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?
customer eyeglasses
The power of your “Positive Reflection”
Make it easy for your workforce to enchant the home owner. And yes, appearances DO matter! With this simple technique you can remind your people to see themselves through the eyes of their customer.
How should a carpet cleaning company answer the phone?
A Baltimore carpet cleaner has a new toy! A very sophisticated phone system with all the bells and whistles. But Steve reminds him that the basics still count …
“SFS opened my eyes”- Marcus Taylor of Modernistic
One of Michigan’s most respected cleaning companies sends its managers to SFS. Why? Read what Marcus has to say …
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!
Five bucks to get ‘started off right’ with home owners!
Here is a simple, easy and cheap QuickTIP that will reassure the home owner AND create a “moving billboard’ out of every one of your employees …
The importance of “trust” for carpet cleaners and restoration contractors!
Home owners are desperately searching for a carpet cleaner they can “trust”. So build their confidence by consistently reminding them that you are “trustworthy”!
“Thank you for helping me put pride back in my business and life”- Ed Voce
Voce Cleaning of Quakertown, PA specializes in disaster restoration, floor care and … SUCCESS! Read how Ed Voce is building his company for the future.
A high class technique to create restoration Cheerleaders
Give that final boost to your restoration job with this elegant touch that truly is “fit for royalty”! Will the customer remember you and your fun antics? Definitely. Will they tell others about your services? IF you gave Value Added Service and then close the project with this “white glove” treatment, they will sing your praises from the roof tops!
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 …
What can carpet cleaners learn from Disney?
Cleaners and restorers can learn a lot about how to run their operations from the legendary Walt Disney. After 55 years, Disney continues to be the most visited place in America. As with so many other things in life, it is focus on the little things that makes the difference …
Use “sound” in your carpet cleaning marketing strategy
OK, a good marketing strategy trivia question for all you carpet cleaners. Which sound associated with a brand name is rated #1 in the world? Most of you hear this sound several times a day. Have everyone in your family guess and then we’ll see who wins …
Never “oversell” the Scotchgard application to your residential carpet cleaning customers
Remember the old expression, “under promise, over deliver”? In other words, IF you’ve already got the Scotchgard protector sale, it is now time to lower the no doubt unreasonably high expectations of a typical residential cleaning customer. Steve shares how to NOT oversell carpet cleaning products.
Give your fire and water damage insureds a tasty way to remember you!
It has been well said, “the way to the heart lies through the stomach.” Read how you can create a great Moment of Truth with a traumatized restoration client with some very memorable but “personalized” comfort food …
A phone not answered is money lost!
Does panic strike your cleaning company when the phone rings? Or even worse, have you lost your “sense of urgency” on the phone? Read how one multi-truck SFS graduate deals with the phone …