Thanks Rick for posting those cool photos of the new SD machines. I just traded my Mach-12 for a SD2 and now can use HWE when needed.

Rick, viewing your photos, you wrote that John Downey gave a class on understanding facility managers and how to market to them. Could you share any of this info? I've got a few of these managers that are thinking hard about bringing me in, but just cannot bring themselves to say "YES". Need some advice on how to get this word out of them. Thanks.

One of the things we learned is about the hierarchy in a large organization. The target person in this type of organization is the "facility director". This person is college educated and is in charge of the entire property, including HVAC, security, the roof, etc. The part of their job they likely understand least and hate the most relates to cleaning. So educate this person. And help them to solve their problems. A demo will help to bring this person to the point of buying. You should spec the entire building and include wear, traffic and suggested service. A contract will be required. These are some of the primary things we covered. A lot of this may seem like common sense, but Downey and Walker helped put it into context for us.





Rick Gelinas
encapman

There are many factors to consider here also.
Do you already have an house cleaning crew or do they outsource it?
Not only do I mean the carpets but the general cleaning tasks also

If everything is done in house at this time there may be union issues to deal with, cleaners who may feel you are stealing there over time or projects.
Carpet cleaning is just one aspect of the whole cleaning spectrum the manager has to deal with. Many time if they are going to outsource one part of the cleaning they want to the same to the rest. This usually means the want one company to do it all.

If that is the case then I would look at teaming up with a company that does only janitorial and wants nothing to do with carpets, true subcontracting situation.

One last point, Facilities Managers will 99% or the time not respond to push marketing they respond to pull marketing. They analyze the numbers, they ask colleges what worked for them and seek input from peers and any educational materials they can find to make a theirs decisions.

David

PS
Rick is Right Mr Downey and Walker made the complex simple and Mr Walker
part was worth the trip it self

David, the last paragraph in your post was dead on target. I was a Facalities Mgr. for many years and that was the best definition I have ever heard. That kind of understanding can help you get a contract. Also remember that managers do not do business with people they do not know or do not trust. I always start my relationships with lunch, golf or whatever their interests are that I find out at lunch and don't scrimp on lunch. I could write a book on "lunches"

Rambo, do you have an email that works? if you want, email it to me : dbeyer01@bluefrog.com

thanx sir --- Derek.

Thanks guys for the info.

David, one of the facilities happens to be a private college, so no union issues. They outsource their current cleaning, one company that handles it all. The director there says that when it comes time for CCing, they pull guys from their normal jobs to do it. They seem to do a decent job, but the usual areas suffer. Come spring, he'll be taking a hard look at me (again). Can you decribe the difference in push or pull marketing?

Rambo, please explain more about this "lunch" angle. Seems I remember you writing something about this on the old vlmcentral site.

Wes,

PUSH marketing is based on sales efforts made by the company doing the selling. "Buy our product".

PULL marketing comes from sources other than the company doing the selling. It could include a published study, recommendations from colleagues and peers, empirical data, manufacturers endorsements, etc.

PUSH marketing may be effective in selling cola. But PULL marketing is generally more effective for large and more important decisions.

To illustrate: If I was the only person saying that Cimex machines and Releasit were good for commercial carpet cleaning, that would be PUSH marketing and few of you would believe me. On the other hand, if you were to go to a message board and read any thread on commercial carpet cleaning - and find frequent references to the Cimex and Releasit from peers - this becomes PULL marketing.

We learned that facility managers will likely be basing a lot of their cleaning related decisions on PULL marketing sources.








Rick Gelinas
encapman

Ramboo, this may have worked in past years, but times have changed, these people would still love to do lunch and golf, but most corporate policies forbid this in all shapes and forms. We get several letters each year right around Xmas from our many clients reminding us of this policy. Yes even a box of chocalates is considered tabou.
Your approach was certaining a very good way to get to know a possible contractor, and I wish it was still around to day with the people we deal with. We have clients that we have worked for, for over 25 years and they can go to lunch because of corporate policy, best I can do is meet them at their location and buy them a coffee in their cafeteria.
Your approach may work in a few environments, but in the big corporate world we need to find another way to entice these people to use our services.

Don, i wonder if that is a Canada thing, or maybe i'm just too small fry to have heard of it. while i haven't taken anyone out to luch or a round of golf, dropping off coffee, doughnuts and the like have been fine. anyone else find what Don says to be true in their case?

just wondering --- Derek.

I knew someone was going to say that won't work any more, I just didn't know who. It works as well today as it did 25 years ago. I just signed a contract with a national company near the Atlanta airport becuse I took the time to build a relationship with the women who makes the decision. My wife and I took them (her and and her husband) to dinner twice at a very nice restaurants. We never discussed business during these outings. But when I went to her facility, I was ushered into her corner office post haste. I never asked her for a maintenance contract, she asked me! I explained what we were doing for other facilities and how long we had been doing it and how we would provide a color coded maintenance schedule for her file. We covered all our insurances, including Workers Comp. with her. She could not wait for me to get the agreement to her for signature. And this is for big bucks and her office building is extra clean. Oh Yes It Still Works just make sure you do.

Thanks for the info Ray.
I know it works I have a similar experience.
This will get a little long but will illustrate the pull marketing and how upper management people make decisions.

WE put equipment in a local University. I know the Facilities Manager
We had cleaned his home with the Demon several times, he liked the results and how small the machine was.
I in passing asked what they were using at Umass. He was very kind and replied they are using a consultant along with a program set out by them and any equipment would need to be approved by them, and given the consultants contact info.

This left me two choices call this man direct who I had no relationship or credibility with or enlist help. I choose to call John Downey and ask him if he could contact the consultant John Walker.

Mr. Downey happened the know Mr. Walker from Clean Fax days.
They started contacting each other and working with each other.

A few years later Mr. Walker has a carpet cleaning program with our equipment as one of the center pieces and Demons are being put in UMass and a places like Disney Boeing etc.

This I can assure you would not have happened or happened as quickly if I would have contacted someone I did not have a relationship with and was not able to build one with because of distance.

Remember any major decision is these Managers Butt on the line if it does not work. While they will take risks they will not take uneducated risks from someone they do not know or trust.
There is also another benefit by building relationships with these people they will lead you to others just like them and things expand with out you having to break your back each time you go out.
David

I was looking back, and of the last 5 big accounts we have picked up, 1 found us on the web, and the other 4 werefrom refurals from someone else. We had not contacted any of these ourselves. All contacted us first.

Brian

Referrals, or recommendations are a lot different than cold calling a facilities manager and asking them out for lunch or a golf game.
99% of our commercial work is from referrals or solving a carpet problem for a commercial building and than building on that to create a maintenance program.