[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Simon

Take Pete up on his offer and ring him direct - this is not going to be aired on a public forum just yet


Steve

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

There is an awful lot of energy/brain power within the CC industry which if well directed can form the sort of organisation which many want.

It's time to  offer, discuss, preach but most of all listen.

Cheers

Doug

[Peter Sweeney]

Simon

The subject of National contracts is just a small part of it and certainly not the most important.

As I have said, anyone who feels strongly enough will get in touch.

Pete

[Simon Gerrard]

Pete,

Whatever your scheme, I think you are making a fundamental error is saying, 'anyone who feels strongly enough will get in touch.
. Trust me, if you're thinking of starting a nationally based scheme, association, co-operative you will need help and a lot of it and will have to draw on the talents and most of all the time of quite a number of people if you are to have any chance of success.
Reading this topic, no one can fail to see the yearning of fellow CC's for a better association than the current NCCA, but to achieve that whatever you have in mind has to be inclusive and it can't be inclusive if its very making is shrouded in secrecy.
Any commercial venture has to be based and built around its potential market, in this case the carpet cleaning fraternity. If you continue to build what you hope will be a successful venture you must surely need to research the market to find out how many people might join your scheme and if you did that you would also get lots of extra input and ideas from fellow CC's, things you may well not have thought about. By the sounds of it you're not prepared to do that and will, in the fullness of time, launch whatever you have in mind on a take it or leave it basis and that might well doom your efforts to failure.
Why not build something on the basis of a consensus, or is this just to be a money making scheme on behalf of Pete Sweeney Plc, because that is what it looks like, so far at least, but I sincerely hope not?

Simon

[Peter Sweeney]

Simon

You are asking for things which as yet i cannot provide. This is not about me as you will soon learn. Please don't try to draw out info which is yet to be secured against criticism.

Sorry if this seems cryptic but I am sure you can understand the reasons for this


Pete

[derek west]

customer awareness is the only way to go, but as has been stated in this thread, it doesn't come cheap. so the question is how to raise the money to advance to that step.

my answer is a national website, seo'd to fck, generating referals for all tacca members. with a target of 1 referal a week for each and every member (minimum) (easily achieved) it would be worth the subscription fee. on top of that would come large jobs, (not the nationals as simon has pointed out, thats a no go) which would entail multi member cleaning, for instance, hydro dynamix do the multi plex cinema in the trafford centre, worth 12k.
an 0800 number with a manned office for ultra quick referals.
the right website with the right seo could generate 1000's in referals and with the back up to the customer that the cc's are approved with minimum spec equipment and fully insured would definately take tacca from strength to strength.

membership includes all free referals
free treatment risk insurance
free van logo and permission to use tacca on all stationary.
to work with suppliers to get discounts on chems.
plus other stuff i haven't thought of yet

with this generating the money to get us level with the NCCA (only better with our much improved referal scheme) we could then push forward with customer awareness.

nothing could be more rewarding than getting a job because the custy wanted a trusted cc who was a member of an organisation that they had heard of and checked out.

"are you a member of tacca?"
"yes love, if you go to the tacca website and type in my mem number, it will send you all my details"

the NCCA have 500 members, there are 7500 reputable cc's out there. 17500 cleaning companies.

these sort of figures could generate a lot of money, and if its put straight back into "tacca" (or whatever org comes along) rather than lining md's pockets, it can only be good for us, good for our customers and good for the industry.

there

thats my plan of action. not going to happen but thats what i'd do.

apart from the usual suspects, ive had some good feedback on this thread, some positive and a lot negative. but to me, a negative is worth 2 postives.

pete
you'd get a much better responce on here than me, and negative or positive remarks are all good. just go for it, if its been 2 years in the planning then you really need to beta test it. what better place than on here.

ps... if you wanna change your name from "C.?.?.?.?" to tacca, you can have the name. cost ya £6 though

derek

[Ricky M]

mm what a debate eh .
either way if a group of folk want to educate the general public and do more to help us gain more it cant be all that bad.

Cant see the negativity in it at all and its confusing to think ppl would want to put the idea down
 
   

[clinton]

Derek

As its still early days for this must say your post has made things a little bit easier to see what the plans our.

The national contracts would be a nightmare to police and its all down to the bottom line at the end of the day.

Am sure there is going to be interest in your venture and i for one am interested  

[richy27]

Been reading this thread with interest.

I appreciate what you trying to do derek and i wish you all the best with it. Your a doer not just a thinker and i commend you on that. Although i feel you will struggle like in any industry not jusy cc to satisfy members and it will become more of a headache for you . as trying to get a group of business men/ women to agree and work together in and and create points and action plans etc etc in an un-biased manner is very difficult. (you will find that eventually it will become a very lonely un rewarded task where people pay you a few quid and expect the world ) all will offere there help to start with but bale when it gets to the less interesting tasks involved in an organisation . But hey its your choice.

I do agree with some of the points about the ncca but the one thing that i disagree with is people who are not members or have never been members to start giving there 2 pennies worth.

I am a member and will continue to be a member as its a good selling point. All though the average joe has never heard of them. Not surprised it costs an enormous sum of money to build up public awareness not tens upon hundreds of thousands.

A lot of the reason why perhaps the ncca does not seems to be progressing in some peoples eyes is maybe the lack of contribution to meetings agms etc etc by current members perhaps making this more of an attractive proposition to attend . at the end of the day an organisation can only hear your probs if you contribute  thats how progression can be made.

Regards
Rich

[derek west]

richard
just out of interest, and this is not another dig at the ncca, but how many jobs have you had from there website?
i'm only guessing but i'd say at a push, a handful. surely the way forward for the ncca is improve upon this. if i got my membership fee back in referals in, lets even say 6 months, its worth joining. not only that, but i wouldn't think twice about sticking up for my organisation and be proud of why i joined.
like me,  your new to the industry and i have total admiration for how your running your business, you also contribute fantastically to this forum with interesting ideas and views, i aint knocking ya rich, your a top man, but i would never join any organisation that didn't give me something back, whether it be work or the edge over a competitor.
derek

[richy27]

richard
just out of interest, and this is not another dig at the ncca, but how many jobs have you had from there website?
i'm only guessing but i'd say at a push, a handful. surely the way forward for the ncca is improve upon this. if i got my membership fee back in referals in, lets even say 6 months, its worth joining. not only that, but i wouldn't think twice about sticking up for my organisation and be proud of why i joined.
like me,  your new to the industry and i have total admiration for how your running your business, you also contribute fantastically to this forum with interesting ideas and views, i aint knocking ya rich, your a top man, but i would never join any organisation that didn't give me something back, whether it be work or the edge over a competitor.
derek

Derek
answer to your question is 0 buddy direct from the ncca website but have recieved around 20-30 jobs that people have seen my site and approached me on the basis that i am amember of atrade service organisation because either thay have been unhappy with the previous cleaner for one reason or the other . So on that basis i do feel it gets me a return on my membership. i am not saying that being a member makes you a better cleaner because it does not becuse anyone can join once training has been achieved but it is another tool in the deep box of marketting techniques.

Of course the older more established businesss in a more comfortable cruise control position can afford to slate new ideas and methods because they have built up there own comfort zone .

But  like with any trade organisation you will always have the old boy network of established experts in the field . and if your idea takes off and we are talking about it in 20 years time beleive me derek it will be no different . not saying experiences heads not mentioning old is a bad thing we can all learn something from these people but i think most people who join an organistion want to sit back and think it is goin to work for them my i dea is make it work for me and use it the fact that you have to have the correct formal training the correct insurance all this can be used to instill confidence in the prospective client and set you above the guys who clean suites for 30 notes .

Good luck with it derek i mean that and thankyou for the words of praise appreciated

regards

Rich

[robert meldrum]

Although there is a lot of disagreement on this topic any topic that stimulates debate is good as some positives will always emerge.
This forum has provided a phenomenal source of GOOD INFORMATION for not just novices but for everyone in the industry and it's not surprising to find the  emergence of an alliance of like minded people.
The IDEAL would be reach out to the consumer with POWERFUL warnings and GUARANTEES of compliance to NATIONAL STANDARDS from members of such an alliance and in doing so win their confidence.
How to do so in an economic and sustainable way might be a greater challenge than can be met, but, with Pete Sweeney and the others (I can only guess who they'd be) there is a good chance of making an impact.
It's easy to raise all of the negatives but I'm sure they will be dealt with in discussions.

I wish you well gentlemen.

[derek west]

with the power of the internet and viral marketting costing next to nothing, its not as hard as some may think.
derek

ps... ive all ready scripted a 20 second viral video but need some special effects software to make it work, anyone know of any?

[robert meldrum]

Some good rug doctor stuff on you tube 

[derek west]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KztwOTw4Tis

watch it to the end its well funny

thats not you narrating is it bob?
derek

[daysdeepclean]

PMSL

[Ricky M]

Its a classic .
find of 2009
nice touch westy

[robert meldrum]

Not guilty...........what a muppet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[derek west]

i think he's funny as fck.

"its got a trigger"

and the 5 mini cheddars saved for later, class.

derek

[Ricky M]

Derek no its the 2 finger salute that gets me 
watched it twice now
it just gets better with age
a bit like you eh