[ianharper]

Hi Garyj

The question you should be asking is why did you start your business? was it to be selfemployed? or was it to have a carpet cleaning business with others doing the work? most earn loads with the first and dont want the problems with the second. Depending on your experance with managing people and problems will depend on how you see things,

You might just need two or three of joes ideas to make the money you want, or you might want to become a sudent, this should guide you to how much money you should spend on getting outside help.

The way I look at things is that every pound i spend i want it back in return from an idea or marketing item. this is called "return on investment" (ROI) .

I run a maid service and the way i see it is that my clients pay my bills for me, as long as i look after them with great customer service.

Dont look at expence as you spend the money go out and find some prospect and turn them into customers and get them to pay it.

Respect

Ian Harper

[garyj]

Hi Ian, I agree with what you are saying, its still an issue for a lot of us justifying that sort of money, even when we are repeatedly told that some people are making a bucket load of money every day from it.
I fell into carpet cleaning by chance, I own a commercial cleaning company and couldn't believe what I had to pay an outside company to clean my clients carpets, when the customers saw the bill they really thought I was having a laugh, one guy charged over £100 and was there less than an hour. I made sure I had a fair bit of work and bought myself an Alltec Pro Plus and have been doing it as and when I can, sometimes I do get someone to help me, and I think this is the way to make a decent living from it. I wouldn't say I'm  lazy but I always price a job as if someone else was doing the work anyway. I normally charge around £40 per hour carpet cleaning, I think thats pretty good money by anyones standards, commercial cleaning I'm lucky to get £12-14 per hour. The best thing though is I really enjoy carpet cleaning and sometimes its good to be out on your own away from the staff and daily hassle of running a cleaning co. Also the job satisfaction is immense!!
Like I said, I'm not knocking Joe or the people who follow his way of doing things, if it was cheaper I might well  go along, but I really do believe that I can find the same ideas and principles at a fraction of the price. I said in an earlier post I have loads of marketing stuff from all over the world and they all say pretty much the same thing, even those that were written over 50 years ago.

[Ian Gourlay]

 Gary Why not Make John Flyn an offer on his Marketing stuff.

Then you got the system without the hype.

However you do miss the traing courses, but maybee you have done them already.,

[Graeme@Access]

After listening to about half of the material i bought off ebay, I think the concepts behind the marketing programme are sound.  However, its a little to "Americanised" for my tastes.  I mean the ELF and HALF descriptions are typical examples of their jargonised podeuim style more suited to the altar.

I was half expecting to be sold a bible at some point and seriously question my moral values on abortion.  Im glad to say that hasnt happened yet.

More seriously, and thier irritating presentation style aside, they have identified some key areas where our (ACS) marketing strategy need to be improved.  I would at least recommend that people give it a listen, even if its just to laugh at them.

Cheers

Graeme
ACS

[ianharper]

Hi Guys

Gary, with regards price, customers always think that will get an expensive service at a cheap price because you are chraging them £12 - £14 per hr . They forget that that is a price for a contact on a daily basis. when you clean carpets if you are lucky its once a year and your marketing costs are much higher.

I would say that you can get more per hr for your carpet cleaning, I was much much less that that earlier this year and when someone said to me put my price up to £50 per hour i though i did not have the convendance to get that, but the first time I tried the prospect did not bat an eye lid.

You sound very much like me I have a maid service and it runs very well so well that I could sit on my backside all day, But as you say its great job satisfaction. Their is a guy that Joe polish uses on his boot camps that has a very very big contract business and he still goes out and works.

There is a point when you dont have to work but dont have the money to enjoy the time. And plus you never know when the next problem is coming along that requires your input.

As you say the ideas that Joe uses are used on many onther services thats why he has branched out into others. The one thing that you cant get is the contact with people within the groups that have great ideas. The only way you are ever going to speak to "The King Of Clean" Jim wolverton is at a boot camp on on a call. Its these people that are the brains that turn idea from other areas into working ideas for carpet cleaning. Thats the part I miss.

Have you used ay ideas for people outside cleaning in your business?

Respect

Ian Harper