[Mike Halliday]

another cut & pasted article

It’s no secret there’s big profits in protection. Depending on how much you charge, selling carpet protector can add a whopping 50-70 percent in profits per job. It’s a given that the products really work and your clients need it.

 Yet, a lot of companies have trouble selling this very profitable add-on. So, where does the ‘disconnect’ take place? Between your ears.

 I call it “PAS”… Price Aversion Syndrome. For some reason, a lot of technicians (and business owners) feel their price will be “too high” and rejected by the homeowner. So, the offer of adding carpet protection is never broached.

 I could write pages about how most cleaners charge far too little for the services they offer… but let’s stick to the matter at hand.

Here are three ways to increase the sale of carpet protection.

 1. Offer package pricing: Include moving up to five pieces of furniture and carpet protection in your carpet cleaning pricing. When you bundle your services, you increase the perceived value in the mind of your customer.

 2. No price options: When you tally up the total to be charged, do not give the homeowner a variety of price options. A confused mind always says ‘no’. And if given price options, they will almost always choose the lowest price. You want them laser-focused on the price you’re targeting.

 3. Just do it: 97 percent of the problem is in your head. If you think they won’t agree to it, believe me – just like dogs can smell fear – a customer will know you have doubts about the value of your price. If you sound timid or unsure when delivering the pricing news… no sale!

 True story: My company really does sell carpet protection on every job. My tech is even better at this than me. He was told what to charge per square foot with carpet protection included. And that is exactly what he tells the client the cost will be.

 He does this with total fearlessness. He believes in its value, just as he believes the earth is round and the sun will rise in the morning. He has sold the job with protection before and he is absolutely certain he will sell it again on the next job.

 No fear – no hesitation.

 Don’t PAS on these ways to sell carpet protection. Implement these three suggestions and watch your profits skyrocket dramatically.

[james roffey]

Really good post but as a newbie i wuld not know what protection is the best and cost effective so many different types exist.
From the very start i decided to fix a good price for cleaning and stick to it only very rarely do i lower it but after i have cleaned the customer is satisfied they have recieved good value but protector is very different the benefits are not clear to see i would have to have supreme confidence in the product because if it turned out to be innrfective or not up to the customers expectations and if its expensive they would rightly be high i could loose that customer for the future a short time gain would be a long term loss, so what protector is best ?

[Jim_77]

Mike, interesting post.... shouldn't you wait till Friday afternoon to start a riot though?

James, if one protector was "best" that means all the others are not best and nobody would buy them

What's best is what works for you.  Any decent protector will do what it says on the tin when applied correctly.  If anyone has done any conclusive, reliable, unbiased side-by-side tests on different brands, I haven't heard about it and I'm sure the rest of us would like to know that too!

(maybe an idea?)

I'm by no means an expert on the scientific side of protectors but I think they basically fall into two categories: silicone-based and fluorocarbon-based.  Silicone is older technology and has its problems, fluorocarbon tends to be the norm now.

One or two have antibacterial additives in them to give an extra benefit to make the sale more attractive.  I'm not very familiar with promite but i think that has something to kill dust mites too.

You need to protect your own carpets & upholstery to really believe in the product (and then have a few accidents!).  When you blot spills up with a tissue and they vanish right before your eyes, suddenly you have 100% conviction when selling it to customers

[Barry Livingstone]

But what if yuo sell your service on the fact, the customers carpet will be touch dry when you leave??? Protectors cant be Turbo'd.......so they have a wet carpet they CANT walk on untill dry and at this time of year could 8 hours........

So id say you couldnt sell to every customer on this basis as most my customers wnat clean dry carpets!!!

[Jim_77]

If you apply water-based protector to a dry carpet, it will feel touch dry again within an hour or so under good conditions.

I suppose extraction equipment is the key really; protector on top of a carpet just cleaned with a twin vac porty is gonna be a bit of a wait.  Truckmount, airmover, then protect is going to be quite a short amount of downtime, especially on bigger jobs.

Obviously protector needs time to fully soak in before drying it off but I reckon forced drying on protector is fine after at least half an hour of it being applied.  Not very practical on small jobs though.

You'll never sell protector to every customer and if you do you're almost certainly ripping people off left right and centre!  Obviously some situations mean it doesn't make sense to protect carpets.

If most of your customers want dry carpets, use host. If they want a decent cleaning job and a well protected carpet they'll gladly make the sacrifice of a bit of downtime for a few hours every year or two.

[Joe H]

James123
A lot of customers have, in the past, been left with wet carpets, not just for 6 or 7 hours, but 24 hours and maybe more. Thats why they go for carpets dry within 3 hours, and with modern machines with good recovery rates and experienced operators that is achievable.
It is true with protector that it is going to take a lot longer to dry, and really the carpet should be not walked on for some 8 hours or so (longer for he process to "set").
but if the custy wants protector then they must be advised of the benefits and disadvantages. The disadvantage is the drying time which only occurs once. The benefits are much longer lasting.
You explain to them clearly the facts and they make the choice.

[wayne zabel]

Can someone please advise on the best ways of applying a protector.
This has never been covered on any of my courses.

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Buy yourself a sprayer (electric ones are the best) and spray it evenly on to the carpet making sure all areas are covered and try not to over wet. Then get a pile rake and brush the protector in making sure both sides of the pile is covered with the protector. Simple process really

[gr cleaning solutions]

i ve been asked about protector to , i dont have any as ive never been asked for it before.What make is the best to use ?

[dave123]

Having test cards also helps to sell protector . Half the card protected and the other half unprotected . I always demonstrate the process with the dregs of tea .They watch in amazement as the tea just sits on top of the protected part of the card .

[John Milnes]

It's an old story.

Yes it can be sold, the test cards are amazing, you can convince custys, and some companys will demostrate theirs is truly the muts nuts by saying a test peice of carpet held water without penetrating.
And you can add it on as a profit margin.

In reality, I regulary have custys call to say.....it's full of stains, BUT it has been protected!

Once went to a regular who had a bathroom stain protected and guaranteed by a franchise.
Compny called to remove stains and could'nt....no redress....custy paid £££s for nothing.

I never sell it unless asked....then I tell them what it does and what it wont.

[R-CLEAN]

like most things "common sense"  x x x x

[rich hand]

Does anyone offer protector as standard? Not as a free special offer but built into the price at a reasonable rate ie. £2.50/m to £3.00/m

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

I don't but I've often wondered about some people on here who claim they get say £6/m2 whether that is the price they are charging inclusive of protectors/VAT/whatever.

I might be doing them a dis-service but I do wonder.

[Neil Williams]

1. In reality, I regulary have custys call to say.....it's full of stains, BUT it has been protected!
2. I never sell it unless asked....then I tell them what it does and what it wont.

The 2 parts above are identical to my situation.
I don't need the hassle of a few months down the road a customer ringing up and saying that they've spilt something and it won't just 'rub off.'
There are too many elements why this has trouble written all over it.
I have applied it before but only after I have tried to talk them out of it.

[Mark Lawrence]

I would like to sell more protector, but am worried about customers complaining about it if it aint bullit proof I havent had any probs yet but....

Mark

[derek west]

its simple really
if you believe in it, sell it
if you don't believe in it, don't sell it

if you believe in it and don't sell it, your an idiot
if you don't believe in it and do sell it, your a tossser

derek

[Mike Osbourne]

I've posted a few threads on protector and covering  against 'buyer's remorse' as this could be next years pandemic if you haven't done it right.

In a nutshell.

Weigh up custy/household

Is it appropriate for carpet & usage.

Sell it (the easy bit)

Once you have commitment, pull it away. That's right, put them off it by saying not sure if right for them, ask some meaningful questions.

Explain you will apply protector if they fully understand .... rattle through what is expected of them, that it WILL get dirty etc.

Agree grudgingly to do it. and then ask again, knowing all that ARE YOU SURE?

Not only does this cover your arse it makes them feel even more sure they made the right decision - their decision.

You will never have a problem blamed on you.

Will people decline after saying yes? Certainly and that's a good result.