Let’s face it…we all want to be our mom’s favorite child. Take it to the max this year when you give her the fantastic new Mongoose X.
And to all you moms out there, put the kid that gives you a Mongoose X to work with it. Next Mother’s Day he’ll be able to give you your dream trip to Europe.
All kidding aside…Happy Mother’s Day! … from the Engrave-A-Crete team
Picture yourself walking up to the basement floor you stained the evening before. There they are – footprints leading from the patio door to the stairway. Oh, #%*&!
It can happen, and regardless of who’s to blame, it’s your job to fix the problem.
Chris Mirabal, Senior Tech Advisor, has some suggestions for dealing with the issue.
Reactive Acid Chemical (RAC) stained floor:
OR
For a Water Reducible Concentrate (WRC) stained floor:
As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” To prevent this nightmare from happening again,…
There’s an old adage that says, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”
The same is true for learning decorative concrete. We advise prospects to attend our Discovery and Learning Seminar to find out if decorative concrete is right for them. And, that IS the best way to decide.
But, we are also realistic. Maybe you simply don’t have the money or the time to attend our seminar. Or, maybe you’d rather invest the money you do have in a tool.
So, here’s a second option. Buy one of our tools and some stain/supplies first. Get whatever you can afford. Then go to our website and educate yourself by watching the instructional videos. You can learn everything you need to know to complete some basic decorative concrete jobs.
As you earn money from those beginning jobs, start planning and saving to attend our seminar. While you’re here, you’ll learn the advanced layouts and techniques that you need to know to put yourself ahead of your competitors.
Whether you choose seminar first or tools first, the important thing is…get started now.
Whether a brash newbie in decorative concrete or a long-time contractor, there are some rough spots in business that can be avoided by remembering that YOU are the base and beginning of that business.
Go ahead — trust and like yourself. You have a useful and wonderful skill to offer. Believing in yourself and your ability to deliver that skill is contagious. Your customers find it easier to believe in you when you are backing yourself. The name you give your business speaks volumes to you and will be how the customers think of you too.
To learn more about building trust for your business, I recommend Duct Tape Marketing, a book for business owners by John Jantsch. Or, Endless Referrals by Bob Burg. These two books have many practical suggestions that can be applied to any business.
Being skilled is essential to the decorative concrete business. Being informed and aware of who you are as a business owner is a different kind of essential. A blend of both leads to trust from your customers while they are learning to know and like you.
Enjoy and profit from that.
Judy
One of our contractors, we’ll call him Sam, called to ask us about white spots on the driveway he had recently stained and sealed. (see the picture below) Needless to say, his customer was not happy.
Sam was relieved to find out the problem wasn’t serious and the solution was easy.
So, what caused the problem, and what should you do if you find yourself in Sam’s situation?
According to Chris Mirabal, our Senior Tech Advisor, the problem is generally caused by water droplets from a sprinkler or irrigation system landing on the concrete. As moisture from the droplets evaporates, a mineral deposit is left behind in the form of white spots.
Is the problem going to rear its ugly head every time it rains?
No, we don’t see the same effect from rainwater since it is “soft” and doesn’t become “hard” until it picks up calcium or magnesium ions as it passes through the soil and bedrock. Groundwater is the culprit.
To fix the problem:
Once you’re finished, take time to talk with your customer about adjusting the sprinkler system so that it doesn’t spray the concrete. Not only will he avoid the problem of mineral deposits, he will also reduce his water costs while protecting water as a natural resource by using it more efficiently. That’s a win-win for everybody.