Boy Scouts To Bob-A-Job Windows Again

Scout's bring back Bob-a-Job week to return: For one week a year eager young scouts will once again be seen in towns and villages across the country helping out with gardening, car cleaning and shopping. Scout Job Week, affectionately known as Bob-a-Job week, which saw scouts carrying out jobs in return for a small payment was abandoned in 1992 after nearly 50 years, following concerns over "health and safety". Fears raised that young people should not knock on the doors of strangers. The week, now called Scout Community Week will be held in May next year, with youngsters throughout the UK helping out in their local areas and volunteering instead of being paid. A new survey by consultants PACEC conducted to mark the launch of Scout Community Week, which will run between May 14-20 next year, reveals that more than a third (36%) of former youth scout members volunteer for two hours a week, compared to 26% of the general population.

The family helper badge (Canada): Clean windows & wash a floor.

New bob-a-job week set to put volunteering back at heart of scouting: The Scout Association is planning to reintroduce 'bob-a-job' week in a bid to encourage young people to get more involved in their local communities. The scheme had previously seen young people, from age six to 25, across the UK carry out various jobs including car washing, gardening and helping elderly people with their shopping. However in the new scheme, called Scout Community Week, scouts won't expect to receive a penny for their hard work.

From window cleaning to shoe shining and household chores to outdoor activities, thousands of scouts will lend a hand in their local areas when the scheme launches between May 14 and May 20, 2012. Bear Grylls, the UK's chief scout, said the move would put volunteering back at the heart of scouting. "All scouts promise to help other people and there is no better way of showing this than getting involved in your community," he said. Scouting is open to all young people aged six to 25 of every faith and background. There are also plenty of opportunities for over 25s to become involved as leaders, assistants or administrators.

Cleaning windows, the UK version of the home help badge.

Scouts launch voluntary 'bob-a-job' week: Scouts are to volunteer their services in a dedicated UK week of action for the first time almost 20 years after "bob-a-job week" ended. It is estimated that up to 400,000 young people will be involved. The original series of scout volunteer weeks was known as "bob-a-job week", and saw members of the public asked to contribute a shilling - worth five pence - in exchange for scouts doing jobs. Meanwhile, a new report says almost half of all Scouts are now volunteering in their wider community as well as with the Scout movement.

Protesters Arrested For Trying To Wash Windows

Four Occupy Asheville demonstrators, part of a "corporate clean-up crew" were arrested for trespassing this afternoon after picking up litter and wiping windows on the Merrill-Lynch building in downtown. Starting around 11 a.m., the protesters, with about seven others observing, recording and (via a hand-held megaphone) commenting on their activities.

The protesters asserted that the action was meant to highlight the need to clean-up corporate control and government corruption, while highlighting that a building occupied by Merrill-Lynch, a recipient of bail-out funds, couldn't keep its own space clean. "We want to see a world where, instead of money ruling everything, people actually have some power, like democracy," demonstrator Victor Ochoa said through the megaphone. "Apparently, they can't clean up their own trash, whether it's foreclosure documents, or what resulted in economic collapse and billions in bailouts. They're getting arrested for trespassing and cleaning up trash; someone has to do it."

Starting around 12:15 a.m., Asheville Police Department officers arrived to arrest the "clean-up crew" for trespassing. "It was public spectacle, this was to be expected," Martin Ramsey, part of the clean-up crew, said. "They said there's a line here between public and private property, but it all looks outside to me. I don't really care whether they say it's a public or private sidewalk, because that distinction seems ridiculous, especially considering our current situation."

When APD officers instructed him to come over to a nearby police vehicle, Ramsey slowly put down his sponge and walked over to be handcuffed. "There's a lot of things in Asheville that need to be cleaned up," Amy Hamilton told Xpress of her reasons for participating in the clean-up, as she sat handcuffed on the curb, awaiting transport by the APD. Earlier, she'd shouted "welcome to Asheville" to passerby as she was being arrested, her cleaning gloves still on.

Occupy Asheville protester Amy Hamilton is arrested Tuesday on trespassing charges after washing windows of the Merrill Lynch building downtown.

"There's a lot of trash around here, and a lot of clean-up to be done," Hamilton said. Demonstrator Olof Pohlson said the protesters had issues with a private security guard earlier, who he claimed had threatened to pepper-spray demonstrators. However, Pohlson praised the APD's conduct throughout the incident. After the arrests, an APD sergeant told Ochoa that, according to city ordinance, he couldn't use the megaphone, though he was free to talk in his own voice.

Full names and charges of all the demonstrators are forthcoming, but an APD officer on the scene said charges of second-degree trespassing are most likely. The arrests are the first associated with an officially endorsed action by the Occupy Asheville demonstrators, as representatives released an announcement of the "clean-up crew" earlier this morning.

The protests began Oct. 1, in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protests, and have continued with regular "moving pickets" and general assemblies. The announcement earlier today mentioned. Currently the city of Asheville has permitted the demonstrators to camp in a parking lot under the Lexington Avenue overpass, pending the negotiation of a more permanent spot.

Occupy Asheville protesters arrested for trying to wash windows: Asheville — A group of about 10 people were attempting to wash the windows of the Merrill Lynch offices on Pack Square on Tuesday, and four were arrested for trespassing. The protesters said they were demonstrating against the Merrill Lynch corporation, which has offices in the building.

“We were just cleaning up the Merrill Lynch building,” said Amy Hamilton, of Asheville, who was one of those arrested. “There’s a lot of trash around here to clean up.” About six Asheville city police were on the scene just after noon. Four of the demonstrators were handcuffed and taken away. Police on the scene declined to comment.

One of those arrested, Fox Black, said he was being arrested for second degree trespassing. “We were washing the windows,” he said. “The corporations need a big cleanup, and we were just keeping it local.” Another protester, Olof Pohlson, who was not arrested, said a security guard in the building had threatened to pepper spray the protesters if they did not stop trying to wash the windows. Pohlson said the guard backed off once he saw Pohlson’s video camera.

Museum Of Clean

Museum of Clean to open in Idaho: Pocatello, Idaho — Don Aslett challenged a group of local youth to square off in a squeegee window cleaning contest against none other than the cleaning guru himself at the Museum of Clean.  At the request of a The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints group, the entrepreneur opened up the doors to his six-story building to provide the group with a sneak peek in advance of the museum's soft opening celebration slated for Nov. 18-19.

The Museum of Clean, located in Pocatello, Idaho, is the world's first museum dedicated to the value of "clean." The facility showcases cleaning instruments dating back 2,000 years and offers hands-on, interactive cleaning demonstrations and displays. Owner/curator Don Aslett looked to Idaho Power to help make the museum as energy efficient as possible. With high-tech lighting, heating and cooling systems that use as little energy as possible, the museum saves money and leaves a smaller footprint in the community around it. Aslett's goal is to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.

Don Aslett, owner and founder of Varsity Contractors, Inc.–one of the nation’s most successful cleaning companies–and self-made millionaire, has revolutionized both the home and the workplace with his popular cleaning services, products, and books. His media-genic personality, business savvy, and unique housekeeping philosophy prove a winning combination–whether he’s sharing decluttering secrets on Oprah, demonstrating his Time Saver cleaning products on QVC, or designing the Clean Green World building to house his Museum of Clean.

Aslett’s own collection began with the acquisition of a 1907 hand-pump vacuum. Over the next fifteen years thousands of historic items related to cleaning have been added through donations from friends, employees, family, and vendors. Recently the Peter Frei collection from the Boston area was purchased for $300,000. Housed in Varsity’s corporate headquarters, the collection has grown to 6,000 pieces, all of which will find a home in the new Museum of Clean. The museum will be a combination of new construction and renovation of a stately, six-story, 1920s, goliath in Pocatello’s up-and-coming historic warehouse district.

“The theme, purpose, and value of the museum will be to sell the public on the value of ‘clean,’” said Aslett. Cleaning efforts over the centuries will be chronicled through displays, demonstrations, and even dramatized in a cleaning melodrama. Items dating back more than 2000 years along with an amazing collection of pre-electric vacuums, are part of the Aslett/Varsity collection.

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Window Cleaning News

A window washer washes a window in downtown Wausau. A new study found Wausau had the highest credit score of the largest American cities.

Mumbai Financial Hub Needs Homes to Meet Demand From Bankers: A window cleaner works on a building in the Bandra Kurla Complex of Mumbai. Demand for housing inside the 370-hectare (914-acres) development is rising as employees seek to cut commuting times of two hours or more in the city of 18 million people that spreads across 440 square kilometers (170 square miles).

Ken leaves his brain to scientists: A Bideford man who was committed to being an organ donor has donated his brain to the Alzheimer’s Society. Ken Lydon died last month at the age of 81, having spent the last two years of his life at the Sandhurst Residential Home in Bideford. His long-time partner Ruth Nugent told the Gazette: “Ken had no family of his own, having been brought up in an orphanage in Kent. We had been together for 44 years and I miss him so much, even though it seemed he died long ago. He knew me right to the end. If Ken’s story is publicised, maybe more donors will come forward to help in the prevention of this terrible disease or even in finding a cure. I feel that too little is being done and I am proud and pleased that he has been able to help in some small way.” Mr Lydon had spent much of his life in Kent, moving to Bideford seven years ago. His varied career included as a window cleaner and a wedding photographer. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease 10 years ago, but was generally fit and well until earlier this summer, when he was found to have an aggressive malignant tumour. He was well known locally at the Barnstaple and Torrington memory cafes.

Interserve, the international support services and construction group, has signed a three-year cleaning services contract, worth over £2 million with Midlands Co-operative Society – the UK’s largest independent retailer. Interserve will provide daily office and retail cleaning to their premises ranging from 690 to 34,900 sq ft. The contract will also include window cleaning, jet washing and floor strip and seals in all 86 Co-operative stores across the Midlands region. Tony Sanders, Managing Director - Commercial at Interserve commented, “We are committed to becoming the trusted partner to companies across the UK, so are looking forward to contributing towards the co-operative society’s ethos. One practical example of this will be the use of green cleaning processes.

MYTH: Eco-friendly products are more expensive. FACT: They can cut water and energy use by 20%, less solution means a reduction in product costs and their effectiveness means lowered labour costs Green is the new black in the FM world, with companies striving to implement environmentally friendly initiatives across the board. From microfiber technologies to molecular cleaning products, companies are starting to demonstrate an awareness of how they can cut down on their carbon footprint. Alkalis, acids and detergents are the most commonly found chemicals in cleaning products. But what harm do they actually cause? One of the biggest threats is that of the ecosystem, caused by the pouring of chemical based cleaners down the drain or toilet. The chemicals end up in treatment plants where they are further treated with chemicals to try and make them cleaner.

Cardigan businessman becomes entrepreneur champion: A Cardigan businessman has been selected as one of six people from across Wales to become an Entrepreneurship Champion to the Welsh Government. Ben Giles, of Ultima Cleaning has joined the team set up by business minister Edwina Hart. Ben, who left school at 15 to start a window-cleaning round, has since set up multiple successful and highly innovative businesses. He still retains his original window cleaning business, while he now also employs 70 people in his cleaning and training businesses. He and the rest of the Champions team will be providing guidance on entrepreneurship policy to the Welsh Government.

Edwina Hart said: “Entrepreneurs are essential for developing a strong economy, building companies and helping to spread prosperity and create jobs. “We want to encourage and support entrepreneurs in Wales and the Champions will advise on what support is needed to help start-up and small firms with real potential to thrive and grow and how the Welsh Government can embed an entrepreneurial culture in Wales. “I am grateful for the enthusiastic support of these individuals who have built up extremely successful businesses and are willing to give their time and energy to drive this important section of the economy forward.”

The Champions will form a voluntary network, meeting three times a year and speaking at several key events in Wales to promote entrepreneurship and inspire others to consider the entrepreneurship path into business. They were selected through an open procurement process via Sell2Wales and press advertisements that attracted 48 potential candidates.

Winners of our Good Neighbour Award hailed: They are the unsung heroes of their street who make the community proud. And this year competition was so fierce, the gong went to a whole street ... Kearsley Close in Seaton Delaval. Hot on the street’s heels were the two runners-up Brenda Copeland, of Ashvale Avenue, Kibblesworth, Gateshead, and Ray and Joan Hardcastle of Sanders Gardens, Birtley, Gateshead, who also take home a trophy and £250 each. Brenda, 81, is recovering from a hip replacement but is described as an “inspiration” by Tina Palmer, who nominated her for the award. The great gran pulls out wheelie bins, is a friend to her neighbours and always makes the window cleaners a cuppa and a sandwich.

Reaction to Karma’s nightclub closure has been mixed in the business community, with some traders celebrating while others say it is the final death knell for Chippenham town centre. Jane Baker, who owns The Flower Shop, opposite Karma, said she regularly comes in on Friday morning to find urine and vomit on her doorstep and has had her windows smashed on numerous occasions. She said: “I’m very pleased that it has closed. “There had been a few weeks recently where we had no trouble and I did think that maybe things had changed and improved. “But then I came in to work on the Friday before last and there was sick all across my front windows. “It is disgusting and I felt awful as my window cleaner was trying to clean it off.

Scariest Ways To Earn A Living: The Window Washer - Janitorial services may have more than their fair share of negative aspects. There's not much fun in emptying stinky trash cans, but you don't think of a janitor as a big risk-taker. That is, until you see the guy who has to wash the windows on the skyscraper or the surfaces of other enormous structures. From Big Ben to the Space Needle to Mount Rushmore, men and women have braved the extreme height to do a little scrubbing. The workers are either secured by harnesses and straps, on scaffolding or both. Accidents happen, and often those accidents are fatal. Window washers do earn some of the highest salaries in janitorial services, around $50,000 a year with good medical coverage for occupational accidents. It's a good paycheck, but is it worth it? It depends on how much you like a clean window.

When you walk into a darkened room, usually you flip on the lights or open the shades. But soon you could opt instead to let the sunshine in by hitting a switch to send an electrical current coursing through your windows. Smart window technology, thermally insulating fenestration that changes color at the flip of a switch, is the next wave in windows. Smart glass’ most visible application right now is in the auto-dimming rearview mirrors in high-end cars. But the technology is poised to move out of the Mercedes and into homes and businesses, where it could potentially save one-eighth of all the energy used by buildings in the U.S. if it replaced all the conventional windows in the country, according to researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo. That’s about 5 percent of the nation’s entire energy budget.

Smart, or dynamic, window technology can turn glass from transparent to translucent (usually blue or blue-gray in color) and back again when it is briefly exposed to low voltage that is fed to it via a simple circuit to the building current, thus controlling the transmission of visible and near-infrared light. The technology is not new; color-changing glass has been available for more than two decades. But it has always been a premium product that, at $50 to $100 per square foot, has been too costly for most commercial and residential construction projects.

The Ankeny City Council, Iowa, voted to remove planned security upgrades for its council chambers from a remodeling plan during a meeting on Monday. The original plan called for more than $200,000 to be spent on security and technology upgrades to the City Council chamber as well as other remodeling that officials said was needed at City Hall. The council chose to remove the security and technology changes from the proposal, some two-thirds of the cost of the plan, and just moved forward with exterior building upgrades and converting one large office into two smaller offices. City officials said the security and technology changes may be reconsidered at some point in the future, but were unsure when those proposed changes might come up again for consideration. Plans call for the large picture window to shrink in size and be reinforced with bulletproof glass. The desk where the City Council sits will be longer and have some bulletproof material built into it, and the doors to the council chambers will be changed. "I don't know. What are they scared of? Are they really scared of the people? What are they doing? I don't think it is necessary," said resident Tony Smith.

We here at the alligatorSports Brand Picks Column appreciate fine art. Elitists place sportswriters at the bottom of the creative totem pole, but trust us: We’re cultured. Nobody enjoys the spots and squiggles of abstract paintings, the soundtracks and subtitles of foreign films, the beeps and boops of jazz music more than us. And we can spot a phony from a mile away. That’s why we are glad to see the end of “Crossing Paths” — or, as it is better known in the artistic community, “That super sucky program for which UF paid like $40,000 to put creepy statues everywhere.” Good riddance, scary window washer outside Einstein Bros. Bagels.

Window cleaners 'to have best view of Olympic site' - Window cleaners who are deployed to two high rise buildings in Ilford will have some of the best views of London's Olympic sites. Sheffield-based manufacturer Rostek-UK has installed two monorails and two cradles on the towers at Pioneer Point at a cost of £200,000. The systems have been designed to accommodate window cleaners on the 91 and 113-metre-high properties. Those with a head for heights have been told by the designers that they will have one of the finest vantage points for viewing famous landmarks such as Canary Wharf, as well as the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.

Rostek-UK was given the contract by London and Regent Construction, with the brief of enabling cleaning companies to reach all external parts of the towers. Sales and marketing director at the Yorkshire enterprise John Hepworth said the venture has helped raise the firm's profile. "[It's] great to be recommended in the first place and then to hear such fabulous comments on completion of the project," he remarked. Cleaning specialists could be required to spruce up the houses of London residents ahead of the 2012 Olympics, as many will rent out their abodes to visitors, the Ealing Gazette reported.

Window-cleaning robot launched in Taiwan: A window-cleaning robot that won a gold medal at the 2010 iENA Nuremberg International Trade Fair was launched in Taiwan Thursday. Dubbed the "Winbot," the robot is a creation of local inventor Chao Chih-mo. It uses magnets to attach to windows up to 10 mm thick. K.E. & Kingstone Co. and Hobot Technology, which introduced the product, expect to cash in on yearend promotions in major department stores, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported. The robot is priced at under NT$10,000 (US$330), and can operate at least five times more quickly that human window cleaners, the company said. It is also able to detect the cleaning area on its own using automatic navigation technology and infrared sensors, the company added.

SMALL BIZ DISCUSSES BURDENSOME FEDERAL REGS: Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations, a coalition created by the National Federation of Independent Business, holds a news conference to talk about federal regulations the group says stifle small business growth in Florida. NFIB Florida Executive Director Bill Herrle and two small business owners, Jay Lunt, president of Folkers Window Company in Pensacola, and Don Curtis, president of The Forestry Company in Perry, will speak. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Florida Press Center, 336 E. College Ave., Tallahassee.)

ALLEN PARK — The City Council meeting Sept. 27 lasted close to five hours as the council discussed and adopted several resolutions. An application from Michael Alt to solicit window cleaning services door to door was approved 6-0.

Tilehurst man evades jail despite using 'outrageous violence' - A Tilehurst man avoided a jail term despite a “disgraceful display of outrageous violence” during a drunken street brawl. James Buckthorpe, of Lyndhurst Road, was given a 30-week suspended sentence at Reading Crown Court after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and threatening violence. The 38-year-old was spared immediate imprisonment because of his previous good character and early guilty plea but he will have to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work. The court heard on Friday how Buckthorpe had attacked Colin Stevens in St Mary’s Butts in the early hours of Sunday, February 6. The court heard Buckthorpe, a window cleaner, had last been convicted of a violent offence in 1996 and this had been linked with alcohol.

Drink-driving ban for ex-pro Bullock: A former professional footballer from Worcester has been banned from the roads for drink-driving without insurance or an MOT certificate. Darren Bullock commanded more than £650,000 in transfer fees during the 1990s and enjoyed successful spells at Huddersfield Town, Swindon Town and Bury. The 42-year-old, of Lilac Avenue, Tolladine, finished his professional playing career at Worcester City in 2002 and has since represented local sides Archdales 73 and AFC Heenans. Last season Bullock was assistant manager at Malvern Town, where he began his playing career. Appearing at Worcester Magistrates Court yesterday, Bullock pleaded guilty to drink-driving, driving with no insurance and no MoT.

Bullock, who now works as a self-employed window cleaner, said he had bought the S-reg Vauxhall Vectra three months ago and had not been driving it because he didn’t have enough money to pay for insurance. For drink-driving, Bullock was disqualified for 18 months and fined £180. He was offered the drink-driving course which, if he completes it by October 2012, will reduce the ban by four months. For having no insurance Bullock was fined £180 but no separate penalty was imposed for the car not having an MoT certificate. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and £15 victim surcharge. Bullock offered to pay the fines at £30 a week.

Vets happy for a hand up at Stand Down in Dixon: Up went the tents and in came the vets, as hundreds of former military personnel from all branches and eras flocked to the Dixon May Fair grounds on Tuesday for the 10th annual North Bay Stand Down. During the three-day event that saw rows of tents pop up across the grounds, veterans were encouraged to take advantage of the many services that range from haircuts and showers to counseling sessions and legal consultation -- all aimed at helping them get back on their feet. Also experiencing the Stand Down for the first time was Santa Rosa resident John Capps.

According to Capps, he came to the event in order to have a better idea about what is available to veterans in terms of benefits. The former Army sergeant spent 12 years in the military before being discharged in 1998, but was virtually unaware of any of his veteran benefits until 2007. "So far I'm finding that the Stand Down is a pretty big deal because pretty much everything's here," he said. "So it's pretty much so far, so good."

Since leaving the military, Capps took over the window washing business of his father -- also a veteran. "A lot of veterans ... believe that nobody's really there to help them out, but people just need to look, they need to get busy," he said. "I'm finding you have to look very hard to see something like this." Where once veterans were left feeling "abandoned" with the "You're done. Have a nice day. Thanks for the memories." mentality once they leave the military, Capps said he has seen a number of efforts to find housing for those who find themselves homeless.

Temporary metal barricades will remain in place indefinitely around half the perimeter of a building on University St. at Cathcart St. until engineers can fully evaluate a possible problem with the structure. A situation came to light on Thursday after window washers noticed a block - weighing 600 kilograms - was sticking out an inch, and might possibly come loose. After a preliminary inspection of the building on Friday, the examining engineer hired by the Ville Marie borough ordered that an area 4.8 metres wide and 12 metres long be fenced off from pedestrians.

Montreal fire department chief of operations Richard Laporte hypothesized on Thursday that weather and water infiltration or the vibrations of a large construction project across University could have played a role in loosening the large blocks. Pedestrians on University stared up Friday afternoon, but could see nothing with the naked eye from street level to 10 storeys up. Tumbling structures have made people jittery in recent years. A huge concrete slab slid off a Peel St. building and killed a woman in July 2009, a construction worker was killed on April 8, 2011 when a wall collapsed in Plateau Mont Royal and four workers were injured when bricks peeled off the wall of a Ville Émard school on Aug. 11, 2011.

Selling Window Cleaning To Store Front

5 Things You Must Do To Sell To a Small Business Owner.

5 Things You Must Do To Sell To a Small Business Owner: Small business owners are an odd lot. I can say this without judgment because I am one: Cracking the small business code is something that routinely perplexes large organizations. I see it every day, and I’ve been asked numerous times to consult on that very puzzle. The thing is, however, a lot of small businesses want to sell to other small businesses too. Many times I find that they miss the subtleties of attracting small business even though they need look no further than their own buying habits for keys to the sale. So, today I’m going to share how I, one long-time small business owner, think and make purchases in an effort to create what might become your cheat sheet for how to think about selling to small business. I suspect there are Fortune 500 consultants that would charge tens of thousands of dollars for what I’m about to reveal below, but you get it for free!

1) Realize I don’t plan that far out: Small business owners would love to have a three-year and five-year plan, but the reality is we often have a one-week plan and it’s a rough draft. I’m not saying it’s perfect, I’m just saying it’s the reality of the time and resource sparse business. We don’t respond well to future ROI messages or value received over time because mostly we’re usually looking to fix something right now. Talk to me about the pain I have today, fix the problem that will get me immediate relief and then we can talk about the future.

2) Help me buy value over price: I actually don’t want to buy on price, but I will. If you don’t give me a way to see how your solution makes better sense to me right now , I’ll choose the lower price. But if you can demonstrate that you’re going to be here whenever and however I need you, that switching to your solution isn’t going to be painful and that this time it’s going to be different, I’ll pay a premium.

The problem is, I don’t believe your brochure. In fact, the greater problem is I don’t fully trust myself to implement what you’ve suggested either. So, demonstrate by building a relationship, don’t sell, educate. Prove to me that you really understand my business by using my language – if you use the terms synergy or value proposition it will hard for me to hear anything else you say.

3) Make the service as sexy as the sale: Good marketing makes you hungry for how your world is about to change for the better. Good marketing paints a picture of your new shiny world once you’ve bought the product or engaged the service. That’s the job of marketing – to build know, like and trust. The problem is that once I say I want to buy, good marketing seems to come to a crashing end. Good marketing also understands that I need to be oriented to what I just bought, I need to know what to do next, I need to know who to contact with questions, I need to know how I pay, how I get more, how I add features and I need to know it all as part of your sales and service process. In fact, good marketing doesn’t ever end. It also wants to measure the results I got and it wants to make sure I’m thrilled.

4) Know that I am loyal to a fault: Okay, I’m playing with fire sharing this one, but you need to know that I value loyalty as much as anything. So, that’s a great thing to know, but it’s a two-way street. I will be loyal to companies that are loyal to me. If you fix my problem, you do it in a way that is simple, effective and affordable and if I come to trust your words and actions – I’ll buy anything else you present to me in the same way. I’ll go out of my way to keep buying from you because what I know about you is more comforting than what I don’t know about someone else’s pitch. Take advantage of this by making it easy for me to share you with my friends, neighbors and colleagues. Make me feel like a champion for your business and I’ll willingly become an unpaid member of your sales team.

5) Continue to educate and I’ll buy more: Don’t change once I become a customer. If you want me to buy more, don’t just toss me into the up sell and cross sell sales funnel that consists of little more than canned sales messages. Continue to educate me, share things that real people share with each other, talk to me like someone you want to have a deeper relationship with – do that and you’ll earn the right to come to me with the unabashed intention of selling me something else.

Diamonds Aren't Forever For Window Cleaners

Clean getaway for window washer? Not this time! A recent police sting allegedly caught Michael S. Kates stealing jewelry from a Muncie home. A Muncie man who once referred to himself as a role model has been accused of stealing jewelry from the homes in which he had been working as a window washer. Michael S. Kates, 42, 8424 W. Ashford Lane, is preliminarily charged with five counts of theft, each a Class D felony carrying a standard 18-month prison term.

According to Muncie police Det. Jim Johnson, Kates has been suspected of thefts from several homes over the past year. Johnson said Kates gained access into the homes by working as a self-employed window washer. "He did the work," Johnson said. "And, by most accounts, people were happy with his work." Although Johnson said Kates' name "kept coming up" as a possible theft suspect at several homes, city police investigators did not have enough evidence to arrest the Muncie man until an Oct. 6 police sting.

According to a probable cause affidavit, a homeowner on North Riley Road allowed Muncie police investigators to set up surveillance equipment in his home. On Oct. 6, the homeowner -- who had suspected Kates was involved in a previous theft from his home -- contacted Kates and asked him to wash his windows. Johnson said investigators watched from the house next door as Kates was observed going into a closet and removing what appeared to be jewelry boxes. When he left the house, he was approached by officers, who reportedly found the jewelry from the house in one of his pockets.

He was taken in custody and questioned by investigators, where Kates allegedly admitted to stealing jewelry at the Riley Road residence that day and at an earlier date while working as a window washer. Kates was also questioned about other thefts during the interview, according to the affidavit. He reportedly admitted to stealing jewelry from a house on North Morrison Road, but denied stealing jewelry from another residence on North Wheeling Avenue. Det. Johnson said he hopes circulating Kates' photo and charging information will encourage other possible theft victims of his alleged window-washing theft scheme to come forward.

Delaware County Sheriff's Office investigators and Yorktown police have also questioned Kates about similar thefts in their jurisdiction, according to the affidavit. Kates' most recent arrest is not his first brush with the law. In 1997, Kates, a former substance-abuse case worker with the Delaware County Community Corrections program, was sentenced to 15 months in jail after court documents indicated he stole amounts ranging from $20 to $50 on eight occasions from DCCC clients. Kates reportedly kept the money -- intended to be user fees from the clients -- and tried to hide his actions by falsifying financial documents.

A State Board of Accounts audit found theft of "not less than $2,493," according to records. His sentence in that case was later reduced to 90 days by Special Judge Tom Diller of Jay County. Then, in February 1990, Kates pleaded guilty in Delaware Circuit Court to dealing in cocaine. His sentencing hearing drew a courtroom full of supportive friends and relatives, and Kates received a six-year suspended sentence, according to The Muncie Evening Press archives. Kates discussed his rehabilitation in an April 1991 article in The Muncie Star, saying he had been in the early stages of a career as a rap music performer -- under the name "Lemondrop Box" -- when he ran into problems with the law.

"We were going to be professionals, but I saw it was the Lord who did it," Kates said. "He needed somebody like me to be a role model." Kates has also worked at the Youth Opportunity Center in Muncie, serving as a child-care worker and participating in a class for teens in trouble with the law. A driving-while-suspended charge is pending against Kates in Yorktown Town Court. In December 2010, he was convicted of criminal conversion in Delaware Circuit Court 3. Kates was being held Wednesday at the Delaware County jail under a $30,000 bond.

Window cleaner charged with theft of diamond earrings: An Iowa City window cleaner has been charged with second-degree theft after he allegedly stole a pair of diamond earrings from the home of a client June 14. Kevin Chapman, originally from Greenville, Tenn., was employed as a window cleaner by All Iowa Window Cleaning and was working at a Donegal Court residence. According to a complaint by Iowa City police, a woman living at the residence reported a missing pair of diamond earrings after the cleaners had finished. The complaint said Chapman entered Money and More on June 15 and had a pair of diamond earrings appraised. Chapman's earrings allegedly matched the description of those reported stolen; they were appraised at between $8,000 and $9,000. Chapman allegedly declined to sell the earrings and left the business. The actual value of the earrings was appraised at $9,755.

Police lock up alleged diamond thief: A Tennessee man is behind bars after police said he stole a pair of diamond earrings worth nearly $10,000 while cleaning the windows of a woman’s home. Iowa City police charged Kevin Lee Chapman, 27, of Greenville, Tenn., with second-degree theft in connection with an incident that occurred June 14 at 78 Donegal Court. According to a criminal complaint, Chapman was part of a crew from All Iowa Window Cleaning that performed work at the residence, where a woman later discovered her diamond earrings to be missing. Police said that Chapman took the earrings to Money and More pawn shop June 15 where the earrings were appraised at $8,000 to $9,000, but he declined to sell them and left the business. Police said the actual appraised value of the items was $9,775. On Monday, Chapman was in the Johnson County Jail on $15,000 cash-only bond.