Online Vs Local

[mpitmon]

Hi All! Newbie here. Couple questions. When buying supplies, do you buy online or local?

Same with Truck Mounts. Do you buy online and have a local shop install or do you buy/install everything locally?

Thanks!

 

[Cleanworks]

Hi All! Newbie here. Couple questions. When buying supplies, do you buy online or local?

Same with Truck Mounts. Do you buy online and have a local shop install or do you buy/install everything locally?

Thanks!

I like buying local. I have established relationships with several suppliers and comes in handy when you need repairs in a hurry. Online can save you money but they won't be there for you in a pinch.

 

[FredC]

What are you selling or doing research for Matt?

 

[mpitmon]

What are you selling or doing research for Matt?

Hi Fred,
Great question! Sorry I didnt give more context. Im looking to scale my business. I bought my first TM a year ago online as a package. We have more biz than we have equipment. I want to be in this business for the long haul. Ive been buying everything from our local supplier here which is great, but it’s super transactional and I can get the same service/products online. Just curious the pro/cons others see staying local vs buying online.

Also, what are others seeing for lead times locally on TM’s??

TY!

 

[BIG WOOD]

.

 

[mpitmon]

I like buying local. I have established relationships with several suppliers and comes in handy when you need repairs in a hurry. Online can save you money but they won't be there for you in a pinch.

Thank you!

 

[hogjowl]

Ideally, I’d rather buy local and have everything serviced and supplied by a trusted supplier who has my back.
Life is seldom ideal.

 

[Nate The Great]

Ideally, I’d rather buy local and have everything serviced and supplied by a trusted supplier who has my back.
Life is seldom ideal.

How's the Cleanco running?

 

[Kenny Hayes]

I do both but don’t wanna tick my local distributor/mechanic off. I buy low moisture
chemicals online and whatever he don’t carry. But, I don’t want to stay on the back burner should I have a mechanical problem, so I buy whatever I can from him.

 

[hogjowl]

How's the Cleanco running?

both still run on regular

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I do both but don’t wanna tick my local distributor/mechanic off. I buy low moisture
chemicals online and whatever he don’t carry. But, I don’t want to stay on the back burner should I have a mechanical problem, so I buy whatever I can from him.

As a local/regional distributor, I'd like to add some of my experiences.

No good distributor should be angry or even irritated if a customer won't buy products from them, but still needs service repair. Every part of a business should be run professionally, and at a profit.

We have franchises that buy nothing from us, but need truck mount, portable, and drying equipment repair. We gladly schedule them in, and give them the best possible service. If an independent cleaner doesn't choose to buy our products, but just uses our repair services, we also are happy for that business. From a practical point of view, some of these companies provide us more revenue that individuals who buy every possible cleaning supply and accessory from us. Treating these customers badly would be shooting myself in the foot.

If we can't earn the product business from a customer, that's our fault, not the customer's. We do our best to have the products they might want to use, and to explain their value, but it isn't up to them to owe us that business if it isn't earned.

Where I do have the ability to reward someone who gives us more business is with technical phone support, including helping them fix things so that they don't need to lose time waiting for our schedule to be open, and to save them paying our labor rate.

 

[Mikey P]

A former MB'r texted me recently to ask lots of "what glide is best" questions for the Bristor wand he was getting ready to purchase.

This person hits me up for advise many times a year, yet never buys anything from me.

I aksed why he was asking me and not Joe..

"Joe won't answer my calls...."




I regret not helping him out this time but I can only give so much....

 

[Jim Pemberton]

A former MB'r texted me recently to ask lots of "what glide is best" questions for the Bristor wand he was getting ready to purchase.

This person hits me up for advise many times a year, yet never buys anything from me.

I aksed why he was asking me and not Joe..

"Joe won't answer my calls...."




I regret not helping him out this time but I can only give so much....

Blessed and Pest list Mike.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

I consider Tim and James Longley at Professional Cleaning Supplies here in Oklahoma my friends. They are pros and probably wouldn’t do that either. Tim woke me up out of a nap this week to get advice for a customer and then bowed out of the middle Sorry Dog They’re well aware we all buy online.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

A former MB'r texted me recently to ask lots of "what glide is best" questions for the Bristor wand he was getting ready to purchase.

This person hits me up for advise many times a year, yet never buys anything from me.

I aksed why he was asking me and not Joe..

"Joe won't answer my calls...."




I regret not helping him out this time but I can only give so much....

A long time ago I had a distributor tell me to call Bill Bane

 

[mpitmon]

As a local/regional distributor, I'd like to add some of my experiences.

No good distributor should be angry or even irritated if a customer won't buy products from them, but still needs service repair. Every part of a business should be run professionally, and at a profit.

We have franchises that buy nothing from us, but need truck mount, portable, and drying equipment repair. We gladly schedule them in, and give them the best possible service. If an independent cleaner doesn't choose to buy our products, but just uses our repair services, we also are happy for that business. From a practical point of view, some of these companies provide us more revenue that individuals who buy every possible cleaning supply and accessory from us. Treating these customers badly would be shooting myself in the foot.

If we can't earn the product business from a customer, that's our fault, not the customer's. We do our best to have the products they might want to use, and to explain their value, but it isn't up to them to owe us that business if it isn't earned.

Where I do have the ability to reward someone who gives us more business is with technical phone support, including helping them fix things so that they don't need to lose time waiting for our schedule to be open, and to save them paying our labor rate.

Awesome! Thanks so much for your feedback!!

 

[Nomad74]

I buy mostly online. The local guys mostly went out of business. I'm all about supporting local, but many of them have prices so high it doesn't make sense to buy from them when compared to the online prices. Hell, I buy all my Prochem chems off Amazon and get my 500 Legend Points with every case. Thank goodness people can't order Carpet cleaning through the mail or online. Sure they can book the job, but the pricing will all be about the same depending on the local area.
Something that tickles my butt is I have a $200 minimum. I was the only one in town with that minimum. Now all the other guys are $200. Time for another raise. We have a lot of noobs in town cleaning carpets. They are all T-M-F'ers. So annoying. They are like little Know-it-all gnats flying around.

 

[SamIam]

Locals only bro

 

[SamIam]

But RA said so it must be true

I buy mostly online. The local guys mostly went out of business. I'm all about supporting local, but many of them have prices so high it doesn't make sense to buy from them when compared to the online prices. Hell, I buy all my Prochem chems off Amazon and get my 500 Legend Points with every case. Thank goodness people can't order Carpet cleaning through the mail or online. Sure they can book the job, but the pricing will all be about the same depending on the local area.
Something that tickles my butt is I have a $200 minimum. I was the only one in town with that minimum. Now all the other guys are $200. Time for another raise. We have a lot of noobs in town cleaning carpets. They are all T-M-F'ers. So annoying. They are like little Know-it-all gnats flying around.

 

[hogjowl]

I wonder if *** loads faster than this board?

 

[FredC]

I wonder if *** loads faster than this board?

Sorry...I'm doing backups and some updates

 

[FredC]

It's about to be completely off because i need to restart

 

[hogjowl]

No more free pad machines for you

 

[FredC]

well..that took a bit longer than I thought...

 

[Kenny Hayes]

More like a free pee pad!!