How are your carpet retailer referrals doing?

[Mikey P]

Mine have dropped off dramatically for the last year or so.

Lot less traffic through those stores for sure. Use to get the comments of "well Todd at Floors Etc said we should just clean it and not replace it, he said their is plenty of life left in it and siad you guys can do miracles..."



Now I believe the sales guys are telling "Oh mam, that carpet is at the end of it's life cycle and in a very unhygienic condition, time to replace I'm afraid.."


What are you guys seeing?



Thanks gawd for the Internets...

 

[Brian R]

I've lost the one flooring store here in TX (as far as I can tell)...they had to drop out of Letip...not sure they are doing too well.
I still get some from CA but not as many as usual.
Maybe that's a sign that the economy is doing well?
Instead of people just cleaning they are replacing.

Either way, it's still good for Carpet Cleaners. People will clean more often if the economy is doing well instead of waiting until they "have to".

I am thanking God for the internet as well.

 

[joe harper]

Pretty much the same....

However, most Flooring stores a moving the customer into "HARD SURFACE"...items... :wink:

The consumer has been ScAreD to death...by our own industry...

Dust mites,allergens,mold mildew,etc...etc... :roll:

Carpet prices have SOARED in the past 3 years..."Lack of Volume in sales"... :!:

This economy has FLOODED our industry with "LOW_ BALL" cleaners performing "SUB-STANDARD" work...This is pushing the consumer to HARD SURFACES...

Rental properties are ALSO moving toward hard surface....Realizing that their replacement
cost are easier to ABSORB...with partial repairs to the hard surface..Rather than TOTAL
replacement in carpeted dwellings... :!:

If you haven't diversified...YOU HAD BETTER..."Get Moving".... :!:

Even .."Without".. The poor economy.. :!: There has been "less & less" carpet installed
in NEW homes over the Last 10 years...The market in disappearing.... :shock:

The FUTURE of this Industry...will be VCT,HARDWOOD FLOORS,LAMINATE,CERAMIC TILE,
STONE & RUBBER FLOORING PRODUCTS.... :wink:


PS..MOVE FAST...The same HACKS..that have RUINED the carpet cleaning Business...Is
already "WHOREING" the tile cleaning BIZ....@.20 a sf.... :roll:


PSS YOUR SACRED.. "INTERNET"....is the BaByLon...that allows these HACK'S to EXIST.. :roll:

 

[tmdry]

I see the big retailers here now advertising carpet cleaning, they are doing it themselves. I had 2 retailers that I always sent them referrals, not once got anything from them. My local vac store manager told me he is going to do CC part time for some extra income. :roll:

...gotta love it.

 

[Mikey P]

Pretty much the same....

So what hard floors are you servicing Joe and what percentage is that of your income at this point?

 

[John Buxton]

2 of my 5 stores that used me have folded, the other 3 are struggling. Hard surfaces don't need the professional cleaning, or replacement that carpet does. I had hardwood floors in my last house and we were there 10 years never had to do anything but dust and light mop. I clean a few tile floors but they just don't need it every 6 months. 2 of my fellow cleaners have folded or taken part time jobs to make ends meet.

 

[joe harper]

I've lost the one flooring store here in TX (as far as I can tell)...they had to drop out of Letip...not sure they are doing too well.
I still get some from CA but not as many as usual.
Maybe that's a sign that the economy is doing well?
Instead of people just cleaning they are replacing.

Either way, it's still good for Carpet Cleaners. People will clean more often if the economy is doing well instead of waiting until they "have to".

I am thanking God for the internet as well.

YOU JUST dOn'T GEtIT....


"You are the "NICKLE"...that keeps an honest man from making a "DOLLAR"... :!:

Your type of IntErNeT business....is NOT helping our TRADE...it is destroying IT...

In your EFFORT ...to NOT ..do the WORK... :!: :!:

You are PROPPING up companies the would NORMALLY fail...
You are just PROLONGING the ENEIVITABLE....

While you Taut ...yourself as an marketer...You are just PREYING on the helpless..

You are able to RUN your "ShEll GaMe"...from a dark basement...you call the worldwide WEB..!

You remind me of a pReAcHer..Who will console & advise a family as they STRUGGLE to feed their family...Only to TAKE their last $5.00 in your SHAMEFUL COFFER... :shock:

GET a REAL JOB......"and let NATURE take it's COURSE.. :idea:

It amazes me that a TOTAL FAILURE in this BIZ...Can give ADVICE to the multitudes... :roll:


This has been a moment with..HARPER... :mrgreen:

Ezcuse me while I take ANOTHER..."mIdol"

 

[joe harper]

Pretty much the same....

So what hard floors are you servicing Joe and what percentage is that of your income at this point?

Mike..

It ends up being HIGHER % of gross sales...because of the higher price per sf.."$1.50 min"..

We do NO screen & recoat...We simply clean & polish... :wink:

Our BEST refferal for this work is "ORANGE GLOW"...it leaves a StiCkY residue..so that
the homeowner ....CANNOT remove the HAZE....

We NOW do about 50/50..wood & tile...That is a HUGE increase from LAST year... :!:

The PROFIT margin on wood ...Is better than 10 to1....over carpet cleaning... :shock:

 

[joe harper]

Jeeeeez...mArY.. :?

Are you GOOGLEing for a rEsPonSe.. :mrgreen:

 

[The Great Oz]

Edge binding is picking up, which shows the retailers are starting to sell carpet again, so referrals for cleaning should pick up as well. Other high-end referral sources aren't finding much work though.

A common thread with a lot of affluent customers is that instead of taking advantage of a soft economy to get things done, they're making a political statement by saying they'll be sitting on their wallets until late 2012.

 

[hogjowl]

I only have one that gives me his referrals. He's the big dog in my little city. One of the largest flooring retailers in Montgomery is running an actual TV commercial were they say carpet is bad for you ... mold, allergies, etc., ... and they are pushing wood flooring and tile.

 

[Royal Man]

Why just depend on Carpet Dealers when there are many other referral sources that you can tap into?

 

[rhino1]

carpet stores here are dying off one by one....

 

[FB7777]

Why just depend on Carpet Dealers when there are many other referral sources that you can tap into?

will you give it a rest Brokum?


nobody has spoken up about your hair-brained money fleecing gimmick for $500


and you're still rotting on the end of a wand after nearly 30 years on the truck


you'd think yore wOnDeR pRogRam would have scored you a helper by now :roll:

 

[Mikey P]

So Fred..


Do you have ANY friends in real life?

 

[Mikey P]

Cork, I'm gonna have to agree with Joe on this.


Guys with no biz or personal skills (KP) would just die off in this economy.

With your gracious 50% hand out you're just delaying the inevitable.

 

[FB7777]

So Fred..


Do you have ANY friends in real life?

depends on your definition... at last count its about 5


but for some reason when we throw a party, a hundred or so free loaders show up, eat my food and trash my yard...

the 6 of us clean it up

 

[ACE]

I am still getting a ton of referrals from one retailer. She actually has her customers best instruct at heart and doesn’t push cheap Polyester or expensive cork flooring just to turn a buck. She has her customer’s full respect and trust. Her referrals are sold gold.

 

[Joel D]

they are struggling here but getting a little better

there is still miles of carpet everywhere. hard surface is expensive and cold in winter

during the winter i installed about 80 yards of carpet over gorgeous new hardwood floors. Her dog didnt like the hardwood.

 

[Bill Soukoreff]

Carpet is not going anywhere. We have been through these cycles before. The current trend toward hard surface is good for quality minded service providers who choose to specialize. The carpet homeowners choose to compliment the hard surfaces is usually a higher quality and they want it looked after. Wall-to-wall wool is gaining market share. Area rugs also yield much higher profit margins.

Larger high volume companies do need to diversify and become a one stop, do it all home service company. But there will always be a place for higher end textile only cleaning. The big companies around here now do snow removal, landscaping, christmas lights, window cleaning, tile cleaning, stripping and waxing...

More and more, we will have to decide to either do it all and do it big OR keep it small. If you choose the latter, don't be afraid to specialize.

 

[Royal Man]

[quote="Dave Yoakum":3nj9g3dr]Why just depend on Carpet Dealers when there are many other referral sources that you can tap into?

will you give it a rest Brokum?


nobody has spoken up about your hair-brained money fleecing gimmick for $500


and you're still rotting on the end of a wand after nearly 30 years on the truck


you'd think yore wOnDeR pRogRam would have scored you a helper by now :roll:[/quote:3nj9g3dr]


Getting a negative comment from Fred puts me in good company.

I must be doing something right!!

 

[ACE]

I think the big box stores offering $9.00 installs are hurting the mom and pop retailers.

 

[randy]

I think the big box stores offering $9.00 installs are hurting the mom and pop retailers.

That's what I'm seeing, tons of independent carpet retailers disappearing. Here Home Depot has FREE installation. The mom & pops can't compete with that and are going out. I have also seen a bunch of cleaners disappear over the last two years. I would guess maybe 35% of our competition is DOA. Many other 4-6 truck operations are now a 1-2 truck operations and have taken huge hits selling off unneeded assets in a really soft market.

We will see a bunch of suppliers & manufacturers go under next. Why buy new with so much quality used stuff out there for 40-60% off. It will be years before truck mount sales recover, and then it will be much smaller units.

 

[Mikey P]

How much ammunition do you have stock piled Randy?

 

[randy]

5,000 rounds 9mm
20,000 rounds of 22
2000 rounds of .40
3000 rounds of 556
300 rounds for the twelve gage (need more, great for rioters)

1000 gallons of pure well water

Enough food for 60 days, then I'm on a 40 day inspiration fast to write the Illustrated survival guide for carpet cleaners.
Chapter 1 Killing the zombie cleaner
Chapter 2 Bomb making with Ultra pak & Flex
Chapter 3 Scavenging for food in dumpsters & hotel buffets (when you aren't a guest).
Includes demonstration video staring the country's leading free buffet crasher, Ken Harris.
Chapter 4 A cleaners Guide to vandalism, what you show know about nuclear waste.
Chapter 5 Turning a waste tank into a IED
Chapter 6 Living without MB in the New World Order
Chapter 7 Eight Guaranteed Suicidal remedies to depression

Special features: Blue prints for CRI HQ , IICRC HQ
Maps of Nuclear reactors close to the above

 

[Mikey P]

You forgot the book you just finalized about how to be a lifer in a penitentiary for terrorism while spending your days on your contraband lap top pretending to be a know it all carpet cleaner on the Web for shits and grins.