[Joe W Brown]

This is one of the many offers I am having to compete with on google adwords.

How do these people make their money?

3 carpets - say 20m each, heavily stained, would take me.. Maybe 5-6 hours to clean and treat stains individualy. Maybe more. So thats a day reserved working sociable hours.

Then the scotchguard for 60m - thats £30 mark, for the guard im using at the moment.

Then travel costs, machine aging, chemicals etc etc. £5 maybe £10.

Then the cost of advertising on adwords in the first place. Maybe £5 per customer if im lucky.

Thats left me with £20 for a days work.

Then I see people on this forum charging ups of £40 an hour (which is great and far more uplifting for me)


How is it possible to have such a distance in value? A lot of these offers on google either claim 100% removal or suggest this by before and after photos where the carpet transforms to like new, "this or your money back". Yesterday i spent 1 hour working on a single makeup stain and it had still not gone completely. Admittedly I am quite new to the business so am not as experienced, but if id charged any less than I do id be giving my services away.


Oh and a groupon 3 carpets cleaned, time taken 1 hour. It takes me 1 hour to set up and put everything away. A single stain can take over an hour.


I dont understand 

[*Hector*]

Oh and a groupon 3 carpets cleaned, time taken 1 hour. It takes me 1 hour to set up and put everything away. A single stain can take over an hour.

I did this last year... never again mind but 6 jobs a day for 8 weeks..

3 rooms in 1 hour... hard work but can be done..

as for 3 rooms £65 6 jobs a day at £65 each... = £390 X 5 = £1950

not a bad weeks work is it??

Never going to happen... but that is the theory behind the advertising.....

You stick to what you are comfortable with though...... It is your business....

[davep]

Way cheap but 6 hrs for 3 carpets too long. Should take 2 hrs?

[mark_roberts]

What equipment and chems are you using.  It's seems you need to become more efficient.  1hour to setup and down is way too long.

If the stain isn't gone in 10mins move on or charge more for stain removal.

Also sell yourself so you not always competing with the cheapest.

Mark

[Russ Chadd]

I have an established company in my area doing exactly the same thing... better get used to it mate because all the time people who cant really afford to have their carpets cleaned, choose these firms offering 50%, most other wont get a look in...

I had a woman call me yesterday in lets just say not the nicest of areas, she wanted her large leather sofa cleaned and a lounge carpet cleaned... lived on the second floor.
The first questions i asked was "have you received any quotes" to what she replied "yes"
When she told me she could get the whole job done for £95 i knew i was onto a loser... she told me she would only go with the cheapest quote.

Some firms would rather work for a lot less just to generate turnover, i on the other hand will not work at 50% discounts or offer to "Scotchdard" any room for £10...

[Ian Gourlay]

I think I will give them a call when I get out of hospital 

It will save me a job

[clinton]

Went up against some quotes here a few weeks ago and a well known franchise was doing very cheap work.

Thankfully getting new clients from the net and dont mind paying my prices..

[neil 47]

Clinton


Do you get many jobs of your van graphics as im going to have mine done


Cheers Neil
 

[Simon Moat]

Don't worry about time to set up etc, you'll get faster, same with actual cleaning.

With regards your pricing, go with what you want to earn, there is a market for everyone, price yourself accordingly and don't stress what others are doing concentrate on yourself.

Most importantly always do the best job you possibly can and you will get work at your price.

[clinton]

Neil

Its well worth getting your van sign written mate and went with a large carpet cleaning sign and a small company name..

My van does get noticed and does bring in work.

Good luck with your signage

[Joe W Brown]

What equipment and chems are you using.  It's seems you need to become more efficient.  1hour to setup and down is way too long.

If the stain isn't gone in 10mins move on or charge more for stain removal.

Also sell yourself so you not always competing with the cheapest.

Mark

Airflex storm machine.

Normally I use a bog standard microsplitter with some orange solvent added.


My process is -

- Get stuff out of the van (sometimes, like today, having to take 5 trips in a lift getting up too flats)

- Vacume with sebo  - north south east west, takes maybe 10-20 mins per room, including pulling tube out too get up too corners and doors.


- Prespray using sprayer and microsplitters.

- Spray stains with microsplitter spotter.

- Agitate with sebo duo. Agitate edges where sebo cannot reach with hand brush.

- Cold water Rinse with airflex storm.

- Spray visible stains again, using mpower or specialised spotter depending on stain.

- Maybe spray traffic lanes again with a spotter or with warm mpower, in attempt to imrpove.

- Rinse said areas again.

- Maybe repeat process, depending on how stains and traffic lanes are looking.

- Maybe repeat again!

- Turn extraction machine to just hoovers and use hoovers to align the pile into neat direction.


Carpet complete. Now time to move on to next carpet and do it all over again!!! 2 hours per carpet, 1 if im lucky.

[davep]

Crikey

[*Hector*]

I thought along similar lines there Dave.... 

[AshWhite]

Try it this way:

Vacuum every room - put vac back on van
Prespray every room (starting with room to be extracted first, and in order, concentrating on traffic lanes and spots) - put sprayer back on van
Agitate every room (in order of above, concentrating as above)
Start rinse all rooms in order, working out of the house.
Keep your spotter close to hand so any marks that don't lift out on extraction can be treated as you go (you might be surprised what comes out under normal cleaning).
Groom, get your money, and get out of there.

Doing it this way gives prespray longer dwell without hanging about, and should increase the likelihood of getting it right in one.

Also, I'd consider experimenting with stronger presprays and better forms of agitation for real mingers.

[Ferenc G.]

1. vacuum out of van - vacuum all the rooms - vacuum back into the van
2. sprayer, chemical, agitator out - mix, spray, agitate all rooms - all back into the van
3. Airflex out, bucket on handle, Acid rinse can with measuring jug in bucket, one set of hose on top of machine - put in position
4. wand, other hose set and spotting kit into position, fill up, off you go
5. put everything back into the van
6. grab the money, off to the next one
REPEAT

[Joe W Brown]

Try it this way:

Vacuum every room - put vac back on van
Prespray every room (starting with room to be extracted first, and in order, concentrating on traffic lanes and spots) - put sprayer back on van
Agitate every room (in order of above, concentrating as above)
Start rinse all rooms in order, working out of the house.
Keep your spotter close to hand so any marks that don't lift out on extraction can be treated as you go (you might be surprised what comes out under normal cleaning).
Groom, get your money, and get out of there.

Doing it this way gives prespray longer dwell without hanging about, and should increase the likelihood of getting it right in one.

Also, I'd consider experimenting with stronger presprays and better forms of agitation for real mingers.

Thanks for advice Ash. Ill try the above and experimenting with stronger presprays.

Can you recommend any? My main problems seem to be with traffic areas.

Thanks.

Joe

[Joe W Brown]

1. vacuum out of van - vacuum all the rooms - vacuum back into the van
2. sprayer, chemical, agitator out - mix, spray, agitate all rooms - all back into the van
3. Airflex out, bucket on handle, Acid rinse can with measuring jug in bucket, one set of hose on top of machine - put in position
4. wand, other hose set and spotting kit into position, fill up, off you go
5. put everything back into the van
6. grab the money, off to the next one
REPEAT

Thanks for advice. I like the storm and bucket setup especially.

[Ferenc G.]

  I have a Turbo, never used the wheels on the top handle for loading in/out of the van, but they are brilliant for hanging stuff on, buckets, hoses, etc...

[AshWhite]

Joe, sometimes it pays to bear in mind that traffic lane grey is caused more by wear than soil, and all the cleaning in the world will only improve it a certain percentage. I always make a point of telling customers this, and when they do come up like new its a bonus. Under promising and over delivering makes for much happier customers than over promising and under delivering.

Probably not what you want to hear given the other thread, but my most used prespray is SPM.

[*Hector*]

Mine is actually Mpower or HD microsplitter