-How did you establish the relationships to become a vendor for all the great products you have available?
Many relationships were forged through an existing customer relationship, Beta Testing, asking questions about how to properly use the products & actually providing feedback.
Others were simply had something to sell and I had an outlet for that product... That said, I have personally tested
almost everything I sell & much of what ever I couldn't use was sent to people I trust to test.
Of course as a cleaner I had a good idea of what I needed to find to get the "one stop shop" convenience and went about setting up distribution of "the good stuff".
-What are you 5 best selling items?
In no particular order:
Snake Oil & Magic Bullet
(
Releasit & VacAway tie for 2nd)
Slop-n-Gobble/O2 System
MicroScrub Bonnets
Vacaway Spotters
HardBall Protector
-Who turned you down to be come a distributor?
Mytee & I can't blame them... lol
-How is your own cleaning business doing?
I never really recovered from the year in school. I took 6 months off in an attemtpt to salvage it but I ithink I'm going to sell out. Honestly, I'm a bit burned out... If anyone wants a cleaning biz in the Louisville Metro Market let me know... I can get you started. Most of my contracts would plug in nicely to an existing biz. Contracts, equipment and some marketing materials ready to go...
-Tell us about the development behind Snake Oil.
It's really too much to type but we went through 5-6 formulas and we really got it right. It works and works as well as anything out there even in the worst case scenarios (restaurants).
Rest assured that at the time of its launch it was the strongest concentrate sold in the US to my knowledge. As far as I know it still is although some of the Peroxide based products can give it a run for its money in certain scenarios. Unfortunately the cost per use of the Peroxide based stuff is fairly high and the dilution rates are terrible or you pay hazmat shipping...
That said Snake Oil is still the most cost effective product on the market that actually does the job at $0.0017 per square foot ($0.0015 in a 5 gallon bucket). The miserly dilution rates and the savings on shipping definitely make for a low cost per use product and the results make it a bargain at twice the cost... (insert mustache twirl here)
-
When I grow up I want to be a:
Space Cowboy
-Steve Dobbs? Real or a figment of some gay guy's imagination?
Real... He's a good guy, proud father, etc.
-Would you OP your son's bed room carpet?
Yes. I did it last week. It looks great. If its something gross I'll hit it with the portable though.
-After your mutt made a mess on it?
I wouldn't have a dog in my home. Personally, I think they are among the nastiest creatures to live with. That said, outside dogs are great companions.
-Did you ever kill somebody when you were in the Marines?
It's more than a bit rude to ask but, yes.
As part of a Marine Artillery Unit I was part of the invasion of Iraq. My unit fired the first firing mission of the war and was the second unit through the breach in the Kuwaiti defenses. The engineers being the first... They stayed behind and sent us the rest of the way to Bagdad. lol
We were the ones that set the oil feilds ablaze, leveled Nazaria (trying to save that Army chick that got captured) Time Magazine in March or April 2003 has pics & a write up about another unit taken from my position, al Kut & destroyed 2 two armored divisions in Bagdad & all kinds of other cool stuff I generally don't like to talk about... You're welcome.
-Do you believe in Pixie dust?
I actually considered naming Snake Oil: Pixie Dust, Carpet Crack, Vudoo & a few other smarty pants comments just to keep Marty & Jimmy at bay... The truth is I could call it "Jug-o-Piss" and if you tried it you'd buy another case. It's really that good.
Anyway, your real question question is:
"Do I believe encapsulation works?", right?
The short answer is: "Yes".
The long answer is: Yes buit you still need your trusty wand.
There are situations that will require HWE. Bodily fluids (sanitation concern), extreme soiling (efficiency), mold and other bio contaminants and good old appearance are all factors a professional will need to consider when determining what method or methods will work best in a given situation.
People ask me all the time "whats your favorite method?"... The answer is whichever method or combination of methods will let me fix my cleints problem most efficiently and profitably. As this is good for both the customer and I. That said, pile lifting prior to HWE, followed by an OP machine with a good quality Encapsulation Product is in my opinion the best way to deal with extreme soils, and boiological filth.
-Tell us about your marketing material?
It's all stuff I use just sanitized... My information/message has been removed so you can put in yours with MS Office or Open Office. It's available for free down load on the Resource Page of EncapStore.com. Its not the slickest stuff ever but it works if you use it...
Actually, there is quite a bit of stuff on there to check out... The spread sheet is particularly helpful especially for people new to the industry or who may need help with bidding commercial work. Here is a link:
http://encapstore.com/BusinessResources.html
Also, if anyone has something they'd like to share that has been successful for them feel free to email it over to me at
j.sweetland@insightbb.com and I'll get it uploaded so others can use it too.
-What is your death row meal?
A venison ham wrapped in foil with 3-4 chopped taters, an onion a stick of butter, salt, pepper, some garlic & cilantro and a bit of water/beer. Bury that in the coals of a wood fire for an hour or so and check the temp. Once its cooked through its amazing. Give me a couple Rolling Rocks and some (garden fresh) green bean casserole & cornbread and you can fry me that night...
-Where do you shop for clothes?
Target or Walmart... Occasionaly the Goodwill.
-Who is your favorite industry guru?
Probably Jim Pemberton or Steve Toburen.
-and why?
Sincerity. They actually want to help cleaners and not just for the $. They're both genuinly good people.
