[xxmattyxx]

As usual you've all gone of on a totally unrelated tangent and ended up talking about yourselves/ourselves.Talk about self obsessed. Me, me and a bit more me

Well, we are ONLY window-cleaners afterall, surely you didnt expect anything intelligent?

[Davo]

Its good that members can think about issues that can make a very real difference to how they run their business and ultimately earn their living.

It just strikes me as rather a shame that certain members dont contribute to threads that could DRAMATICALLY improve their business.


Why is that??

Are they too embarassed to ask questions, or is this "psycho babble" beneath them?

This topic forms the very basics of successful marketing, And every successful business knows the value of that.



Mark

[Village Gleam]

The physco babbles my favourite bit. I know what my unique selling proposition is, I know what my value and mission statements are too. I'm also very aware of my target market. When I design a leaflet I use a heirachy of benefits.

Does this make me better than any body else? I think so, yes.

[Jago]

I am a real big believer in perception.
My ex hated me for it and still tells me to get a propper Job to pay the bills
Erm I still manage to pay the mortgage and for my children always on time and never without a proplem
In her eyes window cleaning is not a real job as we can choose when to do our work.
I am lucky enough to have unlimited texts with my phone and offer this as a service to customers to text them when i am doing there windows so the can leave me access to their propperties.
they leave garages open for me and keys in the back garden i lock up after and post the keys through the front door

I always try to look fairly smart and it has been commented on another perception
I was watching three young lads barrel out of a car the other day,
all only as i can describe as propper Chavey looking. you know baseball caps jog bottoms the lot.
I was quite content although I was also in a car to be climbing over a 400k house charging a lot of money knowing i looked the part and knowing i do a good job. (not that there work was not)
this has helped me increase my prices and my confidence when telling the customer why it is that price I charge.

The van will be next on my list but one step at a time

Over the last  4 moths I have picked up 30 customers a month and nearly all are in walking distance when I park my car.

Another thing is, people I used to work with are agast when I proudly say what I now do
They ask me if I am challenged anymore and do I not get bored.
I find this offencive but bite my tongue as I know I am my own boss I do as I please answer to me and will earn more than them when I am fully established

Many thanks to the people on here and other window cleaners I have Met to help me be like this.
Happy 2008
Regards J

[Londoner]

A lot of people have problems with the image of the job. This can have a corrosive effect over time. The popular perception of a window cleaner is a loser who couldn't handle a proper job. I can understand this and I have picked up the vibes on many occasions when talking to people. Its the "Oh, and what do you do?" then when you tell them there is a pause before they say something like "thats nice".

You have to overcome this. If you don't it will drag you down.

[Tim Rose]

So it's worth thinking about leaflets just for this.

My hot thing is very similar(perception) but did you notice the back lash.

 Doesnt make sense to me, however with a mind set that theyre ONLY window cleaners, it doesnt really suprise me.

They could be so much more. If thats how they perceive themselves then what do their customers see?.


Mark

... and going around calling people 'upper class twits/toffs/snobs', and moaning about the 'class system' and the like is hardly going to endear you to get their custom.  Hey, if you don't want it, I'll take it, thank you.

[Ian_Giles]

As usual you've all gone of on a totally unrelated tangent and ended up talking about yourselves/ourselves.Talk about self obsessed. Me, me and a bit more me This thread is about perception in the business sence, that someone, and I believe Mick Hay was the example, could target a niche' market by doing everything very professionally and attract a high volume of customers at prices nearly double what a lot of us charge and still leave customers with the perception that they had had very good value for money and that their conservatory returned to nearly new.

As we are doing bios though I have always been a winner, but have found w/c very difficult. Particulary at the start when I just went knocking doors to set up a test market. I was so embarrassed, and humbled by this, especially as I say I have already been successfull.For a long time my wife said I was playing at it, and thought I wasted far too much money on it.

got to disagree with you in part as I think that with self perception you can only really highlight it with examples of your own experience and observation.

By getting your customers to believe in you you have to portray a whole host of things, much of which you are not going to be aware of as it will be subliminal.
There is the obvious stuff, smartly turned out, polite, perhaps the signed van and so on, and of course the quality of the work you carry out.
Much better the personalised invoices and stationary rather than a generic invoice or receipt pad from the local newsagent (er...I do use them as backup when I've forgotten to print out enough stationery  )

your self perception comes from inside of course, some have commented on how others might see them as 'just a window cleaner' lowest of the low on a par with road sweepers....
Well in our little town of Chepstow we have two road sweepers, the one is a road sweeper you may well get the impression he is in fact the lowest of the low.
The other is an intelligent man, well spoken and with a proud, confident demeanor, with him you get a totally different perception.
He is a man who understands the importance of the job he does.

To change yourself from the inside out is of course something that no end of american self help books are all about, and to a degree this forum does a similar thing.
You might read of someone else's experience, or several on a particular thread that will help fire you with enthusiasm and leave you eager to go out and practice  the advice you have read.
When you have had a downer, feel the world is against you, you may well share your 'bad day' on here, and your spirits will be lifted and your confidence restored  by the many helpful replies you will receive.

although I have been a window cleaner for 25 years, and thought I knew all there was to possibly know about window cleaning, I've learned so much on here and over the last 3 or 4 years it has enabled me to change my perspective and as a result my 'self perception' or 'self belief', and this of course get unconsciously transfered outwardly to my customers.
I cannot say it has been a deliberate conscious thing I have done, but as I look back over the last 3 years or so I can see the change for myself, and I only have to look at my business now to see the very real and tangible evidence.

For over 20 years I basically kept my head above water, never really had much, just made a living...but it is bloody different now....

Ian

[Village Gleam]

Yes after I'd castigated everyone for talking about themselves I proceeded to ramble on about myself. You have some good insights Ian, but the nuts and bolts are no matter how much you personally believe in yourself if my leaflets(marketing) are better, and my hot system better(and it is) and more appealing I will get more customers than you.

The fundamental reason your life turned around is WFP and it's benefits. You were given a chance, and you took it. Had it come early in your life you may well have been prime minister by now with squeaks as home secretary.

[Paul Coleman]

Yes after I'd castigated everyone for talking about themselves I proceeded to ramble on about myself.

Yes I noticed that too 
I decided that sometimes it's better to sit on my hands rather than type with them.
I had to make WFP work.  I was in debt and struggling to pay it.  I borrowed some more to set up WFP.  For me, WFP was like Custer's last stand.  Looks like Custer is going to win this time.

[Village Gleam]

You deserve a bit of good luck mate. You invested in yourself and it worked. The next time you face an investment decision remember that.

[NWH]

If an investment is not going to benefit you and your family you wouldn`t invest would you,you went through the worrying period and came through it and it sounds like it`s  working for you,well done onwards and upwards,it only gets better in my experience happy 2008.

[Village Gleam]

Disagree. The sooner you stop dithering and get a hot system the better nwh. You decide which one and how much. Immediate benefit to family is another matter. In the case of who we were talking about, I believe he has had a raw deal from childhood on which includes religous stricture, family rift,serious illness, and maritals.(this only my take and probably completly wrong) This can sap confidence, but it is a fact that when he invested in himself it worked, and there is a high probability it would work again.

[NWH]

I agree with you lol,have you got out of the wrong side of the bed.

[Village Gleam]

No did I come over as snappy. I was trying not to be a know all by poking my nose into your biz,(and shiners life)but it is better to make a decision.
Lpg on demand is way better than diesel on both performance and cost.
Diesel is better on safety.
As far as I know there has never been a post on here from a concept 02 user, or any other successfull lpg system user. There are two uk makers of heaters rinnai with it's infinity series and morco. The top ones have powered flues and do not need outside ventilation. The cheaper ones do, are simpler, but have a pilot light which the top ones don't.

Diesel is expensive, about six pounds a day to run(please put me right on this if you know better). You can use red but who wants a 1000l tank in their back garden.

[Paul Coleman]

Disagree. The sooner you stop dithering and get a hot system the better nwh. You decide which one and how much. Immediate benefit to family is another matter. In the case of who we were talking about, I believe he has had a raw deal from childhood on which includes religous stricture, family rift,serious illness, and maritals.(this only my take and probably completly wrong) This can sap confidence, but it is a fact that when he invested in himself it worked, and there is a high probability it would work again.

Sounds vaguely familiar  though I'm sure there are plenty of people that such things can apply to.
Not wanting to sound like a psychobabbler but the key phrase for me is:-
We are not responsible for the hand we are dealt but we ARE responsible for the way we play it.

[Wayne Thomas]

I use to be very quiet and shy as a schoolchild.
I joined the army and all that changed.
I am now very confident and not afraid to stand in a room full of total strangers and give a speech about anything absolutely daft just for the hell of it. I am the type of person that would start a team conversation going in a room full of quiet strangers who are too afraid to make the first move, too afraid to make a sound. Why, because it's second nature to me now. I don't even have to think about it because it just comes naturally because once I start talking, you'd have a hard time shutting me up I greet people with a firm handshake, look them directly in the eyes and my body language is open to their space as I don't feel threatened.
I run my window cleaning as a business and try my hardest not to let personal grievences with some awkward customers get the better of me. I am proud of what I do, I enjoy my job and it allows me to live a reasonably comfortable life with flexible working hours. I am fortunate that I have 2 trades to fall back on, however I am happy cleaning windows and have no intentions on falling back on my other trades because I have the confidence and self belief in what I do and wouldn't want to change it for anything regardless of what other people may perceive of my job

[Village Gleam]

Dear Clive,

There is a specific element of Entrepreneurial Success that most business owners never truly grasp and as a result, never come close to creating the financial results that they desire.

It relates to their ability to take Action. Every Entrepreneur I've met, with a net worth of more than one million pounds has an ability to take consistent, large scale action at a level that leaves most of the people around them exhausted.

The extent to which you are able to cultivate this focus on action, is going to be directly related to your income and profits as your business grows.

There are three key principles here:

1 Getting access to the knowledge and information that you need to become a highly successful Entrepreneur is no longer an issue. Whether you choose to get that knowledge from me or someone else, the strategies for creating rapid Entrepreneurial success are clear. The issue is whether people take action on that knowledge. One of the biggest barriers I see to success is people hesitating and procrastinating. Defeating that hesitation and taking massive (but always low risk action) is both liberating and financially rewarding.

2 This is the key one: We've been conditioned to take action 'sequentially' meaning one step after another. For example, this month I'll write a new sales letter, next month I'll hire an assistant, the month after that I'll sort out my website" etc. 'Sequential' action is considerably better than nothing but the ultra successful are obsessed with 'simultaneous' action. Simultaneous action means that you start taking action in all the key areas as soon as you decide it's an action worth taking. So you start doing things in several areas at the same time. You ignore all the excuses for not taking such action, get the ball rolling and then deal with the results. Be warned - those results may include an element of chaos. But it's out of that type of chaos that most Entrepreneurial greatness emerges. You won't find that strategy in the business books but when you talk to successful Entrepreneurs it's how they do it, almost without exception.

3 Once you develop the Action habit, the next step is being very focused on which Actions are worth focusing on. Most of the drudge that fills up peoples' week is a highly ineffective use of their time. People use the 'too busy' excuse to avoid taking important actions (such as implementing new Marketing and Internet Marketing strategies.) But the problem often is not that they're busy. It's that they are busy doing ineffective things. Realise that there are a handful of actions you take or could be taking every week, that are probably ten times more effective and profitable than everything else you do.

Focus on doing more of these and doing whatever it takes to 'delete' the ineffective uses of your time and you'll see a direct impact on your profits.

On the subject of Action, if you've not yet taken me up on my Free gift of my Six CD set 'Essential Profit Strategies' and two months Free membership of my VIP Inner Circle, that's definitely an action worth taking. I'll send the CDs to you and share with you the most effective profit strategies I know. Your Free gift from me is here:

http://www.yourbusinesssuccess.co.uk/sign-up

As someone once said: "He who hesitates is lost" Your Free gift is here:

http://www.yourbusinesssuccess.co.uk/sign-up

Best wishes

Chris Cardell
A very special gift from Chris Cardell. The six CD set 'Essential Profit Strategies' plus two month's membership of Chris's VIP Inner Circle. Get your Free gift from Chris here: http://www.yourbusinesssuccess.co.uk/sign-up

[frames to panes]

Um, is this still the windowcleaning forum? Bit deep for me man.

[windowwashers]

Dear Clive,

There is a specific element of Entrepreneurial Success that most business owners never truly grasp and as a result, never come close to creating the financial results that they desire.

It relates to their ability to take Action. Every Entrepreneur I've met, with a net worth of more than one million pounds has an ability to take consistent, large scale action at a level that leaves most of the people around them exhausted.

The extent to which you are able to cultivate this focus on action, is going to be directly related to your income and profits as your business grows.

There are three key principles here:

1 Getting access to the knowledge and information that you need to become a highly successful Entrepreneur is no longer an issue. Whether you choose to get that knowledge from me or someone else, the strategies for creating rapid Entrepreneurial success are clear. The issue is whether people take action on that knowledge. One of the biggest barriers I see to success is people hesitating and procrastinating. Defeating that hesitation and taking massive (but always low risk action) is both liberating and financially rewarding.

2 This is the key one: We've been conditioned to take action 'sequentially' meaning one step after another. For example, this month I'll write a new sales letter, next month I'll hire an assistant, the month after that I'll sort out my website" etc. 'Sequential' action is considerably better than nothing but the ultra successful are obsessed with 'simultaneous' action. Simultaneous action means that you start taking action in all the key areas as soon as you decide it's an action worth taking. So you start doing things in several areas at the same time. You ignore all the excuses for not taking such action, get the ball rolling and then deal with the results. Be warned - those results may include an element of chaos. But it's out of that type of chaos that most Entrepreneurial greatness emerges. You won't find that strategy in the business books but when you talk to successful Entrepreneurs it's how they do it, almost without exception.

3 Once you develop the Action habit, the next step is being very focused on which Actions are worth focusing on. Most of the drudge that fills up peoples' week is a highly ineffective use of their time. People use the 'too busy' excuse to avoid taking important actions (such as implementing new Marketing and Internet Marketing strategies.) But the problem often is not that they're busy. It's that they are busy doing ineffective things. Realise that there are a handful of actions you take or could be taking every week, that are probably ten times more effective and profitable than everything else you do.

Focus on doing more of these and doing whatever it takes to 'delete' the ineffective uses of your time and you'll see a direct impact on your profits.

On the subject of Action, if you've not yet taken me up on my Free gift of my Six CD set 'Essential Profit Strategies' and two months Free membership of my VIP Inner Circle, that's definitely an action worth taking. I'll send the CDs to you and share with you the most effective profit strategies I know. Your Free gift from me is here:

http://www.yourbusinesssuccess.co.uk/sign-up

As someone once said: "He who hesitates is lost" Your Free gift is here:

http://www.yourbusinesssuccess.co.uk/sign-up

Best wishes

Chris Cardell
A very special gift from Chris Cardell. The six CD set 'Essential Profit Strategies' plus two month's membership of Chris's VIP Inner Circle. Get your Free gift from Chris here: http://www.yourbusinesssuccess.co.uk/sign-up

loved reading that post 
did you also do amway?
I love this sort of thing, magic of thinking big is my 1st choice of book to read.

Happy new year all

[NWH]

Mr Solubility that was a good post and worth the read,i have read such books in the past and they all aim towards the chaos factor you mentioned,some say that being able to handle the chaos bit or (stress) as others would put it is the key factor.How many times do you here people say i don`t want the stress of it,i know i`ve done it myself in the past and it`s one of those things i`m trying to eliminate from my life-mind,it`s a bit like taking on a big morgage where`s in the outset you worry like mad about the payments but you find as time goes by the stress-worry gets smaller and you start to wonder why you worried in the first place.As they say you just have to jump in and give it a go or you`ll never know.