ok now what, no calls, no custy's, no $ coming in

[XTREME1]

alot of people missed the point especially John and then Wayne Miller. I get asked 1 out of 5 new calls if it is Steam Cleaning people want to make sure. Most people know steam cleaning thus working on a short budget it is tougher to educate 80-90% of the public the benefits of the different types. It is much easier promoting quality and the benefits you bring whether it is better detail or whatever it is. Your selling yourself most of the time and if people already know your method it is easier. I can not for the life of me see why some really intelligent people do not see this.

I didn't bash anyones method. Wayne if you read you should know I own the HOST method(liberator) I own a couple of spinners so I have a few methods that are available. I marketed all equally and I wound up getting new and better truckmounts.

 

[John G]

Because some are dumb like a fox.

 

[Out of Character - 0]

Exactly, who can pass on a another opportunity to argue.

John's the "dumb" fox right? Say it until it's true, say it until your blue, say it , say it , say it, and they'll buy from you.

 

[Wayne Miller]

Greg, what you said is, "I am guessing your not a HWE guy so the hill will be a higher climb."

I get your point and I didn't say you were bashing, I simply disagree. In my experience, it's not true. Period.

In fifteen years I never used more than one finger to count the number of people who turned us down because we didn't HWE. Even he was surprised "how well it cleans." When I found a situation that I determined required HWE I was only too happy to refer them to a friend. We didn't advertise method, we advertised benefits. The overwhelming majority of people didn't bring up method unless they were trying to avoid the repeat of a prior bad experience.

You can sell steam cleaning, you can sell VLM cleaning, you can sell any method you want, or you can sell clean carpet and a great experience in the process.

Don't make an issue of method and neither will your customers. What they want is clean carpet, a pleasant experience and an honest, reliable person to deal with. They want to feel good about it when it's done. It's great if you've got it, but you don't need a box truck, a monster mount and millions in marketing dollars to accomplish that. I certainly wouldn't discourage Steve by suggesting it's an uphill struggle just because he might not be a HWE guy.

Quite the contrary, most markets are dominated by steam cleaners. We carved out a niche and enjoyed very little competition. The fact we could accurately say, "dries in hours, not days," "no sticky, soapy residue," "no reappearing spots," and "your absolute delight GUARANTEED!" meant we didn't have to sound like the other hundred or so area carpet cleaners. I'm more than a little amazed HWE guys didn't advertise the same thing. We charged Red Board prices, did no water damage, worked only a few weekends a year and a couple nights a month, started work about 9am, was home most days by 5pm, and our numbers were in the same ballpark as yours.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea but it worked for us. Personally, it's all the same to me. It just happens, knowing nothing about the industry and lacking the funds in 1990 to buy into a ServiceMaster, my buddy and I went with Chem-Dry. By the time I left Chem-Dry I had a loyal customer base, a lucrative niche, and no reason to change. I'm cleaning part-time and changing careers in January. If I ever get back into cleaning full-time I'll probably get a truck mount and a glide, advertise dries in hours not days, no sticky, soapy residue, no reappearing spots, and your absolute delight GUARANTEED!.......with the added caveat of fewer dirty bonnets to wash at the end of the day and the ability to put my Hybrid hard surface tool to work.

So, in respect to your comment to Steve, "I am guessing your not a HWE guy so the hill will be a higher climb," I think your wrong. Just my 2¢.

 

[randy]

Greg, what you said is, "I am guessing your not a HWE guy so the hill will be a higher climb."

I get your point and I didn't say you were bashing, I simply disagree. In my experience, it's not true. Period.

In fifteen years I never used more than one finger to count the number of people who turned us down because we didn't HWE. Even he was surprised "how well it cleans." When I found a situation that I determined required HWE I was only too happy to refer them to a friend. We didn't advertise method, we advertised benefits. The overwhelming majority of people didn't bring up method unless they were trying to avoid the repeat of a prior bad experience.

You can sell steam cleaning, you can sell VLM cleaning, you can sell any method you want, or you can sell clean carpet and a great experience in the process.

Don't make an issue of method and neither will your customers. What they want is clean carpet, a pleasant experience and an honest, reliable person to deal with. They want to feel good about it when it's done. It's great if you've got it, but you don't need a box truck, a monster mount and millions in marketing dollars to accomplish that. I certainly wouldn't discourage Steve by suggesting it's an uphill struggle just because he might not be a HWE guy.

Quite the contrary, most markets are dominated by steam cleaners. We carved out a niche and enjoyed very little competition. The fact we could accurately say, "dries in hours, not days," "no sticky, soapy residue," "no reappearing spots," and "your absolute delight GUARANTEED!" meant we didn't have to sound like the other hundred or so area carpet cleaners. I'm more than a little amazed HWE guys didn't advertise the same thing. We charged Red Board prices, did no water damage, worked only a few weekends a year and a couple nights a month, started work about 9am, was home most days by 5pm, and our numbers were in the same ballpark as yours.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea but it worked for us. Personally, it's all the same to me. It just happens, knowing nothing about the industry and lacking the funds in 1990 to buy into a ServiceMaster, my buddy and I went with Chem-Dry. By the time I left Chem-Dry I had a loyal customer base, a lucrative niche, and no reason to change. I'm cleaning part-time and changing careers in January. If I ever get back into cleaning full-time I'll probably get a truck mount and a glide, advertise dries in hours not days, no sticky, soapy residue, no reappearing spots, and your absolute delight GUARANTEED!.......with the added caveat of fewer dirty bonnets to wash at the end of the day and the ability to put my Hybrid hard surface tool to work.

So, in respect to your comment to Steve, "I am guessing your not a HWE guy so the hill will be a higher climb," I think your wrong. Just my 2¢.

Wayne what do you know ? You have only been at this 15 years !
Greg Crowley the Empire builder has been cleaning 4 years, FULL TIME almost a year! He has it all figured out. The rest of us like you and John G and myself we are just slow learners. That's why we use VLM after 15-34 years in this business. Maybe Greg the know it all can hold a seminar for us. We could call it:
The MOST OBNOXIOUS self proclaimed expert tells all

Hey Mikey, how about another " hot seat" this one with Greg Crowley the six month expert telling us all how to do it.

Maybe he can tell us how to get a great website like his that says: Sorry this site has been disabled.
All kidding aside Crowley, you haven't been at this long enough to talk down to Wayne Miller. That's why NO ONE TAKES YOU SERIOUS AND QUICKLY CONCLUDES YOU JUST LIKE BEING AN ASS. If you keep this up it will get to the point where everyone just ignores your posts.

 

[Rex Tyus]

The rest of us like you and John G and myself we are just slow learners. That's why we use VLM after 15-34 years in this business

Don't be so hard on your self. It just takes longer for some. Hang in there. You can do it.

 

[Rex Tyus]

The term is "crazy like a fox". Dumb doesn't fit.

 

[randy]

The rest of us like you and John G and myself we are just slow learners. That's why we use VLM after 15-34 years in this business

Don't be so hard on your self. It just takes longer for some. Hang in there. You can do it.

I started out HWE only. Now we have both but 98% is VLM.

 

[Rex Tyus]

I only read a couple of post on this whole thread. I couldn't give a shit. I just think some of you guys take yourselves too seriously, and are offended way too easily. There are lots of smart ass comments I could say but I won't. Wasn't trying to start a fight this time. Just lighten the mood.


Peace on Earth and all that other stuff.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

How many have SCHOOLS to start cleaning in two weeks? First local primary and secondary schools, followed by university carpets during the winter break.


Hopefully won't have too much broken pipe work come in at the same time.

I agree with the "get out and talk" advice...there's no substitute.

Thanks,
Lee

 

[XTREME1]

sorry for telling people on a short budget and being new it might be tougher to promote a product that not everyone knows about. When I have 1 out 5 people making sure that I am not a spinner and people always make sure I am a steam cleaner and that the IICRC and CRI-SOA recommend HWE and the carpet manufacturers require it for warranties. I guess I am wrong. I guess it is easier to promote to promote rubbing the dirt around in the carpet. I guess it is much tougher to sell HWE. I am sorry Waynr , JG and anyone else who KNOWS how much easier it is to sell an unknown quantity rather than a universally known method.

I could build a hell of a business with spinners, I chose not to.
I guess you people always try to make it about method because you have a chip on your shoulders or you know your just inadequate

my website is a different address now, I am too busy to make the changes

 

[Ken Snow]

Greg~ me thinks you exagerate or the people in your neck of the woods are diff from ours.

We take between 1100-1300 in home cleaning orders per week and usually 2 or less will bring up anything about method. hey trust us to do the work and don't consider anything else, other than maybe getting the price and when we can come out. Some of this is surely do to them being repeats and already knowing we are going to be HWE'g but 20% asking how seems absurdly high when ours is less than 2 tenths of 1%.

Ken

 

[XTREME1]

20% of new customers in my area ask that question
Does anyone think, besides Wayne and Jg and Randy think it is just as easier to promote spinning vs steam cleaning? All I said was the hill is higher climb. I didn't say impossible, I didn't say that method sucks so it can't be done all I said is it will be a higher climb spinners have a few more things against them than traditional steam cleaning. That is all I said

 

[Lonewolf68]

I would like o thank everyone and the thoughts they have have posted to help a new guy out. For the record, I am HWE and I use a porty until the time is right to move up to a tm. I did not post my questions to start a HWE vs. VLM bashing. I just wanted some input from those who have been where I am now, New in the business and not quite sure how to get more business.
I have put a few thousand flyers in the neighborhoods I thought would be receptive but I have yet to get a job from any of them. Are some areas not receptive to flyers or is it the message the flyers present?
A few posts recommend getting out and talking to people. Do you mean introducing yourself, handing them a business card, and offering my services to them? Or is there more to it? I know this sounds as though I am clueless, but I want to know what some of you use that works.
Thanks again for any more advice and insight you may have.

Steve

 

[steve r]

i bid on a job and asked to give a demo, its my largest job yet. after getting permission from the board i did the demo. several weeks later i was contacted by the board and was told it was between me and another cleaner. hes hwe and has been doing it for a while and bid about half of what i bid. after a battle between the board members i got the job and did it yesterday with a 175.

for some method is important but anyone can be sold on any method.ive had some tell me they dont want hwe because the last guy soaked their carpet and was wet for two days yet i hwe after selling them me on the phone.

its hard to be confident when your just starting up but you need to be to sell anything. people want to trust you and they will if you instill confidence in yourself.

i kept my full time job for over a year and after landing some apt. complexes and monthly restaurants i quit but it was tough to do but i was determined to make this work. it helped that my wife went back to work but now shes unemployed again too. :shock:

just remember if no one knows you clean carpets no one will call. got to get the word out any way you can.

good luck its hard work

 

[steve r]

i dont like flyers myself. they work for some but i prefr going to small businesses and introducing myself. im selling me first not method. small newspaper ads are worthless. phone book works here but it takes a while for everyone to use the new one and they are price shopping.

if you start quoting jobs and not getting them your either overpriced for them or they dont trust you (confidence).

give me a call if you want to talk more ill tell you more of what works for me especially for newspaper ads.

269 362 7515

steve

carefree carpet cleaning

 

[XTREME1]

I have just finished talking with 3 different people concerning this thread and I can guarantee they are happy they talked to me. I have promoted my product well and am proud of it. I may not charge 35 cents a sq ft or 90 cents a sq ft but I make up for that in vauuming, protector and stairs. If anyone wants to know how I put it together so quick I will tell them I stole from everyone of you guys

 

[Rex Tyus]

Good info Greg. Don't sweat the negative post. I think it is just the time of the year. I once heard not getting enough sunshine can make one grumpy. For those Mikey Board members in the snow drift regions I suggest a tanning bed session a couple of times a week. 8) Does wonders for the outlook.

 

[Wayne Miller]

When people are passionate about what they do someone is bound to get their feelings hurt. As they say, life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. Don't worry about it, Steve. Debate is good.

What kind of neighborhoods are you targeting? Our preference is middle to upper middle class neighborhoods, mom's with kids and discretionary income. They have the interest and the money, price is typically a secondary concern.

We'd use direct mail instead of flyers and we'd build our mailing lists based on zipcode and home value. Even if you're hand-delivering, you can get a nice color 4 X 6 postcard fairly cheaply. It sticks in a door easier than a flyer and it's easier to work with. Just a thought.

Can you post your flyer? Look at the junk mail you get everyday. Compare it to what you're using. Does yours look professional? Homemade looking advertising is a quick turnoff. I'd suggest targeting women, talk up the benefits of your service, create warm fuzzies. Bill Yeadon said it best in a recent post,

-------------------------------------------

I think the hardest thing for men to understand is that we are not our market. We like to think of ourselves as logical, left brained thinking guys, which we are. Women tend to be better balanced between the 2 hemispheres and tend to look at the big picture taking in all details with all of their senses.

This doesn't mean that women are all emotional and men are Spock devotees. The simplest way to look at it is that the right brain is the picture while the left brain is the thousand words. We know that most of our customers will not read the thousand words but they will look at the picture.

The limbic system is the part of our brain that controls emotions and decides whether or not any information gets distributed to the rest of the brain.

You may have heard the saying "we buy on emotion and we justify with logic"

If marketing is to be effective it must be emotional. For people to take action, they have to care. In other words a picture of your truck does not make people care. Feelings inspire people to act.

We make people care by appealing to things that matter to them. We create empathy for specific individuals or ideas.

This is why a picture of your child, grandchild, puppy stops the woman who is looking through the Yellow Pages. Once you have her attention now you have to close the deal through good copy , a guarantee and testimonials with an offer that says why she should do it now.

Emotions get you the job and your cleaning skills and people skills justify the logic of why you.

So this was a long way of saying that yes you need a warm fuzzy.

-----------------------------------------------------

Since you've got some time on your hands, go knock on doors. You can hit a lot of commercial offices in a day's time. Go in uniform. Do it every day and it'll eventually start paying off. I'd leave a trifold brochure with a business card, sometimes a third-page insert and a coupon or postcard or both depending on what I had around. It's a numbers game. Just keep at it every day. Here's what we were using along with a business card over the summer, http://216.219.196.223/mc/mktg.htm. I'll send you copies if you're interested. Even the best material, though, is no substitute for a firm handshake and a one-on-one meeting with the decision maker. Try to at least find out who that is so you know who you're trying to chase down.

Just keep at it, do something. One of the biggest problems I see is someone doesn't know quite what to do, they're afraid of doing something wrong, so they do nothing. It's better to try the wrong thing and learn from it than it is to wait until you think you've got it all figured out and wind up sitting on it forever. Been there, done that.

 

[XTREME1]

I have deals with a lot of local area businesses. I have targeted a family audience. My local B&G Club has 996 members and most active, I strip and wax there floor 2-3 times a year and they pay me everyother time and right a donation slip everyother time and allow me to keep a 2x3 foot sign in there window. I clean the gymnastic studio in my town and my son gets free gymnastics for the year and I get my sign and business cards displayed there. I do that with 3 daycares that I clean monthly and give them 10% off to keep my sign in there window at the entrance. I have 6 Karate Studios that I clean and they don't get a special deal, they just like me but my sign and cards are in each one. I went to all the dry cleaners in the area and split the price of area rugs with them and people drop to those locations and I pick them up on Thursday and return them on Tuesday(I may move to a Thursday to Thursday home pick ups $10.00) The Ymca has my sign out front. I do alot in my community and I shake a lot of hands without being an ahole(like I am here). I do postcards, internet and radio(for my ego). I have many other things that I do but this thread is getting a little long with the VLM guys feelings getting hurt from me stating the, well you know. This sign is about 35 store fronts in the 100,000 person radius

 

[mohawk]

Greg,

If you dont mind I will be calling you to pick your brain, We have 2 retail stores to work out of and am very slow. as far as hwe goes its the method we use because all carpet manufacturers recommend that you clean carpets that way. we use mohawk floorcare essentials since we are a mohawk carpet dealer. and have had great results with it just need more work. anyway will be in touch.
Thanks
Tracy Dunlap