Carpet Cleaning Issues - Carpet construction, upholstery cleaning, stain removal, equipment, events, etc.
rubbing you hands togetherPosted by adl (dave at adl), 14 March 2004
Ever had that call "can you come now my radiator has leaked" or "i have spilt a cup of coffee on the carpet" what do you do? rub rub rub as the pound notes flash past your eyes! but if that same customer had phoned and said is their any chance you could come later today to clean my carpet you wouldnt be rubbing so hard now would you? You will get far more business in the long run by treating your customers fairly and not ripping them off. Remember recomendation is the best source of advertising! The moral of this story (if you are not asleep by now is a little off many is far better than one big hit off one
??Posted by squeaky (squeaky), 14 March 2004
Well said !Posted by Dynafoam (Dynafoam), 14 March 2004
Here. Here ! An enlightened attitude and it does pay dividends - I have not paid a penny for advertising for over 38 years and get as much work as I wish to do.
John.Posted by mike_halliday (mike_halliday), 14 March 2004
If a new customer rings me and says they have just had an accident yes i do rub my hands and have £££s signs flashing before my eyes 
because I know All I have to do is walk in with my spotting machine, whip out the stain and I get £35. as for the customer who wants me to come later to clean their carpet, they are out of luck because I'm fully booked!
I think the other side of the coin is more prevelant in our industry, carpet cleaners using their expertise and not having £££s signs flashing most carpet cleaners I meet are too nice for their own good when they should be charging for thier services they give it as a freebie.
How many times have you done a small job for a pensioner and accepted just a token payment.
MikePosted by Dynafoam (Dynafoam), 14 March 2004
on 03/14/04 at 12:05:27, mike_halliday wrote:How many times have you done a small job for a pensioner and accepted just a token payment.
Mike
More times than I can count - but it does feel good 
On the commercial side, many of my long-term regulars are sons/daughters of these 'charity' cases and they do not question my charges as they do not see me as a 'money grabber'.
John.Posted by Ken_Wainwright (Ken Wainwright), 14 March 2004
What a wonderful thread. No particular answer but lots of different questions, opinions and approaches.
For what it's worth, for me, a call to rescue a disaster, if new and fresh, is always treated as urgent , even if it means an early evening call out. But payment? Sometimes it's a £40 min. charge. Sometimes it's for a bottle with something red inside and sometimes its a freebie, occasionally even for someone I've never met before. There's no rhyme or reason to my approach, I think it must depend on my hormones on the day On the surface, all of this may seem unprofessional, but look a little deeper. Similar to John, my advertising budget is almost nil (£125 for NCCA Y/P listing, Parish mag and school fete is the total). So by seen to not take advantage of peoples misfortune, I find is an excellent marketing tool. For example, if I do a freebie, when madam is gobsmacked at the "bill" I make a point of exlaining that I was in the area, my out of pocket costs are virtually nil, and that my marketing exercise will hopefully bear fruits in the future. I invariably obtain work from this approach. Obviously if I'd travelled out of my way, then a charge would be made.
Safe and happy cleaning
Ken
PS Thinking about it, there is logic behnd my charging strategy, each case is taken on it's own merits, especially if madam answers the door wearing nothing but a smile with a promise of egg, bacon, sausage and beans Posted by des (des), 14 March 2004
I got a call once to clean a care home and a few weeks later they phoned to say they had an accident on the carpet could i come today and clean the area again .I had just finished my jobs for the day so i went around and cleaned the carpet for them. She asked me how much was the bill and i told her it was free but could i park my van in there car park while i went to the bank to pay in some money .Yes she said and any time you are in town please feelm free to park there. So i had a free parking space since then and then the lady got the top job looking after all the homes in a 50 mile area .Not only do i get all the new homes to do but she tells them the price and its very good price and they have cash every time. So give a little it pays des 
Posted by lee_gundry (lee_gundry), 14 March 2004
i did a flood restoration service for a old woman who was not insured,i did the full works for free.
Lee GPosted by Nigel_W (Nigel_W), 14 March 2004
The most memorable one I had was a call out for a red wine stain. It was the daughter of an existing long term client. I fitted it in at lunchtime and made no charge because of the connection with Mum and Dad. I had a call the next day - it turned out that the daughter runs a property management business with 40 luxury company flats in my area. I am still cleaning them 6 years later 
NigelPosted by Dave_Lee (Dave_Lee), 14 March 2004
Dave,
So you found the board. With regards yo your comments. The question is - How many and How much.
Dont make the mistakes I made - whilst not advertising for many years but fully booked all the time - Reason: I had all the work coming in without advertising after an initial 7 years. I was also broke, doing the job properly but not charging enough. Happy to say those days are well behind me now and I'll never fall into that trap again. In my opinion you if you are making your money with large volume of jobs - you dont have the time or even the incentive to do the job properly and shortcuts are inevitable. As I said, been there done that, and hated it -happier now doing jobs at the right price (Right for me, that is). You must know Dave, even if you have only been in this business a short time, that £75 for a full house of carpets is not just low priced its suicidal and for someone with an impressive set up like yours gives the public a low perception of professional carpet cleaning, that others in your area have worked hard for years to improve. No offence intended Dave, this is just how, I for see it.
Dave.Posted by adl (dave at adl), 14 March 2004
Thanks for that dave, couldnt agree more that advertisment in the post will finish next week i only put it in till the yellow pages came out, but i have to be honest i wish i hadnt put such a large advert in the yellow pages as i dont want so much domestic work i have enough work with the commercial side of it, i always knew that i couldnt keep them sort of prices for ever, i actually turn down about 50% of the domestic work that i get offered so i can concentrate on the commercial side of it i only use the money from domestics for day to day living whilst the commercial side of it growsPosted by lenpg (Len Gribble), 14 March 2004
It’s nice to see that some cc have a heart and are not out there for the quick buck, I have done a quite a few free bees and sleep very well at night, knowing in time I will get a call from them or a referral. I wonder how many plumbers/electricians would do the same not many methinks.
LenPosted by Shaun_Ashmore (Shaun_Ashmore), 14 March 2004
Dave, take the calls on domestic and if you get snowed under sub it out or keep putting the price up until they say no!
ShaunPosted by lee_gundry (lee_gundry), 14 March 2004
having done a search on the business locator uk web site & came accross the following
ADL cleaning services (preston)
UK cleaning supplies (preston)
chemspec distributor ADL cleaning services (preston)
all owned by dave Ashmore (preston)
tell me dave adl is this youPosted by adl (dave at adl), 14 March 2004
yep this is I, quite an impressive portfollio for only 6 months in business Posted by lenpg (Len Gribble), 14 March 2004
I agree with Shaun but care should be taken re Sub’s it’s your name not there’s when they screw up!
Dave your not related to Shaun are you? Same surname
LenPosted by adl (dave at adl), 14 March 2004
not unless he's my ex wife and has had a sex changePosted by Dave_Lee (Dave_Lee), 14 March 2004
You never know?
Dave.Posted by lenpg (Len Gribble), 14 March 2004
Now I getting confused with name Dave & Dave Posted by John_Flynn (John_Flynn), 14 March 2004
Shaun
Have you been telling us fibs about those little bumps on the top of your legs that you said were Warts??
There your Sussies aren't they??Posted by mike_halliday (mike_halliday), 14 March 2004
I'm a big believer in ying & Yang, for every good thing we do an equal and opposite bad thing will happen 
so all you carpet cleaners who are doing all these good deads watch out one day the craps going to hit the fan
I balance all my good deads by mugging old ladies on a night
MikePosted by Shaun_Ashmore (Shaun_Ashmore), 14 March 2004
It is definately a big bag of swimming things trying to get out 
As far as I know Dave and I are not related and before you ask no I have not been poking his MRS.
And as for cross dressing I am a firm believer in CD as it has done wonders for my business 
ShaunPosted by adl (dave at adl), 14 March 2004
well someones been poking her ive not been home for 2 years and i have a one year old baby, 
Posted by lenpg (Len Gribble), 14 March 2004
Shaun
You have the same type CD customers as me Tony Blare the best PM since MT
Dave don’t blame me I only go as far as B’ham, but ant it great if it’s a girl wait till it’s 13 sorry no more advises
Mike not into ying & yang but it dose hit the fan
Len
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