Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: bcc on July 18, 2012, 07:06:20 pm
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Hi all, how is business in your part of the country? I am in Mid-Glam Wales; I have been in the business for 21 years and never had it as slow as it is this year ???
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Where in Mid glam are you? I've just gone into my second year, and have been flat out last few weeks (also in Mid glam)
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Hi bbc,i ll have to admit the first 6 months of this year has been quiet.July has started great do.There just does not seem to be even price callers,mostly repeat and referrals here.Hope your phone starts ringing.Do i rather set fire to my van than go down the groupon route.
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Hi bbc
Had a very slow 6 months just our regulars keeping us going but now pick up and now booked up for the next 2 weeks...When the sun shines the phone rings.
I hope it picks up soon for you.
Richard & Tara
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Very slow here in Taunton. Just starting my second year here after relocating. Got some repeat customers, leaflets don't seem to doing anything at the moment but the genaral findings is that people are just hiring rug doctors and doing it themself.
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BCC - I am in Mid-Glam Wales; I have been in the business for 21 years and never had it as slow as it is this year
AshWhite - I've just gone into my second year, and have been flat out last few weeks (also in Mid glam)
BCC, meet your problem. LOL :P
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I've just re-read my post and it looks like I'm trying to rub it in - that wasn't my intention. This year hasn't been great, but I've seen a marked increase over last few weeks.
I only asked where you were as I don't think I've spoken to you in the past.
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I do believe in this business when we have weeks of rain it does have an effect on the calls coming in.
The sun should be back this weekend and next week (bar Monday) I'll bet after a couple of dry days your phone will ring more.
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I'm only playing Ash.
I'm in month 23 now. I'm getting a lot of repeat calls. Problem is I'm dropping them as they want it too cheap.
I'm finding a pattern now, the people who stop me in the street while I'm working, they also want something for nothing
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Lost a job today as I couldn't fit her in before Monday !!
Been the best end of June/ July I have had, really slow start to the year though, would have been screwed if I had not had a good finish to last year year, just surviving on savings and repeats / regular customers
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Been pretty busy this year so far.
mainly repeat customers and recommends though.
leaflets still bringing a lot of new customers- i follow mike halidays recom,maximum 6 miles from home for leaflet drops and make sure my phone no stands out nice and clear.
other advertising not working particulary well.
but still rare to have a day without any jobs though luckily.
andrew
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I've been going 2 years, although I took a mini break to do something else (Nov - Mar) and re-launched my business in April it has been a long hard slog getting the work in. July has been one of my best months since I started 2 years ago and I have had some very nice jobs.
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Fully booked till Xmas, but only few jobs booked in for Jan :'(
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Fully booked till Xmas, but only few jobs booked in for Jan :'(
You have got to be kidding me !!! Whats your secret? :o :o :o
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Fully booked till Xmas, but only few jobs booked in for Jan :'(
You have got to be kidding me !!! Whats your secret? :o :o :o
Wake up Mark, your having one of those strange dreams ;D
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Hi Guys
Business has been very good for the last 8 weeks, despite more rain than usual!
New guys will always struggle to get busy but you just have to keep working at it.
Cheers
Doug
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Gotta say Mark your website is excellent - not too much and not too little - the right temperature your porridge is as goldyyoda would say!
Price guide looks pretty fair and reasonable - bit cheap for me on carpets but good for uph - is Hudders a hot spot for cc - there seems like plenty of competition so you being busy till xmas is a tribute to your service - yes tell us how you get booked up that far in advance apart from being good at what you do?
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Hi I'm near Bridgend, 1st part of the year was very busy but the last two months slow, I hope now the weather is good it will pick up, its good to see some of you are dooing allright
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It's an up and down business for sure.
The early part of theyear was very slow, but very busy since late Feb?March. A bit quieter next week atm.
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I'm having a run of customers willing to spend £250-350 which is unusual to have so many so soon virtually all together what it does do is book the diary up quickly I do find people do tend to spend more per head at this time of the year domestically of course.
Shaun
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Must admit first half of the year has been very stop start with me but when you average it out over the period its been ok. this last few weeks has gone mad loads of good quality work hopefully it will continue . most work has been repeats and recom
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Fully booked till Xmas, but only few jobs booked in for Jan :'(
You have got to be kidding me !!! Whats your secret? :o :o :o
are people actually phoning you saying i want my carpets cleaned in september or october november whatever thats some long sighted customers u have !
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Fully booked till Xmas, but only few jobs booked in for Jan :'(
You have got to be kidding me !!! Whats your secret? :o :o :o
are people actually phoning you saying i want my carpets cleaned in september or october november whatever thats some long sighted customers u have !
Think you're being had. Yes you can have the odd booking 3,4,5 months in advance but most people aren't willing to wait more than 3 possibly 4 weeks for a routine clean.
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I find most people won't wait longer than 2 weeks, if they wanted it in 3-4 weeks the would ring in 2 weeks time, very rarely will they have the hindsight to book weeks in advance unless they have a special occasion or the decorator booked in.
people are spontaneous, one little spot will push them over the edge....... then they will call wanting it done asap.
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Mark may be pulling your leg but I have many regulars already booked in for nov and dec they book the next years appointment.
Shaun
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Mark may be pulling your leg but I have many regulars already booked in for nov and dec they book the next years appointment.
Shaun
Your customers book so far in advance Shaun so that they can get it cleaned at an agreed price.... before you raise the prices yet again ;D ;D
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Your customers book so far in advance Shaun so that they can get it cleaned at an agreed price.... before you raise the prices yet again ;D ;D
;D ;D
BTW those docs you sent me went missing into cyberspace after I viewed them via a 3rd party server..... virginmedia.....super fast at losing things
Could you send it again please
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no problem mate.
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Cheers Mr H ;)
And back to the debate. Various areas have highs and lows at different times around the country. At the moment I'm booking just short of 3 weeks in advance, a month ago I was taking bookings for the same afternoon :o
I trick is not to measure your 'busy-ness' on a week by week basis but by months or even quarters. You'd be surprised when you compare the same 3 months with the same 3 months 12 or 24 months ago.
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Fewer phone calls, same percentage conversion, but bigger ticket items.
I've also found I've been booking serious amounts of commercial work to compensate for a reduction in domestic. Because you can often complete commercial in less time (more £ per hour) and therefore working less hours I'm feeling as if I'm cheating myself. Same money, less hours. The rational side of me says "hooray" the consciencious side of me says I'm skiving as I should be filling in the spare time cleaning even more carpets rather than enjoying the fruits of my labour.
Rog
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When people say business is slow, it depends on what their average weekly takings are, for some a slow month can be a really busy month for others, personally this first 6 months have been my best in 11 years, however this last couple of weeks I have come across a Hugh amount of price shoppers,i have been wasting a lot of my time, but I always stick to my guns and usually things pick up, looking back over the years i have found that when the kids break up the phone and jobs slacken off a bit for a couple of weeks, just gives me a chance to catch up on all the paper work and start planning what to do for the rest of this year and the beginning of next, I now have stuff ready to send like Xmas clean reminders, January offers etc
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I have found it quite hard, as now I am on my own my household expenses have doubled, as I used to split everything with the wife, but luckily the work is coming in and my savings have kept me out of my over draft, which in fact is probably better since she went,v as I always seemed to be in my o/d , by going to stupidly expensive restaurants and hotels and stuff.
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When people say business is slow, it depends on what their average weekly takings are, for some a slow month can be a really busy month for others, personally this first 6 months have been my best in 11 years, however this last couple of weeks I have come across a Hugh amount of price shoppers,i have been wasting a lot of my time, but I always stick to my guns and usually things pick up, looking back over the years i have found that when the kids break up the phone and jobs slacken off a bit for a couple of weeks, just gives me a chance to catch up on all the paper work and start planning what to do for the rest of this year and the beginning of next, I now have stuff ready to send like Xmas clean reminders, January offers etc
Same as Colin, don't really worry now till September as commercial work is really good through summer holiday's. Now have 8 school's (one is biggest in south of England. 1200 pupils :o :o). 1 castle and 1 holiday to get through. Now is the chance to market and plan for remaining months of the year.
Cheers Mark.
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Business is down a bit but it's nothing to do with me.
It's caused by things outside of my control so I'm just going to have to hope things pick up whilst I sit around in a helpless hopeless state of despondency.
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You too??
What can we do??
WE are ALL doomed to go bust... and it is NOT OUR fault....
:'( :'( :'(
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Yep, chap down the road is doing well but I think he got lucky with a few big contracts.
Another guy got a nice new van but I know for a fact his wife has a highly paid job.
A few years ago an honest guy like me could make a decent living but now it's impossible.
I'm glad to hear other are struggling too because of the weather etc I can rest easy now.
What's your favourite excuse? ;)
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NOT an excuse Wynne...
It is a REASON....
it is because people don't like their carpets cleaned when it is raining coz mud and grime gets trod back in straight away....
BUT it will all come good now coz the sun is out... Once they get back off their holidays and the kids are back at school out of the way again, but wait ...... they will have to save up for Xmas then....
Maybe I should just be thankful that I can work between Easter and June without any of the nasty reasons for them not wanting my service After all I do have a TM to pay for..... ;D
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Sorry Hector, I do this a lot and get in trouble.
When I say 'you' /'your' I mean everybody I wasn't responding to your post specifically. ;D
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Hector I never mention price the customers just book in for year after my prices I think aren't that different to many on here perhaps a little higher I am however planning to go on a little spending spree with some advertising and dependant on uptake try raising my prices considerably we'll see if I can rise to the challenge of selling at a higher than comfort zone price.
Shaun
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I'm sure you'll do ok Shaun, with that Yorkshire charm
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Thanks Colin I think you've been looking at my avatar again ;D
Shaun
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Shaun Your customers know your prices go up every year, some probably suspect they go up twice, so they book you at what they think will be the cheapest that they will get ;D ;D
Seriously it is good that your custards will book that far in advance, you have had a lot of them for a good few years though, and it is down to your personable nature and good work that they trust you enough to do so..... Hats off to you.......
Still a tight Yorkshire git though ;D ;D
I should know I am one too ;D ;D ;D ;D
When I say 'you' /'your' I mean everybody I wasn't responding to your post specifically. Grin
Apology accepted Wynne... Thought you were having a pop... Coz I ain't lucky like that Simon Gerrard who has the lucky boat contract to fall back on when times are hard... Just coz he was in the right place (Wigan??) at the right time for the contract (Southampton??) :-X :-X
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Colin was so busy this week, he passed on a £550 job - passed it on to me!
Cheers Colin, job completed, customer delighted.
Dave.
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Hope you are giving him some commission on that Dave or is it just me that's tight ;D
Shaun
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If I were you Shaun I'd take a 1% commission off everyone in the country who uses a glide, after all they were your idea ;) ;)
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The missus would only go and take it off me!
Anyway I'm used to giving things away that's why they call me Mr.Generous
Shaun
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Yep, chap down the road is doing well but I think he got lucky with a few big contracts.
Another guy got a nice new van but I know for a fact his wife has a highly paid job.
A few years ago an honest guy like me could make a decent living but now it's impossible.
I'm glad to hear other are struggling too because of the weather etc I can rest easy now.
What's your favourite excuse? ;)
" Cos I couldn't be bothered to get off me a*** and do whatever it takes to get business rolling in" ;D ;D