>> hi there, everyone, i'm j.j. ramberg and welcome to "your business" where we give you tips and advice to help your business grow. standing out from the rest of the pack isn't easy. but for nicolas brand, the founder of the window washing company men in kilts, the uniform does most of that work for him. we went to seattle where his tartan army is out in full force to see how this company is using a little humor, and a lot of professionalism to get customers. ♪ a window washer at work on a sunny afternoon. it's not an unusual sight. but in a kilt? >> we have a lot of fun with it. corporate policy, you've got to wear something underneath. >> for nicolas brand it all started with a simple idea that took root in 2002. >> i decided on starting a window cleaning business. we were trying to come up with an idea. a name. and met with a couple friends having a couple drinks got

drunk, and one of my buddies blurted out, we should wear kilts and be scottish. at first we all had a laugh and then thought that's not a bad idea. people won't forget us. >> and that was how the window washing company, men in kilts, was born. wearing a kilt that his wife made him nicolas went door-to-door offering his window washing services. right away, his outfit was an attention grabber. >> even if it was just me in a homemade kilt driving around in an old accord i was having people all the time say you've got a great idea. you're on to something here, and just slowly started to build momentum. >> now you can see kilt-clad window washers and tartan vehicles at work in all the major cities in canada, and seattle. one of nicolas' business partners was vice president of operations when 1-800-got junk and during her time there she saw the company go from 40 franchises to 350. she sees the same growth potential for many kilts. >> in canada, it was the first market i looked at, there's no

national brand at all. and in the states there's some national brands but they're not offering the mix of services that we're offering. >> wherever they go heads turn. and some of the onlookers become future customers. like debbie mcdonald. owner of a branch of the seattle coffee shop forza. >> they were in the neighborhood and i saw their truck, and they actually came over to our business, we had just been open for about a week, and were letting us know about their services, and i gave them a try, and they were amazingly professional, and really flexible with my schedule. just been great. >> you see a tartan truck drive down the street and you do a double-take. you know, you see a guy walking down the street in a kilt, they will come up to you and start talking. so it does give us the ability to say, you know, this is what we do if you ever need a quote. if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to give us a call. >> that's one of the secrets to their success. focusing on the men wearing the kilts, instead of the kilts themselves. their employees are their biggest brand representatives. >> i can train window cleaning. it is an art. and there's a skill to it.

but i can teach it. so we look for people who are going to represent our brand in a very positive way. and love what we do and really get what we do. and then we teach them the skills that they need to execute the service. >> it takes a certain kind of person to be good at this. >> they love a bit of being the center of attention, all right? so the kind of guys that work for us really love chatting people up anyways. >> even though the company is quick to play up the humor of their brand, underneath the kilt it's all about providing their customers with the best experience possible. >> the kilts are just a way to be remembered, to stick out from the crowd. but the real business model is providing world-class service. >> so after the initial hook, it's all business. >> even our website and our marketing materials, we really want to convey that we're a serious operation and a serious business to the way that we book calls, and you know, schedule jobs for people, and follow up, and you know, send e-mail reminders and then go and actually deliver the job and do a professional -- provide a professional service from the

beginning until even follow up. >> eleanor trainer is one of their customers. she uses their services for both her business, which gets properties ready to sell, and her own home. >> i heard about men in kilts, i saw their truck on the street. and was drawn to the no peeking, and the kilts. i started using the kilts in sort of an emergency situation. we had another vendor who was supposed to do the same work and they didn't show up. so we called men in kilts and they came in and pinch-hit and did a great job. blew us away. so we started using them exclusively. >> but for as many people as the name attracted, it also confused others. >> we find that people are saying, i see those guys in kilts all over the place. i see those trucks that are tartan all over the place. when we ask people what do those guys in kilts do? they say, that's a good question. i'm not sure. so our challenge has been making sure that we remind people that the services we offer, we have to basically get ahead of the kilts. >> today the company has seven franchises up and running and five in the pipeline. their goal, many, many, many

more men in kilts washing windows. >> i think the future holds hopefully a tartan army across north america from one corner to the other. and my goal is that everybody some day when they think window cleaning will think, men in kilts. ♪ real men wear kilts >> as they say in the musical gypsy, sometimes you gotta have a gimmick. in the case of men in kilts it's certainly working. but can it work for every small business? let's ask two stand out experts. phil town is an investment adviser and best-selling author. you can find him online at ruleoneinvesting.com. and les mckeown is the president and ceo of predictable access, an incubation consulting company and he's author of the book "the synergist." great to see both of you guys. >> it's great to be here. >> all right as the resident who is closest to scotland on the panel today, what do you think? i mean, it's a fantastic gimmick, right? >> sure. what's not to like about it?

i think they've done it incredibly well. i love the fact that when you go to the website, look at their materials, it's there but they've done everything else so professionally, that it doesn't quite cut across the message itself. it's a gimmick that works at the moment. the difficulty that i think they'll have is as they continue to franchise, to what extent can they control the use of the gimmick so it doesn't become just gimmicky? and it reminds me a lot of tom and david garden, they played up the fool side of things and everything well, they appeared in the full hats and so forth and then it comes a point where they've got to be taken seriously as a really big player on the field and they've learned very well to balance that. so it's keeping the balance as they grow. maybe men with kilts as opposed to men with kilts. they've got to find a way that the gimmick doesn't overshadow their ability to scale. >> that's interesting. when you have a company, and everyone's thinking what's the next marketing thing i can do, you got to have a certain

personality to employ a kwimic also, right? >> but i think these guys are deeper than the gimmick. i think that they're focused on what is really important and that's delivering really good service. at the end of the day that's what's selling their product. the gimmick gets somebody to pay attention. but of course, you know, they've got the problem that they have to overcome and nobody knows what they're doing. men in kilts. what is that, right? are you guys moving furniture? you know. but, by the way, that is also a strength. they can expand this service brand across an awful lot of stuff with a name like men in kilts. so i think they're keeping focus on the number one thing, which is get good people in there, train them well, and have them do a killer job. and then, you know, the gimmick thing, that's just icing on the cake. >> and that's to your point of how do they expand, right? because so much of what they talked about was getting good people in there. and as you've franchised this, how can you make sure that your franchisees get good people in there? >> they've done a great job by reaching out and getting somebody who's already seen it and done it, bringing someone in from 1-800-got-junk.

that was the right move. that was very clever. go get somebody who's got that expertise. being through it. because i know the story as we all do and they had the same issue that was really cutesy at the start and then it had to become a very successful brand and they did a great job of that. >> we talk about this in all marketing. can you do whatever you want in marketing, right, but if at the end you don't deliver a good product, then you've just wasted your money. >> in this particular case you have to have good legs. >> i love the part -- i love on the tag line, no peeking. which i just think is so brilliant. >> i want to see less of the skirt. >> you can't call it a skirt you'll be banned forever. i was going to wear my kilt today but i thought that was enough for everybody. >> all right. well thanks so much, you guys. if you live in a big city, you've likely come across the food truck phenomenon. and now, it's spreading to fashion. it's yet another example of companies utilizing social media and getting mobile so they can easily reach their customers.

here's nbc's kristen dahlgren in los angeles. >> forget the food. it's all about the fashion. >> a little store. that's all it is. >> the latest trend going from runway to roadway. >> in the past few years the u.s. has seen more and more mobile boutiques roll onto city streets. from the newly opened top shelf in san francisco, to the accessory heavy east coast style liner. fashion trucks are leaving their mark. >> this is a great way for retailers and even designers to not only get their brand out but also go to the customer. >> how much are your glasses? >> and do it in a cost-efficient way. >> inspired by the food truck

revolution in los angeles, janine and stacy started their own boutique on wheels early last year. >> we really do truly believe that fashion is everywhere. it's not just in the big cities. it's not just in the hip neighborhoods of los angeles. it's everywhere. >> the l.a. based business moves to a new area almost daily. using social media to help shoppers find them. >> if we were going to rent out a space, it was -- we wouldn't be able to do as many things as we could. this was affordable for us. >> yeah. >> stocked with clothes from local designers to accessories made by romo herself, no item is more than $42. there's even a small dressing room to ensure a proper fit. >> that is so you right there. >> when you have a store that's just on a corner of a street you're waiting for that customer to come in to your store. when you have a mobile truck, you're actually going to that customer. that's what really works. >> a new definition for fashion

forward. >> i'm not a very traditional person so i love it. >> it's actually a really cool idea. i like it. >> coming soon to a street near you. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. >> with more than 900 million people on facebook, it is a great marketing tool for most businesses. but there are a few things you shouldn't do. here are five of the most common facebook marketing mistakes courtesy of matchable.com. one, not filling out your brand page. your page should be a good source of information for users. so include things like office hours, address and photos. two, using an illegal cover photo. facebook says you cannot use it to include price information, a call to action, or contact information. the cover photo's prime real estate on your page so make sure you follow facebook guidelines. number three, overposting. which can have an adverse effect on engagement. so, be smart about what you post, and how many times you do it. four, too much text.

keep it short and sweet. post between 100 and 250 characters, roughly one or two lines, get 60% more likes than longer ones. and number five, not making the most of facebook's ad options. well-branded facebook ads and promoted posts are two underutilized tools on facebook that can help you connect to a wider audience. if you put your company on facebook you have taken the first step. now, how do you make it work for you? one of the things you need to think about is getting people to like you so that you can continue to communicate with them. here with tips on how to get more likes is gail goodman. she's the ceo of constant contact a leading provider of online marketing tools. and she is also author of the book "engagement marketing: how small business wins in a socially keted world." good to see you gail. >> great to be with you. >> congratulations on the book. you've had so much success in your company. everyone should read your story. i love it. but we're focusing on facebook likes. which is kind of the holy grail

these days, right? >> absolutely. >> i mean we use to all clamor for e-mail addresses, which is very important. now we need likes as well. >> absolutely. >> and they're hard to get. okay, so the first thing you say, just ask? i mean it's that easy? >> it sounds funny but if you don't ask, no one's going to walk into your business and say, boy, i'd love -- i'd like to like you. so don't be afraid to ask. if you have a physical presence, you know, put up a sign. like us on facebook. to get something. what's in it for them? ask your e-mail list. ask your blog readers. whatever presence you have, ask them to join you on facebook. >> when you say to get something, what kind of thing can you give them? >> well if you're a retail business it could be a discount. like us to get a $5 off coupon. >> got it. >> if you're b2p, like us to get a case study. >> use pictures? >> you can use pictures of your customers. if you have a business where customers are involved with your product, once you put someone's

picture up, they'll like it. they'll share it with their friends, it works. but even if you don't have customer pictures, putting up pictures, maybe even two pictures and asking people to vote or like which one they like best, one of my favorites, is supply the caption. things that pull people in and get them engaging. >> what does this mean like gate a piece of content? >> let's use an example you're a consultant or a professional service provider and you've got a piece of advice. maybe that's in a white paper, maybe that's in an info graphic, those are really big these days. you can put in front of that, something that says like us to get this. lots of tools available to do that. constant contact, social campaigns. but lots of ways to do that. what it does is make sure you get a chance to make a connection. while you're giving away whatever content you're giving away. >> got it. it's a great idea. ask people to share. >> again, just asking. just asking. but the share is so powerful, because it gets you that

visibility. so, obviously, if you're a nonprofit or a cause it's really easy to ask to share. but really, any business that has made a really personal connection with their customers can put up a piece of content and say, if you like it, please share. >> mm-hmm. it's so funny that we just forget to ask. >> it's that simple. >> and people, especially if they like it, they're going to do it for you. >> absolutely. >> and then finally, use cross-panel profession. >> yes. so people tend to think about things in isolation. i've got twitter or i've got facebook or linked in or e-mail. they all work together. so if you're doing something really fun on facebook, tell your twitter followers. let your e-mail list know. let your blog folks know. pull everything together, pick one point of engagement. facebook really is probably the most engaging platform out there. use all your channels to drive engagement there. >> okay. and just one thing that i heard the other day is, post after hours. i read this somewhere that you get a lot more response if you

post after hours. i thought that was interesting. >> particularly if you're a consumer business. folks are checking facebook in the evening more often than during the day. >> that's true. i thought that was good, too. gail, thank you so much. again, congratulations on the book. and this is such an important topic, especially going forward as more and more people use facebook to communicate. really appreciate it. >> thank you. when we come back, phil and les answer your business questions, including one about getting your clients to pay on time. and hopefully they'll have some fatherly advice for today's elevator pitcher and his line of i'm the daddy products. including delivery room scrubs for the expecting papa. you know, those farmers, those foragers, those fishermen.... for me, it's really about building this extraordinary community.

american express is passionate about the same thing. they're one of those partners that i would really rely on whether it's finding new customers, or, a new location for my next restaurant. when we all come together, my restaurants, my partners, and the community amazing things happen. to me, that's the membership effect. we have a father's day present for you today. our elevator pitcher has some products that will make any guy glad he's a dad. >> hi, i'm robert. you can call me daddy nickell today. i'm expecting my third baby. you like the scrubs? >> i do. >> they're called daddy scrubs. it's medical scrubs for the daddy. lets the hospital staff know i'm the daddy, not the doctor. it's a company i started in 2009. i wanted something to wear to the hospital other than my street clothes so i got some really cool medical scrubs, i

put daddy on the front, i put i'm the daddy on the back. the next thing you know i'm selling them all over the country along with hats and t-shirts and mugs and books and back packs and hoodies. i spent a lot of money investing in daddy scrubs in major pregnancy magazines and national trade shows. this year we're expecting to do $750,000 in sales. 10% market share would make it a $30 million company. i'm looking for high level investors to help take us to the next step which i believe is the daddy whole sale division. i've got to go. wish me luck. >> don't leave. >> you were -- >> keep him here. >> you were like the most personable person we've had giving an elevator pitch. you didn't seem nervous at all. great job. >> thank you very much. >> that was -- great job. okay. >> good. >> we know the personality was fantastic. did he get all the right information in there or did it matter because his personality was great? >> i'm hearing five to 5-1 marg

hearing he already has some sales rolling and reasonable amount of sales in year one. you're hitting on good points and i like the thing, you're coming in with this and i think it should say, who's your daddy, i'm your daddy. that would work. i like the general idea and it sounds like it's starting to hit. >> what about you, les? >> i love it. anybody with a real kid, though, you have to be very aware of what the potential flaws are. sometimes those are hard to hear. i love the fact that you knew what the market is, it's $4 million. i would love to hear what happened at 2% of the market, 3% of the market. i think maybe you're seeing your baby more than she currently is, but that's a lot of market share to get to. i want to hear at what happens at 2% to 3% of the market. if i can work there. >> key to saying, where is the break even point. we want to know where it starts being the consumer money.

>> i think what everyone can learn from this is your ease in giving that pitch, that was really fantastic and fun to watch. good luck with everything. thank you for coming on the program, thank you for your advice. if any of you out there have a product and service and you want feedback from our elevator pitch panel, just send us an e-mail. the address is yourbusiness@msnbc.com. in that e-mail include a short summary of what your company does, how much money you're trying to raise and what you intend to do with that money. you never know, someone out there watching the show might be interested in helping you. time now to answer some of your business questions. phil and les are with us, once again. getting other small business owners to pay you on time. >> what incentives can i employ as a business owner to encourage people to pay faster? >> les, during the recession, we got this question all the time. every week and then we didn't

and now we are, again. what advice do you have for them? >> no magic bullet to this. you have to preeducate your customers and set clear terms and you have to try to get as much as you can up front. you have to get credit card on record. but most of all, you need to call and ask what do i need to coo do to get paid quicker. i need a statement or w9 and get you through whoever the process of paying and i'm getting paid in 60 days, is there anything i can do? can i send you something over? how can i get that a little qui quicker? ask. >> if this is a constant problem, is there something, maybe give discount if somebody prepays? >> if it's a constant problem. i'm assuming we have the same customer over and over again. then you have to worry about your business structure. are you so ounimportant that they don't care if they pay you, again. is that the kind of niche you want to drive uphill the rest of

your life. check your business model and be an important business. second, yeah, you can do discounts. that's almost like self-factoring, right, you're taking money out of your own pocket and i prefer going down and getting vinnie and, you know, i mean, so there's got to be like a hell's angels gang should be waiting some place. you will get letters on this. >> some things there are prep prepercussions. >> a way to set up a real relationship. write things down. companies out there will say, we will be the build third party and build these guys on a check procedure. they can say there is a problem and they can push that button and they'll say, i'll pay you now and push that button. five days later, we take the money out of their account. >> i like the idea of calling

them also. one big way to deal with it and the other small business to small business, call them and see what's going on. okay, the next question is about branding. >> if your name and your company name is the same, do you brand yourself or do you brand the business? >> i love this question. is it the same thing? >> ask donald trump. what do you think you should do? honestly, if they're the same thing, the same name, then i think you should be branding. look at guys like virgin airways and virgin records and it's co-brandon into the company. if you have the same name, do it twice as much. >> i agree with everything that phil said. the only distinction i would make, if it's a personal service you deliver and you want to scale a business beyond you, don't use your own name. so, trump's got hotels and branson has airlines.

it's not him. but if you're a physiotherapy and you want to build a phys physiotherapist, that's the only exception. >> we did a story on this about a guy who gave parties for little kids. his big problem was suddenly demand was so big he needed to hire people and everyone wanted "dan the man." >> it's doable. if you've already done it and you're in that boat. mckenzie was mckenzie at one point. you can build beyond yourself. >> let's move on to the next one. another e-mail. robby writes, i launched an online lifestyle apparel company earlier this year. besides facebook, what are some effective forms of inexpensive advertising? >> besides facebook, it's twitter.

it's not brain surgery here. >> i hate twitter. >> that's just because you're an old guy. the folks these people are selling to, that's where they are. you want to see an example? look at hired denim making jeans in wales and they have raving fans. not a penny in advertising. for the market they're in, i would look very strongly at twitter and facebook, if they have it covered. they may have to deploy traditional pr, but i would look very hard. >> i would go past twitter. i don't love twitter. some companies use it well. i think youtube is the way to go. you go out there and you start creating your own video channel and this is going to be cutting edge and if you're young chic, then your you've got something people will watch, that's almost the definition. you start to create this channel

and start to do cool things and make take a camera with you. >> you can tweet. >> you could. >> here's the thing, the gen-y group. >> even younger. >> even younger. >> that group i know is on twitter like -- twitter, oh, they're on youtube, five, six hours a day. >> i just heard of this company, i think it's called splendora and they're saying clothes and accessories all video and their whole idea is people of a younger age, they want to see video. they want to see it and twirl around. i think you're on to something with the video. this was fantastic advice. any of you have a question out there for our experts, go to our website. openforum.com/yourbusiness. once you get there, hit the ask the show link. again, the website is

openforum.com/yourbusiness. you can e-mail your questions and comments. yourbusiness@msnbc.com. looking to make your business' facebook page more interactive for visitors. if so, check out our website of the week. help create and launch a variety of promotions including group coupons and sweepstakes helps you manage all your social media from one singal dashboard. what works and what doesn't using the analytics provided. to learn more about today's show, click on our website, openforum.com/yourbusiness. you'll find all of today's segments plus web exclusive content to help your business grow. you can follow us on twitter. and don't forget to become a fan of the show on facebook. we love getting your feedback. next week the small business makeover team goes to boston to help a construction team that

needs some rebuilding. >> my spirit is tapped out, i don't have anything left. >> plus, i pile on and give him some crap. that doesn't help. >> our team of experts cuts out the dead wood and helps them reconstruct their business. until then, i'm j.j. ramberg. remember, we make your business our business. and main street found its might again. and main street found its fight again. and we, the locals, found delight again. that's the power of all of us. that's the power of all of us. that's the membership effect of american express.

good morning from new york, i'm chris hayes. voters in greece are headed to the polls today for a crucial election that could determine that country's future in the euro zone. syrian opposition groups are urging the united nations to send armed peacekeepers to that country after they suspended their work there due to intensifying violence. congressman steve kohn, democrat from tennessee, former president of the conservative independent women's forum, "rolling stone" contributing michael hastings and esther armor host of "wake up call." >> in dueling speeches on thursday afternoon, mitt romney