[woodman]

Hi guys,

Just to make you all feel good,I was round at a fellow carpet cleaners house today (he's had a problem customer and wanted an independent view).

This guy is a single operator and turns over a whopping £104,000 a year ,average £400 a day 5 day week.
He's been in business 6 years.

No it wasn't Derek Bolton

This is achieved he tells me by a solid pricing and marketing programe of his own design.

He knows he could increase this further by employing but doesn't want to/need to.

Just goes to show what can be achieved at this game when every thing slots in to place.

Happy Cleaning.

[Derek]

Hi Mr W

You are correct it isn't me...

Mind you a few years ago I topped that amount by a considerable margin... just me...a one man operator...with a portable!

Then I gained some sense and got a life!

Derek

[Mike Halliday]

£104k, averaging 2k a week lets say he's being sensible and takes 4 weeks holiday a years and all the little thing that take up our time like dentist, doctors machines breaking down etc this wll over the year take up 1 weeks so thats 5 weeks.

so every week, even in winter he's earning well over 2k.

I take my hat off to him.

Now I have to go, some flying pigs are eating all the apples off the trees in my garden .

Mike

[Dynafoam]

Mike,

My thoughts exactly - I wonder what he tells the taxman & vatman  :

I was interested in your "Even in winter" comment since my waiting list is pretty consistent throughout the year (5-6 weeks).

Am I the exception or the rule? (Just curious!)

John

[Derek]

Hi Guys

Yep...it may sound like a tall story...but its true.

I have to admit that at the time I was carrying out some serious protection work as part of my business ..seven days a week at times and from 7.0am until 11.0pm on occasions..
that was before the retailers poked their snouts into the trough.
It was when the retailers got their hands on the 'protection' treatment that the decline in standards started and became a landslide.
With just the odd exception all the warranty work I carried out was on furniture treated by the retailer.

Derek

[Mike Halliday]

John, I would say you are the exception to the rule, especially in winter. 5-6 weeks in advance is good going

I work about a week ahead which to me is perfect, I think a lot of customers get thier carpets cleaned as a spur of the moment thing eg they have a spill or get surprise visitors if I was to tell them they would have to wait 5-6 weeks they would go elsewhere.

Woodman, I'm sorry I'm a very cynical git, how about some more details, how does he achieve such a great income (£5s/yard, £250 a suite, does he do lots of commercial work)

Mike

[woodman]

Hi Chaps

I believe him no reason not to,why would someone lie about something like that? These figures are on the high side but  I also know  other cleaners who are close to these kinds of figures 75-90k a year.

He's got a very impressive set up and shows all the trappings of doing very well,good luck to him.

Like Derek I have done figures up there with this but have cut back a little now also

As for VAT and the tax man why wouldn't they know all about it after all this is run as a proper business,remember this is Turnover figures ie before Tax.

Dynafoam if you are fully booked through the winter 5-6 weeks ahead,then I take my hat of to you,I don't think I have ever been booked soilidly 6 weeks ahead.

[Dynafoam]

Woodman & Mike,

Thanks for the reply. This lead-time has been fairly consistant for the last thirty years or so and the vast majority of clients have been such for many years.

The down side to this is that miss out on much of the lucrative insurance work which I could pick up if I were able to respond quicker   Also I tend to charge less than I would to a stranger,

It seems we can't have everything in life after all  

John

[Derek]

Hi again Guys

I am currently working 10 - 14 days ahead (solid bookings) most of the time and 3 - 4 weeks ahead in busy times.

A few years ago BWF (before wood flooring) I was working continually 4-5 weeks ahead ...yes, you do lose some who won't wait but the vast majority seemed happy to wait.

Derek

[HolmansUKLTD]

im usually booked 2-3 days at a time!! true!

this is why i need some marketing help

anyone!!

[Dynafoam]

Nick,

How bad is 2-3 days' advance booking, as long as it is consistent ?

After all we only do one days work at a time - though it often feels like more!

As to marketing, the very best advert is the one you leave on the customers' floor and the best marketing agent is the owner of that advert.

I gather that you have recently returned to cleaning but from the grounding you had with Ron Tilley and the posts you have authered here, I would think that in all probability you do a better than average job.

Unless your aim is to quickly expand to a multi-unit opperation you are therefore already doing sufficient marketing for steady growth.

John.

[Derek]

Hi

Don't get disheartened... consider for a moment. In our business we tend to do from one to, say, five jobs a day depending on the size of the job.

Multiply that by the number of days in a week and weeks in a year. Take into consideration that the majority of your customers, if they are happy with your services, will call you probably every year, eighteen months or two years on average.... with some there is an even longer gap.

That's one hell of a client base to build up... it takes time!

Regards
Derek

[Mike Halliday]

they'll use you again If;

they don't die.

they don't move out of the area.

they don't just forget your name.

they don't get a half price leaflet and get tempted.

there best friend uses another carpet cleaner who does a great job and is cheaper than you.

you're booked up for 3 weeks and they're having a party at the weekend.

with most carpet cleaners it will take 10-15 years to get to a point where they can count on all there work coming from there client base

Mike

[Derek]

Hi Mike

10 - 15 years is a comfort factor figure... five years is the recognised time to establish a business

Derek

[woodman]

Hi Chaps

7-10 days ahead is the norm for me unless i'm on a major job then up to a 21 days    

As posted before 2 years is generally accepted as the time frame for business's such as ours to be starting to become established in it's area.

5 years to be a little more comfortable but and a very big but,not complacent.

35 years before you will be fully booked for 5 weeks ahead

[Alex]

I can't wait to start my business in the carpet game - £104K

I would even take a holiday if I was earning that much, I'd no doubt be a gonna in a few years like!

[Mike Halliday]

Will some one tell me what 'established' means?

If you walked down you high street and asked "who is ...................."(fill in your name) you'll soon find out how 'established' you are!

cut out all your advertising and you'll find out how 'established' you are.

Kit-Kat & Esso are 'established' we're just carpet cleaners.

Mike

[Mark Betts]

I would then add that Chem Dry  are established.

If you ask jo public to name a cc company that is who they mention.


Mark

[STEVE71163]

Mike,
      I would have thought established means that you have got to the stage where you have regular repeat business and that your company name is well known in your local area.

Just my opinion though!

Steve Lowe

[woodman]

Hi Mike,

I have to say that I havn't done any advertising for quite a while now ( just being lazy) and I am busy enough suppose that makes me established.

Some one that is fully booked 5-6 weeks in advance is probably well 'established'.

I f you are still up and running in this business 2 years after starting out then I would say that you are well on your way to being established.

Would you say that your not established then :-/