Favorite Articles

Its a fact! Those that succeed and prosper are those who develop and use a "Tunnel Vision" approach in their business. "Tunnel Vision", referring to a very narrow view of the objectives of your company; (sort of like looking through a tunnel) … is an absolute necessity for micro-businesses like those in our cleaning industry....keep reading

Effective marketing requires a commitment of time and consistency. Many cleaning professionals say they just can't take the time to do what they need to do on the technical side of their business and still be consistent with the time and effort required for effective marketing efforts....keep reading

The advent of the truck mount, as well as the ease and safety of cleaning upholstery on location, has nearly ended the practice of cleaning upholstery in plant. However, there are still four good reasons to do so. The reasons you still might want to do some in-plant upholstery cleaning are......keep reading

Storytelling helps provide a clear picture to potential customers of what you stand for, what your values are, and how you can help them. Stories can achieve all of these things without your audience ever realizing that you're doing it....keep reading

If you'd like to have some guidance on how to discuss the limitations that heavy soiling creates on any delicate, nature fiber fabric, download a copy of our Upholstery Condition Report and read over the limitations that exist -...keep reading

You may only get one chance to tell your potential customer about the unique, high value benefits your offer of your specialty package of cleaning services!
In order to do this, you have to craft a compelling marketing message that will grab your target customer's attention and convince them to to consider your offer. Following are 5 key steps to crafting a compelling marketing message....keep reading

Experiencing continuing business success doesn't just happen by accident.
As a small service business owner or manager, there are certain fundamental skills that you need. If you don't have these skills yet, you certainly can develop them. Don't allow the fact that you lack some of these basic skills right now to intimidate you. Instead, accept the challenge and develop them.
Following is my list of these "Most Important Skills"....keep reading

Packaging your services serves a purpose far beyond just making your professional cleaning service-based business's operations more effective, as well as more profitable. It is also strategic! When you can put together special packages of services that offer positive solutions to some of your customers' nagging problems, you'll soon see a definite improvement in your customer retention. Download your FREE copy of the Roadmap inside!...keep reading

Getting reviews for your business is vital to your success! The reason why your business needs these reviews is so that you can create a positive online presence, and engage with your customers. The more you steer the collection of online reviews, the better for your business. According to recent statistics, 90% of consumers read online reviews!...keep reading

Owner/operator or not, blogging must be a key part of your marketing strategy; however, it is not for the procrastinator! It takes commitment, time, and regularly scheduled attention. While many of us have most of these prerequisites, time is typically the biggest challenge for the owner/operator....keep reading

FACT: "Ten percent of photos taken in human history took place in the last 12 months!"
Think about that. At first it sounds insane, but it's not hard to believe when you consider that 208,300 photos are posted to Facebook every minute (a statistic taken from a recent Content Marketing Institute webinar), plus almost everyone walks around with a camera in his or her pocket these days!...keep reading

How can this problem be prevented?
The easy answer is, of course, "get it cleaned sooner". However, most people don't recognize that upholstery should be cleaned when it looks dull, not when it looks dirty. Whether a fine fabric or not, oxidized, oily soils can even bond to synthetic fibers in a manner that prevents complete soil removal however aggressive the cleaning techniques cleaning agents!...keep reading

Sad to say, carpet cleaning and janitorial services have, in far too many cases, deteriorated into 'commodity services' purchased by price alone!...keep reading

I recently received a call from a cleaner who was asked to
remove a blood stain from a raw cotton fabric. The stain
was on the cushion, and was the result of an injury to the
family dog.
The problem faced by the cleaner was this:...keep reading

Be VERY cautious about comparing yourself & your business results to others who you may think are "almost the same as you", or "in the same business"!...keep reading

A small business blog is really an excellent way to communicate directly with customers. It gives you a chance to interact with them, which is priceless for building relationships that will last for years. Check this blog as an excellent example of such relationship building . . http://www.rugchick.com/...keep reading

FACT:
If a buyer feels good about their purchase, they will tell at least one other person what a great experience they have had. On the other hand, if they don't feel good about their purchase, they will complain to seven or more other people about their experience!...keep reading

We, at Pembertons have been providing 3 hour "Mini-Courses" for the last few years and feel very strongly in the value of such training to every small cleaning/restoration service we work with. We are presently developing these courses to be available as online training courses in the near future....keep reading

We have to welcome mistakes because it's a key part of the positive change = growth- learning process. In fact, we actually learn more from making mistakes than from doing things right.  Unfortunately, this attitude is not second nature for most of us. Following are some ideas on how to overcome your fear of making mistakes so that you can grow and take positive action....keep reading

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