How Valuable Your Services Are...

[Jim Pemberton]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/science/study-happy-save-money-time.html

Read this article in its entirety, but this is the message:

“People who spent money to buy themselves time, such as by outsourcing disliked tasks, reported greater overall life satisfaction,” said Ashley Whillans, an assistant professor at the Harvard Business School and lead author of the study, which was based on a series of surveys from several countries. Researchers did not see the same effect when people used money for material goods.

The late Jim Roden, the founder of Prochem, told me this in 1980:

"All a consumer is doing when they hire a cleaner is buying back their personal time. If you look at it that way, what cleaners do is priceless."

Jim Roden was way ahead of his time. That man was the most influential man in my life, other than my father. I still miss him.

 

[Nate The Great]

@John Olson would always mention that..

I believe it comes down to a quality of life you choose to live..

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I believe it comes down to a quality of life you choose to live..

I look at my father. He has people that work around his house for him doing yard work, maintenance, and house cleaning. But he does that so he has the energy to work in his garden in the warm weather, and his greenhouse in the cool weather. His quality of life as an active, hard working 85 year old is better because he can use his energy on what he enjoys.

For cleaners, don't think that your customers will just clean their LVT themselves, or their garage floors, or any number of cleaning services that you can offer.

Your customers' time, and energy, is finite. Let them buy it back from you.

 

[Ivan Turner]

Jim,

That sentence in and of itself is priceless to anyone who fully understands it!

 

[hogjowl]

So explain it to me
Real slowly

 

[Desk Jockey]

U R A dipshit!

How's that?

 

[hogjowl]

See? Look how much of your valuable time you saved!

 

[DAT]

So explain it to me
Real slowly

That be like throwing pearls before swine...

 

[Cleanworks]

I do warranty work for a international rug cleaning machine rental company who rents their machines at popular grocery stores. People rent these machines and clean their carpets themselves to save money. When they screw up their carpets by overwetting or the machine malfunctioning, they send me out to correct the problem. Average ticket is $250-$300. Once these same people see how easy their carpets come up with the appropriate chemistry and machinery in such a short time compared to them going to the store, lugging the machine home, cleaning their carpets all day, lugging the machine back to the grocery store, etc. They often become customers for life. You couldn't change their minds if you were hanging out at the rental centre but once they have experienced the difference, they will choose professional cleaning every time.

 

[DAT]

I look at my father. He has people that work around his house for him doing yard work, maintenance, and house cleaning. But he does that so he has the energy to work in his garden in the warm weather, and his greenhouse in the cool weather. His quality of life as an active, hard working 85 year old is better because he can use his energy on what he enjoys.

For cleaners, don't think that your customers will just clean their LVT themselves, or their garage floors, or any number of cleaning services that you can offer.

Your customers' time, and energy, is finite. Let them buy it back from you.

Well said. I am so glad encounter this thread. I never though of it that way or couldve said better.

 

[PrimaDonna]

"Your customers' time, and energy, is finite. Let them buy it back from you."

Pure genius. You consistently have amazing insight, Jim. We should coin these tidbits "Jim's Gems".

 

[Nate The Great]

I do warranty work for a international rug cleaning machine rental company who rents their machines at popular grocery stores. People rent these machines and clean their carpets themselves to save money. When they screw up their carpets by overwetting or the machine malfunctioning, they send me out to correct the problem. Average ticket is $250-$300. Once these same people see how easy their carpets come up with the appropriate chemistry and machinery in such a short time compared to them going to the store, lugging the machine home, cleaning their carpets all day, lugging the machine back to the grocery store, etc. They often become customers for life. You couldn't change their minds if you were hanging out at the rental centre but once they have experienced the difference, they will choose professional cleaning every time.

Learning comes from experience... If they don't experience it, they don't understand it..

I diy cuz I don't have money....

 

[Small town janitorial]

I think self employed people learn this lesson better than most. There were times when most of us early in our business lives had more time than money, and we did more wrenching and "grunt" work. As we become more successful we find it more rewarding to focus on what we are good at. Let others focus on what they are good at.
This doesn't mean learning new skills can't be rewarding. Time and place for everything.

 

[Jack Zipper Zerkie]

I did the same for a Rug Dr. owner for 20 yrs then sold it. But most times the renter wondered why the Rug Dr. would.t do a good job if that's why they rent them. Of course my time of experience and use of equipment and chems had nothing to do with the results. I did keep a lot of the Rug Dr . people after the follow up and are now my regulars. jz.

 

[Ivan Turner]

Hey Hog face. You can lead a sway back horse to the water....but you can't make him drink it.

 

[Cleanworks]

I did the same for a Rug Dr. owner for 20 yrs then sold it. But most times the renter wondered why the Rug Dr. would.t do a good job if that's why they rent them. Of course my time of experience and use of equipment and chems had nothing to do with the results. I did keep a lot of the Rug Dr . people after the follow up and are now my regulars. jz.

The old rug Doctor was a small industrial portable with a swinging brush. Not the most powerful machine but used right could deliver impressive results. Not the case with the new ones.

 

[Jack Zipper Zerkie]

The units he had were the older with the tank and hoses with a carpet wand. Then came the newer box style that you walk behind no wands. The new model did not clean berber very well and didn't extract leaving the carpet very wet causing browning.

 

[Cleanworks]

The units he had were the older with the tank and hoses with a carpet wand. Then came the newer box style that you walk behind no wands. The new model did not clean berber very well and didn't extract leaving the carpet very wet causing browning.

They still sell the old style in China but with 16 inch stainless steel swing brushes instead of the old chromed ones that used to rust out. There is a guy in Seattle that will hook you up. I think his website is vanmarequipment or something like that.

 

[Mikey P]

So explain it to me
Real slowly

pay someone to post for you so you can nap longer.

 

[hogjowl]

My son is worthless in that regard

 

[Old Coastie]

"Your customers' time, and energy, is finite. Let them buy it back from you."

Pure genius. You consistently have amazing insight, Jim. We should coin these tidbits "Jim's Gems".

Oughta be an archive page for things like that.

 

[Mikey P]

Mine is coming up and over to our cabin in tow weeks for some father son bonding.

He'll be napping the whole time ironically.

 

[Mikey P]

http://mikeysboard.com/threads/my-tribute-to-jim-roden-founder-of-prochem.265323/

 

[Nate The Great]

My son is worthless in that regard

I'm pretty sure that feeling is mutual....

 

[hogjowl]

I'm pretty sure that feeling is mutual....

LOL
Yeah

 

[Old Coastie]

My son wants me to teach his three year old how to do a Maori war dance before peeing off the back deck.

Challenge accepted.

 

[Nate The Great]

My son wants me to teach his three year old how to do a Maori war dance before peeing off the back deck.

Challenge accepted.

No Samoan Misquote Slap Dance?!?

 

[hogjowl]

No Samoan Misquote Slap Dance?!?

This is not about you

 

[Nate The Great]

This is not about you

Do you know the difference between a Samoan and a Monkey?!?

A Monkey knows when the banana is ripe...

Just don't tell a Samoan that, he/she'd knock out your last tooth!

 

[Desk Jockey]

That's fooked up!

I'm part Samoan!!!