Can a carpet cleaner survive in a rural area?
A Chicago area cleaner is facing a “forced move” to rural Missouri. Can he not only survive but prosper?
Steve’s “Bleeding Hearts” Advice Column
Steve Toburen answers pleas for help from carpet cleaners, mold remediation and fire and water damage restoration professionals. If you are starting a carpet cleaning business or an experienced small business person you will surely find practical advice here. More about Steve.
How can I keep these “inherited” carpet cleaning customers?
A grieving friend asks how he can carry on the legacy (and clientele!) of his fallen carpet cleaning associate. Steve shares some practical advice …
“Steve, what if you could do it all over again?”
A struggling Alabama carpet cleaner asks Steve, “What would you do differently if you could rebuild and sell your business all over again”? Steve (of course) waxes nostalgic as he looks back over the last forty years …
Should I Hire Techs or Stick to Cleaning Myself?
Steve revisits the thorny topic of feeling torn between the undeniable ease and lack of problems of not having employees versus the advantages of not just “owning a job” and being “chained to the scrub wand”.
“I’m hitting a road block on implementing the ‘Stay Beautiful’ program!”
A North Carolina SFS member is getting resistance from customers who don’t want to give up their credit card information for the regular monthly service agreement amount. Steve reminds him that many people are more comfortable with a second option …
After 15 years as a “Lone Wolf” carpet cleaner, should I expand?
A Portland carpet cleaner is at a cross roads in his life. Get big by taking on employees? Stay small as an owner operator? Steve’s answer may surprise you …
So should I ask to put up a carpet cleaning “yard sign”?
A Houston carpet cleaner is torn on asking his customers if he can install a temporary sign in their yard. Steve likes the concept but as always there are some pitfalls to consider …
My big cleaning business just isn’t fun anymore!
Not all successful companies need to “get BIG”. A proven Colorado cleaner needs help in scaling things back into a manageable size. Steve offers a shoulder to cry on and shares his firsthand experience of what to do when your cleaning business gets out of control.
Sick of being “on-call” 24-7 for water damage losses?
Talk about a love-hate relationship! We all LOVE the big money of an “after hours” emergency water loss. (And aren’t they all “after hours” and usually at the most personally inconvenient time?) But an after hours call can sure play havoc with your personal life! A Nebraska carpet cleaner dumps on Steve and Steve dumps it right back!
Getting beat up on regular commercial cleaning contracts?
A Las Vegas carpet cleaner finds commercial customers simply don’t want to commit in writing. Steve shares some hard learned lessons from his 20 years down in the trenches …
Who knew selling carpet cleaning to restaurants could be so easy?
A mostly residential carpet cleaner discovers a new market in commercial. His new found success takes Steve on a nostalgic journey to yesteryear and how, despite conventional wisdom, he fell into contract maintenance commercial cleaning.
Tired of the “your carpet cleaning prices are too high” objection?
The recent Great Recession has marked (scarred?) our customer’s buying habits. Steve shows one Dallas carpet cleaner how to avoid being put on the defensive when hit with the “too high” objection …
What can a carpet cleaner present at a “ladies club” meeting?
Wouldn’t it be great to get “up close and personal” with over 100 top prospects for your carpet cleaning services? That is where one Minneapolis carpet cleaner finds himself, but how can he make the best of his opportunity?
Letters for Commercial?
Slow months can bring a cash crunch. How can a cleaning company best market to commercial accounts?