any cleaners out there selling supplies on the side?

[juniorc82]

I have been giving some thought to selling some light cleaning supplies as an upsell. Mostly private labeled spotters and deodorizer to carpet cleaning customers and maybe neutral cleaner to my hard surface clients. I always get asked by clients what they should use for this and that and I thought it might be a good opportunity plus I have been flirting with the idea of opening a supply house some day. Any advice?

 

[cleann4kids]

You know how to make a million dollars in the supply business?


Start with $5 mill

 

[Desk Jockey]

Been there done that, I wouldn't recommend it.

Unless you become a major supplier, you can make more in the cleaning business.

 

[Steve Toburen]

I have been giving some thought to selling some light cleaning supplies as an upsell. Mostly private labeled spotters and deodorizer to carpet cleaning customers and maybe neutral cleaner to my hard surface clients.

We did the "yankee peddler" approach for several years- offering everything under the sun to home owners. But when I honestly put the pencil to it I found we lost more in "spoilage" for stuff getting banged up in the van than we made in profit. Plus it turned off customers and distracted them from the big money makers for us- carpet protector and "Stay Beautiful" residential maintenance plans.

In fact, here is a post from MikeysBlog on the downside of offering too much stuff: http://mikeysboard.com/2012/03/06/top-t ... ling-less/

Steve

PS Before any of you drama queens get your panties all in a bunch because I work for Jon-Don a) my job has nothing to do with equipment or chemical sales (I don't even know what we carry any more) and b) we stopped selling all the trinkets and chemicals in my company years before I even heard about some company called "Jon-Don" AND before Nick and John even opened for business. (Which makes me feel really, really old.)

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I give away some products, but don't sell any.

In Kentucky the sales tax people require much more paperwork if I sell any product. I occasionally work in TN, IL, and MO, and I don't want to get THEM started either.

 

[handdi]

Interlink home pro spotter program it's great

 

[renegade_cowboy]

I give my private label spotter Kabluey away for free... I was thinking of including a gallon of pet treatment in with a cleaning package