Have the Boards made you a Prima Donna?

[Mikey P]

What effect has your time online conversing with your fellow cleaners had on you and your business?

Marty posted a few times about how he raised his prices so high it nearly lost him all of his customers. I think a few FOJL folks had to hold an intervention and do a ICS reprogramming for six days before Mort got it through his head that a pink hatted goob from Bammy can't charge as much as a clean cut, well spoken west coaster like Loren Egland for example.

How about you?
Are you a cocky arrogant cleaning snob who tosses out words like "Non Ionic" or "Quaternary Ammonia" to impress Mrs Piftelton while you hand her the bill for $900 for her 1800 foot track home?

How do you think your customers really see you?
Are you like any other service personnel she deals with like the pool or window cleaner or are you overly romantic about your chosen career and that vacuum tattoo sort of creeps her out..?

 

[B&BGaryC]

I tend to educate the customers that don't want to be educated. Like the old ladies who just don't seem to care, and make comments like, "You guys and your gadgets....", "Well that's interesting, the other guy just cleaned it...."

Once I'm in the home, I'm selling the dang cleaning for my price. If the customer doesn't seem to care, and listening isn't working because they aren't saying anything, I find a way to involve them and explain things they don't want to hear, so they can learn how fantabulous my service is for such a little price....

It taught me to oversell my dry times. Sure, I can get a carpet bone dry in 20 minutes, but that's a builder grade nylon. If they have a polyester frieze, a very very very thick nylon frieze, an Olefin berber, etc... And it's in the basement and it's raining outside and the carpet is heavily soiled and they want protecter on it when I'm done, it's gonna be 2 hours before it dries, and then I look like a schmuck!

 

[Jay D]

I like the deer in the headlights look they give me when I eXplain stuff. :shock:

 

[hogjowl]

I remember one time, years ago, Frank Nehei (on ICS) was talking about the great things you can see with a carpet microscope and how seeing the soiling was so important for an educated cleaner. So, I went to Radio Shack, spent something like $110, I think, and bought one.

The very first time I used it on an inspection, the lady of the house rolled her eyes and started laughing at me. It was one of those moments of revelation. I suddenly realized that Frank had turned me into a carpet dick-head. Just like him and most of the other ICS guru's.

I've never used it since.

 

[Desk Jockey]

just because you gave up the microscope doesn't change who you are!

Dikhed!

 

[Jeff Madsen]

Yes - just like Marty I was one of those guys with tape in the middle of my glasses. Waxing rhapsodically about "advanced cleaning science" while my clients eyes glazed over. It's O.K. to pull that crap out once in a while - but not all the time. They just want it cleaned well by a happy hard working person they can trust who possesses a modicum of social skills.

 

[Jeremy]

Once a dick head always a dickhead...

 

[harryhides]

Marty's story has about as much credibility as the $110 price tag for a $8.00 item - you sure it wasn't a Telescope ??

Like any tool, there is a time and place to use a scope but if you show up in sandals, talk like your mouth is full of marbles.... I doubt there is ANY appropriate time to use this one.

What kind of moron doesn't realize that the cost of living and therefore, price structures are NOT the same everywhere ??
The boards are like a box of chocolates.

Good grief !!



ps, I've often wondered if Marty was an idiot savant but now it looks more like he's an IDIOT savant.
pps, Do you watch Judge Wapner EVERY afternoon ?

 

[Lyman]

I got greenies stair tool to save my back and then I get a 90 lb rotary that is killing my back. I can't win, but the carpets have never been cleaner. 52 phone calls last week, wow busyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

 

[Mikey P]

52??

How many trucks do you run ?

 

[Lyman]

Me and my butler are a one man show. I did 18 jobs this week, 17 set up for next week and 1/2 the following week full.

 

[Doug Cox]

Damn Mikey- I'm not working yet and I still get probably 52 calls a week. Maybe more.

 

[Mikey P]

We don't get 52 calls a week. We're too pricey. but we still do 15 to 20 jobs a week almost all year long.

Lets put it this way, how many jobs did you complete last year?
Last year we had 934 "bookings". Some of those are estimates, no charges and what nots.


In our climate a home owner can have their carpet cleaned at any point in the year.

 

[Jimmy L]

The women customers love me because I seldom wear underwear.



JEFF MADSEN YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A BRIDGEPOINT BRAINWASHED FREAK!

 

[Brian L]

I don't think you are supposed to wear underwear when you are wearing a kilt.

 

[Jeff Madsen]

Jimmy!

Stop fighting it and join the dark side. It might help with the lisp as well!

 

[steve r]

i only answer their questions no more. my work speaks for itself.just smile and give em what they want at a fair price.

 

[Lyman]

557 jobs last year with a bad december becauce of snow and hardly any work in jan,feb,march. This year I am up about 20%. If I could work year round, I would be mayor of smallville. We have 33000 people in our county.

 

[matt sheppard]

i think that if anything this board has pushed me to be a better CLEANER than i was before. you guys have a ton of knowledge to pass on and the criticisms of the pics i post point me in the direction i need to go. my wife broke me of my past habits of " over explaining " myself about what i do. yes, a little info and a clean shave sets me apart from 95% of the hacks in this area. apart from the great feedback my customers give me about the quality of my work , the three most frequent comments i get are

- i think the last guys that cleaned were hungover
- wow, you must be hot. would you like something to drink?
- i've never had another company vaccuum before they cleaned

i think it's hard to be too much of a prima donna when its 95 outside and your waste tank sloshes a bit and you almost pass out from the smell.