sales pipeline. My Laptop and Black Berry have been key to staying organization and effecient.
6. I assume the close on piece of business until I get job or the customers tells me he gave another contractor the work. About 50% of time when asked why they chose another contractor the customer will share pricing or other currant market information that helps me be better informed about my market.
Remain positive, organized and persistant . There are many ways to justiy and sell reasonable and profitable business. Not what the lowest bidder is offering but what other reputable roof cleaning proffessionals in your area are charging/asking and getting.
If you have taken the time and effort to read all the great postings from members like Bill Booze, Chris Tucker, Mike Sullivan, Dave Westerman, Pat Motz along with several others you have discovered a wealth of Sales and Marketing ideas. if you have been an active member and have completed a few jobs give me a call we likely both will benifit by sharing stratagy on selling and using Technology to grow business. If your new read and re read through the available information, learn your market. For those that need help or want to discuss a sales strategy feel free to call me and I will help anyway I can.
If you lower your price and lowball then your hurting your brand image. You get what you pay for. 5145sf for $375 is rediculous. I just did a 5800sq for $1010 with a two year warranty. If its not worth the dime, then dont waste your time.