CJones

I do a lot of berber also. The biggest trick is (as with all things!) you can’t be in a big hurry!! I agree with the responses above and add TIME!! Use the vacuum, several directions. Use the FAE and allow plenty of dwell time. Use the dirt napper, and then finish up with a very thorough buffing using woven turf – flip it and then use another if necessary! Our system will clean berber well. If it’s reall matted down – rake before applying FAE!

All of these questions raises another question!! One thing I have thought about we could consider adding to the franchise training is local “field training”. I know I could have benefitted from this. In other words, after attending corporate training in Rexburg new franchisees would return to their home and perform several days of field training with an experienced “certified” operator as set up and supervised by the state owner. Such “field training” would be done in a nearby area and the “certified” operator doing the training could be compensated by corporate as part of the franchise fee. The new franchisee would be the ‘second man’ on the truck and experience hands on daily routines as well as the opportunities to ask lots of questions. This would add to the overall confidence of beginning operators. “Certified” operators performing the training would be hand picked and trained by state owners. As we grow, I think this is going to become a real need!! What do ya’ll think??

Believe it or not, it’s still $2.98 a gallon here! But I am happy I originally decided to buy a 6 cyl Express ! I go a little slower up the hills, but overall the good mileage is worth it. The price of gas should help make everyone realize you need to be fair with your pricing – but you need to not feel guilty about having to raise prices either! Every extra dollar you spend on gas and don’t recoup – you just took off your dinner table!

This is a tricky question however because of demographics. You have to decide what type of customers you want. I have found that customers in better homes – top end of the market – never ask to use a credit card, they always write checks. Whereas people in the lower middle class are credit card junkies (at least here in Texas) and always have dirtier, more difficult cleaning jobs because of lifestyle and long periods of time between cleanings. I decided to only accept cash or check to try and avoid that market.

Here in Texas you can also file with the county court/DA’s office. They will put a warrant on the individual. This is why it is so important to put a driver’s license # on the check along w/date of birth if you are hesitant anyway. Then, with that info they can track the guy down. Usually they are caught when they receive a traffic ticket, or go to renew their plates, etc. At that point you will eventually receive your money….someday! Tracking down through the bank is the fastest way as mentioned in previous posts. Haven’t had any bad checks with HB yet – and that’s a great thing!!!

Good one Danbo, any kind of register tape advertising is a total complete ripoff. I have tried that before in other businesses & have also witness others waste a lot of money! And, anytime, anyplace, anyone tells me that I must make a decision NOW to take advantage of the great offer….. my automatic answer is: NO! If it’s so great, then it’ll be there tomorrow, or next week. These types of salesmen are the worst, and they get totally confused when you tell them: “Well, if I can’t have time to think about this, then my answer is NO”. They really don’t know what to do at that point, and often begin making the conversation personal – like you have some kind of problem! I’ve walked many a time – car sales, health clubs, real estate, etc. Also tried a community newsletter one time – it was a waste. Make as big a bang as possible to your target market for the least cost!!!

It’s very difficult w/so many books! But you have to try & figure out which book the real “locals” always keep in their homes – there’s always one main book that most of your customers will use. Might be interesting to see if the ad reps can share any user demographics with you – ask for it! They do tracking all the time to set their ad rates. That’s why you have to be careful of the cheap ones – because that also means they have few users (not many hits in their tracking to justify higher rates). Ask for examples of tracking on local businesses! Hope this helps – they have a lot of info….they just don’t always like to share!

Darn, I thought maybe it would lift ME out of the van! hahahahahahaha