Fast, faster and fastest

About five years ago, I passed through an airport that was covered with luxurious carpet. The next time I was there the carpet looked dingy and dull. I'm sad to say the last time I was there all of that carpet was gone and had been replaced with tile.

The culprit was a big floor machine that "cleans" carpet fast and allows an operator to ride on it. This appeals to lazy employees who lobby management for these tools which opens the door to hucksters who sell the concept that faster and easier is better.

During construction, troweling and air/moisture evacuation cause subtle pockets in the concrete that are undetectable under the carpet. The pick-up bar on wide machines bridge these slight depressions leaving residue which wicks up during the drying process.

The residue attracts soil which is spread by foot traffic and the result is a dull, dingy look to the entire surface of the carpet. Most times, the carpet gets the blame and pays the price as it did in this airport. That hurts everyone in the carpet chain including cleaners.

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Happy employees

Most people work to meet financial obligations, but the money earned does not necessarily determine how employees feel about their jobs. Don Barrett, Jr., speaking at a Bane-Clene convention, said, "A little time and consideration for your employees will reap benefits for your company that translate into profit.

"Employees need feedback that they are performing well and too often the only feedback they get is criticism. They have a need to be treated as individuals and have personal lives with responsibilities other than the business. The company fits a different place in the realm of things for even a dedicated employee than it does for the owner.

"Respecting these considerations is a win/win. Employee job satisfaction will increase and happy employees are great assets to the company. Productivity increases, moral heightens, company image and customer service improves and employee turn over decreases, thus lowering hiring and training time and expense."

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Be careful granting credit

This is good advice especially in tough economic times. A company may have a prestigious sounding name and beautiful facilities, but check them out before they get too far into your financial hide. They may have leased the fancy premises, vehicles and furniture and have no assets; so even a mechanic's lien will do no good in collecting past due accounts.

Be careful of existing prompt-paying customers, too. If they become slow in settling up their account or complain about service to delay the payment of the account, take heed. A request for the reissue of an invoice may be an indicator that they are in financial trouble, and you may wind up on a list of creditors when bankruptcy is filed.

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Corporate welfare

Yes, it does exist and in fact is running rampant. Government should not interfere in the marketplace by luring a business from another city or state to its own political confines. Governors and Mayors have become real estate salespeople rather than administrators.

Nearly every day, business pages note a company moving from one locale to another and tell how many new jobs will come to the region. Usually, near the end of the article, tax abatement is mentioned and sometimes huge infrastructure outlays are granted.

How many times have you seen a company fail to produce the promised number of jobs?

And taxpayers pick up the tab for these failures. Meanwhile, back in their old community stands a vacant building with people filing for unemployment compensation.

Indiana spent millions to bring the United Air Lines maintenance facility to Indianapolis. It's gone and taxpayers bore the cost of the many unemployed it left behind. It's time to quit this political theft from hardworking taxpayers who follow the rules.

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Voice from the past

There have been numerous calls and e-mails congratulating us on our upcoming 50th business anniversary from customers, vendors and colleagues in the industry. One such call came from Lloyd Weaver who contacted Jeff Cross, the editor of Cleanfax, in trying to reach me. Jeff was kind enough to forward his phone number.

What a pleasant surprise hearing his voice when I returned his call. The last time I saw him was at a Steam Carpet Cleaner's Association convention in Indianapolis in 1976. Lloyd was the original innovator of air moving equipment and told me he spends most of his time now figuring out ways to control dust. A worthy cause indeed.

Not many of us old guys who witnessed the rapid expansion of the carpet cleaning industry in the '70s and '80s are left and it was a thrill to speak with him. Lloyd, who lives in Billings, Montana, and I finished our conversation with a sincere wish that we both get to meet again....here on earth.

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Excessive excesses

Apparently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation hasn't heard that these are tough economic times. Government is under the gun to cut expenses, but are they really working at it? The FBI just opened a new office in a prestigious suburb of Indianapolis. The new facility reportedly cost $40,000,000.00.

They could have renovated their old digs or relocated to a vacant building in the "bad" part of the city where their presence would have done some good. But, they moved from center city to one of the most affluent and expensive real estate locations in the state. Of course they say the new building is "energy efficient" so the money they save on their electric bill will probably pay for it in no time at all.

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Bulletin boards

A recent e-mail asked: Why don't you join in conversations on industry bulletin boards? With 50 years in business, you must have something constructive to offer. I think you are selfish for not sharing your experience on public forums. Jerry

In 1999, an industry "guru" sent an e-mail to me that said he and a group of "Board Gorillas" were going to electronically destroy my company because they didn't like my comments on safety. When a customer would ask a question on a public forum, I continued to post until 2002, but my responses generated such hateful and malicious rhetoric that we decided to answer questions only on our own web-site.

It's difficult to talk with officials of most companies, but it's easy to communicate with anyone at Bane-Clene. Our message center may be used by non-customers, too, and all information on our web-site is available to everyone with no restrictions. Many readers e-mail me directly, as you did Jerry, and I will answer business related questions personally. Those of general interest, like this one, may be published here.

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High-tech theft

Police say there is a new high-tech robbery tactic using a device that electronically clones your car's security code when you lock your doors using your key chain locking device. Thieves sit a distance away and when a victim is inside a store or restaurant, they have a few minutes to break into the car, steal and run.

The solution is to manually lock your car door by the lock button inside the car as you leave. When you use the lock button upon exiting, it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the door lock on your key chain, it sends the code through the air where it can be stolen.

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What triggers an IRS audit?

They say it's random and their computers are programmed to look at differential scores. But there are things that make an audit more likely, like having an office at home. If an auditor finds kids' toys in the office they might challenge that deduction.

If your company is losing money and your books and records easily reflect that, you may not have to pay yourself a salary, but year after year of losses will eventually cause them to initiate an audit and declare it a hobby, not a business.

If you're not incorporated, and you're not separating personal financial records from business activities, that's going to be a big problem in an audit. If you keep separate books and records for your business, the audit will be faster and go smoother.

The IRS looks at expenses such as meals, entertainment and travel. Documentation is required to justify expenses. If you're expensing a meal, you should have an appointment book that shows whom you met, why, a receipt for how much you spent and where.

And lastly, if you sub-contract work to others, the chances of an audit are greater. The IRS wants to know if this is just a way of avoiding payroll taxes. Thousands of new auditors are being added so be prepared and keep your records as clean as your equipment.

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Happy Birthday!

Today is the 236th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. From an old one ... WWII and Korea... to any that are left and to all Marines....Semper Fi!

Link to Godaddy's tribute to the Marine Corps.

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Why?

Following is an e-mail from a fellow considering the purchase of Bane Clene equipment:

I was impressed and want to change because of gas prices. But the machine I use now has more vacuum, power comes from the truck engine and my water is hotter. Your water pressure isn't thirty percent of what I have. I saw it do as good a job as I could do and I can't figure out why. I didn't get to meet you when I was in town for the demo. Since I always read your blog and respect you, I would appreciate your comments on those.

These are just some of the reasons why our cleaning systems work so well. I hope they help you make up your own mind because if you sell yourself, your chances of success are increased a hundred fold over someone who is sold by a slick salesperson:

1. Cleaning agents are specifically designed for the system.
   
   1. Developed and used in our own service company.
   2. Constantly updated and monitored.
   3. 256 parts of water to one part chemical means virtually no residue.
2. Cleaning solutions have balanced delivery and recovery.
1. Proper delivery pressure for adequate penetration
2. Adequate recovery of spent solution for quick drying.
3. A plus is that all foul air is exhausted outside (External Extraction®).
3. Water at proper temperature.
1. Hot enough to loosen soil.
2. Cool enough to be safe for all fibers.
3. Cheap hot water from using wasted engine heat.
4. Training program is unmatched in the industry.
1. Teaches proper techniques for using our system.
2. De-emphasis on speed. Emphasize customer satisfaction.
3. Chemical usage is taught by a chemist not a salesman.

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Milliken adds 8 new franchises

When I read their press release recently it brought back memories of a lady named "Pat."

"Pat" ( I don't remember her last name) worked for Milliken and called me about 25 years ago to inquire about our method. "Pat" asked more questions about our service business than she did about the process which should have made me suspicious.

But, it was during a period when we were actively seeking recommendations from carpet mills, I was pleased Milliken was interested and answered all of her questions. "Pat" called me every week for ten or twelve weeks on our toll-free number (free for her, not for me) to ask more detailed questions about running a service company.

Much to my chagrin I found out that "Pat" was just picking my brain. Milliken had bought the rights to the old DuPont "Capture" dry-powder process and they were preparing to start their own cleaning service which has now morphed into the Millicare franchise. It's interesting to note that nearly all franchises have the CRI Seal of Approval.

Thanks "Pat!" Do you think I should get a little piece of your franchise fee? Maybe a pittance to reimburse me for all of those toll-free calls? I'm just kidding of course! Mohawk was much worse than you. They cost Kevin Stark and me a two-day trip to Dublin, Georgia*, besides all of the "toll-free" phone calls.

* It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from there.

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Initiative

Individuals must take the initiative to help themselves when possible. The recent disaster at the Indiana State Fair is an example. The ominous sky was in clear sight and moving their way fast. Yet people sat in grandstands, watched the approaching storm and waited to be told to get out of there. A disaster ensued and some of them didn't make it.

Someone sent me a joke about a flood victim that makes the same point. A police car came by with a warning and offered to take the man to higher ground. With water up to the curb a truck came by. When the water was in the house a boat came. And finally when he was sitting on the roof a helicopter flew in to rescue him.

Each time he told the would-be rescuers that God would take care of him. He drowned.

On arrival in Heaven the man told God how disappointed he was that He didn't save him. God said, "I sent a car, a truck, a boat and a helicopter. What more did you want?"

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Company policies

A recent e-mail asked: We're new to the business and I run my husbands office. We're not customers but I read some of your material on the internet and wonder if you would mind telling me how you established your office routines and customer service policies when you started in business? Amanda

Actually my wife, Elizabeth, was responsible for them. She managed a doctor's office and used the procedures from her job to establish telephone manners, filing systems and the scheduling of appointments. Her boss was a stickler for keeping accurate records and that has proven to be valuable to us over the years.

Her love of old fashioned department stores led to our customer service policies and procedures. Her favorite store, L. S. Ayres & Co., had a policy that customers were always right even when they were wrong. Our policies were established based on those of both L. S. Ayres & Co., and her job with the doctor.

These decisions paid great dividends. In '72 we were offered a licensed department for Ayres' carpet cleaning which generated millions in revenue over the next twenty years and their cut was only 10% of the gross billing. Those policies also have our company in good standing with our BBB and the premier referral program of the day, Angie's List.

By the way, Amanda, the story of how our company grew over the years is available in a book, "We did it their way!" It's filled with information about things we did in the early days of our first half century in business. The fifteen year-old hard cover book is in its second printing and is now only $14.95 on our web site.

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