Carpet cleaner in the big leagues

Jesse Crain played college baseball at the University of Houston and was drafted in 2002, in the 2nd round, by the Minnesota Twins. But here is the really interesting story. He worked in his dad’s carpet cleaning business in Colorado from age 12 to 17. He says he ran hoses, helped pick things up and actually cleaned carpet.

Crain knows how to work hard and he knows that hard work will pay off because he got his start in an industry that requires hard work and discipline to succeed. If he ever tires of playing baseball, I know where he can get a job. It doesn't pay quite as well but it is rewarding.

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Wake up and smell the conspiracy

Money talks. Home Depot owns ChemDry now which has been awarded the platinum rating in the CRI Seal of Approval program. The Rug Doctor rental machine for the do-it-yourself trade also has purchased the platinum CRI badge. Looking at the Certified Service Provider list, the franchises (ChemDry, Duraclean, Guaranteed, Millicare, Mohawk, Rainbow, Sears, ServiceMaster, Stanley Steemer, Zero Rez) make up more than two thirds of the CRI list.

Big carpet mills, with warranties that smack of collusion, want CRI and IICRC (both non-profit third parties) to control the cleaning industry so they can control the warranties. If an "independent" third party says the warranty is void, it sure takes the heat off of the mills. And a nice side benefit to CRI and IICRC is that guppies like you and me will pay them for the rest of our business lives for the privilege of working.

Between big box stores, cheap rental machines, pushy franchises and the added costs of paying into a protection racket, will there be any business or profit for the independent carpet cleaner in the future? Not unless we stand up and take back our industry from the insidious movement that is currently under a full head of steam.

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Happy anniversary Elizabeth

Pardon me for getting sentimental, but today is my wedding anniversary.

I woke up 63 years ago with a five dollar bill and it was a week till payday. I got a haircut and shave, tipped the barber a quarter and had four one dollar bills in my pocket as I donned my Dress Blues for the ceremony. We marched out of St. Francis Church on the Parkway in Philadelphia to the refrains of a military wedding.

In spite of my fortune being only $4 and a '35 DeSoto, I felt very rich that April morning. I was a proud member of the United States Marine Corps, had a 48 hour pass for a honeymoon and was marrying the girl with whom I would spend the rest of my life. Luckily some of our wedding presents came in the form of cash or we couldn’t have gone very far that day.

It's been 63 wonderful years and I'd do it all over again. Thanks for the memories "Lil Bit".

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Investing in customers

Treat every customer like an investment that will return profit to you. The only risk involved is being greedy with the time your customer has purchased from you. While they may expect you to be prompt, they don't want you to rush their job. And they don't care where you've been or how long you were there or how hard you've worked. They're only interested in their own place.

You should list the time you arrive and leave on each job. It may surprise you to find a direct link between rechecks (some call them no-charge call backs) and the lack of time spent on a job. Most rechecks can be eliminated by taking a little more time on the initial job, thus illustrating how a small investment of time may save money on a recheck.

During the next ten years it is estimated that 34 million Baby Boomers will retire. This is without a doubt the most affluent generation ever to quit working. It also represents one that wants to be waited on more than any other. For those in the service industry, that characteristic represents the greatest opportunity we've ever had.

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The HIRE Act

The Hiring Incentive to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act exempts employers from paying Social Security tax on the wages of the unemployed for the remainder of this calendar year. There is also a $1,000 tax credit for each new hire that remains employed for 52 consecutive weeks so tax credits could extend into next year.

Employers must obtain a W 11 form for each eligible new hire. Be sure to talk with your attorney and/or CPA before entering into any such venture. They should have more accurate information about the HIRE act.

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They got off easy

According to Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minnesota, foam 18 inches thick was spotted on the Vermillion River. A resident who reported it watched and took pictures of a carpet cleaner dumping wastewater into a storm sewer. The state Pollution Control Agency served Dynasty Cleaning Services with a violation notice. The company agreed it will no longer discharge wastewater and did not have to pay a fine.

This common malpractice hurts the image of the entire carpet industry. I'll bet the fish don't care if the chemicals are SOA approved or if the scofflaw is a CSP. Putting the might of the CRI behind an effort to eliminate these offenders along with bait and switch advertisers would do more for the carpet industry's reputation than their costly and repressive testing program.

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Health care bill

Congress has passed it and at this point I have no idea if it's good or bad. There has been so much distortion of the truth by politicians that it's impossible to understand the new legislation and how it will affect our small businesses. Going from Fox news to MSNBC makes me doubt they are even talking about the same thing. Whom should you believe?

After the dust settles and more legitimate information is available, we will seek answers from attorneys and accountants and try to keep you informed as to just how this legislation may or may not change your business operations. Stay tuned!

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Keep your advertising clean

In the cleaning industry, much consumer discontent can be traced to advertising. Ads in the yellow pages feature big, ugly dust mites and warnings about your carpet being ruined. In their zeal to degrade the competition, cleaners place ads about shrinkage, mold and mildew caused by the "other" methods. Anything that reaches the consumer should never be negative.

"Bait and Switch" tactics do more harm to carpet sales than inferior equipment, bad chemicals or untrained operators. It's pretty hard to hurt the carpet the mills are making today! But one bad experience by the consumer with someone who advertises $5.95 a room and then cheats them out of hundreds of dollars, can cause them to hate carpet and never buy another one.

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Welcome April class

Spring is here, the grass is green, tulips, crocuses and daffodils have bloomed and the first class of the new spring season at Bane-Clene Institute has blossomed with a full classroom. This is a great time of year. It's a time of renewal and a good time to sharpen your skills and plan for the future in our business during uncertain times.

Thanks to each and every one of you for taking the time to make the pilgrimage to Indianapolis. We'll work hard to make sure you feel welcome and the entire staff will do everything in its power to help you on your road to success. By the way, in spite of what you may have heard, we don't serve Kool-Aid® here.

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The IRS & your wallet

No! This is not about them picking your pocket. Martin Shenkman, an estate planning attorney, from Tenafly, New Jersey, wrote some good advice for Bottom Line magazine about one of the things you should do if your wallet is lost or stolen. Inform the IRS immediately. Your account will be flagged, and if a thief tries to make any filing or claim a refund using your identity, the IRS will contact you. To notify them, call the IRS Identity Theft Hotline, 800 908 4490.

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Complaints

A recent report confirmed that the information we've been teaching at Bane-Clene Institute for more than thirty years is correct. The report said that 96% of unhappy customers never complain. But, the bad news is that 91% of those unhappy customers will never again do business with the offending firm. "Repeat customers are a key factor to success in our business."

The report also said that an unhappy consumer who does not bother to complain will share their negative thoughts with nine others. Thirteen percent of those will be so unhappy that they will tell more than twenty people of their displeasure. The old adage that bad news travels much faster than good news is true. "Repeat customers are a key factor to success in our business."

Bane-Clene's report card strategy should be used on every job. If there's a problem, people will let us know, if we ask. In the event of a complaint, always give the customer the benefit of the doubt. That old rule about the customer always being right isn't honored much any more. Doing this will make your company stand out. “Repeat customers are a key factor to success in our business."

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California demands platinum

From the March, 2010, CRI newsletter: "California has officially specified ANSI/NSF 140 2007e Platinum level as its only environmental criteria for state purchasing. The decision replaces the state's previous California Gold standard for all state agency purchasing."

Could this be why CRI has established a platinum level in the SOA program? On a serious note, how many want to sell the State of California anything? California's IOU's aren't worth much in the real business world. Will that perspective become a reality in the real world of carpet cleaners? How much money can the CRI extract from the cleaning industry?

Perhaps carpet cleaners should be more picky and choosy with whom they do business. And I don't just mean the state of California. Think about that!

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The Sheriff for Governor

There's more to know about Joe Arpaio, of Maricopa County in Arizona. The rest of the country should take a look at the way he runs his jail, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm where inmates work. They grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting the crops by hand. Hard work means good exercise.

The Sheriff has a hog farm which provides meat for the jail and fertilizer for the crops they grow and for a Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work. You can buy a living Christmas tree for under $8.00. He cut out coffee since it has no nutritional value. When inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz Carlton. If you don't like it here, don't come back."

Known as the "Sheriff from hell," Joe Arpaio is considering a run for Governor of Arizona. His position on illegal immigration, which has been a severe problem in Arizona, are well known. If elected, maybe some of his tough, common-sense approaches to governing would rub off on other elected officials who squander public funds. Go Sheriff!

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