Local, Trusted and Established – Three Words That Have to Mean Something

Local, Trusted and Established.

I specifically chose those three words to sit alongside DMS Driveway and Patio Cleaning.

Not because they sound good on a logo. Not because somebody in marketing told me they were the right words to use.

They actually mean something to me.

There are plenty of businesses that describe themselves as local. Plenty that call themselves trusted. And “established” can mean almost anything if nobody says what sits behind it.

So this is what those words mean when I use them for DMS Driveway and Patio Cleaning.

Local is more than covering an area

DMS Driveway and Patio Cleaning is based in Bloxwich and most of my work is done around Walsall and the surrounding areas.

That matters.

I know the estates, the roads and the types of properties I’m likely to be working on. I’ve cleaned block-paved driveways in Bloxwich, patios in Pelsall, drives in Brownhills, Aldridge, Cannock, Great Wyrley and plenty of places in between.

A lot of the time, I’m working only a few miles from home.

But being local isn't really about drawing a circle on a map.

For me, it means being accountable.

If somebody calls, they’re speaking to me. If I arrange a quote, I come out. If the work is booked, I’m the one who turns up and does it.

There isn’t a salesman at one end, an office in another town and a subcontractor arriving on the day.

My name and my reputation are attached to every job.

When you work locally, that matters because people talk.

A good job can lead to another one a few doors away. So can a bad one.

That keeps you honest.

Trusted isn't something you can just call yourself

This is the word I’m most careful with.

Anybody can write trusted on a van, website or Facebook page.

It doesn't make it true.

Trust comes from lots of small things done properly over time.

Turning up when you say you will.

Giving somebody a straight answer rather than telling them what they want to hear.

Looking after their property.

Explaining what can be cleaned successfully and what may not come out completely.

Not suddenly finding “extras” once the job has started.

Leaving the place tidy when you’ve finished.

Those things probably aren't very exciting from a marketing point of view.

They are important to customers, though.

It's also why I've always preferred being open about prices.

My website gives people a starting point before they contact me. A one-car driveway starts from £110, a two-car drive from £160, a three-car drive from £220, and patio cleaning starts from £80.

Obviously every job is different, but at least somebody has an idea of what they're dealing with.

I'd much rather do that than advertise a big discount against a price nobody ever knew in the first place.

No gimmicks.

Just give people the information and let them decide.

That, to me, is part of trust as well.

Established doesn't mean standing still

DMS Driveway and Patio Cleaning was established in 2004.

More than 20 years sounds a long time when I write it down.

And one thing I've learned is that experience isn't just knowing how to pressure wash something.

A powerful machine is the easy bit.

Knowing what pressure to use, when to back it off, when a chemical treatment is more appropriate and when a surface needs a completely different approach takes longer.

Block paving, sandstone, concrete, porcelain and older patio slabs don't all behave the same way.

Neither do stains.

Oil isn't algae. Rust isn't dirt. Black spots aren't going to disappear just because you keep pointing more pressure at them.

Sometimes experience is knowing what to do.

Sometimes it's knowing when to stop.

I've changed equipment, methods and products many times over the years because better ways of doing things come along.

That's why I don't think being established should mean being stuck in your ways.

The experience stays.

The methods improve.

A reputation takes longer to build than a website

You can set up a business page in an afternoon.

You can build a smart-looking website.

You can buy professional equipment.

What you can't buy instantly is history.

DMS Driveway and Patio Cleaning has years of local jobs behind it, customer recommendations, repeat customers, reviews, photographs and people who have seen the work first-hand.

I'm proud of the awards the business has received as well.

But the part that means most is probably simpler than that.

People recommend me to other people.

For a small local business, there isn't much stronger than that.

That's what the slogan means to me

Local, Trusted and Established isn't meant to make the business sound bigger than it is.

Quite the opposite.

DMS Driveway and Patio Cleaning is a small, independent business. I deal with the enquiries, give the quotes and carry out the work myself.

I've been doing it since 2004, mostly around the same towns and communities I still work in today.

The equipment is better now.

The business is more focused.

I've learned plenty along the way.

But the basic idea hasn't really changed.

Do a good job.

Charge people fairly.

Be straight with them.

And make sure you're happy to put your own name to the work when you leave.

That's what Local, Trusted and Established means at DMS Driveway and Patio Cleaning.