The small town dilemma.

[Mikey P]

I imagine I'm not the only one that could/needs to run a second truck five days a weeks, 3 to maybe 4 months out of the year to keep up with demand.



but...



what in the heck do you do with that truck and employee the rest of the year?



Lowering prices is about the only option I can think of to break into the "other" demographic that may keep the two trucks busy all year round. Knowing how much the phone rings during the slower months I just do see there being enough work unless I go with two trucks/one operator during those months and then double the guys up in the slow months..

Your thoughts...

 

[Ron K]

Same with us. I've been thinking about a Part time crew Have them do 5-10 jobs a week but I guess for some on this board that is full time.

 

[bob vawter]

I imagine I'm not the only one that could/needs to run a second truck five days a weeks, 3 to maybe 4 months out of the year to keep up with demand.



but...



what in the heck do you do with that truck and employee the rest of the year?



Lowering prices is about the only option I can think of to break into the "other" demographic that may keep the two trucks busy all year round. Knowing how much the phone rings during the slower months I just do see there being enough work unless I go with two trucks/one operator during those months and then double the guys up in the slow months..

Your thoughts...

my thoughts are......to keep from being a bdcc......EVERY O/O should have TWO trucks...set up exactly the same!
that way when it's busy..yor good.......and if one breaks down...you gots a spare OR at least a place to steal a part till you can order it.......

 

[Shane Deubell]

Either more commercial work or slimmed down basic service option of just open areas no vacuuming , they can vacuum themselves. As long as your margins are the same, who cares!

I clean my carpets all the time, sometimes just like the smell/feel and do a quick pre-spray/wand.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Add other services but don't push them until right before your slower season, then market that service hard until right before your regular cleaning season.

Area rugs, T&G, natural stone care, upholstery, commercial work, air duct cleaning, auto detailing, anything to keep him busy yet still make you a little coin.

 

[Ron K]

my thoughts are......to keep from being a bdcc......EVERY O/O should have TWO trucks...set up exactly the same!
that way when it's busy..yor good.......and if one breaks down...you gots a spare OR at least a place to steal a part till you can order it.......

Bob I hate to disagree....but.... equipment is the easiest thing to replace or purchase, people you can trust, that do a great job, thats another thing. Now having good quality well maintained equipment is a given, but if they have one Broke Dick Truck another won't help!

 

[bob vawter]

people you can trust

do what i did.......
go down to the local Piggly Wiggly...and perv on the basketboys......

 

[Desk Jockey]

do what i did.......
go down to the local Piggly Wiggly...and perv on the basketboys......

Ummm.....ummm

"Not that there's anything wrong with it!"

 

[Clean Response]

I would say have one crew full time year round and the owner the the second truck the 3-4 months a year until he grows it into 2 full-time trucks.

 

[hogjowl]

I understand exactly what what you are saying. Many of us are in that same boat, and I have thought about this for a long time. I have the same gut reaction that you do ... thinking that maybe I should lower my prices a bit to allow me to advertise more "acceptable" prices ... thinking that to advertise well you have to advertise price ... like everybody else is doing.

However, after I think about this for more than a minute or two, I always get back to the same conclusion. Which is ... "heck, you aren't advertising AT ALL right now, so why not start advertising without focusing on price first, and see if you business will increase?"

Your website seems to be top notch. You appear to be active in Yelp ... right? Do you do anything with Angies list?

Maybe we both need to lower our prices a bit ... I am as "exclusive" as you are, in a relative sense in association with out two markets. So, we might be pricing ourselves out of the market to some degree. It's just that I am afraid to start down the price point road.

It's so hard to go back once you cross that line.

I'd love to talk to someone who has been successful marketing a top end, non-price point focused business.

 

[Mikey P]

Angies does not mean much here Marty.


The past few months have been busier than ever before thank to Yelp and winning the Best Of Santa Cruz 4 years running. Normally with the two truck we can keep up with demand but this year we are losing more than I'm OK with.

I actually am working this Sunday.


I suppose if I myself worked on Fridays and Saturday on the 2nd truck we could get them all but damn, I really can't do that anymore. I need to enjoy life away from the wand or I'm likely to kill a guy like you.

 

[Prhea1st]

I have a two truck mount set up and one is more than enough during the winter. Have not been able to get over that hurdle yet...

 

[Steve Toburen]

I'd love to talk to someone who has been successful marketing a top end, non-price point focused business.

We have. At the time you weren't really ready to "listen".

Steve

PS Successfully moving from one truck to a true full time two truck operation in a small market base (30,000 people) was one of the hardest things I ever did. It wasn't just the daily "How do I feed the monster" challenge. I also had to develop the Business Infrastructure to make things routinely hum along without me being there screaming every day. (I still did my share.)

I hate to admit it but Richard's post above makes a lot of sense:

"Add other services but don't push them until right before your slower season, then market that service hard until right before your regular cleaning season.

Area rugs, T&G, natural stone care, upholstery, commercial work, air duct cleaning, auto detailing, anything to keep him busy yet still make you a little coin."

We also found the "3 legged stool" principle of high-priced residential/ regular contract commercial work/ high-profit restoration jobs worked the best for a larger company in a smaller market. One "leg" supports the other two legs. We kept our employees busy year-round but it definitely was a juggling act.

I'll also throw in the quote from "Field of Dreams: "If you build it they will come." I'd like to tell you we did all sorts of pro formas and cost analysis spreadsheets before moving to the second/third/fourth truck but that would be a lie. If I had truly analyzed things I would have realized running four TM's in a 30,000 population base was "improbable and possibly impossible". But since we didn't know it couldn't be done we just did it.

I would never advocate making foolhardy business decisions. But my son calls this stuff "paralysis by analysis." I'm guilty of this too but some of you girls have been dithering around on expansion for years. This is a great industry and you can be "successful" either as an owner-operator OR as a large "Critical Mass" operation. Just "git 'er done".

 

[Beeks]

I would say, try the lower price idea for a few months, pick up another 10-30 jobs a week. Get off the truck full time, and make the same coin. More work? yes, more profit? most likely not a ton more, especially in your small area, but at least at your age you will not be in the field anymore, and can focus working ON the business instead of IN it!

 

[hogjowl]

Steve:

I don't recall there being ANY marketing advice in your part of SFS.

And, I don't recall seeing any evidence to suggest that the marketing advice that WAS presented was built from practical experience.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I don't believe lowing your price is the answer, 1.) it is the off season, for what ever reason....you guys don't even get snow? In the off season I could offer free cleaning and I'd get few takers. They don't want it cleaned when it's cold or messy out, unless there is a specific reason that forces their hand. 2.) So lets say they bite on the price what happens in 6-months when it's peak season and they want it cleaned again for the cheap price? You've confused that customer and its doubtful you will retain them.

I think you're right Marty, you have to market some and it doesn't have to be deep discounted rates but I think you need an introductory offer. A one time, lets get acquainted special. (sorta contradicted what I wrote above.....it's ok though because I'm no marketing guru LOL)

 

[Steve Toburen]

Steve:

I don't recall there being ANY marketing advice in your part of SFS.

And, I don't recall seeing any evidence to suggest that the marketing advice that WAS presented was built from practical experience.

Sorry, Marty, look again at the SFS curriculum.

Steve

PS Not to mention that as Director of Training I personally approve everything in SFS. (Including what Yeadon teaches much of which was modeled after my business.) At the end of the day everything in one way or another in SFS is about marketing. If your phone doesn't ring how will you ever achieve Personal Freedom?

 

[Beeks]

I don't believe lowing your price is the answer, 1.) it is the off season, for what ever reason....you guys don't even get snow? In the off season I could offer free cleaning and I'd get few takers. They don't want it cleaned when it's cold or messy out, unless there is a specific reason that forces their hand. 2.) So lets say they bite on the price what happens in 6-months when it's peak season and they want it cleaned again for the cheap price? You've confused that customer and its doubtful you will retain them.

I think you're right Marty, you have to market some and it doesn't have to be deep discounted rates but I think you need an introductory offer. A one time, lets get acquainted special. (sorta contradicted what I wrote above.....it's ok though because I'm no marketing guru LOL)

God forbid the customer calls you back and wants 4 rooms cleaned for $100 again, just horrible. Seriously though, so what, you get work that you might not have gotten with your normal "higher" prices, your not losing money on it and the customer is a cheerleader for you.

To each is own, if you are making a profit big enough to get off the truck with "high" prices, stick with it, if you doing the same thing for decades and are still on the truck, you will continue to get the same result if you don't change something up. No, that doesn't have to be lower prices, but hey why not try it out.

 

[Ken Snow]

I agree with Steve Marty- virtually everything, with the possible exception of the financials section by Chuck, has to do with marketng in one way or another. Even the VAST class that Jeff Cutshall puts on is marketing related when put in context of customer satisfaction, making cheerleaders etc. Psychology & marketing are 2 sides of the same coin.

 

[Beeks]

If your phone doesn't ring how will you ever achieve Personal Freedom?[/QUOTE]

exactly, you can keep your pride and only market to the 5%, or you can put your pride to the side, try a different approach, whether that be lower prices or whatever, and try something new. If your phone doesn't ring, only thing high high prices does for you is give you bragging rights on the forum, i charge more then you im awesome, while the next dude is booked a week out and you sit at home telling us how cool your prices are.

 

[Beeks]

If your phone doesn't ring how will you ever achieve Personal Freedom?

screwed up the quote from Steve

 

[Desk Jockey]

I agree a little bit of something is better than all of nothing.

But the phone ringing doesn't necessarily mean it's not ringing because of your price (high or low).

If it's not ringing, what are you doing for marketing? Postcards, Newsletters, TV, Radio, Website, Adwords, Angies list, Yelp, Google Places, Bing, direct contact-calling, visiting and asking for demo's.

There is truly so much work out here, the thread should be about "how do I manage all this work?" Seriously!

 

[Beeks]

I agree a little bit of something is better than all of nothing.

But the phone ringing doesn't necessarily mean it's not ringing because of your price (high or low).

If it's not ringing, what are you doing for marketing? Postcards, Newsletters, TV, Radio, Website, Adwords, Angies list, Yelp, Google Places, Bing, direct contact-calling, visiting and asking for demo's.

There is truly so much work out here, the thread should be about "how do I manage all this work?" Seriously!

agree completely, that's why i say price is not the only option, but it is wort a shot especially if you have tried the avenues you speak of already. And if you are not working IN your business and able to get off the truck and work ON it, then you can implement these other marketing ideas easier.

 

[Beeks]

also, it is probably easier for me to sit here and say the stuff i am saying being that i live in a HUGE market and my phone rings non stop for the most part. But in any case, there are options for you to better your company and get off the truck.

 

[Mikey P]

How many trucks you run there Beeks?

 

[Beeks]

How many trucks you run there Beeks?

2 full time guys, one runs the TM, another on a portable LTD, going to get another van and wrap it in the very near future. Im full time in office now, they do about 2-4 jobs each mon-sat

 

[Desk Jockey]

also, it is probably easier for me to sit here and say the stuff i am saying being that i live in a HUGE market and my phone rings non stop for the most part. But in any case, there are options for you to better your company and get off the truck.

Must be nice, we live in a small town, pop 120K in the whole county.

 

[bob vawter]

Bob I hate to disagree....but.... equipment is the easiest thing to replace or purchase, people you can trust, that do a great job, thats another thing. Now having good quality well maintained equipment is a given, but if they have one Broke Dick Truck another won't help!

well maybe i forgot to mention that
BOTH trucks HAVE to be paid off...free and clear!

 

[Shane Deubell]

We shouldn't be lowering prices for the hell of it...
Should be directly connected to your Cost Of that Service and what gross margin you want/need to operate at. If you decide 55% is good for you then as you lower the price, 1:1 slide down the cost also to maintain that 55% margin.

Why does everything have to be so black/white, either/or all the time?
Why can't we charge $50 room for premium service and $30 room for basic service and $100 room for super duper really special premium service.

Ever have a party at your house in the summer, even though the carpets look clean it just feels dirty after having all those people over. Sheesh people don't need a 25 step cleaning process 2-3x times a year, well most people anyway, some do.

 

[Ken Snow]

I agree Shane, we have found that around 100 for 4 rooms is our sweet spot.