How do you leave your lasting impression?

[Mikey P]

First time customers..
If the carpet has been cleaned before I'll flat out ask why they didn't call the last guy back..
Today's response was "They just did a sloppy job, the first two times they were fine but the last visit...no way"
They found us online, read all the reviews, saw that we won Best Of and that we're just down the street a mile or two.
Retired Military, travelers, fisherman, golfer, been all over the world and chose here to live.
After 30 minutes of chatting I asked if I could use their Kirby to hit a few spots that they missed. (they read my prep letter and had EVERYTHING moved.) I told them that we use Kirbys in our other location but it's been a while.. Knock your self out! he says..
Right away I can tell the belt is stretched out and a quick bag pinch shows the thing is ready to bust open. Fuller than full. With both of them standing there wide eyed and taking notes, I go over how the whole design works, I take the head apart and show him the belt latching mechanism while she rummages around in her office for the spare belt that came with the unit 5 years ago. I go on about $5 Hepa bags vs .99 paper bags, Amazon, Dysons, Sharks and so forth.
I could tell he was embarrassed for neglecting the machine so I laid low and told a few stories of units that I've found with missing belts, missing brush rolls, missing bags and so on..
When I grabbed my Royal he wanted to come in and try it and see how it's belt attached.
Then the subject of home grown tomatoes comes up, another 20 minutes and a tour of the garden.
Kids..
Fishing holes..
The wonderful benefit of track homes..
I still can't believe I let that damn bag get so full..
God's green valley..
Golfing in 80mph winds..
and so on..
Minutes later he comes out to the the van and asks if things ever change in my industry. I show him the 360i, the CRB, the Hoover PortaPower just for kicks and the SS Pro. He got it, I was a Nerd.
As I'm scrubbing the prespray in with the 10/9, she sticks her head in and asks "what the heck is that?" "Mrs Brodsky, would you shampoo your hair with out scrubbing it in? She winks at me.
I hear her tell Mr Brodsky, "those other guys never did that"...
I'm putting away the CRB and out he comes again to ask if I can clean "chase lounges", he means the two Lazy Boys they live in so I played along and went in and took a look. They were out back planting this years crop of Oxhearts and Brandywines when I startled her and yelled out 'Sure thing Mrs Brodsky I can clean the two Chases, $45 each OK?" She looks at him and says, "whats he talking about". "Just let him clean them dear" as he nudges her...
Not even a pip or a funny look when I had to spend 40 minutes on the phone helping my kid fix the broken Vortex.
I got a cup of fresh coffee, offered two Stella Artois', a promise to come and get as many tomatahs as I want come August, a hell of a hand shake and a $45 tip..
and a promise to tell all their friends, and they have plenty..
I'm new here and I have time to do the best marketing ever. Being social...
Which will produce for more good will and eventual income than 20,000 well formulated EDDM cards could ever hope to...

 

[hogjowl]

Thanks for not posting a video

 

[Desk Jockey]

We will kill you with the 20k EDDM's.

You are building relationships. Those are tight bonds that are hard to compare to.

Of course my personality would have tossed you out of my house. I gots shit to do.

"Here kid heres $5.00, go buy yourself a cup of coffee...just get the fook outta HERE!"

 

[Jim Pemberton]

I enjoyed the story Mike

A few thoughts:

1. Inspecting the vacuum cleaner is a terrific idea. My father had that as a part of what this technicians had to do when we had a cleaning company. It was a great ice breaker and a refreshing change from people being chased around the home to hear about the miracles of protector and other add ons. (Though add ons came more readily anyway, because of the trust bond that the inspection and adjustments created)

2. Even though you were called because the last job from the "other guy" was inadequate, it seems what made the job good in their eyes was measurable service steps and a personal connection, not how much dirt was actually removed from the carpet. Other than the carpet looking clean (or not), people judge us more by what they can see us do that is measurable.

3. Weren't you going to Nevada to retire, and maybe clean some carpet on the side, once in a while?

 

[Mark Saiger]

3. Weren't you going to Nevada to retire, and maybe clean some carpet on the side, once in a while?

Old habits...hard to break

 

[steve_64]

So, I thought we were going to hear about another stinky bathroom.

 

[hogjowl]

Mike enjoys it. It's hard to quit when you enjoy it.

Although, I think his personality could benefit from a nap.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Mike enjoys it. It's hard to quit when you enjoy it.

You might not be surprised then to know how many carpet cleaners who sold their businesses in their 40's or early 50's come back to me a few years later to get set up to do it all over again, often in the area they moved to for retirement.

 

[Mikey P]

Mike enjoys it. It's hard to quit when you enjoy it.

Although, I think his personality could benefit from a nap.

I get one or two a year in, I'm good.

Took today off to do my MB Billings
Tomorrow I'm on The Lake
Sunday afternoon I'll be back at the Community Center shaking my groove thing
At the military base Monday to Thursday
In Scruz on Friday to train the new guy but by then he should know it all so I'm probably waisting my time...

 

[Old Coastie]

...and not a word about how good the fishing is on the Coosa River.

 

[BIG WOOD]

The only reason I don't offer "vacuum inspection" is because I'm worried they'll pull out their neglected $85 walmart bagless vacuum full of crap that I'll have to dump out and clean the filter on it, breathing that crap.

 

[hogjowl]

I don't fish

 

[PrimaDonna]

You might not be surprised then to know how many carpet cleaners who sold their businesses in their 40's or early 50's come back to me a few years later to get set up to do it all over again, often in the area they moved to for retirement.

@Bob Pruitt

 

[PrimaDonna]

Awesome story, Mike!

That's the ONLY way to do it.....as far as I'm concerned.

Diamond standard.

 

[Mikey P]

We will kill you with the 20k EDDM's.

You are building relationships. Those are tight bonds that are hard to compare to.

Of course my personality would have tossed you out of my house. I gots shit to do.

"Here kid heres $5.00, go buy yourself a cup of coffee...just get the fook outta HERE!"

naw, I would have become your best pal once I caught wind that you were riding around in cut off Levis on a $99 mountain bike..

 

[Desk Jockey]

I don't fish

Only for suckers.

 

[Desk Jockey]

naw, I would have become your best pal once I caught wind that you were riding around in cut off Levis on a $99 mountain bike..

Dude! You'd be my best pal....just cause you have all the cool toys!

 

[Old Coastie]

Get a room

 

[Cleanworks]

Dude! You'd be my best pal....just cause you have all the cool toys!

And cowboy boots

 

[SamIam]

You might not be surprised then to know how many carpet cleaners who sold their businesses in their 40's or early 50's come back to me a few years later to get set up to do it all over again, often in the area they moved to for retirement.

Cough cough @Bob Pruitt cough

 

[SamIam]

I did two patches today, and they pulled a do it your self patch in a doorway entry,

Double side bug tape holding in a crappy piece of carpet, and then they glued the other side of carpet about 4 inches across straight to the pad.

That was fun to straighten out.

In the living room an older patch was coming up, so I pulled back the carpet and it was loaded with pack out soil.

I said you need a Shark.

Oh we have one in the garage it's broke. It's the purple one, I did offer to look at it but she never pulled it out.

I used my Shark
Professional pulling out reems of dry dirt.

I just wanted the carpet to have enough play in it to patch.

They were impressed with all the dirt my Shark got up and the patch, promising to call to have my match the patch with the rest of the dirty carpet.

I did try and talk her into calling the broke dick landlord to get it fixed. But the glue patch area was they're cats doing and they said the landlord was cheap.

 

[steve_64]

Hey Mike, do you prescrub every job now? What do you say when you go back and don't need prescrubbing.

 

[SamIam]

Ya what up if it's clean bro?

 

[Mikey P]

Hey Mike, do you prescrub every job now? What do you say when you go back and don't need prescrubbing.

I'd say about 15% of what I see here in Nevada does not need scrubbing.
Let's say about 45% get a CRB'n..
And the other 40 gets the 360i


In Scruz I'd say 60% get just the wand
30% get scrubbed
10% gets RE

 

[steve_64]

I know I don't need to tell you but we should be careful of overselling a method.

When I prescrub I try and explain it needing restoration cleaning hence the extra charges. So then when I come back and they took good care of it the cost is a little lower and I'm not spending as much time on it.

If you prescrubed just to impress then you're committed to it right? Whether it needs it or not result wise.

 

[Mikey P]

We don't scrub impress, no....lol

 

[ID10t]

It just seems like a coin toss sometimes to not do it. Have some condos that are pre-vacuumed and used the crb with renovators and the amount of stuff I pull out is amazing. Jaw dropping infact...

Probally my favorite part of the job is checking the renovators on what appears to be clean carpet.

But I do scrub to impress as well. Even in vacant units by myself.

 

[hogjowl]

Over-sell a method?

Who ... MIKE?

 

[ID10t]

Shortened version: you never know what you will pull out of CRB trays on what appears to be "clean" carpet.

 

[Mikey P]

Over-sell a method?

Who ... MIKE?

Don't blame me.

I didn't create your confusion..