How can I compete against the ‘Big Boys’?
You don’t need (or even want to be) a national company. As you well know lots of people don’t like the “big boys” and prefer the local “little guy”. So don’t let yourself be intimidated!
competition
How can I get my techs to be more like me?
Don’t expect to find clones of yourself in the employee marketplace. (And that’s a good thing!) Instead, Steve Toburen gives some alternatives to flogging your current employees.
What is a true “Landing Page”? (And why should I care?)
Do you use landing pages for your online marketing? You probably should. Joe Burnich breaks down this buzzword into simple terms for the rest of us.
Employee trouble in paradise…
Business is rocking … yet the office environment has this entrepreneur on his knees looking for how to bring peace to the valley.
“Success starts in your head” (Part 1)
In nearly 20 years of working with small business owners I’ve discovered this much: The root of profitability is deeply embedded between the ears of the owner.
An often overlooked Google reminder!
Having trouble moving your business listing up in Google searches? This one little trick can save you a lot of headaches.
Can you help a “Just Starting Out” carpet cleaner?
Too many cleaners stumble through life flitting from one business model to another. So here’s a starting out checklist of business and life model options.
Is Best Buy dying?
Best Buy should be King of the retail electronics world. So what went wrong? What lessons can a small business learn from the mistakes of Best Buy?
How should I pay an outside commercial cleaning sales rep?
A commercial cleaning firm is facing problems with a recently hired outside commercial rep. Steve tells them what they should have done and still can do!
How do they make money at 7 cents per foot?
A St. Louis cleaner wonders just how her competition can actually clean carpets at such a low cents per foot rate and still stay in business.
Does your service “Rival” your competitors?
SFS columnist Ivan Turner can pull business (and life) lessons from the most unusual experiences. Today he focuses on the frustration of TRYING to pour dark, rich, life-giving coffee!
What products should I use for anti-allergy cleanings?
Anti-Allergy cleanings can be a highly profitable diversification and a great niche to differentiate yourself from all the “rug-suckers” out there. OR it can turn into a finger-pointing blame game! Bill and Steve share a great line-up of treatments to use plus a little practical wisdom on pre-qualifying the job.
Big business marketing applied to small cleaning business budgets
Steve Yastrow addresses the common problem of a large company wasting their $20 million marketing budget. But hidden in his blog is a message that is pertinent to companies with tiny budgets. People always make the biggest difference.
Is “massive discounting” a sign of panic or just smart business?
Is massive discounting the answer for your carpet cleaning company in this challenging economy? Isn’t it better to take in cheap work than to have no work at all? Let’s take a lesson from the Border’s book chain …
How can cleaning and restoration contractors ‘differentiate’ themselves from their competitors?
Bill Yeadon starts each marketing class at SFS by asking “How do you ‘differentiate’ yourself from the competition?” This is one of the hardest questions you as a carpet cleaner will ever answer. A recent post by Steve Yastrow not only explains why this “differentiation process” is important but also explores a unique way of how to do it …