FREE JOB is Priceless...

This is actually a post I copied from www.concretelocator.com from a contractor in Ohio... Read on.


I gave a free job away. I drove around last Monday looking for the right area. It is about 25 minutes away but I found a area with some older 5 years or so home and about half new ones and a lot of lots left for future building. I wanted to be near the main road going in and I stopped by and talked to this husband and wife but they were real skeptical and said they needed to think about it for a while. I told them I couldt wait and wanted to get started right away. So they declined. I was stumped. It was a free job. So I went across the street. It was a better job anyways because they kept the grass and bushes nicer and the house had more earthy colors. I knocked on the door and just the wife was home. I told her that I was starting a new business and showed her a brochure. She loved the look and asked how much. I thought for a minute that I would actually get full price out of this one. I told her that my normal price is 3 dollars for spraying and 5 dollars for stamping. She said they were cash strapped and would have to wait for spring. Then I told her my intentions that I wanted to give her a free job so I would have a showplace. I told her that I would invite people to look at her driveway and people might knock on the door to ask questions. She was excited alot. I told her I would occasionally come by and rewash it for her but she should still keep it from getting oil spots and gas on it. I told her I would have a yard sign and brochure box on her lawn for about two weeks afterwards. I told her that I would work closly with her to pick colors that would work well with their home but I was the professional and I would ultimatley have design and color say. She wanted it but had to ask her husband and I was to come back that night to talk to him. When I arrived he acted like I was him best buddy and even gave me a cold beer but I dont drink much so I sipped it to be nice. I took a sample board of a brown brick border spray job and light tan brick stencil and told them I thought this would work best and they both loved it. We talked about my schedule and that I wanted to get started Tuesday and that they would have to stay off the drive for a full week. I had them sign a regular agreement but it showed it was a free job that would have normally cost them 3000 dollars. On Tuseday I started and put a sign in the front lawn and had two skimmed coats on by the evening. I had a lot of people drive by real slow but no one stopped to talk to me. I was kind of bummed out about that. So Tuesday night I wrote a short letter about what I was doing and what my services provide and stapled it to a brochure and earley Wednesday I drove about all of the closer streets to the job and put them in the newspaper slots. The letter told then that they could stop and talk to me or the owners of the house anytime. I spent the day taping the borders and secureing the stencils. It took longer than I thought to cover and mask off the gargae door and bushes but I wanted to be safe. I sprayed my borders first and coverd them with stripps of cardboard. Then I sprayed the stencil. I drung my foot once and tore the stencil so that took some time to fix but I got it all sprayed and sprayed two more fleck coats on. I wanted to seal it but it was getting dark so I pulled the tape and plastic and vaccumed. But still no one had stopped by to talk to me. I go up earley to seal it before the sun made it over the treeline and I put three coatings on before mid morning. While I was loading up and raking mulch back to the edge the first man I asked for a free job came over and asked if I would give him a price to do theirs the same way but a different color. When I got home I had three calls from other people and I gave prices on them this past Saturday and I know one is sold. One of the persons is the president of the HOA and they are very excited about dressing up homes in the area. One person told me it was way to expenseive but you cant sell them all either. Next is a discounted stamp overlay on a driveway to show that off to. But it wont be totally free. Thanks again for the advice.