Thanks Mark, and goodness no i didnt like florida when i lived there :o)

I had gotten 5 restaurants this past year and most of them are every 2 wks during 8 months of the year and then 2 of those slow down during our summer months. so that w/residential i was pretty busy. we also do cleanup for a bookstore similar to a barnes n noble. along with samller commercial properties.

I am an extremist so i can be happy if im extremely busy running 20hr days or be happy doing absolutely nothing and reading a good book.

so i figured having a good salesman would help keep me in line and staying focused. It has Worked! hes got me running like crazy :o)

i read alot of sales/business books so i am always looking for ways to improve in this market. not only that i try to network w/people who are doing well in this market. I even called my old employer i was there 8 yrs before i lost my position and started op. he thought i wanted my job back, but what i wanted was an interview. we arent just competing against other carpet cleaners but anybody that accepts money for their product or service.

so i have to make a emotional connection and i have to create an urgency for my services. I want them to buy my services instead of buying the new couch or tv.

reading/communicating with others really helped me to see this. I have a friend that pushed to make 1 million last year in the heating/refrigeration industry. i have another friend pushing for 1 million this year doing portrait photography! selling 1 million in pictures in this down economy but he's doing it!

Ac is dangerous and its hard work usually in the sun.
the portrait guys stand in stores and make kids smile or cry. ac is purchased out of necessity, pictures from a emotional connection.

if you combine the necessity with an emotional connection you have a lucrative sell!

I have a customer who paid $325 for 3hrs worth of cleaning cause she wants safe solutions for her 10yr old dog.

My salesman is very experienced its like talking to santa clause, tell me what you want and ill do magic. we under promise and over deliver.

hope this helps, find someone and make them a duplicate of yourself (passion, drive, vision and ethics) and challenge them to sell more than you can handle. then build a team that will be a money making machine.

WOW!

Congrats...

Some day I hope to have a business like yours

Congratulations on the new accounts Mike! What type of machine are your going to be using, what products do you utilize, and which pads do you use? I am curious about which ones on the commercial accounts such as the restaurants and casinos, I assume you use different machines, products, and pads on these compared to residential?

Thanks guys, and i definately dont feel like i have arrived. but the opposite! Im still learning and will continue to do so! im just motivated to make it happen.

I use 2 17" challenger Titans and i will be purchasing a 20" CX20 from orbitec. It is used so im getting it for $1200 it was purchased to service only 1 account. that account wouldnt let anyone clean their floors without the pad system, but they closed down and the guy doesnt even want the machine lucky me! I will also be purchasing a rotovac and a system similar to the CFX. Theres another that i think i will be going with though. Killer design really stands out. The purple cow effect!

I use an encap cleaner from a local company

hydroxi-pro - hydrogen peroxide really makes a difference

multi surface cleaner by earth sense - also w/ h202

a non solvent degreaser by e.logical (chem blend industries)

sha-zyme degreaser w/ enzymes

oil eater degreaser

i also like blaze from ccs. its just faster for me to get products locally plus it gives me a feel for what other cleaners are doing :o)

Sha-Zyme is awesome for carpet/tile&grout. plus the enzymes and pleasant smell really helps in restraunts.

I think oil eater performs a little better but i still like sha-zyme because my customers like it.

I typically will use a degreaser on the carpet and then will follow up with an encap cleaner. all the products listed perform well for me but am always looking for more. somebody just told me about Krudd Kutter that i will be trying next.

i use std 100% cotton pads from challenger. I didnt like the enduro's. i havent tried their turbo pads.
but i really like their dbl pads. different carpets i will adjust amount of pre spray or how wet the towels are, or i add a glider since i priarily use only the 100% cottons.

whats awesome about restaurants most of mine are every 2 wks, so when i get other commercial or even residential work they feel very small and i am able to do them pretty quick w/great results.

what cleaners are you guys using for greasy floors?