HOA Niche operator out and I started to realize I was making more money power washing the jobs that I was getting ready to paint than I was from painting,” Josetti said. “Right around the late 1990s, early 2000s when they started changing the building materials from wood to the composite materials and vinyls and all these different maintenance-free materials, what I basically could see was that in the future these materials wouldn’t need to be painted or stained but oh, guess what, they will need to be cleaned. Every single house that was starting to get built 20-plus years ago was needing our pressure washing services within two to three years. The light bulb went off in my head. I said ‘all right, here’s what we need to do.’” In April 2004, he launched All Clean Power Washing and slowly moved out of all painting and restoration services. Josetti’s gravitation specifically in to the HOA space came in large part due to the positive influence of his wife, Meg, on the business. “We finally realized that if we were going to get to the next level with the company, she had to get involved,” Josetti said. “She has a business degree and was also a property manager when we got married. So she’s got experience across the board and that helped us immensely in our venture with the property management work that we do in our market.” Sounds like a perfect marriage, no pun intended… Today, All Clean employs between eight and 15 people depending on the time of year. A lot of small pressure wash operations nationwide would love to land an HOA contract and cease doing jobs one residence at a time. Josetti said he actually gets contacted all the time by people asking questions about getting access to property management portfolios. And although he explains that his “niche of a niche” is different from standard HOA work, he does offer advice and support for becoming successful in the space. “Just go do it,” he said. “For instance, anywhere in the country these 55 and over or retirement type communities are taking shape and there are ways to reach them and market to them,” Josetti said. [See sidebar titled “Step-by-step Guide to Marketing to HOAs”]. “They are basically created under the same guidelines and needs that we provide to our market here, where everything is going to be taken care of… from gutter cleaning to the exterior washing to the lawn maintenance…and that has to be done by an outside service like ours. You can find those in the middle of Oklahoma or Florida, obviously. It’s all over the place. Be prepared, think it through, and offer value.” In addition to running his company, Josetti has since 2015 served on the board of directors of the Power Washers of North America (PWNA), where he teaches various certifications. He assumes the presidency of the association later this year. “I came to my first convention in 2013 because I wanted to know what I didn’t know,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time and within the first literally 20 minutes of the first class that I took I realized did I have a lot to offer that I knew more than most of the people in that room. Frankly, I knew more than the instructor. And from there I just had a passion for it and I have no problem giving back and helping even my own competitors.” According to Josetti, it is not uncommon for him to teach classes at conventions to competitors in his own market. “It’s about raising the tide of the industry,” Josetti said. “And helping to set some standards that everybody can live by.” STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO MARKETING TO HOAS As HOA-USA.com stated in a recent white paper, “the opportunities to market to this target audience are tremendous, but also challenging.” Why? Well, for one, homeowner associations are nearly invisible! “Most HOA’s do not have an office or a phone,” the website states. “Only a few maintain current websites and are rarely found on a Google search. Without an identifiable customer, you cannot sell your product or service. So how do you get in front of the board members and decision makers for these communities? And what do you say in order to help them make informed decisions to better their community through you?” HOA-USA.com was created specifically to reach the targeted market of HOA board members and decision makers. HOA-USA works closely with management companies and maintains a Management Company Directory nationwide of over 5,000 listings. The following is a lightly-condensed list of tips the website offered up when planning a marketing campaign to HOAs. [Visit www.HOA- USA.com for more.] RESPECT THE BOARD MEMBER’S TIME “People who serve as board members for their HOA all do so voluntarily. As an incorporated homeowners association, board members cannot be paid or otherwise compensated for serving on the board. Board and committee members put in a great deal of time into board meetings, enforcing covenants, collecting dues, and making their community a better place. About 35-40% of HOAs contract with a professional management company to help ease the load of running the community. The rest do so by themselves. In either case, board members are the decision makers for their communities and their time is quite valuable. When you get the opportunity to speak with a board member about your products and services, keep these thoughts in mind. In most cases, boards are required to get numerous bids on a variety of different services. They want to (and need to) hear about what you have to offer, but often don’t have a lot of time to hear it. If you are fortunate enough to get agenda time at a board meeting, keep your presentation short and offer to send more information. By being respectful of the board’s time, you may find yourself in a better position for an RFP (Request for Proposal) and increased business.” OFFER VALUE AT THE HOA LEVEL “Remember that when you are reaching out to an HOA, you are speaking to the community as a whole and not just to one homeowner. Make sure that your message speaks to the ultimate goal of every board member: to retain and increase property values of the entire community…If your company typically works with individual homeowners then keep several things in mind: • Often the HOA will have common area and amenities that need servicing. For example, the clubhouse may need carpet cleaning, or the private roads may need repair work. • The board member is in a unique position to tell the rest of the community about your products and customer service. A good impression to the board member can go a long way. • Offering discounts for multi-home purchases is a great way to ensure that the board or committee member will tell their neighbors. continued ... 14 | PRESSURE WASH NEWS | VOL. 1, NO. 3 | SUMMER <strong>2019</strong>
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