Jim Pemberton
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Three Tips That Will Increase Your Upholstery Cleaning Bottom Line
by Jim Pemberton - Fine Fabric Specialist
Cleaners tend to avoid upholstery cleaning out of fear and frustration resulting from poor results in past experiences, and/or a lack of profitability or both!
If you are avoiding upholstery cleaning for these reasons, you need to get some training and then develop confidence from positive experiences. Perhaps your concerns over poor results is partly caused by a lack of confidence and experience.
Setting issues of experience and training aside, many cleaners still just don't enjoy cleaning upholstery because of the "time and trouble", which is another way of saying that "it doesn't clean up good and there isn't any money in it".
HOW CAN YOU SOLVE THE PROBLEM (And Make The Profits)?
TIP #1 - SELL IN ADVANCE:
Whenever you are called to clean carpet or hard surfaces in the home, ask if they have any upholstery to be cleaned. Your customer often will say that it doesn't need it, but at that point, you should ask if you can give a demonstration while you are there (more on this later.)
By mentioning that you'll be assessing the furniture's cleaning needs and doing a demonstration ahead of time, it won't seem "pushy" at the time of the job. It also will keep a rushed or less than motivated technician from "blowing it off" because he's "too busy".
TIP #2 - DEMONSTRATE YOUR SERVICE:
Upholstery cleaning is one of the easiest services to demonstrate, because you can clean one side of a cushion quickly, and without leaving a clean spot that will look like an eyesore if the customer doesn't want the service.
*******************************
ALWAYS REMEMBER THESE IMPORTANT "DEMO" POINTS:
MAKE SURE TO PRETEST: (this puts the customer at ease)
Synthetic fiber fabrics are easy and safe to clean, and if its synthetic the demonstration can be done very quickly, and if time allows the entire cleaning job could be done right then.
Natural fiber fabrics may be difficult to clean if allowed to become even moderately soiled, so a "let's get this done before it becomes uncleanable" comment will carry more weight.
ALWAYS BRUSH AND VACUUM: (this confirms the need of cleaning)
Almost all furniture will show a cloud of dust when brushed briskly with an upholstery grooming tool.
For Additional Validation:
Follow the dust cloud by vacuuming the area you just brushed with a piece of dark cloth placed in the vacuum hose as a filter. The light gray dust (skin actually) that will be noticed will help the customer better understand how much soil is present.
LOOK AT WHAT A DIFFERENCE YOU CAN MAKE JUST BY VACUUMING YOUR CUSTOMER'S FURNITURE!
BE SURE TO CLEAN EVENLY:
Don't just remove spots, but clean the entire cushion face, being careful not to let solution run down the sides and create water marks. If you can't clean just one side well, do the entire cushion. In this way they will now have a bright, clean, and fresh smelling cushion. By the way, ALWAYS use something with a pleasant fragrance in your cleaning solution. Pleasant smells SELL!
*******************************
TIP #3 - SCHEDULE WISELY:
You NEVER want to rush an upholstery cleaning job. If you have the time, or if you can easily dual wand so that carpet and upholstery can be cleaned at the same time, then it can be very profitable to get the job done while you are already set up for cleaning. You save a great deal of travel and set up time when you can just attach an upholstery tool and change your solutions.
IMPORTANT "SLOW TIME" Policy! If you haven't the time, or your customer can't afford the cleaning right now, plan to do the upholstery cleaning during your slow season. You can give your customer special price considerations during months that you usually don't have as much work, such as the winter, and they can budget their cleaning easier than having to have the money at that moment.
A cleaner I knew many years ago told me that he never had a slow winter because he trained his customers to have upholstery cleaning services done in the winter.
How Do These Three Tips Help You To Make More Money And Get Better Results?
First - Furniture Gets Cleaned Sooner:
All furniture fabrics clean easier, more quickly, and with less risk of damage when cleaned before heavy soils and stains make success nearly impossible.
Second - Furniture Gets Cleaned When it Suits You.
When you can clean during slow season, and schedule to have the time to do the job right, you can relax and not worry about the pressure of the next job, and keep bills paid and cash flow going at what is usually a difficult time for cleaners.
Or, if it makes sense for you and your customer, you can clean the furniture on the spot and save a great deal of travel and set up time.
In either event, you make more money by getting more dollars per hour by completing the job more quickly, or you have cash flow and work during a slow season.
Upholstery cleaning should be a very profitable part of your cleaning service offering. Use these sales tips, and communicate the need to clean upholstery BEFORE it looks bad, and you'll have the opportunity to earn those profits.
***************************************************
by Jim Pemberton - Fine Fabric Specialist
Cleaners tend to avoid upholstery cleaning out of fear and frustration resulting from poor results in past experiences, and/or a lack of profitability or both!
If you are avoiding upholstery cleaning for these reasons, you need to get some training and then develop confidence from positive experiences. Perhaps your concerns over poor results is partly caused by a lack of confidence and experience.
Setting issues of experience and training aside, many cleaners still just don't enjoy cleaning upholstery because of the "time and trouble", which is another way of saying that "it doesn't clean up good and there isn't any money in it".
HOW CAN YOU SOLVE THE PROBLEM (And Make The Profits)?
TIP #1 - SELL IN ADVANCE:
Whenever you are called to clean carpet or hard surfaces in the home, ask if they have any upholstery to be cleaned. Your customer often will say that it doesn't need it, but at that point, you should ask if you can give a demonstration while you are there (more on this later.)
By mentioning that you'll be assessing the furniture's cleaning needs and doing a demonstration ahead of time, it won't seem "pushy" at the time of the job. It also will keep a rushed or less than motivated technician from "blowing it off" because he's "too busy".
TIP #2 - DEMONSTRATE YOUR SERVICE:
Upholstery cleaning is one of the easiest services to demonstrate, because you can clean one side of a cushion quickly, and without leaving a clean spot that will look like an eyesore if the customer doesn't want the service.
*******************************
ALWAYS REMEMBER THESE IMPORTANT "DEMO" POINTS:
MAKE SURE TO PRETEST: (this puts the customer at ease)
Synthetic fiber fabrics are easy and safe to clean, and if its synthetic the demonstration can be done very quickly, and if time allows the entire cleaning job could be done right then.
Natural fiber fabrics may be difficult to clean if allowed to become even moderately soiled, so a "let's get this done before it becomes uncleanable" comment will carry more weight.
ALWAYS BRUSH AND VACUUM: (this confirms the need of cleaning)
Almost all furniture will show a cloud of dust when brushed briskly with an upholstery grooming tool.
For Additional Validation:
Follow the dust cloud by vacuuming the area you just brushed with a piece of dark cloth placed in the vacuum hose as a filter. The light gray dust (skin actually) that will be noticed will help the customer better understand how much soil is present.
LOOK AT WHAT A DIFFERENCE YOU CAN MAKE JUST BY VACUUMING YOUR CUSTOMER'S FURNITURE!
BE SURE TO CLEAN EVENLY:
Don't just remove spots, but clean the entire cushion face, being careful not to let solution run down the sides and create water marks. If you can't clean just one side well, do the entire cushion. In this way they will now have a bright, clean, and fresh smelling cushion. By the way, ALWAYS use something with a pleasant fragrance in your cleaning solution. Pleasant smells SELL!
*******************************
TIP #3 - SCHEDULE WISELY:
You NEVER want to rush an upholstery cleaning job. If you have the time, or if you can easily dual wand so that carpet and upholstery can be cleaned at the same time, then it can be very profitable to get the job done while you are already set up for cleaning. You save a great deal of travel and set up time when you can just attach an upholstery tool and change your solutions.
IMPORTANT "SLOW TIME" Policy! If you haven't the time, or your customer can't afford the cleaning right now, plan to do the upholstery cleaning during your slow season. You can give your customer special price considerations during months that you usually don't have as much work, such as the winter, and they can budget their cleaning easier than having to have the money at that moment.
A cleaner I knew many years ago told me that he never had a slow winter because he trained his customers to have upholstery cleaning services done in the winter.
How Do These Three Tips Help You To Make More Money And Get Better Results?
First - Furniture Gets Cleaned Sooner:
All furniture fabrics clean easier, more quickly, and with less risk of damage when cleaned before heavy soils and stains make success nearly impossible.
Second - Furniture Gets Cleaned When it Suits You.
When you can clean during slow season, and schedule to have the time to do the job right, you can relax and not worry about the pressure of the next job, and keep bills paid and cash flow going at what is usually a difficult time for cleaners.
Or, if it makes sense for you and your customer, you can clean the furniture on the spot and save a great deal of travel and set up time.
In either event, you make more money by getting more dollars per hour by completing the job more quickly, or you have cash flow and work during a slow season.
Upholstery cleaning should be a very profitable part of your cleaning service offering. Use these sales tips, and communicate the need to clean upholstery BEFORE it looks bad, and you'll have the opportunity to earn those profits.
***************************************************
