20 years in, 3 Butlers, 8 portables, 28" automatic & spinner cant get 40 hours

[MightyMass]

Ive been at this since 89 and I cant give one tech much less 10 like I want 40 hours a week for nothing!? I'm in the rut of ...I can pay my bills ( barely sometimes ) with 10-15 big jobs a month!

I can make some OK money but I have not been able to provide a living for these part time as needed men I hire.

What can I do ? I can knock off 30,000 square ft in 8 hours with 3 trucks and 6 guys... all way down to one room in 10 minutes. I have tried what seems like everything from radio, TV, newspaper, groupon, coupon books etc.

The only way I get work is cold call selling. Is this the only way or what? How do I find the big nice ones? How do I keep my guys busy every single week?

Thanks for any help

 

[davegillfishing]

20 years in? how many customers are in your customer base? you should be able to keep your guys busy no problem after 20 years..

web site?

 

[Mikey P]

Welcome!

Tighten your seat belt.

 

[FredC]

sounds like you need to get rid of some equipment...and some guys....I'd start with the guy running the place j/k

 

[XTREME1]

If cold calling works get out there. Don't waste your money on things that do not work and stop knocking out rooms in 10 minutes. Your product must really suck if your database after 20 yrs isn't steering your ship. I would look at quality and technic before I started moving with anything else. Do a full evaluation on your product and your offerings then worry about where to get business. Something is wrong somewhere in your system

 

[FB7777]

If cold calling works get out there. Don't waste your money on things that do not work and stop knocking out rooms in 10 minutes. Your product must really suck if your database after 20 yrs isn't steering your ship. I would look at quality and technic before I started moving with anything else. Do a full evaluation on your product and your offerings then worry about where to get business. Something is wrong somewhere in your system

Well said Greg

This should be a Year 2 problem, not a problem that has surfaced in the 25th year of a company

With all this equipment , was there a period of time when you had a need for it? Your workmanship may have gone downhill, or perhaps you were a lowballer spinning your wheels?

Or did you just like shopping for new toys figuring that if you were ready the customers would show up?

 

[TomKing]

Before we can help can you answer a few questions?

Do you have a electronic customer management system? Like service monster

Do you have web site?

When you are cold call selling do you try to sell monthly or one time cleanings?

Do you run clean trucks with lettering?

Do your guys come in looking clean cut and drug free?

Do you present yourself as a consultant trying to help their business run efficiently?

Do you present yourself in business attire when you sell?

Do you track all of your advertising methods by money spent and money made?

Do you sell on price first or quality first?

Do you have a system to how you orginize your trucks?

Do you have a training plan for how you develop your techs?

If your answer is no to the majority of these questions you need to make changes so the answer is yes.

Most companies that are running full with more work than they need can answer yes to 90% of these questions.

The top companies answer yes to all of these and more. This should be a start for getting things going.

The fact that you can cold call and sell is a plus. Use that skill to build on the rest.

If you can answer yes to these and are still not making it you need to find a friend in the business or consultant who can meet with you. You may have some growth areas personally that are holding you back.

The old adage "Speed of the leader Speed of the team" is still true.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Ive been at this since 89 and I cant give one tech much less 10 like I want 40 hours a week for nothing!? I'm in the rut of ...I can pay my bills ( barely sometimes ) with 10-15 big jobs a month!

I can make some OK money but I have not been able to provide a living for these part time as needed men I hire.

What can I do ? I can knock off 30,000 square ft in 8 hours with 3 trucks and 6 guys... all way down to one room in 10 minutes. I have tried what seems like everything from radio, TV, newspaper, groupon, coupon books etc.

The only way I get work is cold call selling. Is this the only way or what? How do I find the big nice ones? How do I keep my guys busy every single week?

Thanks for any help

Sounds a lot like me actually, you need to diversify definitely.

I love those big jobs also but we make about 30k calls a year on small businesses and have some targeted residential campaigns. My long term goal is 40% large commercial-30% small commercial-30% residential.
Still a work in progress but at least i am aware of the issue and am working towards a goal.

Have to eat your peas, can't just live off of steak.

 

[MightyMass]

Do you have a electronic customer management system? Like Service Monster---------------------No

Do you have web site?------------------------- Yes

When you are cold call selling do you try to sell monthly or one time cleanings?----------------one time

Do you run clean trucks with lettering?-------------------------------Yes , very good looking rigs

Do your guys come in looking clean cut and drug free?----------YES! Uniformed , clean cut and polite, All local no day workers or translate workers

Do you present yourself as a consultant trying to help their business run efficiently? --------------------- No

Do you present yourself in business attire when you sell?-------------Yes suit and tie or sometimes my uniform when selling blue collar establishments. Black khakis , black long sleeve tees and work jacket.

Do you track all of your Advertising methods by money spent and money made? --------------No

Do you sell on price first or quality first?------------------I always pitch high quality and I do provide it. I still have commercial clients from when I went full time again in 2006 after a 3 year "divorce" break where I only left the tavern to work when I absolutely had too. But lately with so much competition I find myself lowering my prices to get the work. (8 years sober last week btw) My tech came back each of the 3 days he worked last week with glowing reveiw sheets for 70% of his jobs. The rest said they would mail in but never do.

Do you have a system to how you organize your trucks?-------------------- No

Do you have a training plan for how you develop your techs?-=------------------No

Im a hard working personable guy who is very sure of running a crew, getting the job done right. Shit canning any clowns on my team but in the office or organizing set systems for anything, truck, equip, sales plans etc. seems to give me much problems. I see red when sitting at a desk trying to figure it all out.

 

[MightyMass]

3000 or so. Nobody answers or returns voice mails for the most part

 

[MightyMass]

I don't have a system is my problem I think. I mean how in the heck do keep track of all this crap? lol Do you know anything about the Service Master or anything else that will guide me every-week? Get some routines that I can measure and do.

Thanks

 

[MightyMass]

Best Answer I suppose is #3. I need a step by step guide or something. I have an office lady/ manager 8-noon weekdays. Any programs you can suggest? We use quick-books and Outlook for our schedule.

 

[MightyMass]

30,000 calls per year!!?? Are you serious? How is this possible,how do you get this done who does the calls may I ask?

 

[KevinL]

Can you give us your website so we can see it? Service Monster is a scheduling program that does so much more. They send out thank you cards and reminders at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12,18,24.

 

[Shane Deubell]

30,000 calls per year!!?? Are you serious? How is this possible,how do you get this done who does the calls may I ask?

100 calls a day x 5 days x 52 weeks = 26k calls
He works 9am-3pm monday-friday, the numbers vary week to week because i have him doing other marketing related tasks.
Should be able to make 20 calls an hour, a pro can do way more then that but we do not push the issue.

If you want to go this angle then you need prospecting software like http://na.sage.com/sage-act/, then you go to http://www.infousa.com/ and build a list based on your specific goals. Download the list into ACT and now you have an organized prospecting system in place. Set up a routine like quarterly, monthly, 6 times year, whatever. We set up our routines based on employee size, the larger businesses are harder to reach so we call more often but keep notes on when we actually make contact and make sure we do not make contact more then quarterly. If requested might send a mailer or postcard but usually not cold, only by request.

Other vendors are out there for software/lead lists these are just my preference.

In general i do not leave without a pre-set appointment, then i might canvass the area businesses after that estimate.
Just MY personal way of doing things and not the only way.

 

[XTREME1]

Can you give us your website so we can see it? Service Monster is a scheduling program that does so much more. They send out thank you cards and reminders at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12,18,24.

Mikey P www.santacruzclean.com

 

[Shane Deubell]

Another thing you can do is become a chamber of commerce member of whatever is the largest one in your area. Not just for networking but now you have a targeted list of businesses to work off of with all the contact info names,phone number,email, address. Plus a warm lead to start the conversation!

Once i became frustrated that the facility manager of a large ins company wouldn't return our calls so I called the CEO directly and left a message that we were a fellow chamber member and i wanted to give him an estimate.

The next day the facility manager called to set up an estimate... still a client today!

 

[tmdry]

I know of a company that has 7 sales guy doing only cold calling for businesses on tile cleaning/sealing, they're in Orlando.

1 does inside cold calling on the phones only.

6 of the sales men are outside sales, each person targets a different trade of business. 1 will hit up all hotels and elderly facilities, the other will do only doctor/dentist offices, and it goes on. They get paid straight commission 10-15%, and a $500 draw.

 

[Shane Deubell]

I know of a company that has 7 sales guy doing only cold calling for businesses on tile cleaning/sealing, they're in Orlando.

1 does inside cold calling on the phones only.

6 of the sales men are outside sales, each person targets a different trade of business. 1 will hit up all hotels and elderly facilities, the other will do only doctor/dentist offices, and it goes on. They get paid straight commission 10-15%, and a $500 draw.

Nice, that is what we need to do next. Hire an outside person.