How to Increase Profits with “Add-On” or “Plus” Sales in Your Carpet Cleaning Business

Extra sales (“Add-on” sales) make a carpet cleaning company highly profitable and grow every year. The terms “add-on sales” and “plus sales” is offensive to some. It calls to mind the huckster element of the cleaning business that is never satisfied with what a customer buys, but always wants to sell more - whether the customer needs it or not. Yet, extra sales make a company highly profitable. A service vehicle should generate a reasonable profit just by doing the basic work it was designed to do, which is to clean carpets. Additional sales made by that service unit make the difference between a very mediocre company and a highly profitable one. In the twenty years that the Wm. F. Bane Co., worked for L. S. Ayres, a major Midwestern department store, it reported to Salvatore R. (Sol) Petruzzi. Sol loved to use the term “plus sales.” He said it sounded much softer than “add-on sales” and made extra profit for his company. Sales people, he believed, must be taught to be ethical in the selling of extra services. He had basic rules concerning plus sales: Plus sales should be made only to the customer who has a need for the product or service. The customer should be able to afford to buy the extra product or service. If your basic fees cover expenses and a small profit just cleaning carpets, a crew can make extra profit with just a few additional sales. These go almost entirely to the bottom line since the expenses of getting to the job and advertising for it are already amortized. Examples of Add-On Plus Sales Internal Services to Increase Your Profits: Carpet protectors are a tremendous profit generator. Plus sales may also be offered in upholstery cleaning, but the cleaning technician needs to be properly trained or you’ll buy ruined furniture! Leather Cleaning & Protection. Wood and laminate floor refinishing, restoration and repair. Wood, laminate and fake wood floors are rapidly replacing traditional carpeting in homes. Cleaning, polishing and sealing stone floors and countertops such as marble, granite, limestone, sandstone and grout. Resale items carpet rakes, spotters and door mats. Carpet cleaning companies can make extra money cleaning wall coverings, room dividers, office cubicles, cubicle walls and fabric office partitions! Area and oriental rug cleaning can be extremely profitable, especially if pick-up and delivery is included in the service. Large expensive oriental rugs are often found on wall-to-wall carpet in homes and executive suites. With the rapid growth of wood floors, area rugs are increasingly popular. Pet urine odor and stain removal. Cleaning Commercial Carpets like hotels, restaurants, office buildings. Repair of carpet bleach spots. Dry cleaning drapery. Cleaning Motor Homes. Cleaning interiors of boats and yachts. Move in / Move out Cleanups. VCT Strip & Wax. Some of our customers have successfully added exterior services such as: Window Cleaning. Gutter Cleaning. Pressure Washing of Driveways, etc. Roof Cleaning. Concrete Cleaning. Concrete Garage, Driveway and Patio Cleaning and Protection. Cleaning Wood Fences and Decks. If your profit margins are not what you think they should be, take a few days off, come to Bane-Clene Institute training school and improve your position in the industry! Related Advertising and Marketing Articles: How to Make More Money with Scotchgard or Teflon Selling Carpet Protectors Free Bane-Clene Information Package Free packet of information about Bane-Clene can be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-428-9512 (U.S. ONLY!). Your information packet will include a full color catalog and price addendum. Packets will arrive in approximately 2 weeks through standard United States Mail. You can also order the packet at the Catalog Request Form. “A to Z” Alphabetical Index to the Bane-Clene Web Site For Professionals Bane-Clene Store