i read the thread far below on offering a spotting service.

the reason i havent is because in my mind, most of my clients are on a tight budget and any reason they can have to prolong me coming back they will take it.

if i spot for them they may not have me out to give them a thorough cleaning with the Mex for another 6-12 months :-\

am i not thinking this thru fully?

Derek,

There are two ways to look at this. Short-term. And long-haul. Consider the two options.

1. Let their carpets become loaded with spots as quickly as possible with the thought that they'll call you back and have you clean it again.

2. Provide a cleaner environment for your client on an ongoing basis.

The first option may provide you with some quick money. That sounds good. However the second option will be more conducive to your building a successful business (over the long-haul). Keeping their premises cleaner on an ongoing basis adds value to your company and provides your client with a nicer place to work. And that equates to providing a better all around service. Your client will respect you for that and they'll be more likely to refer you. In this economy especially, we need to help our clients extend their maintenance dollar. In the long haul you'll be viewed as someone who genuinely cares about their property, and consequently your business will prosper.

The "long-haul" always beats the "short-term" IMHO









Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Something that's happening in a residential building that I'm cleaning the carpet in is getting interesting.

From the get go, the manager wanted me to take care of not only the carpet cleaning, but also the vacuuming, 3 times a week. He got sick of the janitorial company and their horrible vacuuming.

Then, he mentioned how spot cleaning is an ongoing challenge. However, I noticed that their in-house guys who do spot cleaning do a horrible job. They were using simple green, and leaving a lime green stain on the carpet (I can't remove those stains with stain magic or red relief). They also scrub so hard, the carpet gets frayed in those areas.

He now wants me to assume the spotting duties on the days we vacuum as well. I also ordered a case of encapspot for his in house guys to use when we aren't there. I told the manager to have his guys go easy on the scrubbing.

I will propose to do the vacuuming 3 times a week, and light spotting for a daily rate. I will also charge a separate hourly rate for special spot treatment, such as vomit, urine, gum, drink spills, etc that require more than encapspot and a brush and towels, such as extraction, stain magic, etc.

I will leave a spotting extractor, hand tool and a spot claw for my employee to use. I will train her how to use the various spot treatments and how to use the little extractor. That way, I won't have to make the trip out there.

Keep in mind, I pay her pretty good, so she isn't the run of the mill vacuumer.

I will also propose to clean their walk of mats in an exchange routine.

I also clean 4 wool rugs in the two lobbies.

So what's my point of this long rant? What Rick said. Make yourself valuable to your customer. Try to offer as many services as you can. Offer a PROPER vacuuming service, and the spot cleaning should follow easily since you'll have people in there regularly. Let them see that you are interested in keeping their place looking it's best, not just to clean the carpet and run.

Of course, price is key, so see if you can develop systems that will allow you to bid very competitively.

Give them such an incredible service experience that they will never want to get rid of you.

"Give them such an incredible service experience that they will never want to get rid of you."

Beautifully expressed Thomas






Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Rick, I have to take this opportunity to thank you for pioneering and promoting encapsulation cleaning with the Cimex.

I am getting so many positive comments about the results we are getting. Someone even asked if new carpet was installed. These carpets haven't been cleaned since the building was finished some 1 1/2 years ago.

I honestly would not want to clean these carpets with HWE only. I would be on one floor forever to try to get the results I'm getting.

There is a room near the pool area with carpet that people are allowed to eat in. The manager had no hope for it. It now looks brand new. He was floored, along with others who saw it.

For this first time, I am encapping first, then doing a hwe rinse. Sometimes I lose track of what I hwe'd because I can't tell any difference at all. The water has been absolutely black, so I think this will give the building a fresh start.

I've been cleaning carpets for 8 years, but what the Cimex/releasit combo, along with the other specialized tools I now use have given me the ability to provide results that are consistently beyond expectations.

Thomas,

Thank you for those very nice comments about our cleaning system!!! You made my day

Would you mind posting this as a "Product Review"?
You can go to the store and copy & pate your comments there.

Here's the link to the Releasit product page...
http://www.excellent-supply.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=4&idproduct=1
You can copy and paste your review at the bottom of the page.

Reviews of products are helpful. And your comments would be a nice addition.

Thanks bro!







Rick Gelinas
rick@excellent-supply.com

Rick,

I tried to post my review, but for some reason I can only put my name, review title and number rating (scale 1 to 5).

Am I missing something?

What kind of spotter do you have Thomas? Does it have heat?

Thanks
Your Servant Alex

Cultivate the "OCCD" you had at first for the industry!

Hey Alex,

I have a Edic Bravo, no heat. It's good because it has wheels and an extension handle, so when it's filled, it's easy to roll around.