Perplexed, what would you do?

[BLewis]

We take care of a couple property management companies, one is owner/managers (they own about 250 properties) and we have been doing their work for almost a year. The 2nd is a property management company that joined our BNI group about 2 years ago and have grown from managing 70 units/houses now to over 250. I have always given the BNI group my "special" advertised rate AND include any and all spotting at that price. The owner/mgr group I give a better rate but charge extra for ANY spotting that does not come out with regular cleaning. Last winter season the BNI group slowed to almost a stand still and we were cleaning maybe 1-2 units each month during Nov dec Jan Feb. During the cleaning season it picks back up to a desent rate. This winter season the new O/management company is keeping us steady at 2-5 units per week. However the BNI management group has come to a complete stand still since Nov.

I have a good relationship with one of the partners in the BNI group and clean all of her personal investment properties for sure. I also seem to have a good relationship with the other partner and clean her house at no charge 1 or so times a year. I have ask the BNI member on various occasions if we have done AnYTHIng wrong what so ever and she always responds that we are the only company that they use. However I follow their listings on Facebook and recently saw pics of a rental that they were offering that most definitely had had the carpets cleaned. We have completed about 5k in WDR for them in the past 3 weeks but 0 carpet cleanings. While the o/m group we have probably cleand well over 30 units in past 6 weeks. I have even mentioned that "if" price was an issue due to property investors that they represent that I was open to set down and discuss.


Sorry I have been so winded on this but it has been weighing heavy on my mind the past several weeks.


your opinions appreciated.

 

[Russ T.]

Sometimes a tenant will have the unit cleaned by someone else without paying much attention to the PM policies. Is that a possibility?


The Clean Machine

 

[Chris A]

I have one like that right now too. Only about 60 units but we were doing one every couple weeks or so and havent done one in a few months. We stay in contact and they say everythings good so who knows?

 

[BLewis]

Maybe I'm just being paranoid. She says that they just don 't have a lot of turnover in the winter. I know the rental property availabilities are way different in these 2 markets.

 

[Russ T.]

We have one very large PM who I haven't heard from in a few weeks. Turnover around here slows WAY down in Winter.


The Clean Machine

 

[bob vawter]

i lost a PM group (HALF MY ANNUAL GROSS) because i wouldn't join the owners religious Wed nite prayer group.....
i worked for them for over 20 years......UGH!

 

[hogjowl]

Property management companies vacillate (sometimes hourly) between letting the renter choose the cleaner and dictating to the customer who they use. Each property manager can also have differing policies.

 

[boazcan]

I wouldn't sweat it. Should be more motivation to grab another or two like them. When one of them slows down it becomes a smaller blip on the radar.

I would rather have the WD work over carpet cleaning any day.

Keep on keeping on.


Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

 

[Mardie]

We have one very large PM who I haven't heard from in a few weeks. Turnover around here slows WAY down in Winter.


The Clean Machine

Its to dam cold nobody wants to move.

 

[kingjoelking]

Is it possible that your BNI PM is better at retaining renters? The PM in my BNI group keeps apologizing to us cuz she feels bad that people arnt moving out of her units. I just laugh and tell her she is doing her job right then and nothing to apologize about.

 

[hogjowl]

Anything is possible. It's also possible that it's not ironic that his trouble is coming from the one who has to talk to him every week.

 

[Shane Deubell]

I wouldn't sweat it either, people like options. You don't have an exclusive contract with her.

Sometimes we buy from jondon and sometimes from interlink....

 

[Jimmy L]

I agree with Mr. Shane "Disagree".

Don't sweat it.....it's winter..............always be on the hunt for better accounts so you can dump the one's you don't care for.
That way you'll only be doing work for the one's you love! Never let anyone dictate your business.

 

[Spurlington]

I hate when you give your all, bending over backwards, treating them like royalty - then someone comes along with a cheaper price and all of a sudden youre done .. most of my commercial experience has happened that way .. some have asked for a price reduction cause some clown came in and bid lower .. but where would that stop .. they may just go lower .. I hate working for pennies on the dollar ..

Or when an account gets a new property manager .. they want to be the hero and save the company some money so they threaten to cut you .. thats happened to us .. any time we get a commercial account - the count down begins .. it becomes a matter of time before its gone .. so rake in as much as you can while you have it .. and if possible, look at it as extra money so when you do lose it, it wont be such a hard hit ..

Dont take the loss too personal cause its usually just a business decision .. a way for the company to keep more of its money .. which makes sense most of the time .. unless they get a hack cleaner that will cost them more in the long run

 

[Bob Savage]

That's the way it goes. It could just be slow for them.

If you have been dropped, you will not find out why, you just get dropped, no warning, no phone call to explain why. It doesn't matter how good of a job you do for them, they all have their own reasons.

This has happened to us a few times over the years. We just move on.

This is also work that you have to discount (BNI), and sometimes do for free. It's not worth being concerned about.

 

[Art Kelley]

i lost a PM group (HALF MY ANNUAL GROSS) because i wouldn't join the owners religious Wed nite prayer group.....
i worked for them for over 20 years......UGH!

You should have just sucked it up, or inhaled it Bob.

View attachment 3787

 

[Spurlington]

You should have just sucked it up, or inhaled it Bob.

View attachment 3787

Its funny how some religious people feel the need to control other people .. how about you find your followers and leave everybody else alone .. Im not against what each religion believes in .. I just cant stand the religious people who think you should be controlled into their beliefs .. what kind of people are they .. you wont see me at a church recruiting people not to believe .. how about the guy on the corner with his book raised screaming biblical shit .. WTF .. youre scaring people ..

 

[hogjowl]

That's all people. Not just religious people. Religion is just the weapon of choice for some people.

 

[NobleCarpetCleaners]

I had to read yours twice cause all I saw the first time was "at no charge one or two times per year". You have to understand BNI is simple a revolving door of folks who a dredging for low hanging fruit. Doesn't matter if it's a prop management firm or a local Realtor who paints a big picture who they are, they are in fact in BNI because they are looking for new biz, meaning they LACK biz.

So, we as cleaners are typically looking for new biz as well, yes? But, and this is a big BUTT, don't be cleaning for free. Don't be firing up yer rig or gadgets to clean their dirt and DNA for free. Don't do that dude. Not for the rest of us, but for you as a business owner.

When you do work for prop managers and such it's certainly a game with very few rules. The people you are dealing with are part of a "bigger" picture that won't make any sense to vendors like you and I (or any others for that matter, painters, plumbers or handymen for that matter). Unless you have said or done something really stupid don't take anything about this personal in any way. Even after an established relationship with prop folks they too will disappoint you in many ways, most of the time because simple business of dynamics that you don't gots any control over.

So so, remember where you are, BNI. Full of folks who don't have enough cash flow. Saying and doing sh.. that gets "them" more cash flow. Stick to your guns and walk the walk. Be good and what you do and "charge" for it, always. I could give you more colorful examples of what I mean by charging for it but I think you know what I mean on this G rated board.

Good luck.

 

[BLewis]

The only reason I have stayed in the BNI group the last 2 years is this PM group. We have done about 10k per year with them and that makes it worth it, however we have never been through such a dry spell with them and it may be "as pointed out by someone" that this year it's just to darn cold to be moving!

 

[Able 1]

The only reason I have stayed in the BNI group the last 2 years is this PM group. We have done about 10k per year with them and that makes it worth it, however we have never been through such a dry spell with them and it may be "as pointed out by someone" that this year it's just to darn cold to be moving!

Have you referred alot of people to them? Maybe looking for someone that will?

 

[AshleyMckendree]

I took your customer :evil grin:


....

 

[GCCLee]

I agree with Mr. Shane "Disagree".

Don't sweat it.....it's winter..............always be on the hunt for better accounts so you can dump the one's you don't care for.
That way you'll only be doing work for the one's you love! Never let anyone dictate your business.

You must be Drunk!







"Quote of the Year"

 

[Able 1]

"Hey Keith,


We lost Mike L(prop manager) He is over at *****(I service ***) now, so I will be sending you our make readies from now on. I only have a few units to schedule for now, but get prepared….between April and August we will be averaging about 30+ turns each month!!!"

I never contact my people to ask "is everything OK" I just serve the hell out them.. It is good to get on a personal level with them also, and go in and shoot the shit every once and a while. No phone calls ever! Up-charging for spots is kind of a joke also if you ask me..

 

[steve_64]

i still do business with old BNI members. i havent been in the group for 4 years and they are now disbanded.
met my girlfriend through one of the members.

i agree, never work for free. and when a customers leaves me for someone else they have to pay me more to get me back. its proof im worth it imo.

id rather lose them over money than quality.

 

[BLewis]

"Hey Keith,


We lost Mike L(prop manager) He is over at *****(I service ***) now, so I will be sending you our make readies from now on. I only have a few units to schedule for now, but get prepared….between April and August we will be averaging about 30+ turns each month!!!"

I never contact my people to ask "is everything OK" I just serve the hell out them.. It is good to get on a personal level with them also, and go in and shoot the shit every once and a while. No phone calls ever! Up-charging for spots is kind of a joke also if you ask me..

Sooooo.. You don't charge extra for red dye removal, ink, or wax?

 

[dealtimeman]

We don't charge for wax and ink here and there but will charge for ink everywhere. Red we charge per spot.

 

[Spurlington]

Sooooo.. You don't charge extra for red dye removal, ink, or wax?

Yeeeeeeears ago when I did apt complexes, there was one that I did where rent musta included unlimited kool-aid because there were always numerous red stains .. most of the time red stain removal took longer than the actual cleaning (2 irons) .. can't imagine including that process on an already pennies on the dollar cleaning job .. (ok quarters on the dollar)

 

[Able 1]

Sooooo.. You don't charge extra for red dye removal, ink, or wax?

No, I don't charge more for it.. What is the reason for the charge? Chemical? If you have a helper it surly isn't time.. My prices are all based on average(I don't get them because I'm low BTW) some good some bad though I don't run into many red spots.

 

[Spurlington]

No, I don't charge more for it.. What is the reason for the charge? Chemical? If you have a helper it surly isn't time.. My prices are all based on average(I don't get them because I'm low BTW) some good some bad though I don't run into many red spots.

Key question in your statement (if you have a helper) I'm guessing most companies are 1 man per unit .. therefore time would cost money - which most aren't getting the money they would like to get to begin with

Adding extra for specialty stains which aren't the norm in most cases is a good way to recoup .. when it comes down to it, you've got them by the gonads at that point .. you either pay for the removal or replace the carpet ..

Or look at it like the hero removing the specialty stains receiving a well deserved reward .. saving the day when saving the carpet

The owners don't care about your survival needs .. they're looking at their bottom line ( which I get) so don't give it away ... cause the only way you'll get it back is through the rear entrance when they're done with you

If you display the added charge for removal in a way you're saving them money by way of preventing replacement, most will be happy to pay the extra

I would guess 99% of the carpet cleaners feel they deserve the extra .. some don't charge in fear of losing an account or bullied by the management ..