The Round-Up: Endless Mold, Olympic Janitors, Crazy Marketing and Painted Rugs

American Sarouk

Greetings, and welcome to The Round-Up!

The Round-Up is a feature where we collect some of the more interesting cleaning industry stories from around the web and present them to you in one convenient post.

Please enjoy, and let us know if you have any coverage suggestions.

“Mold Continues to Plague Campus,” Cleanfax Magazine.

This high school in St. Louis has had $28 million in remediation done, but they still can’t get rid of their black mold problem. Full story here.

“When These Olympians Say Their Job Is ‘No Sweat,’ They Mean It,” Wall Street Journal.

True stories from the Olympic moppers who keep the courts sweat-free. Check out the article here.

“Why Your Brand Should Piss Someone Off,” Fast Magazine.

Very smart, very counter-intuitive marketing advice. Details here.

“American Sarouk–The Beauty of Painted Rugs,” From the Rug Room blog.

Lynn Tall gives us a fascinating glimpse into rug history with her description of the American Sarouk, a type of rug painted to suit Art Deco-era American tastes. See full story here.

The Round-Up: Paper Rugs, Janitor Protests, Whiny Customers and Vodka-Slinging Window Cleaners

Greetings, and welcome to The Round-Up!

The Round-Up is a feature where we collect some of the more interesting cleaning industry stories from around the web and present them to you in one convenient post.

Please enjoy, and let us know if you have any coverage suggestions.

“Whiny Customers: 5 Types of Complaints (& How to Handle Them),” Inc. Magazine.
Got whiny customers? Inc. Magazine has solutions. Full story here.

“Paper Rugs (Seriously?),” RugChick.com.
Paper rugs: yes they’re a real trend, and yes, they’re uncleanable. Lisa Wagner breaks down this wacky new phenomenon. Check out the article here.

“7 Arrested in Protest Backing Houston Janitors,” Houston Chronicle.
Texas janitors want their wages raised from $8.35/hr to $10/hr, and are striking to make it happen. But the Houston police are striking back. Details here.

“Window Cleaners Become Vodka Salesmen,” Robinson Solutions Blog.
A revolutionary new ad campaign has real window cleaners busting into high-rises and recruiting officer workers to party. See full story here.

The Round-Up: A New IICRC Website, Out-Cooling the Competition, Precious Dumpster Rugs and Finally Conquering Your Fears

This rare rug, made ca. 1800, was discovered in a dumpster.

Greetings, and welcome to The Round-Up! The Round-Up is a feature where we collect some of the more interesting cleaning industry stories from around the web and present them to you in one convenient post.

Please enjoy, and let us know if you have any coverage suggestions.

“IICRC Launches New Website,” ISSA.com.

The IICRC has launched a new website, where they explain the benefits of the cleantrust logo, answer frequently asked questions and make it possible for consumers to find IICRC-certified companies in their regions. Full story here.

“Four Ways to Break Through Your Fear and Self-Doubt,” Forbes Magazine.

Are fear and self-doubt leading you to keep “playing small” with your life and business? Learn how to break through. Check out the article here.

“$150,000 Rug found in a San Diego Dumpster,” Jboc’s Rug Notes.

This rare Turkish Tekke Asmalyk rug almost went to the dump. Details here.

“Out-Cool Your Competition,” Darren Hardy.com.

Are you cool? How to use coolness to get the jump on your competitors. See full story here.

A Marketing Plan for All Seasons

Are you using the same old marketing materials, month in and month out? When’s the last time you updated your print ads? Do you use your company’s Facebook page to tout the same “10% off” special, over and over again?

If so, you may want to consider switching up your marketing strategy. The fact is that if you keep sending your potential customers the same message, it starts to become monotonous, and they tune it out. That means that much of the money you spend on advertising could be going to waste. So, if you want to get the most out of your marketing dollar, you need add some variety to your campaigns.

One of the most natural ways to start varying your marketing is to make your campaigns more seasonally appropriate.  For instance, you probably already send out holiday and Christmas cards in the winter. But there are three other seasons! In the spring, you can play up the “spring cleaning” tradition in your advertising. In the fall, you can run “back to school” specials and in the summer, you can work off homeowners’ fears that the increase in heat has lead to—well, an increase in odors.  (It has the added benefit of being absolutely true.)

Holidays also provide great marketing opportunities. Think beyond the obvious–try a Valentine’s Day cleaning special for singles looking to impress their dates, or a Veteran’s Day special for veterans and their families only. You can also create seasonally-themed branded merchandise—Easter and Halloween candy with your company’s name printed on the wrapper, election day buttons that say “Vote [Your Company’s Name]”, or branded Fourth of July soda/beer cozies.

However you choose to do it, keeping your marketing materials fresh and relevant will ensure that your customers keep coming back.

The Round-Up: Tropical Storm Debby, 9 Beliefs for Success, UK Cleaning Industry News and an Elderly Janitor Gangster

Greetings, and welcome to The Round-Up! The Round-Up is a feature where we collect some of the more interesting cleaning industry stories from around the web and present them to you in one convenient post.

Please enjoy, and let us know if you have any coverage suggestions.

“Tropical Storm Debby Causes Business Boom for Paul Davis Restoration,” Jacksonville Business Journal.
As Tropical Storm Debby continues to ravage Florida State, Jacksonville-based restoration franchise Paul Davis has been deluged with emergency calls. In some locations, crews have been working 12- to 15-hour shifts. Full story here.

“9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People,” Inc. Magazine. Are you running your life, or it is running you over? Check out the article here.

“UK Association Urges Government to Support Growth of Cleaning Industry,” Cleanzine.com. With 8.2% unemployment in the UK, the Cleaning & Support Services Association is advocating for the cleaning industry as key to the UK’s economic growth. A new report details how the government could change government policy to support cleaning businesses. Details here.

“85-Year-Old Janitor Steals Goat,” NBCDFW.com. A Garland school district custodian and a much younger female accomplice have been arrested for stealing two baby goats and a trailer from a school agriculture barn in Sachs, TX. See full story here.

Before & After: Cleaning Pics of the Week

Happy Wednesday! Hope you’re ready for another edition of “Before & After: Cleaning Pics of the Week”!

This week’s Before & After photos come courtesy of Dave Stiles of Steam Master Carpet Cleaning San Antonio. Steam Master offers carpet, tile and upholstery cleaning, as well as 24-hour flood service, to the greater San Antonio, TX region.

It’s hard to say what exactly this pink floral rug had been through to bring it to this point; we can safely guess, however, that it was a lot. Can Dave restore it?

Yes he can! Who knew that, underneath the grime, this rug had so much beautiful shading and tinting? Great job!

If you’re interested in submitting photos to “Before & After: Cleaning Pics of the Week,” please email them to support@principalfocus.com. (And if you have any interesting cleaning story jobs to go with the photos, send them too.) Thanks!  

 

ServiceMonster 4.10 is Coming!

The rumors are true–ServiceMonster 4.10 is coming, along with lots of new updates for ServiceMonster users. Want to know more? Watch this introductory video by our CEO, Joe Kowalski.

Explosion Halts Contractor Convention

(Via Cleanfax)

Nashville, Tenn.–The Crawford Contractor Connection Conference is a prime event for insurance carriers, network contractors, and exhibitors who service the insurance and restoration industry.

This year’s Crawford Contractor Connection Conference was to take place at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center from June 19 to June 22.

However, a gas explosion at the Opryland last night spurred the evacuation of over 5,000 guests from the hotel, as well as the suspension of all Crawford Connection activities until Thursday.

No injuries were reported.

The Opryland is famous for its vast size (2,881 rooms) and elaborate architecture–it has 9 miles of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls and an indoor river. The explosion occurred in the convention center area of the Opryland.

To find out more about the Crawford Contractor Connection Conference, visit their site here . You can read more about the explosion in the Washington Post here.

Before & After: Cleaning Pics of the Week

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for another edition of “Before & After: Cleaning Pics of the Week.” This week’s Before & After photos are something different–they’re video!

This Fresno sandwich shop’s awning looked dingy beyond belief. Once cheerful and inviting, its red and white stripes had faded with time to dusty maroon and dark grey. Can J & J Window Cleaning Services save it? Watch and see!

Wow, that awning looks brand new! Thanks to J. Racenstein Co. for letting us share this video.

If you’re interested in submitting photos to “Before & After: Cleaning Pics of the Week,” please email them to support@principalfocus.com. (And if you have any interesting cleaning story jobs to go with the photos, send them too.) Thanks! 

Industry News: Spotlight on the Cleaning College

The Cleaning College
6/27 – 6/29: /Reno, NV

Have you heard about The Cleaning College yet? Put on by the Carpet & Fabricare Institute (CFI) and the Carpet Cleaners Institute of the Northwest (CCINW), The Cleaning College aims to be a valuable educational and networking event that is also friendly and fun.

Some of The Cleaning College’s educational highlights will include:

“Rugs Unraveled: The Best Technical Tricks To Great Rug Cleaning,” by Lisa Wagner.

This presentation will cover the rugs most likely to bite the carpet cleaner. Find out about the easiest way to identify the difference between rugs that will fill your wallet – and which rugs will eat your wallet.

You can also find out how to tame a wallet eating rug and turn it into a wallet filler.

“Blood Borne Pathogens: What Cleaners Must Know,” by Patrick Paluga.

If you or your employees encounter any bodily fluids, you and they are in danger of contracting a variety of diseases. Some, like AIDS and hepatitis, are debilitating or deadly. This presentation will let you know what you need to do to comply with the law–and keep you and your employees safe.

“Chemistry: The Real Scoop On Bettering Cleaning Results,” by Mike Kerner.
What’s the difference between the best products to use on nylon carpet, an Oriental rug, fine fabric, or a granite countertop?

Ever wanted to know why one “strong” cleaning product was okay to use cleaning wool and another will do irreparable damage?

Want to be “green” but don’t want to work harder to get things clean?

This class is Chemistry 201 without the headaches!

The Cleaning College will also feature how-to panels, hands-on demonstrations and a vendor expo. Be sure to look for Jason McMonster there–he’ll be manning the ServiceMonster booth!

To learn more, please visit http://cleaningcollege.org/