Spring has sprung! I think I am in trouble.

[joeynbgky]

Last summer I added a second truck. Only a few days a week. It ran 4 days a week till this january 10. Went back to one for the winter. I am now booked up for two weeks running both trucks 6 days a week.
My problem is this.......
Its not even the busy season yet and I'm slammed. I am affraid I may have to add a 3rd truck. I don't want to spend money on another one... do I just schedule what I can and lose customers??
I have lost just today about 7 because they want it today or tommorrow. I'm running 4 or 5 residentials a day and having trouble fitting in my apartments. Which means I'm working till 8 pm cause of apartments..
Buy another van?
Loose customers?
Or contract it out?

Scar?rrreeeddddddd

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[Brian R]

Find a good cleaner that isn't doing so well and refer it to him for a fee....20% or something.

Don't just loose the job.

Schedule it...Find someone to do it.

If it comes down to the wire....You may just have to give it away...But at least you tried.

 

[Dolly Llama]

raise your prices if you don't want to grow/expand


..L.T.A.

 

[Charlie Lyman]

Those are good problems to have. Looks like another truck might be needed.

 

[Willy P]

Find a good cleaner that isn't doing so well and refer it to him for a fee....20% or something.

Don't just loose the job.

Schedule it...Find someone to do it.

If it comes down to the wire....You may just have to give it away...But at least you tried.

What happened to fiddy percent :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

 

[joeynbgky]

Thought about subbing it out. But I. Would have a do not compete contract simply for my current customers and appartments... btw 75 percent of calls are repeat

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[Jimmy L]

Like Larry said....raise your prices.

Get the cream of the crop and let the others go.

 

[Bucey]

raise your prices if you don't want to grow/expand


..L.T.A.

Best solution to this problem! As well as the answer to making more $$$

 

[Kevin. McCreary]

When I got in that situation I dropped the apartments, or raised the prices and lost them.

 

[joeynbgky]

Sounds good.. But my area is different than all areas. High priced cleaners go out of business. My other area nashville high prices are ok but not in bowling green.

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[Mattsfc]

I courious of your prices of u done mind me asking or if u are running specials or what ?

 

[joeynbgky]

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[Dolly Llama]

Sounds good.. But my area is different than all areas. High priced cleaners go out of business. My other area nashville high prices are ok but not in bowling green.

oh..OK..lemmie see if i have this right.

it's the middle of Feb, you added another truck last summer and you now have two trucks running at capacity (in the middle of Feb)
You don't want to add another van cause you don't want to grow/expand, but you can't raise prices cause no one will pay it

Joey, you're either FOS or an idiot ...probably both :roll:


..l.T.A.

 

[KevinL]

Nice looking ad though. How do you distribute it?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Buy another setup, great deals in the used market, run it all Spring, Summer, Fall, sell it if it slows down. Meanwhile get of your janitorial work, saving you time and headaches. You've got to grab market share while you can, if you don't someone else will.

 

[Ross Buettner]

I wish I had those problems.

Get a 3rd truck. As busy as you claim to be you'll be even more irate if one of the two rigs takes a dump on you.

That many jobs, with two trucks... and you're sweating a 500.00ish payment on a decent used rig?

 

[Louis]

Raise your price a little. No 50 cents a sf just $20 to $30 more per job. If you are still busy then there are a lot of great deals on used tm's out there. With a few extra hundred dollars a day it will be paid off before summer is over.

 

[joeynbgky]

Re: Re: Spring has sprung! I think I am in trouble.

Sounds good.. But my area is different than all areas. High priced cleaners go out of business. My other area nashville high prices are ok but not in bowling green.

oh..OK..lemmie see if i have this right.

it's the middle of Feb, you added another truck last summer and you now have two trucks running at capacity (in the middle of Feb)
You don't want to add another van cause you don't want to grow/expand, but you can't raise prices cause no one will pay it

Joey, you're either FOS or an idiot ...probably both :roll:


..l.T.A.

Well, im very picky and it is hard for me to hire more help and trust them. I have control issues. Duh

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[joeynbgky]

Re: Re: Spring has sprung! I think I am in trouble.

Nice looking ad though. How do you distribute it?

A 50k coupon glossy magazine. They only allow 3 of each kind of business in their

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[Mikey P]

[quote="Erskine Allin":27homk7d]

Sounds good.. But my area is different than all areas. High priced cleaners go out of business. My other area nashville high prices are ok but not in bowling green.

oh..OK..lemmie see if i have this right.

it's the middle of Feb, you added another truck last summer and you now have two trucks running at capacity (in the middle of Feb)
You don't want to add another van cause you don't want to grow/expand, but you can't raise prices cause no one will pay it

Joey, you're either FOS or an idiot ...probably both :roll:


..l.T.A.

[/quote:27homk7d]

hey Marty, blow me

 

[Mikey P]

all this wondering if another truck is needed and not a mention of the time and money spent on the tech to run it



I second Larry's opinion.

 

[bigchuckie]

Gee that kinda problem sucks in a good way IF it were me I would sub it out I hate turning away business. 3rd truck would be nice but where is the wave gonna take us ?

 

[Chris A]

Re: Re: Spring has sprung! I think I am in trouble.

Well, im very picky and it is hard for me to hire more help and trust them. I have control issues. Duh

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Jeezus, at $23.50 a room how picky can you be? Get a guy with all his toofuses, teach him how to Dougie and start banking some more cash...

 

[Brian R]

You're not losing repeat customers because of scheduling issues are you?? :shock:

The control issue is the very reason guys never grow past where they are.

Let go young jedi and you'll be much happier.

Yes, you'll have some headaches....But more money does wonders for that. shiteatinggrin


Larry has a real good point of raising your prices.....But I would still refer those jobs out and make money on them instead losing of them.


Don't spend money on a non compete that you don't have the money to inforce anyway.


Keep it simple bro.......Don't over think it.


Just do it.



m]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZflbOUUZtIm]

 

[Jim Martin]

the big question is...

will this spike stay permeant or is it one of those feast or famine episodes....

there are times I have to book 3 weeks out....if it were constant then I would be forced to make some choices.....
if it is just a spike..then I just start giving some of the work away....

 

[Ed]

Adding another truck shouldn't be a knee jerk reaction. It's expensive, hiring and training another tech, also expensive. I'd say at a minimum you are talking about a month to buy another truck and hire and have someone trained to run it. My concern would be Jim's. Is this just a fluke spike in business or is it lasting? I'd make it through this ad cycle and try another to make a decision. I wouldn't sub it out. I'd offer customers who need it NOW an incentive to wait it out.

 

[Brian R]

If a customer needs it now, they need it now. "Carpet Emergency"

They WILL find someone else....So why not find someone else for them and get paid at the same time?


Subbing IS a pain...But can be very lucrative if done right.

But for the short term on new customers you're going to lose anyway, refer them.

 

[Ken Snow]

Start another half hour-hour ealier and a half hour later.

Work Sundays, even half days to get yourself caught up. Don't add another unit till you are sure this will be sustained. If you feel it will add another in May/June.

Didn't read if you had an assistant (tech in training). If not get one now to increase your productivity and to have them prepared for growth. Another good person (or 30) will help you make a lot more money.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Well, im very picky and it is hard for me to hire more help and trust them. I have control issues. Duh

Really? The market you're selling to is meat and potatos work, not steak & Lobster. Get over your control issues, the "nobody can clean as good as me" will hold back your whole career.

 

[Steve Lawrence]

You're busy because you probably do decent work and your prices are very low.

I'd raise the prices.