[mkingsford]

Hi all,
Firstly I am serious about this business, just having a few pre - company nerves. I've given up my job in an office to work seriously on the office cleaning business. I now have a job in the evening as as a cleaner and will take another on in the daytime or maybe do temp office work. I am arranging courses with BICs and prochem although no dates are confirmed yet.

Is there any event or get together happening soon that I may have the opportunity of talking to other office cleaning operators. I just need some face to face talk to just give me a bit of a lift.  I have run my own pr business so I'm not totally new to business.

I'm not a compete wimp honest !

Many thanks in advance

Maggi K

[DP]

Maggie where are you based in the country?

[CMS]

Stop panicking. I'm not sure about any dates of get togethers but I would certainly apply for BICS membership (if you haven't already) and attend your regional meetings.

You mentioned Office Cleaning so I'm at a loss to understand why you are attending a Prochem course. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to slag off Prochem, I'm just not sure that this is the course for you unless you intend to concentrate on Carpet and upholstery cleaning.

Carpet cleaning is a very small part of office cleaning. Unless you have a bottomless pit of money for a training budget you would be better spending your money on some sort of sales training.

This is a VERY competitive industry and it doesn't matter how good you are at cleaning if you can't sell your service.

Good luck.

[mkingsford]

I'm in Berkhamsted Hertfordshire.

You're right I am panicking although not for any real reason.
It's just that unlike what some people think (not here of course) It isn't just a case of being 'Top of the Mops' and I so want to get it right and learn as much as I can including about chemical products and environmental issues.  I will certainly book a couple of BICs courses. I have been trying today but the office seems to be closed so I'll try again next week.

Thanks everso much, praps I'm just having a weak 'n' wobbly day !!!

[Jan K]

Hi Maggie!

Take it easy girl, you are making the right steps in getting yourself on some courses and taking on work a little at a time....you will be fine, and the peeps on this here MB are a great source of advice (and comfort) when it's required BTW if you haven't already thought of a name Top of the Mops is quirky, would make a great name for dom cleaning 

[martin19842]

hi there,

Berkhampstead, reasonable area, with its fair number of office and commercial premises.

you may want to spoof a couple of people by ringing them up and seeing what they would charge you to have your premises cleaned.

"hi there, we  are a new company taking over a premises in whatever business park, xxxxsq ft what would you charge as a ball park figure to clean it twice  a week"

or speak to people you know who work in offices, and see if you can tr y to get in front of the decision maker.  sometimes telling them you are small just starting, they may give you a go.

some of the most important things

health and safety materials
COSHH data sheets
COSHH assessment
RISK assessements
METHOD statements
public liability insurance

get all of that done out of the way, then BE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE SERVICE you are offering.

In sales, the answer is always YES, and then panic about the fulfillment,

aim for 130% of the target you set yourself.

CMS (i think it was them) put a lengthly post on here recently about selling, collecting compliment slips, and requoting after three months.  Read the post and use the information.

its hard work, but as it has been said you dont get something for nothing.

dont undervalue your product, or service, sell high,its always easier to adjust your price down if you have to, rather than selling low and then in a few months try to adjust up.

i hope that makes some sense.

its just an opinion

regards

martin

[CMS]

Yes indeed Martin. It was me who put that post on. It can be found here...................

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6835.0

But I will say this. It has been tried and tested for over 20 years and there are NO SHORT CUTS. Don't try and do it by sitting on the phone. Get out there and knock on doors.

Believe me, if there was a short cut I'd have found it.

Good luck

[mkingsford]

Thanks everyone, your advice isn't falling on deaf 'know it all' ears". I'm really appreciating every single word you post.

Martin, I know you put a lot of time into helping and advising people here so thank you for your words of wisdom and facts and I have taken note of everything.

Jan, yes I should take it easy but I worry for England which I know isn't a good thing but it keeps me on my toes. Yeah, you know after I typed it i did think that maybe 'Top of the Mops' was a good name for a domestic cleaning company, problem is I am really keen on the commercial area, offices etc so I need to find a more serious management name.

CMS, I do agree there really are no short cuts which is why I'm out there cleaning in a EDS environment, I have to make it completely dust free. I am asking questions and going for it but I do have butterflies from time to time and I appreciate every bit of advice that people take the time to post, and if I am lucky enough to make it in this business I will certainly repay the compliment here and hopefully give back words of wisdom ..... from somewhere !!.

Cheers Maggi (just a wobbly day) Kingsford

[dustycorner]

Hi Maggie,

Good luck with the office cleaning if you want a chat or some support give me a call. i wont have all the answers but i have  had enough positive/negative experiences running my company to hopefully help you on your way.

Cheers Mark.

[Jan K]

Hi Maggi!

I agree with you re the more professional name for the office cleaning. We dom cleaners are more able to 'get away' with a less erious name. I have picked up quite a few new lients purely because they liked the sound of my buniess name in the Yellow Pages....choosing a name is the fun part of starting your business but it also has to be the right one.....I went thro a few choices before I settled with Done 'n' Dusted 

[Tim Downer]

Hi Maggi

Now a couple of weeks have passed.....how are your butterfly's in the stomach now?
How much longer are you going to keep your temporary cleaning job for?

Thought i would catch up, thats all.

Regards

Tim

[mkingsford]

Hi Tim,

The butterflies have subsided quite a bit now but not disappeared altogether. I'm still doing the cleaning job but I have now booked a one day health and safety course and a one day risk assessment course and I have an appoinment with a business advisor this coming Friday.

I'm going to stick with the cleaning job for another couple of weeks at least because I shall be putting a PR story together soon (Local paper) and I feel that the extremes of running my own celebrity PR company to now running my own cleaning company might make for a good picture story ie me with a couple of celebs/ me with a mop and bucket. If I manage to get an interview in I want to say that I've been out there mopping up the floors and cleaning the loos etc.

This site is a great source of information and to be honest I'm not going for some huge company, I want to keep it quite small in as much that I can control the sites myself ie visiting and keeping a check on quality control etc.

Many thanks everyone for your continued good advice.

Maggi K

[Tim Downer]

Looking forward to seeing the article in the local paper. You will have to let me know when it will be going to print nearer the time.

Regards

Tim