[Griffus]

 

Derek, you've hit your own nail on the head in one word: -

UNBELIEVABLE

 :

Good luck to you, you will need it for sure.

Out of interest, do you have any project management experience, even on a small scale?





Thought not....................

 : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

[Simon Gerrard]

When me and Glyn took got the  TruckMounter's Forum we made it an association, the TMCCA The Truck Mounted Carpet Cleaners Association.
Granted, we haven't done anything with it but at least our members can say they are members of it. The reason we didn't and haven't pursued it further is because of the costs involved and the sheer amount of time and effort that you have to put into it AND carry on running your business at the same time.
Then you've got the problem of persuading fellow CC's to join and if you are talking £1,000 each, forget it. To charge that kind of money, or even £100 you have to be in a position to provide your members with a benefit right from day one and that is a real tough task.
I certainly wouldn't pay out £1000 to join a new Association  and I very much doubt that many others would too. They may well say, 'oh yeah, great idea,' but whoever s left organising it  will quickly find that when a bill for £1,000 comes through the door, that initial support will fade away to nothing. Why, because to lay out, or should I say, speculate  £1000, most businesses are looking for a return of £5,000 and no association can provide that, especially not a new one.
It will take an awful lot of hard graft to get anything like this going and while you're doing it your business and personal life will suffer.

I don't like the NCCA, it's run by a bunch of self-serving cronies, who are too full of their own importance to get on and actually make a difference. They certainly have the infrastructure to do a whole lot better but don't like being told from the outside what to do. The best thing you can do is join the NCCA and try and change it from within and hopefully come up with something than is currently on offer.

Simon

[jasonl]

I once joined truckmounters ,, lost password ,, when you click on lost password nothing happens... how  do I re- join?

£1000 split to monthly payments may work ,, as has been said already , a 4 or 5 :1 return would be needed by most to ensure membership keeps up the payments.

[Mike Osbourne]

Listen to Simon, he's been through the loop already.

Anyway others with proper backup and experience are going for it and good luck to them.

As for improving the NCCA from the inside, again, been tried, didn't work. The best way to put a fire under their arses is a bit of serious competition.

[Simon Gerrard]

Jason,

I've emails you a new TruckMounters passwords to: jason@disastermastersuk.co.uk

Simon

[jasonl]

Cheers

[derek west]

Derek, you've hit your own nail on the head in one word: -

UNBELIEVABLE

 :

Good luck to you, you will need it for sure.

Out of interest, do you have any project management experience, even on a small scale?





Thought not....................

 : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

ian
did you have any carpet cleaning experience before you became a carpet cleaner
thought not.
tut!

no i haven'nt got any project management ex. but i bet theres someone on here who has.

everyones seems to think i'm gonna start this company off and get it up and running and making loads of money.
well your all wrong, my job is simple. to point out where the other organisations have gone wrong.

they are marketting to there customers, instead of there customers customers.

its simple.

all i need is to convince a handful of top men on here and out there that my concept holds water, market the name to the end product and watch the memebers flood in.
hard points, raising the capital cos a lot of you guys are right, it would be impossible to get members before the company was known.
(never said it would be easy) and getting guys on here to believe, TACCA needs experienced guys like roger banking, simon and glynn, business, i know simon was a business adviser befiore he bacame a cc. doug, training, and yes there will be someone who has project managed on here before. rabby and a few others websites, (and the list goes on but obviously my hands are busy at the mo).
who ever we need, i'm sure there either on here or we know someone who will do us a favour.

oh and my strong point, marketting and drive. (and to be honest, if i'm not needed then push me out and i'll still join. i just feel passionate about joining an organisation that puts us first, i wanna walk into a house and the women to say, "you are TACCA registered arn't you?, only the last guy that came wasn't and soaked my carpets through"

then once we can get a good crew together which will cost us a few quid to get together and bang heads. we establish phase 2. getting some bumph knoicked up to show we're serious, then stage 3, put some money together then convince an invester to match us. (ive got someone lined up for that (if he's still on board )
stage 4, fckin go for it all guns blazing, the only way to do business.

can you dig it
caaaaaan yooouuuuuuuu diiiiiiggggggg itttttttt (said in a deep voice like off the warriors, top film in the 80's)

all i'm asking is to think about it, after all, this is only an idea but from a slightly different approach.

derek

[Mike Osbourne]

Derek

This must be the most elaborate wind up on CIU ever, you really got people going, even me. 

[clinton]

Derek

Good point on the people who we  need on board with the names mentioned like roger,simon and glynn etc.

Simon was right about the ncca and its still the same claped out faces with the same old ideas that were thrown around a table over there glass of hot milk and cocoa

[elliott cleaning]

Derek
Nobody can doubt your enthusiasm or the fact that you can get your teeth stuck into a particular issue but I urge you to heed the Simons, Mikes & Robrts advice.
Your aim is not to change the ideas of carpet cleaners but to change the general perception that the general public have towards carpet cleaners.  That's tough.
Successive government have spent hundreds of millions trying to change the publics views on issues, mostly with limited effect.

A couple of years ago I did a study on the advertising stratagy of the Coca Cola corporation.   Mind boggling figures as to what they spend to convince us that 'It's the real thing' (and in my view it is).  But you go stand in a supermarket and watch the percentage of customers who pass it by & pick up a bottle of what is labeled 'Cola'.   Why? - probably price comes into it.

I don't have any time for the NCCA but I do appreciate the constraints they are under in terms of what many feel they should be doing.   They can be called old foggies - but old foggies often have had the advantage of years of experience not just at cleaning but also having acquired general business acumen.

You can end up wasting alot of your time which should be directed at your own business.  You posted above that last year you hit your targets & that this year your annual target should be reached in 9 months. Your forcasts are crap - you have set your targets to low!!!   You've got nothing to aim for.  Spend your time reaccessing these.  Let the rest of us worry about how we get our clients - you worry about just you, your family, & your existing & potential clients

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I recognise the importance of an association that is known but to get the coverage and advertising and constant advertising will take loads of members and loads of money Chemdry don't have that brand recognition and they are being sold for £13 million so it's going to take more than what you may think although the £1000 over 12 months is a great idea.

Shaun

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

I think Derek's got more important things to worry about now



Steve

[Neil Williams]

This idea might have some value in it if it can be initially funded/organised by a major force in the carpet industry. I can think of two that might equally get something back out of it.
As it stands individual carpet cleaners paying £1,000 isn't going to happen.
For £1,000 you could get FSB, Safe Contractor, Check a Trade and a couple more similar accredited memberships.

[Peter Sweeney]

For what its worth, I have read this thread with much interest. Nothing can happen overnight. It would take years to prepare for and more years to achieve. I don't believe finance is the issue here.

You need a good team of people around you who collectively possess skills in the different departments of requirement. You also need that team to be realistic enough to understand that something like this will take a long time to achieve. There is no doubt that Dereks thoughts are echoed throughout much of the forum visiting industry although It's important to remember that the forum members make up a small fraction of the total firms actively CCing. You are probably looking at around 15000 firms (at least) operating across the UK.

I admire the individual directors of the NCCA but their direction (as a collective) is seriously flawed and there are a number of reasons for that (which I will not go into).

I'm sure that Charles Darwin got it right and that evolution will conquer in the end.

Joke or not, good post Mr West

[daysdeepclean]

I have looked at joining the NCCA in the past and thought that it was expensive for what you get (A few magazine's and free legal advice ) I'm better off buying Trout & Salmon and asking my mate/customer/solicitor for advice.

So I see it as a waste of money, like YP and RD's and Wonder Wands (Only joking about the Wonder Wand guys, take a chill pill )

I would want to be part of something that was on the tele and well known about and well respected. I totally agree with Peter in that it would take time, like most good things in life!

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Colin if you won't pay £200+ for the NCCA why would you pay £1000? it would take a lot of cleaners to subscribe to make a serious campaign on the TV.

The best thing for this industry whether it be TACCA or NCCA is free advertsing ie getting on The One Show or Good Morning or Loose Women (Anthea did it last year)

Shaun

[daysdeepclean]

Shaun.... Because no one's heard of NCCA! How much is it exactly?

TACCA wouldn't need to rely on "Free" publicity! I'd gladly pay NCCA £1k to join if they were well known.....! Fact

[Matt Lindus]

Slide away.

[derek west]

pete, excellent comments.
someone that finally gets it. not said it would work, not said it wouldn't, but gets it.
thats what its all about, discussion,
could it work? would it work? if theres a problem? could we get round it? could we (as a collective) generate enough interest to rouse the right people.

i've met paul pierce got on really well with him and have the utmost respect for what he's achived in his career. so i hope he's not fallen out with me after this thread. if he's anything like me he'll find a positive in it rather than a negative, and if your reading this paul (and i know you are ) dinners on me if ever you fancy a free lunch. (maccies all right ) tacca budgets not up there yet. i know, cheeky bar stuard, if ya don't ask ya don't get

maybe i have underestimated informing the whole of the country about tacca, but thats what this thread is all about, problem solving, getting the word out cheaply, pr work, database work, spam, bebo twitter youtube. this all wasn't around when the NCCA was formed. you vets don't quite see the power of the internet like i do.

10 million people have seen a married couple at there wedding, freak out with a crazy dance to "baby's got back"
theres new ways of getting the word out there.

problems are there to be solved, this could work and with the right people backing TACCA, this would work.

colins thread about would you join has made me laugh. all ready its up to about 13 people saying definately not. pathetic answer. if you were asked at school if when you grow up would you consider being a carpet cleaner. bet your answer would of been definately not. don't knock it till youve tried it or at least know all the facts, is that definately not now, but maybe in the future if it takes off?
the next highest is, depends on the price, well thats so hypocritical of this website, every day theres a post about where can i get the cheapest this or the cheapest that, then every day theres another post defending your high prices.

theres only one sensible answer on colins post. "maybe"

right, i'm off to change a nappy.

derek

[Ryan Smyth]

Sorry was going to  post something stupid....instead Simon i have a truck mount can i join

Ryan