[craigp]

I recall you saying you made alot of money in your early days selling protector Nigel 6 times more than an average c/cers entire turnover.

Alot of c/cers need this upsell to make a living.

I do offer it, at 30% of clean, tell them its not full proof, what I dont like about it is the lengthened drying time, getting a wet carpet wetter, much rather put it on a dry carpet I also feel it would work better then too.

Craig

[markpowell]

Glynn I completely understand your ethical stance, I wouldn't ever recommend protector to customers if I don't think it's of any value to them.

I agree that in some cases selling a protector to a customer gives them little value for money.

BUT  In my experience, in a lot of cases it is real value for money. 

I totally agree that with polyprops the value is low, not due to any scientific reason but purely because the polyprop carpets tend to be in the houses where the carpets get a pasting from kids/dogs etc, absolutely spot-on that they're going to get more value for money by spending it on cleaning more often.

However, I'm convinced that protector, at least the protector that I use anyway, is a massive benefit on wool carpets.  My carpets at home were fitted last June, since that time they've been subjected to plenty of abuse.

I've spilled my tea going up stairs, I've cut myself and bled all over them, someone spilled soup in the lounge, someone trod a dog sh*t footprint on the bottom step, my nephew knocked his juice over.... in most cases all I've needed is a bit of kitchen towel to absorb the excess and then a damp cloth to finish off.

Only with the soup and the juice did I have to give it a quick rinse through with the machine, and the soup needed 10 mins of M-Power to sort it.  The carpets still look absolutely brand new and I haven't got round to cleaning them properly yet

I've tested the performance of the protector on the off-cuts from the carpet and can say without a shadow of a doubt that the un-protected samples suffer compared to the protected ones.

I go back to customers who've had protector and they tell they notice how it makes a difference.  I'm not blind and definitely don't take the ostrich approach.  I couldn't sleep at night if I knew I was ripping people off.

I'm not doubting your experience for one minute and definitely don't mean to sound disrespectful but maybe you're working with old knowledge of old products?  Technology moves on, protectors now are better than they were a number of years ago.

I've got no ethical problem at all with the protector that I sell, I know it's offering value.  And Mark I price it at plus 50% of the cleaning cost, not taking the wee-wee at all if it's sold with a conscience.

Jim,
There is no point in protecting polyprops for the simple fact that there is no point in putting a plastic coating on a plastic fibre, or at least this is what i have been led to believe on all the training courses ive done over the years.
Mark

[murky]

I dont over sell it, I tell them its a protector not a plastic sheet but it gives you time to get to the kitchen get a cloth and blot it up, dont leave it till the morning.

I think it was Kev Loomes that said he tried Restoremates protector on his own carpet, put something on purpose on the carpet, beaded up and left it for a while, got fed up looking at it sitting there. So thats what he uses. Think I will if its that good.

Murky

[Ian Gourlay]

Has anyone ever used a test kit for testing how good the exsiting protector is.

Any idea where you get one?

[garry22]

I applied protector last week and was astounded at the result.

I cleaned a large white suite in a conservatory. The owner had very high standards and asked if I recommended protector. I did a "deal" and the total price was £ 170. it was a horrible wet day so I had to go back the following day to apply it when the suite was dry.

Two days later she phoned up in a panic. The dog (who was on anti biotics) had peed all over one of the white cushions. Apparently the urine was bright yellow / orange.

It told her to blot it, then wipe with a damp cloth until I got there (next day).

When I arrived, there was no stain and virtually no odour. She said the urine had sat on top (just like the adverts). A quick spray with de odouriser and it was sorted. I'm convinced that stain would have been permanent without protection.

The client was ecstatic (she'd got guests coming to stay that evening) and was singing the praises of protector.

She does not think she's been conned. She has now booked carpets to be done.

Garry

[JandS]

Which protector you recommend.
I was told Guardsman was the best but can't find wher to buy it.

John

[Jim_77]

Nigel,

Protector costs as much as you price it, surely!!   As you say, if it's done properly it is of fantastic benefit.

In a lot of cases it doesn't "cost" at all, it saves.  Avoiding a £50 or £100 excess on an insurance claim is one such example, like Garry mentions above.  A protected carpet will have far fewer spots and marks on it over the long run, providing the customer follows advice and deals with them as they happen.  It'll look better for longer and not need replacing so soon.

If they don't follow the advice given it's their fault isn't it?!  You wouldn't knowingly run your car tyres at 15psi and then complain because they wore down prematurely.  You didn't follow the manufacturer's guidelines, so you pay the penalty!

Drying times.... The amount of extra moisture from a protector shouldn't present any problem at all if the carpet has been cleaned diligently, it should only be slightly damp after extraction.  Potential problems from moisture, i.e. browning or mildew should still be way out of question, even if protector is applied straight after extraction!

You don't have to waste time with airmovers.  Clean a room, put a fan in there whilst you clean the next room, protect the dried carpet, and so on... anyway, you don't have to have completely dried the carpet off before you protect it, in some ways a little moisture there helps out.

3. No matter how much you tell clients its not bullet proof' - they always want to believe it is

That's a fault with the way it's sold to them, not the client.  It's not hard to reinforce an important point so they remember it.

4. If they drop hair dye on the carpet it makes no difference whether it is protected or not. So which stain is it that can only be removed if the carpet is protected but couldn't be removed if it was not protected.

Again, a fault with the way the product is sold to the customer.  Tell them the benefits, tell them what it can and can't do and they can be left in no doubt.

Why the need for lab tests and scientific statistics??!!?  Field testing is the only proof IMO and after nearly 18 months of said testing on my own carpets, as described above, I've got absolutely no moral problem with selling protector at the price I sell it..... because I only sell it in the right situation!

[Jim_77]

Jim,
There is no point in protecting polyprops for the simple fact that there is no point in putting a plastic coating on a plastic fibre, or at least this is what i have been led to believe on all the training courses ive done over the years.
Mark

Is there any point putting a coating on top of a vinyl floor then?

[colin thomas]

as far as i am aware you must at least damp a carpet if not clean it before applying protector otherwise the protector will be 'sucked' straight into the core of the wool leaving the outside short of protector, damping first 'fills' the fibre allowing the protector to coat the outside where it will do its job.
i once cleaned a wool carpet on a really hot day, one end of the room was virtually dry before i had finished the other, applied protector and the customer was chuffed. next day he called me and the carpet and shrunk one way and stretched the other!! ok i think there was some bigger problem with the carpet but it made me wary of making a carpet over wet with protector.

colin
ps what is the average time you lot go to bed? i thought i was pretty late at around 11.30 - 12 but 1am and 2!! don't you have to get up.

[Jim_77]

I'm up at all hours sometimes   charge up my sleep on weekends, if I'm lucky :

Colin, if you're applying water-based protector to a dry carpet it's perfectly feasible to dilute the product 1:1 and apply more liberally to wet out the fibres.  There are one or two protectors I remember seeing the instructions of that state stronger and weaker dilution rates for wet and dry carpets respectively.

Again, the carpet shouldn't be over wet, even applying the product straight after extraction.  Something's gone wrong with the recovery of moisture during extraction if that's the case!

[Ian Gourlay]

Some protectors like the Solutions one being sold by Alltec require little protector to cover a room , to me the wory was making a little go far and I could not believe it coated the fibres

but it I am told good stuff

[derek west]

from what i was told, protector that you guys use  only works if the original item was protected in factory conditions in the first place, you lot are only buying what is called top up protector. which is great if like i said its applied onto original protecter. but onto an originally un protected carpet, it will wear off in a matter of weeks. just what i was told so don't quote me on this.
i dont use and would never use protectors, if one of my clients spills anything i clean it up free of charge as soon as possible.
derek

[Jim_77]

That's specific to Scotchgard Derek.

Free emergency clean-ups are good as a PR move, I did one today, but don't let them take the mickey!!  Often you might not have to type an invoice but still get a little something for your troubles

[maxcarpets]

I always start with " Its not a miracle cure but..............."

[ianharper]

Guys

Don't you think that Protection should be part of your standard service? with more and more people using hard floors you have to ask yourself why? may be that they have had it with all those stains?

In the UK we use wool more as you all know, and you all know it stains really easy. as professional we should be providing this service within our price. our costs are low so why not?

Its the long term of our market that's important not sort term profit. I tell my customers how cheap it is and how quickly it can be put down.

Protection adds value to your service if others are charging for it. what is a prospect going to do if she has two prices the same one with and one without?

Respect

Ian Harper

[John Kelly]

The protection market is a multi million pound enterprise. Carpet cleaners obtain a fraction of this. It can, if sold sensibly amount to a substantial amount of your turnover.
At the end of the day you are running a business why pass over what could be a substantial contribution to your standard of living.

[garry22]

Derek,

Forgive me if I'm wrong but I thought I saw somewhere that you have come to the business relatively recently (no offence meant).

A few years ago I did a job for a lady who had just had a baby.

A couple of weeks ago I went to do the yearly clean. That "baby" was packing up to go back to university! When I did the job first time I never expected to be going back as many times as I did.

The point I'm making is that (hopefully) you will get repeat business and applying protector will make life so much easier next time round. In the case above I think I have been there (probably) TWENTY times.

On of those visits was to remove a whole bottle of red wine when one of the kids banged two bottles together. I still don't know how it came out but it did.

What I'm trying to say is... don't look upon it as ripping the customer off. Look at it as protecting the customer's assetts and making life easy for yourself in the future.

regards,  Garry

[derek west]

garry
you obviously do a good  job for this lady and thats why you get repeat custom, i too do a good job and am confident that i will get repeat custom just like you. the only diff being that my customers will not have to fork out for protector, a quick phone call and the red wine stain would of come out no problem. and as for making it easy, isn't it easy enough. can't believe how some of the guys on hear(and i only mean some) parp on about how tough the job is, i love what i'm doing and so do my customers, i don't believe protector works (my own opinion) and therefore will tell my customers they don't need it. i personally believe protector only benefits the cc's pockets, and i'm not knocking anyone who does it, we all have mouths to feed, its just not my style.
each to there own.
derek

[carlton care]

Derek

Manufacturers do not apply protector.................this is and always has been " farmed out "to others, the space, packaging, general logistics of moving furniture through and out of a factory, is the reason.

I know the people who " protected " local manufacturers suites for many years............no longer done, as they now import and badge

I have also found that many supposedly protected suites had no sign of protection in spite of being charged around £250, or more.

[JandS]

What's the average price per sq metre using Scotchguard and Fluoroseal??
Carpet shop down the road are selling carpet protection at £15 per sq metre.

John