Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Martin S on August 07, 2004, 05:21:55 pm
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Hello all,
As a potential 'newbie' to CC, currently at the 'research' stage, I was wondering if any of you that have started out in the business in the last twelve months, would be willing to share your experiences, good or bad (hopefully not too much of the latter) with everyone else.
For example:
How did you research the market potential in your area?
How did you assess what your competitors were doing, in order to work out your pricing policy?
What training did you attend, and do you feel that it armed you with sufficient knowledge, competence and confidence, to go out into that big wide world and, 'do the business'?
What equipment did you buy initially, and, with the benefit of hindsight, would you have bought differently?
What was your marketing strategy, and what do you feel was the best way of promoting your business in the early stages?
Have you found it extremely difficult to get that phone ringing? Or was it easier than you expected?
Were you still in other employment when you started out? Are you still employed, or have you taken that brave step and 'gone it alone'?
Lastly, and equally as important I believe. Do you actually enjoy Carpet cleaning, and do you see this as you new vocation, period?
I look forward to any comments you may have.
Many thanks
Martin S
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Hi martain
Welcome to carpet cleaning I started about 10 months ago and also moved to a new area .
1)Didn,t do any research just took the avice of cc on this forum and was very lucky that another carpet cleaner took me out for the day(thanks again Martin) this was invaluabe.
And would recmend you do this as a first.
2)I got the wife to ring around for quotes.
3) I did my training at alltec with paul pearce and passed the exam for IICRC . IT was a excellent 2 day course
4) I bought my machine from alltec after getting advice from other cleaners
5)marketing is the key to it allwithout it your stuffed ,it all depends how much money youve got to spend.
I leaflet and use word of mouth.
6)Its very hard in the begining but you have to keep goin and graduall work will come.
7)I still work in another job full time so I CC AT W/ENDS AND EVENING NOT IDEAL.
8)LOVE IT JUST LOVE IT ;D
NEIL
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Hi Neil,
Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. It can be very daunting going into something new, so it's nice to see the views of other people that have been in the same boat, to see how they have got on. I must admit, I hadn't thought of my other half as a resource, looks like there's some work coming her way.
Do you hope to give up your current work eventually?
I wish you continuing success.
Anyone else want to share theeir experiences?
Martin S
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Hi Neil. How are you ? are you busy? I think if you keep going you will get there in the end. It isn't easy for any of us in the beginning. I have to admit to having second thoughts a few months after taking the plunge but am doing very nicely now.
Martin, the best advice I can give is get yourself on either the NCCA course or the IICRC one run by Alltec to get the relevant training. This will answer a lot of your qestions and give you a lot of confidence when going for it.
With regard to equipment I think that if you are serious about starting up then you will need a portable machine with two 3 stage vac motors, a 100 PSI pump and at least a 3KW internal heater. Also a twin jet carpet wand, handtool, 2 x 25ft vac and solution hoses and a couple of buckets. There are a few more things you need that can be added at a later date.
I would also try to find a freindly carpet cleaner on these boards near to you that will be willing to take you out for a day or two as this will be time very well spent.
Hope this helps, if you need any more info just ask.
By the way fill out your profile box and you will get more replies from others on this board as some are unwilling to reply to people they don't know anything about. :)
Martin Riley
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My advice is Marketing is the key.
Are you prepared to do the foot work can you afford to pay for a megga launch.
Have you any marketing experience.
Carpet Cleaning is easy
Marketing is the key.
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Let's not forget that the best cleaning is the very best marketing.
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sorry John I can't agree with you, success in carpet cleaning has nothing to do with how well you can clean carpet.
I know lots of great carpet cleaners ( who are cleverer & better than me) who make less money than me.
Martin, I'll give you the best start-up advise in the world, its a closely gaurded secret that normally I'd charge over £3,000 for :o :o but I'm feeling generous.
get a street map of the area you live in and markout your house, then get a protractor and draw a circle of 3 miles around your house. don't market or look for work outside this area.
trust me, in 5 years time you'll thank me for that advise
( actually you won't because you won't follow it :-[ )
Mike
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Yes, But there has to be a balance.
I am sure there are more hard up "excellent" cleaners than there are succesful "average" cleaners.
Like Ian said "Marketing is the Key".
Its no good being the best cleaner in the world if no one knows you exist.
When you first start up you initially need the customers before you can start getting referrals.
Mark
Bloody ell Mike!!!
Are u hacking my PC !!!!!
Or maybe just great minds an all that ;D
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Mike I did what you said with the map only trouble is
I,ve only 127 house,s in the 3 mile area .
What do I do now lol
Neil ???
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MOVE :D :D
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They say there crying out for a good carpet cleaner in hull, might move there ;D
Neil
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Mike,
Your approach clearly works for you.
Happily mine works well for me ;)
John.
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good advise mike ,
as you know i havnt been more than 3 miles from base
apart from odd job in Hull.
and contented with amount of work :)
before any one replys i say contented, with a veiw to been
even happier still my first year so cant grumble
geoff
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Hi Martin
Marketing is the key as already said,I am doing pretty much the same in the coming months.
You could do what Mike says if you want to remain close to home, you could even wheel your machine from job to job wouldn't need a van ;D
For my part I couldn't be so parochial I would market further afield it's a big wide world out there working in such a tight area day in day out would drive me bananas
I can work up to 40 miles away from base and love it nothing like having a nice drive out,so long as the price is right ;)
But it's all up to the individual.Hitting all the homes in such a small radius means you will get a mix of all sorts of customers which means you have to set your price to attract all.
I tend to target my customers and this means a much wider area to cover but as I say I prefer to do this as I like getting out and about.
This is the first thing you have to decide, what is your target segment ;)
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Hi Martin,
Whilst I agree that marketing/selling is an absolutely fundamental part of building a carpet cleaning business , I also believe being good at cleaning is very important.
Reasons being:
Every repeat/recommendation is one you d'ont have to pay for.(all 4 of my jobs today are old customers)
You will feel much happier with yourself if you are going around spreading joy , or at least doing a good job!
Because you want to be good you will challenge yourself to improve and you will become good.
Cheers,
Doug
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Let me explain my 3 mile theory a bit more, if you live on a council estate surrounded by crackhouses then it won't work, if you only work in £3million house it won't work( unless thats where you live)
but if you live in an average income area then it works fine.
I can't see the point of driving across town when all the customers you'll ever need live within 3 miles, I did 2 qoutes this morning before my first job at 9am, I popped home twice for coffee.
Imagine your van constantly driving around a 3 mile area, or having done work in 25% of houses in some streets, you soon build up a high profile. everyone knows your name
it is madness to ignor the 3 mile rule, this is why I don't now advertise in th Y/P it covers too big an area. I do sometimes work outside my area because of reccommends but these customers never get sent any reminder card or specail offers this way i stop my area ( but not my customer base) growing.
Woodman if you like driving so much get a job as a delivery driver ;)
Mike
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Mike
My sentiments exactly ( not about woodman getting ajob as a delivery driver ;D )
But,
the last month or so I have concentrated all my efforts in my local area.
Population 3500 !!!!
Last week all but one of my jobs were out in my area and I saved a fortune on deisel, plus as you say you can pop home for a cuppa in between jobs.
But the main advantage as you say is eventually I will virtually dominate my area.
There is another carpet cleaner in my village/small town and it doesnt effect me one bit. In fact I heard it on good authority froma friend that the past month he has been helping her boyfriend fit kitchens!!!
Mark
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I'll have you know that I have been a delivery driver and I didn't mind it one bit ;D
Trevor
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Mike ,please dont take this the wrong way as I ofton read your post and learn alot from them and I,m only asking this question to learn from you .
I agree with you why would anyone what to travel more than 3 miles.
why then do you put out so many leaflets
and why do drive cleaning. ???
Neil
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You old boys who need to go home for a cuppa ???
Customer always makes me a drink!
Many even make me a sandwich!
Must admit I work anywhere, I dont mind the odd drive out somtimes, gives me time to wake up before I see the customer. :)
Phil
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i know exactly why he does the drive and patio cleaning
cant wait for the reply, but would bet any one i know the answer
well ill be at geoffcarpex. if im right
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Oi !!!!!
Less of the old u ol git !!!!!!
;D ;D
Anyway
Theres possibly now 3 of us going down to carpex if that ok, meeting up at your place then going down from there.
Are we gonna book it or what ???
Mark
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I started hard surface cleaning because I knew it would be an easy add-on to my carpet cleaning, I was already putting out leaflets for carpet cleaning so it only cost an extra £50 to put an advert on the back.
plus I enjoy the change.
why do i put out so many leaflets? because my telepathic powers arn't working at the moment so to contact the 30,000 homes within 3 miles of my home I need to constantly put my name under their nose, i do this by making sure the best homes in my area get one of my leaflets every month.
Mike
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Yes lets do it!!!
Who is the turd???
Going to cost more without a fourth person, unless someone sleeps with Mike in the bridal suite!
Let me know asap and I will book.
Phil
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Phil
I will get in touch with the Turd person tomorrow and make sure he,s coming?
ANYBODY WANNA JOIN UP AND SLEEP WITH PHIL???
heheheh
Mark
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Thanks mike ,as I said if you dont ask what might seem daft questions you never learn. all make,s sense to me
Neil
ps only kidding about the 127 house,s its 128 ;D ;D
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Patio cleaning can be a horrible dirty job prefer cleaning clean carpets
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Thanks again to all for your comments, and particularly to you Mike H, for being so generous in saving me £3K.
In my humble opinion, it would seem to me that you are all right. As without the right marketing, you don't get any customers, and if your not a good carpet cleaner, you won't keep them.
Your theory Mike, about your three mile rule is interesting. It obviously works for you, so I think I will start from that point, and see where it takes me. I could always look further afield if it wasn't working for me.
Regards
Martin S
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Martin
You will find that Mike's three mile rule is pretty accurate.. I have never tried to limit the area where my work comes from but as a natural progression most is within a four mile radius.
Most people 'shop' locally' perhaps they are under the impression that for us to travel a larger distance will cost them much more
Derek
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I live in a highly populated area of about 250,00 and there are about a dozen carpet cleaners in this region.
during my initial research, i found that a high percentage of people use cleaners from outside the area, say 25 miles away. I find this to be a strange phenomimen..any ideas?...surely they couldnt all be crap in this area :-/
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I have had leaflets printed by tradeprint and have had them for about 2 weeks i have had more response in the lat two weeks then i had in the previous 4 months i imagine its due to the quality of the printing as before i used my pc and inkjet printer. Paul