Do Customers Notice (or Care) if Your Storefront Is Dirty?

As you strive to operate a profitable business, you undoubtedly give a great deal of attention to providing excellent service and competitive costs. What about the appearance of your business—not just your logo and business cards, but the physical appearance of your store location? How much of an impact do you think your storefront has on your customers’ decision to walk through the front door? The answer may be more significant than you think.

IMPORTANCE OF STOREFRONT APPEARANCE FOR ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS

When a potential customer who has never heard of your company walks by your storefront, you want nothing more than for them to walk inside and be wowed by your professional presentation and matchless products. However, you’ll never land a sale if you can’t get new customers through the door. So how do you go about getting new customers to enter your building? It starts with creating a clean storefront.

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but consumers judge businesses by their storefronts all the time. A massive 95% of shoppers say exterior appearance influences where they decide to shop. More than two-thirds of consumers say they’ve decided not to enter a particular business because its exterior appearance was unappealing for some reason. Likewise, 52% of consumers have avoided a business purely because the storefront was dirty.

These findings show that customers decide whether they will shop with you based on how they think your business looks from the street. This statement is true for retailers in all types of industries, from automotive sales to restaurants to big-box stores.

IMPORTANCE OF STOREFRONT APPEARANCE FOR KEEPING CUSTOMERS

Once a customer does business with you for the first time, they have much more to judge you by than simply your appearance. Since more than 80% of customers confess to shopping at a location once and never returning again because the business failed to meet their expectations, it’s clearly important to work on customer retention.

The most important factor in retaining customers is quality service—68% of consumers say they decided never to visit a business again because of poor customer service. Next is organization— 53% of consumers who couldn’t find what they were looking for the first time won’t come back to try again. The third most important factor for customer retention is cleanliness—32% of consumers have stuck up their noses at businesses that appear dirty inside or out, and never return.

It’s commonly accepted that consumers build loyalty to a brand and will continue to do business there once they start. However, about 80% of shoppers say they’re willing to try out new places, and most have patronized a business outside their typical circle in the past six months. This means if you fail to continually satisfy your customers with good service, organization, and cleanliness, they probably won’t hesitate to look elsewhere.

HOW TO ACHIEVE A CLEANER STOREFRONT

Clearly, a successful business relies on many factors coming together to create a positive shopping experience. Still, you can’t ignore the importance of a clean storefront.

Pressure washing is one of the best ways to clean large exterior surfaces, including storefronts, sidewalks, parking lots and dumpster pads. This cleaning option is capable of removing all sorts of debris, including dirt, cobwebs, litter, graffiti, grease, and grime. Pressure washing is faster, easier and more effective than scrubbing surfaces by hand.

It’s true that rentable pressure washers are available for DIY pressure washing, but hiring a professional is the superior option. When you rely on a professional armed with a pressure washer, you don’t have to put in the effort of doing the job yourself. It’s also safer to leave the task to someone with years of experience. Professional equipment is also more effective at removing embedded grime and graffiti than rentable pressure washers.

Article Source: https://www.statesystemsinc.com/blog/impact-of-cleanliness-of-building-on-customers

3 Benefits of Pressure Washing Your Commercial Property

To maintain its value, a commercial property often requires a comprehensive pressure wash. It may seem like an unnecessary or mundane topic, but it can benefit your business in several ways. The results can help encourage business growth, improve employee morale, and create an overall better aesthetic. So the only question that remains is this:

How exactly does a commercial pressure (or power) washing benefit my business?

Make Your Business LOOK Attractive

Your business—the physical building—is one of your most effective marketing tools. In order to attract new customers and maintain current ones, it’s vital that you keep the property clean and even intriguing. It needs to be the best that it can be.

To reach those aspirations, it’s wise to contact a professional pressure washing service. These companies use commercial-grade tools to restore the exterior of your business and concrete surfaces, including parking lots, sidewalks, and walkways.

Make Your Business HYGIENIC

A dirty, unkempt business is a sure signal of neglect, which can make both your workers and customers a bit disinterested. That’s because filth can foster the growth of mold and mildew. Pressure washing can eliminate these damaging contaminants before they wreak havoc on your commercial building.

Investing in a consistent pressure washing schedule with a professional service can instill faith in your customers and employees that you value their health and well-being.

Work LESS on Maintaining Your Building

Operating a business is already a challenge. You can remove some of that burden on your shoulders by relying on professional help to keep the exterior of your commercial property clean with pressure washing. A regular schedule will give you the peace of mind that the outdoor aesthetic of your business remains as effective of a marketing tool as your marketing efforts.

When you’ve decided that these benefits are worth your effort, it’s important that you contact a business with the knowledge and expertise to perform this vital duty.

Article Source: https://www.aaawindowsolutions.com/news/3-benefits-of-pressure-washing-your-commercial-property/

It's Important to Keep Your Parking Lot Clean - Power Washing Can Help!

Your parking lot will not get cleaner if you don't do anything about it, but it will definitely get dirtier. With cars and foot traffic going in-and-out of your parking lot every day, it's inevitable that dirt, oil, gum, tire marks, etc. will start showing up. It's important to have your parking lot cleaned periodically to keep it safe and appealing for your customers and employees.

Power washing is an excellent way to achieve the clean look you are wanting, and StarCare Power Wash is the BEST place to call to get it done quickly and efficiently! We clean with enviornmentally friendly green soaps and products, and are EPA compliant. We also offer maintenance contracts for ongoing services. Gives us a call today to set up an appointment!

Your Storefront Says A Lot About Your Business!

Your storefront gives the first impression of your business to potential customers. You don't want dirt and grime to turn them away from walking in. Call StarCare Power Wash to help makes things cleaner and brighter for your business!

(707) 580-3665

Why You Need to Pressure Wash Your Driveway

Something that not a lot of people think about is pressure washing their home, or even their driveway. After all, why does your driveway need to be clean? It doesn’t really make a lot of sense to people because they have other home-related issues to worry about. Today we’re going to talk about why you should contact a pressure washing company to pressure wash your driveway at home, or even the concrete areas around your business.

Weeds and Cracks
When your pavement cracks, it will allow for dirt and debris to fall between the cracks. This does two things. It allows weeds to grow, which is obviously really bad for the area due to its unsightly appearance. Secondly, it usually makes the crack spread faster, thereby damaging your property.

By power washing your driveway or concrete areas, you can prevent weeds from growing and the cracks from getting bigger. That is important because huge cracks will often be a pain to repair, and will often necessitate the replacement of part or your entire pavement. That is expensive, and unnecessary if it can be properly maintained and avoided!

Increases Your Property Value
Concrete areas aren't always something that a lot of people think about when they think about their property's value. They think instead about the exterior of the property, the landscaping, and the inside. But the exterior areas are often one of the first things a potential customer or home buyer will experience at your property. It is where their shoes will hit the ground for the first time. If they come to find that it has a ton of cracks and stains, they are likely to reduce their offer or refrain from making an offer in the first place.

Stains are Bad!
This, again, seems fairly obvious. Stains aren’t a great addition to your property's overall aesthetic. By hiring a pressure washing company, you can get the oil and dirt stains out of your property's pavement or asphalt. These are often accidental stains. Perhaps a car is leaking oil or gas, or perhaps you oil was accidentally spilled. Power washing is one of the best ways to get rid of those stains. And because your driveway will look better without the stains, you’re home’s value will increase.

Bottom Line
It isn’t something you think about often, but hiring a pressure washing company to take care of the exterior of your property will help to increase your property's look and value. You also prevent your concrete or asphalt form wearing out quicker than necessary, and you prevent weeds and dirt from building up in any cracks that develop. That will save you both time and money in the long run.

Article Source: https://www.apluspwinc.com/index.php/blog/42-why-you-need-to-pressure-wash-your-driveway

How Often Should Pressure Washing be Included in Your Commercial Property Maintenance?

To maintain its value, a commercial property often requires a comprehensive pressure wash. It may seem like an unnecessary or mundane topic, but it can benefit your business in several ways. The results can help encourage business growth, improve employee morale, and create an overall better aesthetic. The first thing your customer or visitor sees is the outside of your property. A well maintained exterior shows pride in your operation. By including commercial property pressure washing in your building’s maintenance program, you will ensure that your facility’s appearance gives the correct message.

Benefits of Pressure Washing Your Commercial Property
There are a ton of benefits that come with pressure washing the exterior of your commercial building. For one, having the experts do it is going to save you a lot of time and effort on your part. What’s more, pressure washing can remove dirt, mud and caked-on grime that is often a result of the changing seasons and weather conditions. However cleaning is just part of pressure washing your building. A list of other benefits include…

• Prevent Repairs – Mildew, moss, algae, bird drooping and dirt not only look bad they can lead to corrosion, rot or decay. Commercial pressure washing reduces these risks and helps save on repair cost.
• Remove Graffiti – In the correct hands a pressure washer is just as effective as and safer than using toxic paint thinners to clean spray paint off your building.
• Remove Unsightly Growth – Moss, mold algae and mildew are caused on damp, shady areas of your building. Pressure washing removes these unsightly growths and helps prevent the damage they cause.
• Boost Your Curb Appeal – Each time you pressure wash the property, you give it an instant face-lift.
• Environmental Safety – When you keep the exterior of your commercial property clean, you reduce the number of potentially toxic safety threats that enter it.
• Employee Pride – When a building looks clean and well maintained, productivity and customer service improve. Employees want to take pride in their workplace.

How Often Should Commercial Pressure Washing be Done?
A pressure washing specialist can recommend how often you should clean your commercial building. As a general rule if your property is an office building, washing it seasonally is a great way to keep it looking attractive. If you facility receives foot or vehicle traffic or if you are a health care office or restaurant your facility may need more frequent washings. The same is true for properties near construction sites that generate dust or a facility such as factory that would generate dust on its own.

Staying Environmentally Friendly While Pressure Washing
The responsibility of water reclamation when cleaning property exteriors is not in the hands of the cleaning professional or the pressure washing company … it rests with the property owner. Property owners can face fines of up to $50,000 a day if the water used in a pressure washing project contains dangerous chemicals or is allowed to contaminate the storm drain system. To avoid receiving fines you must collect wastewater and dispose of it properly. Rather than spend money on the equipment necessary to collect wastewater, save it by hiring a professional pressure washing company with trained, certified technicians. They will also take extra measures to protect landscaping and vegetation.

Article Source: https://pressuresprayinc.com/how-often-should-pressure-washing-be-included-in-your-commercial-property-maintenance/

The Importance Of Regular Power Washing: A Little Goes A Long Way

Dirt, grime, and mildew sneak up with you. What starts as a little bit of a buildup can turn into an ugly and damaging mess very fast. This not only ruins the appearance of your building, it can also lead to costly damages down the road. By scheduling regular commercial power washing, you make a small investment that will help your building’s bottom line in a number of ways.

A Better First Impression With Commercial Pressure Washing

Your building only gets one chance to make a first impression. If the walls, sidewalks, and windows are covered in dirt, how do you think that will influence potential tenants? Chances are, you’re going to lose business as people will be so unimpressed with the messy exterior, nothing inside the building will change their minds. A commercial power wash from time to time will change that.

A dirty exterior also creates problems with your current tenants. No one likes coming home to a messy building and your lack of cleaning will leave many wondering why they signed a lease in the first place. Tenants will also start questioning how you’re using their HOA fees. By regularly cleaning your building, you’ll create an atmosphere that is pleasing to new and old tenants alike.

Commercial Power Washing Services Are A Money Saver

If you don’t regularly clean the exterior of your building, the dirt buildup can cost you in more than a few ways. Some of the problems you could run into include:

• Cracks developing on your walls and sidewalks from mildew and mold.
• The need to replace windows that are too dirty to see out of and clean.
• Damaged gutters that are clogged with too much dirt.
• Lawsuits from people that slip and fall on algae buildups on the floors.

All these problems are much more expensive than the costs of a commercial power washing service. Regular building upkeep definitely pays off in the end.

Commercial Regular Pressure Washing Is Easy Pressure Washing

The longer you let dirt buildup, the harder it is to remove. If you keep putting off your pressure washing, the job is going to be a lot more difficult and expensive.

Your cleaners are going to need to spend more time to clean up your building and will need to use more costly equipment and supplies. In addition, there is a greater chance that some parts may be too dirty to clean and will need to be replaced. When you schedule regular cleanings, each job will be quick and simple.

Don’t get discouraged though if you haven’t scheduled a cleaning in a while. With commercial pressure washing, it’s better late than never. The right cleaning service will be able to make your dirty exterior looking good as new. From there, you can get back on track to a regular cleaning schedule. It’s better to pay for one slightly more expensive cleaning today instead of procrastinating to costly damages and replacements tomorrow.

Keeping the exterior of your building clean is as easy or complicated as you make it. Kicking the cleaning can down the road will lead to bigger bills and bigger headaches. With commercial pressure washing, truly a little goes a long way.

Article Source: https://www.universalsiteservices.com/the-importance-of-regular-power-washing-a-little-goes-a-long-way/

5 Reasons to Pressure Wash Your Business

As we enter the last part of the calendar year, it’s time for local businesses to begin preparing for the busy holiday season. The colder weather is a reminder of what’s to come: packed grocery stores, parents scrambling to find the season’s hottest toy for their children, and, in general, the frantic and busy nature of the holidays.

Along with increasing seasonal staff, it’s also a good time to review your business and think about how you can make your property more appealing. As mass closures of everything from malls to big retail chains, brick-and-mortar businesses need to prove their value and appeal to customers now more than ever.

However, this is a great time of year to think about refreshing your business’s look: cleaning in all the places throughout the year that never get cleaned, reevaluating retail signage and spacing—all with the same idea in mind: getting more customers in your door.

5 Reasons to Pressure Wash Your Business

Again, the goal of keeping your business looking great is all centered on presenting the image you want to your customers.

1. Curb Appeal

While a lot of tips on increasing foot traffic translate to wacky waving inflatable tube men and other over-the-top promotions, we recommend starting with the basics: make sure your exterior is clean and inviting. Dirt can easily dim lighted signage and mildew streaks from various building elements can imply uncertainty about the quality of products or services that your store offers.

Making your business both easily recognizable from the road and giving an appearance of being up-to-date will help customers find you in general, but also can lure customers that need to pick up a last minute present or need to make a purchase in an area they are unfamiliar with. Keeping things clean ensures that you have the best chance to bring impulse buyers into your store.

2. Certain Businesses Need To Be Clean

It goes without saying that certain businesses are automatically associated with cleanliness: day cares, restaurants, hospitals, etc. Basically any business that requires an assumption of cleanliness needs to be be, itself, clean inside and out.

Consumers will judge a book by its cover and make quick judgement calls on snap decisions (like where to eat lunch) based on how the outside of the property is maintained. This can also influence things like reviews for your local business. Even if your business isn’t, by any measure, dirty, perception can be reality for certain business types.

3. Feeling Good Before They Enter Your Business

It’s well documented that happy employees translate to higher sales numbers. Having a clean workplace makes employees feel better about going to work, which can translate to higher profits.

This concept is also true for customers. In 2014, Harvard Business Review found that customers who had good customer experiences spent 140% more than those with the worst customer experiences. This means that brand experience matters and that can start addressing that with your storefront.

For example, one common problem with some businesses in Raleigh is their close proximity to Crabtree Creek, which easily floods surrounding businesses during heavy rains and storms. The result is that surrounding parking lots are covered in a heavy layer of silt and mud—something that, when stepped in, would ruin anyone’s day.

Not surprisingly, local businesses often have their parking lots pressure washed to remove the mud; a great example of how local businesses are concerned with customer experience as soon as they pull in the parking lot.

4. Out Competing Your Competitors

When consumers have multiple choices for common services (e.g. dry cleaning, hotels, grocery stores, etc.), you need every single edge earn your customer’s business. If it’s between your business and someone else’s, the one with a superior look-and-feel can often sway potential customers on the fence.

Customers often have a perception of the type of business they want to use based on their overall lifestyle; matching your business to those expectations can pay dividends in terms of both retaining your existing customers and attracting new ones.

5. Enhancing Promotions and Seasonality

Speaking of promotions and sales—those things still very much matter. This goes beyond a simple pressure washing, but can extend to an entire outdoor persona and brand experience: new temporary signage, flags, window displays, inflatables, a seasonal sale—whatever it takes to capture the attention of potential customers. Having a clean exterior only enhances your curb appeal, which, again, translates to better sales.

A fall or spring cleaning event can even be a good social media promotion to clean out unsold inventory and to latch on to a particular season or event.

Article Source

Easy Steps to Keep Your Gas Station Customers Happy and Returning

StarCare Power Wash can help keep your gas station's appearance clean and inviting!
(707) 580-3665

Research shows that consumers today have little loyalty to gasoline brands; instead, convenience and pricing are a gas station’s main attractions. This has remained true despite loyalty programs and gasoline brand credit cards.

What can forecourt managers do to attract customers to their gas station?

For starters, maintenance of the fuel station is of paramount importance — inside and out. But that’s just the beginning. Here follow some tips that you can follow to positively impact on your sales!

• Excellent customer service. The reputation of your station’s staff is key to your success. Make sure you staff members are always respectful, ready to attend customers, and friendly. Remember, when they have a bad experience, people talk about it to their friends and family: if your staff is rude, you risk losing much more than just one customer.
• Store and station appearance. Make sure your station looks good, inside and outside. The landscape, dispensers, driveway, trash bins, and exterior of the buildings are the first things your customers, and all other passing traffic, see. If your station looks appealing, more people will stop by.
• Cleanliness. Maintain your gas station and c-store up to par by always keeping windows, floors, and restrooms clean. Spotless bathrooms are very important to customers, especially those travelling long distances. Pay special effort to maintaining and modernizing your facilities. Their cleanliness, along with your overall store appearance, will help increase your sales.
• Competitive pricing. Keep your gasoline pricing comparable, or below, other neighboring sites. It’s a great way to maintain loyalty and get repeat customers, who might then decide to also drop by at your c-store or café.
• Various types of services. Recognize what goods and services consumers want provided to them quickly, and make sure you offer them. These might include, for example, ATMs, drugstores, coffee islands, car washes and liquor sale.
• Stock up. Make sure your convenience store is fully stocked with all the merchandise your customers wish to buy. Keep track of expiration dates, and check that all products are fresh.
• Gas station lighting. It is very important to keep your site well lit and safe — especially during dawn and evening hours. This will prevent your customers from getting injured or harmed in any way.
• Promotional signage. Represent your brand(s) properly. Your customers look at your promotional signage on a daily basis, so do it right!
• Marketing. Promoting products and current offers is a great way to add brand awareness. Marketing materials do not just promote the items in them, but also your brand – the imagery of who you are as a convenience store. Make sure your marketing materials are tasteful and fun.

Article Source: https://www.lsretail.com/blog/easy-steps-to-keep-your-gas-station-customers-happy-and-returning/

Freshen Up Your Business' Appearance with Power Washing!

Power washing is an excellent way to give your business a freshened up appearance, making it more attractive to customers. StarCare Power Wash is ready to help you with a cleaner and brighter future! 

Give us a call today!

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