[Peter Blackburn]

Hi guys,

Been in this business for 8 Years 5 months and this is the quietest I have been from day one. The year on a whole has been very good, but up to the schools going back I have been struggling to maintain a good stream of domestic work.

I am also finding it near impossible to get money that is owed to me and have two people and a maintenance company lined up for court in late November.

If it wasn’t for my commercial jobs I would really be in trouble, despite them being terrible payers, they do pay, eventually.
I know we’re all going to read now how all you guys are booked solid up until 2020. But the fact is I have history of this trade and things appear bleak at this moment in time.


Regards
Peter 

[derek west]

september best month ever.

october, rather not talk about it

derek

[JandS]

I've gone the other way, terrible up to beginning of May then picked up but still not as good as it should be.
Must be bad in all trades.
M in Law had her gas fire serviced Monday for the princely sum of £55.
He was there for 2 hours repairing the bits the previous service guy had messed up with
last year.
Last year a service was £80 whoever you rang.
Times are a changing even for plumbers.

John

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Last month I thought the phone had been cut off it was so quiet - this month I don't know my arse from my elbow !!


Steve

[colin thomas]

i have been busy all year non stop so much so that it began to get on my nerves a bit but this month has been hit and miss. some days too busy, others ticking over. ok for me, low mortgage kids left home etc but i feel for others who need to be busy all the time, hang in there, it always goes in circles, it will come back but unfortunatley it sometimes takes a few months,

colin

[slioch]

At times like this we need to look at the profile or our work:
Domestic - repeat & new business
Commercial  repeat & new
Insurance (if you can get it)
Lettings work - agents, landlords, tennants
Stain removals
Add ons like protection
Upholstery v carpet
Other services - curtains, hard floor

Has the profile changed?  It has for me - over the last year I have done more lettings work than ever and repeat customers are good.  I find new customers are more price driven at the moment but it is a slippery slope to go along with them.  I had a woman this evening wanting a 4 seat leather G Plan done for £50.00.

Bottom line - analyse what you are doing and not doing much of and push for the trade you really want.

[richy27]

I have been finding that work comes in waves but all in all its been a steady year for my first year. Getting quite a few recom and repeats coming in now.

I am getting an increase of around 15 % in what i call non advertised work a month ( recom and repeats)

Getting quite a lot of leather restoration work now so trying to put that into January to make that a good month.

 

[daysdeepclean]

I find it sporadic to be honest, but I accept that I am still a "Newbie" and know that I can't look to much into it and that patterns may only emerge once I have a few years under my belt. If I wasn't receiving a war pension I would be backing my business up with a bit of moonlighting, stacking shelves for Tesco to be honest

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys,

Peter, have you got an internet presence ?

Since I embarked on the internet route I have just got busier and busier until I am now snowed under most of the time. This means if the phone does go quiet for a few days , it just means I can catch up a bit.

As the paper based advertising options  decline, those that rely on them will decline also.

Cheers

Doug

[Barry Livingstone]

Wish the net worked like that in SCOTLAND

[robert meldrum]

Think you'll find Access, Mattvac and I'd expect Rabbie all do very well from the net.

[Robert Watson]

Cant complain Robert. The last 3 weeks have been as quiet as I`v know it, but still getting a turn.
I`m just glad I`m not in Glasgow quoting against Graham and Bob Brrrrrrrrrrrr that would be hard work.
Cheers Rab.

[Mike Osbourne]

The web is a very targeted, but sadly passive marketing tool.

[COLIN BRIGHT]

been a good year so far.............have had a few dickheads though
one woman stated. "ooh no you are WAY OUT with your pricing, and when i asked  what the other company was charging, she wolud'nt say.........this is despite giving her a 20% discount
so i told her i believe that my pricing is right and the other company is WAY TO CHEAP!
but that said, october has been really busy..and most of the work is repeat and recommends..so despite what she say..all my customers are WAY SATISFIED!

[Joe H]

All year has been good except 2nd half of September.
First half was brill, but when kids went back to school phone went quieter.
Picked up now.

When I get an obvious price shopper, they say they gonna get a couple more prices, I say
you will finder some dearer then me, and definitely cheaper then me - I cant compete with those cheap ones on price, but neither can they compete with me on quality.  I get some there and then, but lose some also - but they the real loser. 

Had one Wednesday evening, a lady, she says not had the carpet cleaned in 14 years, had builders in, now very dusty and thought its time for a clean.  :
Said she might hire a Rug Doctor 
I said it will cost you about £45 with the detergents and the antifoam, take you a ling time, leave your carpet wet until at least the next day, in a few weeks time it will show signs of dirt again (sticky residue explained) and whilst the Rug Doctor I could buy for about £700, my machine would cost about £8000 - do you think it will do a different job then the Rug Doctor.
Got the job and done it today.
As I was leaving I left them with some good tips how to look after their investment with regular vacuuming and having their carpets cleaned once a year.  Seed sown.

[Barry Livingstone]

Robert I like to be Busy ALL week not just half the week and the net on fills half my week, And while the other you name are in the City am not so you cant compare me to them!!!

So as am just in from working and posted the last my last reply from my phone this morning Id rather be out Earning than sitting on this all day

[clinton]

Joe

Had a good october so far and a good september.

Must say had a good few newbies as well as my repeats and recs.

Done some good commercial as well this week 

Must say do have some price shoppers phoning up asking for cheap work :

[mark shannon]

Peter we all have quiet spells it will pick up soon always does

mark

[Mike Osbourne]

And no Adwords cost either Clinton. 

[Dave_Lee]

This year has been okay for me, not broken any records but been busy enough. However from a very busy spell of a few months, I started this week without a single job booked in. No work at all on Monday, half day Tuesday same on Thursday but in between up to tonight, 9 jobs done.
Dave.