[John Kelly]

A thort shi waas from Heaton like.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

So Andy a if it was so easy why did you give up?

Cheers

Doug

[Peter Sweeney]

Huh!

I thought it was Paul/Wynne who said that. I can't keep up 

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Andy

Why didn't you train someone up to do it?

Cheers

Doug

[garyj]

Hello Gary you old git 

  Yep, I'm back at long last, nearly 2 years away  .

Decided to do it properly this time and got a little truck mount, should be ready to go by the end of the week :-). ( Hope I haven't opened a can of worms  ). 

[richy27]

I have been reading through this whole thread and i just cant work out some peoples logic.

My whole aim in business is to make as much money as possible whilst hoping to ensure customer satisfaction if you feel that your only worth £20 per hour then you are possibly charging sub £60 per suite and less for a 3 bed house.

If i charged £25 per hour i would be out of business in a short period of time because lets face it you are only perhaps cleaning for between 3-5 hours a day on average the rest is taken up with travel quotes etc etc.

If your using prof equipment and getting satisfied customers why short change yourself.

looking back over a period of time there was apost about average price per sq m about £3 was the average price per suite was averaging just under a £100. the on the other hand you have threads moaning about £10 per room .

anyone who is charging sub £25 per hour would you like to come and work for me and earn as much as you are getting now and i can spend more time on the golf course

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

Some of the posts have illustrated perfectly why CC is a hard business in practice.

The theory is easy and ex carpet cleaners will no doubt have plenty of them, but the reality is much tougher and I repeat my estimation that only 1 in 10 actually make it!

Cheers

Doug

[Steve Gunn]

Some interesting replies but as been stated we have a broad spectrum of cc's on here who all think differently,which is the point I was trying to make some are quite happy making £500 a week others want double,treble or even more nothing wrong with that.It's the same in all professions some are happy just plodding on some want more

[Dave Parry]

Just read through this thread and thought would throw my tuppence worth in.
I consider myself a salesman not a cc'er.
I do pride myself on the quality of work, attend training courses now and again and have some good kit NCCA and iicrc member.
However if you have no customers then you have no business.
The hardest part of this job is getting work. Thats why most new starters fail, they think they are carpet cleaners.
Most of my work is repeat business and referrals (approx 60%) next comes letting agents, and leaflets.
I only visit to quote jobs 4 + bedrooms or the odd commercial.
dont haggle over price more than £ 10 ish.
Agree with Andy, a trained chimp could do the majority of jobs without any problem.  In fact I have one.
He pushes the wand most days for me, I do the clever bit, pre spray, agitate and deciding what spotter to use if required. Oh nearly forgot chatting to the custards, kitchen sink marketing as our Ken says.
Lets face it the majority of jobs you go in, pre spray, agitate and wand, ask for money. 3 or 4 jobs most days, start at 9 30 home by 4 most days, inc. hour for lunch and filling m/c.
Where else can I get a job like that?
Its not rocket science, dont try and make out it is.

[jasonl]

Just read through this thread and thought would throw my tuppence worth in.
I consider myself a salesman not a cc'er.
I do pride myself on the quality of work, attend training courses now and again and have some good kit NCCA and iicrc member.
However if you have no customers then you have no business.
The hardest part of this job is getting work. Thats why most new starters fail, they think they are carpet cleaners.
Most of my work is repeat business and referrals (approx 60%) next comes letting agents, and leaflets.
I only visit to quote jobs 4 + bedrooms or the odd commercial.
dont haggle over price more than £ 10 ish.
Agree with Andy, a trained chimp could do the majority of jobs without any problem.  In fact I have one.
He pushes the wand most days for me, I do the clever bit, pre spray, agitate and deciding what spotter to use if required. Oh nearly forgot chatting to the custards, kitchen sink marketing as our Ken says.
Lets face it the majority of jobs you go in, pre spray, agitate and wand, ask for money. 3 or 4 jobs most days, start at 9 30 home by 4 most days, inc. hour for lunch and filling m/c.
Where else can I get a job like that?
Its not rocket science, dont try and make out it is.

Great post Dave , this was drummed into us week in week out at ChemDry,we are business people first , carpet cleaners second.

[jasonl]

Hello Gary you old git 

  Yep, I'm back at long last, nearly 2 years away  .

Decided to do it properly this time and got a little truck mount, should be ready to go by the end of the week :-). ( Hope I haven't opened a can of worms  ). 

Does that mean I wont get to go to Hamble again? 

[The Great One]

Hi

If you think you are worth £60-70 or £100 an hour then you are, if you think you're not you're not.

I sometimes hit that and sometimes more (wish it was all the time)

I also paint houses and offices.

The quicker I get done the more I get paid, simple economics.

Regards

Martin

[M.Acorn]

Well I have just got back from doing a 3 story town house,did the exact same place but next door in March this year,for a letting agy,so i quoted this over the phone for the same price !
Last one took me 2 1/2 hours,this one took me nearly 4,still made £250,but it`s just one of those swings and roundabouts type things,carpets were not that dirty,just the amount of sock fluff,that was matted into the carpet that took ages to get out,with a hand brush 

[Dave Parry]

Mark, you should always remember that end of lets are generally empty of furniture. So I always add on enough to cover the fact that its going to take more time, even though I dont usually move beds, sideboards, TV and computor bits and bobs unless asked to. But your right some you win, others you dont win so much.
Use a oreck orbiter with a red pad to remove sock fluff at the same time as agitating prespray.

[M.Acorn]

This one was for the same letting agy ! And was also empty,there are 6 in a row,bloke who lives in the end one built them all,cleaned for him the last time i was there in March 
He made me cups of t to keep me going,he did say good luck,when he saw i was there about to start.
And came and inspected when i was done,very happy again.
Didn`t think people still use talcum powder,when i started wanding the top en suite,the beige carpet turned white !! Wondered what on earth was going on,worst bit`s were around where the beds had been,think they must have all been black sock wearers, i use a really stiff blue bristled nylon brush,does the job ,but my poor old knees are hurting now,if it had been really bad i would have got the Duo out the van 

[mark_roberts]

Lets not forget its not how much you make per hour but how much you keep.

With over 10 years experience IMO it takes £25k give or take to run a cc business.  Thats £520 a week for 48 week year.  Then comes tax, sick pay, holiday pay, pension so really you should be aiming at the very least for £200 a day to give yourself an average wage.

Steve - seems you got a bargain with your tradesmen.

Mark

[Matt Lindus]

Many claim to be earning the earth cleaning carpets, that fact is, most on here would jolt a tramp off for the cost of a coffee.

That’s my positive comment for today.

Matt.

[Robert Watson]

 

[wynne jones]

I think both in terms of marketing and expertise cleaning wise £100/hr takes a lot of effort.

Maybe those who haven't done it ever think it's impossible based on their current experience and think it's earned dishonestly. In reality it takes a lot of time and effort, maybe more than they are prepaired to sacrifice themselves?

[justin brown]

just shows the diversity of cleaners/ businessmen we compete against. Richard, i am with you, think you have summed it up perfectly.