Time Is Money

People who call a service company are usually busy people. If a company gives information in a concise, professional way, makes an appointment with a minimum of effort and delivers the service in a timely, efficient manner, that company will gain the majority of the high-end business in a given market area.    When no one is prepared to answer a caller's questions, the caller's time and the company's advertising money is totally wasted. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Overheard

   "He put more money into his golf game on lessons and equipment than he invested in his carpet cleaning business! And he still isn't a very good golfer either."    Our livelihoods often deteriorate because of outside activities. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Carpet Cleaners Noticed

   Bottom Line, a popular periodical publication, recently had an article by Elizabeth Leamy, an Emmy award-winning television investigative reporter. She warns against the mailed coupon offering big discounts for carpet cleaning, such as 4 rooms for $ 29.95.    "Based on my investigations of carpet cleaners, initial low prices with these common come-ons always are followed by hefty up-charges. Typically, you'll be charged extra for pretreatment solutions, deodorizers and protective spray...moving furniture...and cleaning carpet in closets. To avoid rip-offs...use a reputable carpet cleaner. These companies tend to charge by the square foot, not by the room. You may also want to hire a cleaning contractor that uses truck-mounted equipment which is more powerful than the self-contained equipment often used by cut-rate carpet cleaners." So says Elizabeth! ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Advertising Tip

   Do you want to commit advertising suicide? Then try telephone solicitation, computer dialing devices, e-mail selling, door-to-door canvassing, flyers on windshields at church and mall parking lots, door knob hangers or junk fax as a way to reach prospects!    Most consumers say they consider these an obnoxious intrusion into their private lives or surroundings. They will probably offend rather than impress them. Don't take the chance! ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Adjusting Side Mirrors

   Accidents may be avoided by properly adjusting the side-view mirrors on your cleaning van. While your vehicle is stationary, follow these directions:    To Adjust the Left Side-View Mirror: Sit in the drivers seat and rest your head against the driver's side window; adjust the mirror until you can barely see the left side of your vehicle.    To Adjust the Right Side-View Mirror: Sit in the center of the vehicle directly behind the rearview mirror mount and adjust the mirror until you can barely see the right side of the vehicle.    There may still be blind spots, but this method will ensure that you'll be able to see most cars approaching from the rear and on either side. Stick-on magnifying mirrors are a good safety feature also. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Time To Think

   Most operators of 'ONE TRUCK' carpet cleaning companies are hard pressed to find the time to think constructively. Besides doing the work, you are the manager, accountant, sales representative, advertising agent and public relations department along with the many other jobs that are part of owning a small service business.    When you come in from a full day's schedule of cleaning, you probably don't feel like making courtesy calls on customers, sales calls on prospects, writing the letters that are important in business or thinking ahead to the next seasonal promotion you need to be planning now. Usually it's this planning that is completely lost in the day-to-day activities of a busy owner/operator.    You have to schedule time to do nothing but "think." By spending some time constructively in thinking ahead, you will be able to plan work loads better, have more steady work lined up, raise your profit level and in general, you'll find that you're not running in circles as much as you once did.    Take a few days off and attend classes at Bane-Clene Institute that will help you manage your business better. You will return to business refreshed and ready to tackle the problems that lay ahead. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

In Memory of Howard Olansky

July 22,1928 - December 19, 2006 Sadly, I report the passing of an industry giant. No! Howard Olansky was not a big man in stature! He was great in heart and a veritable giant in his contributions to the carpet industry. There should be a special place in heaven for this man. His wisdom, wit and charm along with his sincere attitude made him a very special person to all whose lives he touched. He lent respectability to an infant "on-location" cleaning industry by speaking at Bane-Clene meetings and others during the '70s and '80s. Unlike most speakers, he traveled at his own expense to avoid any hint of partisanship. His editorial comments and presence at a meeting in Philadelphia in 1977, helped influence and resolve the great "Steam" controversy of that era. When I met him in 1974, he was editor of "Installation Specialist" magazine. He changed the name to "Installation and Cleaning Specialist" after attending our 1976 convention where he saw the possibilities of our trade. He and his partner, Harold Arkoff sold the magazine in 1997 to BNP Media. His profound writing continued as senior editor until his recent illness. Howard is survived by his dear wife Ilene and two daughters, Dale and Ellen. We all shall miss him very much. In recent years, I cherished his e-mails and especially the fact that he signed them, "Your friend, Howard." Bill Bane ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Best Way To Use PCA™

   Pre-mixing the required amount of PCA in a gallon or two of hot water and then adding it to the supply tank is easy, efficient and economical. The hot water suspends the PCA almost immediately and this small amount of hot tap water is sufficient to treat a whole day's supply. The amount of PCA depends on the size tank you are filling. See your owner's manual for the correct ounces to mix for different size tanks.    Adding the diluted mixture to the tank ensures proper cleaning strength and the truck movement will keep the solution in perfect suspension. This method offers cleaning solutions that will not cause streaking like some siphon or other chemical feed systems that may vary the amount of chemical applied.    Careful mixing means, better cleaning, less chemical usage and more profit for you. Chemicals should be a very small part of your operating expenses. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Trip Charges

   A recent service call to repair a hot tub for a customer contained an add-on of $50 for a trip charge. Needless to say this infuriated the customer.    With all the talk in the cleaning industry about trip charges or adding a flat dollar amount to each invoice to cover increased gasoline prices, take time to think how the customer will react to these charges. Most people realize that prices are going up regardless of what the official inflation rate is supposed to be. But they don't like having it crammed down their throats like a big pill in the form of a trip charge.    Raise your square footage price a slight amount periodically to cover increased insurance and fuel costs, but don't wait until it has become a burden on you or becomes an obnoxious incident for your customer. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Telephone Courtesy Pays Off

   The carpet cleaning industry is notorious for demonstrating a lack of professionalism in its approach to answering its customers' telephone inquiries. A majority of those in the business use voice mail or an answering service to take incoming calls.    Those who seek growth and success by having a trained, knowledgeable person answer their telephone will, even in the most difficult economy, reach and schedule appointments for more jobs than their competitors who use voice mail or answering services. This is a proven fact.    As carpet cleaning approaches the busy summer season, we must remember:

• Identify your company by name and thank your customer or prospect for calling. Adding your own name is a nice gesture.
• Phones must always take precedence over paper work. Stop what ever you are doing and give the caller your undivided attention.
• Do not rush your customers. Their interests and questions are very important to them and those who take the time to be polite and civil will take the lion's share of the business.
• Do not be too busy to be friendly, even before you know that you are speaking to a customer or a prospect.
• Do not leave customers "on hold." A return call is preferred when you cannot immediately communicate with the client or answer a specific question.
• Utilize common verbal courtesies, such as, "May I please schedule an appointment for you?” “Thank you for choosing to call our company." "May I put you on hold?" Always thank them for calling.
• The carpet cleaning community is rich with qualified "dirt busters," but is terribly lacking in competent professional service companies. Be the latter. Develop your phone skills and be the leader in your market area!

©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Insurance Fraud

   Unlicensed insurance companies which do not have state insurance department approval may take your money, issue a "policy," but fail to pay if you file a claim. Fake insurance looks attractive because it is less expensive than a legitimate policy. The main targets are older adults and small businesses looking to reduce insurance costs.    Before you purchase a policy, contact your state insurance department to confirm that the company is licensed in your state. Phone numbers and Web sites are available at www.naic.org. Click on "Consumer Information Source". The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), Kansas City, Missouri maintains a database of complaints and financial information about insurers nationwide. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Keep on Truckin'

   Check out a driver's record before you hand the keys to your truck over to a new employee. Every state has a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which can generate a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) on anyone with a driver's license. Most work in conjunction with other states so you can often obtain a report even on someone who has just moved to your locale from another state. After ascertaining their credibility, ride with a new employee. In about five minutes you can tell if they are proficient behind the wheel. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Bid Work

   Back in the mid 1960’s, Wm. F. Bane Co., had a janitorial account that required service 24/7/365. When renewal time rolled around, McLean Truck Line's local manager, Harold Butler, called Bill Bane to his office. He explained that he really liked the service, but that his General Instruction Management Manual required him to put the job out for bids every other year. It also instructed him that the price must be less each time he awarded the contract.    Bane told him that he didn't want bid forms, because he intended to raise the price in order to maintain the quality level of the service being performed. Of course he didn't get the McLean contract. But, the next year Bane's company profit margin increased. Wm. F. Bane Co., is still in business, McLean Truck Lines is not. There's a moral in here somewhere! ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Make People Like You!

   According to Dale Carnegie you can make people like you by: 1. Becoming genuinely interested in them. 2. Smiling at them. 3. Remembering that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. 4. Being a good listener. 5. Encouraging others to talk about themselves. 6. Talking in terms of the other person's interests. 7. Making the other person feel important--and doing it sincerely. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Industry Web Site Gives Bad Advice

   There is a prominent web site open to consumers that offers advice for selecting a cleaning service. The web site is careful not to favor any particular cleaning method. This generic approach was obviously designed for a cleaning and maintenance industry with numerous methods, differing levels of education and varying degrees of expertise.    The site also offers advice that doesn't do a favor for anyone in the cleaning business. They make arranging for a cleaning service sound like a major ordeal by suggesting multiple interviews and signing of a contract. But the worst advice they give is telling consumers they should never accept a price quotation on the telephone.    Two prominent expenses of a service business are time and transportation. One trip instead of two can mean significant savings in this age of rising labor costs and soaring petroleum prices. Besides payroll savings, less travel means reduced oil consumption and traffic congestion. Fewer trips can also give a much needed assist to the environment.    Phone quotes, if done properly, are accurate, economical and environmentally friendly. The savings represents pure profit or may be passed through to the consumer in the form of more competitive pricing. Bane-Clene's award winning* service company has been giving phone quotes since 1969. Naturally, requests for on-location estimates are cheerfully scheduled but most people appreciate the convenience of phone quotes since 98.7% of our residential cleaning services are scheduled with only one phone call. These profitable and successful techniques have been taught to students at Bane-Clene Institute since 1978. *Recognized by Better Business Bureaus, Angie's List and numerous TV consumer advocates for complaint-free service and efforts against bait and switch advertisers. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Selling A Service

   A service is the most difficult commodity to sell and offers the salesperson a challenge. A service is not produced until after the sale is made. Nothing is there to show the prospect. It is intangible.    Establishing a platform of trust is the most important factor in making the sale in the service industry. A guarantee that if the customer is not entirely pleased with the service there will be no charge is the best method of selling a service.    Having background material such as brochures and a resumé of our experience in the business is helpful in gaining credibility. Wearing an identification badge with our certification number helps instill a sense of security in the customer and establishes the fact that a qualified technician is on the job.    Above all, do not try to imitate the slick salespeople. Be yourself and sell with sincerity, honesty and integrity. These attributes will be self-evident if you truly believe in the service you offer. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Remember Pearl Harbor?

   Most people alive today don't remember December 7, 1941, the "Day of Infamy" when nearly everyone in our country got behind a war effort to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds for victory. It took nearly four years, but Tojo, Mussolini and Hitler were defeated. Eventually communism, the next threat to our freedom, fell thanks to Ronald Reagan's relentless battle against it.    Freedom is safe now, right? Wrong! There is little support for the war terrorists have mounted against the great Satan and its infidels. That's the USA and us, its citizens! Much of the flag waving subsided within a year of 9/11, and criticism has been mounting steadily about the prosecution of the war.    Let's hope that every thinking person in this country will pray for our political leaders, our military and thank God every day that they haven't forgotten 9/11. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Taking Compliments

   Many cleaning technicians go gangbusters in getting the job done to perfection. After all, their future depends on a happy customer. Why then do they have so much trouble in accepting a genuine compliment?    When a customer comments on the fine job you are doing, don’t mumble something like, “Ah Shucks! Twern’t nothin.” Simply say, “Thank you!” And put a little emphasis in it like you mean it.    The next part is more difficult. Practice this reply: “I really appreciate that. Would you mind telling some of your friends about us?” ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Think About It!

   Quite often, Bane-Clene equipment is described in articles in industry publications and Internet message forums as “the machine you want if you desire simplicity, dependability, and low cost and maintenance.” Certainly, as the manufacturers of this equipment, this is very flattering to us. However, that statement is often followed by “but it is electric.” This follow-up statement is used almost in a “buyer beware” tone.    Bane-Clene utilizes the power of an electric motor for many reasons. First, it works – we have a 40-year service company track record in Indianapolis to prove it. Electric motors are also very inexpensive to operate, are very efficient, compact, maintenance free, non-polluting, not affected by heat or cold and are very quiet.    Consider these facts:

• Electricity runs forklifts and material handling equipment, which lift millions of tons of merchandise each day in the warehouses and loading docks around the world.
• Electricity runs elevators, which transport millions of people and endless tons of freight each day throughout the buildings of the world.
• Electricity provides heating and cooling for and illuminates millions of homes, buildings, arenas and sports domes each day all over the world.
• Electricity powers welding equipment that melts metals and helps form many structures that we live in and drive over.

   This list could very easily be expanded, but the case has been made. One would be extremely close-minded to think that electricity could not power a simple machine to clean and maintain a fiber normally not longer than one-half inch.    Think about it! ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Wants, Needs and Answers

I want a truck-mount but need a portable!    Bane-Clene is both! I want a machine that will last 20 years!    Bane-Clene will! I want equipment with no built in obsolescence!    Bane-Clene can be updated with every new change! I want low-cost operation!    Bane-Clene costs less to buy, less to operate and less to maintain than any other truck-mounted cleaning system. This translates to pure profit! I want advice for my business!    Bane-Clene has been in business since 1962. Every person in the organization is an expert and will discuss any business problem on our toll-free hot line. I want help with my advertising!    Bane-Clene has time-tested brochures, radio and TV commercials and employs two ad agencies to assist you. I want advice and help with cleaning problems!    Bane-Clene has a toll-free help line staffed by experts. I want a quiet machine!    Bane-Clene can work in a hospital room without disturbing the patient. I want financing!    Bane-Clene can arrange financing for you. I want training!    Bane-Clene Institute has trained and certified thousands of successful professionals. I want a guarantee!    Bane-Clene offers a 5-year warranty. ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.

Points to Ponder

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. There are two kinds of failure: those who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought. You’ll never achieve your dreams if they don’t become goals, Life isn’t how long you live, but how you make the journey, ©Bane-Clene® Corporation 2006 Reprinting or electronically publishing this article is strictly prohibited without permission from Bane-Clene Corp.