[happy mondays]

Heres the easy and cheaper option http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistry101/a/learnchemistry.htm   Although I do agree it is handy to be able to ask a teacher questions and put them on the spot, hence why Schools/Colleges/Universitys do still exist. I know alot of people that are very well educated (we all do) who did well at school, they went on to do A levels and then on to uni. Most are in average jobs earning average money and live in a much smaller house than me, they drive ford mondeos and vectras, they make an excuse and leave the pub just before it is their round  :      

Knowledge is good, but it will not (always) pay the bills. Making money in business is about converting enquiries into sales, if the customer likes you and your product they will buy it, you could bore them to death by how much you know about the chemistry of cleaning, or how expensive and great your equipment is, it wont always get you the cash in the bank and means nothing.  I am in business to make as much money as possible for the least amount of time and money spent on marketing, equipment, training and other outgoings.  If they like you (or your salesperson) they will buy your product/service.            

[derek west]

4 pm sunday, is it still okay paul?, bit of free knowledge for my son and all the latte's i can drink, you do have a coffee maker in that posh house of yours surely?

[happy mondays]

4 pm sunday, is it still okay paul?, bit of free knowledge for my son and all the latte's i can drink, you do have a coffee maker in that posh house of yours surely?

 

the coffee maker is called Paul and the coffee is tesco's own brand, I usually drink carling after 3.30pm so I will have to pass on the coffee. I will look up a recipe for latte, but I think it just means coffee and milk in Italian, so I can make that 

Yea should be ok for 4, txt me at least an hour before you arrive so I can get my sales director to tidy up the house and move the rolls and transit off the drive   

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I went on a course at Cleansmart with Derek Bolton as the tutor, a neutral ph soap was used considerably to aid in suspending spotting agents so they worked for longer and in the right areas.

Shaun

[mark shannon]

Yes Derek suggested Fairy soap years back on a course I attended at A&M

[Mike Halliday]

i dispare i really do.

its about knowledge, nothing else.


"KNOWLEDGE"

Mark & Shuan please remember this is about knowledge nothing else and stop posting about soap or derek will get cross

[happy mondays]

I used to pass on all oven cleans to a guy who bought a post code off a large oven cleaning franchise (mentioning no names after a large court case a couple of years ago) he did a fantastic job every time, I once asked him what he used to do such a good job on the ovens, it was 30p a litre washing up liquid from aldi, but when he was with the franchise the product he had to use was about £40 for 5 litres.

[derek west]

i dispare i really do.

its about knowledge, nothing else.


"KNOWLEDGE"

Mark & Shuan please remember this is about knowledge nothing else and stop posting about soap or derek will get cross

i can guess who SHUAN is but who's mark? you on the pop mike?

[Mike Halliday]

you might call him Shaun..... but his real mates know him by his nomdeplume 'SHUAN'

no pop in me i'm the taxi for my lad and his mates who are out on the raz, he says he'll ring me about 3

[derek west]

  rather you than me mate.

[fitz2kleen]

i dispare i really do.

its about knowledge, nothing else.


"KNOWLEDGE"

KNOWLEDGE  is POWER!!
completely agree with derek on this one.
might never use that knowledge but if you've got it its POWERFUL when u need it.

[Simon Gerrard]

Carpet cleaning is not rocket science, it never has been and never will be. Our job when it comes to stain removal is to search out the very best products that have been specifically designed to deal with a wide range of stains and then apply them correctly and in the right order, and, course, learning how to manage a customers expecations about removing stains that may have been on the carpet for years. It's worth remembering that the minute you tamper with a stain you have in effect taken ownership of it - if it comes out, all fine and dandy, but if it gets worse because you've used the wrong chemical then what? Carpet cleaning is all about mitagting and managing risks - not increasing them by playing Russian Roulette with chemicals that are not designed for the job.
Simon

[Peter Sweeney]

I agree with Simon

Carpet cleaning is not rocket science. Rocket science is the study of rockets or more technically know as aerospace engineering.

Carpet cleaners don't use rockets.

Going back to Dereks point and some others made, I truly believe that the knowledge we possess (if communicated well) not only assists with the conversion of jobs but contributes to the longevity of our customers.  Being a "clone" of Dave Liahona has taught me loads and I've used this knowledge to my advantage on so many occasions I simply couldn't list them.

Good point Derek.

Pete

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Kitchen sink marketing as Ken W calls it is the bit to sell yourself somemore after the original sale so they keep coming back and recommending you.

Shaun

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

Without wishing to get into the politics of this I think it is fair to say a greater knowledge of stain removal is something some seek and others don't, nothing wrong with that we are all different.

Derek has shown with his organisation of the flood course that he is a do'er which is why I responded in the first place, maybe something will happen in the future but it is something which would take many days of preparation and not to be entered into lightly.

Cheers

Doug

[Mike Halliday]

all knowledge is good and learning about stain removal is not just about using cheaper propriety chemical instead of purpose made chemical.

Simon is quite correct that prochem, chemspec etc  spend money on R&D to create spotters that remove the stains we come across. But firstly these companies are in the business of making money if they can sell us 4.5lts of water and .5lts of active solution then they will or buy a chemical for £100 for 50 kilos then repackage it and sell it with a 500% mark up.

an example is when Ms first came onto the market and they were mixed at 25-1 but as soon as there was competition knocking on the door it went up to 50-1 at the same price, they could have sold it at that dilution right from the start but  all the did was put less water in and more active ingredient so for  2-3 years they were charging for water.

this is 1 reason stain removal knowledge is always helpful

 

[Ian Gourlay]

I was listening to the boss of Time for You on the internet last night

He is a former carpet cleaner , whose business collapsed when his wife had a heart attack.
He know is the owner of one of Britain's leading Franchise Companies

He said the important thing is to have Knowledge

This can be acquired from books or tricks of the trade by people like Doug , or anyone else.

One of the original ideas of Carpet Cleaners Day out was to enable this to happen.

I think it happens informally  ie Mike passes tips on to Geoff etc

It might even be possible if enough people got together to hire our own trainers and avoid VAT etc

I love this forum but often if somebody steps up there are others trying to knock them down

I do ask what qualifications did the leading trainers have when they started.

What I think they did do however was put together courses which were then reviewed by their piers before publishing or charging, as is normal in the scientific community

[gwrightson]

.........
and shaun,
I was on exactly the same course as you with Derick, few years ago now and yes  plain old soap was indeed a front runner in stain removal, as I recall its what all our mothers used on the collars of shirts before washing, and it worked 
Geoff

[mark shannon]

Very good to suspend cleaning agents as well.

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

I've been on various courses over the years after which I apparantly did nothing with and to which you could say I had wasted my money.

I did the Prochem hard floor course. It was brilliant and I considered starting doing hard floors but in the end I had too much work to do with carpets and upholstery so I never persued it either fully or as an "add-on".

I also did the IICRC course in carpet fitting. I have no intention of ever wanting to fit a carpet; I might just make use of some of the skills I learnt in terms of re-fitting and the like. However the most important thing I got out of it was the KNOWLEDGE of what is involved and some of the areas where mistakes have been made in fitting and potential problems. Being able to discuss this with clients-even though i never get involved in the remedying of them-is a powerful way of promoting yourself as the expert in the client's eyes, so that they naturally turn to you over any questions they may have about carpets and by default, the next time they want them cleaned.

Rog