What did SFS change in your business?
- Thread starter Mikey P
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Doug D
Supportive Member
Attended in October 2008 at Roselle. As for making money, I still have not. As for getting things in order with my business, it did help me in that aspect with the action plan. I am however having problems with the marketing part of it. I have gotten the "Stay Beautiful program" up and running. Haven't signed anyone up on it though. Steve T. has offered to help and enlisted Bill as well. Have heard from Bill about my Stay Beautiful letter to my clients and recommendations to add to it, but that "Slacker" Steve got lost somewhere apparently.
I know it will eventually will make me more money by become more discipline. The concepts of the SFS class are great. The manuals that they give you for policy and precedures are priceless. I have been running my business for 7 years now and until last October when I went to the class, I felt that I had no clue as to what I needed to keep doing. I have the technical side down but the business side of things with doing bookwork, marketing, policies and procedures I have none. Have used this slow time to get some of those things going. As for my action plan, I am about caught up on it. Some of the action plan, I am way ahead though.
My biggest problem though is the marketing part. I just purchased the pdq cd's from Steve Lawrence that he had on here for sale and am looking into 2 different places for mailing lists. With the Stay Beautiful program and learning to make more customer cheerleaders, I hope to keep building up the business. I am however, going to have to probably sell my Harley (98 Dyna Lowrider FXDL in case someone is interested) though to maybe make it through this part of the season. Hopefully when Spring rolls around, I can get busy again.
Who knows, by that time maybe Mikey will give his ok on the "myeasymarketing" program and JonDon will finally release it! :shock:
Because I sure could use all the help I can get!!! :roll:
I know it will eventually will make me more money by become more discipline. The concepts of the SFS class are great. The manuals that they give you for policy and precedures are priceless. I have been running my business for 7 years now and until last October when I went to the class, I felt that I had no clue as to what I needed to keep doing. I have the technical side down but the business side of things with doing bookwork, marketing, policies and procedures I have none. Have used this slow time to get some of those things going. As for my action plan, I am about caught up on it. Some of the action plan, I am way ahead though.
My biggest problem though is the marketing part. I just purchased the pdq cd's from Steve Lawrence that he had on here for sale and am looking into 2 different places for mailing lists. With the Stay Beautiful program and learning to make more customer cheerleaders, I hope to keep building up the business. I am however, going to have to probably sell my Harley (98 Dyna Lowrider FXDL in case someone is interested) though to maybe make it through this part of the season. Hopefully when Spring rolls around, I can get busy again.
Who knows, by that time maybe Mikey will give his ok on the "myeasymarketing" program and JonDon will finally release it! :shock:
Because I sure could use all the help I can get!!! :roll:
hogjowl
Idiot™
It got me all excited about the new post card marketing system.
Has anybody seen it yet?
Hello ...?
Has anybody seen it yet?
Hello ...?
Mikey P
Administrator
MEM will be ready this summer.
Guaranteed.
Guaranteed.
Doug D
Supportive Member
Steve Toburen
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- Name
- Steve Toburen
Doug D said:
MyEasyMarketing.com WAS going to be released first in South Dakota very, very "soon", Doug. However, after the hurtful comment about my tardiness South Dakota has been moved to just before Alabama, which has and always will be dead last in the MEM roll-out. (My apologies to all non-Prattville based Alabama board members.)
Island Boy
http://www.StrategiesForSuccess.com
PS I'll check my sent file, Doug. I am sure I responded to your letter- several times in fact. (My thirty year old son just got engaged down here in the Dominican Republic and Sioux and I have been a bit "distracted".)
BTW, congratulations on your Action Plan progress, Doug. Many of our members have had great success with the Stay Beautiful program. It is not a "quick fix" but remember every time you sign up another client on the plan you are a) guaranteeing work for the future, b) tying the home owner to you for life and c) raising both the price and the desirability of your business if and when you put it up for sale.
billyeadon
Supportive Member
Steve Toburen said:
The Preacher
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it's all just a 5 day VBJ. nothing common sense won't accomplish if you have any!
Odin on Dannys computer
Odin on Dannys computer
Steve Toburen
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- Steve Toburen
billyeadon said:
Odd you should mention that, Billy. We visited one of our oldest friends down here in the Dominican Republic last night. Both in time we have known the couple and in the years they have- he is 91 and she is 84. We got "pinchos" (shish-kebab) at a local restaurant to go and ate in with them. And yes, the margaritas were flowing.
IB
http://www.StrategiesForSuccess.com
PS What is amazing about the couple is they are living on their own and he is still driving in this country which is a challenge for anyone at any age!
Farenheit251
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- 732
SFS made me realize how screwed up my 3-4 truck business was. I actually decided it was better to sell and start from scratch than try to fix the mess I made.
So many courses are set up to last a certain amount of time and then the instructors attempt to find info to fill the time. So much work and effort has been put into refining SFS . You can tell that they are struggling to fit everything into the time alotted. Every hour was filled with good,solid information.
So many courses are set up to last a certain amount of time and then the instructors attempt to find info to fill the time. So much work and effort has been put into refining SFS . You can tell that they are struggling to fit everything into the time alotted. Every hour was filled with good,solid information.
Terry
Supportive Member
Jan 2007 in Roselle
To do a budget each year.
To have a marketing plan. I had the newsletter program from jon don in place since Nov 2004 so my contact with current customers was good but on getting new customers I had a weak plan. I implemented a carpet care guide(folder) customer survey and thank you postcard(which my wife who's hand writing is much more legible) hand writes a note of something personal which I had dictated on the customer thank you list.
Use a entry bath mat with logo.
More aware of personal appearance - better uniform shirts and started using booties and leaving at least 2 pairs for all customers except very old and frail where I tell them we'll come back if they get a spot from walking on damp carpet (never had a call back) - always a worry they'll fall.
These little things have made customers better referral machines.
Joined the Chamber of commerce and try to attend monthly after hours events.
Finding new areas to advertise like moms group e newsletters.
I found Mikeysboard as a result of sfs which has been very helpful but i need to wrap this up as I need to go out and do some work.
Creating a new referral program for customers and for related industries.
The operations manual is a great blueprint for our business.
2007 was the same as '06 but '8 was up 31%
It's going to be a challenge to equal last year with this economy but I did put in the budget a 10% increase in sales :shock:
Terry
Ps Marty has been secretly using an Alabama version of MEM called oink. He just doesn't want the rest of us to know
To do a budget each year.
To have a marketing plan. I had the newsletter program from jon don in place since Nov 2004 so my contact with current customers was good but on getting new customers I had a weak plan. I implemented a carpet care guide(folder) customer survey and thank you postcard(which my wife who's hand writing is much more legible) hand writes a note of something personal which I had dictated on the customer thank you list.
Use a entry bath mat with logo.
More aware of personal appearance - better uniform shirts and started using booties and leaving at least 2 pairs for all customers except very old and frail where I tell them we'll come back if they get a spot from walking on damp carpet (never had a call back) - always a worry they'll fall.
These little things have made customers better referral machines.
Joined the Chamber of commerce and try to attend monthly after hours events.
Finding new areas to advertise like moms group e newsletters.
I found Mikeysboard as a result of sfs which has been very helpful but i need to wrap this up as I need to go out and do some work.
Creating a new referral program for customers and for related industries.
The operations manual is a great blueprint for our business.
2007 was the same as '06 but '8 was up 31%
It's going to be a challenge to equal last year with this economy but I did put in the budget a 10% increase in sales :shock:
Terry
Ps Marty has been secretly using an Alabama version of MEM called oink. He just doesn't want the rest of us to know
tim
Member
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- Jan 16, 2007
- Messages
- 544
Roselle 08,
Business was up 35%, I feel as a direct result of implementing systems to make customers cheerleaders. I want to go again just to refresh and keep motivated to continue to improve. There are so many good ideas thrown around! I was lucky enough to be in class with a guy from Snow's operation, ecoclean...tons of sucessful operations that I could learn from. The instructors were a bonus! Im still working on my "to do" list!
Business was up 35%, I feel as a direct result of implementing systems to make customers cheerleaders. I want to go again just to refresh and keep motivated to continue to improve. There are so many good ideas thrown around! I was lucky enough to be in class with a guy from Snow's operation, ecoclean...tons of sucessful operations that I could learn from. The instructors were a bonus! Im still working on my "to do" list!
Kevin. McCreary
Member
Roselle 04
I was too young and stupid when I went. I made the mistake of going with someone younger than me
So we hit the town all night and had a hard time staying awake in the class even though it was awesome.
I think I'm going to attend again in October this year. We do use corner guards on every job, spot out program
and the newsletter. I sent one of my techs to the VAST class in Roselle yesterday and she came back to tell
me we already do everything she learned in the class, but it was good positive reenforcement and she had fun.
This time I'm defiantly going with a different approach and will try to soak in Chuck Violands day, I need to
implement that because its my weakness!
Oh and by the way the handbook is worth its weight 20X's in gold if you have employees or want employees.
I was too young and stupid when I went. I made the mistake of going with someone younger than me
So we hit the town all night and had a hard time staying awake in the class even though it was awesome.
I think I'm going to attend again in October this year. We do use corner guards on every job, spot out program
and the newsletter. I sent one of my techs to the VAST class in Roselle yesterday and she came back to tell
me we already do everything she learned in the class, but it was good positive reenforcement and she had fun.
This time I'm defiantly going with a different approach and will try to soak in Chuck Violands day, I need to
implement that because its my weakness!
Oh and by the way the handbook is worth its weight 20X's in gold if you have employees or want employees.
Warren Wallace
Supportive Member
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- Oct 4, 2007
- Messages
- 839
roselle in oct. 07 I have done booties the entry rug and I joined a bni group but the biggest thing was learning about
mikeys board thanks to steve and his mikeys board shirt.I also hired a side kick.
mikeys board thanks to steve and his mikeys board shirt.I also hired a side kick.
B&BGaryC
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- B&BGaryC
I haven't been back from Roselle for more than month.
We are having wayne miller do some design, a new logo, business and referral cards. We are doing a comment card. We are going into the home show. We are getting gift cards printed up to give to premium prospects. (Hey Bill, where do I get those cards at?) We are implementing the spotter program, building a website, putting the website on all of our trucks, starting targeted radio and TV advertising, doing direct mail, Going into the home-show, hub marketing, getting an answering service, and wasting money on yellow pages*.
*(Hey, I don't own the company, I can't make all the calls... YET!)
I am also working with our restoration crews about the concepts of value added service.
I've got a lot more on the plate... But I'm kinda waiting on first things first. Gotta handle it in order. Wayne is doing a great job and he even got a 4 day head start on doing my design work, so I should be able to get everything done on time.
We are having wayne miller do some design, a new logo, business and referral cards. We are doing a comment card. We are going into the home show. We are getting gift cards printed up to give to premium prospects. (Hey Bill, where do I get those cards at?) We are implementing the spotter program, building a website, putting the website on all of our trucks, starting targeted radio and TV advertising, doing direct mail, Going into the home-show, hub marketing, getting an answering service, and wasting money on yellow pages*.
*(Hey, I don't own the company, I can't make all the calls... YET!)
I am also working with our restoration crews about the concepts of value added service.
I've got a lot more on the plate... But I'm kinda waiting on first things first. Gotta handle it in order. Wayne is doing a great job and he even got a 4 day head start on doing my design work, so I should be able to get everything done on time.
B&BGaryC
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- B&BGaryC
Only been doing 1 or 2 a day.
That's about par for the course for this company this time of year.
That's about par for the course for this company this time of year.
Desk Jockey
Member
I've been there twice, Fall of 2000 and Fall of 2007.
Gave us focus, we've always been about the technical and then Steve went and ruined my day and said it has little to do with the technical. :shock:
We had to adjust to what how the process affects the client, not just how we affect the carpet.
It was a paradigm shift, we changed how we approached the experience.
It's amazing the feed back we have received from our customers from those changes.
Thanks Steve
The second time they added Bill Yeadon's day, I wasn't real sure what to expect. But Bill was great, very informative and kept your attention. Bill's a great guys despite his choice of NFL team's.
We also took a look a lot closer look at the numbers after spending time with Chuck. While Chuck's portion with SFS isn't the most exciting, it is probably some of the most valuable info we took away from the class.
$"s hard to say, I'm sure it cemented the customers we had and impresses all the new ones that use us.
Great class, everyone but my competitors should attend! :wink:
Gave us focus, we've always been about the technical and then Steve went and ruined my day and said it has little to do with the technical. :shock:
We had to adjust to what how the process affects the client, not just how we affect the carpet.
It was a paradigm shift, we changed how we approached the experience.
It's amazing the feed back we have received from our customers from those changes.
Thanks Steve
The second time they added Bill Yeadon's day, I wasn't real sure what to expect. But Bill was great, very informative and kept your attention. Bill's a great guys despite his choice of NFL team's.
We also took a look a lot closer look at the numbers after spending time with Chuck. While Chuck's portion with SFS isn't the most exciting, it is probably some of the most valuable info we took away from the class.
$"s hard to say, I'm sure it cemented the customers we had and impresses all the new ones that use us.
Great class, everyone but my competitors should attend! :wink:
Jack May
That Kiwi
Gary, I really hope you have a Boss that appreciates and COMPENSATES you for your effort.
If nothing else, it'll give you a training ground as a basis if you ever look at business for yourself.
Sounds like you're all fired up, keep that fire burning. In fact, the HARDEST thing I found was maintaining the roll when things got a lot busier.
Since the mini SFS that I did in Aussie with Steve last April, I've implemented out own spotter bottle program, fine tuned our client feedback and complaints process, implemented a few changes to our staff bonus system. I deliberately didn't try and change the whole business all at once, instead tried to pace myself over a period of time and while Steve may not be entirely happy, I'm happy with progress so far.
John
If nothing else, it'll give you a training ground as a basis if you ever look at business for yourself.
Sounds like you're all fired up, keep that fire burning. In fact, the HARDEST thing I found was maintaining the roll when things got a lot busier.
Since the mini SFS that I did in Aussie with Steve last April, I've implemented out own spotter bottle program, fine tuned our client feedback and complaints process, implemented a few changes to our staff bonus system. I deliberately didn't try and change the whole business all at once, instead tried to pace myself over a period of time and while Steve may not be entirely happy, I'm happy with progress so far.
John
Lyman
Supportive Member
hogjowl
Idiot™
I quit taking my noon day nap for a couple of weeks after attending, but then slowly went back to my old ways.
I just look so much better when I'm well rested.
I just look so much better when I'm well rested.
B&BGaryC
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- B&BGaryC
Lyman said:
It is common sense stuff, but it is laid out in a way that will give you the big picture. It's much than what we post that we are doing. That is all from the bill yeadon day. Chuck teaches you down to the penny what each job costs you, how you need to set your pricing, how to hire, how to fire, etc. etc. etc.
Bill teaches you how to image
Steve teaches you how to see things through your customers eyes. You get the whole picture. Step by step proven methods of creating a positive lasting perception of your company in the customer's mind, thus taking a $140 carpet cleaning job, and turning it in to a $34,000 life long client. You also recieve an operations manual 3 inches thick with nothing but marketing ideas, forms, procedures, phone scripts, customer service scripts, contracts, etc. etc. etc.
And it only costs you $700.00. There are no riders for consulting fees or extra programs to buy. That is it. Not only that, but you get the industry greats Steve Toburen and Billy Yeadon on speed dial all year long to help personally coach you through the transformation process.
It is much more than a marketing guru program. It is a solution for how to run a business start to finish with all the guesswork systematically deleted so you can run a hassle free company that will be worth millions when you go to sell it.
Steve and Billy are now my business consultants. I can call them whenever I want for help. And it doens't come with an extra monthly fee. Find a guru program that does that for you.
Terry
Supportive Member
Lyman,
It may not cost you anything if you use their newsletter program(my situation) or purchase supplies from them. If your happy as you are then maybe you shouldn't go but if you'd like to move forward and have an employee or more so that you can remove yourself from the field then you should consider going.
Terry
PS you may notice that some of the bigger companies on here like Ken Snows and Richard Chavez have been as well as some of their employees. See what they have said!
It may not cost you anything if you use their newsletter program(my situation) or purchase supplies from them. If your happy as you are then maybe you shouldn't go but if you'd like to move forward and have an employee or more so that you can remove yourself from the field then you should consider going.
Terry
PS you may notice that some of the bigger companies on here like Ken Snows and Richard Chavez have been as well as some of their employees. See what they have said!
Ron Lippold
RIP
SFS is something that cant be explained you must go.
Steve Toburen
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- Oct 23, 2006
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- Name
- Steve Toburen
JB said:
Guilty as charged. We cheerfully confess that SFS is our attempt to do what each and every one of you SHOULD be focusing on too- "How we can DIFFERENTIATE ourselves from our competition." Let's face it- we all sell the same juice and with a few exceptions, the same equipment too and all at more or less the same price. But only Jon-Don has SFS which is 100% focused on only one thing- helping our members be successful.
I remember Nick Paolella telling me 13 years ago, "Steve, we have the best customers in the world. But too many of them just don't know how to grow a business and become successful on their own terms. We're convinced that if we help our customers grow they will take Jon-Don along for the ride."
Out of that brief conversation grew SFS. it really has been a fun ride.
NOTE: Sure, we HOPE you will buy more stuff from Jon-Don after you attend SFS, whether out of gratitude or growth, it doesn't matter to us. But there is absolutely no pressure, either during the seeminar or after. For example, Gary decided to stay with his local supplier. That's OK- he still has the same access to Bill and I that any of our other members do. In fact, I don't even know the buying levels of any of our over 2,000 SFS members. Doesn't matter. John Paolella (Nick's partner) told me a long time ago, "Steve, everybody gets treated the same at Jon-Don- whether they spend 10,000.00 per year or 10.00." (My guess is he and Nick would prefer the former. But we realize if you treat everyone well then eventually the favor gets returned.)
Island Boy
www. StrategiesForSuccess.com
PS Lyman, I feel your pain/suspicion/cynicism. There are a lot of slimy snake-oil salesmen out there preying on unsuspecting carpet cleaners. And I may not be able to convince you but maybe all the other board members who are SFS members can! Once you pay the extremely low initial SFS seminar fee (or "earn" a free admission by meeting buying levels from Jon-Don) everything else in the seminar and the on-going TIPS program of lifetime support after wards is free, free, free. No pressure, no commitment, , no strings, no snake-oil. "Your success is our success- it is that simple."
I'll also mention that with our new http://www.StrategiesForSuccess.com website that is under intense development we are trying to deliver the above SFS philosophy to the entire industry, including those who just can't make it to a SFS seminar. Go to http://www.StrategiesForSuccess.com to sign up and yes, it is free.
Steve Toburen
Supportive Member
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- Oct 23, 2006
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- Name
- Steve Toburen
ODIN said:
Lucky Lee.
IB
www.StrategiesForSuccess.com
PS Actually, Terry, Jon-Don and I share your respect for both of the Pembertons. In fact, back in the mid-80's Lee gave a program at an ASCR convention where he mentioned a new book called the "E-Myth". And this book transformed the way I thought about business. (Thank you, Lee.) In fact, I always say that SFS is just the E-Myth brought "down to earth" for carpet cleaners with the actual systems and procedures needed to implement the concepts Michael Gerber was trying to articulate.
