Cool Invoice

This one is from a long time custy. AT and one other tm (just bot one of Ohaleck's used HM units).
Long time Cool Cuffer and Lil Better cleaner.

Loves the Perfect Seals.
Just bot a bunch couple months ago, now getting some more. Smart guy. 

Points I wanna make:
2.5" Lil Better is available in 75footers; 
Price of the hose per foot is lower if you  buy75 feet instead of 50.  (It's the same story with 2" Lil Better).
Plus 75 fills the box more than a 50 footer so shipping is less per foot.

Note he only got 1 x 2" x50 foot hose; gonna cut it in half and make two lead hoses.
Note the 2" Male Swivels - makes good wand cuffs for 2" wands.

Note the custom length Parker.

He got a couple of what I've started calling the Ultimate QD: ss male and brass female, both made by Foster Manufacturing. Both have high heat Viton poppets and orings. 
The Cool Connect protects the brass female so no need for the expensive stainless female.

Another Cool Invoice...

Name another supplier who offers 0% financing on anything and everything you buy.

This guy, a trusted, responsible RC, paid down several invoices, almost $$10,000 worth ... with regular weekly bank drafts.
The dude never skipped a beat. Riding herd over several employees and some 70 floods on his plate, he needed 2 more dehus. No problem. Call Wanders.
Not only did we get them there in a hurry, but I only marked them up a hundred bucks each. He saved over $1,500 on of these dehus.
 
Note this series of orders saved him almost $3,000 and now that it's paid off, he qualifies for distributor pricing... as if he hasn't already saved a bunch.
Another RC goes Supplier Free.  Who's next?
The key to our relationship - I deal directly with the man in charge and he's still a Real Cleaner.
My reward - I get to watch him clear his first million this year!    

Free financing, RC pricing, fast, knowledgeable service.
What regular supplier offers all this?

NONE other than you. That I'm aware of. 

Good to know where to get the drying equipment too. We hope to plan on this expansion by the end of this year.

Did I read that right; ONLY $205 for shipping to BEE clean?! Holy frioli!
Viva le` Joe.

My carpet cleaner wrote:Did I read that right; ONLY $205 for shipping?! Holy frioli!
Viva le` Joe.

That's the beauty of the Drum. Everything else on that pallet shops at half price. Who does that?  But it's true!  I love the value of the Drum!  Imma call again soon for another drum Joe, this time a gots some real plans for the extra real estate on that pallet.  

Tale of two companies…

Both called to buy stuff.

Company One, AJ out of Kentucky, calls to buy reusable crimps and vac hose.
Says, “My supplier says your so-called reusable crimps really isn’t reusable.”
Strike 1.
Joe: ‘OK, your supplier is wrong, so how can I help you then?’
AJ: ‘Well, cuz yours are less.’  
Joe:  Oh, same crimp, just half the price. Kinda makes sense huh… to sell theirs, they have to knock mine (as bogus as it was), right?
I tell him the story about  the guy in Michigan who has tested his reusables under high heat (240F and 1200psi) and pressure three times now, and still holding up.
So AJ goes on to next item,  ‘I’ve been researching vac hose and yours seems to be the best.’
Joe:  ‘Yep. it’s the Industry’s best performing hose. You’ve read the testimonials.  
I explained how Lil Better evolved… “we took the best hose and improved the threads so it works with Cool Cuffs.
AJ: Yes, I use your Cool Cuffs. And yes I bought a hose once that I could only get your cuffs on one turn
Joe: Yes, we fixed that. And we made it into the most flexible, high heat hose available. And we make it over 20 colors and we give you a full warranty protection.  
AJ: Yeah “but my supplier has it for $15 less.
Strike 2
Joe: Lil Beter for $15 less? I doubt it. But at least we’re getting to the real issue, price. Your supplier won’t carry my hose cuz he can’t double his money on it. So you get stuck with average hose. What else is new?  I’ve offered Lil Better to all of them at my cost even, and they still won’t buy it... cuz once they double it, it’ll be so expensive; you won’t buy it. So they buy the cheap stuff. In the world of plastics, soft supple plastics are more expensive. Stiff hard plastics are cheap. So thety go cheap cuz they gotta be able to double their money.  With me, it’s not about money. I’m trying to solve problems. I only make about $10 a hose but that’s plenty enough to go on and fund the next project.  I wanted a better cuff for cleaners. I invented it. I wanted a better vac hose, and I got that too. On and on it goes. But not with guys like you who want to short circuit the process for a measley 15 bucks.
AJ Well I don’t know but I’ve never ha a problem with vac hose.
Joe:  But you just said you’ve bot it before where you couldn’t even screw on the Cool Cuffs. Right?  That’s one of the first problems I solved.
Now you already know it’s the better hose AJ, and it costs a little more. So what? It’s like everything I try to do, make the best in its class. Most of my stuff I make myself and I can sell it for way less than regular suppers do, but I don’t make this hose and so I don’t set the price.
But if it’s not worth a little more then why are you even calling me? Go buy the regular hose from your regular supplier and be done with it?”  
AJ: “You’re right. I’m kinda annoyed by the whole conversation.”
Click.
Strike 3

Company Two Master Clean calls.  It was their operations guy, named Van. They’ve wanted to order from me before, but they just wanted Cool Cuffs and they let it slip that they get them from a supplier near them (that I sell my stuff to) so I sent them there.  Made them a little mad but they musta still respected me cuz a year later they’re calling back to get Lil Better.
Van:  We called once before but didn’t buy anything. We said we buy your Cool Cuffs and you made us go to the supplier in our area.
Joe: Oh yeah, I remember you guys.  You are the ones with the custom HX you developed. You oughta get on the Cleaners Lounge and sell it. Guarantee you there’s guys who would be interested.
Van: OK. Maybe. .. But right now, we’re replacing all our vac hose and wanna get your Lil Better.
Joe: Cool. I’ve got lotsa colors.
Van: Well, colors not the selling point. We have heard how much guys like it so … we will need a bunch of it. Can you work me up a price?
Joe: sure. I’ll email you a proforma.
So the nex day I get a call from the owner. Nice guy, ready to buy. Good price. Great hose. Let’s go. Want a card?
Joe: No. I’ll bill you.
Owner: OK Cool.
Homerun outa the park on first swing!
Even the Babe would be proud of these guys.

Now, note the differences…
Company One was all about price and will end up getting nothing.
Company Two was all about Value and will end up getting the best hose at the best price available anywhere.

Company One actually tried to sneak in behind my back and buy those reusable crimps off the realcleaners store.  I had Paul refund his money. AJ called right away…
AJ: So you’re not gonna fill my order?
Joe: Nope. We need customers who are in support of efforts. You were just playing on price, not value, so you get nothing.  I save my average customer over $400 per year.  Some save well over $1,000 per year. But you… you save nothing.  In fact you lose.
Now if you ever change your outlook, then we will reconsider. We are looking to help cleaners, but only those who want to help us. For these guys, they get everything we have, the best products in each class, the best price, and good service. That’s called Value. But to get it, you need to support us like we support you. You actually need to go out of your way to buy from us whenever you can, so we have the funds to go on and make more & better products. Instead of what you were trying to do. You were only looking to save yourself that $15. If everybody thought like you do, then guys like me wouldn’t have the funds for the next project.  You’d be stuck with regular hose in this case.  
AJ: OK I’m in.
Joe: Yea right.  Show me.
Get on the Lounge and help somebody. Then we’ll talk.
So far AJ is nowhere to be found.

Van’s company… I saved them over $800 on this one transaction and I don’t care what else they buy from me. At least they bot from me based on one of my contributions, $3300 no less, sight unseen, and they’re supporting one of the few honest suppliers I know of. Plus they’re developing better products themselves and with any luck their technology will creep into the market so others can benefit.

Here’s company two’s invoice:

Anybody wonderin about the Wizard up in Canada    don't.
He's busy as ever. Got an office gal and a busy schedule.
Still runnin the big trucks and big hose.
Had his share of setbacks but who hasn't.
He's still the Wizard.

Here's an old guy like me; never heard of me til another cleaner in his area told him.
Funny, the other guy has a lot of my stuff, but he bot it piecemeal, one order here and there over a couple years.
Ole Fernando just picked up the phone and got it all done in one call.

This guy doesn't surf the net much, prefers to talk on the phone, like I do.  Together, we got it all talked out so he knows what he's getting, why, and what he can expect from each part.
Amazing in this day of lurkers buying one part at a time then calling all pissed off, after the fact, asking if they can do an exchange or whatever.  Why didn't these guys just call in the first place?

Like Eistein said, (not exact quote but) '...I fear the day when technology advances to the point that communication is lost... we will have a world of idiots.'

Fernando was open minded, trusted what I told him, and together we're gonna get him some stuff that will really help him.
My greatest hope is to cure him of 1.5" hose.  Sometimes it's the hardest thing I have to do with a new guy.

It's what I told the suppliers (who I use to let sell my Cool Cuffs to)... that the lil' Reducer Insert is the most valuable part I make... cuz that lil Insert lets a guy drop his 1.5" whip and go directly from 2" hose to his 1.5" wand.  But since the Insert only sells for like 3 bucks, the suppliers thought I was nuts, since they're not in biz to help cleaners get better performance; they're in buz to make money.
Little did they realize that if they had just taken the time to him him with the little stuff then he would buy everything they sell on that basis - trust. So few cleaners trust their supplier I'm like shooting fish in a barrel with guys like Fernando. They never knew an honest supplier even existed. Reason #142 why I fired suppliers.

All total, it took a 45 minute call last week...and another 15 min. just now, but he is pretty much dialed in on the things I have to offer that can help him.

If you notice, most of this stuff, you guys already have, but it's the onzie-twozie things with most you guys; whereas this guy was like in a candy store buying anything and everything that could possibly help him with his all-residential business.

I was blown away with the /sf rate he already charges, but taught him to start bragging how he just bought the stuff to get his people better dry times.
He likes the idea of the dual port RC99 and 2" to the wand, accepting it will be what all I said it would be.

Even the simple things like stopping drippy jets.... Hell I solved that 10 years ago. This guy was in Heaven when I taught him about the Soft Touch and the Stubby Check valve.
but not but a few suppliers ever stocked these parts so ... reason #212 why I fired suppliers.

Sorry to ramble... just happy to get through to one more guy and have a new guy to recommend in a city where I had nobody.

Told him at the end, eventually the whole industry is gonna figure out I'm just trying to help guys. Those willing to pick up the phone will benefit the most.  It's a shame the boardlords lie to their readers about who I am and what I have to offer... but in the end it's their own introvertedness that holds them back ... cuz guys like Fernando will be getting all the work.  
So cool to see a guy, open minded, willing, anxious to give it a try.  RCs get it.
Told him, before long, all the good guys will be on board, then we're gonna start working on the Consumer.

I see a day when we're gonna get the whole world into a big gymnasium and I'm gonna get the hold the mike.
They will learn what real cleaning is all about and exactly who to call to get it done.
We'll have McCartney at half time, smoke some dope out in the parking lot. It will be a grand day.

I hope you have the years of Moses in ya Joe.

Yup. And you'll be there too Ryan, with the white robe.
When anybody in the audience shouts out, "I just have a question! ... about spotting & repairs! ... Is anybody there to help me?!?" you get to say "I am, I am, I am"

  

Another Aussie gets his fill of WP...



yes he'll spend a lot to get this order filled, but it's all relative.
From a regular supplier in his own country it would cost him over twice as much.

I find it interesting that he purchased each color for his Cool Connect Covers...obviously likes the blue more, but still ordered the others. I wonder why?

What is the favorite color these days Joe?

I wonder if this cleaner uses the different colors to distinguish between something (wands, hoses, tools, etc.)? Might be an interesting tip in there...anyone else color coordinate their covers for different tools?

RCs pick green or orange most often.
Regular cleaners pick blue. It's all they know.
Regular suppliers pick blue cuz most of their customers are regular cleaners.  Endless loop of losers.

I push suppliers to push green and orange... they recently bought some orange.   progress I guess.
They wanted black, as an improvement to the POS Vietnamese version they've been selling, so I made black.

Like father, like son, like father...

Ya'll may recall Mike Wallace works with his dad. two separate vans working as a team.
I always thought it was cool, the way they've grown together.
Met Mike still in his rough days back in 2005-06. I think I recall him saying his father brought him along.
They cleaned with the regular gear of the day: 1.5" hose and 2 jet AW29 wands, etc.
Mike being the innovator he is, is always pushing the envelope, PC Ti wands, glides, Shitter. Recall all the Video contests he won teaching us things.
Mike's buying history shows him buying new stuff, tests & approves it, shows it to dad, then Mike orders it for dad.
7-8 years of this and dad has pretty much all the same gear as Mike, even 2.5" hose. HA! I love it.
Mike still orders it for dad but now he has me send it direct to dad and dad pays the bill.
Quite the team I'd say.
Lesson here is if you have a dad who can get around (or even can't) get him up, get him some wild Sockeye and a water bottle and get him back to work. Why not?
Better than dying in front of the TV.
He might even become your best teammate.
Who knows, Mike Sr. might still be cleaning at 95.    Whaz wrong with that?  

Son sets the pace...


Dad keeps pace...




was this their first invoice?

Notice I charged $20 for Cool Cuffs (I let suppliers set the price).  They made most of the money.  I would later learn that all they did was set a few on the shelves. No help. No training. No Ys. No MVPs. No CFM meters.
They're still the same ole retail rip-off artists today. They sell the knock-off cuffs. Regular cleaners buy it once, complain. Supplier says they're better now. The Fool believes their lies, buys a second time but they are no better.   
About now they realize they got crooked. Ask me how I know... these cleaners tell me... I'm going back to Cool Cuffs.

Note also that back then they were still called Twist n Seal.
Lil Better was more expensive but came with free shipping.
RCs get better pricing even after all these years ... regular suppliers simply can't keep pace with the RC model.  
In another few years all that'll be left is RCs and real suppliers.

Thanks Joe, my father says cleaning carpets keeps him fit and healthy.  And all the cool stuff you supply us with make it easier and saves us money.

One small kangaroo jump and another Aussie gets his pallet delivered right to his door.
Saved him over $2,000 as compared to his nearest 'Retail Supplier.'
We are only just beginning....

... about to shove off yet another pallet to my mates in Aussieland...

That is awesome!

OK Joe what did he order?

same old stuff: wands, hose, cuffs & glides.
Accessories is my specialty.
He's wantin a drum or two next.