[jim mca]

3 TMs to clean a trampoline 

[derek west]

3 TMs to clean a trampoline 

naaaa thats how paul and the crew  get back over the fence.

[ian harper]

Guys

[Mike Halliday]

most of that post makes no sense and is just your opinion which you are stating as though it was fact and trying to back up your 'facts' by referring to non provable quotes from Eric browns book .

nearly every point you make in my opinion is rubbish ( although I say.... in my opinion...... because in reality who is to say my opinion is more valid than yours)

to take just one sentence......

if more Porty owners put the facts on their sites then the customer would become more informed and prices would drop for them. porty owners have nothing to fear.

2 questions I can see why customers would want prices to drop but why would we want prices to drop?

secondly...... you are saying if porty owner put the fact on their websites that portables can clean just as well as T/ms then prices would drop.... but they would have nothing to fear,.. so you are making the assuption that the prices would fall only for T/M owners. Where does this assumption come from?

you have posted pure waffle although it is quite eloquently written it is still waffle

[Craigp]

I have to agree with Mike, it's very confused rambling Ian.

I think your in danger of over anilising and as a result over complicating and coming up with nonsense that could hinder your business. You need direction!

For the record plenty of portable users get the same prices or more as TM users as well as vice versa.

I met a guy at alltec who used a portable and charged more than me and his turnover was considerably higher than mine.

[markpowell]

Ive run both TM and Porty.
Currently run Porty with full time helper.
When quiet op does postcards etc,
If i was going to go back to the TM'S i would invest in a Prowler without a shadow of a doubt, but for now im happy.
Mark

[Simon Gerrard]

Mark,
A fulltime op, crikey, you could save an awful lot of that cost if you were running a TM as you woulkd get a lot more work done more quickly.

Simon

[Doug Holloway]

Hi guys

Ian, rather than write loads of spin trying to justify the unjustifiable why don't you just buy a TM and join us, it is much easier to get a top job.

Happy new year.

Doug

[Simon Gerrard]

One thing Dr Eric Brown doesn't mention in his book is the marketing aspect of a TM v  portable. The problem is that if people have a problem with a carpet cleaner it is usually someone with a portable, that's not being disrespectful to the many top guys using portables, just a focus on the fact that the shisters in this business use cheap portables which customers can't differentiate one from another. A TM system however looks the part and that alone builds confidence, so to avoid another diappointment go with the people with top of the range equipment. The marketing / sales power of a TM is incalculable, but is very significant and that added sales value is enought to pay for one.
It goes without saying that whatever the equipment when you come to doing the job its all down to operator skill and application.

Simon

[Mark Lawrence]

Ian, rather than write loads of spin trying to justify the unjustifiable why don't you just buy a TM and join us, it is much easier to get a top job.


Doug

Thats the thing Doug, Ian did have a TM (albeit a prowler). He couldnt get the prices because of bizar marketing that only he knows (he told his clients on his website video to 'barter' for cheaper prices if they have a TM - which he had!!).

Exactly, mad as a hatter. I wonder why he gave up on that idea and went back to a portable...hhmm let me think.

Mark

[Ferenc G.]

No customer ever asked me about the equipment I use, 99% don't care about it. Usually 2 things important for them: end result and price. I beleive the end result is down to the operator, the price is all about ones sales skills. IMHO these skills are the most important factors. Everyone should use what suits their needs and in many situations it won't be a TM. It is not the machine what makes a business succeed or fail. You can starve to death with a shiny TM parked on your drive. No one will call you just because you have one. I think comparing the two is a bit like comparing a F1 car to a WRC. Horses for courses.

[Simon Gerrard]

it's not that people ask what equipment you use, though increasingly people do, it is what they see on your website and other advertising, TM's look the part and build credibility and make you look more professional.

Simon

[Ferenc G.]

it's not that people ask what equipment you use, though increasingly people do, it is what they see on your website and other advertising, TM's look the part and build credibility and make you look more professional.

Simon

Simon, you choose to build your marketing around your TM and it works for you (only judged by your website). That is only one option. A good salesman will convince the average customer about the advantages of the portables in two minutes flat. You should realize it is you who sell the service and you put the things together to look professional. A twenty years old Ford rustbucket Transit with a same age leaking, smoking, rattling TM is still considered to be a TM, but I don't think it will make a good professional impression.

[Seymour Sunshine]

First off, I'm speaking from a position of extreme ignorance! I run neither yet, although I'm toying with the idea of refurbishing a CTD 902 and going into business part time.

I would have thought that it's horses for courses.

How would a TM operator clean a fifth storey flat on a busy road? It somehow doesn't seem feasible.

And I'm sure that a porty operator would find it uneconomical to clean some very large buildings.

And there is probably a large amount of work out there where the only difference is in the results gained by the skill of the operator and the equipment used is really not important.

Isn't it really a case of segmenting the market? Decide which area of the market you want to serve and then serve it (i) to the best of your ability whilst (ii) maximising your profitability.

As Colin Day said, he knows a guy who runs a very simple porty set up and makes loads more money than he does.

A friend of mine who's a hypnotherapist always says: The best business doesn't go to the therapist who's best at therapy; it goes to the therapist who's best at marketing. I suspect that it might also be true for carpet cleaning.

[Colin Day]

First off, I'm speaking from a position of extreme ignorance! I run neither yet, although I'm toying with the idea of refurbishing a CTD 902 and going into business part time.

I would have thought that it's horses for courses.

How would a TM operator clean a fifth storey flat on a busy road? It somehow doesn't seem feasible.

And I'm sure that a porty operator would find it uneconomical to clean some very large buildings.

And there is probably a large amount of work out there where the only difference is in the results gained by the skill of the operator and the equipment used is really not important.

Isn't it really a case of segmenting the market? Decide which area of the market you want to serve and then serve it (i) to the best of your ability whilst (ii) maximising your profitability.

As Colin Day said, he knows a guy who runs a very simple porty set up and makes loads more money than he does.

A friend of mine who's a hypnotherapist always says: The best business doesn't go to the therapist who's best at therapy; it goes to the therapist who's best at marketing. I suspect that it might also be true for carpet cleaning.

It can be done, but I believe the guy in question should be running a more powerful machine to help him do the job quicker, seeing as he already has a good customer base and could easily fit more work in.

My tie at the moment is being a stay at home dad as such, so I only have a limited time to market and actually carry out the work. Once the kids are old enough to walk home on their own and sort themselves out, I'll be going full swing at my business...

Once the work is coming in at a good pace, I probably will invest in a spanking new TM so I can then clump 5 days of work into 2-3 days of work, which will give me freedom to do more marketing so I can build up to a solid 5 days work.

At least, that's the plan.....

[Craigp]

I think if your busy get a TM. Otherwise a portable will do, but TM does not equal higher prices - that's up to the man. Also I don't think TM equals more work either again that's up to the man too, and don't look too an associatation to get you more work either - that's wishful thinking.

[ian harper]

Guys

[Simon Gerrard]

Ian,

With great respect you clearly don't know what you are talking about TM's.
I don't know any TM operators offer loads of extra services, indeed quite the opposite.
Your idea that cheap TM cleans is the way to open up the market is wrong as it assumes that TM operators charge more, most don't yet earn more money because of the extra speed and efficiency a TM gives you.
I'd stay away from TM's if I were you as you will never make money with one,

Simon

[Colin Day]

My prices wouldn't change if I had a TM. Surely you'd be getting more money per hour as you would be working that much more efficiently....

For example, I did a job yesterday that took me just over and hour and a half. Half an hour it took me before I was pre-spraying. There was no suitable tap for the Zeta so it meant bucket filling.

I can see the potential benefits of a TM as I charged £80 for the job. So using the porty earned me £53 per hour where as the TM would have easily earned me £80 per hour... I just need a decent volume of work and I'd be ready for the TM .

[Steve Rothwell]

Try LM..............

NO buckets
NO messing with this ere water stuff
Quick cleaning
Quick drying

NO contest