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I understand that some people, and to a certain extent we all dislike change. I think things are alittle along this line…
The NBA is a franchise.
1. The NBA has rules for all teams.
2. The NBA allows teams to create their own play book, according to its strengths and weaknesses. The Utah Jazz doesn’t use the Lakers play book, but if any team sees a great play from the Trail Blazers they have the right to incorporate it to their own play book. (Mainly if it’s useful)About the City owners having objections, well they have a contract (franchise) just like in the NBA. Waving a contract in their face is not the way to win friends and influence people. However, why would any City Owner oppose some one in leadership over them, pay their own money (State Owner), to say nice things about their local cleaner, and ask for referrals that can benifit them (the City Owner), or Heaven forbid, get five hundred to a thousand or more dollars from their customer referring a new sale! This is new, Not one customer complaint has come to light. Not one.
I’m really not sure what the FEAR is all about.
Some operators didn’t ask for protector sales, because of FEAR, they might sound like a salesman. Who did it hurt more? The answer is… 1. the consumer (because they didn’t get the best service) and 2. The operator who passed on the added profit. As a State Owner you may be leaving the sale behind because of fear just like the City Owner with a protector sale.
So…… What is the real fear?
I was once taught in a business class the definition of FEAR…
False
Evidence
Appearing
RealWhy not give it a try? If it works, great! If it works or not we to continue to be creative.
My personal favorite time to use the towel is when the husband comes home and says “Why did you call to have the carpets cleaned? The’re not even dirty?” I love to show them the towel!
The dirty words you can see him eat!…When I go to buy something, and I get asked if I want the warrantee (or extended warrantee), I know I am expected to pay more, Right? I don’t think people expect a “protection clause” without paying more. A side from protector, what else could be included, and what would the pay off if any,be? What are we willing to do?
1) Refund of protector price… after we are given the chance to return to make it right?
I found in my exprience, when someone starts asking for a guarantee, a red flag is beating me in the face saying “run away”. I try to stay calm, and ask “What kind of guarantee are you looking for?” I’ll always guarantee to do my best.
On the flip side I was talking with an owner of a boot store. He canceled a contract with a well known logger boot company that sold boots for $300. He canceled because the company wouldn’t stand behind their workmanship.
There has to be a win/ win somewhere in between.
There are no guarantees, but being sure beats being taken by surprise. Donald J. Trump
Sorry for playing the Trump card. Ha HaYea!
Yea!
I Vote for door #3! Ammon for President!!!!!!!
Seriously, I think it has merit for consideration.
So…………..
I think I’m reading, the referral reward for cleaning customers should be omitted from the letter refered to in the Jan 2008 State Owners Newsletter.
Is this the way we all feel?Should we be uniform in the amount of the reward for referral of a -new purchased franchise-, or should we have the freedom to do whatever we like? (within reason, of course)
My bad.
Neil King ONLY had a 2006-2007 growth of 245% increase in business. Please except my apology.Ditto!
I have a notebook. It starts out with “Letters of Recommendations” (6-8 pages), followed by Evaluation Cards (have 20-50), and then before and after pictures.(15-20 sets). I talk about it first. Then pass it around and go to the frabric protector cleanex samples. Use the water on one and leave it. Do it again on another and run the water off, and pass it around. At the end refer to the water still puddling on the cleanex. People love them, they are a big hit! Keep the focus on quality. “If it isn’t quality, it doesn’t matter.”Another talk point is how much percent your business has grown since last year! (If 2006 was only a parchal year, 2007 numbers will sound fantastic!)(Neil King for example had an increase in business of 249%!!!!!!) (even “A sistained increase of 20% or higher each year…” will do nicely.
If you run out of things to say, open it up for questions.The cub scout motto is: “Keep it simple, make it fun!”
Brian,
Do you actually send cash money?P.S. I really do like the referral card, front and back idea.
I also used to offer a finders fee of $1000 in my states. However when a referral come from an operator for a portion of someones existing area, you know what hit the fan when they were expected to pay the additional $500. I was told that the standard fee was $500 period. It was a very rare situation, never the less it was what it was. I feel whatever the standard is it should be world wide.
In the splitting of a finders fee in three, I was thinking only as pertaining to the evaluation card letter referrals.
“(Hopefully this will be enough incentive)” I was referring to the city owner – to leave an evaluation card.
I welcome diccussion.
Please forgive me for asking the question before the “State Owner call session”, but I have a few questions that I feel needs to be addressed. (I feel there will be little time during the session)
1. In the Jan 08 newsletter it says “We do have a reward program for those who refer a new carpet cleaning customer”. A few that I’ve spoken with feel a 10% reward would probably be the best. Either way I feel it should be the same world wide. (Just like the finders fee for new sale franchises) Your thoughts…
1A. What if the referral is for a nieghboring area? Which is something we want to happen as well. Should 10% of the job be sent from the area cleaned to the carpet cleaner of the referraled area, who will them pass on the credit toward the referred customer to be applied to their next cleaning? Should the referral customer recieve a ckeck for 10% from the carpet cleaner who cleaned? Your thoughts…
2. The current referral reward for a franchise purchased is $500 and has never been increased. Reguardless of the amount, what percentage for a referral reward be? I bring this up because I feel there should be split three ways. The REFERRING CUSTOMER, the CITY OWNER, and the STATE OWNER who sent the letter. I say the STATE OWNER, to be reimbursed expenses incase the referral goes to another state. The CITY OWNER, because they can benifit by more referrals and from new sales. (Hopefully this will be enough incentive). The CUSTOMER (needs no comment).
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
Ron, right or wrong I do this…
1. I have the “Best of the Best Evaluation Card” for each month. I send them (the operator) a check for $25 and have a write up about it in my monthly newsletter. This is to remind all my operators about the evaluation cards and an opportunity for recognition and a feel of being a part of a group.
2. We can use the cards to defend the operator. In my last newsletter I explained how the evaluations cards are used and that I get a copy of each evaluation card that goes to the corporate office. I told them when a customer calls with a very rare complaint, I can look through my file and relate that “last year Bryan Ferris had over 300 evaluation cards filled out by his customers and yours is the first concern in a year. What was the problem again?” It lets the customer know they are the one with the exception and we get a better opportunity to correct it. It softens the impact of the complaint.
By the way, I still have three operators that don’t fill out evaluation cards (out of twenty three). They are the ones that are short term thinkers and probably for what ever reason will be leaving Heaven’s Best within the next three years.
I’m learning to focus on what I can change and not on what I can’t.
