Well, guys (and gals), we did our first Stainless Restoration yesterday. First of all, a shout out to Glenn and Barry at Scratch-B-Gone. Barry invented the stuff and did the amazing training DVD's (2) and I am sure had the majority hand in doing the equally terrific training and marketing manual. This prepared us for the first job in every way possible, so that by the time we finished watching and reading the training, and doing the samples, there was a ZERO learning curve.
Since we are now a Certified Restoration Contractor, when Ms. Harley (yes, Harley is her real first name, no joke) called Glenn, she had been referred by a major manufacturer of ss appliances, of which she has several. She described her problem, and he said she could either buy a homeowner kit from them or hire a local contractor (us). She opted for the latter and I went out to Westlake Village last Friday to quote the job.
It was funny because the problem occurred when her maid had scrubbed the daylights off the handle of the microwave oven. It now had exposed white instead of metal.
Because of the precise training I got, I was immediately, without needing the test kit, able to explain that the handle is never stainless steel, and why. Being able to explain in an authoritative, yet easy to understand manner is critical in my stone restoration business, and this is no different. The DVD and training manual gives you more information than perhaps you think you need, but believe me, it comes in handy.
As an aside, she ended up buying new handles not only for the microwave, but for the refrigerator/freezer as well (my guys installed them for her as a favor).
Anyway, the tell-tale 3M sponge with the green scrub side was right next to the sink, and her cook top, also ss, was scratched like nobody's business, as you might expect.
The face of the microwave was messed up, as was the face of the recessed oven and the refrig/freezer. The only thing not messed up was the dishwasher, and that was only because it was about a month old and the maid hadn't gotten her hands on it as yet!
So, using the formula in the marketing portion of the manual as a guide, I priced out the job at a little over $425 and she signed the contract on the spot. To jump ahead of myself, the job took 2 1/2 hours. For those of you mathematically inclined, that is $170 an hour.
Yesterday morning we went over, and I sent 2 guys, as I wanted one of them to watch and learn from my lead guy, Gama. Gama had watched the DVD's and had practiced on a thrashed sink we got from the junkyard, as well as a folded towel cabinet that you see in office buildings.
By the time I got there (thank you rain in L.A. for making the freeways virtually unpassable), they were on the final passes of the refrig/freezer, removing scratches that even with my glasses, I could not see, but they did.
The homeowner had gone out on an errand (can you believe people leave total strangers in their home alone???) and was due back any minute. So I had a chance to quiz the guys as to what they had done, and if the DVD training had helped.
They said that the training was invaluable, as they didn't have to figure anything out. The bad scratches on the cook top were removed, as were all the scratches and etches on everything. It looked great. The training manual had helped them in protecting adjacent surfaces and a few other handy hints.
Now came the big test, what would Harley say?
A few minutes later came the answer as she started dancing around her kitchen, proclaiming that it looked as if we had removed the old appliances and replaced them with brand new!!! She was thrilled. She is going to write us a testimonial, as I asked her if she wouldn't mind.
We spent a couple of minutes teaching her how to maintain the appliances so she wouldn't need our services on that again, and she was grateful for that. We are in the process of writing up a leave-behind detailing what needs to be done.
As an aside, it also gave me the opportunity to explain about our stone services, our dustless wood floor restoration (her whole house is wood and stone floors & granite counters), and of our steam cleaning services, which comes in handy, as she and her husband own a dozen apartment buildings on the Wilshire corridor, and because of this excellent service, we are going to be the recipients of a lot more work.
I can't thank the people at Scratch-B-Gone enough for this opportunity. And just so you know, I don't work for them, am not bribed by them or anything. I just think that in this era of so many people doing the same thing, this is a unique opportunity that smart people should not miss.
Last Saturday I quoted and got a full day limestone restoration job at a very fair price for this Friday. Twice what the carpet cleaner turned so-called stone expert quoted. As I was leaving, I noticed ss in the kitchen and asked if she had any problems with it. Well, I might as well have told her I had the keys to heaven. She pulled me into the kitchen and showed me her very expensive stove/oven combo. The ss bull nose edge was scratched like you can't believe and the ss back splash it messed up from all the burnt food she prepares!
Now, I know $195 is not a lot to you guys. But, since we can do this while waiting for things to dry out in the bath room, between steps of the restoration, it is going to cost me ZERO in time and virtually nothing in materials, to fix this little problem. To me that is a great add-on. I know you cc guys thrive on add-ons, and I have never had that opportunity as we have only done stone restoration. But it really opened my eyes that I can affect my bottom line so dramatically with a little training and just asking the question.
I would post the pix, but I haven't a clue as to how. If someone will help me with that, I will be glad to do so. I will be bringing pix to Mikefest so you can see for yourself how great it looks.
Once again, I apologize for going on and on, but that's just me.
Since we are now a Certified Restoration Contractor, when Ms. Harley (yes, Harley is her real first name, no joke) called Glenn, she had been referred by a major manufacturer of ss appliances, of which she has several. She described her problem, and he said she could either buy a homeowner kit from them or hire a local contractor (us). She opted for the latter and I went out to Westlake Village last Friday to quote the job.
It was funny because the problem occurred when her maid had scrubbed the daylights off the handle of the microwave oven. It now had exposed white instead of metal.
Because of the precise training I got, I was immediately, without needing the test kit, able to explain that the handle is never stainless steel, and why. Being able to explain in an authoritative, yet easy to understand manner is critical in my stone restoration business, and this is no different. The DVD and training manual gives you more information than perhaps you think you need, but believe me, it comes in handy.
As an aside, she ended up buying new handles not only for the microwave, but for the refrigerator/freezer as well (my guys installed them for her as a favor).
Anyway, the tell-tale 3M sponge with the green scrub side was right next to the sink, and her cook top, also ss, was scratched like nobody's business, as you might expect.
The face of the microwave was messed up, as was the face of the recessed oven and the refrig/freezer. The only thing not messed up was the dishwasher, and that was only because it was about a month old and the maid hadn't gotten her hands on it as yet!
So, using the formula in the marketing portion of the manual as a guide, I priced out the job at a little over $425 and she signed the contract on the spot. To jump ahead of myself, the job took 2 1/2 hours. For those of you mathematically inclined, that is $170 an hour.
Yesterday morning we went over, and I sent 2 guys, as I wanted one of them to watch and learn from my lead guy, Gama. Gama had watched the DVD's and had practiced on a thrashed sink we got from the junkyard, as well as a folded towel cabinet that you see in office buildings.
By the time I got there (thank you rain in L.A. for making the freeways virtually unpassable), they were on the final passes of the refrig/freezer, removing scratches that even with my glasses, I could not see, but they did.
The homeowner had gone out on an errand (can you believe people leave total strangers in their home alone???) and was due back any minute. So I had a chance to quiz the guys as to what they had done, and if the DVD training had helped.
They said that the training was invaluable, as they didn't have to figure anything out. The bad scratches on the cook top were removed, as were all the scratches and etches on everything. It looked great. The training manual had helped them in protecting adjacent surfaces and a few other handy hints.
Now came the big test, what would Harley say?
A few minutes later came the answer as she started dancing around her kitchen, proclaiming that it looked as if we had removed the old appliances and replaced them with brand new!!! She was thrilled. She is going to write us a testimonial, as I asked her if she wouldn't mind.
We spent a couple of minutes teaching her how to maintain the appliances so she wouldn't need our services on that again, and she was grateful for that. We are in the process of writing up a leave-behind detailing what needs to be done.
As an aside, it also gave me the opportunity to explain about our stone services, our dustless wood floor restoration (her whole house is wood and stone floors & granite counters), and of our steam cleaning services, which comes in handy, as she and her husband own a dozen apartment buildings on the Wilshire corridor, and because of this excellent service, we are going to be the recipients of a lot more work.
I can't thank the people at Scratch-B-Gone enough for this opportunity. And just so you know, I don't work for them, am not bribed by them or anything. I just think that in this era of so many people doing the same thing, this is a unique opportunity that smart people should not miss.
Last Saturday I quoted and got a full day limestone restoration job at a very fair price for this Friday. Twice what the carpet cleaner turned so-called stone expert quoted. As I was leaving, I noticed ss in the kitchen and asked if she had any problems with it. Well, I might as well have told her I had the keys to heaven. She pulled me into the kitchen and showed me her very expensive stove/oven combo. The ss bull nose edge was scratched like you can't believe and the ss back splash it messed up from all the burnt food she prepares!
Now, I know $195 is not a lot to you guys. But, since we can do this while waiting for things to dry out in the bath room, between steps of the restoration, it is going to cost me ZERO in time and virtually nothing in materials, to fix this little problem. To me that is a great add-on. I know you cc guys thrive on add-ons, and I have never had that opportunity as we have only done stone restoration. But it really opened my eyes that I can affect my bottom line so dramatically with a little training and just asking the question.
I would post the pix, but I haven't a clue as to how. If someone will help me with that, I will be glad to do so. I will be bringing pix to Mikefest so you can see for yourself how great it looks.
Once again, I apologize for going on and on, but that's just me.
