Now in print!

Sure, digital books are great but nothing beats the feeling of holding an actual book in your hands. Do you agree? If you do, we have good news! The Window Cleaners Marketing Blueprint is now available in print! For just $99 you can get the step-by-step guide delivered to your door (free shipping to anyone in the USA!).

Feedback has been great! Check out some of the recent testimonials from real purchasers:

"In truth if you buy, and apply this one book you don’t need any others, and you will build a successful window cleaning company. I don’t want to over hype the book. Much of the advice is simple and straightforward, and to the untrained eye one may not at first realize what gems are being given. The magic in this book is in the implementation. Follow the blueprint and you will be successful." -Mike Goeller (Brightview Cleaning)

"There is something for everyone in this book! Even as a seasoned pro, I picked up a lot of solid information and new ideas to implement. Chris did a great job pouring out his experience into these pages. I would DEFINITELY recommend reading it (unless you’re a competitor of mine lol)." -Chris Cartwright (Triple C Window Cleaning)

"I am using the Window Cleaners Marketing Blueprint book. One of the marketing tools was sending a direct mailer with a special $xxx.xx for 20 windows cleaned, plus free screens. The day after the postcards hit, I received 6 calls. Thus far, 4 of the six clients booked the job. This is a great tool to generate some business especially during the summer months. I highly recommend trying it out." -Eddie Willis (20/20 Window Cleaning, LLC)

Prefer the ebook + downloads package? No problem! You can still get that for one low price of $249! Purchase either package here.

Window Cleaners Marketing Blueprint - A Sales Bible

Window Cleaners Marketing Blueprint - A Sales Bible: Over 100 Marketing Methods, written by Chris Lambrinides.

Window Cleaners Marketing Blueprint - A Sales Bible: Over 100 Marketing Methods, written by Chris Lambrinides. Hot off the press... Chris has been compiling this Marketing Blueprint over a number of years. This is really more than a book. Its a training program where Chris walks you through over 150 ways you can market your window cleaning business. Step by step instructions with dialog based on his own personal experience. There is almost NO theory in the book. It's all actual things & methods that Chris has done with success in his business. + It comes with 46 downloads. Worksheets, phone scripts, and pre-made marketing pieces.

Chris says..

• "I hold your hand and walk you through over 100 different marketing methods I used with success."
• "This book is for anyone in the window cleaning business looking to make more money in less time." 
• "It doesn’t matter if you have a new company, or an old company, a small business or big business."
• "This is the instruction manual your business has been waiting for."

A step-by-step guide to creating and improving the marketing of your window cleaning business. The ultimate blueprint that shows you how to fill your schedule with more jobs than you can handle. For anyone that's interested you can download a free chapter here at the foot of the page." This particular free chapter will show you how to do a comprehensive analysis of your local market.

Chris adds, "It's a system I used in my window cleaning business for many years." "Each spring actually, to help me determine where to concentrate my marketing efforts." "I got to a million in sales per year by the 5th year in business." "Grew it to upwards of 50 employees from there." "Then @ year 13 sold the company and had a successful exit."

Life On The Ledge

Ivor Hanson, 48, of Scarsdale, author of 'Life on the Edge,' spent a decade washing windows in Manhattan. Click to enlarge.

Scarsdale window washer pens memoir: Scarsdale man spent a decade on ledges in NYC -  Ivor Hanson’s windows are dirty. This wouldn’t be a big deal for anyone else, but it’s surprising for Hanson, an expert on cleaning windows after a decade perched on ledges all over Manhattan and writing a memoir about the experience. Those days are over, as is clear from the not-so-clear panes in his Scarsdale apartment. “I’ve never paid anyone to clean my own windows. Even though it means we are living with our dirty windows,” he said. “The windows are not as bad as in Manhattan. Scarsdale’s Garth Road doesn’t get as dirty as 14th Street.”

Hanson — who now splits his time as a freelance writer, college student and clerk at Trader Joe’s — will discuss his window-washing past at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Eastchester Public Library. “Life on the Ledge: Reflections of a New York City Window Cleaner” is Hanson’s love letter to his days with a squeegee in hand and nights drumming with a rock band. He takes his readers into the life of a window washer, complete with views of landmarks like the Chrysler Building, amorous advances by lonely clients and precarious moments on ledges less than a foot wide. “I really felt like I was doing something really special. Window cleaners have a long history in New York City,” he said. His work took him from Soho to Central Park West, giving him entry into apartments most people can only fantasize about from the street. “You’d say, ‘There’s the Picasso. There’s the de Kooning.’ You got used to being around incredible art or incredible views,” he said. “I still miss it.” 

Hanson explains the esoteric ins and outs, from the tedium of scrubbing modern “tilt-out” windows to the thrills of clasping his window washing belt to the hooks on the outdoor frames of pre-War buildings. Though he daily imagined the splotch he’d make on the sidewalk if he fell, just once did he come close. It was while he was crossing from one window to another, getting ready to fasten his belt to a new hook. “I tested the window hook by pulling back on it, because that’s what you do, and it came out. I was attached to the other window, so it wasn’t free fall, but I was dangling seven stories up,” Hanson recalled. “There were probably a couple of seconds before I pulled myself up when I was like, ‘I’m going to die.’”

Click here, to take you to Amazon.

Then there was the time Hanson came within seconds of crushing someone below when an air conditioner he had assumed was soundly affixed fell to the sidewalk. “That incident will always be with me,” Hanson said. “I literally came so close to killing somebody all because I wasn’t thinking about it. I should have checked that window.” Then there was the client who received a fatal cancer diagnosis on the phone. “This woman just learned the ultimate one can learn about oneself, and I’m there,” Hanson said. “What can one say? I hung around. I sort of tried to be there for her.“ Hanson, with an English degree from Vassar, took copious notes along the way. “I had all of these great stories, and I liked telling them, so I said, ‘OK, I’m going to write them down,’ ” he said. 

The book recounts a decade of experiences through the prism of the year before Hanson enrolled in graduate school for journalism at Columbia University. “It’s realizing I’m not going to be a rock star after all,” he said. “It’s in that year that I’m figuring out what’s next that the book takes place.” After the birth of Hanson’s daughter, Annika, 7, he became a stay-at-home dad while his wife, Christina Carlson, continued her career at the United Nations. Hanson, at age 48, is in the midst of another life shift. His son Soren, 2, has started day care while Hanson studies teaching at Lehman College. He hopes to teach abroad if his wife is assigned overseas. A book about his teaching experiences is a possibility. “If something big and important happens, I feel the need to get it into words,” Hanson said. As for his windows: He’s made his peace with the grime. Plus, he doubts they could sparkle since they were neglected so long by past tenants. “If you ever see a window that has a gray feeling to it, it’s permanent,” Hanson said. “That’s why it’s a good idea to clean your windows a couple of times a year.”

Read Kevins '$600/hr' Book Here

Kevin Dubrosky - he killed the unicorn, embraced the Koi, and used the herd.

Well I lied, sorta' - but read never-been-seen-before exclusive content donated by Kevin, below. That's Kevin Dubrosky... the window cleaning business coach.... he's done it again! '$600/hr' the new expanded edition, is now on the shelves to purchase. If you want to read more... go here now, where you will find another excerpt from Kevin's book & the link to purchase. 

Kevin says, "Lots of books are out there on marketing and advertising." "The problem is not the accessibility of awesome marketing information." "The problem is figuring out ‘how in the world’ all this insight can be used in your window cleaning and pressure washing business." "In my first book, I provided a big picture overview of window cleaning marketing, but so many details and strategies were missing, and so many questions unanswered." "Thus the need for a fresh, comprehensive treatment of the subject, and my brand new book now sitting in your hands." "I sincerely hope that $600/hr gives you exactly what you’re looking for right now."

Exclusive never-seen-before content: -

"Multi-Sensory Stimulation"

According to Brand Sense, by Researcher Martin Lindstrom, “creating a synergy across the senses should be the goal of every brand on earth”.

Martin uses a brilliant illustration to make his point: A digital video camera records vibrant video and crisp audio, but nothing more. The human body records experiences on no less than five tracks, adding touch, taste, and smell on top of your digital camera’s mere two. Most marketing efforts focus on the senses of sight and sound, but in doing so, ignore 3 other powerful senses. Why not record on all 5 tracks?

Nearly four hundred years ago philosopher and scientist Sir Francis Bacon mused: “By far the greatest impediment and aberration of the human understanding arises from [the fact that] ... those things which strike the sense outweigh things which, although they may be more important, do not strike it directly.”

In other words, our senses skew the way we perceive value and importance.

Anytime you activate multiple senses, your ability to influence emotions dramatically increases. Therefore, the express goal of an advanced multi-sensory marketing strategy is rather straightforward: stimulate a heightened emotional response.

Take sound, for instance.

“The way a brand sounds should not be underestimated”, reports Brand Sense.

In a study undertaken by Judy and Mark Alpert, they discovered that happy music created happy moods. No big surprise there. However, they also discovered that sad music resulted in greater levels of purchase intent. Wow. Now that is interesting. What would happen if you played some slightly sad music in the background of your window cleaning website? Would you convert more sales? I sure want to find out.

Victoria’s Secret is no dummy when it comes to sound, either. In their stores, they play classical music, “which creates an exclusive atmosphere and air of prestige”.

Before Bentley automobiles released their latest smash hit vehicle, the Continental GT, they carried out extensive research regarding the sound the car’s engine made. The result was a signature sound: “deep, smooth, muscular, and inspiring”. Turns out they were on to something.  In the Continental GT’s (MSRP $182,800) market segment, 44% (not a misprint) of consumers indicate that the sound of a car is a primary factor in their purchase decision. How weird is that?

The take-away: Don’t assume that the sense of sound can’t or shouldn’t be part of your marketing strategy.

How do you apply this as a window cleaner? I’m not exactly sure. But it sure has me thinking. What if your vehicles had a signature sound? Or your website? What if every click made a squeegee sound? Or what if you sent out recordable audio thank you cards to your clients, instead of plain-Jane non-audio-enabled cards? There are tons of these kinds of cards available now at your local Wal-Mart. Stimulate the sense of sound.

(A quick one about color: Another study cited in Brand Sense showed that women’s heartbeats increased by 22% when they catch a glimpse of Tiffany’s signature robin’s-egg blue box. Who knew that just a fleeting glimpse of robins-egg blue could be so powerful? Maybe you should try that color as the background of your next flier or postcard design!)

When two psychologists studied the impact of odor on behavior, they placed two sets of identical Nike running shoes in two separate, but identical rooms. One room was misted with a floral scent, and the other wasn’t. The participants in the study inspected the shoes and answered a few questions. Did it have any effect? By a shocking margin of 84%, they preferred the shoes displayed in the room with the fragrance. They also estimated the actual retail value of the shoes to be higher than the identical ones in the unscented room.

The staff of a do-it-yourself store in Germany were described as “harder-working” and “more knowledgeable” only during times that a scent was pumped into the store area.

When Rolls Royce started getting complaints about their new models, they figured out that the only difference was the fragrance, so they reverse-engineered and artificially remanufactured it, to recreate the unique aroma of an “original” Rolls. Problem solved.

The take-away: As silly as it sounds, we are susceptible to the influence of scent when making a purchase decision. Have you tried scenting your staff with different aromas when doing estimates in person? How about the estimate sheet itself? Or the reminder postcard? Have you ever tried experimenting with scent as part of your marketing approach? You should. Stimulate the sense of smell.

Bang and Olufsen artificially added small, unnecessary weights to their high-end audio system’s remote control so that it “felt” more expensive. The doors of the lightweight Acura TSX were engineered to “feel” more solid when the door closed.

The take-away: Our sense of touch affects how we feel (pardon the pun) about a product or service. Take your fliers, for instance. Do they feel cheap or expensive? Have you tried printing some on heavyweight paper? Clear plastic? Metal? Any kind of unusual surface? Ceramic mugs? Have you ever tried a “lumpy mailer”, like a book, a little die cast car, or a bag of socks? Stimulate the sense of touch.

The BIG takeaway: Multi-sensory appeal often has nothing to do with the actual function or performance of the product or service involved. But it’s a big deal, and can significantly influence a consumer by building a strong, positive, emotional connection with your window cleaning company.

In turn, your company is differentiated in irrational ways, commoditizing your competition. It makes no sense at all, but it’s real. Try it!"

                                                     Click any picture 

Chris Dawber - Write A Book - "Job Done"

Click to see the book.

This is a book from a window cleaner we all know well from his YouTube videos. Chris Dawber (aka Wagga) says he began to write this book out of bitterness. Bitterness at all the hard work and failure he has endured in his life, but as he progressed through his book, he began to realize how many experiences he could share with others. This is largely an account of an ordinary man searching for a place in life and trying to find out just who he is. Much of what Chris did was borne mainly out of fear, fear and failure. This was to lead Chris into all sorts of adventures and situations that he could not cope with, let alone have the ability to carry out with any competence. From cleaning toilets to Royal Naval Aircrew, Merchant Seaman to Psychiatric Nurse and even a window cleaner, a life lived to the full, he regrets none of it. This led to many humorous and some dangerous situations, many of which he sought to escape by Running For Home. A book, written with honesty and sincerity - this book may help anyone to come to terms with their lot in life! Just to remind you... Chris in action..

A few snippets from Chris...

I was cleaning windows for over 20 years until I changed my system over to what is called WFP (water fed pole) where ladders are not required. In all this time I never once fell off. There were some very close shaves though. Several times the ladders slipped a bit then stopped. Once a rung snapped but it was the last but one, closest to the ground, so I just fell backwards onto the grass without injury. Once when my wife was working with me, I climbed onto a roof to do a window above a porch. I had muddy boots and as I got to the window I slipped, began to slide back down the roof on my bum, my progress only halted by the plastic gutter into which both feet went. This flexed alarmingly and I was terrified and called out to my wife to catch me if I fell, which sounds hilarious now. Somehow I managed to get back to the ladders"

Some customers have been the same ones since I first started window cleaning in 1986 up to 2011 as I write this. Many became friends and many now know my name. Sadly several have died and I can remember most of them and hear their voices. One of my customers was actually murdered. My wife and I would talk to her every time we cleaned the windows. Then one day the whole of Aycliffe Village was crawling with police but I did not know at the time what was going on. It was only several weeks later whilst we were watching Crime Watch on TV that we realised what had happened. We had no information so we did not ring up Crime Watch but in hindsight, we should have done. Its just that I had felt that the police had been incompetent in not talking to me when they saw me in the village cleaning windows. It was as though I was invisible or something. Some years later, I asked a detective who’s house I cleaned, how the case had gone since I had an interest. I mentioned that no one had thought to interview me and my wife and surely the forensic team had found the ticket that I had put through her letter box. It was the very same stamp I used to make the ticket that he got in his letter box. I said “Surely you found my ticket?” The next time he saw me, he knew my name and appeared to know quite a lot about me.

One morning a few years back, I had just started work when an elderly woman came out of the house next to the one I was cleaning. She was obviously in distress and shouted that her husband had collapsed. She was on the phone and the emergency services were talking to her when I entered her house. I found her husband Francis, aged 78 collapsed on the floor of the kitchen. He’d obviously fallen against the wall and was sat up. His eyes were slightly open and I could not see any movement whatsoever. My worst fears began to set in as my training in the forces kicked in once again. The first thing I did was check for a pulse, first on his neck and finding none, on his wrist. At first I could not believe that there was no pulse so I checked over and over again. I said to his wife, “there’s no pulse”. The emergency services asked her to tell me to start CPR. I knew what I had to do and dragged Francis into the hall where I began to try and breath some life back into him.

I opened his mouth and breathed into his. His chest rose. He had been sick and I could feel bits of vomit in my own mouth. I didn’t feel sick though, that would come later when the adrenalin wore off. I pumped at his chest, counting as I went, then back to giving him air. It seemed to go on for ages. When would the ambulance arrive. On and on it went, some colour returning to his face but I was getting no response. Still no pulse. On and on without success.

Then the paramedics burst in and took over. Their professionalism really showed since they did not just brush me aside but instead asked me to help carry him into the living room where there was much more space. Then said its okay, "we’ll take over now."

I stood in the doorway watching as they did all they could to bring him back but the monitor stayed resolutely blank. They began shaking their heads. I knew it was over but still could not accept he was dead. I sat in the kitchen where his wife made me a cup of tea. When the doctor arrived he pronounced Francis dead. The tears rolled down my face, but one of the paramedics consoled me by asking if I had done this sort of thing before. I said I had been in the Navy. He nodded knowingly.

If you feel that this book would interest you or you have enjoyed or learned from Wagga's videos, please shake your pocket & give something back. As Chris would say... "Job Done!"

Spoof Window Cleaner Spams The Spammers

Spam is the plague of the electronic age, comprising 90% of all e-mails and illegally netting millions of dollars each year. Into this frustrating wave of directed marketing steps the brave figure of Bob Servant, a former window cleaner and cheeseburger magnate with a love of wine, women, and song—as well as a devious sense of fair play. In collusion with his "editor" Neil Forsyth, Bob gives spammers a taste of their own medicine. This wickedly funny and original book features the anarchic exchanges between Bob and the hapless spam merchants who unwittingly flood his inbox. As they offer him African fortunes, Russian brides, and get-rich-quick scams, he turns the tables by offering them some outlandish schemes of his own. Upping the ante with the skill of a seasoned pro, Bob demands legal asylum, shoulders to cry on, and gold lions that speak—and almost gets his way. The result is page after page of wacky and hilarious e-mail exchanges—and a cathartic release for anyone whose inbox has been deluged with unwanted e-mail. Other window cleaners have also tried this.

It's all come as a shock to 32-year-old Neil Forsyth, who now lives in Edinburgh. He admits he first started replying to the spammers purely because he was bored. Neil said: "I was sitting on the couch one night and I got this email entitled 'Delete this at your peril'. It was a particularly funny scam which didn't make any sense, so I decided to reply. "It kicked off a six-month period where I started talking to spammers all over the world but, as I didn't want to use my own name, I opened an email account in the name of Bob Servant. "That was largely because I found it funny to sign o the emails 'Your Servant, Bob Servant,' and the more I spoke to them, the more I built up the character around it. "Spammers would ask about my life, so I created this character of a 62-year-old window cleaner and cheeseburger van operator in Dundee.

"I'm from Dundee and I know a lot of old guys like that who like to tell a story and tell a joke, so the character was almost a tribute to them. "I started off doing it just for amusement but my girlfriend at the time thought it was funny and so did my agent, so it came out as a book." Neil used his character to make outlandish requests to his new email pen "pals", who were happy to indulge him in the belief he would eventually give them cash. Neil said: "A lot of these email conversations got quite surreal.

"I started off by wondering just how far I could push these spammers before they lost it but I think they assumed that Bob had a mental illness and hung in there in the hope they'd get a fiver out of him at the end. "It was very much a case of starting off relatively sensible and then quite quickly the exchanges would become rooted in the absurd." One such tale involved Bob asking a contact if he could provide him with a talking lion for his zoo back in Dundee. Within hours, the contact was claiming he had spoken to someone who had a talking lion for sale and that the animal would be shipped to Scotland in exchange for some cash. Neil said: "The story with the talking lion is the one people mention the most.

"But I enjoyed the conversation with a Russian woman called Olga whom Bob fell in love with. "Suddenly, Olga's 'agency owner' called Sasha - who had the same e-mail address - popped up asking for his cut. "It resulted in Bob launching a business in Dundee. Him, Olga and Sasha were going to go around building novelty lakes in people's gardens. "The spammers had absolutely no problem in saying they would do that as long as Bob sent the air fare so they could come and join him."

Neil even got one spammer to admit he was a conman. He said: "I really enjoyed that exchange, as he twigged that Bob was joking. He replied saying that he thought Bob was very funny and I ended up having this strange conversation where he was openly admitting what he was up to. "He said he lived in Malaysia and I asked him if a lot of people fell for what he was doing. "He said it was a minority but that was all he needed. It was interesting to hear him openly discussing his work."

First released in 2007, Neil's book slowly became an international cult hit. He said: "I had been getting on with other books and other projects but Delete This At Your Peril spread through word of mouth. It got picked up a lot by American colleges. "That generated a bit of interest over here and then Irvine Welsh named it as the funniest book he'd ever read. "Tom Simpson, who is the keyboardist in Snow Patrol, also heard about it, as he comes from Monifeith. He passed the book around the band. They then passed it on to Richard Colburn, who is the drummer in Belle and Sebastian. "They both mentioned it to a lot of people and they might also have mentioned it in a couple of interviews, which helped stoke things as well. "I missed much of this because I was living in New York and, at this time, the book wasn't for sale any more, so it was a real phoenix-like rise from the ashes."

The renewed interest led to Neil writing a sequel in the form of his comic character's autobiography entitled Bob Servant: Hero of Dundee. He said: "You could describe Bob with any positive adjective but you'd have to put the words 'self-proclaimed' before it. He's a self-proclaimed good guy, a self-proclaimed man of the people and a self-proclaimed success story, who sees himself as a local boy done good. "He's now retired and spends his time trawling the streets and bars of Dundee looking for the respect that he thinks he deserves." His success led to BBC Radio Scotland producing an adaptation of the first book with Dundonian Cox starring as Bob. Comic actors Sanjeev Kohli, Felix Dexter and Laura Solon play the spammers.

Neil said: "I was absolutely delighted that the whole thing came together with such a talented cast of actors. It was a real pleasure to hear them bring it to life. "And Bob would think the fact that Brian Cox was playing him was just about right. I think he would see himself as being very much on a par with Brian. They're two local boys done good." As for Neil, he's still coming to terms with the fact his comedy character captured the imagination of so many. He added: "There's another Bob book I'd like to write and there's talk of a TV adaptation as well, so we definitely haven't heard the last of him."

The unmissable business opportunity

From: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD 

To: Bob Servant
Subject: JOB OPPORTUNITY/ MAKE MORE INCOME
Dear Sir/Madam, We are Lanzhou Global, a specialist in the production of rubber belts such as power transmission belts, conveyor belts, etc. We need agents to receive payment in bank wire transfers and to resend the money to us. You earn 10% from each operation. Your job is absolutely legal. You can earn up to 3,000-4,000 pounds monthly.
Best regards,
Admin/Human Resources Manager,
Xiong Li

From: Bob Servant
To: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
Hello there
My name is Bob Servant and I am a semi-retired window cleaner. I am very interested in working for your company. I have a big garage that I could convert into an office?
Many thanks,
Bob
PS What would be my job title?
PPS Is there a uniform?

From: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
To: Bob Servant
Hello Bob,
Thanks a lot. Listen Bob, this job does not require your much time or space. You do not need a uniform for this and get 10% of each payment. You can give yourself any title you want. Please give us your full personal and banking details so we can get started with this now Bob, Thanks,
Xiong

From: Bob Servant
To: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
Xiong,
I am an old-fashioned kind of man and as far as I'm concerned if you are working then you wear a uniform. What kind of look do you go for? Do you wear a suit or a branded tracksuit? I want something tight, that's vital. It makes me feel alert.
Your new employee, a proud member of the Lanzhou Team,
The Big Man, Bob Servant

From: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
To: Bob Servant
Hello Big Man!
We are glad to have you as our staff, please send the information that we need. Do what you think is best for a uniform, Bob. We trust you. I wear a suit.

From: Bob Servant
To: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
Xiong,
Hello boss! I have been trying like a bastard to find the right uniform for the job and I think I have it – a boilersuit that I bought for £30. I've really enjoyed my first two days of working for LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD. It's been all go, but I have had a great time. I'll get to grips with the form tomorrow.
Yours loyally,
Bob

From: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
To: Bob Servant
Dear Bob,
The uniform sounds perfect. You should wear it when you are doing your business as you will look smart.
Bob, do not hesitate to send back your job application form. It is very important and we need this information for our system.
XIONG

From: Bob Servant
To: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
Xiong,
I have been very, very busy. I know you want to get these forms done, but it's not all about paperwork in business, Xiong, you should know that. What we need, Xiong, is to let people know that we are here and we mean business. Rubber belt business.
I've started spreading the word locally. I have also been thinking about a staff night out. Obviously, as things stand there is just me here in the Scottish office, but I was thinking of inviting a couple of people. I think that Chinese would be the most appropriate, as I'm sure you agree!
Is that OK? Shall I just keep a receipt and send it over to you?
Your Faithful Employee and Friend,
Bob Servant

From: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
To: Bob Servant
Bob,
Thank you again for your hard work for the company. I think that the party is a good idea, and yes we would prefer you to eat at a Chinese restaurant. But Bob, you have still not given us your national insurance number, bank account information and phone number right away.
Please hurry Bob
Xiong

From: Bob Servant
To: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
Xiong,
My friend. We've had some good times together. We've laughed and joked and worked damn hard to get LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD the respect that it undoubtedly deserves. But things change, my friend. I'd like to place on record how much I have enjoyed my time working with LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD. I suppose this is goodbye, Xiong. I will never, ever forget you.
Your ex-employee but lifelong friend

Bob "Xiong" Servant

From: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
To: Bob Servant
Hi, How are you? I know from the start you are a clown, I laugh a lot when i read from you.

From: Bob Servant
To: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
Hello there,
Yes, I was pulling your leg. All the very best with the old "Lanzhou" line. If you don't mind me saying so, I think it needs a bit of polishing. Tell me, where are you from and do many people actually fall for this stuff?
Stay strong,
Bob Servant

From: LANZHOU GLOBAL LTD
To: Bob Servant
Hello Bob,
Of course many people do fall for it, you know lots of gimimicks now and you make your cash. I am from Malaysia, tell me more about you.

No reply

The real life story..

Stockton Springs man convicted of wire fraud for 2nd time: A jury in U.S. District Court found a Stockton Springs man guilty Wednesday of soliciting money from several individuals, funds he then invested in an international money scam which officials say didn't exist. Todd Denson, 50, was convicted of 13 counts of wire fraud -- the second time in four years that he has been implicated in such a scheme. Denson spent 14 months in federal prison in 2007 and 2008 after he pleaded guilty to seven counts of mail and wire fraud.

Denson will be sentenced at a later date on his latest conviction but could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Jurors deliberated for nearly 3 1/2 hours Wednesday after hearing almost two full days of testimony from witnesses called by Assistant U.S. Attorney James McCarthy, including a U.S. Secret Service agent who has investigated Denson for years. Denson's attorney, Virginia Villa, did not call any witnesses and did not ask Denson to testify in his own defense.

The trial centered on whether Denson intentionally defrauded people when he asked them for money with a promise that he would pay it back. For several years, dating back to before Denson's first conviction, the man has been involved in an Internet scam that many consumers received e-mails about but few followed through on. The premise is simple: The e-mail recipient is instructed to send a certain amount of money overseas, usually to an African country, in order to access a much larger pool of money, usually millions of dollars. Similar scams were operated through mailed letters and fax machines for decades before they moved to the Internet in the 1990s.

Denson evidently became convinced the scam was real. In 2006, he claimed he sent $60,000 of his own money overseas with the promise that more than $9 million had his name on it. When Denson learned that he needed to send more money, he began asking individuals to "invest," but was untruthful about what the investment was. The U.S. Secret Service first began investigating Denson in 2006. The man later confessed he misappropriated nearly $80,000 from several residents of Cumberland County, where Denson used to live and own a window-washing business.

In order to attract investors, Denson fabricated stories about how he had made millions designing window-washing equipment or how he stood to inherit millions from his long-lost father. He later pleaded guilty to seven counts of mail and wire fraud and was sentenced in Portland in June 2007 to 18 months in federal prison. He served about 14 months, but court testimony revealed he began engaging in the same scam almost immediately after his release. In most instances, Denson was able to document his alleged wealth. In one case, he played a phone message to a potential investor from an overseas bank that confirmed his wealth, witness testimony revealed. In another, Denson told Secret Service agents that he traveled overseas and physically saw the money.

Three reputed victims testified Tuesday morning that Denson persuaded them to give him money with the promise that he would pay them back more than what they gave. One victim, Gary Plante of Oakland, was supposed to get a private loan from Denson of $185,000 so he could buy a home. Plante deposited $5,000 into an escrow account at Denson's request to help facilitate the loan. Nearly a year has passed and Plante has not gotten the loan or his $5,000 back.

Another victim, Camillia Arelia, whose hometown was not available, knew Denson socially and at one point offered to give him money on the stipulation that he pay it back. Denson assured her that he had millions overseas that he could access. Like Plante, she was never repaid. "Evidence showed this defendant defrauded and cheated [victims]. He made promises he knew he could not and would not keep," McCarthy said in his closing argument. Villa said her client still believes there is money in an overseas account for him, and she told jurors that the prosecution never proved that Denson didn't have the money. Also here & here.

Picture Of The Day & Window Cleaning News

They do windows: David Nickelson of Modern Window Cleaning of Grand Rapids rappels the towering window structure of the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center as a crew washes the building's windows Tuesday morning. "You have to work very fast in the hot sun," says operations manager Bill Beck, "before the water evaporates." It will take 4 days to wash the entire Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center, says Beck. Modern Window Cleaning has been in business since 1926.



Two Window Washers Rescued After Platform Malfunction High Above 53rd Street: Two window washers nearly fell 40 stories to their deaths after a platform malfunction on Wednesday. Two window washers were left dangling high over 53rd Street Wednesday morning after the platform they were working on malfunction and almost pitched them to the street below, the FDNY said. The two unidentified men were washing windows 42 stories up near the roof of 1301 Sixth Ave. around 10:30 a.m. when the incident occurred. One of the motors that lifts the platform up cables along side the building malfunctioned, causing the platform to tilt at a dangerous angle, fire officials said.
“We saw stuff falling. We saw the cart go sideways and then we got the hell out of there,” said Stacy White, 33, who was on her way to a conference at the Hilton Hotel across the street from the incident. While responders worked to rescue the men, bystanders continued to sip coffee at Lou's Cafe, oblivious to the drama taking place overhead. They were eventually moved away by police. Luckily the workers were strapped to the platform. One worker was able to grab a railing and pull himself to safety. Emergency responders were able to lift the other window washer off the platform, a fire official said. The fire department and NYPD responded to the scene and closed off 53rd Street as a safety precaution. No injuries have been reported. Over 50 onlookers watched from the street as the fire department attempted to secure the platform after the incident.

Student entrepreneurs gain support, experience and grants: Four local students will get to experience self-employment first hand this summer thanks to the 2010 Summer Company Program. Once again, the Orangeville & Area Small Business Enterprise Centre has teamed up with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to deliver this exciting initiative, which provides an opportunity for local youth to develop and run their own summer businesses while developing business related skills early in life. Steve’s Outdoor Maintenance - Orangeville based Steve Craggs is a high school student who is brimming with entrepreneurial skills and ideas. As the owner of Steve’s Outdoor Maintenance, his goal is to provide a variety of outside maintenance services to local homeowners. With the motto that no job is too small, Steve will provide power washing, window cleaning, minor yard work and clean-up, as well as general labour for a variety of household and property odd jobs that need doing. Hard working, honest and enthusiastic, Steve says Steve’s Outdoor Maintenance exists to do all those jobs that homeowners just don’t have time to complete.


Would you clean the windows in here? WACO - A unit at the Window Box Condominiums on Lakeshore Drive in Waco was cleaned up after accumulating thirty years worth of trash. Originally neighbors were upset at the disgusting mess in the unit and wanted to see something done about it. Wednesday, they got what they wanted. A cleaning crew hired by the condo complex board showed up at 7 a.m. Wednesday and started removing the rubbish. "No more bugs, rodents, I'm happy something got done," Charles Fritze, who lives in the condo below, said.
Fritze had been living below the trash heap for three years, but he didn't know that until the condo owner offered to sell him the place 3 months ago. By 4 p.m. the crew had stuffed around 100 trash bags, 2 tons worth, and they expected two more loads with half of the 1,100 sq foot condo still to clean. "I thought who could live like this," Travis Bryant, cleaning crew member, said. News Channel 25 was told a possible buyer for the condo has offered the former owner, who has since moved out, $40,000 for it and expects to spend another $20,000 gutting it.

The year-long countdown starts today (30th June 2010) to the closure of the UK Domestic Cheque Guarantee Card Scheme.This means that after 30th June 2011, it will no longer be possible to guarantee a cheque using a plastic card. To help businesses and consumers, the Scheme has today published two fact sheets available here.
Alternatives to guaranteed cheques: Debit cards - 92% of cards carrying the guarantee are also debit cards. About a million businesses accept card payments and know that they should get their funds much quicker than if they accept a cheque.
Cheques - the withdrawal of the Guarantee does not mean you can't pay by cheque or that a business can't accept one. Since 2007 cheque funds have been guaranteed* after a cut-off point which means that a cheque won't bounce - providing the recipient isn't a knowing party to a fraud - and it's safe to hand over goods and services.
Electronic transfer - paying someone online or over the phone. Since the launch of Faster Payments in 2008 it has been possible to pay someone almost instantaneously, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Unlike a cheque, businesses don't have to wait several days to get their money: you can pay anybody from your window cleaner to someone with a stall at a craft fair in this way.
Cash - cash will always have a place, about a third of all retail spending is still in cash.

NHS-funded fertility tests are being denied to a woman who wants children, because her health trust is one of just three in the country not to pay for the treatment. Tracey Parnell cannot have the test on the NHS because she lives in Kidsgrove and NHS North Staffordshire will not pay for fertility tests and treatments. The married 35-year-old needs an ultrasound scan which costs between £200 and £300 for private treatment. But her trust will not pay for the scan, so her GP at Kidsgrove Medical Centre has organised for a blood test to look at hormone levels.
Tracey would receive the tests on the NHS if she lived in Stoke-on-Trent, or South Cheshire. Now health campaigners and politicians have again asked NHS North Staffordshire to change its fertility policy. Tracey, who has been trying for a child for more than eight years, said: "I am not asking for IVF treatment – I only want to find out why I can't conceive so I can try something else.
And she has spent more than four years trying to conceive with husband Martin, who she married in September 2008. The support worker, who works with autistic young adults, said: "I phoned the health trust about the fertility tests and it said there was no funding. "I cannot understand why people get help for alcohol and drugs and things that are self-inflicted. "I work full-time and put into the system, so why should I not get it back when I need it?" Self-employed window cleaner Martin, aged 37, said: "If I was fat and wanted a gastric band fitted they would fund it, but all we want to know is if Tracey can have a child."

That Window Cleaners Book: International Film Festival about a girl’s search for the right man to take her virginity, Sean Wickens, 34, now of Sunnyside, ended up making himself an unusual dare. “At an after-party for the screening I asked a few strangers how they lost [their virginity] and was amazed how candid everyone was,” Wickens said in an e-mail. Afterward, he set himself up for what he called an “unattainable” goal: to interview more than 1,000 people about their first time. Three years of interviewing and three years of editing later, he had a book, “How to Lose Your Virginity (... And How Not To),” which is now on sale.
The stories in the book run the gamut from sweet to strange. The excerpts on Wickens’ website include a man from Florida who lost it watching “As Good As it Gets” in a movie theater, another who lost it to a porn star he met on his paper route in Japan and another man who lost it in a squat in London, only to meet up with a former classmate the next morning who had also lost her virginity that night in the house. To get those and many other interviews, Wickens traveled to 34 cities across the United States plus Montreal. He said the interview process took so long because Wickens — who moved from Cleveland to New York in 2004 and now currently works as a window-washer in Manhattan and a stand-up comedian — had to raise the money himself.
“I had thought about asking friends and family for donations or applying for grants but determined energy spent on fund-raising would be best channeled into the project itself,” Wickens said. “I also worked at a place that would let you work extra hours in exchange for vacation time, so I did a lot of that.” Wickens said he picked many of the cities — Montreal; Nashville; Roswell, N.M.; Austin; and New Orleans — because he had wanted to see them in the past or, had family in areas like Wichita, Kan. and Tulsa, Okla. Other times he went to a place because it coincided with a major event, like visiting Boston for the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
“It was a lot of fun driving around and interviewing people,” Wickens said. “And collecting stories for the book gave me a drive and a purpose on these trips that in a way made them more enjoyable than if I were aimlessly driving around America.” Wickens said his favorite story was about a girl from Tennessee who lost her virginity working on a salmon boat. “She ends up having her first experience with the boat’s cook, but she told her story with such nostalgia and epic detail I was speechless when she was done telling it,” he said. There are some funny ones he liked as well. “A guy stole his brother’s car for a date and while the two were fumbling around in the passenger seat his foot snagged an A/C hose, covering him in freezing water,” Wickens said. Wickens laid out the book himself and a photographer, Emily Bryan, took some pictures for it. “[Bryan] told me she keeps it on her coffee table and finds that friends she brings over, without fail, gravitate toward the book and start flipping through and reading random stories,” Wickens said. Previous story here.

NEWPORT, Ky. Three local fire departments joined forces Wednesday to refine the skills they need to keep your family safe. Crews from Covington, Newport and Cincinnati fire departments worked cooperatively for aerial rescue practice over the Ohio River. The crews practiced high angle rescue skills while rappelling up and down the Purple People Bridge. They said it helped them get familiar with each other in case they need to work together. "This is a resource sharing concept. Where today we are just doing an introduction to each department as well of the individual capabilities of each of the departments," explained Cincinnati Fire Dept. Capt. Michael Washington. "We assemble a crew that rappels down and picks you off of whatever structure you're on. And that's the safest way to do it," said Covington Fire Batt. Chief Alan Terry. The crews need the practice in case a skyscraper window washer needs rescued, or someone gets trapped in a high place that a ladder cannot reach. "We try to do something on a monthly basis to do some type of rope rescue or high angle rescue review, but large drills like this… once a year twice a year," said Terry.

Falling glass scare: Pedestrians on Pinstone Street had a lucky escape when a glass pane fell four storeys from an office window frame in Palatine Chambers and smashed on to the pavement.
The council, which rents the accommodation, immediately checked all windows in the building, opposite the Peace Gardens, after the incident mid-morning on Tuesday. A passer-by said: "It was amazing nobody was hurt – there were a lot of people around."

Saint Augustine wrote: "Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature." A phenomena within health care, often applied when no rational scientific explanation can be given, preexists medicine itself. Be it via the Internet, urban legends or contemporary television and cinema, we have all marveled at the thought of the teen who lived 118 days without a heart, or the paraplegic man who was once again able to walk after being bitten by a brown recluse spider, or the window washer who fell 47 stories and awoke from his coma on Christmas Day. Sometimes, medical degree or no, the only way to explain the reasoning behind such patient outcomes is to use that often overburdened word -- miracle.

TV Preview UK: The IT Crowd – Fridays, Channel 4, 10pm - CHANNEL 4’s BAFTA award-winning sitcom, the IT Crowd returns to our screens for a fifth series. It follows the inner workings of an office IT department and the computer geeks that work there. Written by Father Ted’s Graham Linehan, it focuses on the personal and professional problems of Moss, Roy and Jen, who are based in the bowels of the Reynhold Industries building. Moss and Roy are both social misfit while Jen, their boss told a few lies on her CV and has no idea about IT. In this week’s episode, Moss becomes a celebrity by beating all records on a game show. Meanwhile, Roy is mistaken for a window cleaner, and Jen is preoccupied with the head of the company, Douglas’ secret meetings with women in dressing gowns.

Winda's & How To Clean 'em

Alan Pencavel's new book was all inspired by backing into a swimming pool on a New Zealands cold winter morning in June. Being a one man band, this started Alan on thinking about how to compile all his experiences into a book. It's a humorous account of all the up's & down's & window cleaners exploits he has encountered. Alan from Cambridge, on the North Island of New Zealand wrote this book which also includes a beginner's guide to how to clean glass panes. An expatriate Englishman, Alan has been window cleaning for some 16 years & business is booming to a point he has to turn down work!

The unfortunate on-the-job incident that spawned the idea for "Winda's & how to clean them" was when Alan actually fell into a customer's swimming pool – not intentionally, and it was mid-June, so it was freezing." "I'd finished the job, and I was doing a final `lap of honour' to check for smears. I was looking up at the high windows and forgot there was a little kidney-shaped pool. He fell in, "and the blue cover over the pool didn't support my weight and that of my bucket". "I was absolutely freezing. I said to my customer: `If I do too many more things like this, I'll have to write a book about it'."



The book - his first published writing - contains small sketches of the happenings on the job & small poetry offerings. The film "Confessions of a Window Cleaner" inspired some of his work with mishaps & notes of his tales. Although the 1974 has sexual annotations, Alan admits he's happily married & never followed the exploits shown in the film. "Once or twice I have inadvertently caught people naked, and that certainly gets a mention in the book." "In all honesty, I have to pretend I haven't seen them, and just move on to the next window." "I only look at the glass, not through it".

Initially, Alan ran his own local campaign, which started the publicity to advertise the book, which is full of anecdotes of (and admissions to) things that have occurred over the last sixteen years of him being a full time 'TEF' (Transparency Enhancement Facilitator'). His book covers such topics as awkward clients & a general guide to window cleaning. The characters in the book are real people however their names have been changed, although he reckons that local people would be able to guess who was who. You can contact Alan to get a copy of the book "Windas ... and how to clean 'em" by sending an email to: pencavel@xnet.co.nz.