Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Ian Gourlay on October 09, 2010, 08:53:30 am
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Has anyone seen a Chem Dry Flashing Sign
The idea is they are tied to a lamp post at top of street where Chem Dry are working
I presume they say
Chem Dry working in this street etc etc etc
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I imagine the local authorities would take a DIM VIEW on such a BRIGHT IDEA ...............there's no doubt that flashing signs DO get your attention.
Should be easy to get hold of one if they're left unattended :o
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Robert should have said c ;Chained so going to need some cutters
I did wonder same as you regarding highways etc
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Because of the downturn in fire and flood insurance work, Chem Dry are really going to town pushing their carpet cleaning. Someone I know now has 2 truckmounts on the road, a further 3 on order and is planning to have 14 by next year. This is from a standing start about a year ago. These units are over 30k which includes the van.
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thats cheerful of you John. I hope this someone is up North?
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Thing is you would be better off with Chem Dry as your opposition as someone charging 10 quid a carpet. Chem Dry generally charge top wack so gives you the opportunity to pitch just below them.
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Thing is you would be better off with Chem Dry as your opposition as someone charging 10 quid a carpet. Chem Dry generally charge top wack so gives you the opportunity to pitch just below them.
You're absolutely spot on there John, I've got no problems qouting against CD
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just so we are clear, are we pitching below them becuase we are not as good as them? or some other reason?
I was speaking to a marketing 'expert' last week who said we should be charging more than the franchises becuase we are working on the job and customer expect to pay a premium for such a personel service.
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Chem dry are charging for works carried out to a uniformed system of service standards, actual work standards and products used.
It was explained in an early training manual from Chemdry ...
If you go to a town you have never visited you can visit the local Mcdonalds and get the exact same Big mac served in the same time, by someone in the same uniform , wrapped the same, in an identical looking "restaurant" .
Or you can buy a burger at an independent outlet, which may or may not be of better quality.
Therefore , if you can offer a better service , and better cleans than Chemdry , charge more, if not , charge less.
I would love to see a CCDO order up a Chemdry dry to carry out a job , in a BBC Watchdog style, so we could all see exactly what happens.
When I had a Chemdry franchise , we were mystery shopped 2 or 3 times a year , and we got the results , this was a great tool for us and the master franchise in making standards uniform.
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Isnt there high charge due to being a franchise have more overheads, can only use certain products and that ???
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Exactly Dave. Their product cost is substantialy more than non franchise plus they have there fees. So pitching below them gives you a double wammy of possibly getting the job and it being more profitable.
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I have a friend who I see a couple of times a week , he has 2 CD franchises, every month , before he touches a carpet he has to pay....
Van and TM LEASE £700
Franchise fee for 2 areas £430
Insurance pl £95
Chemical min purchase, which covers his needs £640
Plus mandatory training days,software and support £200 .
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So he has to pay out £500 per week before he earns a penny. Incredible!!
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Yes but thats just 1 insurance job.
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And when the flood jobs come in.................that's when the money comes in!
I'm firmly of the opinion of "would I buy it", if I wouldn't be willing to pay above a certain price for carpet or upholstery cleaning then why should I expect someone else to pay it?
Chem-dry and any other competition can charge what they want, I will charge what I want and have a decent turnover
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I think it is a good thing to have someone in your area that is charging high prices, especially the CD franchises because we get lots of X customers from them and we pitch our prices somewhere in the middle which makes us look more competitive. The number of CD franchises near us seems to be getting less and their prices don't seem as high as they used to be, so maybe that tells it's own story.
Simon
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Ian where did your here about these flashing lights? sounds like a wind up to me ::) ::)
and just an observation about franchisees and high prices, I've noticed when ever I price against them they always visit after I have been, which is a technique we did when I sold double glazing YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BE THE LAST PERSON TO GIVE A QOUTE!!!
8 times out of 10 the last company who quotes will get the job..... if the prices are very close then the last company always wins.
the last company to quote can counter any argument given by the first company and cast doubt in the mind of the customer about the first company which they don't have a chance to answer.
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If all CD franchisees are offering the same standard of service and job quality, then what I hear from their ex customers doesn't say much for them.
The truth is like all CCs whether Franchise owners or not, there are good and bad. There will be big differences of service amongst CD owners just as much any other.
Dave.
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If all CD franchisees are offering the same standard of service and job quality, then what I hear from their ex customers doesn't say much for them.
The truth is like all CCs whether Franchise owners or not, there are good and bad. There will be big differences of service amongst CD owners just as much any other.
Dave.
Spot on there, Dave , it is a constant battle with the Master franchise, trying to police all the franchissees , making the product offering uniform, carpet cleaning is not like a retail product such as burgers, itis very hard to make every job the same, as each carpet installation is different. This makes it difficult to have any kind of good duplication , otherwise we would all be running multiple vans and the price would then also go down.
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Mike
I do not do wind ups but if anybody is going to see one and they are not a figment of my imagination it will be in Yorkshire
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Ian I was not suggesting you are doing a wind-up but perhaps someone else has started the rumour as a wind-up.
where did you hear about it?
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From Chem Dry Doncaster, and Sheffield
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I quoted against a chen dry the other day, I was first in and the job was a small bedroom at £55.00 the CD price was £80......they did try the buy one get one free......I got the job as she liked me more than the CD guy as I talked her through the Job that was going to be done ....Vac, pre spay etc....
Id say it was on price tho, but thats customers for you......:)
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I know Allan a little bit I can imagine him doing it, the main problem with customers and CD is that customers expect the world for some of the prices they charge and the sales person isn't always the cleaner, also if you get the biggest in the trade to do work for you then you expect more.
Shaun
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I know its not CD, but I saw a Servicemaster van the other day and I have to say it was the most disgusting wreck Ive ever seen. There was more rust than paintwork on his TM, and his wand was the filthiest minging mess - and he takes that in to a custys house!
Then you look at Jim Neal and his servicemaster van and kit is spotless :o
What Im trying to say is just because they're a franchise doesnt mean they are better than anyone else - each cc is an individual (like already mentioned), and the high charges are just marketing and brand awareness.
Its amazing how many custys actually think that CD will 'dry' clean ;D
Mark
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I could not make out if he meant one with red/ orange light on top or one of those LCD ones you see in shop windows .
Just watched a Dragons Den there is a bloke who has a pedal type bike cum billboard with an electronic type display, video for parking in high traffic areas at £1700 a day
I do not know how big you can get those portable DVD players ??? ???
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I used to have some flashing lights on my van didn't bring much in the way of work when I used to put them on just looked annoying to me, I looked at the moving signs but thought nothing more of it.
Shaun
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As I AM CALLED CARPET MEDIC MY ORIGIONAL idea was to have blue flashing lights. But never did it.
I believe The US Branch is using the flashing light ;D ;D
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John's point about it being good having competitors who are charging high end prices is spot on. Other than a couple of fine gents from these forums who are local to me, most of my competition is from 3 x local Chem-Dry franchises (Durham, Sunderland and West Durham based), as well as a 'Bone-Dry' franchise, and a 'Zero Dry Time' franchise.
The vast majority of my new business (non existing customers) come to me after having called these competitors. I try to give a service and brand my business in a franchise 'style' but with 10-20% reduction in prices, due to my lower overheads. I still consider my pricing medium to high end.
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lost a job I quoted to too Chem-dry today they were apparently £80 cheaper, now thats a first!