Yet another invasive question for my buddy Ken Snow.

[Mike Pailliotet]

My top 15 crews avg well over 250k each with the top 3 being well into the 300's. We use Butlers.

Ken

Will you tell us the dollar amount that went into traditional marketing per van?

 

[Ken Snow]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

I don't it look at it by van Mike (prob cause I don't know how you define a van) nor am I sure how you define traditional advertising.

My Adv budget for our On Location Cleaning Div is a hair under 400k and my Rug Care Div is about 300k.

These numbers are inclusive of all marketing efforts including:
Production and Overhead
Agency costs
Media costs
specialty items
Vehicle painting lettering

Ken

 

[ruff]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

I don't it look at it by van Mike (prob cause I don't know how you define a van) nor am I sure how you define traditional advertising.

My Adv budget for our On Location Cleaning Div is a hair under 400k and my Rug Care Div is about 300k.

These numbers are inclusive of all marketing efforts including:
Production and Overhead
Agency costs
Media costs
specialty items
Vehicle painting lettering

Ken

Not to put you on the spot Ken and you may prefer not to answer, understandably. As a matter of fact you have been one of the most honest, informative and no nonsense persons on this board.

The question that is interesting to me is:
What percentage of gross and net income it is?

The cost is meaningless, unless it is put in correlation to income (net and gross.)

In addition, how much of business do you attribute to: 1) Word of mouth. 2) Repeat 3) New clients that were acquired due to this advertisement.
I know that they can not be assigned to or separated precisely but do you have a good idea or a gut feeling?

Thanks
Ofer

 

[Ken Snow]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

I agree with you ofer, I was only trying to give Mikey something cause I could answer his question.

ON-Location Cleaning Division~ target budget is around 7% of gross sales
Rug Care Division~ target is around 9% of gross sales


The repeat portion is the largest obviously, then referal and advertising. It is very hard to judge, cause it all interacts.

Ken

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

so I take that your cleaning crews in each and every house go on the full court press

uP SELL OR DIE?


something I have heard from customers who have used big franchise cleaners with techs

No up-sells means a shitty cleaning job hurry up and get to the next victim errrrrrrrrr customer

With any business selling is a important factor to being successful. I have work at SS for many years and its all about sells. They never promoted high pressure sales and never wanted us to do it. They just educated the techs with the sale points and we talked about it everyday in meetings and made their tech believe in what they were selling, which is hugh part of selling.

Was there high pressure sales when I was there. Yep, one guy had his customer lock herself in the bathroom and called the office to get him out of the house and he did do a crap job if you didnt buy. That was one bad apple that didnt represent the whole bunch.

There is nothing wrong with educating the customer in all the benifits of your services. You'd be suprised that customer didnt know that carpet cleaning companies actually cleans uph too. :shock:


:mrgreen:

 

[ruff]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

so I take that your cleaning crews in each and every house go on the full court press

uP SELL OR DIE?


something I have heard from customers who have used big franchise cleaners with techs

No up-sells means a shitty cleaning job hurry up and get to the next victim errrrrrrrrr customer

As usual!!!!!
Anything positive and or constructive to contribute? :idea: :?: :idea: :?: :!: :!: :!:

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

GOD l I love the term " educating" the customer

I'm sure you always buy the extended warranty at circuit city

Someone has to educate them, they dont take the IICRC classes or learn the benifits of the services we offer. One of the clients usual questions are "how often to clean this or that", "what should I do here", ect. I guess its effective communications. :shock: Not to the point were you go to technical.

:mrgreen:

 

[ruff]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

I agree with you ofer, I was only trying to give Mikey something cause I could answer his question.

ON-Location Cleaning Division~ target budget is around 7% of gross sales
Rug Care Division~ target is around 9% of gross sales


The repeat portion is the largest obviously, then referal and advertising. It is very hard to judge, cause it all interacts.

Ken

That is pretty good by all measurements that I am aware of.
Hey, Ken can I skip SFS and just come and watch what you guys are doing.
It will definitely help avoid all the pages and pages and pages that Steve T. wants everybody to fill.

 

[Ken Snow]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

LOL ofer- I would charge far more for a day than JonDon does for a week, and frankly they're far better at it than I would be. I have been twice and sent a few others. Make the time whatever you have to do.

If you spend $ with JD it can be free or 1/2 off.

Ken

 

[Greenie]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

For most, just OFFERING Scotchgard or a sofa would get them out of the BDCC club....yet they won't.

 

[Doug Cox]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

For most, just OFFERING Scotchgard or a sofa would get them out of the BDCC club....yet they won't.

Greenie, it comes down to time constraints or whether I feel Scotchgard would benefit the customer.

 

[hogjowl]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

"Time constraints" usually translates into being lazy, socially awkward, or both.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

"Time constraints" usually translates into being lazy, socially akward, or both.

Agreed, protector is a companies biggest profit item and should be a priority.

 

[ruff]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

"Time constraints" usually translates into being lazy, socially akward, or both.

Agreed, protector is a companies biggest profit item and should be a priority.

Brent,
This time I disagree.
Any company that protector is their highest profit, is not charging enough for cleaning.

 

[Doug Cox]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

"Time constraints" usually translates into being lazy, socially awkward, or both.

No, it actually translates into the fact that I'm working a full day and I like to stay on schedule. Maybe some people don't care about other peoples time. I sell Scotchgard where I think its appropriate. Too bad if you don't like the way I operate.

 

[ruff]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

LOL ofer- I would charge far more for a day than JonDon does for a week, and frankly they're far better at it than I would be. I have been twice and sent a few others. Make the time whatever you have to do.

If you spend $ with JD it can be free or 1/2 off.

Ken

So, if I go twice it's free?
3 times- You pay me, right?

 

[ruff]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

"Time constraints" usually translates into being lazy, socially awkward, or both.

No, it actually translates into the fact that I'm working a full day and I like to stay on schedule. Maybe some people don't care about other peoples time. I sell Scotchgard where I think its appropriate. Too bad if you don't like the way I operate.

Doug, ignore Marty. It's the only thing to do.
He's been having a bad day...........
since 1964.

 

[Scott]

Re: Yet another invasive question for my uddy Ken Snow.

"Time constraints" usually translates into being lazy, socially awkward, or both.

No, it actually translates into the fact that I'm working a full day and I like to stay on schedule. Maybe some people don't care about other peoples time. I sell Scotchgard where I think its appropriate. Too bad if you don't like the way I operate.

Doug, ignore Marty. It's the only thing to do.
He's been having a bad day...........
since 1964.

ROFL! bad day = pissy

 

[hogjowl]

I'm not pissy!

I'm personality challenged.

 

[The Great Oz]

Greenie, it comes down to time constraints or whether I feel Scotchgard would benefit the customer.

Maybe this is why I've never had a contractor complete 100% of a job; that finish work might take a few minutes away for the next job they can't wait to get started on. We talk over the next several days, we agree I'll pay them 80% and finish the job myself. I think about how little time it took to do the easy stuff they didn't have time for after having done all of the heavy lifting and see tech mentality outweighing the business mentality.

Schedule enough room in your day to add 15 minutes to each job for the protectant application. Why skip the physically easy $300 per hour protectant application (that happens to have no drive time) because you have to run to the next physically hard $110 per hour cleaning job?

 

[Ken Snow]

Protectant
Another piece of furniture because the other things look so great
Another room for the same reason
Tile in the bathroom cause the test area you did came out so well
Deodorizer in the room Fido has an occassional accident

There are so many possible reasons for the clients to have more services performed. Coming back to do them is a disservice to them and more costly to us. Leave enough time to allow for this.