It can cause anxiety to take a chance on a new way to do things. If you have always used swing stages or rappelling to clean windows, the idea of using drones to clean may seem intriguing, but may feel risky. Facilities managers have many people that they must report to, including their building owners and managers, building tenants, as well as the general public who come in and out of their buildings all day. Therefore, they need to make absolutely sure than any contractors that they use can deliver a final product that they can be proud of. Many facilities managers have developed relationships with their contractors over the years, and they trust those contractors to get the work done. Taking a risk on a new company and a new way to solve an old problem can be difficult.
That is why I have been amazed at the property owners and managers who have taken a risk with our new way of washing windows and facades. Some people have found us on google or LinkedIn, and some we have approached. While many people watching our spray drones in action have been excited about the prospect of using new technology to clean, many have also asked us (very reasonably, I might add) whether we can really CLEAN. Now, as our business is growing and we are getting signed contracts, I’m amazed at the leap of faith that our customers are taking in our ability to clean their buildings.
I want to give a shout-out to some of the first amazing people to give our company a chance to demo our techniques. First and foremost, Nicole Wilkinson, a powerhouse construction supervisor in Calexico, CA, was one of the first people to give us a chance at a demo at CBRE, and still reaches us out to us to tell us about opportunities that may be good for the growth of our company. Jerry Eldridge, Facility Director at OC Fair Event Center, allowed us to come onto the Orange County Fair Ground property to train our pilots and clean buildings. And Amy Higuchi allowed us to demo on her Hines company property. Nick Cox, Facilities Manager at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, also allowed us to demo at that property, and was so impressed with our abilities that TMMC has signed a FIVE year contract with us to clean the windows and facades on that campus. Not everything has gone perfectly on all of these demos, as should be expected with new technology and a steep learning curve.
Putting myself in the shoes of our potential customers, I thought: “What would make me sign a contract with a new technology company?” I think the answer to that is that the company would make sure that the buildings are CLEAN. Which is why I wanted to emphasize to our potential customers: YES, we will get your property clean! If we don’t get it clean the first day, we will be back the second and third until you are satisfied with the job that we have done. Will the windows at 100 feet be as clean as if we had rappelled down the side of the building and squeegeed each window pane? No, but with our streak-free finish, we believe that we can get 90% there.
Taking a risk on new tech can be scary, but our customers are learning that they can depend on us to protect their most valuable asset: their reputation. Why? Because our reputation is OUR most valuable asset too!