Success statistics*

Business owners who are certified at Bane-Clene Institute have a remarkable record. Since the Institute moved to the current location in 1978, records indicate that more than 6,000 students have attended. It's probably no surprise that graduates who score high on the final examination are more likely to succeed than those with lower scores or who don't pass the examination.

Of those who scored at least 90% on the final examination, more than 98% are successful and remain in business through these troubling times. Those who scored in the mid to upper 80's have a success ratio of 93% and others who scored in the high 70's succeed 84% of the time. Those who score under 70% are not issued a certificate nor is their business history monitored.

These statistics obviously say something about the quality of the school itself, but more than that, the results acknowledge students who are indeed unique. Taking time from a busy schedule and making the effort to attend school says a lot about the caliber of the person who will make such a sacrifice. The rewards naturally follow.

*Success is defined as still in business, sold their business or retired.

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Success formula

One of the greatest success stories of the 20th century was Sam Walton. He was famous for dropping in at one of his stores unannounced and seeing that everything was the way he wanted it. Reportedly, he was always kind and friendly to employees and customers alike. Mr. Walton traveled in an old pick-up truck wearing overalls and no one ever thought of him as pretentious.

He had managed a store for James Cash Penny, who in 1914 wrote his famous doctrine on customers service. Mr. Penny used that doctrine as a basis for training his store managers. Sam Walton later tried to adapt the same Penny philosophies to his fledgling new company when he founded Wal-Mart. He wanted to copy a very successful company.

Learn from Sam. Pattern your company after one with a history of success in your chosen profession. Don't copy an operation which has not been around very long and which doesn't have a proven track record. Be very careful about accepting advice from strangers who may have an agenda that does not have your best interest at heart.

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California carpet cleaner caught in BS scam

Clean Dry USA, DBA Target Carpet Care, Clean N' Dry Carpet and SoCal Dry-Tech, advertised 3 rooms cleaned for $49.95 using special "dry" cleaning technology. But customers said the company used bullying, false statements and intimidation. Elderly customers were charged more and most complained that carpets were wet for days.

One case in Santa Monica, California, involved an 85 year old lady who said they demanded $2,000 to clean 570 square feet. When she protested, they lowered the price to $995, then $795 and finally $560. Her carpet was wet for three days, and the company did not return her calls.

The owner of the company was convicted of four counts of grand theft, six counts of false advertising, sentenced to three years probation, ordered to provide refunds of more than $20,000 and to perform 360 hours of hard labor community service. He is barred from operating a cleaning business and must discontinue his phone numbers and advertisements.

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Phone Inquiries

When telling callers about the benefits of doing business with your company and giving specific price information, have you ever wondered if they were listening? Some are thinking about their next question while you answer the first one. Some drift off into a twilight zone and don't hear anything you say, especially if your answer is too long.

Some may be argumentative, try to sidetrack you or they get your information mixed up with the others they have called for an estimate. But remember, it's a numbers game and you'll close your share of calls if you're patient and thorough in your explanations. And don't worry about the ones who get away. Maybe it's better your competitor got them.

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Seven sins

In October of 2000, I wrote an article for a magazine on why so many carpet cleaning companies do not make it. Most failures are caused by under capitalization, inadequate planning, poor cash flow, procrastination, inept marketing, ignoring customers and/or having a closed mind about accepting and adapting to change. I called them the "Seven sins of failure."

The article was written before the 9/11 catastrophe, the war on terror, the drastic spike in oil prices and the current economic debacle. This has been a terrible decade, but surprisingly most of the people I know who are in our business are still in our business in spite of all that's happened. Profits may be down a little and we may have to work a little harder thanks to inflation that no one in government is willing to admit, but most of us are still here. That's a good thing!

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How advertising works

"An advertisement needs to be seen a minimum of three times before it registers with a consumer and seven times before a purchase is made." This statement came from advertising people who are interested in steady income from repeat clients, but there is some truth to it. Most people must feel comfortable and feel as if they know a company before they will readily do business.

In the carpet cleaning business, the winners are those who plan an ad campaign. Losers go after the wrong market, water down their efforts, spend their entire budget on a few ads and then sit back and wait for the phone to ring. Bane-Clene Institute has a great class on marketing. If you haven't been to school in two or three years, you should plan to attend soon. Much has changed.

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Damaged Products

Products damaged in shipment are more than an inconvenience to the customer. Lost jobs may result. Posts on internet bulletin boards cite horror stories about products being ordered and not delivered or being damaged in shipment and not usable on receipt.

Bane-Clene's shipping department has worked diligently to find better packing materials and applications to prevent damage from rough treatment by drivers and package handlers. Great care is given to taking orders properly and in processing them. And 99.4% of supply orders are shipped the same day they are received.

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New owners of used equipment are welcome

Bane-Clene has been supplying the cleaning industry with equipment for nearly forty years. Many thousands of these machines are working all around the world. With no built in obsolescence, they keep working and often change ownership several times during their lifetime.

If you purchase used equipment, you are welcome to attend Bane-Clene Institute to learn how to get the best results from it and take the "Course to Success" at the world-renowned training facility. For more information or for the next available school, call toll free, 877 ABC BANE.

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Is your price too high?

Someone who says your price is too high may be trying to beat you down or may not be comparing apples to apples. Before changing pricing protocol, go over your cost factors with your CPA to be sure you know the facts. Sell the high quality features of your service and be able to explain why you're worth more or why a competitor's quote may not be as it appears.

Another reason for a prospect saying your price is too high may be that you shouldn't be talking to that person in the first place. Advertising a high quality service in the wrong market will generate that kind of objection. Spend three days at Bane-Clene Institute and learn how to price your services, where to advertise them and how to explain them.

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Quality Defined

Monitor all of your work by mailing a postage paid reply card a day or two after the service has been done. Do not allow employees to distribute the cards. If they are lax in their work, they might not leave a card or the customer may feel intimidated and the card may not be used. If there is a negative response, make an appointment to correct the problem as soon as possible.

There is only one vote that counts when it comes to defining the quality level of the service we offer. That vote belongs to our customer. In the event the customer believes our quality level is poor, he or she simply does not call us on the carpet again.

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Ad value

One of the best values in advertising today is the internet. Total accesses to our web site exceeded seven million during 2008. Most visitors were looking for someone to service their carpets, furniture and hard floors. We know this because when they can't find a Bane-Clene operator in our locator service they call our toll-free number which is listed there.

Dramatic increases every year demonstrate the growth of internet usage by the consumer. You may use this web site and benefit from this advertising bargain for a one time fee of only $99. We'll build a special home page for you and link it to this valuable source of business or if you have a web site you may link it to ours. Call Don Terry at 800 428 9512, or click on, "Your own web site" at www.baneclene.com.

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Good time to start a business?

The Yellow Pages may give the impression that the market is saturated with cleaning firms. But less than 30 % of all installed carpet is ever professionally cleaned. Here's another statistic to think about. More than 80% of the cleaners listed in the yellow pages use voice mail to answer their calls and of those who advertise elsewhere, a majority use cheap room pricing.

These are definite advantages to anyone who advertises prudently and answers their phone. Indeed, it is a great time to start a carpet, hard floor and furniture cleaning business for another reason, too. Traditionally, this business improves during recessionary periods and according to the media we are in one of those now.

A cleaning service can be a successful, profitable endeavor no matter when you start it if you do your homework first. Get a head start by spending three days at Bane-Clene Institute to learn from people who have been in the cleaning business for forty-seven years.

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Celebrate Independence Day

Wave a flag tomorrow. Let your neighbors know you're proud to be an American and that you appreciate this country. With all of the political distractions it's sometimes difficult to remember that this is the greatest and most powerful nation on planet earth.

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Did You Know?

Credit bureaus are required to give you a report of any information they may have about you in their credit file. You can find out who has inquired about you, why credit was refused, have missing information added and erroneous information removed from your file. It's all covered by "The Fair Credit Reporting Act" passed by congress.

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