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Don,
Glad to hear from you guys. Kathlynn and I have been thinking about you guys. You can always stay in sunny Duluth, MN. Not much work but we can provide most of the required hook ups. And the air conditioner probably won’t be a problem!
We have some flooding about an hour north of us. One of the cleaners up there sent out an S.O.S. for help/equipment earlier this week. He can’t keep up with the demand.
If there is any thing we can do for you folks please let us know. We would be happy to have you stay with us. Pets too!
Rick & Kathlynn
I carry a small box fan for upholstery. I usually run it every time. Nice and small, draws less current so I don’t have to worry about tripping breakers etc., while I’m cleaning the carpet in the same area. Some times the turbo is to much even on the low setting.
How long does it take for the protector to fully cure? Or, how long have you all been advising your customers to stay off the carpet after you apply the product? I have been telling my customers 4 hours, with ventilation. I don’t remember where I got that number from.
Thanks, Rick
Don, good post. Well, right up to the last part!
Maybe I’m looking at Don’s post differently (I know I’m different!) but I took it as him saying that our 101 product is much better than the product most offer so we should market that advantage. I haven’t looked at the accepted list of items for our ads lately, is there any thing about our “exclusive” product on the list?
The points Gordon mentioned are the foundation of every successful business! And we should work hard to remember to focus on those every day. Thanks for the reminder, Gordon!
Our customer appreciation coupons are generating business and I am very greatful for it! Thanks again to the Iowa bunch for the idea. Not as busy as I would like but we are working, and working on it. The weather is not helping. 60 straight days of below normal temps. (mostly below zero) and today it’s raining like crazy. One big ice cube.
Hope every one is doing well!
Rick
Tim
I have been doing the same. Where possible, I ask the customer if I can plug my electric heater into an outdoor outlet and let it run in the van. I have a large thermometer in the window of the van so I can see it from inside to make sure the temp is ok. I insulated my van also. I think it helps. But every time you open those big doors it takes a while to get the heat back.
Ron
Your invitation is sounding better all the time! I have a couple of competitors that close from Dec. – March. Makes business a little better for us. We are having a heat wave this week. May even see 30 degrees today. Will feel like spring!
Rick McConnell
We use the same discount program as Brian. I did raise my minimum to $120.00 this year. Same $/sqft as last year. I decided to test how effective the card is by not sending it out this year until late January for a February start date. We normally send it out late December for a January start date. So far, I am down 66% vs last year YTD (I don’t do nearly as much business as Brian but the numbers tell the tale). Of the work I have done, most of it was new business. So I called my regular early January customers and they asked about their coupon (no ?’s about pricing, just where’s my coupon)? I gave them the discount over the phone and they booked cleanings. Seems once you start this the customers begin to expect the offer every year. Or, it becomes their signal to get the cleaning done. The reminder cards didn’t seem to drive any business. There could be some other things that are effecting the numbers like the weather (seems it’s cold every where), people effected by the slow economy, etc.. I usually get a lot of calls about road salt. They haven’t used as much this year because of the cold. Seems the salt is not as effective below a certain temp.
The only way to know for sure if these customers would have called later in the year without the coupon is to not send it at all. And wait to see what the results are. I have seen enough 15 days into the year that I am printing post cards as I type this. And will send them out as soon as they are done. I will be sending it out for a January start again next year.
Rick
Acid Rinse should help. 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water as Mark wrote. And Brian’s suggestion of brushing and vacuuming is good information also.
Cody,
How do we edit the contact information on the LMCCA site? Do I contact them directly, or go through you guys? They have a listing for one of the smallest towns in my service area (I appreciate the listing), while some of the largest are not listed. I don’t need every city but would like the primary ones listed.Thanks,
RickSprinting with the sprayer? That sounds like a work out! Do they make a jet that fits the power sprayer that would be small/fine enough to apply protectant? And what effect would the protectant have on the pump? Brian Sutton, are you out there?
Once the weather gets below freezing, I put together my cold weather cleaning package. I try to put as much of the product as possible in smaller flip tops so I can put them in a cooler. When I make my appointments I ask about specific cleaning concerns (pet stains, upholstery cleaning) related to the upholstery unit. If I am confident that I won’t need the upholstery mate I leave it home and bring my Spot Plus portable (I love that little machine). I only mix as many 2.5 gallon jugs of 101 as I think I will need for that day. All this in an effort to bring the product/equipment that will freeze into the job so I don’t have to run my van to keep them from freezing. Saves on gas and also makes a good impression on those customers that are into the “green” movement. I have a lot of people looking for green services. 4,500 people paid to attend a “green fair” last year in Duluth. 70 companies presented green products or services. All of which had been screened to meet the green standards set by the group that organized the fair.
I used to use an electric heater to keep my equipment/etc. warm at night. The van is parked in my unheated garage (wifes car sits outside, but that’s another story). We had a power outage in the middle of the night and I didn’t wake up until it was 3 hours later. Froze up my sprayer and UP units and some product. I have been bringing it into my house since. It’s a pain dragging it in and out of the house but it sure beats replacing product or equipment. And I’m already paying for the heat in the house. I’m not sure how much electricity that little heater draws, but with the thermostat set hot enough to keep the temp above freezing, it would run non stop from night until the next morning. I still put it in the van in the morning for a couple of hours before I start the day, so the equipment I leave in the van (like the buffers) warms up before I use them. It’s a gradual heat so it doesn’t cause condensation on the equipment.
This doesn’t happen very often but I recently had to replace the boot on my Maytag Neptune washer. I found the repair manual on line at http://www.applianceaid.com. The repair turned out to be fairly simple and I saved a few bucks on the installation. Not a big savings but every little bit helps.
Good topic!
I had the same thought while listening to the customer describe the situation. Spoke with the customer again and found out they tried to clean in house and I’m guessing they don’t have a ton of experience cleaning upholstery. They clean their carpets so they figured they could clean the upholstery. Maybe – Maybe not. I meet with them next Monday and we will see.
That’s a good question. Most of my jobs involve moving at least some furniture. My target customer is high end and they usually want every thing moved. So I started quoting all of my jobs at a price that includes the time to move the furniture. If the customer asks about a price for empty rooms, I adjust for that (only for empty rooms). But, I never bring it up unless the customer does. Some of my competition offer different pricing levels or packages (gold-silver-bronze) that lets the customer choose among other things, if they want the furniture moved and price accordingly. Others never move any thing and clean for $19.95/room. Not my target customer. I like to keep the pricing simple. I charge by the SqFt. I subtract for any area under furnuture I don’t clean/move. I don’t move beds unless they can be slid back an forth while assembled. No pianos either.
Brian,
Sorry to hear about your Monday. Glad everyone was OK. My local fire department has joined me on a job as well!
How many of you guys and girls carry a fire extinguisher in your van? I wouldn’t recommend using it on an electrical fire (scared to death of electricity). But could come in handy some day. I helped a young man put out a car fire a couple of summers ago. His first car. First home tuneup and left a fuel line loose. Poor kid was heart broken.
Hopefully you never need one but if you do….
Have a great day!
Rick
