What do you guys use to get the water stains off? Ohhhhhhhhh sure budy let me tell you so you can attempt to compete against me or go do it yourself and tell all of your friends? I don’t think people think when asking this question. Just had a customer ask on a facebook ad "What do you guys use to remove hardwater? I wanted to reply “My hands” my friend who is a window cleaner said to reply dawn platimum and a buffer :). On a serious not how should I reply to this guy now and when your at someones house and they say what is that stuff, what do you say? You know for a fact people would get your quote, go buy it and then never call you and tell all your friends. Usually when people ask me in person I say in a friendly non rude way sorry I can’t give you the kfc herbs and spices. Just curious how I should answer this guy on facebook and what you say to people.
The response I was planning to use is it depends on the type of water stains, there is different restoration techniques and things to use based on the type of water staining. We do not sell our products if that is what you are asking. Home depot sells a variety of things a person can try!
With that attitude It will get you nowhere. You are basically telling the guy off by suggesting “Home Depot”. Up sell your service, don’t give away the farm, and be honest. Live and work by that and you should sell him hard water removal with a window clean and make some money on the side. He isn’t the enemy.
Clearly isnt the guy thats gonna pay for it or he would have messaged for a bid. Its obviously someone wanting the secret trade. What would your reply be?
My reply would be what you have already typed out more or less.
“Hard water stain removal can be a laborious and tedious task, there is no one magic product that will work in all situations, there is also knowledge needed in regards to what will and will not damage the glass.
I carry about 20 products with different methods of scrubbing the glass that I would have to type a 4-5 page document to properly describe all the ins and outs of hard water stain removal.
Unfortunately I am not a reseller of products I am a service company, if you would like a quote to remove your hardwater stains I would be more than happy to provide a free quote, I have an quote spot open tomorrow afternoon, around 4pm would that suit you?”
No big secret, I just tell them it’s a mild silica flour compound I buy from window cleaning supply in Denver.
I tell people how I do it, no problem there. At the local Home Depot they have these DIY classes for all kinds of stuff and I’ve even thought about doing a window cleaning lesson. No problem because they aren’t my type of customers. My customers have no interest in DIY.
I even helped a homeowner get set up with a WFP at WCR for this house because he wanted to do it himself. Maybe he’ll get tired of it.
I honesty can not think of one residential customer who has used my services because they did not know what ( solution ) to use to clean their windows. Think of our industries typical customer demographic - who they are and why they use our services. They are higher than average earners and typically well educated so if they want to know what we use they can figure it out whether we share that information or not. When they ask - I tell them.
GHonestly what we use an how we do things isn’t top secret. If he really Wants to do it himself he’s not the customer you want anyway.
You never want the customer that says I was going to do it myself. There the ones that it bothers the most that therrr paying someone to do it.
I honestly tell people how to do it. Who cares go ahead. Look at all the landscapers out there. Do you really think no one knows how to cut a lawn. That’s not the case. The customers they have just don’t have time , or just don’t want to do it themselves.
So for me it’s what do I use. Hard water stain remover. What kind , there many try this one. Good luck !
I’m telling ya these aren’t your customers.
Stay away from the ones who dred paying for your service.
You want the ones that can afford your services.
It’s finny when i gondo an estimate , an the guy goes I was going to do it myself. I say if you want me to tell you how to do it. I got no problem with that. It’s easy ! Just takes some time.
I posture them , he’s just trying to say Give me a good price buddy , or I’ll do it myself. I say go ahead , cause my price is my price. I’m not desperate. Not inthese words , but by saying I’ll tell you how to do it No problem it’s posturing him.
You wannna see heads spin try it 
Every year you always get that. Ya I was going to do it myself 
Also do you really think someone who’s never done it before will be able to do it the right way.
It does take a little time to be able to do what we do to be able to get it done right. Proper equipment and whatnot.
Window restoration is not window cleaning, I will gladly tell a customer about Dawn soap or glass gleam. When you go leave a magic circle in the corner of someone’s windows and go that’ll be $600 to remove your water stains from x amount of windows if you don’t think they would head straight to a store and by the same thing to save $600 if you told them what that was your crazy.
He sure did. I sold it to him and he has since ordered a new brush.
I appreciate the response but cutting grass in removing hard water damage are completely different things. A lot of our customers go to Home Depot and try products that fail and have no clue how to get the water deposits off of course people know how to cut grass. Also I have a competitor that has been dying to know how I remove water stains and I won’t tell him, all it takes is for me to start telling people and then he goes and gives a quote and they go yeah your other window cleaner was using this to get them off. It’s no different than how some people choose not to advertise their pricing, it’s your secret nobody knows how you came up with the price you came up with. I mean you don’t walk up to magician and say hey how did you pull that rabbit out of the hat and he goes oh here watch this
you asked for everybody’s response, and you got it, and you seem to be arguing with everyone.
People go to a magic show for the mystery. They don’t call up a service company because they want a little more mystery in their lives.
Sometimes when someone asks how you do something, it’s not because they want to do it themselves. They want to test out how knowledgeable you are before hiring you. You can appear knowledgeable and even informative without giving away your trade secrets.
Also, in over a dozen years in business, I can honestly say that I’ve not made one good decision based on Fear. Caution is a different thing. But Fear often masquerades as “just being cautious”.
Just my 2¢
Sorry Denver…I guess I didn’t read your initial post as accurately as I could have. Yea - I probably would not reveal that detail. Agree !
This is why I hate online conversations because you can’t read people’s tone and body language. same reason people get into it on Facebook all the time is because they perceive things in their own head to be said by someone else a certain way. if we were in person I would simply be conversating about this it’s not an argument you are just taking it that way
Wouldn’t you argue that I’m pretty knowledgeable if I leave a shiny circle on your window in 5 seconds when you couldn’t do it in months not because I told you hey it’s bio-clean. Just being honest!! If they’re hiring me for water stains are they hiring me to remove water stains or to know what’s in my bottle. I don’t see how telling them what I use shows knowledge, the knowledge comes from oh look I just got all of that off instantly. Not arguing I just disagree that sharing my magic potion shows knowledge
If you’re already giving a demo, then there’s nothing wrong with simply saying it’s a trade secret, but it won’t harm your plants, paint, etc… or whatever else they may be worrying about.
In fact, I wasn’t recommending that you come right out and say what you’re using, in any case. Just that you can provide some information that may be pertinent to their concerns/curiosity, without giving them a tutorial on how to do the job themselves.
When customers ask what I use for housewashing, I tell them that it’s a chlorine based cleaning solution, combined with specialty detergents and professional equipment. And then mention some of the precautions I take to protect their property.
Sure, they could potentially use that information to go on YouTube and learn how to accomplish the same thing with a pump sprayer, their garden hose, and some dollar store bleach, but if they’re that hard up for money, I would actually prefer they take that route. I don’t want someone cutting into their grocery budget just to wash their house.
Agreed !! But if someone wants to do it themselves let them !
Read the rest of my post !
Especially hard water stain reamival. Go right ahead !
I’ll even order the stuff for you. Just let me put you on the calandra for a maintenance clean.
Like I said it’s nit top secret. Anyone can UTube
Couldn’t agree more … Nit everyone can afford to have all our services down by us. I own a house I can’t afford to have a cleaning services come an do the house cleaning every month. So my wife does it. Lol 
.
Your synopsis about a house wash is spot on. You don’t have to go into exact detail , an give them All your knowlage that would tske hours. Some people just are curious.
This stuff did bother me at one time , but I’ve learned to just give them a brief Synopsis.
I gave out bottles of diamond magic last year. For customers of mine. Go ahead knock your self out. I told a customer how to do his vinyl fence so he can save money. So what … Do it.
If he tried to do his house the way I told him to do the fence it would be a nite mare for him.
After you finish telling them what you use , you can also say I really recommend a professional , it’s nit just a product it’s experience that gets the job done right.
