[Mike Halliday]

Simons right, unfortunately it's a trait of the British to keep quite about thier success or it's seen as big-headedness, in the USA it's seems to be ok to talk about success they don't seem to be so embarrassed about doing well

[Ian Gourlay]

Perhaps the problem with The Industry is these Forums. I think they encourage people to start in the business.

I do not think they read the negative  just the positive and think I will have some of that.

They see a plan , ie Website, facebook leaflets etc to get them off to a flying start. When it does not work first time and wife starts  to complain , savings diminish credit, card starts rising they wonder why and posts such as phone is dead start to appear.

What they should do is get out , on the street and be proactive.

When I started information was hard to come, you may have read about Servicemaster or Chem dry  in the Franchise Section of Daily Express  and thought that sounds good.

To me it was convincing as I hired Servicemaster , and some company from London to clean the large stores that I managed. And you know what they did not turn up with truckmounts  but bog standard portables  to clean 10, 20 25, 35, thousand square feet of carpet that was heavily trodden on grit dust tar, etc for the past six months
 
Sent for details from Ashcombe, Extracta or got Fortunes to be be made  from Ashbys.

Or maybe ended up buying a crap machine from Ashleys in Huddersfield got mixed up with Ashbys

Information on marketing was not readily available  just told put out 1k a week of leaflets part time, 4k , full time and spend a day a week  door knocking, offer money back guarantee  Get Carpet shops to recommend, hold carpet cleaning parties  keep records etc who needs Joe Polish
Dead easy as spent 5 days a week knocking to  sell windows etc. that is apart from crap machine.
How can the Industry be in Decline the recession of the 90s was worst than this record house repossessions high interest rates etc etc.

Today in my opinion there are more good quality supply companies who offer interesting products. They all appear to have success probably helped by these Forums

I have said elsewhere Mike Boxall should get the OBE for founding this Forum  Services to small Businiess  and the Cleaning Industry and also the original Founders of Cleantalk should get BEM , cant have OBE because they sold out.

The reason people keep quiet is we are a small country and they do no not want people nicking their work.




 

[Simon Gerrard]

   Re: Industry on the decline
« Reply #81 on: Today at 09:44:24 am »   
Perhaps the problem with The Industry is these Forums. I think they encourage people to start in the business.

I do not think they read the negative  just the positive and think I will have some of that.

They see a plan , ie Website, facebook leaflets etc to get them off to a flying start. When it does not work first time and wife starts complaing , savings diminish credit, card starts rising they wonder why and posts such as phone is dead start to appear.

What they should do is get out , on the street and be proactive.

When I started information was hard to come, you may have read about Servicemaster or Chem dry  in the Franchise Section of Daily Express  and thought that sounds good.

To me it was convincing as I hired Servicemaster , and some company from London to clean the large stores that I managed. And you know what they did not turn up with truckmounts  but bog standard portables  to clean 10, 20 25, 35, thousand square feet of carpet that was heavily troden on grit dust tar, etc for the past six months
 
Sent for details from Ashcombe, Extracta or got Fortunes to be be made  from Ashbys.

Or maybe ended up buying a crap machine from Ashleys in Huddersfield got mixed up with Ashbys

Information on marketing was not readily available  just told put out 1k a week of leaflets part time, 4k , full time and spend a day a week  door knocking, offer money back guarantee etc who needs Joe Polish
Dead easy as spent 5 days a week knocking to  sell windows etc. that is apart from crap machine.
How can the Industry be in Decline the recession of the 90s was worst than this record house repossessions high interest rates etc etc.

Today in my opinion there are more good quality supply companies who offer interesting products. They all appear to have success probably helped by these Forums

I have said elsewhere Mike Boxall should get the OBE for founding this Forum  Services to small Businiess  and the Cleaning Industry and also the origional Founders of Cleantalk should get BEM , cant have OBE because they sold out.

The reason people keep quiet is we are a small country and they do no not want people nicking their work.
Ive read over the years about Simon and his cruise ships but never any info on how he got his first job and how he set about it.

Ian,
Your original post included the above, but I notice you have now edited it.
I would be more than happy to start a topic on how I got into cruise ship cleaning, if people are interested, that is.
Also agree that Mike Boxall has done great things for this industry, hats off to the guy.

Simon

[garry22]

I would Simon,

I have no intention of joining you but I feel there is always something to be learned from success stories.

[Ian Gourlay]

In that case Simon from your bust up On clean Talk with ed. V I have been fascinated about how you got to clean a Cruise Ships in Southampton while living   in the North West

I do realize you have a big port that nicked all the trade from East Anglia in about 1650

[Simon Gerrard]

Ian,
Ed?
Not sure what you mean about the port in 1650, I wasn't around then

[Ian Gourlay]

We were the largest ports with the wool trade etc

Then you guys went slave trading and it all switched to Liverpool and Bristol

Got it back it a bit with smuggled goods and people traffic through Flexistowe

Ed Valenitine
  Big row when you posted a picture cleaning Cruise Ship Queen soothing I think

Guess what truckmount versus portable

 

[L.Doubtfire - The Blade Runner]

Ian,do you know why Ashley`s in Huddersfield actually called
Himself Ashley`s ?
Don`t know wether they are still going or not.
Ashley`s,,,,,,,,that takes me back a bit.
If I write anymore I might leave myself open to liable,so better not
Perhaps.
Thinking about it further,,,yep,,,keep it buttoned.


Lewis  Doubtfire

P.S.

I will answer though the first line,provided you go first.

[Buckland]

Just come back from a long weekend in London and it was absolutely BUZZING and I mean BUZZING - you literally could not move for people - from before dawn to well after dark - the whole place obviously is about to be invaded further by the Lympic Movement etc but even so alot of the activity evident last week is only partially down to the Lympics - it is a truly Global city and the opportunities for carpet/uph cleaning are huge - I am sure there are plenty of people around london properly tooled up with tm's and porties ready to go but over five days I did not see a single Big Yellow or a privateer's van which surprised me.

We are in truth fairly few and far between and yet there are acres of hotel and restaurant plus theatre carpets let alone the upholstery plus the domestic side to be cleaned. I am sure there is plenty of churn and big jobs change hands all the time but outsiders must be able to go in and undercut. No doubt alot of the work is better suited to general janitorial companies with unmarked vehicles and porties for carpets and I guess nightime and weekend work is pretty routine for tm operators but there must still be plenty of opportunities for tm operators.

Now dont get me wrong I am (too lazy?) busy enough not to NEED to go there and CERTAIN I could not cope with the everyday hassle of working in London and full bloody marks to those that go in on a daily basis but there still has to be a sh*tload of work available FOR THOSE WILLING TO GO AFTER IT in a professional manner - no doubt it has tons of extra stress attached but I bet that don't stop Tony Moroni from Hicktown, New Jersey struggling into New York NY on a monday morning to clean carpets in a tower block in Lower Manhattan - I suspect there is also work for those that want it in London 24/7 week in week out, year in year out...

Just my take on a 'declining' industry - I think NOT!

Dave

PS Tony Moroni is a figleaf of my imagination!

[Ian Gourlay]

Hi Lewis no idea Bought Machine phoned up for advise as promised Mentoring about six weeks later told company taken over , phoned again thin line was dead.

Nothing against bloke  bought wrong machine.

if he had Internet it might have worked

Guy was called David Wilks do not think Ive said anything to be sued about.

There still is an an Ashleys Carpet Cleaners in Hull but I do not think there is any connection

And an Ashleys Garrage.  in Huddersfield . If I recall shop was near Rugby or Football Ground

[L.Doubtfire - The Blade Runner]

Hi Ian,that’s right David Wilks.Called his company Ashley`s
Cos`, of Ashley Wilks a character in the 1938 film `Gone With
The Wind`.
Anyway enough of this cos`it`s off topic.


Lewis  Doubtfire

[mike roberts]

As we offer other 'cleaning' services (quick tin hat  ) A big issue which to be honest restricts our growth on the carpet / upholstery side is the demand for almost instant cleans. Most enquiries want the clean ...latest within next 2 weeks - on numerous occasions we simply cannot provide clean / service due to other commitments.
I know some will say its easier to fit the odd carpet in, But if there is such a demand for the service why / how is there room to fit these in  

With almost all the other services we offer customers are prepared to wait, in some cases over 8 wks. Has this situation always been the case with Carpet / upholstery cleaning

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I have customers that book 12 months in advance to reserve dates but on the whole no customers new and old cant wait that long (they will for decorators) but that's not so much an impulse buy.

Shaun

[mark_roberts]

There were a few years ago guys endorsed by Alltec who did tell us all how they where making thousands each week and driving new porsches (sp) etc etc.   But they all seem to have disappeared.

What ever happened to Martin Reilly from Devon. He was one of the big success stories when I met him.

The real secret of success is you.  People either like you or dont.  And if you dont have a likeable personality your sunk.

Mark

[clinton]

People have to like you as you said mark in the first place to get the work.

Shauns right as people will book a decorator months in advance but when it comes to carpets they want it asap

[Ian Gourlay]

Mark

I do not know how Martin is doing these days but legend has it he was one of the few who got it

Maximise your Business invest in other things and get out quick
I believe I was at Alltec  on a rug Course when the guy with Porsche phoned up and send he wanted to sell his truckmount a few years ago..as he was getting out.

My latest reading is the Shelf life of a carpet Cleaner is ten years You should expand like crazy  have 4 trucks and have systems in place so you can have a Manager and either sit on the Beach reaping the profits  or sell up.

by Mark Kennedy found it on Amazon. Secrets of Carpet Cleaning Giants or www.getofthevan.com

[benny d]

The above link has a spelling mistake. This works...

http://www.getoffthevan.com/

[Simon Gerrard]

I think some of you are confusing the word 'like' with 'respect'.
People need to respect you as a quality carpet cleaner, whether they like you as a person, whilst not unimportant, certainly isn't as important as them respecting you.

Simon

[Jim_77]

I think the general public have an equal amount of respect for those they perceive as "professionals" in a trade/service.  Unfortunately they give respect where it isn't due, when they don't know the difference between a highly qualified veteran of 10-20 yrs plus and a new start or cowboy who doesn't know his ar*e from his elbow.

If you respect two different plumbers equally, but one you like and the other you dislike, which one are you going to hire?

Just a thought

Also another thought, I have made some quote visits where I've genuinely really hit it off with the customer, we've chatted for ages about all sorts of stuff and the quote is just an incidental thing... next question "when can you come?", they barely even look at the quote.

The frostiest people are the ones who pore over a quote with furrowed brow and give you the "we'll be in touch" as they open the door as a hint for you to leave!

So I am definitely in agreement that it's very unlikely to not win a job from people who obviously like you when they meet you!

[wynne jones]

You have to adapt to each person. I can be frosty, I can be friendly. So long as they say yes!

Some people call this rapport. But basically you are a tart.