Starting and Building a Business

but thats your family man.... put a stranger on the truck and have someone else do the call every year and see what happens...

the customer and your daughter can relate through you... right off the bat the have something to talk about...john the pad man

that was the pad that John built

When it comes to uilding customers... people want an personal approach... they will clean with the same guy for 10 years... but they won't clean with the same company for ten years...

I don't know if you get it.....sometimes I get lost in the moment too

Me thinhks you guys are doing something wrong ...LOL

If you are not getting loyalty maybe you need to CHANGE something, we live by the loyalty of our customers, always have.

Referrals are from MUCH more than just clean carpet, how do you interact with your customers? How do you set yourself apart? WHY should they call you again and again... I know why my customers do, now you have to give YOUR customers a reason too.

PadMan

MR. STEAMER wrote: . niche is everyone who wants their carpet cleaned for me... referrals are nice but that alone will not keep food on the table... Starting a business from the ground... you have no customers so where are the referrals going to come from...???? how are you going to get the exposure you need??? You can only get referrals if you have customers. you can only get customers if you advertise...For the part time or weekend cleaner referrals are great but for those that need the calls to put gas in the tank and food on the table you have to think bigger. Truthfully sometimes word of mouth falls on def ears

Mr. Steamer:  Very good responce.  Living in a smaller market people startup everyday.  People jump ship and try them. "new broom sweeps cleaner" they say.  But for how long?  I think in some cases you are only as good till a cheaper price comes along.  Loyalty is not like it was 10 or 15 yasr ago.  Things have changed.  I have had calls asking if it was my company was coming to do their cleaning as they could not remember who the called?  I stated we have done your cleaning in the past.  Their responce" someone in the office used this company and they did a good job and they are cheap. No sence going on as I will have to listen to the cleaners who will say their clients would kill their first born rather than call another carpet cleaner.

Steamer you can build a successful business without mass advertising and spending tens of thousands.  Yes advertising is important but not the be all and end all.  If you have deep pockets and name recognition like Sears then you can throw tons on money into Valpack advertising.  It seems to attract the lowest common denominator if you ask me.  I have used this form of advertising before.

The name of the game is referalls and by getting on the phone and exhausting your warm market, your business will build steadily.  For example, success can be achieved by aligning yourself with a company that already has a database of customers and offering a complimentary service and a small percentage. 

By focussing on a niche market and refusing to get down in the trenches with the bargain hunters, your life will be easier.  And if you ever choose to expand beyond a one man show then the margins are there to pay someone so they remain happy and loyal.

Grout cleaning can be lucrative.  It pays much more than carpet cleaning and in my opinion is usually easier.