The Floorcovering Institute

Mr.Steamer:  I brought this post back just to inform readers that the Woolsafe seminar was of some interest.  But as usual you try to discredit anyone who attempts to better themselves through education.  I have nothing else to say on this subject here.

I don't get it... on one hand you say that you'll leave stains & a room takes you 15 minutes.... on the other hand you say that you've gotta never go cheap....

Wich is it?  From the sounds of it... and correct me if I'm wrong here... you are advocating giving a cheap service at a cheap price while using expensive advertising.

 Yes?

no... allen I comming from the point of think big..... never go cheap.... service service service... 

we all complain... (doug) about Sears killing the market...but let me tell you they make MONEY.... even I make money off their jobs...

why because they spend money too....

the little guy like doug... cries everytime he has to do a little advertising..

for the first 5 years advertising should be 60% of your total operating cost... then you relax with all the customers that you have given good service to... you can scale back the advertising because your name is built.. you can go for referals..  etc etc etc

but you have to drop the bucks....

think small...you'll stay small... you'll get small calls... your bank account will get smaller and smaller

Steamer,

I'm not quite understanding you...  you are not provided these items like signing, telemarketing, and advertising?  Or are you writing that from the point of view of a one-man operation? Get cheap customers?  Not for me, baby... and I hope not for you. 

Do you have to send out your own advertising?  And you work for a name brand company? If you do, then I'm a bit concerned over the contract you're on.  I'm not being sarcastic.

Dunno what half page ads cost for you.  Get away from the main cities to the nearest rural area.  Cheaper ads, less competition, more money. A telemarketer around here will work a week for about $800 through an agency.  That's telemarketing, and putting info to a simple database for later reference.  For $800 and phone costs, they don't even need an office of yours to work from.  You get an Excel spreadsheet with names called, addresses, phone numbers, last time carpets were cleaned, and next contact date.  It's brilliant, and gives you information to reuse.

Bump up the response... send one colour A4 mailers with a special offer to an area, THEN have the telemarketer call, "We've recently sent you some information about our service, along with a coupon for one free room clean with every 3 rooms paid for? Do you remember getting that?  We'd like to give you another reason to try our service now: we'll also give (insert special offer here: $10 to your favorate charity, half off carpet protection, a $20 voucher for one of your friends...) if you book your carpets to be cleaned. The best thing about this is... you can book up to 6 months in advance...     <get the point?>

Van signage for me was $600.  That's an expense that'll last 6 or 8 years, so the cost is negligeable in the long run.

Don't think big... think niche.  Guerrilla Marketing.  Check out Jay Conrad Levinson in your search engine of choice.

Or don't.  I've been in it for 6 months and I'm not rolling in it yet.  I didn't expect to be at this stage though.  BUT...winter's finishing.  We've had about 4 days of good weather, and I've already got a full week.  I think we'll be ok. 

Allen:  What some don't realize is in this business big companies don't help small companies they use and dispose of them.

Mr. Steamer:  It appears that everytime someone attends an educational function in an attempt to broden their horizons there is a problem.  I don't claim like you to be master of all.  Unfortunately when something of interest comes along where their is a chance of learning something new I try to attend.  It all costs money, what you lose  being away from your business and the costs to attend.  If I were a big company I would tell the subs to attend at their own expense so I could reap the benifits, but I am a small company And to try and survive we have to try to make some kind of an attempt to stay on top of things as they evolve.

Mr. Steamer the big companies work on the same premis as you." Bulls**t Baffles Brains"