Hi. Jim DuBois here again. The times continue to be just plain weird so here is a follow up to my last article titled “Things To Consider Right Now”. Whether it’s 2020, 2008, 2001 or future economic downturns, pandemics, or just plain slow seasons, they come and go. Let’s talk about how to face it. Let’s talk about what successful companies do to deal with it to keep revenues humming along.

The economy, rainy seasons, slow seasons all hurt window cleaners. Many just don’t know what to do to jump start things, or anticipate them and plan. So what do you do? You wait it out and by doing so, well, revenue drops, you risk losing employees, cash flow drains, etc. Wrong answer. What you should do, is get back to work!

Kick start the looming slow season with smart marketing and start bringing the jobs in. There is a saying that goes like this, “where there is anxiety, there is always opportunity.” And there is absolutely opportunity in our industry.

We seem to forget when there are recessions or pandemics, people stay home more often. The home service demand actually grows. You simply need to remind them that they need you. You need to market to get their attention. 

Over the last year, I’ve watched many window cleaners struggle, but I’ve also seen many window cleaners prosper, even having their best year yet. One of my clients who started the year in March 2020 at $5,000 grew ten times to over $58,000 per month in October.

Why? How?

It’s how they respond to it. It’s being proactive instead of just expecting and accepting bad or slow times and doing nothing about it and complaining. 

How do you create your own busy season?

When I work with window cleaners, I ask them, “what is working for you right now?” Every business has something that is working for them. 

A business network, a newsletter, an ad, a referral program, a joint venture, a client appreciation system, a direct mail campaign, etc. Something is or has been working for you as I type this. The quickest way to creating more business is to identify where your jobs are coming from right now, and do more of it.

So, ask yourself the same question. 

Credit: Cashen Smith

“What is working for you right now?”

If you send out 1,000 flyers to a neighborhood to generate business, send out 4,000. If your 5-door knock arounds generate leads, amp it up to a 10-door knock arounds. If your 10-door hanger around is effective, turn it up to a 30-door hanger around.

If a maid service sends you jobs, find 3 more maid services to joint venture with to do the same. 

If you send a mailing out and get new jobs, send another mailing out with a second notice and then a third notice with the same offer to the same people and maximize your response. 

Are you getting the idea?

If your print campaigns are working to bring in business, create an online program to do the same and expand your radius. 

If your google ads are working, increase your ad-spend and analyze the results. Try optimizing those campaigns by testing different versions of the ad. Try advertising and marketing your other services too so more prospects will find you. 

Many of us think we need something radically different and new when it comes to marketing and advertising when the simplest step is to just ‘roll-out’ with more of what’s already working.

When you’ve exhausted those avenues then see what is working for others and model them. “Others” means any service business that caters to the same marketplace. 

My window cleaning business would be a great example of that. I heard about a unique strategy last year from a completely different industry that caters to the home services market. I created a system around it for window cleaning and pressure washing and instantly added another five-figures per month revenue (from $0) to my company’s bottom line. I taught the strategy to my WindowWashingWealth.com clients and one immediately implemented it, and instantly his company added another $22,000 per month in 30 days. 

You can find nuggets of marketing gold anywhere and apply it to your own business.

Just find out “what is working.”

Looking for a high-level window cleaning “only” Business Coach to take your company to the next level? Have a specific question you’re stumped on? Reach out and I will be happy to help you…

Thanks for reading!

Jim DuBois is founder of Squeegee Pros, Inc. out of Mooresville, NC and is the creator of WindowWashingWealth.com. Visit the site for a FREE MARKETING REPORT, and BUSINESS BUILDING MANUAL. Window Washing Wealth is a high-level business coaching program that specializes in aggressive marketing tactics, systems implementation, and growth trajectory execution – all leading to market domination on auto-pilot. We are changing the way window cleaners do business. Email questions you’d like to see answered in this column directly to [email protected] or call 704-451-0409.