Certification?
vote(s)
Post Reply| Accept other forums certification. |
|
57.1% | |
| Honorable certification. |
|
7.1% | |
| Certification should be decided case by case. |
|
28.6% | |
| We should do certification. |
|
0.0% | |
| Farm out all certification. |
|
7.1% |
Ed, awesome post! I think everyone should print it out, frame it and hang it on their office wall.
Below is a post from Gary to Art and myself just a few months ago. We did exactly as Gary suggested, and shortly after is when Chris T. and Gary tried to ruin our business by deleting our posts / backlinks and crashing our Google rankings. Never in a million years did I think they would do something that dispicable but it just goes to show what kind of folks they really are.
I think I'm also going to print the post below and hang it on the wall next to Ed's post, as a reminder of why this forum was formed! Turning something negative into a possitive!
-- Edited by Ray Wilkinson on Saturday 12th of October 2013 12:31:18 AM
My problem with that other place is that I felt like my dues were directly being used to compete against me and my own market. That's unfair competition, and I don't really care for it!
I am Softwash Systems Authorized, and I do use it when doing my sales pitch. It helps with about 50% of the customers and they actually see value in it. The other 50% really can care less. Most of them do not even care if we have insurance or anything else. These people are not my target customers. I still go through everything and explain that we are state licensed and have all our insurance (GL & Workers Comp), that we are AsktheSeal.com verified, etc.... but they are looking for price, price, price!! At that point I know I probably will not get the job, and most likely don't want it, so I will not budge on the price. I think there is some value to having a certification. I just happen to like AC's, because it is very organized and complete. I can produce MSDS sheets & cut sheets for all the products I use, and show documentation of how long they have been in use. I can show that we have been trained, both classroom & hands on, with some consistency & procedure. The customers who don't care are the dishonest and ignorant ones. They are most likely to hire someone with no insurance, license, etc... I lost a job the other day to a guy who is a dishwasher at the local bowling alley and bought a Walmart pressure washer and now does it on the side. He has no insurance, license, methods, not even a truck. He shows up in his car with primer on it. The job was a 2200/sf, bi-level house wash. I was at $300.00 because it was easy, close to my house and not many plants. He did the job for $85.00. I drove by when he was there and it was most of the morning, about 3.5 hours. Boggles my mind!!!
Most of the commercial accounts that I have landed this year have been a direct result of having a certification and showing our processes. They look for it and appreciated it. I come from the roofing industry, where certifications pretty much can make or break a company, because you cannot get a warranty without one. To me it is a way to legitimize my company in a very unregulated industry.
Sorry for the long rant just in a bad mood with the rain and the cabin fever.
Not like the RCIA BS cert that cost me $100 and a "test" over the phone with Chris.
It is what you make it, people aren't going to ask for it, you use it as a sales tool.
It's all about educating the customer. I go into every estimate assuming the customer knows nothing, or what they do know may be a lot of mis information. It's up to me to show that I am part of a Professional Industry and that I take pride in my work, and most importantly am going to give the utmost care for their property. I always tell them that anyone can come out here and spray and try to clean, but 90% of any type of job like this is in the prep work and protecting their property. I let them know if they are looking for a 99$ house wash I am not their guy. But if they want someone that is going to prepare their property properly( cover outlets, move or cover delicate plants, cover door thresholds, etc etc) for the cleaning and or restoration that we are about to do, and then use the professional cleaning methods and techniques, along with professional cleaning products that are supplied from professional industry suppliers, (not dollar store products) then I am happy to be considered.
Most customers have dealt with at least one and sometimes a few different Pressure Washing companies..so it's the little things we do, and explain to them that we do, that can allow us to close sales at prices higher than they have ever paid or expected to pay. The best part is hearing them say afterwards..."worth every penny." Not trying to sound ****y or arrogant, but it really is all about setting yourself apart. Certifications and any type of Continuing Education can help you do that.
I understand the hesitancy some will have when it comes to certification, heck I was there myself once. Now I'm heading up the window cleaning certification committee for the UAMCC. I think in the beginning of any certification program it's up to the contractor to explain the benefits that come to the customer from our certification.
For instance - I let the customer know how active I am in the ongoing education that certification represents. That I'm tested by a 3rd party to ensure that I know my trade. That I am involved in helping others further their education. I now become not just another window cleaner to them but rather an expert and educator in the field. It changes their perception of me and gives me a leg up on the competition. I have in fact had more than a few customers say it's one reason they stay with our company when others low ball them.
And if I had read Doug's post before putting this up I simple could have said - Yeah what Doug said lol
-- Edited by mistersqueegee on Monday 28th of October 2013 02:09:45 PM
Well said!