What are the businesses you target market?
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Topic: What are the businesses you target market?
Posted By: Will Reed
Subject: What are the businesses you target market?
Date Posted: 31/May/2010 at 3:00pm
Been going through a number of ideas in my head. Looking to start up a carpet cleaning business so I'm not speaking from experience here. Just going to present my ideas here and would appreciate input and feedback from those that have been doing this for awhile. Are these businesses worth pursuing compared to residences? How much do you charge? By the room or by the sq foot?
------------- Will |
Replies:
Posted By: cleanex
Date Posted: 31/May/2010 at 4:41pm
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Number 6 ------------- DON ELDRED YOU CAN "STAND" ON OUR REPUTATION |
Posted By: Soil Lint Green
Date Posted: 31/May/2010 at 5:27pm
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6
------------- It's ORY GUN, not OR A GONE. Learn to talk. |
Posted By: Michael
Date Posted: 31/May/2010 at 6:56pm
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Ditto #6. Office buildings want fast service, fast dry times, and usually flexibility. Charge what it's worth to you. Don't sweat the ones you miss. You'll find your equilibrium. 1. Every now and then, yes. Medical offices are almost as doable as business offices. Chiropractic offices especially. 2. Foreclosed homes are usually sold as is, more or less. The purchaser is the one who needs a carpet cleaner. 3. Restaurants are horrible. Their schedule sucks, the carpet is nasty, and they are total price shoppers. 4. Once again, crappy schedules, lots of square footage to cover, and they're worse price shoppers than restaurants. 5. If you can get a motel to do blocks of rooms and halls, then it might be worth it. You still won't get what you're worth though. 7. Property management companies are funny. Sometimes they have nothing to do with those decisions, leaving it to the landlord, super, hoa, or whatever. At the very least, you may as well call the bigger ones and ask how to get on their "approved vendor list." They'll probably email you a form and you'll have to offer proof of insurance. Get a good rapport with someone there and you might end up with some decent regular work.
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Posted By: westcovina
Date Posted: 30/December/2010 at 5:56pm
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I have been targeting homes. All my commercial work pays too little. Lots of competition bidding down the price. I will not clean for 10 cent a sq ft. ------------- http://www.example.com - http://www.carpet-cleaning-pasadena-ca.com/ |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 30/December/2010 at 6:35pm
 ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
westcovina wrote:Posted By: alphacleaning
Date Posted: 31/December/2010 at 1:04pm
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1,6,7 + schools, children centers, fitness centers, country clubs
------------- http://www.officecleaning.info - office cleaning Chicago http://www.commercialofficecleaning.net - commercial cleaning Chicago |
Posted By: NJPSR
Date Posted: 01/January/2011 at 10:23am
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Good luck! I'm trying just to add more of any
business I can get. LOL
------------- N.J.P. Property Maintenance, "We take care of all your cleaning needs" |
Posted By: MikesWilsons
Date Posted: 06/January/2011 at 6:57am
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I appreciate your discussion. Thanks for the sharing. www.pennystockville.com |
Posted By: John L
Date Posted: 06/January/2011 at 1:21pm
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Whatever comes around to be cleaned.
Added Vehicle fleet detailing/cleaning.
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Posted By: vacman2000
Date Posted: 06/January/2011 at 4:03pm
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Owner occupied homes
------------- http://www.masterclean.com - Carpet Cleaning London http://www.masterclean.com - Carpet Cleaning http://www.leafletflyers.co.uk - Leaflet Distribution London |
Posted By: westcovina
Date Posted: 25/January/2011 at 8:25pm
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That is a good list to get started on. You can low ball the existing cleaners to get your feet wet.
------------- http://www.example.com - http://www.carpet-cleaning-pasadena-ca.com/ |
Posted By: westcovina
Date Posted: 31/January/2011 at 6:35pm
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I am on a Church roll. I have some good referrals.
------------- http://www.example.com - http://www.carpet-cleaning-pasadena-ca.com/ |
Posted By: Paul63
Date Posted: 10/February/2011 at 9:15pm
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banks hire companies or individuals to look after foreclosed homes untill they are sold...you would have to find out who these individuals are...i doubt the bank would ever tell you who looks after their foreclosures....maybe you could leave your business card or flyer in mailbox of foreclosed homes...Contact the listing agent of the real estate company that is selling the house on behalf of the bank, mortgage company etc......... You will get work in restaurants no problem, you wont make much $$$ though..they are only concerned with price...period......perhaps that would work for you,,but not for me...Chinese restaurants are the worst of the lot....Dont fall for the following....the restaurant owner will say [in strong Chinese accent], "I will have you clean for me twice per year so give me good price" anyway..i hate restaurants When restaurants call me for prices, I just politely tell them "I dont clean restaurants, sorry"...The last Chinamen I gave an estimate to damn near chocked up last nights eggroll when i gave him my price...still makes me smile...Hah hah hah Motels are a waste of time...price is everything...One guy phoned me the other day saying he wasnt happy with his current carpet cleaner, I have a good reputation and said he wanted me to clean his motel rooms provided I matched the price of the poor carpet cleaner...$23 per room and that was moving furniture...he of course said i will be doing 3 OR 4 rooms at a time....dont fall for this.. (you will often do 1 room emergency cleaning).....I said "I couldnt do for that price, sorry"...you will get work with small independent motels if you want to work for peanuts The only commercial jobs I usually do are small idependent offices, they are loyal and they expect good quality work and service. Word of mouth helps with this particular grouping one thing for me, I cant be accused of undercutting anyone... I want my competitors cleaning restaurants and motel rooms. I am a professional, I will not cut corners like others and do mediocre work. I love when my new customers bitch about their last carpet cleaner.... |
Posted By: howellsgs
Date Posted: 20/February/2011 at 2:47am
Adult Care Homes ... Commercial Carpeting ... Encapsulation ... Very Fast & Easy with experience... I have bid tons of jobs at $0.07 sq foot and made about $90 an hour. Don't write opportunity off just because you don't think the numbers look good enough. Make the numbers work for you. ------------- http://www.howellsCarpetCleaning.com - Howells' Carpet Cleaning (503) 939-0534 Feel free to call with any questions you may have. I would be honored to help. Geoffrey |
Posted By: howellsgs
Date Posted: 20/February/2011 at 2:58am
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Networking is probably the best means of generating referrals. Joining a small business networking group in your local area is a great way to gain exposure. The more you are willing to generate leads for someone the more they are willing to do the same for you. And everyone has carpets that need cleaning... But like I saw posted somewhere... if your knew to the game, the only real way to get started is with family, friends and low-balling the competition until you get some momentum built up. Perform and excellent service, make a customer like you and they wont care if you up your rates. ------------- http://www.howellsCarpetCleaning.com - Howells' Carpet Cleaning (503) 939-0534 Feel free to call with any questions you may have. I would be honored to help. Geoffrey |
Posted By: CDRX
Date Posted: 17/March/2011 at 6:46pm
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I wouldn't go after any of these businesses starting out as an owner operator. They are businesses and price is the most important factor for them, not to mention it is mostly evening and weekend work and usually nasty carpets, and they don't generally consider carpet cleaning until the carpets are filthy. You'll have to do massive amounts of square feet for next to nothing, as your competition in that market is larger businesses that have crews of guys being paid $10 an hour. Start with middle to upper end residential and charge a healthy rate so you can make a living at this. The quickest and easiest way to get off the ground is putting out nice flyers on doorsteps in the neighborhoods you want to work in. Implement a referral program right away to leverage each job to get more. ------------- http://www.completecarpetcare.com - carpet cleaning bellevue http://www.completecarpetcare.com/organic_steam_cleaning.html - carpet cleaning redmond |
Posted By: XtremeClean
Date Posted: 17/March/2011 at 10:22pm
^This. Exactly how I started out. My father started me in the carpet cleaning industry and he's been in it for 30+ years. He still uses flyers as a marketing mainstay for his business. You have to get over the fact that you will have to put out a little cash initially for printing and delivering. Do your research and find a company, possibly locally, that can print and design (if you can't design it yourself) a flyer for you. Do the same for delivery. Check into the delivery prices at your local newspaper or free press. (tbh, I don't recommend wasting time delivering them yourself. If you can afford a carpet cleaning truck, you can afford flyer delivery.) It'll take a little elbow grease on your part to get a system worked out, but if you're an owner/operator that's to be expected anyway.  That's the fastest way for you to generate calls and income. Depending on how many flyers you choose to send out at a time, your first couple of jobs should pay for that delivery. ------------- http://www.xtremecleanpg.com - Xtreme Clean - Carpet and Furniture Cleaning 250-563-9585 "Picky, picky, picky. That's how we like our customers!" |