She wanted free fries with her burger

[John Watson]

Got a call last week from a price shopper, (Her husband is a very prominent Doctor here in the valley) Are you running any specials?

Yes we have sent a special out to our previous clients.

Well I didn't get one!

I'm sorry, have we cleaned for you before??

You must have, I swear I have called every cleaner in the phone book at one time or another..

Let me check our records, Your Last name and address please,

Oh, It would have been years ago.

I have records here at my finger tips for 90% of the clients we have worked for since 1972.

Oh, Ok it's ----------------- and my adress is ----------------.

I'm sorry, but I don't show any thing at that address. I show doing your neighbors on both sides of you though. We have 4 clients with your same last name, but at different addresses. Do you know or are you related to any of these people--?

Yes, our daughter in law was ------, But they divorced and moved out of the area.

I guess so, I see we haven't cleaned for them in about 10 years. They are also a "Do not send" on our currant mailing list.

May I ask you a question or two??

OK

Why have you called so many different cleaners???

The spots just keep coming back!!!!! They don't do very good work..

Well, if we had cleaned for you and the same spots came back so would we!!!

Oh, How much to do a 15X20 room??

A sight unseen guesstimate would be aprox. $150

Oh my you are expensive!!! I have never paid over $100

Not really mam, we totaly gauarantee our work and do the necessary steps to make sure your spots don't come back. If they do, so do we and if that still doesn't satisfy you, We will refund you money...

Oh, Ok Can you came at 1PM on Thursday?

Yes mam, we could be there between 1 and 2 on Thurs. Will that be ok??

Yes, and I don't get a discount???

Next time you will be on our mailing list and recieve our specials...

Humf, ok.

7:30 am Thursday phone rings, John this is Mrs-------- I have an appointment today at 1 oclock.. If you have a cancelation and want to come early I will be home all morning and need to leave about 2pm.

We do have another apointment before you and if we finish sooner we will come right over..

Ok, How long will you be here?

The size room you gave me will take Helen and I approx 30-60 minutes.

OK, remember I have to leave at 2...

We arrived at 12:30 to a very well kept and a beautimusly landscaped yard. The family room was 15 x20, totaly MT with an off white moderatly soiled level looped olifin/nylon carpet that had a definite wear pattern in front of the sofa and the path between the foyer and the kitchen. Mam, It will be $150

I explained about shading and wear, and about how her carpet would look after we cleaned it.
Do you still want us to proceed???

Well, but you said you gauaranteed your work!!!

Yes mam we do, But, cleaning will not remove your wear patterns and they will appear slightly darker in those areas. If you want, we will hook up and I will do a small area in the most worn area for you to compare and then you can make up your mind.. Ok??

Ok

She watched us like a hawk as we set up.

I Vacuumed the complete area while Helen brought in the hoses and set up the truck.
presprayed a 4 foot square area in the most visable spot and rinsed it out.

Wow, she said, the areas that didn't look dirty next to the walkway sure brightened up too.
I didn't think it was that dirty...

Would you like me to clean the rest of the room now???

Please do.

Ok, I just want make sure you understand about the shading and wear of your carpet.

Yes, I understand what you said, and just for your information, no one has ever vacuumed before they cleaned before..

We were just about finished when she brought a 2.5 x 4 olifin rug to us.

This rug goes in front of my fridge and always gets spots on it, could you clean it too?

Yes mam, do you have any others you want us to do before we put our stuff away??

No, this will doo.

Ok, were done, is it to your satisfaction????

yes, and that rug looks brand new too.

It did clean up well didn't it. That will be $156.00 as I handed her the invoice.

Ok, Wonderful, then she looked at the invoice. Oh, you charged me for the small rug!!

Is there something wrong??

No, I just thought you would through the rug in.
But you and Helen did an excellent job, Thank you.. and wrote the check out for $166.00

 

[Shorty]

You young smoothie, you. :wink:

Way to go Helen & John.

Keep on ROCKIN. :wink:

And keep them snooties SHELLING out.

Ooroo & all the best mate.

:mrgreen:

 

[ACE]

.50 a Square, Nice! You did a good job of establishing a value. It sounds like you are smooth with the customers. I think you were lucky on that one; the yellow pages don’t bring in much high dollar work.

 

[Kevin]

They do if you handle them like that.

 

[Guest]

Great Job John.

 

[Steve Toburen]

Great Job John.

Rickie, you have much to learn about John. It is HELEN who does the JOB. John just schmoozes the ladies.

Island Boy
http://www.StrategiesForSuccess.com

PS After all, that "schmoozing" is how Mr. PorkPie Hat wound up with Helen.

 

[bob vawter]

is there REALLY a Helen.....
Yor makin' that up...aren't you?

I want her on the RR hotseat....???

 

[Jimmy L]

Now chillsdrens sit down and I will read you "Cat in the Hat".

 

[John Watson]

Island Boy
http://www.StrategiesForSuccess.com

PS After all, that "schmoozing" is how Mr. PorkPie Hat wound up with Helen.

Howdy doody to youdy toody Mr Chopped Liver...

It's a Royal Stetson won't you guys ever learn???? Helen says Hi to you and Sioux..

Now chillsdrens sit down and I will read you "Cat in the Hat".

Hey Limpwig, The name of the book is "She wanted free fries with her burger" Guess you need to soak your contacts a bit, ya know your startin to get that age!!!

.50 a Square, Nice! You did a good job of establishing a value. It sounds like you are smooth with the customers. I think you were lucky on that one; the yellow pages don’t bring in much high dollar work.

Taint advertising in the yellow pages, in collum and white pages only..

 

[Charlie Lyman]

I love it when people are wanting a deal and then write the check out for more than the invoice is. It must make people feel better to gripe about price.

 

[rhyde]

She watched us like a hawk as we set up.

I Vacuumed the complete area while Helen brought in the hoses and set up the truck.
presprayed a 4 foot square area in the most visable spot and rinsed it out.

LOL

 

[RandyHilburn]

Couldn't possibly count the number of times customers ask us to clean area rugs 'as a favor.'

Most recently, while we were cleaning an apartment and had a resident ask us if we would clean the carpet and upholstery in his van in exchange for Tuna! We were booked for the day (and on a tight schedule) so I told him that he would need to call our office for an appointment. As he continued to press me for an answer, I finally had to tell him that 'As a general rule, we don't work for food!'

 

[Art Kelley]

This rug goes in front of my fridge and always gets spots on it, could you clean it too?



Ok, Wonderful, then she looked at the invoice. Oh, you charged me for the small rug!!

Is there something wrong??

No, I just thought you would through the rug in.
But you and Helen did an excellent job, Thank you.. and wrote the check out for $166.00

Good for you, you got every last penny for the job. I'm sure she'll tell all her friends.

 

[Scott S.]

Now that he is obviously better than anyone else she has had clean im sure that she will tell all. but i myself would have thrown in the rug. but not if she was being a snobb.. i cant stand people who expect miracles.. I had a customer who didnt really understand wear.. he was like "can you hit that again" just about everywhere i went. and it made no differance.. wear is wear..

 

[Art Kelley]

but i myself would have thrown in the rug. .. ..

So would I.

 

[DevilDog]

Absolutely positively would have thrown the rug in for free. But it seemed to work out well for him and he knows how to handle this type of client.

Great job...except for charging her for the rug.

 

[Mikey P]

6 bucks...



Watson is paid to be an asshole in real life.

 

[Goldenboy]

So what. Were you wearing that creepy hat and those polyester pants that you jack up 6 inches above your belly button? Doesnt that hurt your balls?

Golden Boy

 

[Nate The Great]

So what. Were you wearing that creepy hat and those polyester pants that you jack up 6 inches above your belly button? Doesnt that hurt your balls?

Golden Boy

Waldo, They call that a Nut Split. I assume it kinda like tidy-whitey's, he likes the security of his balls Since Helen be busting them al dee time.

 

[Sticky]

I had a similar situation happen when I first started out...
Was doing a house for the owner of a large apartment complex that we did....get all done with there gigantic house and Mrs. Piff. said, can you just hit these rugs real quick for me like the last guy did....
So since she was the owners wife of a good apartment complex I said no problem....I cleaned the rugs and left...Next day lady calls and said the rug I did for free was curling up on all the edges.....Went back, and the rug she wanted me to hit, real quick, was a sisal rug that they paid 5 grand for...we took back to shop and laid out and tacked it down, recleaned with just water and it dried up fine....

The lessons I learned, were never to not charge for something and always do a burn test...

Anytime I do a job for free or throw something in for free it turns into a nightmere that I'm not getting paid for....

 

[Art Kelley]

I had a similar situation happen when I first started out...
Was doing a house for the owner of a large apartment complex that we did....get all done with there gigantic house and Mrs. Piff. said, can you just hit these rugs real quick for me like the last guy did....
So since she was the owners wife of a good apartment complex I said no problem....I cleaned the rugs and left...Next day lady calls and said the rug I did for free was curling up on all the edges.....Went back, and the rug she wanted me to hit, real quick, was a sisal rug that they paid 5 grand for...we took back to shop and laid out and tacked it down, recleaned with just water and it dried up fine....

The lessons I learned, were never to not charge for something and always do a burn test...

Anytime I do a job for free or throw something in for free it turns into a nightmere that I'm not getting paid for....

Would it have made you feel better if she had paid you six bucks?

 

[renegade_cowboy]

I had a similar situation happen when I first started out...
Was doing a house for the owner of a large apartment complex that we did....get all done with there gigantic house and Mrs. Piff. said, can you just hit these rugs real quick for me like the last guy did....
So since she was the owners wife of a good apartment complex I said no problem....I cleaned the rugs and left...Next day lady calls and said the rug I did for free was curling up on all the edges.....Went back, and the rug she wanted me to hit, real quick, was a sisal rug that they paid 5 grand for...we took back to shop and laid out and tacked it down, recleaned with just water and it dried up fine....

The lessons I learned, were never to not charge for something and always do a burn test...

Anytime I do a job for free or throw something in for free it turns into a nightmere that I'm not getting paid for....

I doubt it was 5 grand.

 

[Steve Toburen]

"I doubt it was 5 grand."

Actually, Brent, whenever a rug went south on me it was ALWAYS "five grand" according to the customer!

Island Boy
http://www.StrategiesForSuccess.com

PS My policy on doing "free work"? It depends ...

 

[Steve Lawrence]

Good going, Elwood, except I think that Helen should have vacuumed while you set up the truck.

 

[John Watson]

Steve, I am old fat and slow. just walkin back n forth to the truck wears me out.. Oh, and by the way Helen has Rumitoid Artiritus and vacing some styles of carpets aggervate her more than I do so she she said this is my jobbbbbbb..

 

[Steve Lawrence]

Okay, John. I'm old, fat, and tired, too, but I'd rather vacuum than wrestle hose.