Walking the red carpet with Jose Smith

Mikey P

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-How and how long ago did you get into the cleaning business?

-How many jobs will you complete this year?

-Describe your best cheerleader and what it took to make him or her so.

-What services do you offer?

-Please describe your client base.

-How many employees if any, and did you create your business to allow for growth?

-Describe your idea of the perfect (realistic) job.

-Will you be attending Myteefest5 and would you do a upholstery cleaning demo?
 

Jose Smith

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Joined
Nov 4, 2006
Messages
321
Q. How and how long ago did you get into the cleaning business?
A. I began cleaning carpets part time when I was still in high school. I began my PROFESSIONAL career in 1993 as a tech for Stanley Steemer. In later years I was the manager of Coit's oldest (and one of their largest) franchises. In 2004, I started 1st Class Furniture & Carpet Care because I knew I had "outgrown" the franchises.

Q. How many jobs will you complete this year?
A. I don't set goals for number of jobs completed. I can say that I don't do many when compared to many in this industry. I usually do two jobs a day. I do not work on Saturday or Sunday. Many times I will be in the plant on Friday. On top of all that I take about 3 weeks off a year for vacation.

Q. Describe your best cheerleader and what it took to make him or her so.
A. My kind of question! My best cheerleader is someone who gives a referral at least every other month. A referral from my "best cheerleaders" will always be converted into a paid job.

To create a cheerleader is my full time job-not carpet cleaning. All my clients are graded. A, B or C. Everyone starts as a C. B means they become repeats without asking for discounts, or they refer consistently. If they refer and are repeats they become A's. My full time job is creating and keeping more A's. These are who I spend the bulk of my marketing dollars on (I do not advertise).

Q. What services do you offer?
A. My main service is UPHOLSTERY. Second is ORIENTAL RUGS. Third is DRAPERY CLEANING. Fourth is CARPET CLEANING.

I also offer tile and grout cleaning and natural stone, but I am strongly considering dropping those.

Two new services that are really taking off for me are WOOD FLOOR REFINISHING (complete sand & refinish) and FABRIC PROTECTOR (on new fabric).

Q. Please describe your client base.
A. My client base is at about 800. More than half of those are A's and B's (see question 3). I just spent about $1200 on about 550 holiday cards. These are the clients I value the most. They are all high end! My target demographic has a net income of about $500,000. It is not unusual for my clients to have movie theaters, elevators or Aston Martins. I have several celebrities and sports figures who are in the media often.

Q. How many employees if any, and did you create your business to allow for growth?

A. I have no "employees". Growth is certainly in my future.

Q. Describe your idea of the perfect (realistic) job.
A. My ideal job is not nearly as important as my ideal client. That said, I am happy to see rare fabrics and very lightly soiled carpets.

The past few months, I have really been enjoying a fairly new service that I have been building up for the past few years, protecting fabrics. I charge more to protect than I do to clean. Very easy work and great money.

Q. Will you be attending Myteefest5 and would you do a upholstery cleaning demo?

A. Probably not. My 7 year old plays baseball (travel) and there are tournaments almost every weekend around that time.
 

Jose Smith

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Joined
Nov 4, 2006
Messages
321
Re: Wlaking the red carpet with Jose Smith

I spent a few years building a relationship with some high-end fabric manufacturers (Kravet, Robert Allen, Stroheim & Romann, etc) at the corporate level. They get me in with their local showrooms. The local showrooms refer me to all the local high end designers, who then hire me. Once I get out to the residence, I get to meet the clients who then hire me for protecting and cleaning anything else they buy in the future (carpet, drapes, rugs, more furniture).

The product I use is a dry solvent based flourochemical. It has UV resistors and I offer a limited Warranty Program for a price (which is purchased about 40% of the time). I private label a product that I have never heard mentioned on any bulletin boards (thank God). I am thinking of doing some sort of trademark for the name I use in my marketing.
 

Jose Smith

Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2006
Messages
321
Re: Wlaking the red carpet with Jose Smith

Most of my work at the Academy Awards is done at the Governor's Ball which is the main after party held on the 6th floor of the Kodak Theater. I am hired by the production company. My job varies from year to year. Sometimes I am hired to clean between the production party the night before the Oscar's and the main Gala. Sometimes I am hired to be on hand during the event in case of any emergency spot clean. Last year I was on hand with portables and fans to dry the carpet (it was raining).

I also do work for the flooring company who installs the red carpet. They have large Oscar cut-outs that need cleaning before they get installed.

This same flooring company refers me about 10 times a year to their residential clients. There's big money in those.

Jose Smith
 

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