How can my janitorial service not get blamed for unlocked doors?
A Los Angeles Building Service Contractor is sick and tired of getting blamed for every unlocked door. Steve says he only has three options …
Steve Toburen
The world of steady, profitable commercial work is really tempting me!
Regular cash flow, your very own production schedule, a steadily appreciating asset and best of all … less interaction with an at times difficult and demanding residential customer. So what’s not to like? Will this carpet cleaner’s dreams of profit in commercial maintenance work be fulfilled? Steve Toburen gives his prognosis …
Carpet Cleaning Chemicals: always measure to save money and time
Sometimes “simple is best”. This tip will only cost you a few bucks but may save you hundreds of dollars in carpet cleaning chemicals cost. Read on …
So can a carpet cleaner “cash out” at a young enough age to actually ENJOY retirement?
It is the “unspoken dread” among cleaning professionals. Sure, we make a lot of money and have all the toys. But many carpet cleaners worry about ever achieving true financial independence while they are still young enough to enjoy it! Steve Toburen shares how he retired from full time business at the age of 38 by giving readers two great links and one even more important date in Las Vegas next September …
Dramatically increase your carpet cleaning profits with this “protected with Scotchgard” question!
This one simple question will super-charge your carpet protector sales AND put extra dollars in your pocket! Marketing Scotchgard is as simple as interviewing the customer and giving them their options. But even before this you need to ask the “Scotchgard Question” …
Create a great Moment of Truth BEFORE you ever start cleaning their carpets …
Resist the urge to run and “make production” at the beginning of your residential cleaning jobs. A few well-invested minutes and well chosen words can open the way for an improved working relationship with the customer.
Are carpet cleaning door to door sales calls worth my time?
A Tennessee carpet cleaner wants more cleaning work but isn’t quite ready to take the door-to-door plunge. Steve gives him some perspective on his time management …
Should I start out hitching a ride as a sub-contractor cleaner?
After an extended absence from our industry an independent cleaner is looking to get back in the game. He’s looking for a shortcut to success but as usual Steve tells it like it is …
So can I build a business that will run without me “pushing a wand”?
Are you enjoying the lifestyle benefits of living in the countryside? GREAT! This small town carpet cleaner asks, “Can I build a ‘real business’ in a market base of only 30,000 people?” Steve shares how he did it …
Do college graduates make good carpet cleaning employees?
College can be a wonderful gift and a great opportunity. OR it can be a four, five or six year party that wastes time and money. After reading a New York Times article Steve reflects on today’s cleaning workforce …
How can I set my carpet cleaning service apart from the rest?
An Idaho carpet cleaner searches for ways to “differentiate” himself from the run-of-the-mill price-slashing carpet cleaner. Steve tweaks the original idea to promote more Scotchgard sales, improve customer loyalty and cleaning frequency and above all else dramatically increase profits!
Steve’s “Cry for Help”- Keeping tabs on your employees with GPS van tracking
Do you know where your employees are … right now?! Do you think you should know? Steve feels adding “Employee Accountability” to your company is essential. One way to gently “hold your employee’s feet to the fire” is to start tracking your vehicles with a GPS online service. Steve is asking for your “been there- done that” experiences …
Is it time to move away from the venerable carpet cleaning wand? Yes and no …
We seldom focus on carpet cleaning equipment or cleaning techniques in SFS except when it helps us introduce the Holy Grail of “consistency” with employees working in the customer’s homes …
Are your carpet cleaning competitors “dummies”? Now let’s talk about you!
We all love to point the finger at other people’s mistakes. Steve just re-discovered a doozy that put a real “dummy” in a wheel chair for life. Why? Because he refused to learn anything from a previous boneheaded blunder. And then we come back to you …
Do we need to personally call back every single carpet cleaning job?
An experienced Omaha area carpet cleaner is in danger of letting his quest for “time efficiency” threaten the all important personal relationship with his cleaning customers he has worked so hard to develop. Steve searches for the productive middle ground …