Thinking of giving your employees a raise? Check out our question on hourly compensation, broken down by region.

Considering adding new services?Find out which ancillary services offer the lowest competition but paired with growth potential.

Dive in. You’ll find these answers and more within our survey results.

Your peers

While technicians, project managers and sales and administrative staff were all represented by respondents, a whopping 94 percent were in corporate management, including owners or supervisors.

Of all companies responding to the survey, 61 percent expect annual revenue in 2016 to exceed $250,000, with more than 21 percent expecting to see $1 million or more. And 87 percent of all companies anticipate a positive year on the books.

Restoration business owners also brought in nice salaries in 2015: 38 percent earned $100,000 or more, and only 24 percent reported earning less than $50,000.

Hurdles

Of course, not everything was sunshine and roses in the 2016 Restoration Benchmarking Survey Report. That all-too-common grievance among restoration professionals — insurance relationship issues — reared its head, with nearly half of all survey-takers naming problems with insurance companies as their biggest business challenge. From uneducated adjusters neglecting to consider S500 changes to rising insurance costs for homeowners to preferred vendor preferences, insurance companies continue to present problems to restoration companies.

“Giving the insured the control with insurance money is hurting contractors.”

Insurance company payment issues also arose, as a tenth of respondents reported they waited, on average, two months or longer for payment.

“I wish technology was integrated into one easy system.”

The second most common challenge reported? Finding and keeping employees. Many respondents said their companies had trouble finding qualified and hardworking employees. And those who did had trouble retaining those employees, finding it especially difficult to lose technicians they’d sent through formal training.

“ There’s been an increase in competition by untrained vendors.”

Outlook

With annual revenue averages continuing to increase and businesses seeking to expand, the 2016 Restoration Benchmarking Survey Report shows a strong future for the industry. And more innovations in software and equipment will only solidify this.

So examine your contemporaries to see where your company stands to help your own plans for the future.

Download the complete report HERE or see below.

The post The 2016 Restoration Benchmarking Survey Report appeared first on Cleanfax.

Matthew describes this job: “An elderly woman cut her leg and bled on the carpet. After four days of trying to clean it herself, she finally gave up and called me. With the use of a truckmount, Water Claw, brush, bucket, lots of warm water and an oxygen/enzyme-rich solution, I continued to flood and rinse the carpet until the subfloor, carpet pad and carpet were all free of all the blood. When I was satisfied that the blood had been removed, I steam cleaned the entire carpet and now it looks like nothing ever happened.”

For an opportunity to win a chemical prize package from Solutions by Steam Pros (worth $500), send your images and a brief 100-word description on how you obtained your results to Jeff Cross, executive editor, at jcross@cleanfax.com or 193 Purple Finch Loop, Pataskala, OH 43062. Contest rules available by request.

The post July 2016 Last Word : Photo challenge, Facebook update and poll results appeared first on Cleanfax.

That happened a few months ago with Fred Geyen’s Commercial Cash Flow article about carpet warranties and rotary cleaning systems. If you missed it, click here and you can read the article.

Fred spent quite a bit of time interviewing carpet mills and manufacturing experts involved with commercial carpet warranties, getting to the bottom of what cleaners should do when it comes to cleaning commercial carpet under warranty coverage.

Many of you spoke up in person, by telephone and by email about Fred’s article . Why? Because it got to the bottom of an issue many of you have faced or at least have wondered about: What do the mills really have to say about cleaning methods and commercial warranties? It’s a great topic because no cleaner wants to get in the middle of a warranty-claim war.

As one subscriber said, “All these years we have cleaned commercial carpets with buffer and pads, not even thinking about the carpet warranty.”

Another added, “I just finished reading the commercial carpet warranty article in the May 2016 issue. Thank you for hitting the nail on the head.”

The point of all this, to my simple mind at least, is there is always something to learn. You would think carpet warranties are fairly transparent. Not always so. Fred dug into the details, and the information he provided to you is invaluable.

Carpet cleaning today is more than just showing up at a job, spraying stuff, starting a machine and moving it over the carpet. Don’t laugh. As I write this, just yesterday I spoke with a veteran cleaner who had some trouble with a carpet cleaning job, and I asked him, “Which prespray do you use?” To which he said, “I don’t know the name, but it’s green.”

Professional cleaning involves investigation — choosing the best equipment, tools and chemistry, ensuring you are following recommendations by the carpet mills… and at the same time, doing the absolute best work for your customers.

It means obtaining an education on the science of cleaning and keeping up to date on changes in cleaning systems, methods and technology.

It means knowing stuff. Thanks, Fred, for helping us know some stuff.

Please send your comments, thoughts or article ideas to Jeff Cross, executive editor of Cleanfax: JCross@Cleanfax.com.

The post Knowing Stuff appeared first on Cleanfax.

When you arrive at the job, you are the only floor and fabric care professional the customer will be speaking with.

It is your responsibility to solve the cleaning problem for which you were hired, but it is also your job to educate the consumer on any other ways in which you might be able to improve their quality of life with the services you provide.

The pool service guy and the window cleaner are not going to explain the importance of proper upholstery maintenance or the value of restoring carpet�� protector. If you don’t make sure the customer is aware of all of the services you provide, who will? If you don’t provide this important information, they will lose out on the opportunity to avail themselves of the other valuable skills you possess.

Their lives can be better, if you just let them know what you do.

Try some of the following five ways to better inform your customers, and you will increase the value of your job tickets in the process.

#1 List of services

The easiest way to inform your clients of the services you offer is to provide a printed list. This can be done using a company brochure or a stand-alone menu of services.

Consumers focus on the specific job which they call you out to perform. They do not memorize all of the services mentioned on your website. Even if your van, business card, invoice and uniform logo clearly state that you provide upholstery cleaning, the customer simply may not be paying attention. To ensure they know, present them a printed list of those services they can hold, read and possibly show their spouse later.

It is then just a matter of pointing to the menu and saying that these are the services you provide. It helps to highlight any specific ones you think are especially relevant.

#2 Reminder cards

The most powerful tool for increasing customer repeat frequency is the reminder card. But it also is effective for increasing the invoice size for jobs. The reminder card, along with encouraging the next job, should also highlight the top secondary services offered by the company.

I suggest reminder cards have a space dedicated to placing the date of the last cleaning followed by check boxes encouraging the top two secondary services.

For example:

• Recommend restoring carpet protector
• Consider cleaning upholstery

You should check the boxes when appropriate.�� Other options might be “area rug cleaning” or “tile and grout cleaning.”

#3 Relevant questions

It is your responsibility as a cleaning expert to ask questions concerning each job along with its relevant history. The answers you receive can help you better solve the customer problems, but they should also lead you to offer other services.

Two powerful questions are:

• Have you ever had your _____ [family room sofa, tile and grout, area rugs, etc.] professionally cleaned?
• Were you aware that we clean _____ [fill in the blank]?”

It is then critically important to listen to what the customer says. If the response is positive, the next natural question should be “Would you be interested in a price for doing that?”

Consumers expect to have this type of conversation with a professional service provider. When presented correctly, these do not sound like pressured sales requests. Instead, they should come across as your attempt to improve the quality of life for your client. You are the only person in the position to help them with these issues.

#4 Clean auto floor mats

Almost every consumer has removable carpeted car mats in need of cleaning. Who is better equipped to provide this service than you? Let’s just say that you charge $15 per pair (adjust according to your pricing) and clean four pairs per day times 200 days per year. That would come to an additional $12,000 income per year! This has to be one of the easiest upsells.

The import detail is to make the customer aware of this service before you arrive for the job. They need to plan ahead in order to collect all of the mats from their various vehicles. A single family could provide three pairs of mats from just one vehicle.

This service needs to be offered when scheduling the job and again at the time of the job confirmation (day before appointment).

#5 Invoice line items

Secondary services such as upholstery, area rug and tile cleaning, along with restoring carpet protector, should be printed as individual line items on your invoice. It is then easy to point to and mention these services while reviewing the invoice with your customer prior to the job.

I suggest actually calculating and filling in the amount for restoring carpet protector as if assuming the customer were planning on including it. If the client hesitates with the item, ask if they are aware of its importance for restoring the “like new” condition of the carpet. Provide that information if the customer is interested. You can easily remove the service fee from the invoice total if the customer is not interested.

It’s your job

Remember, the customer is dependent upon your advice for how they can best maintain their flooring and upholstered fabrics. They usually don’t know all of the service options you provide unless you educate them on what these are.

These easy tips describe some of the best ways for you to explain your services and get the added bonus of increasing the size of your invoices. Distributing a list of your services, creating service check boxes on your reminder cards and working secondary service items into your invoice template provide consistent, printed means of improving communication about services with your customers. And offering auto floor mat cleaning is a simple service addition that can also increase your ticket.

Asking relevant questions positions you as the expert and can have the same result. When this is done right, your customers will credit you for being highly professional.

Steve Marsh is a 40-year veteran of the carpet cleaning industry, an instructor and a Senior Carpet Inspector. He helps home-service companies quickly establish profitable clienteles and then progress on to serve higher quality customers. To help companies achieve these goals he created the step-by-step programs��Single Truck Success��and Be Competition Free. For more information, visit��.

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The post 5 Easy Ways to Increase the Job Ticket appeared first on Cleanfax.

That question is the reason for this article.

While teaching in Australia in August 2015, I was asked about a ceramic tile floor installed over a concrete slab in which the tile had “buckled up.” The ceramic tile failed just like hardwood flooring that has been wet for an extended period of time when it swells and finally heaves up.

What caused the ceramic tile to buckle? My initial reaction was to look for causes beyond the tile or slab:

• Possibly some form of hydraulic (water) pressure under the slab had “pushed” the tiles off the floor.
• Perhaps water had migrated through the slab from underneath and caused the mastic or thinset to lose its adhesive bond.

Both of these ideas were incorrect.

Buckled water damaged tile floor #1

The home was approximately seven years old and had experienced a significant water damage. The restoration company had performed the drying correctly; however, three months later, the floor “tented.” (The term “tenting” is used by the flooring industry to refer to the edges of tile rising up.) The restorer showed me pictures of the floor where tiles had buckled up in this way.

The damage looked much like when hardwood flooring “buckles,” as initially the water damaged tile edges rose up, then eventually the tiles “popped up.”

One possible cause for the damage was moisture rising through the slab. However, the ceramic tile floor was removed (after this failure), and the underlying slab was in perfect condition: No cracks, no seams, nothing. Other possible causes of damage were: 1) Either the ceramic tile had expanded (like wood does when it gets wet), or 2) The slab had shrunk.

In all my experience, I had neither seen nor heard of anything like this happening. I was truly baffled. This situation made no sense to me, so I discounted it as a one-off situation that did not seem to have a reasonable explanation.

Buckled water damaged tile floor #2

During an October class at the Restoration Sciences Academy campus in Nashville, a student approached me about one of his drying situations. It was virtually the same water damaged tile situation as what I had been asked about in Australia. Now, a one-time event I might have been able to discount as an unexplained episode not likely to occur again, but when I was asked about the same situation twice in three months, I had to consider something was going on which I did not understand. So I headed “back to the books” to undertake some serious research.

The science of tiles

I gleaned some science and engineering knowledge: In fact, ceramic will expand when it becomes wet, even though it has been fired in a kiln. Also, concrete slabs can expand when they become wet and shrink as they dry. The science corroborates these statements.

The science is complex, but I will try to explain it in terms that make sense to us practitioners. First of all, let me dispel some myths, replacing them with real facts:

Myths:

• Ceramic tile is inert and not affected (in physical size) by water.
• Concrete slabs may absorb water, but the slab dimensions do not change.

Facts:

• Ceramic tile of any type will absorb water and, because of this absorption, expand in size.
• Once dried, ceramic tile does not shrink back to its pre-loss dimensions; it stays in the expanded state. For this reason, ceramic tile manufacturers expect the installers to include expansion joints in the middle of any floor they install.
• Concrete slabs will expand when flooded.
• Unlike ceramic tile, concrete will shrink back to its original size as it dries.

This means in a water damaged tile situation involving ceramic tile installed over a concrete slab, both the ceramic tile and the slab will expand. When dried, the slab returns to its original size, but the ceramic tiles do not shrink back to their original size. When the concrete slab subfloor shrinks and the ceramic tile flooring itself does not shrink back, the resulting stress causes either the “tenting type” failure or tiles to simply crack into pieces. Some of the engineering terms used to explain this phenomenon are:

• Absorption: The absorption of water vapor by a solid material.
• Hydration: The capture of water molecules.
• Chemisorption: The phenomenon where ceramic tiles that have free silica and/or silicates expand when dried.

Moisture expansion essentially is due to the chemical and physical adsorption of water on the amorphous phases within the tile body. The amount of expansion, as moisture enters into ceramic tiles, is affected by many variables virtually unknown to restorers. Some of these variables include:

• The actual mineral composition of the tile material. (Most tile is made from clay, but the composition of individual clays depends upon where the clay comes from.)
• The temperature at which the tile was fired.
• The amount of time the tile was fired.
• Whether the tile was fired a second or third time to anneal (strengthen) its internal structure.
• Whether the top surface is glazed and, if so, what glazing compound material was used.

While the accepted science states that ceramic tile does absorb water and can expand, this expansion does not always appear to happen. Possibly the expansion is slight enough to be invisible or undetectable by normal eye sight, which then raises this question: If ceramic tile can expand, how much can it?

The science suggests expansion can be in the order of 0.9 mm for each meter of tile length (of the installed floor). Converting this to inches: 0.25 inches of expansion occurs for each 20 feet of flooring. This may seem an insignificant amount of expansion, but, if the tile is installed with no or minimal grout line spacing, then any expansion could lead to tile tenting or buckling.

Restorers beware

What does all of this mean for restorers? Most of us were of the opinion that ceramic tile is virtually inert, does not really absorb water and, if it does, dries out with no issues. This thinking is mostly true, except when it is not.

Restorers should be aware of situations, possibly rare, in which water damaged tile absorbs water, expands and does not shrink back after drying. This expansion can, in time (usually weeks to months after the event), result in the ceramic tile either rising up or buckling.

During the inspection of a water damage, can the restorer determine if this kind of tile failure is going to happen on a drying job with ceramic tile installed over a concrete slab?

The answer is no. Too many variables exist that are unknown and cannot be determined (for example, at what temperature the tiles were fired). This phenomenon does not mean that every water loss involving ceramic tile over a concrete slab needs to be removed, as this type of failure is very rare.

However, the potential for ceramic tile failure needs to be explained to insurance adjusters. Should a water damaged tile floor failure occur a few weeks after the drying job has been completed, the restoration contractor might be held responsible. Better to explain the possibility of a tile floor failing before the actual event occurs.

REFERENCES:
* Bowman, Richard. “Tile Growth: Fact or Fantasy?” Tile Today. Issue 36, 2001.
* Barrett, Bart B., and James M. Falls. Common Perils of Ceramic Floor Tile Systems. 2012.

Richard Driscoll has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Clarkson College of Technology, an MBA from the University of Dayton and is currently working on his doctorate. He is a professor at Webster University where he provides graduate and undergraduate level lectures. He is an IICRC Certified Master Restorer, Master Textile Cleaner and an approved instructor. Driscoll has been consulted by state governments on legislation related to the cleaning and restoration industry. He also is the author and instructor for Restoration Sciences Academy’s MR-110 and MR-210 microbial remediation classes and MR-211 trauma scene clean up class. He can be reached at Richard@MayhemMishaps.com.

The post Buckled Up: Addressing the phenomenon of tented, water damaged tile appeared first on Cleanfax.

In my experience, Kennan’s comment applies to businesses just as much as it applied to the Soviet Union. While we may not always be able to pinpoint a specific incident that causes a company’s downfall, we know the slow erosion of principles and morale brought on by internal contradictions ultimately leads to a company’s decline.

Internal contradictions in business usually start with small, seemingly insignificant actions. They can be as basic as showing up late for meetings (or not showing up for them at all) yet railing in indignation when our people do the same.

Many of us don’t view this as a contradiction. After all, we’re the owners, and we have far more important things to attend to — or so we tell ourselves. But are we really just exercising what we view as owner’s privilege, or is this a sign of something more troublesome? Either way, how will this be interpreted the next time one of our employees shows up late to an appointment? Will we grant them the same privilege? If we do, what will ultimately happen to the integrity of our meetings and appointments?

Over time, it’s easy for contradictions to grow in size and importance. For instance, when working from a business plan, how often do we overtly act on things that weren’t even included? More subtly, how often do we fail to follow up on the plan, thus avoiding actually following through on the things we said were important? Or how often do we look with disdain on those in our organizations who actually try to remind us about the plan and the things we’re supposed to be doing?

These all have the same effect on our businesses: We lose traction and run the risk of having our people throw their hands in the air and check out of the whole process.

Perhaps the most volatile area in which our internal contradictions show themselves is in the area of integrity. Nothing brings out the cynic in employees more than when a business leader’s actions are in conflict with the company’s stated or unstated core values — the cornerstone beliefs on which the company has been built. Topping the list of values in many companies is integrity: Doing the right thing even when no one is looking. Yet, how often do we contradict that value without even realizing it? Fudging on taxes, not reporting cash sales as income, shorting a customer on promised services and bad-mouthing competitors are all ways this happens, but many of us might not think of these as contradictions.

Running our businesses with internal contradictions doesn’t necessarily mean our companies are doomed, and it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re bad people or failures as business leaders.

But you can be sure these contradictions generate friction within our organizations and produce drags on company growth. When we already have so much pressure from shifting customer demands, competitors and markets, doesn’t it make sense to avoid additional pressure by addressing internal challenges?

After all, we’re the only ones who can.

Chuck Violand is the founder and principal of Violand Management Associates (VMA), the largest consulting company in the restoration and cleaning industries. Violand is a recognized industry leader for advising entrepreneurs on the unique challenges they face both personally and professionally. Through VMA, he works with business owners and companies to develop their people and their profits. Violand is the president of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA). To reach him, visit or call (800)360-3513.

The post Internal Contradictions: Avoid generating friction within your company appeared first on Cleanfax.

Cleanfax and I are on a mission to help cleaning and restoration business owners be more successful in all areas of their businesses so they can be more successful in life.

Over the next few months, I’ll outline the exact strategies you need to find phenomenal success in the cleaning and restoration industry, sharing eight important steps that have been proven not only through my own business but also in cleaning and restoration companies around the world.

What’s most important?

I’ve helped cleaning and restoration companies across the globe have record sales and profits, build phenomenal teams and have more time with their families. These companies have been in small towns and big cities. They are owner/operators and large companies.

This article series is not about getting bigger, although if that is your goal, this will help. It’s about getting better, which should be your initial focus. When you get bigger before getting better, it invites all kinds of catastrophes.

Let’s take a look at the first step on your journey to a better business.

Step 1: Be clear on your life goals

The first step is the most important one. Without this step, nothing else really matters. The greatest business lesson I ever learned — and the greatest one you can ever learn — is this:

Your business exists for one reason and one reason only: To be a vehicle to help you achieve your L.I.F.E. (“Living in freedom every day” will be discussed later.) Goals.

If you aren’t clear about where you’re going in life, you probably will never get where you want to be. The problem is most people don’t know how to create a vision for their lives. Also, you may not believe that you can actually do some of the things you secretly dream about.

Let me help you with that. When you look at the seven core areas of life — physical, mental, spiritual, familial, career, financial and personal — in which area do you want to be unsuccessful? “None of them!” you would probably say.

If that’s true, why do people struggle in some of those areas? If we aren’t supposed to be in-debt, why are we? Is it because of external factors, or is it because we haven’t learned how to make money?

If you’re unhealthy (assuming you don’t have a physical condition beyond your control), is it because of someone else or your eating habits?

If you aren’t spending the kind of time with your family you would like, is it because of the economy or because you’re working hard but maybe not “smart”?

My 31 years of experience in business and two decades of coaching small business owners and being personally mentored by some of America’s top experts like Zig Ziglar, John Maxwell and Michael Gerber, tells me there are different reasons.

No vision. If you’re just trying to get through the day, that’s all you’ll ever do.

No belief. If you don’t believe you can reach your goals, you won’t even try.

No desire. If you’re stuck in a comfort zone, you won’t grow.

No confidence. If you fear success, you won’t stretch.

And the biggest reason for defeat:

Click to download

No support. If you don’t have the right team in your corner, a team trained in the area you want to grow, you’ll be hard pressed to reach your goal. Every highly successful business owner, athlete, entertainer or professional has a coach. Actually, more than one.

No one succeeds alone. No one.

In today’s complex world, we need people to help us in all areas of life and business. We need people to help us in our weaker areas.

Cleanfax and Howard to the rescue!

Now you have a team in your corner. Cleanfax and I are populating a new page at Cleanfax.com/howardpartridge in which we will lead you to phenomenal success in business and life.

• Would you like to have more time with your family?
• Would you like to make more money?
• Would you like have better health?

Then download a free Life Goal Vision Sheet by clicking the image at right. This document will help you set goals in all seven areas of life, and you’ll get a video that will show you how to get a vision for your life and business.

Howard Partridge started his cleaning business from the trunk of his car over 31 years ago and built it up to over $3M per year. For two decades Partridge has been coaching cleaning and restoration companies, teaching them to have phenomenal success. He is the exclusive small business coach for Ziglar Inc., the world’s first Ziglar Legacy Trainer, the founding member of the John Maxwell Coaching Team, a DISC Certified Trainer, a ONE THING Certified Trainer and a four-time Amazon.com No. 1 bestselling author.

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