[maxcarpets]

Things can get harder as times become harder....simple. Doesnt matter how many houses are being built if they get reposessed !

[maxcarpets]

I have been cleaning carpets for many years now and it has been years & years since I went a day without a call, this week I went 3 days without a call. I have more advertising than ever and I have a very large customer base. So in my opinion "This game is getting harder & harder^ Sorry if some of you  people out their disagree, or maybe its smell the coffee time!

[spencer davies]

Spindle,  Excellence (Noun)     

O level English 1983


S

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Mike is showing us the way!

Is your glass half empty or half full?

Make your phone ring and go out and quote the jobs while you are quiet.

Shaun

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Justin

I firmly believe a recession is going to happen, as the boom in asset prices has made things unaffordable for many and a correction is occuring.

This doesn't mean it's the end of the world as we know it but it is a good time to look at costs and make ourselves leaner.

Do we really need 3 machines, does our advertising pay etc

Cheers

Doug

[lands]

I was not going to post in this one as I feel I moan too much about lack of work but what I have been doing is spending more time with my customers. Quoted a job today £234 and the custy used to have a CC firm employing 10 people (sold due to health problems) but he is doing very well for himself elsewhere.

Had a coffe with him and talked him through how I worked and showed him my kit (Shaun don't bother replying to that bit) and he was very impressed. He went on to book me to do the whole property for the end of the summer at £402.

Lesson being, if we have more time then use it effectively and this is one way of doing just that.

Pete

[maxcarpets]

You may not have noticed but I'm having a bad day, I'm sure it will come out in the wash. But if someone wants to put enough 0000s on the cheque it's there's.


Justin

[*paul_moss]

Justin im in the same boat as you at the moment, in 5 years not known it as bad. I have done more advertising in the pats 2 months than in my prievious years but this week was my worst and next week I only have one job booked in. Very Wierd.

[spindle]

SPENCER- o levelS or not .....you spell persuit/ PURSUIT
NOT HAVING A DIG WAS TRYING TO HELP!!!

Dictionary - pursuit - 7 entries. 
1. v. t. - The act of following or going after; esp., a following with haste, either for sport or in hostility; chase; prosecution; as, the pursuit of game; the pursuit of an enemy.
 
2. v. t. - A following with a view to reach, accomplish, or obtain; endeavor to attain to or gain; as, the pursuit of knowledge; the pursuit of happiness or pleasure.
 
3. v. t. - Course of business or occupation; continued employment with a view to same end; as, mercantile pursuits; a literary pursuit.
 
4. v. t. - Prosecution.
 
5. noun - The act or an instance of chasing or pursuing.
 
6. noun - The act of striving:
 
7. noun - An activity, such as a vocation or hobby, engaged in regularly.


i'll get back in my box
 

[spencer davies]

Point taken, I thought you were talking about excellence without the c....


S

[spencer davies]

I will opt for the hobby.

S

[*paul_moss]

I left school with a certificate for 25 lengths 

[Kinver_Clean]

Having been knocking around for nearly 30 yrs--- I think things are going to get tight for the next 12 months or so. Council robbery going up by 5-7% , diesel going up to £5 gallon (its just about that here now and I remember it at 32p per gallon)
All it needs is for everyone to delay having their carpet cleaned for a month or so and it hits us all hard.

Just make sure that your marketing is in the right direction by asking all customers where they found you and analyse the answers monthly. Chop the ads that don't work, try something new.
Cut your costs as much as poss without cutting too many corners.

As a last resort get a part time job to help out, I've been there too on occaisions.

Mainly, stick with it, it will get better before long and keep getting better as the years go by. My advertising budget this year is £185 and I'm still busy.

As a last resort drink 1/2s intead of pints

Trevor

[Shaun_Ashmore]

What would you rather be/do?

be extremely clever and do nothing

or

be able to string words together and be successful?

Shaun

PS it's a good job my wife speeks for the both of us

[Mark Roberts]

I was talking to local cc today, asking how he was doing as many on these forums seem to think its slow, generally I think it is - for all sorts of reasons but were ticking along nicely...anyway his answer was this-

Each week he works 4 days and spends his Friday on Marketing, not posting leaflets as he has girls etc doing that, he goes out and door knocks domestic, commercial, then phones no less than 100 people, estate agents, letting, hotels etc.

He's snowed under with work and just does carpets so we've a nice deal going were he hands me all his upholstery at my prices with a few beers for him.

If things are slim talk to people and find the work instead of expecting it to come to you.

 

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Have to agree with Mr.Roberts. Just had my worst start to the year for 15 years, thought my phone had been disconnected !
Felt sorry for myself for the first week then decided it was just the kick up the backside I needed to totally review my marketing and my presence in the marketplace.
As a result February improved slightly and March is looking better.
Sometimes if it won't come to you, you have to go and get it.

[collins ReVive Stoneworks]

Hi Just

just to let you know your not alone

and it is a reccession and credir crunch we all know about higher food , utilities

mortgage the UK has some of the biggest consumer debt on record

so take herat its not your standards

i was feeling the same i ran carpetmaster for over 15 years and year on year despite

marketing joe polish yell leaflets , web etc it got harder and harder

any way to cut short

we started other services  and its helped a lot and buying  property for retirement

so chin up keep going as long as you are paying those bills

there are lots of other services you can offer, when i started i never thought i would be a millionaire  but i enjoy my work and that counts for a lot.

all the best

karl

[sherco]

Im a tiler and im going to run cc and hard floor cleaning along side it, i have just done the prochem course, and im not going to under cut anybody,  i can stay at home and loose money. I have so many customers ask me to look after there new floors, as the havent got a clue. I used to give the work away
to a guy and he did very well out of me. So now im going to do it, so i will always be busy in either tiling or hard floor, carpets.

[spindle]

sorry spencer.....my spelling mistake when correcting you

[lands]

Just on this note I am contemplating doing something I promised myself I would never do but the Mrs wants an X5 and my little girls want a horse.

Noted an earlier post about pro active sales of our services. Have a good sales background and will be doing this for myself. If successful I may offer the service out to other CCs and take a commssion on successful work I obtain. I would only contact commercial custys and wondered if anyone would be interested in me canvassing on their behalf. It would be a pay only if delivered upon so there would be nothing to lose and I was thinking of around 15%. What do you think?

Pete