[ianharper]

Guys

You all know what's its like you have some spare time in your week so you think if I do X training course and sort that spare time out. My question is do you factor in the marketing cost for this new service when deciding on attending?

Would it not be more beneficial to train yourself more on marketing your main service?

I been cleaning all my working life and carpet cleaning is the easiest work i have done. some service that i see other expand into can be much harder and more time consuming when you look at hourly rates.

You can train yourself to the highest level but does it reflect in your bottom line?

Respect

Ian Harper

[Mike Halliday]

I'm always looking at different areas to move into, but the first question I ask my self is.... 'will it pay as much per hour as carpet cleaning if it doesn't then its a no.

also I look at the initial cost of the training and the possible return. Look the the cheetah pads for hard stone this would cost a high initial amount but the jobs that come from it would be in the £150-£200 an hours range, but how many jobs would I actually do its not a big market

the last area I found to be worth moving into was pressure washing which pays more per hour than carpet cleaning and required no  expensive training course

[Shaun_Ashmore]

There's 2 sides to a business

1.Doing the job
2.Getting the work

At some time they have to merge, knowledge is power and that knowlege aids you to sell yourself and your services so just as learning more with your services you also need to learn about the marketing aspects do you put either into a box?

Shaun

[Paolo]

You also need to decide how big you want to get!?

1 man band or employ people.

[creighton foyle]

i think that when times are hard and work is even harder to come by such as now the more strings you have to your bow the more chance you have of getting work but the phrase "jack of all trades master of none" does come to mind, and that is why training is important.  i am a time served decorator and have decided to get out of the trade for a number of reasons , one being that everyone thinks they can paint when there is no other work around. i too have bought a pressure washer setup to go alongside my carpet cleaning business and i will be doing my fourth cc course tomorrow with paul moss, would i be better off spending the money on marketing ? probably but the confidence i gain each time i go on a training course is immense and that in itself is worth every penny i spend.

[Mike Halliday]

creighton,

you will find that pressure washing is a bit like decorating, everybody thinks they can do it and more importantly customers think they can do it as they have a little karcher machine in their garage, to get the jobs at a good price you need to make the customer realise that you do it 'differently' and  to a much higher quality.

 with training courses you need to be honest with your self and ask am I do it to learn something or as a social gathering which is why I'm really not that keen on courses or attend the NEC cleaning show. I tend to go for the wrong reason

[creighton foyle]

mike,
i bought my pressure washer before i bought the carpet cleaning equipment and i was lucky enough to spend some time on the job with a friend though i still made a mistake on my first job, it was a very large deck and i had the pressure up too high which opened the grain up quite a bit the only saving grace was that i had also quoted to give it a coat of deck stain and luckily for me it looked great when i finished .

re the courses i will enjoy a couple of beers tonight with some of the other guys on the course and i enjoy that part of it but i am definately there for the knowledge, carpet cleaning is very new to me ( only been doing it since last september) and i am still lacking the confidence that comes with time and experience. i can go to any decorating job knowing that whatever problem i might come across i can solve but i cant say the same about carpet cleaning and that makes me uneasy on every job i do.

[derek west]

i could write a book on my views of training but i won't bore you, we all have our ways of obtaining knowledge, wether it be books or training courses or off the net, there all good, as long as your learning your improving your business and widening the gap between yourself and the "its just carpet cleaning" brigade.

as for the cost?

i'm off to the mossters one day training course tomorrow, £75. if i learn even just one thing from paul, or get a tip from any of the other guys there, it will pay for itself over a year, hopefully i'll learn more. and for that reason, its a no brainer.

[ianharper]

creighton foyle

Talking to a guy on a job the other day and he young and going into your old trade. he is looking at a crown franchise and will push the design side more. something you cant do with pressure washing.

Its just like carpet cleaning when we market it as cleaning carpet or say by some niche like hypoallergenic the price would be different for each.

Ok i expand the question. so i agree about adding stings and all that, but what about experience that must come doing the job on a regular basis and not just the odd job here and there?

Respect

Ian Harper

[Ian Gourlay]

I do try to do a Training Course Once a year, but in honesty I go along for the Social Side

I always come away feeling a little disappointed.

But usually as Dirk says I have picked up or refreshed one idea.

I have two business to concentrate on and I know i am not making the best of them

Until I do I do not  need to know how to clean stone floors

[robert meldrum]

I remember while attending a course at Glasgow University 30 or so years ago, which was affecting the business I was running at the time, my main supplier suggested I quit the course and concentrate on seeking new customers to buy my products, which in his eyes was the only way to make more money.

At the time I was keen to learn about the " correct way " to do everything, but the elderly and successfull businessman was right.............

While the thinkers think and the dreamers dream ......the do'ers do and make the money!

As the Nike advert says .............