[jim mca]

45 and still a good mop on top 

Sorry to hear about your dad Andy it took me a year to get back to normal after mine passed on make a list of what you do for advertising just now and then make a list of every other idea you can find and start testing them to see what works for you as for prices they depend on where your prospective customers see you in comparison to your competition if you want high rates you need the kit and image to match and advertise in the right places if you want to compete with the cheap as chips brigade then blast your prices everywhere.

[Mike Halliday]

It's common knowledge that the best carpet cleaners have very little hair (if any)

Yul Brynner and telly Savales both worked as carpet cleaners before becoming actors.

My point is to give relevant advice we need to know more about what Andy has done so far and what his strength are.

he might be an  Internet novice, so To give him the advice to use Adwords would be wrong. he might be competing with other adword users offering 'half price cleaning'or '£9.99 any room offers'

Or he could set up a campaign and not set any geographical boundaries so his advert shows 50 miles away.

He might be a '£20 any room' company....... so to tell him to call into high-end    Interior designers would be pointless.

It's like me telling simon to drink cider vinegar to help with his menstrual cramps, this is good advice...... if given to the right person...... Absolutely no use to Simon, but still good advice

[andy east sussex]

thank you thank you all for your advice everyone

[Simon Gerrard]

Mike,
I think you are missing the point.
Many people in this business come into it thinking / believing that being competitive is about price when in reality it is about quality and that low prices are a real turn off to a lot of people. The great thing about forums like this is that people can be exposed to a diversity of different ways of doing things. That doesn't mean for a moment that they should suddenly change tack and go a certain way, but that exposure and the awareness that people do things differently can empower people to try some and perhaps apply it to their business model. No one is being preached to, at least not by me, but for all we know Andy may be sitting at home right now looking at things a little differently than he did before, perhaps not, but if nothing else he knows he has fellow cc'ers around him willing to share their experience and knowledge with him and that he only needs to ask and hey presto a wealth of goodwill coming his way. Nowt wrong with that.
Right, I'm off for a pint of cider vinegar as I've suddenly got period pains coming on.

[Richard Cole]

 

[garry22]

Andy, I lost my Dad suddenly last year. My mom was rushed into hospital last week and I was told to fear the worst (thankfully a false alarm) A couple of prominent members on here have also lost close relatives in the last year as well.

How you are feeling is perfectly natural / normal after such an event. Some days you will feel good and others you will question why you are bothering to to anything in this world... a kind of "what's the point?" approach.

I think it is important to realise when you are having a bad day and make allowances.

I left the hospital a couple of days ago knowing I had to build a couple of websites and write some advertising copy. I know now not to do anything "creative" on a bad day because I will mess it up. Instead of working I went for a long walk. Maybe it is best to look at your business when you are feeling Ok? On a bad day, go and do something physical (work, exercise, whatever). It's OK to feel lousy now and again. Just be aware that it may affect your outlook or judgement on that particular day.

[Craigp]

Email sent Andy, incase it went in your junk box.

[Blacky]

If you charge low prices, people treat you with pity and always display low respect towards you.

If you enjoy being treated like something stuck to a shoe, charge £20 a carpet.
The only time you will ever have a traumatic experience with some nutter will be the time when you put adverts out at silly prices.

Others on here will verify that.

[Hilton]

If you charge low prices, people treat you with pity and always display low respect towards you.

If you enjoy being treated like something stuck to a shoe, charge £20 a carpet.
The only time you will ever have a traumatic experience with some nutter will be the time when you put adverts out at silly prices.

Others on here will verify that.

    Very Strange

[*Hector*]

But also very true... 

[Hilton]

But also very true... 

I dont believe it is,

People do not disrespect you all of the time because you may have lower charges than someone else, its ridiculous statement.

[*Hector*]

No it isn't 

 

[Craigp]

Blackeys right,

People don't value whats easy to get (cheap)

Those cheap end customers will make your life hell.