Owner Operators (OO) vs Big Name Companies (BNC)

Today is the beginning of the next phase of the RC Model.

We're about to see how passionate you guys really are about being professional cleaners.
I predict this will become the longest thread on this board.

Imagine you are all lined up against a wall, all you Owner Operators, OOs.
Respond as a group, a Team of like minded RCs.
Make a list to beat all lists.

Along the other wall are CEOs of BNCs, Big Name Companies.
Since the BNCs have historically not participated on the boards it's doubtful they will start now. All I can say for them is they better start.

In the middle are our customers.

Tell your prospective customers why they should hire you.

I will match the total of your reasons with my own reasons developed over my years as a cleaner/supplier.

Don't leave any valid reason out no matter how trivial or insignificant you might think it is.

This is opportunity to shine.
Now Go.

26 years of pssion

Passion.

We develope a relationship with our customers. Trust is a big part of that, a lot of my customers go to work and tell me to lock up when I'm finished.

Interesting start.
Very little input from the guys here who I know need work and should be passionate about getting it.
Instead we start off with two veterans, Daryl & Mike.
I know both you guys as experienced cleaners, always seeking the edge in performance & efficiency. Both of you buy everything I sell and are always teaching me about other stuff you’re trying to make you better. But we never really have talked about ‘passion’ or ‘relationships’ have we? No doubt, both of you have mastered these aspects so please do tell. What do you actually say to these people in the middle of the room? How do you express this passion, so they pick you? How do you build this relationship? Talk to them each of you, because right now they’re turning to that empty wall of BNCs… at least they’re offering 40% off.

I grew up here, I know your families and you see me all over town. I don't just make things look better, I make them better. Anyone can improve the appearence of something, but I make certain that I not only leave things looking clean, but sanitized and healthy for your children without using toxic chemicals.

People will shed over 8 lbs. of dead skin cells per year and most of them end up in your home. These cells can feed over 100,000 dust mites in a single yard of carpet and can allow viruses, molds, and bacteria to infect your entire family. Looking clean isn't good enough.

I make your family healthier, happier, and your home cleaner by using the latest equipment, techniques, and always taking the time to ensure that you get the best results for your money. I am just down the road and I am available when you may need me.

As your hometown cleaner, I make your home and family healthier...just like a neighbor should.

Because we take the extra steps (as covered in the prospect call) to insure that they won't disappointed in ANY aspect of our service.

*Our employees are salaried carpet cleaners, not commissioned sales people.
*We guarantee that if we can't make you happy, your service is free - no hastles
*If you have a problem our employees are empowered to do what it takes to fix it
*If you want to speak to me - the owner - directly 24/7, here is my cell number
*We focus on one customer at a time and don't over load our technicians so they have to rush through your job
*You are the most important people in our lives next to our families, and we know without you we don't have a business.
*We do everything possible to keep our overhead at a minimum so we can pass the savings on to you, offering you the best possible service at the lowest possible price
*Our employees are like family. Everyone was hired and trained by me personally
*We are your neighbor
*We shop and purchase locally

Which is more appealing to a person who is about to decide who they let walk around loose in their home…
a real person, with a real name, or a ‘company’ with no real name attached to it?

I'm not coaching any of you guys (in advance anyway) and I certainly didn't tell Robert what to say, but did you notice... TEN TIMES …. 10 friggen times, Robert said “I”
How much friendlier is his message than if he had said “We” and "us" at all the same places.

We grew up here, We know your families and you see us all over town. We don't just make things look better, We make them better. Anyone can improve the appearence of something, but We make certain that We not only leave things looking clean, but sanitized and healthy for your children without using toxic chemicals.

People will shed over 8 lbs. of dead skin cells per year and most of them end up in your home. These cells can feed over 100,000 dust mites in a single yard of carpet and can allow viruses, molds, and bacteria to infect your entire family. Looking clean isn't good enough.

We make your family healthier, happier, and your home cleaner by using the latest equipment, techniques, and always taking the time to ensure that you get the best results for your money. We are just down the road and We are available when you may need us.

As your hometown cleaner, We make your home and family healthier...just like a neighbor should.





Why can’t you say "I" instead of "we" in this sentence?

Because we take the extra steps (as covered in the prospect call) to insure that they won't disappointed in ANY aspect of our service.

… because I take the extra steps to ensure that you won't be disappointed with ANY aspect of our service.



Do people really care about how you pay your employees? I don’t think so; not near as much as they care that you, the owner, the one ultimately responsible for their satisfaction, is doing just that, personally training them…

*Our employees are like our family. As the owner, I personally train everyone I hire.

I'm not trying to make a fortune, I'm just trying to make a living.

I always do something extra, free of charge, just because I can. Often its vacuuming the entire house, even if they just ask for the downstairs.

I always send a handwritten thank you card and gift for every referral.

I keep detailed notes on each home, names of kids, pets, interests, etc., and review them thoroughly so its easy to engage in discussion. Names are critical.

Smile. All the time.

Hey Joe, could you give us a definition of what you're qualifying as owner operator.

Never mind just saw your definition above

"Why can’t you say "I" instead of "we" in this sentence?

Because we take the extra steps (as covered in the prospect call) to insure that they won't disappointed in ANY aspect of our service.

… because I take the extra steps to ensure that you won't be disappointed with ANY aspect of our service.

Do people really care about how you pay your employees? I don’t think so; not near as much as they care that you, the owner, the one ultimately responsible for their satisfaction, is doing just that, personally training them… "

Joe, the reason that I (and I would guess most of us regardless of the number of vans we operate) use "we" instead of "I" in most statements is because my company is a family business. My employees as well as I have worked hard for years to create a strong business centered around family values, and customer satisfaction. My family and employees have suffered and gone without when business was less than good, and they stood by me.

When you ask if people really care about how my employees are paid, my answer is a definitive yes. In this context my customers appreciate the fact that they have a professional cleaning technician in their home that is truly there to clean and help them, and not some professional salesman who is there with the primary intent of selling additional service in order to increase their quoted price/estimate.

So at the end of the day whether I am addressing a customer/prospect on the phone or in person, or in person in the same room as the CEO of any BNC, I will refer to my company as our company. I will convey the point that "we" as a team are here to serve them, because my employees treat my business and my customers as if they were their own.

Good Q Ryan, deserves a good answer. I just has my definition, but I bet it's the same as most everybody's on your side of the room. And I bet it's not at all the same definition as the guys on the other side of the room.
So yes, let's define it.

Mine: An Owner Operator is who/what people would choose to hire, given all the facts.
Just put yourself in their shoes and you won't have any trouble defining the term or ideal.

Other than that simple definition above it gets tough to define imo.
It becomes easier to define... what it is not.

This process of filtration we've all been through, learning to dissociate from those we chose not be like hardly any of you guys are on any of the other boards. I'm like the only Dick in the group. You left for a place like this, where you're among people just like you. It's no accident it's your kind I serve; I have chosen the same path. We all have one thing in common I think; it's how we interact with our customers. It's what separates us from most of the industry. It's what I hope all of you capitalize on.
What is it?

When I took my road trip in 2003, I was extremely disappointed in what I found as representative of this trade. I had hoped to find guys like me and set up a referral service. I stopped in 60 cities. I shook over 2,000 hands. I bought a whole bunch of lunches. And in the end, all I could only find were 80 guys I felt I could refer and most of them... it was a risk I didn't feel comfortable taking.
I don't know guess I'm just different.

As I started selling, I learned it more and more... this industry is LOADED with exactly the kind of people that real people would NOT want to hire. In the end, I've got a couple thousand companies I sell to, most I don't want to but I got bills too ya now. The few guys I cater too have pretty much one thing on their mind... wanna guess what that is?
Guess?

It's easier to say what an owner operator is not.

It's not about whether or not it's you or an employee who shows up. They'd prefer you but they accept that you may wanna grow. It's more about whether they will want that person in their home. It's why hiring is such a challenge, especially today with all the young people who were raised without real parents.

It's not how much you advertise or how pretty your van is or what chemicals you use or what seminars you've been to. None of that stuff matters.
There is only one thing that matters. You all know what it is.
What is it?

It's why I started all this.

...a strong business centered around family values, and customer satisfaction.
Yes.

But I think it's a reeeeeaaaaal stretch thinking people will believe you when you say your employees are like family.
Nothing wrong with family, but what's so great about hiring complete strangers and turning them into family?  
Come on, if they're not family then they're not family. Right?
I'm really not sure I would want to hire a family based cleaning company as opposed to a non-family based one; nowadays anyways.
Hell, most families today are dysfunctional aren't they?
Now your subject to meeting their definition of family in addition to meeting the main thing they want out of you, which is what?              
Is his family normal ?? and if not, how can he and his employees be ??
Family is not hitting on the thing they want; nothing like this is "...a strong business centered around family values, and customer your satisfaction."
I think you're trying to justify stepping away from the OO wall and walking over to the BNC wall with any mention of Family. Sorry just my opinion.
You can start & stop with ... me and my trained employees and your satisfaction.  You can fit that on the side of a small van. Can't you?
I mean what do they really want a Sermon on the Mount, or a hard working team doing the things they don't wanna do?

commission... not everybody understands this stuff like you guys do. We're talkin soccer mom's here guys.  I bet many of them don't now that their SUV salesman was on commission.  Now if you're talking a Boeing engineer, yeah, let'se & materials, commission cost of labor etas and etcs.
...the fact that they have a professional cleaning technician in their home that is truly there to clean and help them, and not some professional salesman who is there with the primary intent of selling additional service in order to increase their quoted price/estimate.  Whoa! Now that has all the ladies walking right up to you Joedaddy.

The bottom line is that we are in the people business. Sure it's important that you learn our trade, know how to sell, and be professional but it goes beyond that. You have to be able to connect with your customers and they have to like and trust you.

I am sincerely interested in the people that I clean for. I don't have a big social life so when I clean that's when I get a chance to interact with people. In fact meeting the people I clean for is one of the most interesting aspect of this business.  Building that rapport with customers takes time and you just can't do that if you schedule 8 jobs a day like the big boys do. There have been instances where I have spent more time talking to a customer than cleaning their house.

We as cleaners make mistakes , sometimes we can't get some spots out, and we're not the lowest priced. But if you customers like and trust they will never call anyone else.

If you look at some of the quotes of reviews that I have received from clients they use my name and really describe personality traits:

Mauricio the proprietor was on time, friendly, explained the process ...

Excellent cleaning, very professional and punctual

He's kind, courteous and highly professional, was even early!  A+++++

Mauricio was pleasant to deal with, prompt in returning my call and came on time.

Wonderful experience all the way around

Very prompt and courteous.

He is conscientious about the work he does and it shows.

This is a one man company who was very responsive and punctual

Mo did a great job but, some stains did remain and, as he said, he returned and took care of them at no charge

I look at it from the perspective of; where do I go for certain services or products? Places that I feel like they know me and call me by my name(lumpy). Where they say "hey Matt, how's it goin", when I walk in the door.
-I feel like I have built customer relationships like that. We talk about more than just the job. When they call, I know who it is by the sound of their voice. If they are in a crunch time-I will squeeze them in.
they 'TRUST' me in their home!
-years ago I asked a long timer "you know another CC could do it cheaper, so why do you use me"? A: cuz I take care of them.

Matt

Yes, Yes.

How could any normal person read Mo or Matt's 'ad' and not seriously consider them?
You almost gotta hire these guys just to see if it's true. Right?
That's the message all OOs should strive to convey.

Now imagine a radio or tv ad from one of the BNCs ...
Could they say anything close to this???
I say, No Way.

With Mo and Mat we're talking about Individuals with a capital 'I'.
But with BNCs there is no Individual, is there?

So it's lookin like your greatest asset is YOU isn't it?

Guys like Ryan could grow to a hundred trucks; as long as it's Ryan's personality coming through, it's a slam dunk he'll get the job.
In a real world the guy would have first crack at anything he wanted.
And that's exactly where we're going with this. Ya'll up for that? So let's see your ad.

Anybody can read these guys' passion.  It's not just a word with these guys.

Guys like Dobson, another RC and true OO; the guy will never have to spend a dime advertising.
Real people pick up on his message from a mile away....
He knows what he's doing.
He does it with passion.
And like he says, "I leave em smiling."

Now can anybody please tell me of just one BNC that has anything close to this model ?

Yep Joe is right. This is gonna be my favorite thread.

Well for me it would be pretty simple. 95% of my work is repeat customers and referrals. They know me and I have developed a trust with them. I DO NOT advertise other than a poorly designed website. So when a customer calls me they already know me or know the person who gave them my name. For the ones that are off the street, I explain to them that I am a family owned and operated cleaning company and that all products that I use are designed to be used on the carpets.
I do not use dollar store products or laundry detergent. I also explain to them that I treat every job as if it is my home and I will do it right the first time. They also know I am a member of the community and they see me in the same stores and same events that they go to so my name is on the line when I do a job.

Tim, according to my Find & Replace, you have the new record at ELEVEN "I"s

The new "I" "I" Captain.

Joe Bristor wrote:Tim, according to my Find & Replace, you have the new record at ELEVEN "I"s

The new "I" "I" Captain.

That is because I do everything. and in my area I have an advantage because the locals prefer the small mom and pop business. there has been a big push for the last 5 years or so to really push Local business and I make sure my customers know that I am one of them.

Joe, maybe I am way off base or just an idiot... But as I read every response, I feel like I am reading basically the same thing from everyone (or at least the same sentiment) just worded differently by caring individuals who have passion for their customers and business. And, I think we all get it otherwise we would not be here - trying to better ourselves, help our peers, and make our industry better.

I am not big on conflict, and try to avoid it as much as possible. However, I will point out that your posts on this thread are shockingly narrow minded, and somewhat demeaning to those of us who you asked to participate. I feel like you are talking down to us, and many of your comments will only serve the purpose of alienating people from continuing to participate. Additionally, referring to me as "Joedaddy" instead of Joe or Carpet Daddy in the way that you did is hurtful and disrespectful. I really don't know you, but I have appreciated your thoughtful input on the board, and your help as a supplier. I hope that my comments are taken constructively and not disrespectfully. I am thankful and proud to be a member of this board.

carpetdaddy wrote:Joe, maybe I am way off base or just an idiot... But as I read every response, I feel like I am reading basically the same thing from everyone (or at least the same sentiment) just worded differently by caring individuals who have passion for their customers and business. And, I think we all get it otherwise we would not be here - trying to better ourselves, help our peers, and make our industry better.

I am not big on conflict, and try to avoid it as much as possible. However, I will point out that your posts on this thread are shockingly narrow minded, and somewhat demeaning to those of us who you asked to participate. I feel like you are talking down to us, and many of your comments will only serve the purpose of alienating people from continuing to participate. Additionally, referring to me as "Joedaddy" instead of Joe or Carpet Daddy in the way that you did is hurtful and disrespectful. I really don't know you, but I have appreciated your thoughtful input on the board, and your help as a supplier. I hope that my comments are taken constructively and not disrespectfully. I am thankful and proud to be a member of this board.

This has been a passionate topic in all directions and I feel that it has been a constructive one.  When I started this business on my own several years ago, I had a website built and followed someone's advice from another board to refer to the company in the third person instead of "I".  I was told that it would allow me to grow and maybe sell the business easier by not attaching it to just my mug.  Truth is, it didn't match the way that I operated and I found that my comapny was really more about selling me, than the service.  Now that I think about it, I never updated the language on the site and need to do that right away.

I think Joe has done a good job at illustrating what we all knew, but may not have been embracing fully, that the O/O is selling a different product and that product is more desireable to the average customer.  I am sorry to see that you took offense to it Carpet Daddy, but I don't think that you need to as you are one of us and understand that you are the key product in your business...just a difference in syntax.

One of the major problems with text is that it doesn't always get interpreted correctly.  What the receiver believes and what the sender intended are not always the same.  Joe writes with great literary voice, that is to say that he writes like he talks and it flavors the text accordingly.  The problem is that you don't get to see the eyes and mannerisms that go along with the delivery and sometimes that can end with a perceived insult that may have not been the intent.

For me, this topic reminded me of what I discovered along the way and what I wish I had known from the start....it is you that they want to hire, not the company.  Hopefully, this has been a reminder to others, especially those starting out, that you should lead with your strength instead of trying to be like the "other guy".

Sorry this was so long winded, it was the cookie that I ate.  I could have summarized this topic up with a video clip of Eddie Haskel vs. Wally and you would have understood the point of what a customer is looking for in a cleaner.

I get it.  I can appreciate a perspective look at things.  Especially this topic, often as OO we get caught up  in our little bubble of, "the little guy" and think thats enough to retain and build our customer base, and sets us apart from the "big boys".  

I know that people do business with us not because our price, business name, branding, equipment (the client could give a rats ass about what TM we run along with other things), cleaning methods (although application helps retain), or really even if I am an OO/locally owned and operated.  These things are not really on their radar or on the top five anyways.  I encompass what I build this company on over fours years ago in my mission and vision statement.  

Mission Statement

Provide a quality cleaning service founded on integrity, value, education, and experience.


Vision Statement

Neighbors Serving Neighbors

So what was I thinking when I scripted that fours years ago.  I wanted to remind me everyday I opened my doors for business that its about "Excellence" in every detail.  I will define "Excellence" later.  I wanted to build my business on things that I knew people missed with me in my life when engaged with people.  Wither it was a boss, family member, friend, co worker, neighbor, business interaction, and so on.  Does it mean that I never miss the mark personally, or even as a team in our company.  Absolutely not!  But I do posses the deep core value the always aim at Excellence.  I want all my clients to hear in my voice, in the way I listen, in the way I answer questions, in the way I describe how we will handle their home, in the way I follow them around in their home and listen to their concern, in the way I focus when we clean, in the way I finish in their home, and many more.  I dont do a lot of things that most do, such as, follow up letters, post cards, pre service emails/letters, ect.  What I do is focus on finding out what they need and meeting that need with our services.  My personality comes out in all of us.  Ask Joe, when Lesley answers the phone he probably can sense a touch of Ryan in how the call is handled.  

You see it all starts with me.  The guy who developed the Mission Statement and Vision Statement.  I have a hard time convincing Lesley of that.  You see people dont really care if its me cleaning, Im sure they would rather me be there, but again they will have me in there home because I have conveyed how things are handled to our employees.  Shoot these days I have my employees being requested over me. I love that.  

So what makes me different than the "big boys"?  Its "ME"!  I have no restrictive list of products that are approved.  I have no manuscript that been written on how to handle a-z.  What I have is "ME".  A personal drive to care for people.  A personal satisfaction to meet the needs of my neighbors.  

And that brings me to "Excellence"

Excellence is not to be confused with Perfection.  You see excellence is for the whole, it is the forward focus to continually strive for improvement.  

I have a story.  This year I had a new employee at one of the companies we service refuse to use our service.  I worked with this person for the first three months of them coming on to try and work through this issue.  I was never able to find the common ground.  It was extremely hard to walk through.  I talked with the Managers, to no avail.  So I decided the best thing to do was step away and not continue to press the issue.  You see if I would have continued to press this matter to the point where I got my way, I would have missed the need of my client, but meet my personal need at that time.  See what was going on was an employee that was not on the team.  The employees goal was to serve them self.  So by stepping out of picture I allowed less pressure and stress on a bad situation.  In the end the employee moved on and I was contacted for our services.  I didn't stop there though.  I made sure to take the opportunity to learn and ask if I could have handled the situation better if given the chance again.

To me its not about who, its about "ME" being seen in every aspect of my company.  I may not be around some day but my finger print will always be present.  

So why do the clients in the middle of this room turn to me for their cleaning needs?  Its because they feel like I am who they are.  I identify with what they need in that moment.