Truck or trailer?

I currently am in the business start-up stage and have a very clean 06 crew cab silverado pick-up truck.  Before I go out and buy a van and invest a whole lot I was either going to invest in getting a truck cap for my truck or get an enclosed trailer... If anyone would reccommend one over the other let me know, and please give your reasoning.  I will be starting with one portable, one floor machine, plus my accesories and chems.  One other question I have is with the freezing temps I will have to deal with (the midwest) what would you reccommend for keeping the equipment/chems from freezing?  I considered just getting a small heater with a stat to maintain 40 degrees or so that I could plus in at night.  Thanks for any advice, and thanks for being patient!

You might consider a ramp to help get portables from a truck or van.  A trailer would make that much easier but parking a trailer set-up in a city can be a real pia.

jaymark1 wrote: You have the truck, but a nice trailor, dont waste money until you have it on a van.  My first van was 38 grand cause I thought customers were going to comment on how nice it was.  The hundreds of customers ive had, maybe a dozen have even said anything about it

Ouch. 38 grand on your first rig?
I guess my point is you can get nice stuff without breaking the bank.
Remember, you only have one chance at making a good first impression. They may not notice how nice your van is, but they'll notice if you pull up not looking like a professional.

I know guys that say they love using the "self propelled" type wands, and I know guys that say they hate it. Me personally I prefer a wand. What you gain in agitaion you lose in flexibility. If im in a customers house I like being able to take my wand on and off quickly as needed with ease, not having to deal with a big bulky, and sometimes heavy (ish) self propelled tool like a 360, dhx, powerwand or rx-20. But that is just my personal preference, if you've used one before and like it then go right ahead!

Any time you can get heat do it! I'd def go for the higher heat, and at least the 200 psi.
Being a "green" cleaning company is a great marketing tool, but i've had a hard time finding a pre-treatment that is as good as my synthetics!

One idea is drop the self propelled wand and purchase a nice upholstery tool. I dunno, just an idea.

jaymark,
First thanks for the compliments! Your right about my prices, but about 6 months ago I decided to try something different, so i changed my entire pricing and marketing system, let me explain how. And please tell me what you think.

First off I wanted to be different than other companies. Everyone charges extra for deodorizer, sctochguard etc. And I did too. So before I changed everything my rates were $25 per room to clean, $10 per room to deo, and $15 to scotchguard. I'd say those prices are about average.

So what I did was raised my cleaning price from $25 per room, to $30 per room and include the deodorizer treatment. It makes me more competitive, the 1 flat rate keeps the entire process simple, especially giving quotes over the phone. It sounds good and makes people think they are saving lots of money. The customer doesnt feel like im just there trying to sell her a bunch of crap she doesnt need for a commision, it gets me in and out of houses quicker not having to try and sell, every carpet I clean smells fresh, sctochgard sales have increased because all I have to do is sell them that. I feel that actually giving them less options has made a better overall experience for both me and the customer.

Now I realize my "No Hassle" campaign is not the traditional way of thinking when it comes to carpet cleaning, and it might not work, but I just wanted to step outside the box and try something different. Everyone has truckmounts, powerful pre sprays etc, but it all boils down to how the experience was for the customer. So we wow them with amazing service, and reasonable prices, so they'll never call anyone else, even if our prices increase 10-15% every year.

Your right about the simple estimates.  Its a hard subject and I see both sides of the argument and is something I will always struggle with, how to price my service.  My main pricing is based on $150 an hour, so thats what I try for. 

Let me ask you something heartland, how did you get into water damage?  Did you take a class, or have you done in prior to offering the service.  I need to take a certification class to keep it updated, and I want to get into water damage.  Best place to learn?

marketing chad.  My biggest life saver was designing a website, and using google and craigslist to advertise.  I use Microsoft office live, its super easy, looks good(not as good as heartlands, i am quite jealous) and is only 15 bucks a year.  

Selling chad.  Be careful with selling.  The best thing I found to work has been my flyer inside a presentation folder.  I leave it with the customer and they go through it without pressure.  If your like me, I hate pressure, but when I started my company, I went against that and tried to sometimes pressure, and I stepped back and realize im doing what I hate. 

Unless your 100% sure you are going to stick with your prices chad, be careful of posting them in a flyer.  The only reason is if you print them out, and you have 1000 or more of them, your stuck.  I print my flyers on my printer, so I can change prices anytime.

Chad if you have an email I will send you how I list my prices?

chad23 wrote: Wow, you do have a very nicely layed out website!  I see that some people advertise thier pricing upfront while others would rather give "in home estimates" or estimates over the phone.  I could definately see advantages to both.  I am trying to decided whether or not to include prices in my brochures that I send out.  I believe one of the major advantages to including prices is that it will give the opportunity to figure out the costs and decide whether the service is right for them and cost efficient before they call for the service.  I also see a major advantage of not listing the pricing is having the opportunity to go into the customers home and give a better explanation of the services and what you provide.  I have always been told I could sell eye glasses to a blind man, so this may work better for me? :)  I also feel that once you are there, it is easier for the customer to go through with the service...  I am all new to this, and these are just ideas going through my head.  What do you guys think?  Feel free to list other advantages and disadvantages.  Thanks guys!

Your right chad, there are pros and cons for each. Whats best for you and your company is probably different than everyone else. Also, once your in someones house it's a lot harder for them to say no. But with the advancement in technology and communication, sometimes people dont want to wait for pricing.

Think of it this way:
Have you ever looked online to shop for cars? Or books? Or clothes? Any time I get on the web to buy something, I noticed that I was totally skipping over products that had no price. I wouldnt even look at them or consider them. I would only look into products or services that could tell me the price. People want information quickly and without hassle. But like I said, what works good for me may be different for you.