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Thanks for discussion on these issues! As a franchise I think consistency is one of the key elements to success! As an example, you wouldn’t walk into McDonalds ‘anywhere’ and order Nachos just because the franchissee really loves them and makes good ones – so he decides to sell them. McDonalds doesn’t ‘do’ nachos. Ha! They call that “go and be an Independent”! Mom & Pop businesses do whatever they want and can be very successful, but a franchise needs some regulation and uniformity! I personally believe we have some operators who do business more as an Independent than as a franchissee. In the long run, this WILL negatively affect the company!! If we are going to offer services – there needs to be opportunity for everyone to participate and uniform training & equipment!! If HB isn’t willing to certify a service, it should NOT be offered by any of our franchissees!!
Ok – sorry but you missed the point. I think you guys that do all this are great! Take care & best of luck!
No argument with that! This is a great time in the history of HB. I think that maybe however, it might open some dialogue on some other uniformity issues!!
It’s a problem though – because if I’m a HB customer in Indiana & I get transferred to Florida, I would expect the HB to be the same! I would expect the equipment to look the same, and the uniforms, and to offer the same services. That is why when Subway decided to go forward with their Toaster Ovens, they required every store to have one installed and get trained- it wasn’t an option. If I like a toasted turkey footlong in Idaho – I want one in Ohio too! And, I expect that from a franchise. If we are going to do duct cleaning for example – then we should ALL offer that service and use the same equipment and have the same training. The reason customers call on franchises is for their consistency/dependability = trust. Carpet repair for example – customers of a franchise would assume the person was certified by the corporate office to perform the correct technique, and they trust it to be successful. However, the franchissee probably isn’t certified by anyone – he just learned it!! Customers get confused and lose confidence in our company by such inconsistency.
Oh yeah – I forgot I was going to add that I use the dirt napper on 99% of all jobs now! It adds additional time, but wow – the results are superior!!
I have had pretty good success with the dirt napper along the edges – especially as I’ve gotten more confidence running it along the baseboard! ha! Sometimes it all comes up! I’ve seen these filtration lines also without the separation from the baseboard as posted above. While some of it is occurring naturally – I still find it interesting that in almost every case the customer has had previous steam cleaning, or has operated their own Hoover/Bissell steam cleaner.
The biggest thing I have noticed on carpets previously steam cleaned is pronounced filtration marks – particularly along the baseboards. Almost always when I’ve seen this, I ask if the carpets have been steam cleaned, and the answer is yes. I think the moisture and residue settles along the edges and then sits and collects dirt! Thankfully our cleaners and the dirt napper can really do a lot in these situations!
When hiring an employee in this business, have you noticed a sizable increase in costs for van insurance, liability insurance, workman’s comp?
Just out of curiosity Ron, do you feel comfortable sharing how much that is going to cost per month? And what percentage of your estimated advertising budget for the coming year? My years in the business world have hardened my attitudes towards yellow pages somewhat – mostly I think they have become a really big rip-off. I realize they are necessary, but wow – how much return is truly earned from that one ad?
Hey thanks for the input – it’s always the simple things we overlook. Especially when trying something new – I really want to feel confident about waht we’re doing!! Anybody else have any suggestions??
I have seen this situation many times in homes which have used steam cleaning in the past. In fact, when I see it now I always ask if the carpets have ever been steam cleaned. It appears especially in newer construction homes which are very air-tight. I personally believe it is a mixture of very heavy filtration and dirt attracted to residue left around the edges left by steam cleaning. I usually warn customers that this may not fully be removed without extra treatment – line filtration cleaner + pro-spotter and hand scrubbing – which will definitely add to the cost of the job. In every case, the owner has always admitted past steam cleaning.
What kind of “prep” work do you think will normally need to be done – i.e. how do you recommend cleaning the floor before starting the polish process??
One tip I have used from Cody when bidding commercial – measure wall to wall, then subtract a percentage estimate of how much of the floor you believe is “unreachable”. For example, I have done some retail stores where I just clean the main traffic areas and “open” areas around displays. I measured the entire store and estimated that I would only be cleaning about 40% of the showroom floor – so that’s what I charged. Didn’t have to move anything and was able to still earn about $100/hour at .20/ft actual cleaned sq. ft. Turns out this method has also kept me competitive. But each situation has to be evaluated – I would agree that office cubicles would be a nightmare….
