NUCCRA 2011 Cleanlink Announcement

WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! NUCCRA 2011 CONFERENCE 5 – 6 April 2011 Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, VIC   NUCCRA is delighted to invite everyone involved in the carpet, upholstery, hard floor and restoration industries to the Cleanlink Cleaning and Restoration Conference 2011. ‘Rev Up Your Business Engine’ is a program jam packed with expert speakers focusing on both technical and business topics and social functions to allow industry professionals to mingle. The event is co-located with CleanScene: The National Cleaning & Hygiene Expo. Attendees will also have the chance to see industry suppliers and become aware of new technologies and techniques in the industry. The event website includes the provisional program (including the social program), speaker details, accommodation details and also the online registration facility. www.cleanlink.org.au If you have any queries, please contact: NUCCRA 2011 Conference Secretariat Ph. +61 2 9431 8699 Email. NUCCRA@conferenceaction.com.au

NUCCRA 2011 Conference homepage Some topic highlights include: * Rug Cleaning * Tile and Grout Cleaning * New Technologies in Restoration * Getting the Most Out of Your Website

Cleaning and Restoration Tips for Flood Victims

It is likely that you will be getting phone calls from concerned home owners looking for some tips. NUCCRA has put together a few tips that you can provide over the phone to help people out.

Cleaning and Restoration Tips for Flood Victims

• The water that is floating both in your house and outside is not sanitary. Water of this nature can easily spread diseases and infections. If walking through the water protect yourself – cover your body with a full body tyvek suit. If you have any exposed cuts, make sure they are covered. If you are heavily involved in the recovery process you may want to consider checking the status of your immunisations – see your Doctor.
• Not all houses will be able to be restored. At this stage it is difficult to make assessments of that nature. Try to get as much of the water out of your house as possible. The faster the cleaning and drying process can begin, the more chance there is of restoration.
• Hire a restorer who has been trained in specialised water damage restoration. Not all companies who will be offering restoration services will have the appropriate skills to carry out the work. The drying process is the most important part of the restoration process and if it is not carried out professionally there are many risks that can occur. Choose a NUCCRA Member who specialises in Restoration. These companies have the training and experience to carry out the work. If your insurance company sends you a restorer ask if they have a IICRC qualification and ask to see their IICRC card. You do not want to put yourself or your family at risk by having the job done by someone untrained.

Go to these sites to find a qualified contractor

www.nuccra.asn.au

www.iicrc.org.au

Queensland Floods – What to think about before you go to Queensland to make $$$

The devestation in Queensland is enormous. It is a real natural disaster and there is a great deal of restoration that needs to take place.

In previous large scale floods (for example Mackay, Newcastle, Melbourne) many small companies decided that this was a great opportunity for them to make a quick dollar. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Yes, with these large scale floods there is a huge amount of money for restoration companies to make. However, there is also a lot to be lost if you do not think through your plans.

Of course, if you are going to provide charity and help and support to fellow Australian’s (which is a really honerable thing to do) you may look at the situation differently. But, if you are going to make $$$, please read the below tips and really think about whether this is the right thing for you.

Some things to think about:

• How will your business manage while you are away? Will you be able to service your existing customers?
• Do you have the funds to be able to pay for your living expenses, operating costs and more while in Queensland with no income coming in?
• Have you made a plan? How long will you be there for? Which area will you go to? How will you get work once you are there? What will this cost? How muhc will you charge?
• Many houses will not be insured. If you are doing work, ensure that you establish how payment will be made for the job. Do not assume it will be covered by insurance.
• When drying properties think about the long term not the quick $$$ – what will the risk be to your business if you do not dry properties properly? Don’t cut corners – make sure you are doing a proper job on every property.
• If you do not have the training to deal with water damage and mould remediation the  you should not be doing this work. As properties have been under water for quite a few days, many properties will have mould. If you do not know how to professionally treat the mould you are putting yourself at major risk by doing work of this nature.

Queensland will need the help of restorers from outside of Queensland to help them clean up the devastation. What we encourage you to do is think about what you are are doing before you go and ensure that your business will be able to survive the experience.

2010 – A reflection

Jena Dyco is a business that speaks to other small businesses day in and day out. We get very different reports on how people feel their business performed in 2010. Some companies believe that the impact of the Global Financial Crisis hit and people started to watch their spendings, others believe that the impact of the interest rate rises in Australia had something to do with their lower 2010 figures.
I understand that all of the above factors do impact on businesses. When people are more conscious of their spendings, you have to work harder to make the same money. Does that mean that dropping your prices is the way to go? I personally don’t believe it is. I think it is useful at a time like this to reflect on what you do in your business and see how you can improve your practices to be more competitive in the market place.
Here are some basic tips which can make a huge difference to a carpet cleaning business:

• Everyone has some sort of flooring and soft furnisings in their houses, offices etc. See everyone you meet as an opportunity. Present yourself professionally and don’t be shy to ask for referals.
• Take an hour out of your day to look at where your business is at – what do you do well? What can you improve on? What actions can you take?
• Make sure you follow up with existing clients. These are people who have used your services already and know how good you are. Don’t wait for them to call you! If you don’t have a system to help with this, go through your diary from 12 months ago and each day call the people who had their carpet cleaned 12 months ago. The worst thing people with say is “No thanks”.
• Look at your phone skills – Who is answering the phone? What are they saying to potential customers? Develop a list of common objections (e.g. I just called a carpet cleaner who said they would clean my whole house for $59, let me have a chat to my husband and get back to you, why is your price so much more than the other companies I have called). Look at what you are saying in this difficult situations and develop a script for the people answering the phones. You work hard to make the phone ring, so you definitely want to make sure that you convert as many of them as possible into customers.
• Be proactive with your commercial customers – don’t wait for your customers to call you, make appointments to go and see them and see if you can offer them any additional services? Bring them a business profile to leave with them showing them the wide range of services that you offer. Often they would not have realised that carpet cleaners also do hard floor cleaning, or water damage.
• Go out and find new customers – be proactive. Make a plan of the types of customers that you want in your business and decide how it is best to get to them, then make a plan and go out and market to them. Be proactive. Have a plan for how you are going to follow up with these people. You could try to think of crative ways to get in the door – offer to clean part of their property free of charge so that they can see the quality of your work. Focus on the health benefits of cleaning and OH&S standards – you will find it difficult to compete on price, but competing on quality and OH&S is usually quite easy.
• When cleaning domestic houses do you leave something for the next door neighbours to market your services? Could this be done more effectively? What can you do to grab the attention of the next door neighbour. These are all potential customers.
  I hope these tips are useful for you and give you a chance to reflect on your business.