ronald pantelas said:
Jim, Its nice to see how you go out of your way to help others. Was the
Vortex your first truckmount? What do you think the number one reason for failure is, in this industry? If you had 100 bucks a month to advertise with. Where would you spend that money? Why to the bulk of us cling on to all the certifications, like it means something. To me its just a donation to a charity. Oh hire me I am a master,master,master cleaner. Yes hire me did I tell you I am a master cleaner working out of this 92 caravan. How do you feel about the training? Where do you see the industry in 2 years? Thanks, Ron
my first truck mount was a
cds 4.8....it was a nice machine but as I grew I did not like the limited space for carrying things...hooking up a hose for water to the homes and having to dump every 2 to 3 jobs was a waste of time....I got to the point where I maxed out the van and could not keep up..I was going to buy another and hire someone which was not the road I was ready for and did not want to go down...I found the
Vortex I have now for about the same price as a new
cds and van and it is able to do what I want it to and not have to hire anyone yet.....
IMO the number one failure for people in this industry is while trying to build there company they are out there low balling everything they can thinking they are making money and in most cases they are only working to here there equipment run and have no idea how much it is costing them....and they are so worried about what the competition is doing they lose focus on there own company...
for $100 a month I would focus on my client base to advertise to...It is much easier for a large group of people that already know and trust you to be a cheerleader then trying to market to people who have never even heard of you.... the free lap top was one of our biggest..we gained a lot of new clients from it and have already gotten new clients from them...If you are new and do not have a client base then it is just hit and miss until you start finding a way to build a client list...when we first started we had a small hand full of post cards that helped get our foot in the door...free protector...free 90 day touch ups to the reality market for homes they had on the market... were just a few...
Training and certifications are important but for the basic's only...you don't want to walk into something blind ...I took a water damage/mold class and got certified in it and I don't even offer that type of service...I took it mainly so I know what to look for and the basic's have help me a few times....I also carry carpet and UPH...but my best training was from other cleaners from the boards and from that I work with here in town...when I first started doing UPH I hired a friend of mine to come to my home and clean my microfiber couch....now I can go out and clean them with no hesitation at all....best training there is...I really don't think that the master ..master ..master cleaners are any better at what we do then anyone else...I know a few here in town and I would never hire them...
I don't see to many changes in the industry as a whole coming to soon.....I think the chemical cost have gotten out of hand and a few are going to price them self's out of the industry before it is all over with as more and more learn how to get out of there comfort zone and shop around.....
