Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Simon Gerrard on March 18, 2014, 05:43:07 pm
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While Jamie has started the ball rolling and as my name was put forward in the original topic, I am happy to answer questions and help in any way that I can.
For those that don't know me, I've been cleaning carpets for going on for 40 years. I've cleaned just about everything in that time, tens of thousands of lounge carpets and three piece suites, offices, shops, (nationwide) prisons, military establishments, super-yachts, cinemas, hotels, pubs and have looked after the carpets and upholstery on some of the most luxurious ocean liners in the world, including QE2 and Queen Mary 2, for over twenty years.
I am grateful to the people who helped me along the way and to who I owe a huge debt of gratitude and so if I can help others in some small way then that may help me repay that debt.
Simon
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Yes Simon what price did you put in for the ships.....just so I can undercut you you understand..might even give them a discount voucher.. ;D
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£10 per room, two for £15 as long as it's not more than 1,000 yds;D
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Did you have a TM then get the work or did you have the work then need a TM to cope?
How long did you clean before owning your first, which machines have you had and how have they improved?
Whats your annual fuel bill?
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Simon,
I feel like a newie only been carpet cleaning for 25yrs but looking back to what we used in the early days ie extracta with one vac and 70psi pump
Did you start similar and did you have truckmount when you started the liners or did you do with porty ?
Mike
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Did you have a TM then get the work or did you have the work then need a TM to cope?
How long did you clean before owning your first, which machines have you had and how have they improved?
Whats your annual fuel bill?
Hi Jamie,
I got the work and then got the TM, sort of. My first big contract with a national ladies wear chain which I did, believe it or not, with a Prochem Steemeasy 400 100psi single vac porty. I upgraded from that to a twin vac Cheyenne and from there to the Prochem 100A Truck Mount.
I think I am right in saying that I was the first operator of every evolution of the Truck Mount in the UK, with the exception of the 100A. The 100A was a 16 horsepower B&S (with rope start) with a diesel fired burner and then the 75HE which was the first of the heat exchanger generation and from there to the Prochem 800A and then the Bear Catalytic which was a real quantum leap in technology which used multiple heatexchangers including catalytics to super heat the water and the first machine capable of dual-wanding. I had a Max 470 (not the first with that) for a few years but as ships got bigger and time frames got smaller we needed another quantum leap in technology and performance up to the Titan 875.
Apart from the technical changes and the introduction of computers the improvements have been breath-taking, especially in reliability and performance.
The 875 consumes about 11.5 litres of fuel per hour at full power and maximum range, but then it is cleaning up to 375 square yards per hour with three RX20's, so hardly matters.
Simon
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Simon,
I feel like a newie only been carpet cleaning for 25yrs but looking back to what we used in the early days ie extracta with one vac and 70psi pump
Did you start similar and did you have truckmount when you started the liners or did you do with porty ?
Mike
I started with a tiny Escort machine back in the days when carpet cleaning was nothing more than a fad, imported from the USA.
Yes, I had a Prochem Performer Bear Catalytic TM with twin RX20's when I started the liners, indeed that is why I got in with the liners because the owners wanted the same truck mounts that service their ships in America during world cruises.
Simon
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Hi Simon same question you asked Jamie.
Mark
Hi Jamie,
I know you have built up a considerable low moisture cleaning business. Could you explain how from a standing start how others could go about gaining this type of work?
For instance how do you go about selecting likely customers and how to make contact with them?
Simon
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Why did I have to carry an airflex pro down three flights of stairs today having parked around the corner because it was permit holders only, oh why did I not bring the encap!
;)
Seriously though, how did you land the cruise ship contract? Did you approach them or vice versa? What % of your turnover does it make up?
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Hi Mark,
It depends what markets you want to target and that depends on what hours you want to work and how far you are prepared to travel.
I always wanted to do large commercials, (God knows why) so focused on the High Street retail chains and before long got a national chain of 120 ladies wear shops which I did on an annual basis.
In the lead up this, I had a very bruising encounter with a marketing specialist provided by the then Department of Trade. The marketing materials we were sending out to our target companies got us nowhere and got tossed back across the desk at me in our first meeting with the Group Sales and Marketing Director of Gardner Merchant Plc, 'you'll have to do better than this if you want to be taken seriously, young man,' he said. He then explained how I needed a 'corporate identity,' and then very kindly explained in detail what one of those was. So I spent £5k or so (a lot of money back then) and got the Gerrards logo and a proper brochure and stationery and a professional attitude to go with it so that I looked the part, indeed looked far bigger than we actually were, that is what a corporate identity gives you. So looking the part opened the doors and it didn't take me long to get my big first break.
You have to want to work within your chosen market and not choose it for any other reason. So I think the first step is to aim at a specific market, preferably a niche market it you can find one and then find the people you need to connect with.
At one point we did huge amounts of insurance work, fire and flood restoration etc and simply targeted Loss Adjusters, Loss Assessors and the Claim Managers at insurance companies etc. Often it is just a matter of being very focused on what you want and being persistent.
Cruise ships came to me in a roundabout sort of way so there was no marketing involved.
We also have a considerable domestic and light commercial side, which is a different kettle of fish, marketing wise, but I would be happy to discuss it.
Simon
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Why did I have to carry an airflex pro down three flights of stairs today having parked around the corner because it was permit holders only, oh why did I not bring the encap!
;)
Seriously though, how did you land the cruise ship contract? Did you approach them or vice versa? What % of your turnover does it make up?
Hi Neil,
At the time I had the only dual capable machine in the country, the Prochem Bear Catalytic and the ships wanted rid of the flocks of carpet cleaners that used to invade the ships on turnaround day (his words, not mine), so they rang Prochem and explained they wanted truck mount cleaning and as I had the dogs danglies of carpet cleaning machines at the time so Prochem gave them my number.
On the very same day I got the call I had the name and number of the guy at P&O on my desk ready to ring him he beat me to it. How fateful is that?
No comment on the percentages.
Simon
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Page 6 from Spring 2001
http://www.prochem-uk.com/shopimages/pdf/cs5.pdf (http://www.prochem-uk.com/shopimages/pdf/cs5.pdf)
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Ha ha, I've got that picture on my office wall.
It was taken by a Press team that came to see me on Oriana back in 1995 when she was brand new. We got a two page spread out if it in our local paper.
Simon
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Hi Simon
I wonder if it possible to pick your brains at some point over the phone as I feel it would take to long to write it in an email .
Regards
Steve
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Morning Steve,
Yes, you can do that if you wish, but it may also be of help to others on the forum so could we at least touch on it on here and if needs be you can call me?
If you don't want to discuss on the forum that is fine.
Simon
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Ha ha, I've got that picture on my office wall.
It was taken by a Press team that came to see me on Oriana back in 1995 when she was brand new. We got a two page spread out if it in our local paper.
Simon
Is that a truck mount in a bedford rascal van ?
By the way enjoyed reading this well done ;)
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It was a Rascal but that picture was taken back in 1995 so we swapped the little 75HE shortly after for a bigger one.
Thanks, I'm glad it is of interest to people.
Simon
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Hi Simon
I know you are a good family man. How have you balanced business and family and been successful.
David
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How do you target light commercial and domestic in 2014.
Whats your price point strategy for domestics in an increasingly competitive market.
Thanks
Mark
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Morning Steve,
Yes, you can do that if you wish, but it may also be of help to others on the forum so could we at least touch on it on here and if needs be you can call me?
If you don't want to discuss on the forum that is fine.
Simon
Hi Simon
I would put it on here but there is local competition that could read this and I don't want anyone knowing just yet ;)
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Simon,
What's the capital of Australia?
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Hi Simon
I know you are a good family man. How have you balanced business and family and been successful.
David
Hi Dave,
It has never really been a problem. We are a very close family and the benefits of working away quite a lot and building the business at home have come to us all in equal measure. We've always lived in nice houses, been on holidays to faraway places and put three of my children through university and still had time to enjoy the family. You do have to be careful that you get the work / life balance right, but providing for my family has always been a constant pleasure and I think that is all that really matters.
Simon
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How do you target light commercial and domestic in 2014.
Hi Mark,
One approach to generating business leads is to identify fifty or so local businesses in your area that fit the type and size of work that you, and more importantly those your equipment can cope with. Pubs, Clubs, Restaurants, Hotels, Care Homes etc. Instead of contacting every pub, night club and care home, make a list of fifty targets within each sector and concentrate on one sector at a time. Now ring each one – but don’t make it a sales call.
Inevitably you will get people who say they aren’t interested, fine, cross them off your list. For those you can engage in conversation ask the following:
Q. Do you get your carpets cleaned on a regular basis? If, ‘Yes.’
Q .How often do you get them cleaned? If the answer every year (or whatever)
Q. When were they last cleaned? Answer; ‘six months ago.’
Q. Would you mind if I gave you a call in five months just before they are due to be cleaned again so we give you quote? If they say, ‘Yes,’ you’ve just got what is known as a qualified lead, qualified in that they have agreed to let you ring them back in five months’ time. You now put that date into your diary and make sure you ring them back, trust me, they will be impressed.
You then move onto the next target and repeat the process remembering to delete the No’s and then replace them with new targets, so you always have a list of fifty. Over a period of time your diary should begin to be populated with call backs and because of the approach you have taken, seeking information rather than seeking a sale, you’re far more likely to generate sales. It is also high likely that you will have contacted them at exactly the right moment and may invite you to quote.
Another way of using this technique is to send out a mailshot to your target 50 and then a few days later follow up with a phone call. Persistence is the key here and being focused on exactly the kind of market you are capable of serving.
Hope this helps
Simon
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Interesting to read Simon, thanks.
@Steve Prince, share and share alike, stop being greedy :)
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Hi Mark,
To answer the second part of your question:
What’s your price point strategy for domestics in an increasingly competitive market?
Competition – what competition?
I cannot remember the last time I took any notice of what my competitors were doing because they are an irrelevance to me and I’d suggest to everyone else.
Before you think I’ve gone mad, let me explain.
When I first started I had a tiny portable machine and so did others around me who bought the same or similar and soon there was ‘competition’ to consider. No one actually knew what they were doing, there were no training courses, no forums, you just went out and following the basic instructions that came with the machine and hey presto, you were a carpet cleaner. Dye Bleed, Shrinkage and massive drying times soon resulted in complaints, re-cleans, refunds and utter frustration. Meanwhile, if one guy was charging £x for a lounge carpet the rest would all go cheaper and so we competed on price because we all scared ourselves into believing that if we didn't put in a lower price than the next guy he would get all the business....wrong!!
I decided there had to be a better way and by now training courses had become available and I booked myself onto a Prochem training course in London and 2 days later went home with a complete set of new, more powerful, more professional equipment and thanks to Ron Tilley’s inspirational approach and his 12 step cleaning process, with a new, professional attitude to carpet cleaning. From now on, I decided my competitors would have to compete with me on quality, because that is actually what carpet cleaning is about.
So I stopped quoting over the phone and went out and surveyed every job in advance and found that even though I had doubled my prices I got nearly every job. And, even more importantly, found that because I was delivering quality my customers started recommending me, which multiplied the number of customers I had. Bingo!
All on the back of price???? No way, on the back of quality at the right price.
So forget get the word competition, it is a distraction, an irrelevance and just by thinking about the competition means you aren’t thinking about the only thing that really does matter and that is making certain that what you do for your customers today, tomorrow and next year is first rate, despite the price you charge, (which by the way should be your price and not one imposed upon you by a competitors pricing) then they will consider you their carpet cleaner, the guy they go to every time they want their carpet cleaned because he does a great job at a value for money price– bingo!
That is not to say that you don't have to be competitive, but you can blunt the price for price comparisons your customers make by making your offering in some way different to your competitors, so that the price of what your offering can't be directly compared to that of your competitor. In my early days I did this by offering a 12 step process when the rest hadn't even thought of a process, so what I was offering was different, unique and therefore couldn't be compared directly in price terms because there was the perception by the customer that they were paying a little more but were getting much better value for their money.
So in the end it comes down to being in some way or other distinct, different, unique and instead of standing in the crowd - stand out of the crowd!!!
Sorry if it’s a bit long.
Simon
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Simon
Thanks for giving some fantastic advice your target list is how I worked in sales for 2 years and never thought of putting into my business hope to see you at TACCA day this year enjoyed speaking to you last year
Cheers
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Tom of all gleaming now has a sprinter ;)
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Simon, thanks for a fantastic thread and thanks everyone for the questions. Here is my one. When did you recognise the need for employing people? Surely the goal of being in business is to do business and free up some time to spend doing what you like to do while others work for you. Many of us though are one man band and making the shift is all but easy. How did you cope with managing people?
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Good morning Emil,
Managing people is easy.
They have to know who is the boss.
The boss on the other hand has to know that he can't do this job without the people who work for him and so treating them with respect and making them feeling valued and appreciated on both an individual and team basis is imperative, so that getting the job done, on time, on quality becomes a matter of pride for all.
You also have to earn the respect of the people that work for you if you ever want to get the best out of them.
Simon
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What have you done with Jim Neal??
last he was seen was working on the cruise ship with you last year??
:o :o :o
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Hi Simon
You use a Renault master van how do you get on with weight of the titan and what the van will carry.
We have a spitfire 3.2 in a LWB transit 3.5t even with a small machine in the weight can be an issue.
You said the titan uses 11 litres and hour so you have to carry more fuel our tank hold about 35 litres that last us a few days but with the titan that 4 hours so a larger fuel tank more weight,
You also carry more hose which again is more weight.
We used to also have a rascal sat in the crumple zone at the front I would not have liked a massive TM just behind the seats.
Great little vans.
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Hi Raymondo,
Weight isn't an issue, even fully loaded it is under the 3.5 ton limit. (just)
We only carry what equipment we need for a particular job and all tanks are empty when driving long distances.
We use a 110 litre lpg tank on the Titan, plus 22 litres of petrol so can give us between 10 and 13 running hours depending on what configuration we are using it in.
The Titan is fitted down with massive stainless steel bolts which seem to satisfy our insurers.
Simon
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Morning Steve,
Yes, you can do that if you wish, but it may also be of help to others on the forum so could we at least touch on it on here and if needs be you can call me?
If you don't want to discuss on the forum that is fine.
Simon
Hi Simon
I would put it on here but there is local competition that could read this and I don't want anyone knowing just yet ;)
Steve,
You can email me if you wish, as can anyone else.
Simon@gerrardscarpetcleaners.co.uk