[wynne jones]

Simon,

You seemed to have a lot of bad experiences with selling protector and that seems to make you hold back from offering it.

My experience has been the opposite, I have lots of customers who have the scotchgard every time they have the carpets cleaned, both on wool & synthetics and are happy with it. I'm pretty sure on the Staingard we use it says it can be used on synthetics with some benefit to the carpet.

My point is surely its the customer who decides if they want it after getting the right information rather than us deciding for them.

Otherwise we're just forcing our opinion on them.  I have several customers who have their carpets cleaned when they don't look dirty, but I don't refuse to do them as its upto them.

I also have some who expect their carpets not to get dirty after being cleaned but I still go and clean them. it's about giving them the choice and letting them decide.

As long as they have the correct info then it's better in my opinion to offer the services, because only they know if it's a benefit to them or not.


Regards
Steve

So Steve, just to be clear on your view, say a custy rang up with a brand new polyprop carpet and said they wanted it protected. You say it doesn't need it and they say they want it doing anyway. Would you go ahead and do it?

[Steve Chapman]

That's never happened, but would be a bit silly wouldn't it 

But I believe on used polyprops the fibres become abraided after a while and a coating of protector does afford a little more protection so in that scenario I would let the customer choose.

I've also carried out my own experiments on used synthetics and have found the carpets protected stayed cleaner a lot longer, so it may not be scientific but based
On my own experience I'm happy to offer it to the customer to choose while passing on my findings with them.



Steve

[wynne jones]

Thats why I used the NEW carpet scenerio. 

[Steve Chapman]

Ok you got me on that one 

But if they got me in & locked the door and wouldn't let me leave till I did it then I suppose I'd just have to 

Steve

[Simon Gerrard]

Steve,
It's not that I've had a bad experience with protectors, more that I have a 'learning experience.'  I've enjoyed a great deal of success during my time in this industry and much of that success is based upon putting my customers needs before my own. The truth about protectors is that they don't stop the stains people believe, or are lead to believe they do.
The logic of it is that if  the carpet cleans up like new  (as most do) then why does it need a protector?  
Also, why do carpet cleaners offer protector in the first place? As a way of making extra money, or as a customer service issue.
Simon

[Neil Williams]

Tough call this protector stuff.

As a business we are duty bound to try and maximise our sales, but on the other hand why would I want customers to sub consciously believe that their carpet that previously became dirty every 6 months would now become bomb proof.

If people ask me about it I explain it's limits, and not to believe all those pictures they see of half a glass of spilt red wine sitting on the surface of a white carpet like some teflon frying pan.

By now I have the trust of the customer for not 'hard selling an upgrade' and I either get a larger ticket price if they still want to go that way or I'm back for another clean within 12 months.

The alternative to this is could result in disappointment for the customer when the upcoming party (you weren't told about!) ends up with food, beer and wine stains in the carpet.

Depends on your ethics really, not withstanding if the customer wants x,y,z add ons then that's their decision.

And ask yourselves this. Do you always buy the insurance that's offered with every electrical item (no matter how small or cheap) you buy? Why don't you? Isn't this what some are doing with carpet protector?

[wynne jones]

Actually it's very easy.

Use your judgement to advise what's in the customers best interest and communicate it.

Don't be swayed either by greed or fear.

[Ian Gourlay]

I think the leading trainers tell you sell it on all carpets.

I did get a shock once when I went to NCCA stand at Excel a few years ago and there was a guy representing Carpet Manufactures saying they disproved of protectors, this was to a Seminar. Interestingly D Bolton was chairing it and he did not challenge it . Maybe I misunderstood, although I did say I felt he was suggesting we loose the jam on our income

[Hilton]

You have to lower customers expectations of the product, we all ways tell them its not bullet proof but it will give them additional time to deal with a spill but if left will still stain the carpet, we also tell them that it will help us to remove soil from the carpets on future cleans there by prolonging the life and appearance of their carpets.

We have also included it in the price of cleans on special offers but be careful on this it used to be a scam used by bait & switch merchants that the protector was in the tank with the cleaning solution,I have lost count the amount of times I have been told this by new customers disappointed that the protector did not seem to work. Of course it was rubbish and they just upped the price for the privilege of applying water as protector and when explained to the customer how they had been scammed you generally get that customer for years.

We dont do a great deal of the stuff now, many years ago the older cleaners on here will remember, in the 90's there was a period when every other house had an off white suite, they were all the rage and they were crap to clean but they were a good source of revenue for Scotchgard applications, our local John Lewis used to get them done by us before they went to the customer, as they were always been called in for rapid soiling not surprisingly. We did bundles of them loved the protecting hated the cleaning.

John Lewis paid for the protector and we had gallons of the stuff over so could pass that on to customers as special offers on carpet cleans etc, unfortunately once the white sofa craze died down John Lewis no longer required the protecting. Although I have to say I would not be sorry if we never saw a white/off white sofa again but I suspect as always happens with these things they will be back 

[Buckland]

Hilton - your first two lines - exactly my policy and what I remember over ten years ago during the selling spiel prochem give out as part of their carpet cleaning course - prochem product flouroseal in those days (now called f-plus) the amazing thing I remember was Prochem wanted us to PAY for the colour leaflets that promoted their product, unbelievable - I used to produce my own with a disclaimer on it - if you are at the sharp end you need to cover your arse to allow for poor application (if you haven't done it yourself) Ideally I would rather delay a decision to sell the protector untill just after the clean until you see how the carpet feels to the hand and how effective it will be as a treatment - pc say all carpet types on the label!

Like you it annoys me to see those ads from the cheapie-cheapie lads with claims that the protector can be applied as part of the cleaning operation - that is just stupidly illogical - spraying a residual treatment and then extracting it - seriously how does that work then? rip-offsville IMO - I think it comes from the treatments sold with the scotchgard label for use in those crappy bissell wet carpet cleaners

People I meet usually refer to Scotchgard and very occasionally stainguard when they remember a trade name at all - but PC f+  is 30 for 5 litres whereas SG is 40 for same - not worth the extra when you've explained the dupont/3m similarities - do it properly (i.e. the application and it does have a value - you dont get big US corporations putting out products that have NIL science

ALSO as the market leader is essentially a US product and the US market is apparently just 1% in terms of wool installs for carpet the product must have been developed primarily for synthetic carpets... thats just my take on things!

dave

[mark_roberts]

So what about Dry Fusion.  They're protector is part of the cleaning process is it not?  And if your quoting against a person who uses DF the protector can maybe sway the decision against you.

Are there any products that clean and have an inbuilt protector?

thanks
Mark

[wynne jones]

So what about Dry Fusion.  They're protector is part of the cleaning process is it not?  And if your quoting against a person who uses DF the protector can maybe sway the decision against you.

Are there any products that clean and have an inbuilt protector?

thanks
Mark

Do they call in protector or 'soil retardant'? Stands to reason a product that has a protector in it, it's only going to be a small amount and less effective as a two stage process. But sure you get to mention the word protector in your sales pitch along with dry in 30 minutes.

[Buckland]

mark - yep right I was not talking about df or lm I was talking about extration cleaning so wind yer neck in! cheers

[mark_roberts]

Never even read your post.

Mark