I have the 1.5 truck blues

TomKing

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Joined
Sep 18, 2012
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1,125
Location
Indianapolis
Name
Tom
Jon
I would focus on two areas.
1. Your management of your employees

Do you have job descriptions?

Do you have a employee hand book?

Why would some one want to work for you if they have to work every weekend? I wouldn't, sell better accounts so you do not have to.

Do you meet with your employees in a set meeting or manage on the fly?

Are you training for everyone to be able to go solo?

2. Start selling a commercial route.

This will be your second full time truck quicker than residential. Have one of your employees swing shift. Monday Tuesday night, Wednesday off Thursday Friday Days. It gives you the two half trucks you need when you are growing. Pay this man 40 solid no matter what. You are making an investment in your future.

Pick one day a week when you are not on the truck and do nothing but sell commercial no matter what. Don't be lazy push hard every time you take this day.

Hire a full time CSR.
Have her do 3 things, inbound booking/sales, outbound cold calling and appointment setting for your sales day, Manage your marketing system. Meet with her weekly to set goals.

All this means that every Sunday night you will sitting down planning your meetings with your employees so you will have the most effective team. you will have 3 weekly meetings. If you want to grow you must do this. People want to know they are apart of building something, not helping some guy make a good living while they struggle.

The old saying Speed of the leader Speed of the Team.

You need to be the hardest worker not on the truck but on the business. I am coaching one of my techs and he is having a hard time separating the idea that working hard does not make you a leader. Working hard is the baseline for everyone. Leadership skills in the area of organization, focus on profitability and communication skills are what make you a leader to name a few.

If your employees see you working on this stuff it will make them believe they are apart of building a great company not working for some guy who owns a carpet cleaning truck.
 

floorguy

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Joined
Nov 7, 2006
Messages
6,948
Location
Utah
Name
Doug
out here in mormon country, there are quiet a few tat workers in various fields.....

its how they dress that separates the criminal looking from the guy who just likes ink....and you can see it in EVERYTHING about them.....the tats have nothing to do with it...

as for me I am getting into the same quandary.... kinda nice, but getting kind of scary...

mine is opposite....they run the tool/wand, and I pull hose and set up, and spray.....that way its done MY way....

and I am going to soon have to "tap" a new line of worker, rather then someone i know, i would dare say....which freaks me right out.....more so because I am a control freak...

and KEEP THAT FOOKING EXTRA VAN IF ITS PAID FOR!!!!!!

Just ask Tim M about what happens when something funky comes up.....he went a whole month with no machine....
 
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Russ T.

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Sep 26, 2008
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3,556
Location
Slater, IA
Name
Russ Terhaar
Guys, the van is paid for but winter is coming and I just financed a used Cleanco. I dont regret the purchase at all. Im about to spend @ 3 grand on a wrap to go on it. I think im a PTO guy now. The thing is so easy....and hot (even at high flow)....suction is killer too. My business will probably double in sales from last year and my small Chemtex Panther was starting to slow me down. Im seriously considering selling the young Panther (<900 hours) with Chevy 1500 van for a couple reasons. I dont have room for 2 vans right now. My 2 car garage is overflowing with stuff the more my biz grows. We may move next Spring. The capital could help me pay down some debt and prepare us for the move in the Spring. I really need 2 vans by then so id be on the hunt for another gently used PTO (Butler, Cleanco?). Or I suppose I could winterize the Chemtex and pay to store it somewhere. I would probably use it some while tag teaming bigger commercial jobs (but now i I have a Cimex too!). I never knew owning my own cleaning biz would be such an adventure :-)

Russ
 

Desk Jockey

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Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Messages
64,833
Location
A planet far far away
Name
Rico Suave
You could put the unit out and just store it in the garage. Still winterize it but you wouldn't have the storage issue since the van could sit out. Direct drive it much easier but let the slide in earn you that money for it's replacement.
 
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