[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

not a member myself, but the NCCA is a good thing and will undoubtly add creditibility to your company.

personnally im going to become IICRC certified firm instead (have to be IICRC quilified in all services you advertise)

and im too tight to do both


ps. does not matter if you been cleaning carpets 50 years, if you been doing it wrong you just been doing it wrong a long time, lol.

i dont think ive been doing it wrong mate due to only haveing 40 pounds a week paper bill and keeping three exels flat out most of the year 

just its time to up the came , so here anthor question which is better to do ncca, or IICRC  ?   are they both the same ? i may do the iicrc myself and send hubby on the ncca corses this way we will get the best of both worlds ? and we realy need to learn hoe to use wands again as we havnt use them in over 12 years due to useing scrbbas.

 this board as realy open my eyes over the last few months but as thrown alot of things in the air as well , i realy have been working for bugger all but no more 

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys,

I have a lot of respect for the guys who run the NCCA , but personally am in a very similar position to Ted and Glynn.

I am reluctant to go over old ground,  but still feel the NCCA should be much more forward thinking and use the oppurtunity the internet has created through these forums,  to bring the experienced CC's into the organisation.

Cheers

Doug

[craigp]

if you go IICRC, its this course NCCA will put you through anyway, but its your techs that will need to be doing it for you to advertise that fact.

you are not allowed to advertise if its just you the owner who is quilified and not the guys carrying out the work.

spick and span, imo you could have been doing it 50 years and still not know the basic princebles of C/Cing, if you not been taught.

[Neil Grainger]

I think the NCCA suffers like any organisation is where the old School run the show thus not being able to be upto date with the latest Technology for marketing and sales. Carpet cleaning skills are secound to none but running  information awearness for customers is not what the NCCA is about.

Look at the any association run by older people that are Finacially safe so dont need that extra workt that comes form doing all this advetising and marketing stuff to make the public awear of the NCCA, The sad thing is that probably only 5% of people who get their carpets cleaned have ever heard of the NCCA.

TV Producers working on daytime TV love information about these sorts of industries but have we seen the NCCA on these programmes. Never

What would the pull be for NCCA members if THIS MORNING did a feature on carpet and upholstery cleaning that was done by a leader of the NCCA, people would flock to it straight away.

[Ian Gourlay]

Doug,

I think with Kens roadshows and other inititives the NCCA has done a lot in the past 18 months. Ken has mentioned about Web Site etc.

[carpetguy]

Neil's response is the classic response from " younger people " who all through history, have thought they had all the answers, to the worlds' problems, only to find, how wrong they were, a few years later.

If you feel the organisation would benefit from your input.................YOU KNOW THE ANSWER !and you might get a hell of a shock to discover how much more the older guys know than you, not only about the practical aspects of cleaning, but the latest technology and marketing skills.

How do you think they got to be " the older guys, in the industry "when thousands of others have come and gone.

[Neil Grainger]

Carpet Guy

Dont get me wrong I am not questioning their Carpet Cleaning skills and fully understand that they have far more knowledge in Carpet Cleaning than me.

I am 34 and have spent 10 or so Years working for a bluechip organisation so consider myself experienced in somethings. Why are their no old people working in IT because the young are dynamic & forward thinking, Sorry to say it but most Older people are not, set in their ways. I bet most of the Older Guys are set in their ways with business not growing but making lots of money because they have been in the business for a long time and have a settled customer base. Does it matter to them that things are they way they are, of course not. Their are still making money from the prestige of running such organisations.

CC's would pay more money in membership if they marketed to the public witch they dont, Nobody know's who they are and being a trade organisation surley people should no who they are. Most Important thinng. If the Public cant find them why is it worth being a member.

Trademark Windows are a classic of this, were a small business and got fed up with all the sharks so set their own Trademark for Windows and Conservatories, Most people in the south of England no who they are. Not sure about the north.

Why cant the NCCA do this. Market to the People not us we would love to be part of it but until they do, its not worth it.

[spickandspan]

Well said that man.

Most cutomers who i have done work for have not even heard of NCCA so whats the point?

[Phillip Mold]

I have been a cc for less than a year, and now I am convinced I would have been hopeless without the training that I received. (OK other people/organisations could have provided that too)

In my first six months have had four jobs from customers who got my name from the NCCA website, total value over 500 pounds, and also received invaluable assistance from the directors.

I would not deam of not renewing!

[Ken Wainwright]

I love this debate

As I have said before, the NCCA isn't perfect, but then, only the good Lord is

Firstly, our Association is named the National Carpet Cleaners Association. It's an association FOR carpet cleaners, NOT Mr and Mrs Jones at number 22. Our moto is Service With Integrity.  OK, we do generate through our various media efforts enquiries from the public, but the Association is NOT a marketing company with a raison d'etre of generating lots of work. This is left to other organisations. Fast Track/Joe Polish,  and Brian James springs to mind.

This position is supported by most other Trade Associations. When did you see an association for upholstery manufacturers advertise to the public. How many of these associations can you name. Ditto electricians, plumbers, carpenters et al.  And I'm talking about proper specialist trade associations, not "Badge Marketing Companies" like the Guild of Master this or that.

Our media department has a regular monthly output of articles which is sent to many womens and homes magazines. We have regular contact with the daily press who call upon our expertise to give technical and  commercial advice. Directors have appeared on Breakfast TV and radio  and programme researchers frequently call upon our expertise.

Due to the size of our industry and more importantly our membership, I cannot forsee a day when  the NCCA will be able to afford an effective advertising campaign through any of the media except for our own website. Being a member of virtually any trade association is a marketing tool for the individual member to use to their advantage. YOU are the carpet cleaner.  YOU are the businessman. YOU are the salesman. So go out and sell YOUR company and YOUR services and the benefits  that YOUR  membership can bring to YOUR prospects and YOUR customers.

As for young blood, we are not ageist. Any person of any age or background is welcome to become involved with THEIR Association. It's the way the Association has always been. The way I became involved is typical of most directors. I offered help at NCCA events. Erecting stands and breakdown afterwards. Assisting in Branch Meetings, demonstrating techniques/equipment at Branch Meetings, until one day I organised a Branch Meeting which was way beyond what the format was. This was the forerunner to the Technical Roadshows. By showing my enthusiasm, dedication and organisational skills, the directors felt that I could bring something to the Association, so I was invited to join the Board. So, if you feel that the NCCA can be improved, get up off your bum and do something about it. The present Board has!

To be fair, although the system described above has been shown to work well, it can be improved. For this reason, I have put some proposals to the Board which will, perhaps, encourage more new blood to become involved with their Association. For the right people, this could lead to Directorship. There is quite a lot of work to be done yet on this project, so no announcements are imminent. As always, you'll need to be patient.

From my perspective, it would appear that most of the  problems that are/were percieved to exist have are being answered. It is my view that the Association has made enourmous strides in recent years to actively promote the benefits of Membership to the industry at large. The increase in membership supports this. We are not for everyone and not matter what we do or don't do, this will never change. But, IMO, the appeal of the NCCA is at the best it's ever been, and it's getting better all the time.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[spickandspan]

I rest my case.

[rambly]

By choice I am a member of the NCCA and would say I have benefited from membership.

Just be happy there is no compulsion (so far) in this industry, to be a member of an organisation such as Corgi which seems to have obtained Government approval to try and achieve almost total domination of all aspects heating and plumbing.

[Mark Stanley]

I would endorse membership of the N.C.C.A. - without hesitation.

Regards
Mark

[Terry_Burrows]

must say we are giving this some thought to I met Ken at the NEC most helpful and willing to answer anything,I do admire these people who have all the years of carpet cleaning to share,

simply priceless

respect

[Phillip Mold]

Terry, I am sure you, like most on here have been cc ing far longer than I but I can tell you Kens advice and help has been invaluable not only to myself since starting. Surely it makes sense to be professional and that means having a professional body to support and dare I say regulate us?

[stevegunn]

It suits some and not others but personally I think there should be a refresher course every few years or so as things change so quickly.

[Bob Robertson]

Steve

Only if they were held across the UK and not down south all the time ££££££££

Tihson

[carpetguy]

I've never met Ken Wainright, or Derek Bolton, but have been on a few courses with Paul Pearce and all of these guys, some of you would regard ,as " old / stale / set in their ways/ behind the times "

Well, I'm older than any of them, and am continually seeking new products and methods, even 'though
I'm gradually backing out of the business.

Don't mistake the rushing around, of younger folk as more productive, than the calm and confident way a more mature person might adopt.

In my past life, as a driving instructor, it was proven to me and others, that you can drive in a safe, controlled and legal way and get to your destination ( about 25 miles away ) before others who were less cautious, less controlled and flaunted the law.

We ( the youngsters ) were soundly beaten by " the old, boring geezers " who were proving their expertise and supremacy, by using their experience and ability.

[Derek]

Neil

I take issue with your remark about 'old'boys' at the NCCA...at your age (34 I believe) you are just about the same age as some of the Directors...what does that say then?

I was one of the old fogies you refer to and I did leave the Board of Directors last year making way for an energetic 34 year old...we are still waiting 

On a more serious note...I have said this before many times...the NCCA may not suit everyone but I have found that it has definitely brought me business by belonging in adDition I have met people whom I would never have met.

As dear (getting old) Uncle Kenneth says..."I may work alone but I am not alone"

[ianharper]

Guys

I am not a member but from the sound lots of people think that it a marketing organization for carpet cleaners. if i understand what these organisations are about its about professionalism.

we all benefit from the NCCA how would all our business look if their where a load of guys running around the country with extraction machines not know what they where doing? its the training that produces professional people and then in turn a profession. its in the the name we are professional carpet cleaners.

Ken what is needed is a charter or mission statement so that everyone knows what the goals is for the NCCA. then there will be no doubt. and that's what i think you get in these chats.

I know as a member that BICSc is about training they make loads of money from this and with it have taken the mission all around the world. raising standards and the industry. remember how people looked down on cleaners years ago. know many (not all) have respect for what we do.

The message will not across to the customer if you just print a logo on all your marketing. you have to explain what it represents. the time will come when you don't have to do this, like everyone know what city and guilds stands for.

If everyone promoted the NCCA then prospects would know the difference between someone that has training and someone that does not. and with many people setting up cleaning business it is more important than ever to promote professional service.

I have written a leaflet as a example of how you can promote professional service. its just an idea and I have not use it, check it out at my blog

http://cleanersnetwork.wordpress.com/2007/02/20/problem-with-cheap-cleaners-in-your-area/

Respect

Ian Harper

ps. ken does it not bother you that from many off the comment above that many cleaners with loads of experience are not members. I for one am very surprised at how many what i would call professionals are not members. with all that experience and knowledge?