How To Make
Fast Money Washing Windows
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Hi, it’s Michael Senoff with Michael Senoff’s
www.hardtofindseminars.com. I’m proud to introduce to you one of my most
complete live audio interviews that I’ve ever done on how to make money washing
windows. For some time I’ve been meaning to do a complete interview on washing
windows and finally I’ve done it. I’ve done it with a gentleman named Howard.
Howard is a professional window washer. He's going to tell you how to go out and
start washing window today. You'll hear me testing his system for real by me
making live calls. You'll hear me getting real clients. Howard reveals
over two decades of window washing secrets to show you have to go out and make
some fast money today before time for dinner. Enjoy. If you want to talk to
Howard direct call me at 858-274-7851
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The reason that I would suggest
anyone to take advantage of this mail is because of
the fact that there’s a lot of business out there
that’s available. But it will always be available if
you don’t take advantage of it yourself because
window cleaning is an impulse business. Many people
know they need it done and as soon as you even
mention window cleaning, all they want to do is work
out the details and you’ve got the business. So it’s
not a business where people have to make a lot of
decisions and go through a lot of red tape. It’s an
impulse business and the longer you wait, the longer
it will take for you to reach your financial goal.
Michael: Hi, this is Michael Senoff with Michael
Senoff’s www.HardToFindSeminars.com in another fast
cash producing audio interview. This interview is
with a gentleman named Howard. He is a professional,
residential window washer. There is absolutely no
excuse for you not to be able to go out and start
making money within a matter of days washing
windows. I’m going to prove it to you in this audio
interview with Howard. You’re going to hear me
getting on the phone for real, generating real
business that can put cash in your pocket instantly.
You’re going to hear two techniques how you can walk
out your front door, drive down to your nearest
town, walk into businesses, say one sentence and
start cleaning windows within minutes from the time
you mention that sentence. This appears to be one of
the easiest and fastest ways that you can make money
providing a much needed service. Virtually anywhere
you are windows get dirty and there is a huge demand
for good quality, responsible, reliable window
washers. So I’m going to quit talking. Let’s get
going and join me in this interview with Howard.
I really appreciate it and it’s such a coincidence
that you had e-mailed and called and we got a chance
to talk. Because once I got a chance to talk to you
a little bit about w3hat you’re doing with the
window cleaning business, and that you’ve been in
the window cleaning business for, how many years
now?
Howard: Ten years.
Michael: Ten years. You know, you’re sitting on a
gold mine. That’s the hardest thing when a lot of
people come to me and they seek out advice on what
kind of product they should develop, or what should
they sell, they always overlook their own expertise.
You just think it’s your regular job. You’ve been
doing it so long and you’re so used to it, and
you’re so involved in it, you never considered that
what you’re doing could be valuable to other people.
Howard: That’s true. I have a tremendous advantage
to learn how to market over the internet. People
like to tell other people I’ve talked to who are
doing it. Money is secondary, you know that’s very
important, but it’s the freedom. I’ve got to keep my
freedom. I can’t be tied down. Nor do I want the
stress of having a 9-5 job. I’ve got to be able to
call my own shots and schedule my time the way I
want. That’s one of the reasons why I really
appreciate what you’re doing. I listened to some of
the interviews you had last night on some of the
people that you were interviewing and had gotten
stuck in a rut. They didn’t know what to do and were
marketing the wrong way, just wasting time and money
and very, very, very good information. My wife has a
lot of health problems so I need something I can do
where I can be home a lot and still take care of
family business and not have to be away so much like
I am with window cleaning.
Michael: Now, you’ve been in the window cleaning
business for 10 years. Before that had you had a
regular 9-5 job?
Howard: Yes, I was working for a window cleaning
company.
Michael: Alright, we’ll get into that. So, you were
working as an employee probably with a little less
freedom than what you had as your own boss. If you
could boil it down, what is the freedom that you’re
experiencing now with your own window cleaning
business? What has that meant for you compared to
when you were working for your employer?
Howard: When you were working for your employer, you
had someone else dictating how your time should be
spent. Now, when you have your own window cleaning
business, even though you have to be at
appointments, you’ve gotta get your contracts taken
care of, it’s the idea of knowing that you are in
control of what happens on a day-to-day basis as
opposed to someone else being in control. If your
boss cuts back your work, if your boss feels that he
wants to send you on an assignment that you wouldn’t
take under other circumstances, you have no
recourse. But when you are calling the shots, you
can more or less pick and choose and be a little bit
more selective as to what type of job you choose and
how you choose to do them. As far as mentally and
emotionally, it’s a big difference as far as being
able to have more control over how your time and
your resources are spent.
Michael: Right. Let me ask you a question. What does
your business look like today? Can you describe some
of the accounts that you currently have and what
those are like?
Howard: Well, currently I do a lot of residential.
As a matter of fact, many window cleaning companies
choose, more or less they focus on the commercial
but the residential, and I suppose you could call it
a niche, really is a lot of residential work out
there. And the thing about it, once you get a
residential client, many of these people want
quarterly service, they want you to clean their
windows every three months. Most of them, if not all
of them, want you to come twice a year. And when
you’re in the house, you can take your time and get
the job done and take pride in your work. Some of
the commercial accounts I’ve had, Enterprise Car
Rental, Staples Office Supplies store, Dunkin’
Donuts, Subway Sandwich Shop, what I like about
commercial is once you set up an account, you’ve
done once a month. Many times they want it done
twice a month. You can set up a schedule to go any
time during that month as long as it’s done within
that month. So say for example, they tell you I like
to get my windows done once a month. You say, okay
the 15th. Is that good for you, or around the 15th?
Try to give yourself a little flexibility here. When
they agree, then you come back on the 15th of the
month, you go there, no one’s bothering you. You
pretty much show up, take your time, get your window
cleaning done, and you move on. But it’s pleasant
because you’re not punching the time clock. You
don’t have someone standing over you telling you
what to do. Knowing that it’s all on your shoulders,
all on your back, gives you a sense of urgency
whereas you may not have that working for someone
else.
Michael: Now, I want to talk about when you first
started working with the company, but first I want
to just set the stage for what we’re going to talk
about today and the reason why we’re talking.
There’s a lot of people out there who really may be
working a full time job and they want to start
something on the side maybe during the weekends or
on times when they’re off work, maybe during
holidays. They want to get out of that 9-5 job so
they want something that they can go out, maybe in
their neighborhood or close by where they live, and
make some fast money. Now it excites me when you
tell me that you’re mainly focused on residential
because there’s lots of homes out there; there’s
lots of residents all around people. So the purpose
of this interview is really I want you to show us
the best way that anyone can go out there and make
$100 in a day with very little effort. We’re going
to get into that a little later in the interview but
first, why don’t you take me back through your
history. First of all, how old are you and where are
you located, and tell me about your first experience
in the window cleaning business. Take me back to the
early days when you started working for that window
cleaning job.
Howard: I’m located in Baltimore, Maryland. I’m 43
years old. My first experience with window cleaning
– I was looking for employment, I got laid off. A
friend of mine had his own window cleaning business
and he had difficulty keeping people because, for
some reason at that point in time, he was having
high turnover rate. So he agreed to show me how to
clean windows, which there is some skill involved.
And once I picked it up, he let me work for him full
time. I knew him; I knew he had a window cleaning
business. Initially I never really gave it a serious
thought until I got laid off. Of course, then you
think about a lot of things you wouldn’t think
about. So I decided to give it a try and it worked
out pretty well. I picked it up pretty quickly and
then he sent me on his accounts. I would get about
30 accounts a week. He had company vehicles, I would
use his vehicle, I didn’t use my own. Some jobs were
cash jobs and some jobs required a written invoice
that they had to sign. That’s how I started out.
Michael: Was he focused on just residential or was
he mixing it up?
Howard: He was mixing it up. His bread and butter
was commercial. With all of them, the bread and
butter is commercial. The mix up was residential in
the spring and in the fall you get tons of
residential requests. So that’s how he did it.
Michael: You’re listening to Michael Senoff’s
www.HardToFindSeminars.com
Michael: Okay, and this guy had started his own
business.
Howard: Yes.
Michael: Was he making good money?
Howard: Well, how he had it set up, it was me and
two other guys. He would give us an $800 a week
route and he would only pay us 30% which was $300
out of $800, so he would keep $500 from two guys and
he was making $1,000 a week off our efforts. And
whatever he did himself personally, that was 100%
that he’d keep for himself.
Michael: Now, who would you say could do this window
cleaning business? What kind of people do you think
could handle running and operating a window cleaning
business?
Howard: Anyone, actually. You can find a lot of
women doing it.
Michael: Students can do it?
Howard: Students can do it.
Michael: Teenagers?
Howard: As long as they’re 18 and over because they
have to drive to get to the different accounts. Now
if they’re with their parents, of course, if they’re
16 or 17, yes. But anyone can do this.
Michael: What about people who are retired, older
folks?
Howard: I know a retired guy who’s doing this. He’s
in his 70’s and still doing strong. He has a chain
of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Popeye Chicken and he is
still going strong. It’s excellent for retirees.
It’s really good for retirees because they don’t
have to show proof of income because most jobs are
paid in cash.
Michael: Oh really, so it’s a cash business.
Howard: Cash business. So a lot of senior citizens
are concerned about their social security benefits
and legally, if you’re making a certain amount or
less, you don’t have to claim it. Now, I’m not sure
what the amount is but I do know that there’s a
certain amount that you can make per year whereas,
if it falls in that certain amount of money, I’m not
sure what it is, but I don’t think you have to claim
it legally.
Michael: So residential, what kind of equipment do
you think one needs?
Howard: When I first started out, I didn’t do any
residential. I did all commercial because I didn’t
need any ladders at all.
Michael: Why don’t you need ladders in commercial?
Howard: You go to a Kentucky Fried Chicken, that’s
one story glass. You walk by and clean it. That’s
why most people start up with commercial. Because
you go into Subway sub shop, the glass is right in
front of you. Just go right up and clean it. Dunkin’
Donuts, same thing. Go right up and clean it. The
most you’ll need is a window cleaning pole.
Michael: Okay, so the pole will get you the height.
Howard: The pole will get you the height.
Michael: Okay, so let’s talk about the supplies that
one would need to get started. Basic, bare bone
minimum supplies to get going.
Howard: All you need is a bucket and some different
size squeegees; 12”, 9”, 5”. Some window cleaning
rubbers because you have to change the rubber when
it gets dull; some dish washing liquid and ammonia.
That’s it. A bucket, the squeegees, a pole, oh and a
__________. You can pick that up at an auto supply
store for 10 bucks. That’s all you need.
Michael: This is ironic. I have a pen manufacturing
business where I manufacture invisible ink marking
pens and I sell to the world’s largest supplier of
cleaning supplies, a company called Unger
Enterprises.
Howard: All of my equipment’s from Unger.
Michael: That’s right. And I am one of their
vendors. I manufacture an invisible ink marking pen
that I sell to them. And they include that with a
kit with a UV light for janitorial managers where
they’ll mark areas that need to be cleaned so they
make sure that their workers are cleaning areas.
They’ll mark it with an invisible ink pen. Then if
someone goes into the bathroom and there’s a mark on
there that the manager made, they’ll go in there
with the UV light to see if the mark is still there.
Because if they wipe the counter or clean that area,
the mark will be gone.
Howard: Isn’t that a genius?
Michael: Yes, so I’m real familiar with Unger
Enterprises. They get a phenomenal line of products.
Howard: Yes, Unger makes the best window cleaning
supplies.
Michael: So the squeegee rubber, how long will that
last typically? How often do you have to replace
those?
Howard: Towards the beginning, they probably
wouldn’t have to replace them for about a month. As
you get more accounts, two weeks or less. For me,
basically, I have to change them every week. They
have to have a sharp edge.
Michael: Alright, what would you say the cost of one
supplies are going to be?
Howard: For someone just starting out?
Michael: Just starting out.
Howard: A bucket is $5. The stuff from Unger, which
you can get at any reputable janitorial supply
company, you will probably get everything you need
for about $100.
Michael: So let me ask you this. Let’s say you were
just starting brand new in the business and you had
$100 to go get your supplies and it’s morning time,
let’s say today. What are you going to do first to
go make $100 today to get a client? Let’s say you
don’t have any clients now, you’ve got no contacts,
and you’re starting totally fresh. Take me step by
step what you would do today to get a client in the
next couple days to start your window cleaning
business.
Howard: Well, I would get some business cards
printed either on my own home printer, they don’t
have to be fancy, just some regular business cards.
You go to Staples, pick up ten bucks worth of cards,
print them out on your computer. I would go to small
stores, particularly restaurants, small bakeries,
small grocery stores, ______ restaurants like
Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway.
Michael: And you just walk right in?
Howard: Walk right in. Ask for the manager. Never
talk to anyone other than the manager. Sometimes the
assistant manager has the authority, but you have to
ask who makes the decision for window cleaning.
Always go in and ask for the manager and ask the
manager does he have authority to make decisions
about window cleaning. And you go and say I noticed
your windows need to be cleaned, I’d like to offer
my services. Hand them the card while you’re
talking. Usually they either tell you they have
someone or they don’t. They very rarely drag you
around. It’s a numbers game and so every business
that you go into, 9 times out of 10, you’ll probably
get one.
Michael: Okay, so if you go in and just walk the
street and talk to 10 managers, you’re going to get
an account.
Howard: It’s an 80% chance.
Michael: So typically let’s say you talk to that
10th person and everyone else has said no, and then
they say, no I don’t have anyone cleaning the
business. What are you going to say to them?
Howard: What you would say to them is, I would be
more than glad to take care of your window cleaning
needs for you. And something they always ask is how
much you charge. Now, that’s the part where some
people tend to either over charge or under charge.
Michael: How do you know what to charge?
Howard: That’s the sticky part because when I used
to work for this other company, I used to figure out
how much to charge based on just the size of the
place. Some guys actually count the glass.
Michael: When you were working for the place, what
did your boss there tell you how to charge?
Howard: He would always do it. How I charge is I
basically compare the place I walk into with one
place I may have done for him. But if I walk into
Kentucky Fried Chicken, if I did a place for my
previous boss that was similar in size, I would
charge the same thing. But you know what, for what
we’re doing, I’ve got to figure out something to
tell people because I really don’t know what to tell
them. Because I would just go by my own experience.
Michael: Now, let’s say you go into that Kentucky
Fried Chicken and they say we don’t have one. You
say I’d love to take care of your window cleaning
needs. You know, a regular Kentucky Fried Chicken
store, they all look the same. What are you going to
charge for them?
Howard: For regular Kentucky Fried Chicken, for
inside and out, I would charge about $20.
Michael: 20 bucks for inside and out.
Howard: Yep. It should take exact stand a half hour
to do it.
Michael: Okay, that quick. Kentucky Fried Chicken,
that’s a moderate sized restaurant.
Howard: The way that they’re laid out, you walk
right up to the glass. You don’t have to move a lot
of chairs or anything. There’s no obstruction. You
can’t chop too much off that charge. It’s feasible,
possible that you’re walking in there, you want to
get the job right on the spot.
Michael: So your goal is to get work that day.
You’ve got your equipment with you?
Howard: All the time.
Michael: Do you walk in there with your equipment or
do you leave it outside?
Howard: You leave it outside. You walk in there, if
you want it done now, do it right on the spot.
Michael: Alright, they say what do you charge. They
always ask what do you charge?
Howard: All the time.
Michael: And you’re going to say what? 20 bucks?
Howard: 20 dollars, inside and out.
Michael: And then they’ll say go ahead.
Howard: Yep.
Michael: That’s it. There’s nothing to it.
Howard: Nope. Most managers have the authority. If
they tell you they don’t and you have to go do the
home office, they’ll give a number of someone to
call. It’s usually a district or regional manager
and they will ask you how much. And many times
they’ll say I’ve got 4 or 5 more, give me a price
for all of these. That happens a lot.
Michael: So I call my district. District is usually
someone handling more than one store. They’ll say
how much, you say 20 bucks. He goes I’ve got 5, 10
stores, can you do them all. And there’s a corporate
account.
Howard: Right. A lot of times if they don’t get it
on the spot, people will get upset. They also say I
really need them done but you have to go through
corporate. Get the corporate number. Many times if
you’re just straight up with them, I’m with ABC
Window Cleaning, I’m calling to find out who do I
talk to about window cleaning for the stores. I’ve
never had one tell me, no we won’t put you through.
They always put you through or leave a message or
leave a number.
Michael: Do these guys get back with you pretty
good?
Howard: Most of the time they do, yes.
Michael: Do you have a cell phone with you when you
go in?
Howard: Have to have a cell phone.
Michael: So you could do your call right there.
Howard: When you leave the place, go back to the car
and call the guy.
Michael: Okay, so he says go ahead and do it. You
agree for 20 bucks. Do you write up an order before
you start work?
Howard: Write up a receipt. You can go to Staples
and get a regular receipt book, but to make it more
professional, I’d get some return address labels,
print up my business on the label, then peel and
stick these labels at the top of the receipt book.
That’s much more professional. You don’t want to
give them a blank receipt.
Michael: Yes, you want to have a receipt, though. Do
you write your receipt up before you start the work
or do you agree on a price in writing? He says, 20
bucks and you just do your work.
Howard: Believe me, there are no contracts or
nothing. I’ve had jobs for years; I’ve never had a
contract.
Michael: Okay, so this isn’t technical. It’s a
greeting of the minds. The guy needs his windows
cleaned. You’re going to clean them and then after
you’re done, you say I’m finished.
Howard: And many times they tell you make sure you
come back next month. And they understand it’s a
monthly thing. I had a couple last month, I had to
go every single week. Lots of bagel shops, any place
that sells bagels, because kids put their hands all
over the place. So bagel shops, I don’t know if you
have Einstein’s.
Michael: Yes, we have Einstein’s.
Howard: Oh my gosh. Most of the Einstein’s I’ve
done, I’ve never had one I didn’t do at least twice
a month.
Michael: Alright, so a guy interested in going out
there, he’s got to look not at only making 20 bucks
in 30 minutes. If they want you back twice a month,
that’s $40 a month of guaranteed income. Okay?
Howard: Right.
Michael: Of work; $40 a month. Now if you just go
see 100 people and 10 of them say yes and 10 of them
want you back twice a month, that’s $400 a month
right there, with just 10 accounts.
Howard: Yes, with just 10. And that’s a car payment.
Michael: What’s the most accounts you had at any one
time that you could comfortably work with?
Howard: The most I’ve had at any one time is about
30. It doesn’t take a lot man, I’m telling you.
Michael: 30 accounts? But how many units were you
cleaning a month?
Howard: It so varies. I was doing Barnes and Nobles,
those were like 100 bucks apiece. One was $150. I
had one Barnes and Nobles that was $375.
Michael: You were charging 375 bucks?
Howard: It was huge.
Michael: How long did it take you?
Howard: It took me 4 hours.
Michael: Still!
Howard: Even when I was working for the window
cleaning company, I made $300 a week. I go get this
Barnes and Nobles, I make $375 in 4 hours.
Michael: In 4 hours.
Howard: I just did in 4 hours what it would take me
a week to do with this joker.
Michael: When were you really kicking, what kind of
money were you making when you were really working
it?
Howard: When I was really working it, I was doing, I
was doing about $1,000 a week.
Michael: $1,000 a week cleaning windows, and mostly
cash.
Howard: Well, out of that $1,000, I would say about
$600-$700 cash.
Michael: Do you have to be able to take credit
cards?
Howard: No, like Barnes and Nobles was never cash.
You would have to sign an invoice.
Michael: Then you bill them.
Howard: Yes, bill them.
Michael: There are going to be companies that aren’t
going to pay you cash and they work on a net 30,
meaning they pay you in 30 days.
Howard: They’re not allowed to pay you petty cash.
Some of these stores don’t have a petty cash
account.
Michael: Don’t be afraid of a larger store because
they could be a good account for more money, but
you’re just going to invoice them and then that goes
to their payment department and then they mail your
check within 30 days or whatever your times are.
Howard: Exactly.
Michael: Alright, so you’ve given me some examples
of how to go out today, go walk in these small
businesses, talk to the manager and ask them do you
have anyone doing your windows. Some will say yes,
they do, some will say no, and then you do them on
the spot. What about the people who say yes they
already have someone? Did you ever work hard to try
and sell them your services over someone else’s
services? You ask them if they’re happy with their
existing cleaner.
Howard: All you do is ask them, are you happy with
your existing cleaner. That’s the only thing you
have to ask.
Michael: And then what do they say?
Howard: Sometimes they tell you, not really. And
they say, why don’t you leave your card or why don’t
you call me back. But that’s the one magic question
you ask them. Are you happy with your existing
cleaner?
Michael: Do you ask them what your competition is
charging them?
Howard: I do; sometimes they don’t tell you cuz
that’s not giving the guy a fair break. But yes, I
ask them all the time. If they don’t tell me, I say
I tell you what, this is what my charge is. A lot of
times they do tell me. And sometimes to get the job,
I may beat them out maybe by 4 or 5 bucks; usually
about a $5 margin. I try not to make it no more than
5 bucks.
Michael: Is this business recession proof? Is it
guaranteed work whenever wherever?
Howard: Well, I can’t say that. Let me put it this
way. Sometimes you lose an account if the economy
tanks but it’s very few compared to the ones that
you had. You may lose 1 or 2, maybe 3, but for the
most part I’ve never had a problem as far as losing
accounts because money is tight.
Michael: When you know that you can go talk to a
certain amount of people and get accounts, what
advice would you give for where your accounts are?
Now you may go into an account that has stores that
are in different parts of the town. Don’t you want
to think about where all your accounts are located
so you’re not wasting time driving all over town, or
you can do them whenever you want?
Howard: You work with other ______. If the guy has 5
stores, you’re going to have to go and drive to
those 5 stores if they’re not in the same part of
town. So it depends on what you’re trying to build.
If you’re trying to build a long-term business, you
would definitely want to go where those stores are.
If you just want to make a car payment, then you can
just concentrate on a 5 mile radius from your house.
I’ve always had to travel. For example, Barnes and
Noble, they were all over the place, so I’ve had to
get in the car and drive. If you’re looking to build
something long-term, you’re definitely going to have
to do some driving. But being out there on your own
is part of the feeling that you get of
accomplishment and freedom.
Michael: So even though you’re driving, you could
listen to . . .
Howard: You could listen to a Michael Senoff tape.
Michael: There you go.
Howard: That’s what I do. That’s another thing I
like about it. You’re feeding your mind. You keep
your positive tapes in the car and stuff like that.
In between accounts, you’re working on your
subconscious mind, you’re not getting that on the
job. You got stuff like that to listen to, you can’t
do it at work. That’s another good thing about it,
that you can feed your mind while you’re making
money.
Michael: That’s true.
Howard: I’ve got all kinds of seminars on my I-pod
and while I’m working 6, 7 hour days, most of that
time I’m listening to your positive tapes. So you
have a bad day, you have some rough times, when
those times comes that’s when it’s really good to
have that information that you listen to while
you’re working. Yeah, if you want to build a
long-term relationship with some of these accounts,
you’re going to have to do some driving.
Michael: So what is it about window cleaning? Why is
glass always getting dirty?
Howard: The main thing is because it separates the
outside elements from the inside.
Michael: What part of the glass is dirtier? The
inside or the outside? Does it all depend?
Howard: I would have to say the outside, because
you’re getting all of that pollution, the dirty rain
water, smog, but the inside, especially in
restaurants, you’ve got finger prints, grease and
things like that, and food particles, bacteria. I
would say because of the environment, I would say
the outside probably gets dirtier than the inside.
Michael: Okay, and do you need any kind of special
car or a truck to do this?
Howard: Car yes; truck, no. The only thing is, if
you’re going to use ladders, as long as you have a
car where your back seat folds, see, window cleaning
ladders are very special. They’re not like those 40
foot ladders you’ve got carry on a ladder rack on a
truck. My window cleaning ladder sits right in the
back of my car.
Michael: And it extends?
Howard: Yeah, it comes in like 5 foot sections and
they just break apart.
Michael: On TV, there’s an infomercial called the
Little Giant.
Howard: Mine is better than that because the Little
Giant doesn’t break apart. It just configures
differently. Window cleaning ladders is like taking
a 40 foot ladder and breaking it in 4 pieces and
they fit right in the back of my car.
Michael: Before we get into how you switched over
from commercial into the residential, what kind of
interesting people would you meet? Was that
something that you enjoyed about the business?
Howard: Well, yeah, you meet all kinds of
interesting people. But I’ll be honest with you,
most of the time that I got business, it wasn’t
because I was the best. It was because they liked
me. For 5 seconds, they don’t know if they want to
do business with you or not. A lot of times I would
charge the same amount as the other guys charging,
and because I came in and they liked my personality,
I made them smile, they said, you know what, why
don’t you go ahead and do them. So you’ve gotta have
a decent personality. Because a lot of the business
I got is because I came in behind somebody that was
doing a lousy job. You’d be surprised how much
business I got because somebody was doing a lousy
job, or because they like the way I came off. And
they said, you know what, go ahead and do it. I’ll
just blow the other guy off when he comes back.
Maybe 20% of the time, it was really, hey you know
what, we don’t have anybody. Thanks for coming in;
go ahead. Most of the time I beat somebody out
because they’re doing a lousy job or they didn’t
like the guy they had and they liked me. And they
said you know what, I’m going to let you do it from
now on.
Michael: So what’s your philosophy on the actual
job; the quality of work?
Howard: The quality’s gotta be there, but if you
sell yourself, if they like you, if you hit it off
in the first 5-10 seconds. Let me tell you
something, there are times I forgot to wipe this up,
wipe that up, left a drip here; they never said a
word when I came back, they’re like, hey how you
doing? You’re like one of the employees. Many times,
you make a mistake or leave something, they don’t
even see it because they like the person they’re
dealing with. Now, if they didn’t like you, it’s
like, hey man last time you left a drip, you left a
spot, you’ve gotta give it more attention. But I
can’t tell you the number of times I may have missed
a spot or whatever, but they never notice it because
they like who they’re dealing with.
Michael: So when someone comes in and does a sloppy
job, how do they know that the guy did a poor job?
What are some of the technical things?
Howard: You can tell. The main thing is if you see
streaks, water drips; if you see the ledges not
wiped down. The number 1 telltale sign is streaks.
When you clean a window, you should not see any
streaks at all if you’re doing it right. It’s almost
like there’s no glass in the frame.
Michael: So you know a good job is being done when
you can see through that glass.
Howard: When the window looks like there’s no
window, that’s a good job.
Michael: You’ve developed, over the 10 years, some
techniques on how to accomplish that that a lot of
people don’t know. Is that correct?
Howard: Yes.
Michael: How long did it take you to perfect your
non-streak window cleaning system?
Howard: Less than 2 weeks.
Michael: But the first time 2 weeks, you were
getting all kinds of streaks?
Howard: No, the first 2 weeks you’re kind of feeling
it out. But any readable person can get it down in 2
weeks or less.
Michael: Now did you come up with a way to get
through your window jobs faster than most other
window cleaners? Because when it comes down to it,
you’re still working for time. But the faster you
can do your job, the more money you can make.
Howard: That comes with experience. The main thing
to do to cut down on time is, pay attention. A lot
of times when you’re in a new area, you’re
traveling, you tend to look around and take in the
sights. Just get up to the glass, clean it and move
on. That way you maximize your money.
Michael: You’re listening to an exclusive interview
found Michael Senoff’s www.HardToFindSeminars.com
Michael: So let’s talk about when you transitioned
to doing commercial to residential. Why did that
happen? Why did you transition from commercial to
residential and what benefits did you find with the
residential that you didn’t find with the
commercial?
Howard: Well, I still do some commercial, but now
I’m focused 70% on residential. Only because it’s a
larger untapped market.
Michael: Right, so there’s less competition?
Howard: Right.
Michael: Tell me about your first residential
account. Do you remember?
Howard: Oh, I was cleaning . . . and that’s another
thing, when you’re cleaning windows sometimes people
will come and ask if you if you do houses. That’s
how I did my first one.
Michael: I gotcha.
Howard: They asked if I do houses, I said yes. I
went out there, and really cleaning a resident is
not much different than cleaning a commercial. The
window size is smaller, that’s all. You go with a
window as opposed to a store front.
Michael: So are you able to charge them more money
for resident?
Howard: Oh, absolutely. The price that you charge
for residential is much easier to come up with than
a commercial. For a standard double hung window, I
usually charge $10 a window. If they have a window
with a storm window, a storm window is like cleaning
2 windows in one because you have the regular window
as you walk up, and when you lift that window up,
you’ve got a set of storm windows you’ve gotta take
out. So a window that has a storm on the outside,
that’s $15 a window. I always tell them that I’ll
clean the screens for free. In other words, you
don’t wash the screens with water. What you do is,
stiff brush and just get all the oxidation off. It’s
a real quick process. I think it’s an incidental.
Oh, by the way, the screens are free. Oh, okay,
great, great. And I wipe down the window sills. Oh,
do you? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I wipe down the window
sills, so it’s $10 a window or $15 a window. Now for
sliding glass patio door, that’s $15; French doors
are $15, and if you have a large bay window, that’s
$25, depending on the size. If it’s really extra
large, it’ll be $40. What I usually do is over the
phone I ask them how many windows do you want
cleaned. They’ll see, okay, hold on let me count.
One, two, three, sometimes they count out loud on
the phone. 25 windows, okay. Then I’ll ask them, are
they just regular double hung windows or do you have
storms? Oh, they’re just regular double hung
windows. Now let me ask you this, ma'am. Do you have
true divided lights? In other words, is your window
divided into smaller sections with these little
wooden slats? And they’ll say, well, yes they are.
Now if they have true divided lights, that’s a
little more expensive because you’ve gotta clean
window individually.
Michael: Yeah, how much are those?
Howard: I charge about $12 a window.
Michael: Rather than $10.
Howard: Right. So you’re looking at 10, 12 & 15.
That’s the standard that I’ve done. So I add
everything up, they tell me 25 windows. If they
don’t have no storms and no divided lights, it’s
regular $10 a window; 25 times $10, that’s a $250
job. It will probably take all day, maybe 6 hours.
But I mean, man, you’ve made $250 in one day. If you
times that by 5, that’s $1250 a week. Most people
don’t make that money. The average working person
don’t make $1250 a week. And even if you’re just
starting up and you only get three of those a week.
In the peak season, $250 times 3, you make $750 a
week. Man, do you know what some people would do for
$750 a week? And look, you’ve got two days off.
Michael: So that’s what you like; you’re able to
charge more. There was less price competition.
Howard: If I have a string of KFC’s, I’ve gotta go
to this KFC, to that KFC, to that KFC, to that KFC.
You go to one person’s house; you go to one stop a
day and then you’re done.
Michael: Right.
Howard: Even thought that stop may be 50 miles from
your house. You’ve got one stop to make, clean the
windows and you’re done. Because if you’ve got 6 or
7 KFC’s all over town, you may drive about 50 miles;
maybe less or more, just to get to those KFC’s. I
got one stop a day.
Michael: How do you get your business now for your
residential? Do you ever use any kind of advance
marketing techniques? Before you were just walking
in cold.
Howard: Everything I did, I did with no money. I had
nothing, nobody, I mean talk about nothing. I’d get
the Yellow Pages, look at the janitorial companies.
A lot of janitorial companies hate doing windows.
They get called all the time, hey I want you to
clean my house. Do you do windows? Every house I’ve
ever gotten is from a janitorial company.
Michael: Every house?
Howard: Every single house.
Michael: So residents are calling the janitorial
companies?
Howard: And they never, hardly ever, do windows.
Michael: So what do you say? You talk to the
receptionist?
Howard: Yes, you call the janitorial company. I say
the same line every time. I’ll call and say, ABC
Janitorial, I’m calling to find out do you need
someone to take care of your window cleaning
clients? That’s all I say. They know exactly what
you mean. They’ll either say, no we got somebody, or
yeah, just hold on please. Or they’ll tell you to
call and speak to someone. Get a name, that’s good.
Speak to someone else, he’ll be able to help you.
That’s how I got most of my residentials. I will
call janitorial companies in the evening or have my
wife call them and say do you have anyone taking
care of your window cleaning needs? Customers call
and want window cleaning, do you have someone taking
care of that?
Michael: Hey, do you want to do something for fun?
Howard: What’s that?
Michael: Let me do a three-way call. I’m going to
call a couple janitorial companies, we’ll see what
they say.
Howard: Okay.
Michael: Okay, hang tight. Okay, just one second.
Vincent: Good morning, this is Vincent, how can I
help you?
Michael: Hey, Vincent, how you doing? Do you get
calls from people who want you guys to do windows?
Vincent: We do.
Michael: Are you all doing them, or no?
Vincent: We do, yes. Now are you looking for windows
to be cleaned?
Michael: No, we’re a window cleaning business here
in San Diego.
Vincent: Perfect, we’re always looking for new
vendors. What we do is we do facility maintenance on
commercial property and we subcontract all of our
work out.
Michael: Sure. Are you happy with your existing
vendors?
Vincent: Yes and no. We’re always looking for new
ones. Only because we like to keep our options open.
Michael: Let me give you my name. I want to tell
you, I’m not like everyone else. I do an exceptional
job. I do what I say, I show up on time, and I do
quality work. Why don’t you take my name down? It’s
Michael, M-I-C-H-A-E-L. Senoff, S-E-N-O-F-F. You can
give me a call at 858-274-7851.
Vincent: I’ll tell you this. We have a qualifying
process that we put all our vendors through.
Michael: That’s fine.
Vincent: It’s pretty basic. I just need to see if
there’s a license and general liability insurance at
least a million dollars per incident, and if you
have employees, Worker’s Comp, car insurance, a copy
of that. And then I need your company information.
Michael: Can I fax some of that to you or do you
have a form?
Vincent: Oh definitely, yeah. Tax ID and that sort
of thing. Yeah, if you could fax it to me, I’ll give
you my fax number. It’s 858-…07.
Michael: Okay.
Vincent: And we can start from there and when we get
some jobs lined up for window, we’ll give you a call
and we can go from there.
Michael: You got it. I’ll take care of it.
Vincent: Thank you, Michael. Thanks a lot. Have a
good day.
Michael: Yeah, you, too.
Michael: Are you there?
Howard: Yes, did you see how that? What I’m talking
about?
Michael: Was that hard?
Howard: No, so you see what I’m talking about?
Michael: I see exactly what you’re talking about. I
proved your point. Okay?
Howard: Yeah, check this out. Now most of my calls
aren’t like that. Now, whoever you called, this guy
apparently handled those places like Barnes and
Nobles.
Michael: Big accounts.
Howard: Right. Most of the places in the phone
books, they handle residential and some medium
sizes, but I’ve talked to guys like that. That guy
handles a lot of large commercial accounts. Let me
tell you something. The only set-back to a guy like
that is, they don’t want you to do stuff that you
are not equipped to do. I had people wanted me to do
colleges, universities, 8, 9, 10 stories and I never
told them I was a Ma and Pa business. But yes, see
what I’m saying?
Michael: But now, let’s say I don’t want to actually
do the job. I could maybe contract with someone who
could handle that and be almost like a broker if I
wanted to do that.
Howard: Yes, this dude that you just talked to says,
I’ve got a school, I’ve got a university I need
done. I need you to go and give me a bid. And
actually you can call up one of the cleaning
companies in the area. You never tell them who your
source is. You say, look, I need you to give me a
bid on LA University, whatever. I need this in 24
hours. They’ll give you the bid and you’ll be the
point man and then you go back to the company and
you may want to add on $500, $1000 just for your
efforts. And give them the bid and see what happens.
Michael: I tell you, let’s do another one just for
fun and then I want to talk about those requirements
if I wanted to get into the big time, like my
liability insurance and he wanted Workmen’s Comp in
case of I have any employees, which I don’t. And
what was the other thing? He wanted to know that I
had a business license. That’s not hard to do.
Howard: Window cleaning business you don’t need a
license.
Michael: In the window cleaning business you don’t?
Howard: No, there’s no state that says you have to
have a license clean windows. Not at all.
Michael: What about a regular business license?
Howard: I don’t know, but you could sell peanuts on
the corner and you don’t need a business license.
You just don’t need it.
Michael: I would say to anyone listening they may
just want to check with their county or their state
to double check.
Howard: Just to see if they have a special license
you need to clean. Because most janitorial companies
that go in and clean houses don’t need a license.
Michael: You don’t have to tell me the name of your
window cleaning business, but do you use a business
name where checks are written out to?
Howard: Yes.
Michael: So you need a name to your business. And
it’s a fictitious business name.
Howard: Right, you’ve gotta have a name like Good
Window Cleaning or whatever. And I would highly
recommend get a federal tax ID number from the IRS.
Don’t use your social security number because let’s
just say somebody sneaks up from your past and wants
to garnish you wages, they can’t touch your personal
bank account.
Michael: Okay.
Howard: Things like that happen.
Michael: Yeah, absolutely. So as your business grows
and you may want to protect yourself, you can
incorporate for a couple hundred bucks. You can do
it yourself by using some of the self help programs
like No Low Press will show you how to incorporate
your business for a little money.
Howard: If you go to Barnes and Nobles and get a
copy of Income Applicators magazine, a lot of
companies incorporate for less than 100 bucks.
Michael: Wow, that’s great.
Howard: $60.
Michael: Is that what you did?
Howard: Yeah.
Michael: Alright, so you got a federal ID number.
Okay, that’s smart because you’re married and you’ve
got a family?
Howard: Yes, me and my wife.
Michael: Hey, let’s do another one. Hang on a
second.
Message: We are unable to answer the phone right
now.
Howard: You get a lot of those.
Michael: So you can leave a message. Alright, hold
on.
Woman: Good morning, the Cleaning Company.
Michael: Hello, cleaning company. Who is handling
your residential window cleaning accounts?
Woman: What do you need to know for?
Michael: We are a window cleaner here in San Diego
and we know it’s tough to find reliable window
cleaners for residential accounts. Because many
companies like yours don’t even handle them. And I’m
calling to see if you have requests for residential
window cleaning.
Woman: Why don’t you just fax me your information.
Michael: What information would you need, hon?
Woman: What is it you do, where’s your license, do
you do multiple floors, things like that.
Michael: If I am, do you have the business?
Woman: I don’t know. I need to show that to my boss.
Based on that, he could make a decision and have you
come in for a meeting or something.
Michael: Okay, sure. That’s a good idea. What is
your fax number?
Woman: 858-
Michael: Alright, thank you very much.
Howard: See, something like that. That may sound
like . . .
Michael: Like she was tough, but she had stuff.
Howard: Oh no, let me tell you something. Barnes and
Nobles I got like that. I had a lot of them because
they were like, well, what can we do for you,
ya-ya-ya. I just did exactly what you did; faxed
them everything. A week later, the guy called me
back.
Michael: He called you back. The bottom line is
there’s more demand than there is supply.
Howard: It’s hard to find somebody that can do
decent windows. And like I said, I get a lot of
business after they screw up.
Michael: Alright, let’s call one more. This is fun.
Michael: How you doing there? Who’s handling your
residential window cleaning business?
Man: We are.
Michael: Okay, I’m a local window cleaner right here
in San Diego. I know it’s impossible for you to find
decent, reliable window cleaners. Do you have any
potential work that I could help take the load off?
Man: Well, you’re an experienced window cleaner,
huh?
Michael: Yes.
Man: You like second floor, third floor buildings or
just first floor?
Michael: I would rather do first floors but I’m open
to what you have. Obviously, I’d rather do first
floor. I don’t like getting up on those third
floors. But do you have a lot of jobs available?
Man: We have someone who can usually take care of
first floor windows. That’s usually not a problem.
Michael: So it’s your second and third floor stuff.
Man: Yeah, but I can take your name and number.
Michael: Yeah, sure. Let me give you my name. It’s
Michael Senoff; S-E-N-O-F-F.
Man: Okay, okay.
Michael: If I can handle your second and third
floor, how soon could you give me work?
Man: We don’t get a lot of window cleaning work.
Michael: You don’t?
Man: No, we have companies we deal with and the
first time it’s all cleaning without actually doing
the windows. But sometimes they do want windows
done.
Michael: Do you have anyone that needs something
currently?
Man: No, we actually had a job last week but
somebody already did it.
Michael: Okay, but jobs come across your desk?
Man: Yeah, they do, but you just never know. We do a
lot of construction clean-up and file cleaning work,
too. And the people that usually do that do
everything.
Michael: Well, I’ve got a good crew. What else do
you need? Are you lacking on vendors for anything?
Man: Well, most of our work is regular night time
janitorial work, like office cleaning; stuff like
that. That’s mostly what people do. But we do have
special work, too. Can you do like floor work or
anything?
Michael: Yeah, I can do floor work.
Man: Like stripping wax?
Michael: Yeah, we can do it all.
Man: Well, that might be somebody we can possibly
use sometime. We do get strip and wax work and we
don’t have a lot of people to do it, but that’s
definitely something, too.
Michael: Well, why don’t you hold on to my name?
When you’re in a bind, give me a call and we’ll see
if we can work something out.
Man: Do you have insurance and all that?
Michael: Yeah, I’ve got insurance and all that.
Man: Business license and all that?
Michael: Yeah.
Man: Okay.
Michael: Alright, thank you very much. Good bye.
Man: Bye.
Michael: For more interviews like this, please go to
www.HardToFindSeminars.com.
Howard: I know when I call the yellow places,
there’s two things. You’ve got janitorial companies
but then there’s another category in the yellow
pages called house cleaning. So sometimes you might
see one in both. You might see janitorial companies
under the heading of house cleaning.
Michael: I’m talking to more of the commercial guys,
which the small guy really doesn’t want to touch.
But I did want to prove a point. Three calls,
whether I do the business or not, I can be a broker
and get the business for these guys, you see?
Howard: If you recall, you never really got a no.
Michael: I didn’t get one no.
Howard: See, that’s good. Because you got a foot in
the door. You can call them and now you can bug
these guys like once a week, once every two weeks
and they will know.
Michael: Anyone who does this, they should be able
to have jobs in the first day. Even potential
commercial jobs. Now the commercial stuff, they’re
going to need a business license. You know, check
with their area in their town. What do you think the
insurance would run? Do you ever check into
insurance?
Howard: I’ve got insurance. I’ve got $100,000 that
cost me only $90 a month.
Michael: $90 a month, that’s it? So that’s just
business liability, right?
Howard: See here in Maryland, that’s all they want.
And I keep my binder with me in my car. That’s all.
I don’t have to have a license to clean windows. All
I have is business insurance.
Michael: Hey, what about here, maid home service or
maid for day?
Howard: See, places like Maid for Day, Maid Pro, if
you look in the phone book, some of the bigger ads,
they’re hard to get into. But some of them will
still take the information. The work I usually get
is work from the smaller ads, the single smaller
ads.
Michael: So you say some of the smaller ads in home
cleanings won’t do windows.
Howard: No, they have their hands full just cleaning
the house. I know people personally who just clean
houses. They do not touch windows.
Michael: Okay, so what am I going to look in the
phone book – cleaning?
Howard: Janitorial services or house cleaning or
maid services.
Michael: What about carpet cleaners?
Howard: Couple carpet cleaners do keep a sale for
windows, but I tired them. I got very little.
Michael: Maybe I need to go under the cleaning.
Howard: Yeah, cleaning, maid services, house
cleaning and janitorial companies.
Michael: But they have maid in here?
Howard: I know the phone book here in Maryland,
they’re divided up into house cleaning and maid
services.
Michael: They do have maid? Oh yeah, here we go.
House cleaning, residential commercial cleaning, one
time, weekly, bi-weekly, top to bottom, construction
clean-up. . .
Howard: Now a lot of them you get an answering
machine but even the words with an answering
machine, I always left a machine. I want them to
call me back. When they say, leave a message, I say
this is Mr. Howard Window Cleaning. I was calling to
let you know that I would be more than happy to take
care of your residential window cleaning needs. We
pay 15% commission on any residential window
cleaning leads that you give us. So if you’d like to
make some extra money from customers that you’re
already visiting, please give us a call.
Michael: Great.
Howard: Yeah, that’s what I tell them every time.
Michael: So there’s something in it for them.
Howard: Yes, I tell them I give back 15% of the
entire job up front.
Michael: Let’s try another one. Hang on.
Laurie: This is Laurie. I’ve either stepped away
from my desk or I’m on the other phone line. Please
leave me your name and the number where you can be
reached and I’ll get back to you shortly.
Michael: Hi, there Laurie. This is Michael and I do
residential window cleaning. I don’t know if you
offer that service to your existing clients.
However, if you have clients who need residential
cleaning, we pay 15% for any referrals. 15% of the
total bill. If this is something that interests you,
please contact 7851. Like that?
Howard: Yep. Now my wife thinks that 15% is a little
too much. It could be 10%. San Diego area, I don’t
know what the cost of things is, but figure for
example this one guy gave me a referral, janitorial
company. This was a $400 house job and only took me
like 5 hours. And I gave him 15%. He made $60 off
the deal which ain’t bad for just a referral. I made
$340.
Michael: That’s great.
Howard: Yeah, if I gave him 10% that would have been
$40, which is still good. I think 15 is maybe a tad
generous, but 10% is even good. 15% really gets
them. They call you back.
Michael: Let’s try another one. Hang on.
Woman: Good morning.
Michael: Hi, there. Do you guys do windows when you
clean residential homes?
Woman: No, we don’t. We do the sliding doors and the
window if there’s a screen.
Michael: The reason I ask is I am a window cleaner
and I do windows and I also pay 15% on any
referrals. Is that something you guys may be
interested in?
Woman: What areas do you do?
Michael: I’m all over. You’re right on Lawson,
right?
Woman: Right, our cleaning service is in La Jolla.
Michael: I’m in the La Jolla/Clairemont area, right
off of the 52.
Woman: Okay, well we have six teams; they’re all
over. Rancho Penasquitas, Scripps Ranch, Mira Mesa
and then La Jolla and UC.
Michael: Okay, well I can do any of those. I’ve got
my own truck, all my own equipment, I’m licensed,
I’m insured and what’s special about me is, not only
do I do a good job, I show up on time, I do what I
say I’m gonna do. So if you refer any of your
clients to me, they’re going to get an exceptional
service. I’m not a flake like a lot of these other
guys out there.
Woman: Well, we would definitely like to have some
business cards or some information on your.
Michael: Absolutely. What I can do, I can either
come by or I can certainly just drop in the mail.
Woman: Put them in the mail because it’s Friday and
nothing will happen today anyway.
Michael: That will be fine.
Woman: We do have people that ask quite often.
Michael: Yes, well, I know why you guys don’t handle
it. I know it’s a lot of work. You just don’t have
the time, do you?
Woman: No, we don’t. And we want them to do a good
job because our girls don’t concentrate on that. So
we don’t even go there.
Michael: I understand.
Woman: Some people ask a lot and we’re new to this
area so we don’t know anyone.
Michael: Great, well that’s something. Let me do
that. I’ll get you some business cards and then
we’ll reconnect, maybe Monday or Tuesday, and we’ll
just go from there.
Woman: Alright.
Michael: Very nice meeting you. Are you the owner
there?
Woman: I am.
Michael: Okay, wonderful. Thank you. Goodbye.
Michael: Look at that. What do you think that one
call could do for my business?
Howard: You’re in California where the weather is
nice all year round. Let me tell you something. That
one call, annually what it can add to your business
– about a good $5-8,000 and that’s being
conservative.
Michael: Now we’ve been on the phone for less than
an hour. As long as I follow through, go down and
drop off my business cards. She already identified
they’re new to the area, they’ve got business, she’s
busy and she doesn’t know anyone.
Howard: Okay, so you don’t even have to go down
there. You could do everything over the phone. I
would fax or email it. That’s even better.
Michael: I think we’ve proven out point here. With
that one idea you talked about when you first got
started. But what other ways were you able to get
business? I mean, this seems like the most effective
way, sitting on the phone just calling people.
Howard: See, what you’re doing there is you’re using
other people’s contacts for your own. That’s
basically the best way to do it.
Michael: Forget walking door to door; forget flyers,
forget mailers, forget advertising. Just stick to
what we just did.
Howard: No, flyers are a total waste of time.
Telemarketing is the way to do it. I’ve tried door
to door both. I’m not lying about commercial
business I’ve gotten walking door to door. Like
Einstein Bagels, I went into 7 different ones and I
got all 7 of them.
Michael: Wow.
Howard: That’s just how it is. Dunkin’ Donuts, I
just went into them and got 5 of them. I went into
one and got 5. I went into one Barnes and Nobles and
got 6. I went into 7 Einstein’s and got all 7. I
went into New Market and got 13. I would just say,
how you doing, my name is Howard, whatever. You know
when people warm up to you, you can make a little
comment about the weather or about the job or
whatever. I start out with something funny. They
say, hey my buddy Roscoe is the manager over there
at _____, why don’t you give him a call. It happens
every time.
Michael: That’s referral business. Once you get your
business going, you should be working off referrals
or making maybe a few calls every month, just start
generating a new flood of business.
Howard: Like that last call said so. Once you get in
with them, the calls keep coming. There’s a guy I
used to work for, he had a credit deal on the job,
right? He went out, borrowed some money from the
Credit Union to keep him going for a couple months
and just went cold turkey. Just depends on who you
talk to. She’s going to say, well look, I got a lady
with a house done, so and so and so and so, can you
do it? You can’t tell that woman, yeah, how about on
the weekend. That’s not gonna happen. See, like for
the person who’s doing it part time and got another
job, they can only do commercial.
Michael: But they can go knock on doors themselves.
Howard: They can do a couple Einstein Bagels, some
Dunkin’ Donuts. But see, eventually what’s going to
happen is you’re going to have to say goodbye to
that 9 to 5, you’re gonna have to. Most people who
do this business get in with the intent of not
keeping their job.
Michael: Or who don’t have a job already.
Howard: Right. They completely want a change of
everything. They want to get control of their time,
control of their freedom. I never have to ask for
vacation.
Michael: I think we’ve proven out point, okay?
You’re an expert in the business. Certainly anyone
who wants to get into this business, we haven’t
revealed everything because one of the most
important things, other than getting the customers,
or to learn to wash windows, and that’s not
something that is gonna come easy without experience
unless someone has a coach or consulting or they
take the time through trial and error. I think the
people listening to this call want to get started
immediately cleaning businesses. So they need to
know how to clean the business. Howard, you’ve come
to me and you’ve asked me to work with you to put
together a detailed system that is gonna teach
someone how to actually clean windows effectively.
We go over the exact equipment to use, we talk about
what to bring with you on the job, we talk about
where to get your water, we talk about your
proprietary techniques for cleaning windows faster
than your competition, and we talk about your ways
for cleaning windows without any streaks. And you
show me all the things you’ve learned in the last 10
years that’s gonna make your window cleaning
business go by faster and how you’re gonna be able
to charge more money and get more paying customers
more consistently. Now anyone who’s interested in
your system can go to the description at the web
site and click on the link which will outline
everything that they were gonna get and what they’ll
be getting is the audio recordings, which are
digital audio recordings just like we’re doing
today, with a PDF file showing the exact equipment.
And they can follow along with the audio recordings
and the images on-line. And then they can get
started in the window cleaning business instantly.
Is there any other words of advice you would want to
give anyone listening to this recording about why
they should get started today?
Howard: The reason I would suggest anyone to take
advantage of this now is because of the fact that
there’s a lot of business out there that’s
available. But it will always be available if you
don’t take advantage of it yourself. Because window
cleaning is an impulse type business. Many people
know they need it done and as soon as you mention
window cleaning, all they want to do is work out the
details and you’ve got the business. So it’s not a
business that people have to make a lot of decisions
and go through a lot of red tape. It’s an impulse
business. And the longer you wait, the longer it
will take you to reach your financial goals.
Michael: So what you’re saying is, there’s no
special selling skills involved. Either you want it
or you don’t.
Howard: Exactly.
Michael: And if they want it, you’re going to be
making money instantly.
Howard: Right, and people who you call, just like
you did, you say, hey this is what I do, then you
know. You don’t need a J. Abraham manual. You
already know. The guy that I used to work for had
about as much personality as a brick. They already
know how to start a window cleaning business with no
sales skills at all. You don’t need it. All you
gotta know is how to ask questions. Hey, do you need
a window cleaning service?
Michael: What would you say to people who maybe have
this perception that maybe cleaning windows or
cleaning homes is beneath me? Do you think that’s a
barrier for people?
Howard: Well, they’ve got to get past that point for
sure. First of all, people who feel that way won’t
do well at the window cleaning business because you
go into some people’s houses so somebody has the
thought about I’m not cleaning anybody’s house,
that’s manual labor. But you have to get past that.
How I got past it, how other people get past it, is
that you are an entrepreneur; you are self employed.
It’s better to be self employed than to be just over
broke, with just a job. So that’s how a lot of us
get past that. We want to maximize our time and
money by being self employed as opposed to having
someone dictate that your time and effort is only
worth $10 an hour and that’s all you’re getting from
us. And by the way, you’re salaried, no overtime.
Michael: Hi, it’s Michael Senoff here. Here is a
short call that came after my interview with Howard
from one of the ladies who had just started a
cleaning service, calling me back requesting me to
send business cards; absolute proof that those few
phone calls that we made during this interview were
very effective and this one lady could bring me a
lot of business if I chose to get into the window
cleaning business. I just wanted to illustrate this
and here’s the phone call that came later for your
listening pleasure. Enjoy.
Woman: Just returning a phone call in relation to
your business referral. I had worked like that
before. This guy that I’m working with right now
just his price is getting a little bit up there and
we haven’t had too much success lately out pricing
himself.
Michael: Can you give me an idea what he’s pricing?
I want to make sure we’re on the same . . .
Woman: It just depends. We do everything from
construction cleanup to regular maid service.
Michael: How about the residentials, you know the
maid service in the residential home?
Woman: It just depends. He goes out there and takes
a look at them. All I know is that we’re getting a
lot more no’s and that’s something that didn’t
normally happen.
Michael: I see, okay.
Woman: Anyway, we’re very interested if you want to
send me some cards. Just put on one of your cards
that you have a referral fee and I’ll remember who
you are.
Michael: Yeah, that’s perfect. So how will it work?
Will your girls go in there, they’ll leave a card or
what?
Woman: Well, what happens is when we get phone calls
on jobs and they’re window cleanings that we don’t
want to do, then here’s exactly what we’ll do. Like,
we’ll do little side windows and easily reached
windows and outside but when it obviously starts
getting second stories, or when hedges are in the
way; you do do construction clean up?
Michael: Sure, yes.
Woman: Then that’s when I always refer it out. So
what I would do is give you the name of the client
and then you can basically handle it from there and
hopefully you get the job and then just cut me a
check for 15% of what you charge.
Michael: That’s a deal, that’s a deal. Okay, let’s
do that. I’ll get you some stuff.
Woman: Okay, let me give you my address.
Michael: Great. Okay, thanks so much. Have a good
weekend.
Michael: That’s the end of my interview with Howard.
I hope it’s been helpful and I hope it’s given you
some confidence that you can get out there and start
making money doing the window cleaning business. If
you’re interested in Howard’s complete package on
how to get started in the window cleaning business,
go back to the web site or the transcript where you
learned about this recording and click on the free
report, “Successful Window Cleaning Business in
Under 72 Hours” and you’ll be taken to more details
on how you can get your hands on his complete
training and the techniques of how to actually clean
the windows properly, and lots more. Or if you’d
like to get in touch with Howard, please contact me
at858-274-7851. You may also email me at Michael@michaelsenoff.com.
That’s Michael@michaelsenoff.com, and that’s S-E-N
as in Nancy, O-F-F like in Frank. SENOFF. Thanks for
listening and enjoy.
This is Michael with Michael Senoff’s
www.HardToFindSeminars.com and another bonus tip.
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In the subject line of your email, in all capitals,
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Hi, it’s Michael Senoff here with another tip from
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up with a solution that gets you better results.
Thanks for listening.
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