Choices for the Nomadic Owner Op

bob vawter

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La La Land
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bob vawter
And with low expectations and requirements
Ohh how they all loved me.....CRASH sez they still ask about me!

It's all jus a dog an pony show Marty...don you know nothing?

MARTIN A QUESTION:
which Would you prefer....
A blow and go company where you
Made a lotta money AND your custys loved and worshipped you...
OR
A top end company that charged a lot and the custy grumbled and
Never called you back????

No need to answer....as yor hairdo
Answers my question!!!
 
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bob vawter

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La La Land
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bob vawter
How many months of training with a lead tech before a new guy goes out on his own?
Maybe four hrs.....and that's back when I was paying 7 BUCKS an hr!

Pull trigger.....move wand back and forth!
Ohh and start behind entrance door
Work right till you get entire circumference.....fill in the middle

It don get any easier than that!
 
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hogjowl

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Prattville, Alabama
Maybe four hrs.....and that's back when I was paying 7 BUCKS an hr!

Pull trigger.....move wand back and forth!
Ohh and start behind entrance door
Work right till you get entire circumference.....fill in the middle

It don get any easier than that!
I don’t think he was talking to you
Moron
 

Brian H

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Detroit Michigan area
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Brian H
How many months of training with a lead tech before a new guy goes out on his own?

Us too!!

Our average crew leader has been with us for over 10 years. We have had a bit of attrition though over the last couple of years and we are sending out guys with only 1-2 years experience with us.
1 to 2 years broken down into months in 12-24 months.
 

Willy P

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Vancouver
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Willy P
You can’t do it forever! And the you can’t will be here before you know it.
Wise words Kenny.

I didn't make bank off selling my business but I got a tidy sum that helps out a bit with retirement plans. My wife took care of the money side of thimgs and we're quite comfortable, No Cayenne though.Smart girl.The house goes up for sale in the spring and we're moving out of Vancouver o a much smaller community. I miss cleaning a bit but not that much. I've got some projects to complete that have sat for years because I didn't have the time to devote to them. With my health issues I want to be able to enjoy as much as I can while I can.
 

Desk Jockey

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A planet far far away
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Rico Suave
Impressed

Coit was two weeks
Millers was 3 days
😳 That's crazy! We had some that never made it past assistants. They could sling a wand fine but lacked in other areas.

Driving a van safely in traffic, back up and parking.

Have the ability to confidently speak with and explain processes throughly.

Ability to measure and price cleaning services

Carpet cleaning basic skills

Upholstery cleaning-Recognition of cleanable fabrics & process for those cleanable

Hard Surface basics-Recognition of potential problems

Air Duct cleaning-Explain the method of cleaning and calculate a price quote

Area Rug cleaning-Determine which could be done on site and which had to be brought in. Have the ability to price area rug cleaning

Sanitizing services-The ability to explain the processes and give a rough estimate of cost.

They ability to see, recognize potential urine problems and explain the difficulty in removing the odor to the client

Calculating and collection of payments, processing

Countless others I'm sure. This was just off the top of my head.
 

Cleanworks

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New Westminster,BC
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Ron Marriott
😳 That's crazy! We had some that never made it past assistants. They could sling a wand fine but lacked in other areas.

Driving a van safely in traffic, back up and parking.

Have the ability to confidently speak with and explain processes throughly.

Ability to measure and price cleaning services

Carpet cleaning basic skills

Upholstery cleaning-Recognition of cleanable fabrics & process for those cleanable

Hard Surface basics-Recognition of potential problems

Air Duct cleaning-Explain the method of cleaning and calculate a price quote

Area Rug cleaning-Determine which could be done on site and which had to be brought in. Have the ability to price area rug cleaning

Sanitizing services-The ability to explain the processes and give a rough estimate of cost.

They ability to see, recognize potential urine problems and explain the difficulty in removing the odor to the client

Calculating and collection of payments, processing

Countless others I'm sure. This was just off the top of my head.
Large company I worked for had lower standards. If the guy showed up, knew how to drive and could hook up the truck mount and start it, he was hired. Of course they are out of business now.
 

sassyotto

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Wisconsin
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Paul
Although we were not a major business just an over grown mom and pop.
thats the problem. to be successful you must integrate systems, you know like successful major businesses. Do you think that IBM doesnt have systems in place?

Think of this. Write down every single step of your day and turn it into a training manual. Split that manual up into 10 days (15 to start but after a few times you can knock it down to 10) Thats what you train the newby with.

Train them, have them repeat it and make sure they understand it, go to next step. When they know it, go to clean a vacant apartment and have them clean it. Roleplay being the customer. If you cant put them out on their own after 30 days either you picked the wrong candidate or you dont have a proper training system in place.

So you think Mack Clarks teachings are outdated?

My son started a business 5 years ago. He has integrated business systems into his workplace. This year he will do over $3,000,000 in business. On Dec 30 he will be closing on a 9000 sf office/warehouse......using............everything that Mack taught me and my wife
 

Desk Jockey

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thats the problem. to be successful you must integrate systems, you know like successful major businesses. Do you think that IBM doesnt have systems in place?

Think of this. Write down every single step of your day and turn it into a training manual. Split that manual up into 10 days (15 to start but after a few times you can knock it down to 10) Thats what you train the newby with.

Train them, have them repeat it and make sure they understand it, go to next step. When they know it, go to clean a vacant apartment and have them clean it. Roleplay being the customer. If you cant put them out on their own after 30 days either you picked the wrong candidate or you dont have a proper training system in place.

So you think Mack Clarks teachings are outdated?

My son started a business 5 years ago. He has integrated business systems into his workplace. This year he will do over $3,000,000 in business. On Dec 30 he will be closing on a 9000 sf office/warehouse......using............everything that Mack taught me and my wife
In our business we needed both lead and assistant techs. Some guys were assistants for their whole duration with us. It wasn't a bad thing, there was always minor tasks that needed to be done.

Congrats for your son! 😎
 

Desk Jockey

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A planet far far away
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Rico Suave
thats the problem. to be successful you must integrate systems, you know like successful major businesses. Do you think that IBM doesnt have systems in place?

Think of this. Write down every single step of your day and turn it into a training manual. Split that manual up into 10 days (15 to start but after a few times you can knock it down to 10) Thats what you train the newby with.

Train them, have them repeat it and make sure they understand it, go to next step. When they know it, go to clean a vacant apartment and have them clean it. Roleplay being the customer. If you cant put them out on their own after 30 days either you picked the wrong candidate or you dont have a proper training system in place.

So you think Mack Clarks teachings are outdated?

My son started a business 5 years ago. He has integrated business systems into his workplace. This year he will do over $3,000,000 in business. On Dec 30 he will be closing on a 9000 sf office/warehouse......using............everything that Mack taught me and my wife
I was never a fan of Mack Clark's style. He was funny but implementing a lot of what he taught would have had us firing half the staff and put me back out in the field.

I'm sure his style worked for some or he wouldn't have gotten to where he was.
 
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Brian H

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Detroit Michigan area
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Brian H
In our business we needed both lead and assistant techs. Some guys were assistants for their whole duration with us. It wasn't a bad thing, there was always minor tasks that needed to be done.

Congrats for your son! 😎
We've had several assistants like that over the years. Right now we have an assistant who started in July of 2005. Capable guy, checks most all the boxes that Richard outlined above. He just prefers to be the number 2 guy.

We recently had another guy leave us and, the same thing, had been with us almost 20 years as an assistant. We kept trying to push him into a leader position, but he was very comfortable being the assistant.

Both these guys though work with much more senior crew leaders, so it's not like we put them out with rookie crew leaders. Both of the guys above worked with leaders with more than 25 years experience.
 
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Brian H

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Brian H
Impressed

Coit was two weeks
Millers was 3 days
I get nervous sending a guy out to do a vacant who has less than a year's experience. That's a far cry from where I started.

I started in the business in 1982 with no experience running a leased cleaning department for a major retailor. (Adler and Sons, for those that might remember them. They represented many retailers in major markets across the U. S. and Canada). I got a weeks worth of training on cleaning in the company's office in Milwaukee working as The Boston Store Cleaning Service. Another week's worth of training in Hartford Connecticut at another of the company's offices , G. Fox & Company. And then I opened up the Detroit office as J.C. Penney Home Cleaning.

Back then, I would try to hire experienced cleaners and give them just a day or two to get the paperwork down and off they would go. If a guy had no experience, I would train them for a week or so and send them out on their own. Here I was training people to clean even though I only had a week's worth of training myself.

I did get a lot more experience though over the years. I still remember a guy coming into work one morning just to let me know he quit! No notice and a full schedule. I had a decent office person answering the phone, so off I went to clean. That same scenario repeated itself many times over the 4 years I worked there.
 

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