bob vawter
Grassy Knoller
And for them kinna prices. ..
You SHOULD be throwin in an oblitory
Foot rub special. ....!
You SHOULD be throwin in an oblitory
Foot rub special. ....!
Last edited:
Notice It's been a while.....
- Thread starter PrimaDonna
- Start date
Cleanworks
Moderator
I expect my customer to vacuum first, in fact I tell them to do this. I have a vacuum on the truck if it is not up to standards. Many of the homes I service have better vacuums than I can afford and they are very persnickety about keeping their carpets and furniture clean. I sometimes wonder why I am there, it is so clean. If I brought my Shark or Panasonic Commercial vacuum in, they would be horrified to have a strange, dirty vacuum that has been used in someone else's home touching their rugs. I have one customer that makes me wash my wand before it touches his carpet. Then I have all the others, which is why I have the vacuum on the truck.
Mikey P
Administrator
Excuses...
SamIam
Member
The fact is it's the consumers responsibility to say no.
They can shop, and google.
More power to you guys making a $1000 per hour.
I would like to see how much product was used on that job and what was the cost?
All that protector did it cost a $100? $200?
I'm mean if it was a $12 can of scotchgaurd then you might have a problem.
If you just want to get something instead of nothing, you could say $365 plus chemical costs $250.00 explain to him your protector is really expensive.
Ask him for reviews online like google or Yelp.
They can shop, and google.
More power to you guys making a $1000 per hour.
I would like to see how much product was used on that job and what was the cost?
All that protector did it cost a $100? $200?
I'm mean if it was a $12 can of scotchgaurd then you might have a problem.
If you just want to get something instead of nothing, you could say $365 plus chemical costs $250.00 explain to him your protector is really expensive.
Ask him for reviews online like google or Yelp.
SamIam
Member
Or ask him for half and tell him
To make a donation to a charity of your choice for the rest. You both use the donation as a promotion for your companies and get good press.
To make a donation to a charity of your choice for the rest. You both use the donation as a promotion for your companies and get good press.
Zee
Supportive Member
Huge difference earning those cards from everyday people that don't know better.... as opposed to seasoned industry veterans.
Louis
Supportive Member
Tell him ok, $65 an hour, plus protector, plus equipment rental and rental insurance. Oh don't forget pickup and delivery of equipment. Ask him how much does he pay to rent over a 100k in equipment. 4 hour min. I'm sure he charges for any large equipment he uses on a job.
Nailed it!
I'm glad you've mentioned that...Thank You. I hope some of the other big boys and girls, and even some of the teachers of our classes on these forums reads your post again, and thinks about it before their next comment or class on how much our industry can make.
I've had several conversations (some arguments) with people from New York, Atlanta, Las Vegas, California, Texas, etc. on this subject on it not being possible to price most jobs at high prices in areas like mine (example $600/hr).
I've also heard the $High Number Potential$ of our business in several of our classes, and felt that it's very inaccurate in teaching us the potential of our business.
Example, I clean my Tile jobs (just cleaning) at $.35/sq. ft. I heard a teacher give an example of one business in a booming city give the example of a business who cleans at .65 on just cleaning.
When the majority of your jobs is in a doublewide trailer, a giant vacation lake house owned by a tightwad Atlantian, it's nearly impossible to double the prices. And yes, I do have some Tactful skills at talking to them in selling my services.
I've landed some jobs where I've pulled in $big ticket$. And I won't give up in searching for those customers who see the value of our work and are willing to pay it.
F
FB7777
Guest
Great thread
Congrats to Meg and John for building a business and having the confidence to raise your prices and service level to attain these prices
Every market has the bait and switch and room pricers that will do jobs for a third of what they charge
i find it interesting that the focus is on the one thing the Mikey differentiates himself from his competition.... the Vacuum
Mine are Shark DXL Navigators that come off the truck 3-4 times per week when ' the crumbs' are visible
Can't take a side in this debate, as I am not in the premium pricing level of these 2 titans
Burdicks sounds to me like a company that exceeds customers expectations and is a marketing and customer service machine
Mikey's is the full package
Major point to glean from this is to constantly strive to improve your service experience in the home...
And secure payment before you leave
Congrats to Meg and John for building a business and having the confidence to raise your prices and service level to attain these prices
Every market has the bait and switch and room pricers that will do jobs for a third of what they charge
i find it interesting that the focus is on the one thing the Mikey differentiates himself from his competition.... the Vacuum
Mine are Shark DXL Navigators that come off the truck 3-4 times per week when ' the crumbs' are visible
Can't take a side in this debate, as I am not in the premium pricing level of these 2 titans
Burdicks sounds to me like a company that exceeds customers expectations and is a marketing and customer service machine
Mikey's is the full package
Major point to glean from this is to constantly strive to improve your service experience in the home...
And secure payment before you leave
Mark Saiger
Mr Happy!
We had one just again yesterday that the carpets had looked vacuumed by the customer...but we could see the plugged up Eureka in the corner....
We just kindly told them, we do not sell vacuums....and every vacuum can get something out that another misses, so if it is ok, we are going to give it a little more vacuum time...
They were impressed....plus then the 5 more canisters we pulled out was impressive to them as well....and we didn't give it the Werner treatment....just good vacuum passes and edging with our crevice tool.
To be honest....we just felt better too....and also knew what was in there, even though it wasn't showing....
(no video taken
)
As far as the first concern to this thread...I would get what I could from them, and move on....and wouldn't consider buying from him either in the future.....
We just kindly told them, we do not sell vacuums....and every vacuum can get something out that another misses, so if it is ok, we are going to give it a little more vacuum time...
They were impressed....plus then the 5 more canisters we pulled out was impressive to them as well....and we didn't give it the Werner treatment....just good vacuum passes and edging with our crevice tool.
To be honest....we just felt better too....and also knew what was in there, even though it wasn't showing....
(no video taken
)As far as the first concern to this thread...I would get what I could from them, and move on....and wouldn't consider buying from him either in the future.....
I have no issue with what anybody charges, but you have to be WORTH IT! Just saying "Our service is superior" only goes so far. What's the REAL difference between you and your competitors?
Yeah but I pointed out saiger in one of your videos as to where was the vacuum. People preach but are hypocrits themowndamnselves. Don't believe all of the internet fakes out here. When the cameras are off and the customers are not around we ALL hack it out. I for one won't vacuum unless there are the visible crumbs either. And I believe in that contaminated vacuum theory spreading someone else plague or filth from house to house. Nothing like smelling that doggy odor on start up in a different house.
Mark Saiger
Mr Happy!
steve_64
Member
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2012
- Messages
- 13,371
Had my own school at one time and no crew.
Saying that about janitors is like saying all carpet cleaners are bait n switch.
Actually started working at 14 as a stock boy at the mall. Vacuuming was most of the job.
And if you weren't using a pile lifter you ain't cleaning. At least on commercial carpet.
I know it's different now but back then. I also sold vacs for a year too.
Bob Pruitt
Member
Maybe I'm weird about it but I liked getting my Sanitaire Vac out with the red finish and the chrome cover...has a great beater bar and I liked using it.
Will admit sometimes I vacuumed pretty quickly and other jobs slowly.
I guess because I like the sports car look of the Sanitaire I always took a minute to wipe it down. I had 2 of them in the Van...one 16 inch for the Nasties and another 12 inch for the nice homes.
Even though I vacuumed the jobs I did I still felt like a hack for not buying the big pile lifter that the Society of Cleaning Technicians SCT told us was needed to do a good job.
Vacuuming also gives you the chance to really inspect the job you are doing... point out things to the Customer and note them on the work order.
Sure someone is going to say I don't have room for 2 vacuums... Just bungee the 12 inch on top of the 16 inch.
Will admit sometimes I vacuumed pretty quickly and other jobs slowly.
I guess because I like the sports car look of the Sanitaire I always took a minute to wipe it down. I had 2 of them in the Van...one 16 inch for the Nasties and another 12 inch for the nice homes.
Even though I vacuumed the jobs I did I still felt like a hack for not buying the big pile lifter that the Society of Cleaning Technicians SCT told us was needed to do a good job.
Vacuuming also gives you the chance to really inspect the job you are doing... point out things to the Customer and note them on the work order.
Sure someone is going to say I don't have room for 2 vacuums... Just bungee the 12 inch on top of the 16 inch.
ruff
Member
With all the uproar about their pricing- $175.00 for cleaning a sofa + protection, which, here in S.F. I'd consider very reasonable.
What are you guys charging for same?
In my experience, pile lifter do nada- glorified lint movers.
What are you guys charging for same?
In my experience, pile lifter do nada- glorified lint movers.
Mikey P
Administrator
$175 is our price in Scruz for a 3 seat/7 foot sofa. $40 to $60 for Cobbs Ultra.
Pre vac, pre scrub, rinse, towel dry, cushions laid out on plastic tarp to dry. Complimentary tarp left behind.
$100 -125 in Nevada for the same.
Pre vac, pre scrub, rinse, towel dry, cushions laid out on plastic tarp to dry. Complimentary tarp left behind.
$100 -125 in Nevada for the same.
SamIam
Member
I agree with Saiger when people pre vacuum, you pre spray and start moving hoses and hair starts gathering on your hose. You think I thought they pre vacuumed?
So we're happy when they do, but we always bust out the Shark.
Unless like Jimmy says there's no electricity then I pull off the
Glides. Hack hack my poor filter hack.
So we're happy when they do, but we always bust out the Shark.
Unless like Jimmy says there's no electricity then I pull off the
Glides. Hack hack my poor filter hack.
It's true Mike as the face the company it will change but that's why we have employees and we hire the correct people. As for as standing out in our cleaning process we typically are the ones that are called in to correct what our competitors mess up or cannot correct . No cutting corners or loss of quality . Unfortunately somethings are unfixable and pre-existing conditions with unrealistic expectations happen. And in this situation protocol was not followed which left us where we are.
Mikey P
Administrator
How many of you have worked for a franchise like Stanley or Coit?
Do you remember at the end of the day when all the trucks came rolling in, there were always those braggarts who would high five one another and celebrate with their " Yeah man, $800 in one hour dude" or "I got them to do the whole house on a one room ticket, $500 and I had five more after that!"
While this whole thread sort of feels like that, I don't think this was Meg's intention.
Nor do I think she really needed advice on how to handle the dead beat. She's a tiger who knows exactly were to eviscerate weak prey.
Meg is a very smart woman who took over the office of an average carpet cleaning company and turned it into the top company in town with her feminine touch. Granted it's a 1.5 truck company, but in most towns in America, that's all the market will bear at their rates. If she wants to grow to 3 or more trucks she'll have to lower prices and advertise much more to keep the crew busy all year. (Same situation we are in in SCruz)
So what was Meg's real intent here in this thread? I think she's using our comments to leverage John into slowing down a bit and providing more value. I am willing to bet she hears complaints of how fast the crews went for the amount of money spent quite frequently.
It must be embarrassing for her to admit that her crews do not prevacuum when she's hob-nobbing at these weekly SFS and Jon Don events that she goes to.
Can you imagine the look Pemberton would give you at one of his high end fabric seminars if you admitted that fiber faux pas??
My suggestion is this, this winter when things slow down, get John a Shark Clear Cup swivel vacuum, start with this one https://www.amazon.com/SharkNinja-N...478187975&sr=8-6&keywords=shark+swivel+vacuum
It doesn't have the lame feature of running the hose through the D shaped handle so VACUUMING UPHOLSTERY is easy.
Keep on telling your clients to do the vacuuming but for a full month vacuum after them. If they ask why, just be honest and tell them you are thinking of adding this step to your process and see what their reaction is. Most if not all, will be thrilled. Guaranteed.
If it's a heavy urine job, use their vacuum (explain why with out embarrassing them) or go around the puddles if possible.
Do two or three slow passes on entry areas , in front of the TV sofa, where the pets sleep and all pivot areas throughout the home.
Whats in the dirt cup will shock you.
Ask home owners how they vacuum their staircases. Most use the end of the hose or maybe a turbine attachment a couple times a year. With the Shark and it's 10" head, you'll be able to run it side to side on most steps and in most cases, that carpet will be seeing a brush roll for the first time in it's life. Use an attachment for crevices and the brush tool on the bull nose.
If it's real bad, tell the home owner that you are concerned about their vacuum and ask to inspect it. You'll find clogged hoses, stretched out or missing belts, bags that weigh 50 pounds that can't fit one more pop corn kernel, worn to the nub brush rolls and the best, those stupid robot "vacuums" being used as the main vacuum.
Learn to work on vacuums and more importantly learn how to suggest the best model/brand when they ask for suggestions. My first answer is "The one you enjoy using the most"..
The concern you show will blow them away and will be the topic of discussion the next time the ladies get together at the golf or tennis club. Ask me how I know this.
If John does not see the value in adding pre vacuuming to your procedures after a month, then I'll question his morality. Seriously.
Use that Shark until it dies, go through another so you can study up more on where dry soils really collect in a home, then graduate to a good bagged vacuum and that Hoover Power Port that I linked to earlier, for edges and upholstery. Royals and Kirby's are better than Sanitaires only in that the belts last way longer.
drop the mic.
Do you remember at the end of the day when all the trucks came rolling in, there were always those braggarts who would high five one another and celebrate with their " Yeah man, $800 in one hour dude" or "I got them to do the whole house on a one room ticket, $500 and I had five more after that!"
While this whole thread sort of feels like that, I don't think this was Meg's intention.
Nor do I think she really needed advice on how to handle the dead beat. She's a tiger who knows exactly were to eviscerate weak prey.
Meg is a very smart woman who took over the office of an average carpet cleaning company and turned it into the top company in town with her feminine touch. Granted it's a 1.5 truck company, but in most towns in America, that's all the market will bear at their rates. If she wants to grow to 3 or more trucks she'll have to lower prices and advertise much more to keep the crew busy all year. (Same situation we are in in SCruz)
So what was Meg's real intent here in this thread? I think she's using our comments to leverage John into slowing down a bit and providing more value. I am willing to bet she hears complaints of how fast the crews went for the amount of money spent quite frequently.
It must be embarrassing for her to admit that her crews do not prevacuum when she's hob-nobbing at these weekly SFS and Jon Don events that she goes to.
Can you imagine the look Pemberton would give you at one of his high end fabric seminars if you admitted that fiber faux pas??
My suggestion is this, this winter when things slow down, get John a Shark Clear Cup swivel vacuum, start with this one https://www.amazon.com/SharkNinja-N...478187975&sr=8-6&keywords=shark+swivel+vacuum
It doesn't have the lame feature of running the hose through the D shaped handle so VACUUMING UPHOLSTERY is easy.
Keep on telling your clients to do the vacuuming but for a full month vacuum after them. If they ask why, just be honest and tell them you are thinking of adding this step to your process and see what their reaction is. Most if not all, will be thrilled. Guaranteed.
If it's a heavy urine job, use their vacuum (explain why with out embarrassing them) or go around the puddles if possible.
Do two or three slow passes on entry areas , in front of the TV sofa, where the pets sleep and all pivot areas throughout the home.
Whats in the dirt cup will shock you.
Ask home owners how they vacuum their staircases. Most use the end of the hose or maybe a turbine attachment a couple times a year. With the Shark and it's 10" head, you'll be able to run it side to side on most steps and in most cases, that carpet will be seeing a brush roll for the first time in it's life. Use an attachment for crevices and the brush tool on the bull nose.
If it's real bad, tell the home owner that you are concerned about their vacuum and ask to inspect it. You'll find clogged hoses, stretched out or missing belts, bags that weigh 50 pounds that can't fit one more pop corn kernel, worn to the nub brush rolls and the best, those stupid robot "vacuums" being used as the main vacuum.
Learn to work on vacuums and more importantly learn how to suggest the best model/brand when they ask for suggestions. My first answer is "The one you enjoy using the most"..
The concern you show will blow them away and will be the topic of discussion the next time the ladies get together at the golf or tennis club. Ask me how I know this.
If John does not see the value in adding pre vacuuming to your procedures after a month, then I'll question his morality. Seriously.
Use that Shark until it dies, go through another so you can study up more on where dry soils really collect in a home, then graduate to a good bagged vacuum and that Hoover Power Port that I linked to earlier, for edges and upholstery. Royals and Kirby's are better than Sanitaires only in that the belts last way longer.
drop the mic.
Last edited:
Mikey P
Administrator
I can recall the last two job where I thought that they didn't need pre vacuuming. I can also recall where my guys thought the same thing. All of them had wicking issues of some sort.
Because we remove so much dry soil, I believe we use far less pre spray and rinse agents than those that dont. Which can bite us in the ass when we get lazy.
Because we remove so much dry soil, I believe we use far less pre spray and rinse agents than those that dont. Which can bite us in the ass when we get lazy.
F
FB7777
Guest
hogjowl
Idiot™
If I stopped prevacuuming, my customers would revolt.
So my 23 year old tech is a slow cleaner, like sometimes really slow. I get 3-4 people a week telling me how thorough he is...
He's not that thorough, he's just fuckin slow.
He's not that thorough, he's just fuckin slow.
Mikey P
Administrator
Grocery Bagger slow?
Zee
Supportive Member
The fact, that you have to lay it out like that to some so called "high end" company that is high priced and claims how successful they are- tells you a lot about this industry.
Any hack can be a star online and at seminars, if they have a personality to do it. But if one of us hired them to do our house....they'd be crashing and burning.
If she came on here with this to get the husband's attention while bringing embarrassment to them...then it's just messed up and they have something else to figure out.
