Hows that Green thing working for ya?

[Mikey P]

Has the Green trend run it course yet?

Are you seeing the movement die down in your area?
Or is it still picking up?

Did you have any success with YOUR "I'm Greener then the next guy" campaign?

Did your competitor?

What did you do to become Green aside from buying Axiom or Bac Out instead of Ultrapac or Odorcide?

Have you seen a return on the complete relabeling of your business or did you just pick up a few stinky hippies with uncleanable Hemp carpet?

Where you "Green" all along and never bought into the hype?

 

[Captain Morgan]

I'm new and I sort of fell for the "this is where the world is going" thing. I picked up a few "greener" items but not a lot, just enough to have some on hand so "if" someone requested Green Cleaning Products, I'd have them.

I mentioned "Green Products" on biz cards and other things... Have not received 1 call asking about them or request to use them. Quite surprized really, living in Maine. I think people like talking the talk of being Eco-conscious or Environmentally Friendly but when theirs no crowd around to hear them talk... they just want whatever cleans. My customers seem to be more concerned about price, but right now I don't cater to high end clients.. more lower-middle class. Maybe the higher end guys are seeing more?

 

[dylvargas]

I went green for health. I have not had any nosebleeds since going green. As soon as I add citrus or such I get blood in the nose again. I also have a different breathing issue when I add any other chems it seems. Have not marketed it as green. Poeple in Northern California (Sacramento) foothills area seem to like it and refer customers due to being green. I love the fact of not worrying about kids (crawlers) while using green products or dumping water in fields. Green also seems way cheaper which is a benefit and not my deciding factor.

 

[rhyde]

We don't provide green cleaning. When i get those calls i give'em Walt Bush's number I trust Walt to give the clients an authentic "green cleaning"

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Has the Green trend run it course yet

Not here, but I do see the green trend dying down in the coming years.

Did you have any success with YOUR "I'm Greener then the next guy" campaign?

I never took that angle, its kinda childish to try and be the most green company.

What did you do to become Green aside from buying Axiom or Bac Out instead of Ultrapac or Odorcide?

There are many shades of green, you can only be so green in this industry. Most of my handouts is printed on seeded paper, which always get positive feedback. But the paper I use is from bark in Nepal that uses fuel to ship it to california to be processed, using power and resources and sent through snail mail, which uses fuel till it gets to me. But if it means anything I recycle the plastic wrapping it came in. !gotcha!

Have you seen a return on the complete relabeling of your business or did you just pick up a few stinky hippies with uncleanable Hemp carpet?

A vast majority of my clients are housewifes with babies. Most of my work is referrals and use me for me and many probably dont care if im green.

Where you "Green" all along and never bought into the hype

With the cleaning products I use, I am and have been green. But I like to think of myself more as a business man more than a carpet cleaner that owns a business. In a capitalist country like ours there is nothing wrong with using trends to make money. I never lie to people, I offer a great service and people love the work I do. For me its mostly selling myself over the green cleaning. But the green cleaning does get you into different markets and no not the hippy type, its the mother type. I dont use fear tactics to get my customers like some do, I dont try and be the greenest I am just myself. There are alot of fake green companies here and its those type that I think will bite them in the ass.

If you are not offer the trend that is green cleaning than you really are not a smart business man because there is a market for it, you dont have to be 100% green but just offer the trend and you will make money off it. Of course differnt areas it might not be so big, but in the Seattle it is still a hugh market. I think we got another 5 years or so before the hype dies down, but there still will always be a market for it.

 

[Mikey P]

Do you think apartment and beach rental move outs care if you can gargle with the prespray?

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Do you think apartment and beach rental move outs care if you can gargle with the prespray?

I think the majority dont care or know better.

 

[leesenter]

Works great for me shiteatinggrin

 

[The Great Oz]

I think most people care that you care about how your products and procedure affect them. They care less about what your products do to someone else or the baby seals, and care not at all about whether you use recycled toilet paper to attain some mystical certification. When everyone says they're green, customers won't accept poorer cleaning with a green excuse.

Just like the overhype of "mold for money" that killed the mold remediation industry, the green hucksters are killing the marketing of green. Even though customers like a conscientious company, they're starting to see marketing green the way some people see marketing Christianity. Don't trust anyone that says, "trust me."

Zerorez made a splash by marketing empowered water cleaning, and telling people that other cleaners were killing them with detergents. Once people investigated and found they were being duped, they're less likely to fall for a similar spiel.

We let customers know that we were green before it was a fad, and would be considered green by today's standards even before most of the people marketing green were born.

 

[Bob Foster]

Well intentioned people and businesses are being greenwashed.

I expect that soon we will have a backlash from consumer watchdog and government regulatory organizations because of the abuse of the sometimes false and ambiguous green terminology companies are using to promote their products and services.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Well intentioned people and businesses are being greenwashed.

I expect that soon we will have a backlash from consumer watchdog and government regulatory organizations because of the abuse of the sometimes false and ambiguous green terminology companies are using to promote their products and services.

What really get me is the low mosture cleaners that say they are the greenest because they use less water, footprint yadda yadda yadda. But their not flushing the fibers and removing all the soil. I got 3-4 companies that say the same thing. I just did a customer that talked to one of those guys and they are telling people that we cause mold in the carpet, leave it wet for days and all the stains will come back. The basic chem dry lie. Yes I did clean their carpet with my TM that uses water....

 

[steve g]

I guess I am anti green, I see that movement as something that is trying to screw up the country I love, trying to transform it for political reasons, not to say I hate nature or wanna pollute it, far from it. I would say I enjoy nature and the outdoors far more than your average guy. but it gets to the point of being stupid. if a product happens to work better because its "green" then I will use it, but I resist my stand by chemicals being reformulated because of the green bullshit. to most people its all about feeling good and thats it.

 

[Bjorn]

this video is funny but it has many truths in it the schools are training the children to be green police.
little green Nazis

l]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq58zS4_jvMl]

 

[Fred Homan]

There is a local guy here in Minnesota with a Vortex that advertises chemical free cleaning.... :shock:

 

[Lee Stockwell]

After making the V payment he can't afford chemicals?

 

[Ryan]

Isn't H20 a chemical? :shock: He must have a beater bar installed on his wand, and just give the carpet a good vacuuming.

 

[Mikey P]

Zerorez made a splash by marketing empowered water cleaning, and telling people that other cleaners were killing them with detergents. Once people investigated and found they were being duped, they're less likely to fall for a similar spiel.

and now Zerorez just like Venturi before them, are on their way down the Big Tube.

 

[Padden McFadden]

"low mosture cleaners that say they are the greenest because they use less water, footprint yadda yadda yadda. But their not flushing the fibers and removing all the soil." -Brent


I don't discount some of your points Brent, but your not removing all the soil either. And if your telling your custys that you are then you are not telling the truth. I agree that allot of Low moisture cleaners don't remove much soil, and those that scrub n run in residential are not doing a good thing. But Not all low moisture cleaning is like that . If you paint them all with the same brush, then your doing the same thing as some of them do when they paint all steam cleaners with the same brush by saying "steam cleaning leads to mold"

As for the "green" thing...

I think there is a huge difference between "green" and using products that are "safe" for people. I focus on using safe products. Green can be very misleading and can mean anything. It's become a worthless term.

For example , One could say they're green because they give quotes over the phone, thus saving the earth by using less gas than those who drive out and give on site quotes. (Never mind the fact that they use toxic waist to clean with)

 

[leesenter]

I like the term "leading the eco-revolution"

 

[Grant D]

If I had it to do over I'd market focusing on Clean instead of Green, but it's too late now.

Luckily some good "green" products are out there. "Green" is a deceptive term, but when asked by the custy I just ask them what are they looking for? I can do odorless, I can do chemical free, or I can do the so-called "safe" or "green" chemicals. I can do low moisture, or I can flush the crap out of their carpet with my Steamin Demon. I simply match what I do to what the customer is looking for, not to hard to do really.

Of course I come across the occasional Hippie who's living room is a pet toilet and want no chemicals used, and no odors as it might set off their asthma. Hmmm, but you don't mind living in a house that reeks of dog piss? How's that working for your asthma?

By my way of looking at it Odorcide is a "green" product. Plant-based product and all that. But if people want no-odor it's not the one to use obviously.

 

[Padden McFadden]

Very good post Grant,
I have re-focused my marketing along the exact same lines. And am working on a new website . I had my self painted in to a corner before with pushing the green low moister thing to much.

BTW, A Funny thing... I've had the same kind of experience , a lady living in a crap hole with 8 dogs in the house, she wanted to make sure I was going to use non toxic cleaning products as she was worried about her health lol.

 

[Burtz]

just because something is plant based does not mean it's safe

Radon is organic

crude oil comes from plants

 

[Bob Foster]

Safe for your family and pets is a far better expression.

 

[Grant D]

just because something is plant based does not mean it's safe

Radon is organic

crude oil comes from plants

Last time I checked Odorcide wasn't made from Radon. That's what I was talking about.

I'm smart enough to see through labels and gimmicks, and like I said I try my best to match what my customers need and want to what I give them. Within those parameters I use the "safest" products I can to get the job done.

 

[gary mackay]

Green, Organic, Natural, Eco Friendly won't die! As long as Al Gore & his drones are out there pimping Global Warming/Climate Change making billions it will be a hot item, besides it's a global buzz word now that everyone is reeducated on.

Younger people have been indoctrinated on it & will pass it down to their kids. I'd like to get away from it but it sells more than anything for me. Here in California where queers were the first to come out of the closet in America and every other fruity trend, it is a hot item!

 

[joey895]

Green, Organic, Natural, Eco Friendly won't die! As long as Al Gore & his drones are out there pimping Global Warming/Climate Change making billions it will be a hot item, besides it's a global buzz word now that everyone is reeducated on.

Younger people have been indoctrinated on it & will pass it down to their kids. I'd like to get away from it but it sells more than anything for me. Here in California where queers were the first to come out of the closet in America and every other fruity trend, it is a hot item!

Not MY kids. I only wish I could be in the classroom when they are discussing political issues with their teachers.

But you are right it's going to be an uphill battle for a long time.

 

[Ron Werner]

I've simply told people that I use products that are as green as I can get without affecting their cleaning ability. Clean comes first.
I tell them I use cleaners that are safe enough for me to use them every day. They should then be safe enough to be used in your home once a year, and when rinsed out, there is minimal if any residues left behind.
Sometimes thats not good enough for them, so they go to someone else. Fine.


I still remember asking the Prochem chemist at Connections after a talk on how wonderful their new green line was, what the downside was. He simply said they don't clean as well. Now that was in 06 I believe. Hopefully they clean better now, but are they as "green"?

 

[Chris A]

Safe for your family and pets is a far better expression.

I agree, "green" is a fad. "Safe" will be always be popular, especially as long as their are obsessive mothers/pet owners.