I Really Don't Want To Screw This Up

[BLewis]

For the last couple if years ( like alot if folks here) I've had my share of tech turn over. So I let my 3rd shift helper go about a month ago and the other guy 2 weeks ago. I've been in contact with a guy I met in Louisville last summer while at Interlink. We've been in touch couple times a month for past 6 months. So I called him and offered him a position last week but told him not to give his notice until he had worked with me for a week. He accepted the trial offer and must have liked it real well since he went ahead and quit his other job. I gtd him 500 per week salary and told him we would come up with a plan for him to make more based on his up sells etc.

Some of the things I want to add are
-20% on Scotvhgard add ons
-15% of any upholstary, tile, pressure washing add ons
-10% of any new business he obtains
-flat $100 for any new monthly commercial contracts

I also pay a weeks vacation pay at the one year anniversary

This guy is definately the best I've encountered and has been trained well by previous cleaners (one of which I spoke to). He has experience in carpet, tile, upholstery, VCT and WDR, soooooo I don't want to lose him!

He has already opened the door for an opportunity on 265 rental town homes and I feel much more to come.

The first guy (I know it's still early) I've felt I can let go with and let him run his own truck.

your thoughts please...




-

 

[BLewis]

Just to add some other thoughts this business has been alot different than running restaurants where you had many more employees working for you, and you always had 1/2 dozen "go to people" that really did want to pick up any hours you could throw their way. In this business when an o/o has 1-2 techs I have found it to be much different. I found myself putting up with more crap than I ever would have as a unit manager because they somewhat are holding you hostage.

I just want to take a different approach and try to take them off the market by giving them an opportunity to make a real good income. Thanks Tom King for our conversation the other day.

 

[Royal Man]

If guaranteed $500 a week. I would start any extra pay over the base pay based on performance. That way if he has a bad or a slow week of cleaning you don't have to pay extra for Teflon sales etc... unless it exceeds x amount of base sales + sales commission total minimum.

 

[Ken Snow]

I agree with Dave if you are going with a salary of $500 a week. Consider putting him on straight commission (no salary or hourly). You can still guarantee him the $500 a week but if structured well and you have the volume this could be irrelevant. $1000-1500 a week would seem to be a good earnings level for a top tech with good up sells, plus benefits.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mikey P]

a helper on commission? how does that work?


or will he be a crew chief/ by himself or with a helper?

 

[Ken Snow]

Mike all of our people are on commission~ our Assistants are at a lower comm rate than the Specialists but are expected to learn and fill in as needed in that capacity and eventually become one as the opportunity presents itself. I assumed he was talk about a Specialist not an Assistant.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

The key is to create a great environment for someone to work and pay them well because your company is only as good as those that represent it.

For my helper I pay him 15%.. Really as a helper its hard to pay them good money and have them stick around for them to go out on their own in the future. Something I am putting into works is have him earn extra money on added on Uph cleaning. I am on the market for a small heated spotter machine that he will use to clean uph while I am doing the carpet.. so its like duel wanding without the second rig out. I am looking at adding on a lot of uph for him to do and figure that focus alone will pay for his salary alone. With the stuff we added on in the house I would pay him 25% to get extra cash because the base is low.

I also figure he can do the edging on the carpets as well that the 360i can't get too. I want to keep the job progress really high by having a killer system in place that makes it streamlined and easy to run.

 

[BLewis]

Mikey, I in this case I am not talking about a helper, but a lead tech or crew chief as you put it. I even like the sounds of the Specialists. He will be out on his own for now except on Whole House Cleanings. It will be nice in the summer cause I try to not start jobs before 10 am cuz we're out late at night.

 

[Mikey P]

Ken
So your guys go out and complete a $1500 day. $300 of which was in up sells..
How much does each guy make?

 

[Ken Snow]

No Mike, where did u come up with that?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Ken
So your guys go out and complete a $1500 day. $300 of which was in up sells..
How much does each guy make?

I worked at Stanley Steemer in the seattle area.. they pay their tech on commission.

Crew Chief: 15-17% depending on what your add on average was
Helper: 10-11% depending on add on average.

At SS they had their techs do 4-7 jobs a day and was quite common to have the van do over a grand a day. Back in 2004 I was the second best seller out of the whole company for the year, I easily added on $400-$1,000's a day in respectable fashion.. no high pressure or anything like that. It was the system SS had in place that helped with my sales, it was also the competition with other techs and the focus SS gave us by holding daily meetings and contests. So my goal this year is to recreate that..

 

[Mikey P]

No Mike, where did u come up with that?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

read my question again, the nail polish remover must be effecting your focus.

 

[Ken Snow]

I just re-read your post Mike- I read it wrong.

It would depend on the mix of things being done, time of day and day of the week. I can email you my commission matrix if you'd like or if you give me a more detailed mix of the dollars, including breaking out any evening or Saturday or Sunday I can give you the amount each made.

 

[Mikey P]

I'd be interested, thanks

 

[hogjowl]

Thanks for derailing Billy's thread, bucket head!

 

[Mikey P]

What do you care?

just pay your one and only future employee (your son) $20 an hour plus tips until he is ready and able to inherit the Mighty Admiralclean Empire.

 

[hogjowl]

I pay him straight commission.

But, he ends up making around $20 an hour on average.

Not bad for a college guy with all his bills paid by Daddy.

He was out on spring break this past week and worked with me all week.

I am going to miss his next week.

 

[rhino1]

I would urge you to slow down a bit. It's great that this guy has impressed you so much. I have felt the same way about a hire. Consider that alot of folks look great coming out of the gate, but after a month or two, when they are hitting a comfort zone, is usually when the warts start to show. If you load him up with a great comp. package from the start, what will you do to show your appreciation or to give raises when he has been with you for a while? Maybe consider not being so generous with the commission and doing a monthly bonus or bi-weekly bonus based on the sales and performance? You could pay out at your discretion the amount you think is deserved, and it is like a christmas present every month.

I have known guys that got a raise from $10/hr to $20/hr virtually overnight - sometimes it just means they can afford to stay home more often.

 

[Mikey P]

I agree.. slow down, how many times have you heard a land lord tell you how great they thought their new tenant was that eventually destroyed their unit?


Same thing. people are professional liars theses days with out even trying.

 

[BLewis]

Thanks Chris for the suggestions. All these thoughts aren't just starting because of this guy. I lost a real good tech last year because I was to slow putting something into place. So that's why I'm more apt to get "something" going here. I won't implement anything that can't be improved upon.
For example a $100 flat bonus for landing a commercial (restaurant) that will bring in between 2,500-4,000 a year. I'll do that all day long.

Besides anything above the 500 he has to sell and the office usually tries to pre-sell Scotchgard. I think I'll tell my wife she gets 15% of any Scotchgard she sells! Then as Steve T. Says the seed is planted and maybe he can sell that much more

 

[BLewis]

Lol Mike, actually been there done that also

 

[Joe Appleby]

Billy, paying a separate commission for add ons is a bookkeeping nightmare. You'll have to get the EXACT rooms and upholstery pieces during the phone order. Then you have to dissect each invoice. Try doing 15 or 20 invoices a day. Too many games can be played by techs manipulating what was and wasn't done to create higher commissions. We did it for years. Ill never go back. My advice would be one set commission for the entire job. You could add an hourly wage to that as we do. Giving a higher commission for new jobs sold is a fine idea.

 

[TomKing]

I would go with one flat commission for ad on services on site.

We also give the same commission for work that is booked later like tile jobs and wood. We teach our guys to get the customer on the phone with the office and set the appointment for later in the week. Works great.

We give our guys half of first month’s commercial billing.

We put the burden of putting your add on work on a weekly sheet. We have in our policy manual that false information on this form is falsifying company records and reason for immediate termination. We have yet to have a problem.