To a certain extent I do agree with ColinD (again!!, people will be begin to talk!!), but I also fully understand where Jay is coming from also.
Contract cleaning, just like window cleaning is very, very easy to get into, no formal training or accreditation required, just a few basic tools, start marketing, and your off.
The purpose of this forum and other is to share knowledge and information, however we must all remember, that there is always more than one way to skin a cat, so to speak.
Direct mail is what we are on about here, it is a method of marketing that is not for the faint hearted, it is not cheap, nor does it lend itself to small numbers, yes I know you can get lucky, but trust me not very often, the real key is constant change and accurate recording of particular mailings.
Regarding ColinD's point of view(always gets people responding, not a bad thing) yes I agree with you, lots of people enter the industry without knowing anything about the industry, you only have to look at the number of requests for help with Employment Law or Health & Safety, and the enquirers are nearly always rewarded with information, this in my opinion is very dangerous, especially if the person requesting the information actually employ's 5 or more staff, lets take a recent request for a copy of an Employment Contract, just imagine for a moment, after giving a member of staff a copy of his or hers Employment Contract, getting it signed and dated etc, a few months go by, then the employer gets a complaint about cleaning standards, the employer, quite naturally has a word with the member of staff concerned, this staff member, takes great exception to this and decides that they have been unfairly treated......
You can guess the rest!
It is not enough to obtain the various bits of paper that is required by law, you must have the systems and processes in place as well, this is, I believe(I hope!!) is one of ColinD's arguments' unless the industry takes responsibility the powers that be, surely will.
Seans point of view is also valid, but, and there is always a but, the nationals have a serious advantage over the smaller players, in that they have seperate depts. to deal with H & S, HR etc, everyone in the industry, from the smallest to the largest needs to bite the bullet and get it right from the beginning, you do not obtain these systems and processes and the documentation that comes with them for free, you do have to pay, preferably by outscoucing to the experts in these fields, no shortcuts, no ignoring the law and hoping that you will be alright, no way round it, your biggest marketing challenge is convincing your clients that this is the right way to do business. The biggest personal challenge that you face is having the courage and self belief to do it right.
If you care to look at the document download part of this forum, you will find an Employee Handbook, I would like to say that the reasons for posting this document were entirely unselfish, however, you dont get owt for nowt in this world, the reason for posting said document was really quite simple, to get those who looked at the document, to think, and I do mean think, about the laws and regulations when it comes to employing staff, the penalties for getting this wrong, are very severe, each part of that document, deals with different aspects of employment, you must have procedures and systems in place to deal with any eventuallity, same with Health & Safety and indeed other parts of legislation. Failure to do any of these things, not only risks life and limb,your reputation, but also your financial well being.
Regards,
Rob
