Ian Gourlay
Re; Fastrack
No not sworn to secrecy
Sorry for any questions not answered, its just everytime i look back in on this thread i have been asked a load more questions its hard keeping up with them all especially when another couple of people have posted and its started to go of topic.
I think Fastrack has good potential it seems a good way to build your buisness but does require some investment, maybey to generate the kind of leads i need to be getting i need to change my current marketing but this takes resources i havent got at the moment.
I personally think i might put the fastrack systems on hold for at least a month as i am sinking fast and whilst what i was doing before wasnt making me rich it was turning a profit so i think i need to go back to this to get myself out of the hole i have dug for myself. But will be returning to a lot of the fastrack stuff when i get back on my feet as it does have a lot more potential but needs to be done properly.
I have done 50 quotes now with the laptop and higher prices etc
and have only got 50% of the jobs weras i was getting 72% before
i have also found i am getting a lot more cancellations and people having second thoughts afterwards
i done 7 quotes on monday and so far none have booked (this dosent pay the bills)
also people expect so much more, i have never had so many callbacks, no matter how bad the carpet is to start with even after pre-qualifying with the client i have found if the carpet is anything less than perfect you get a callback
And i dont mean im not doing the work to a high standard, say theres bad draught marks i will explain to the client that the whole carpet will look great but these marks will probably cause a bit of a problem i explain that they will improve but may not remove completly and will return over time.
i then remove 99% of the marks and the next day get a phone call saying that the can still faintly see them in certain lights would i mind returning to have another go, its not complaints but i just find that if they are paying top dollar they expect a new carpet out of it and imo at the end of they day cleaning is a compromise and you cant expect 100% perfect everytime.
That said 50 quotes is a limited test and allthough i have only booked 50% 7 of them have signed up for maintenance so could end up being good regular clients for years to come (and the will refer people of the same quality)
Another point i think is that with the ft system you really need to see both husband and wife together as because you are giving them three different service levels they allways say "ok sounds good but i will need to talk to my husband about it" and thats it you may aswell forget about that job
99% of the clients i attract are ringing to get there carpets cleaned (they are ready to make a decision on getting there carpets cleaned) i find once you start offering protection and maintenance etc they have to stop to think, these people are impulse buyers making them stop and think isnt a great idea in my opinion, why stall somebody who wants to pay you money
i think it would be better to upsell once you have done the clean myself.
I will be using a lot of there stuff in the future but will tailor a lot of it to suit my buisness