[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

I built up several years ago, I was made redundant, didnt get that much money from it, just enough to pay my household bills for a month, and get basic traditional tools.
I had some flyers made up, 6 monjths down the line I had over 100 residential customers, I even employed guys a few years ago. I now employ one guy to cover the round up in Leicester and I am building my round up in Essex, I have currently 126 customers.
I have felt like throwing it all in numerous times, I pulled through it, and I am happy that I didnt throw the towel in.



Matt

[R W C™]

I built up several years ago, I was made redundant, didnt get that much money from it, just enough to pay my household bills for a month, and get basic traditional tools.
I had some flyers made up, 6 monjths down the line I had over 100 residential customers, I even employed guys a few years ago. I now employ one guy to cover the round up in Leicester and I am building my round up in Essex, I have currently 126 customers.
I have felt like throwing it all in numerous times, I pulled through it, and I am happy that I didnt throw the towel in.



Matt

Whats this in response too 

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

I thought you were jacking it in





Matt

[R W C™]

I thought you were jacking it in





Matt

Matt you been drinking 

[matt]

Matt, i spend a fortune trying to achieve what you describe, i also put a great deal of thought and effort into it and read books on business and marketing- and yes i arrive at exactly the same place you are, known, liked, and trusted.

Remember Alex? I have no problems buying all his expensive stuff but when he showed pics he was working out of cars, used  plastic hoselock reels(he used drip trays because his reels always leaked), and didn't even have a round management programme (He used cards).He said if it ain't broke why fix it.

So i spend money in the vanity that my theories are right (and they often aren't) and the likes of you and Alex who are very tight fisted and short sighted, like to save money in the vanity to prove your skinflint theories are correct.

your right

BUT will you continue to spend and spend on trying to achieve the impossible ( as you will allways strive for more ) ? ? ? ?

[Clive McDonald]

Maybe.

I understand your way, but i felt i had to build a business fast, so i spent money to do it. alex is really a fishing pole guy like you, it's just that he's stuck flogging slx's.Poor chap. He never fancied a van mount much either and now they are saying he's trialing a system.What i am trying to say (badly) is that spending money is counter intuitive even to very bright guys like you and AG. But, to launch his products on here (ciu) with no exibition trade stand or fancy ads and then become an instant industry standard and number one catergory seller not only cost him nothing but smacks of genius .

As with all things there probably was a price- stress.We are such a lovable bunch

[AuRavelling79]

You can win contracts for big firms with an old car. I have done it.

[matt]

You can win contracts for big firms with an old car. I have done it.

does your car have a picture of a old man waving a walking stick though ? ? ?

that might be the deciding factor 

[matt]

Maybe.

I understand your way, but i felt i had to build a business fast, so i spent money to do it. alex is really a fishing pole guy like you, it's just that he's stuck flogging slx's.Poor chap. He never fancied a van mount much either and now they are saying he's trialing a system.What i am trying to say (badly) is that spending money is counter intuitive even to very bright guys like you and AG. But, to launch his products on here (ciu) with no exibition trade stand or fancy ads and then become an instant industry standard and number one catergory seller not only cost him nothing but smacks of genius .

I like Alex, he took a chance and tried to push the boundaries a little with lightweight poles, was he just following Jeff B with the fishing pole idea ? ? ? i know my opinion on that but he took the chance and it now i guess a very wealthy man, good luck to him, he took the chance

i looked into selling systems, infact i had the web site and i did build a few for people to test the water ( search back long enough and you will see the posts in BST forum )
it was for people who didnt want to / couldnt be bothered to DIY it AND for people who had cars, it was based on a collapsible sack truck ( so it would fit behind a seat in a small car ( tested on my golf ) and the pump box was smaller fitted to the sack truck, 2 or 3 small gold cart batteries etc etc, it was based on the DIY site setup
they worked well, people would come to my house ( sometimes ) and i would give then a bit of a lesson, show them how it all worked, what part was what, if they had issue what to look for , i would also meet them half somewhere ( aslong as it was within 2 hours from me and they paid for my petrol and a coffee and cake in the service station
this was before andrew mccann and alex got in on the act, it was either ironics, brodex or peter F trolley, i am afraid the idea died because of time issue, i was spending my evenings making them ( when i wanted to be at home with my then little girl ) sometimes in life you have to prioritize life and as most know, my family time comes first

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

Maybe.

I understand your way, but i felt i had to build a business fast, so i spent money to do it. alex is really a fishing pole guy like you, it's just that he's stuck flogging slx's.Poor chap. He never fancied a van mount much either and now they are saying he's trialing a system.What i am trying to say (badly) is that spending money is counter intuitive even to very bright guys like you and AG. But, to launch his products on here (ciu) with no exibition trade stand or fancy ads and then become an instant industry standard and number one catergory seller not only cost him nothing but smacks of genius .

As with all things there probably was a price- stress.We are such a lovable bunch

Regarding Alex. G. That's because he LISTENED to what the industry needed & wanted. He took all veiws on board, added them to his own experience & knowlage, took the plunge & it paid off. He saw the oppertunity, saw the "others" stuck in their ruts & gave us industry leading products, all while the others were happy to keep taking our money for minimal, if any developement. Just look how the "others" have finaly started to cotton on.

Another two suppliers with modular poles, poles with shorter closed lengths, Brodex used to boast that their poles did not have removable sections so they wouldn't come apart- now they market that very feature.

Good on him. Kicked the butts of the big boys while they were sleeping!

[matt]

You can win contracts for big firms with an old car. I have done it.

Well obviously when you go to speak to 'management', they don't watch the car park do they?  Its the guy they shake hands with that they take note of.

allegedly a certain system make installs a tracker in the systems, all 'management' have a program on the PC that tell them when 1 is in the car park, thus they know who to give the work to  : : :






PS, the above isnt true, but dont tell them that, it might have been a selling point

[Clive McDonald]

Heh, we did a ten page obituary thread on tosh's demise.

Glad that you are back.

[wizard]

RW C you  seem to be a very unhappy chappy Maybe its time to pull the lemon out.

[AuRavelling79]

Matt, that tracker software you refer to has been updated with version 2.0 which now has a red, yellow and orange "crippled man" logo instead of the old shades of blue - so if you haven't upgraded then the facilities manager will know you've arrived with an out of date system and cancel your contract forthwith!

[Clive McDonald]

logo of a crippled man for wash and preach, brilliant imagery yet again.

i have to ask, where did you learn to write?(i am interested not being sarcastic)

 

[matt]

Matt, that tracker software you refer to has been updated with version 2.0 which now has a red, yellow and orange "crippled man" logo instead of the old shades of blue - so if you haven't upgraded then the facilities manager will know you've arrived with an out of date system and cancel your contract forthwith!

Nooooooooooooo !!!!!!!!!!!!

that will mean they will have to upgrade

or

will the salesman talk them into a new system in a new van, he will throw in a free pen 

[AuRavelling79]

logo of a crippled man for wash and preach, brilliant imagery yet again.

i have to ask, where did you learn to write?(i am interested not being sarcastic)

 

wash and preach 

Learn to write? Self taught really - building on my CSE Grade 1 English language from school! (That is the equivalent of a medium grade O level today )

Although I did a lot of selling of office typewriters and wordprocessors in the late 1980's/early 1990's to local government departments and solicitors and so went on Olivetti and IBM sales courses where "presentation" (correct spelling and grammar in my demonstrations, both written and spoken) was deemed important. And of course to "Queen Bee" head secretaries and personal assistants (and personnel assistants ) it was!

And as a jw I would give talks (from prepared notes) and read from the lectern - but most of their publications are in American English which I try to distinguish from British English. So I'm a bit anal as well.

[Clive McDonald]

I've always liked the yanks scott fitzgerald, hemingway, catcher in the rye, breakfast at tiffanys,shane,love story,steven king etc.

Anyhow some of your posts remind me of john sullivan (scriptwriter only fools and horses).Who knows in a different life?

[AuRavelling79]

I've always liked the yanks scott fitzgerald, hemingway, catcher in the rye, breakfast at tiffanys,shane,love story,steven king etc.

Anyhow some of your posts remind me of john sullivan (scriptwriter only fools and horses).Who knows in a different life?

Just revisited this, Slumps - you're too kind.

Funnily enough, although I watch Only Fools & Horses if I happen to be around it's never floated my boat like Dad's Army, Fawlty Towers and The Office which do. (Strange really because all three are completely different humour. Oh and of course Blackadder and The Thin Blue Line are faves too.)

I particularly like Dad's Army when Godfrey goes completely off the plot* and takes the platoon with him. e.g.

Capt Mainwaring: (conducting a training exercise) "And you Wilson - tuck your sleeves in man, set an example you look just like a Nancy Boy! Now - lead "B" section past the Marigold Tea Rooms and the "Rock Emporium" while I take "A" section and hold the Gaity Picture House against the enemy!"

Godfrey: "I do like the Marigiold Tea Rooms; they serve cakes almost as good as my sister Dorothy's upside-down-cakes!"

Pike: "I think the commissionaire at the Gaity looks just like Herr Hitler!"

(All laugh at Pike)

Walker: "Oh come on Pikey, Uncle Adolf isn't going to be stood on the cinema steps punching tickets; he's too busy invading Russia!"

Mainwaring: "No, Walker! Pike is quite right! That's just the sort of thing we need to be checking out. Corporal Jones - when we get there you ask for that man's papers!"

Pike: "See, see! I told you!"

(Cut to a shot of Walker rolling his eyes at Sgt Wilson who does the same while checking his fingernails)

Jones: "Shall I fix my bayonet sir! They don't like it uppem, sir ... and that commissionaire buys his groceries from Hodges ..."

Mainwaring: "No, no Jones - The Picture house is a good customer of the Swallowdale Bank and we don't want to ... hem hem ... cause a stir and damage morale do we?"

(Scene fades to a windswept pier with Pikey and Wilson looking warily over some sandbags)

Thats sort of thing.

*Talking of going off the plot; when will Gilesy remove this post?

[Sir Squeaky]

Funny though.