[markpowell]

Do you think that people will try and clean there own carpets in an effort to save money?
I was talking to a window cleaner on Friday and his customer base has dropped by 25% this year, people are buying a ladder and doing the job themselves.
I have noticed a dramatic drop in the number of calls i am getting the last few weeks, i wonder if we will all survive the next few months.
Mark

[Straker Cleaning]

You will when the customer cannot get the same results that you do and realises what a hard job it can actually be 

[Jim_77]

But the problem is Chris, that we're losing out on first-timers.  Those who've never had a carpet cleaned before and therefore have no concept of what the difference is.  I've lost several jobs to the dreaded vax machine lately.

One of them I sold until I was blue in the face, still no joy - and this was to a Financial Times manager, 5-bed detached house, 2 luxury cars on the drive etc etc... His missus did it with a domestic machine instead.

[Mike Osbourne]

Did a job the other day, chap said we nearly hired one of those Rug Doctors.

Why didn't you? I asked. Can't be arsed was his reply.

[Straker Cleaning]

This has been happening for years ........... give it a month or so when the residues start going black then they realise they do need PROPER rinsing out 
Most people i have come across, have tried with diy machine and given up or realised poor results ............... especially when i kneel down and lift marks with trigger spray and towel

[Straker Cleaning]

The 2 day drying time also stops repeats of the diy process  :

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

There are a hundred and one reasons why a custy may not choose us but there are also a hundred and one why they will, be positive and you will survive.

Recessions are necessary to control inflation, there has been lots of asset inflation in the past few years due to interest rates being too low, the market is now correcting this.

I have just had my busiest week ever and the week before was very good too, so it's not all doom and gloom.

Cheers

Doug

[Kev Loomes]

More or less on par with Doug, not the best June ever but cracking still. Very busy and certainly far better than last June.

People who are that tight or believing that a vax will do the same job, have always been there. Let em get on with it as far as I'm concerned - it can eat you away if you let it get to you.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

When I was looking for the van I wanted I saw loads of them about on the roads but hardly saw any before, same applies to the 'vax' syndrome, if you talk to people they Have vaxed their carpets but usually go for a professional cleaner next time.

Shaun

[Fred Gullan]

I had a customer last week whose friend cleaned her bedroom carpets with a hire machine and and left them so wet they took days to dry and left her rooms smelling like "rotting mops" to quote her. I did the rest with Prowler in one and a half hours excellent result and almost dry as I left.
They live and learn  :

Fred

[spencer davies]

Last week was so busy I was almost dreading the following day, this week is much the same as I have tickets for Wimbledon on Friday and have a four day week.

I wouldn't try and sell to our customers, I simply measure and complete our NCCA survey sheet, telling them to take a good look at it and give me a ring if it is acceptable, 9/10 times they want to book me on the spot. 


S

[corymank]

I am very new to the business and only work part time, but i have that many people that ask me to clean their carpet because they dont want to spend money on new carpets it's unbelievable.  Perhaps the "credit crunch" could prove to be quite fruitfull for carpet cleaners ??!

[Spot On cleaning]

If your pricing is reasonable, i believe that the credit crunch could work to our advantage. One method i have used in the past is to knock up a self print leaflet listing the cost to hire a diy machine, the time involved in picking it up then returning it, the chemical cost on top, the fact that their day will involve emptying the small tank, lots of time. I then add on that all they have really saved is around £25 or so.

Then i add the punchline, is your time more valuable to you than saving £25

It makes them think, especially if you then state, make an appointment to hire the machine again real soon because your carpets will be dirty again real quickly.

False economy really.

Dave

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

mark most of your post are banging on about cheap cleaners and like this one people saveing money . are you skint insteed of sitting around moaning about stuff like this get out there and get some custys why do you worrie so much ??

i counld nt careless what happens if people save money or not. or  how much people are chargeing if your going under then theres very little sitting around moaning will do to help it (not saying that you are going under)

i could nt tell you what any of the other companys are chargeing in my area or what the price of these poo doctors are to hire as i couldnt careless it may be hard at the min but over the next few years it will be dog eat dog and only the fitest will still be posting here next year thats for sure

julian

[Kev Loomes]

Brutal, but honest opinion Sue

Your right though, we couldnt care less what the opposition charges either - in fact dont want to know. Whats the point? If you start stressing out on this sort of thing it will take over your CC life and you'll end up worse off IMO. Although to be fair to Mark I dont think he is moaning, I think he is just wondering whether the crunch will affect any of us or not.

Hand on my heart, we have NEVER price tested any company

[markpowell]

Julian,
I am not worrying at all, maybe you have not got the intelligence required to read a full paragraph and understand it.
I will try and explain a little clearer just for your benefit.
I was simply explaining that others in the cleaning business are losing work due to the fact that people are choosing to do it thereselves. I do more marketing than most and never sit about moaning about been skint, i earn a very good living from carpet cleaning.
Mark

[Mike Osbourne]

Mark

I think a lot of people are thinking business may go down. However, even if it does you can do nothing about it. All you can do is focus on what you will do. And ultimately this has far greater bearing on the amount of business you will develop.

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Well if my t/o reduced, then if sufficiently I would be so much better off as I would drop out of VAT and so would be taking home comparatively more for less work.

(Obviously doesn't apply if you are turning over millions or are already below the threshold.)

[Shaun_Ashmore]

You will always get price shoppers and you will always get DIYers (less and less each year IMO) if you don't have any idea of what others charge then you would charge as much as Dave L, but we all get some resiliant customers who may question our prices and may not use our services, if we got everyone that called then we could keep inreasing our prices up and up until you hit considerable objection.

I'm Kev you have a rough idea which companies around you charge even if you are not that fussed, just imagine Mr.Splash and Dash down the road charging the same as you! I'm sure you'd up your prices!!

Shaun

[Ian Rochester]

I have noticed this past couple of months that when people ring to book us in, they are also asking for a guide price at the same time.

Beforehand we used to get a lot of people who just called and booked to have us come around without knowing what it would cost.

Although not quite, June hasn't been hectic either, I still see the Rug Doctors sat doing nothing at Morrisons and Homebase every week (we clean their windows!!)