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THE CLEAN SHEET
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION WINTER 2017
A YEAR IN REVIEWNCCA OFFICE Full story on page 14
4 THE BUSINESS OF URINE REMOVAL
14 A YEAR IN REVIEW
17 FROM THE ARCHIVES
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DIARY DATES Regional Meets Winsford
25 Jan
Northumberland
13 Mar
Cornwall
30 Jan
Cumbria
14 Mar
Crawley
8 Feb
Swansea
TBC
Northampton
15 Feb
Scotland
TBC
Doncaster
12 Mar
Ireland
TBC
National Carpet Cleaners Association 62c London Road, Oadby, Leicestershire, LE2 5DH Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Dave Wheadon
PRESIDENT Allan Simmons
VICE PRESIDENTS Tim Colenutt Paul Pearce
www.ncca.co.uk
DIRECTORS Glyn Charnock (Company Secretary) Nigel Lay Martin Johns David Weaver
Twitter: @NCCA_ Facebook: NationalCarpetCleanersAssociation Search ‘NCCA Members’ for members-only Facebook group Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Association or it’s officers or members. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the statements within this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors, or omissions, or matters arising from any clerical or printing errors, and whilst every care is taken of manuscripts and photographs submitted to us, we can accept no responsibility for any loss or damage. ©Carpet Cleaners Association Ltd 1994 (Trading as the National Carpet Cleaners Association). No part of this Newsletter may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Carpet Cleaners Association Ltd.
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WELCOME TO THE CLEAN SHEET It’s been so great to meet so many of you at the regional meetings. Your candour and feedback is appreciated. It’s also been nice to hear that you think we are moving in the right direction, but that doesn’t mean as a board we’re complacent and think “job done” either. A common theme within feedback we’ve received is the lack of NCCA awareness amongst consumers, and one of the things you would like to see is more Public Relations to help tackle this. As a result, in March we undertook the “NCCA Spring Clean Survey”, which was followed up with a number of interviews with both national and local radio stations. This was based around spring cleaning to coincide with Spring Cleaning Week, which made it seasonal and therefore more relevant. Our radio campaign had an estimated reach of over 7 million listeners! Well, we’ve done it again! If you haven’t already seen the results of our recent “NCCA Party Season Survey” then I urge you to take a look: https:// trustedlocalcleaners.co.uk/ncca-party-seasonsurvey/. In this second survey we again posed several seasonal questions to the general public. The survey results were followed up with another series of live and pre-recorded interviews with national and local radio stations, carried out by NCCA Technical Director Paul Pearce. We’ve used the survey and radio spot approach for two main reasons. Firstly, with a limited budget we have to maximise everything we do.
PR generally costs money, certainly if it’s deemed as “advertising”, so we needed the most cost effective option to gain maximum exposure. Using seasonally relevant questions gets answers that can then be used as topics of discussion in radio interviews. As well as getting free exposure to the masses, we chose to use surveys as each question has been carefully thought out so that it also gives us (and you) ideas for blog articles, Facebook posts, Tweets and all the other online opportunities. Use the question and answers as inspiration for engaging headlines for your posts or subject lines for your emails. Don’t forget about marketing to your existing clients too, and again, each of these questions and answers can be used as a “reason why” you’re contacting your existing client. Again this makes it more engaging, which increases the chance of a response, and increased response reduces your marketing spend, and makes you more profit. Look out for emails and Facebook posts in the members-only group for ideas about how you can use the results in your local marketing too. The clever thinking behind the surveys means that the content can be recycled year after year, as it’s always relevant. We’ve “banked” some great marketing materials with these two surveys, we’ll be sharing the ideas soon. I look forward to seeing more of you at the future regional meetings. In the meantime, you can always call or email me direct with any concerns, or to share any good news too. I love this industry and the people in it. Regards, Allan
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THE BUSINESS OF URINE REMOVAL, FRIEND OR FOE?
When a client tells you that their dog has had an accident on the carpet and says, ‘can you come around and give my carpet a clean?’ What is your first thought? ‘I can do this’. You attend site, check the carpet, give a price, bring your machine in and clean the carpet, spray some deodoriser and off you go. Have you ever considered that the animal may have soiled there multiple times, which will obviously add a little more to what you have to do to eliminate the odour and bacteria? Of course, it would be a good idea to find out the size of the culprit as this can make a difference to the amount of soiling. Hopefully you are not entering an area where the animal considers the room his or her own toilet space. The urine which is excreted from the body in an acidic state changes to an alkaline quite quickly by forming salt crystals. Generally, these hygroscopic salts receive moisture from the air and will remain slightly damp and chemically active until treated. This will produce an ammoniated gas for as long as it’s active, which is generally the odour you can smell. Of course, this can often help us locate the soiling. Cleaning can assist the off gassing and make it more prevalent, especially if it’s been there a long time.
The consumer has probably become so used to it their threshold level can ignore the odour. The consumer has probably become so used to it their threshold level can ignore the odour. The urine will decompose and create some bacteria www.ncca.co.uk
that will grow exponentially, especially in warm and dark places. This in turn feeds the bacteria daily, which can become unbearable to many. Very often if untreated the bacteria and chemical can become a part of the fibre, especially the more absorbent ones. If you can kill the bacteria but don’t expel all the ammonia and other chemicals, there can still be an odour left behind. I think we have established that one way to find if there is urine in the carpet is by using our noses. So, what else can we use to locate the soiling if it is not immediately obvious where it is. First, you can use a moisture meter. This is usually a twin probe electronic item, which is easily located at good builder’s merchants or if you are carrying out water restoration you probably have one already. How this works is that as the urine dries it creates a chemical reaction of an alkaline salt. The salts are hygroscopic and absorb moisture from the air. When a moisture meter probe locates this area, it will activate it by a beeping noise or flashing light or both. You can then plot out the extent of the affected area by marking it with chalk as you find the extremities of the urine. The next item you can use to determine urine deposits is using an ultraviolet light. If you are to try this then there are a couple of things you need to know. One is there are many types of UV lights available, however to detect urine you will need NationalCarpetCleanersAssociation
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there are also plenty of modifiers that will counteract this issue for you, removing a cleaning step.
to purchase a light that will produce a long wave UV, around 385 nanometres. This will fluoresce the stain enough to show yellow for dogs and greenish for cats. Bear in mind that there are other spillages or soils that will show up under these lights, for instance some household spotters can contain optical brighteners which can give off a blue light, others can just appear under the UV. So, you will need to distinguish the differences before telling your client that the stain you have pointed out is urine when there are clearly no pets in the house. Even after a thorough cleaning of the contaminated carpet, some glow from UV light is likely to remain. The florescence will diminish somewhat, but it will still be there. As I mentioned before, chemicals over time can become part of the fibre. If you think about it you will never remove 100% of the water you used in the cleaning process, nor will you remove all the salts, etc. There is very often a small amount left behind. Remediation of the urine really depends on the amount that has been absorbed by the fibre and underlay. If it is a light sprinkling then surface cleaning and rinsing may be all that is needed. There are multiple products supplied by the industry to deal with this. Initially an acidic rinse solution should be applied to the soiling to reduce the alkalinity that has built up, although
If the urine has penetrated through the backing and underlay, then more drastic action is required to ensure a satisfactory contamination removal. If the soiling is at the side of the room where the carpet can be lifted easily then you can check to see if the gripper rod/smooth edge is intact and not rotted. If it is, it’s a good idea to replace it. The underlay will probably need replacing in this area as well and the subfloor cleaned and disinfected also. For best results the back and front of the carpet should be treated to maximize the removal of the contamination. Of course, if the soiling is in the middle of the room and you don’t want to take the carpet up, then a water claw is going to be your best friend. The urine decontaminants are plentiful and sold by many of our Corporate suppliers, who will guide you in the best application of these products. Follow the instructions well and don’t miss out a procedure to maximize the effect. Spraying a deodoriser over the carpet to deal with urine contamination is not the answer. The stains that are on the surface of the carpet will need separate treatments to perhaps reduce them. If it’s a light coloured carpet this can often be done with mild reducing agents, such as sodium metabisulphite which is often present in tea and coffee reducers. If it’s a yellow stain on a dark carpet then it is doubtful that stain removal is the answer, it will likely be colour repair. Finally, you will need to educate your client and manage their expectations. If you don’t it may result in multiple visits to try and satisfy them. Don’t assume they understand your procedures, explain what you expect from the treatment you intend to employ so they can make an informed decision. Paul Pearce
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CHEMICAL WARFARE! We are all aware that chemicals are an essential part of our businesses when it comes to cleaning soft furnishings and also when having to deal with spots and stains. We are equally aware of the damage that can be done to soft furnishings by members of the public when using proprietary brand chemicals, before accepting the fact that a stain is not going to come out. It is at this point that they call you!
most of the ‘gunk’ that has been applied by the
They all seem to do it… Why? The answer is
reducing agents to the chemical mix already
simple, they are going to have to pay you to do the job, whilst if the can do it themselves they will (hopefully) be saving some money. We cleaners now have to not only deal with the original stain, but the cocktail of chemicals that
customer. I say ‘most’ as some of it may well have penetrated through to the backing of the carpet and beyond. This is where a Water Claw can be useful in reaching the areas that your hand tool won’t. Once the cold rinse operation has been carried out you can then assess the result and make an informed decision on what the next procedure is going to be. Many cleaners do not carry out this initial cold water rinse but proceed to apply further stain there. That initial rinse can not only take out the residual proprietary brand chemicals within the substrate, but also some of the stains too. I have known it to be the only thing that needs to be done. Bingo… stain gone, collect payment.
has been added to it. Don’t forget that most of the
A few tips for you to consider:-
public don’t have access to the rinsing facilities of
It’s always worthwhile carrying out a test on
an extraction machine.
fabrics (zip end of cushion) with the chemicals
Check out the offending areas well before you
you are proposing to use. Especially if the fabrics
proceed, take photographs of any pre-existing
are pH sensitive, it is important to identify that
damage and don’t give any guarantees that the
in advance
stain will totally be removed. OK you all know
Always start with a weak solution of your
that, you have heard it on the training courses and
chemical treatment and increase strength
have read many articles in the NCCA magazines
if required.
on the subject over the years.
Always rinse out one chemical before applying
My first approach is to flush out the area
another. You don’t want a nasty adverse
thoroughly with a cold water rinse to remove
chemical reaction.
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Flush out the chemicals you have been using thoroughly when the job is done. The obvious one… DON’T rub or scrub (however tempting it may be). You can burst the pile and leave a lighter damaged area or even put a hole in a Viscose Rayon rich fabric (these can lose a considerable amount of its strength when wet Why not use a tamping procedure? Very effective without damaging the fibres. Or a low moisture hand tool o create agitation?
This way you can see the finished result before you go and there should be no risk of any wick back. You should always stress to the customer that there will be a difference in the area where you have removed the spot/stain (it will often look cleaner - an opportunity to get them to have the whole area cleaned to achieve that overall clean appearance!).
If you are tempted to use heat, be careful. Heat will increase the action of the chemical, which can sometimes result in chemical burns/bleaching. Flush out the chemicals you have been using thoroughly when the job is done. Failure to do so can leave the chemical still active within the fibres
One of my favourite and well used sayings is ‘having the ability to think things through’. So many people just don’t do this, not just in the cleaning industry but in general. That’s often
or even in the backing. This can then wick to the
where things start to go wrong.
surface (i.e. bleaches carry on bleaching).
Have a great Christmas plus a happy and
If just dealing with stains (not cleaning the rest of
prosperous 2018 !
the item) then dry off before you leave.
Derek Bolton
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REGIONAL MEETINGS The Association has been working hard recently to arrange regional meetings across the UK. We know it is sometimes difficult for our members to make time for travelling and events, so we’re coming to you. We hope all you have seen the announcements and will be joining us when we reach your area. Dates and areas for our 2018 meetings are below.
We find these informal events provide members with a relaxed environment to talk about the industry and a perfect opportunity to have their say; but also a chance to meet the staff and get fully up to date on NCCA ventures and ideas. So far these have been great and we have received some very valuable feedback. It is nice to put faces to names and have some real conversations about the Association and the future. During our recent meeting in Norwich, several subjects were broached and I would like to provide some of the details of the conversations we had.
We discussed how membership numbers are increasing and the initiatives we have started. We discussed how membership numbers are increasing and the initiatives we have started. We have introduced the Regional meeting so that we share ideas with you maintaining and building a closer bond with our members, hopefully developing a community. Changes to the current set-up for our carpet and upholstery training were mentioned. It is felt that some of the attendees had never been in
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control of carpet cleaning equipment, let alone attempted to clean, and knowledge is sometimes assumed when it has been clear students would benefit from more hands-on learning. 2018 will see the introduction of an extra day to the course covering equipment and more. Technology based interaction and the current examination systems are also being reviewed. It was suggested that we could adopt an open book type examination, however some members thought that the two days was not enough and took additional training to improve their confidence in the job. We discussed having a buddy system linking new applicants with existing members. Some great ideas came from this including feedback and approving the new member, protecting the professionalism of the Association. We have a number of new courses, in particular the blood/trauma training which we, along with the National Academy of Crime Scene Cleaners, have specifically designed for our members. We discussed the NCCA’s new Instagram profile. This is designed to showcase you and your work, so if you have any before and after photos, please
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THE CLEAN SHEET send them in to be published. Lauren will also be available to help members sign up and set-up Instagram business profile if you so wish. Email lauren@ncca.co.uk for more information. The NCCA logo and brand, incorporation of TLC branding and modernisation of the Association and its marketing. All present agreed that this is an area we need to look at and we hope to get more feedback on this at other meetings. WCP Cleaning Show 2018 – Possible two day event (social & trade). Around the table, members commented on enjoying the buzz of the show and also evening meal the night before. It had been noted that some members were disappointed that this year’s event did not include seminars and we intend to introduce some technical presentations and/or workshops in 2018. NCCA merchandise and particularly branded clothing were discussed. General feedback is that the members would like more options and some new designs/colours. Definitely an area we will be looking in to. We also discussed the collection of data from regional members on a monthly basis and providing statistical analysis of trends across regions and the UK. Information can be provided with complete anonymity. Stats are an area the NCCA has improved in greatly over the past year and intends to continue developing. We discussed recent incidents and customer difficulties and it was asked if we could provide more information on Alternative Dispute Resolution. An article will be featured in this issue of The Clean Sheet. Customer feedback and specifically feedback cards were discussed and opinions varied. Incentive options were mentioned, but we need to be careful of any conflicts with Google terms and conditions. We want to help members with reviews and developing their TLC profile/online presence. This is one area of priority for the Association and we will be pleased to discuss this
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further at future meetings. We are aware of the need for some new NCCA promotional videos as the ones we currently use have been available for a while (lead actor, Glyn Charnock, looked quite young so they are very old!), and we have new messages to get across to customers. We are in the process of getting these completed and they should be available soon. We plan to continue these informal meetings and the idea of visiting each region twice per year was very well received by the members present. If we have not been ‘your way’ recently, we should be soon. Please see locations and dates below. We look forward to seeing you. Dave Wheadon
DIARY DATES Regional Meets Winsford
25 Jan
Cornwall
30 Jan
Crawley
8 Feb
Northampton
15 Feb
Doncaster
12 Mar
Northumberland
13 Mar
Cumbria
14 Mar
Swansea
TBC
Scotland
TBC
Ireland
TBC
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IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN
The run up to Christmas can be one of the busiest times of year, as it feels that every home in the country needs to be spick and span in readiness for the festive season. The months following the holidays can be a lot quieter. However, there is an area of our businesses that will remain strong, certainly through January. I’m talking about stain removal. With the home being so busy, and people being in the party mood, there always seems to be a lot more spillages through Christmas and the New Year: red wine, white wine, soft drinks, tea, coffee and animal stains to name but a few. Then we have the homeowners who still insist on dressing the bottom of the Christmas tree with brightly coloured crepe paper which duly bleeds its dye into the carpet! You may be well stocked and prepared for the pre-Christmas rush, but are you prepared for the post-Christmas disasters? Many of our suppliers will be closed during the holiday period, some for up to two weeks. Do you have sufficient stock of stain removers to see you through this period? If you use generic products such as Hydrogen Peroxide, is your supply fresh? This is important as, especially after being opened a few times, Hydrogen Peroxide reduces rapidly in its effectiveness. If stain removal isn’t a significant part of your business and, especially if you haven’t attended a specialist spot and stain treatment and removal course in a while, it may be wise to brush up on your skills before they are needed. Open a bottle
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of red wine and pour some onto a preferably wool and nylon carpet sample. Leave it for a few days. You can repeat this exercise with as many staining products as you choose. Any remaining wine should be consumed at your earliest convenience! When you’ve sobered up, read through your NCCA Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Manual to refresh your memory of stain removal procedures and techniques. Now practice your skills on the samples until you have them perfected. You should now be well prepared and confident in your abilities to deal with most of the disasters that the festive season can throw at you. Protecting your equipment in the colder weather Freezing nights and frosty conditions can play havoc with our equipment and I have heard many reports from colleagues who have been caught out with frozen water pumps, trigger valves etc. Personally, I have made a habit of draining water pumps, hoses and tool valves at the end of the day during winter; this will reduce the risk of being caught out by the unexpected. It is also wise to watch the weather forecast EVERY day. For very cold weather, either heat and/or insulate your van well or unload sensitive equipment to a warmer place overnight. If you don’t work weekends, remember that Jack Frost often does! It also makes good sense to stock spare valves and quick connectors for your tools. A day or two waiting for spares to arrive through the post could be a day or two’s lost earnings. Many of our cleaning solutions and other chemicals are sensitive to freezing conditions too. Expensive carpet protectors, in particular, can be ruined by even a light frost, so check all of your products’ labels or contact your supplier for advice. Ken Wainwright
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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION WINTER 2017
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NCCA COURSE DATES 2018 PROFESSIONAL CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING WITH NEW HANDS ON INTRO
BLOOD TRAUMA – CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING
1 - 3 February 22 - 24 March 10 - 12 May 20 - 22 September 15 - 17 November
The Bristol Golf Club, Bristol BS10 7TP
ADVANCED SPOT & STAIN REMOVAL
LEATHER IDENTIFICATION & CLEANING
16 February 8 June 19 October RUG SCHOOL 12 - 13 March held at Cleanspec Cumbria, Cumbria
12 - 13 March 18 - 19 April 2 - 3 July CURTAIN CLEANING & ANTI-SOIL PROTECTION
3 May 18 October MARKETING MASTERCLASS WITH ALLAN SIMMONS
8 March
COMMERICIAL CLEANING
17 January 7 June
TBC
25 April All courses are held at NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester unless stated otherwise. Please check www.ncca.co.uk/training for further details.
Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk Twitter: @NCCA_ Facebook: NationalCarpetCleanersAssociation Search ‘NCCA Members’ for members-only Facebook group
Solution Cornwall, Cornwall
29 - 31 January
NCCA SURVEY FORMS USING NCCA SURVEY FORMS WILL: Allow you to record vital information including any previous damage or inherent problems. Provide you with an evidence trail in the possible event of a later problem or dispute. NCCA survey forms are available for members to purchase and come in pads of 100 with a carbonated sheet. Visit www.ncca.co.uk/members to access the online shop. www.ncca.co.uk
MEMBER REFERRAL STATS Since publishing a referral statistics report in the last issue of The Clean Sheet there have been 133 recommendations for full members provided by the NCCA. This number is made up of referrals from the NCCA office and potential customers contacting members directly through the website.
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ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION Since October 2015 it has been a legal requirement for all firms to have an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provision in place in case of a dispute with a consumer.
Many small business owners are not aware of this and have no provider in place, leaving themselves in a potentially vulnerable situation should a dispute arise. ADR offers a range of options that support the parties in dispute for an easier, quicker and more cost-effective approach to resolve disputes when compared to the courts or other formal methods, and as a member of the NCCA you are automatically covered by our ADR process – yet another benefit of membership which most people are not aware of! The ADR process will allow the consumer and tradesperson to work through 3 stages when they have failed to resolve a dispute directly with the tradesperson: Stage 1 – Conciliation – this is a free service to both parties provided by the NCCA, supporting both the consumer and member to engage and discuss the dispute, aiming to agree a negotiated outcome. Should this not be achieved, then the parties have the option to move to the next stage of the process. Conciliation is not legally binding although as part of the NCCA Code of Practice, if a member does not comply with any instructions from the NCCA as to how the matter should be settled, the NCCA can take disciplinary action against the member including probation, suspension or expulsion. We would hope that the vast majority of disputes would be settled by this process.
Stage 2 - Independent mediation. This is a low cost, non-legally binding service with a fee of £50 per party + VAT (using the TrustMark ADR Service) and uses fully approved independent mediators to support the seeking of an agreeable solution. Should the dispute not be resolved at this stage, parties can then move to Stage 3 - Arbitration. Stage 3 - Arbitration, which is free for the consumer, but not for the tradesperson, aims to avoid loss of earnings and court costs. Should you require arbitration, you will be sign-posted to TrustMark and provided with further details on the next steps.
If you have a dispute with a consumer, please contact the NCCA office as early as possible This process is designed to prevent disputes going to court, which cost both parties and the tax payer time and money. If you have a dispute with a consumer which you wish to take to court you may find it refused until an ADR process has taken place. If you have a dispute with a consumer, please contact the NCCA office as early as possible and they will guide you through the process. This is a much better option than waiting for a consumer to submit a complaint to us. We would rather an issue were raised by the member in a genuine attempt to solve a dispute, than for a consumer to complain about a member when a dispute has not been resolved satisfactorily. Please also note that this process is ONLY for consumer disputes, not business to business so is not applicable for commercial client disputes. Glyn Charnock (NCCA Training Director)
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2017 A YEAR IN REVIEW
GENERAL MEETING
NEW COURSES
Thank you to all those who took the time to attend the General Meeting. It is the one meeting where members are encouraged to attend to voice their opinions and help guide the appointed Directors in the direction that you wish to see the Association progress.
As a result of member feedback, three new courses were added to our training schedule in 2017.
Dave Wheadon, NCCA CEO gave a presentation about his plans for his appointment and the year ahead. The meeting also saw Allan Simmons appointed as the new NCCA President, and both Tim Colenutt and David Weaver went from coopted Directors to full Directors. In recognition of his work and support of the NCCA, longstanding member John Claydon was inducted into the list of NCCA Honorary Members. John has been a member of the NCCA since January 1997 and retired earlier this year.
● NCCA Rug School ● Curtain Cleaning & Anti-Soil Protection ● Introduction to Insurance & Insurance-related Work We’re adding even more courses to our 2018 training schedule, where members can benefit from discounted rates and exclusive membersonly courses.
The date for the 2018 meeting is to be confirmed in the New Year.
NCCA SPRING CLEAN SURVEY & RADIO DAY As part of National Spring Cleaning Week, the NCCA took to the British public with our Spring Clean Survey to undercover general attitudes towards cleanliness and cleaning habits. The office put together graphics based on the regional results. Members can use these on their website/social media. If you would like a copy, please look in our Facebook group or contact the office.
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THE CLEAN SHEET NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS The Association had 4 new Corporate Members join across April & May and we were thrilled that they were all able to join us at our annual industry show in September. ● CVM Group – Vehicle & Finance Solutions ● BeSure Broking Services – Insurance ● Cleanspec Cumbria Ltd – Supplier ● Solution Cornwall Ltd – Manufacturer and Supplier All Corporate Member contact information can be found on pages 24 & 25.
LAUNCH OF TRUSTED LOCAL CLEANERS June saw the launch of the Trusted Local Cleaners website which has already had over: 437 enquiries 811 reviews Many members are also now benefiting from TLC reviews appear on their Google Business listing! 34% of members have customised their listing – please let Lauren know if you would like some help editing your profile. Each month we put one of our members in the spotlight and feature them as our #TLCofthemonth – Trusted Local Cleaner of the month. The featured member appears in the NCCA’s cover photo and Trusted Local Cleaners website homepage for the entire month. So far, Clean N Restore, Five Star Furnishing Care, CSB Carpet Cleaning Ltd, Top 2 Bottom Cleaning, Executive Cleaning Services (South West) Ltd, Aqua Floor Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning & Carpet Wizzard have been featured.
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THE WCP CLEANING SHOW IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NCCA Saturday 9th September saw the NCCA join forces with The Window Cleaning Page to put on our largest event to date. The NCCA’s exhibition space allowed many Corporate Members (both new and old), and other leading industry-related service providers to showcase their latest products and services, as well as facilitate on-stand and outside demonstrations. A special thank you to NCCA Events Director, David Weaver who played a significant part in making the day a huge success. Clear your diaries for Saturday 8th September 2018!
NEW MEMBERS This year has seen a total of 107 members join, which consist of 99 new applications and 8 rejoiners. As the NCCA exam is now available to take after the relevant carpet & upholstery training courses at Prochem, Alltec Network and Solution Cornwall, we believe this has had a significant impact on membership growth. As a result of members continuing their training and education, we had 30 Associate Members move to Member level, 10 to Advanced and 4 to Senior Member level.
We’re adding even more courses to our 2018 training schedule, where members can benefit from discounted rates and exclusive members-only courses. THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION WINTER 2017
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LOGOS / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Each and every business has its own unique logo, trademark or other distinguishing intellectual property rights to which it alone is allowed to reproduce or to allow others to replicate or use it through their channels.
This may be a membership, franchise or some other form of authorised use with or without a fee being due. So why is this important? Well how would you react to another newly formed company setting up a business trading under your chosen name or brand, which may reflect badly on your own business and the hard work that you have put in to make your company a successful one.
The NCCA has been in existence since 1968 years and is about to celebrate its 50th year The NCCA has been in existence since 1968 years and is about to celebrate its 50th year of providing access to members who fulfil the criteria of being properly trained, fully insured and who are accountable for the standard of the service they deliver in an ethical business environment. To be able to use the logo and promote your business credentials to the general public, you have adhered to the rights of membership and paid your annual dues. However there are always unethical businesses who want to reap the benefits that membership provides, but do not want to be accountable by the rules of membership or pay an annual fee. They then use the logo on their advertising, vans, webpage, stationary, etc. and dupe the public into believing that they have the legitimacy of trading under our intellectual property rights, which belong exclusively to the Association and its members.
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Our members regularly contact us with cases of logo misuse and false claims of accreditation, and we are grateful for this and happy to investigate any claims. Sometimes, however, we only discover these fraudsters when a member of the public reports a complaint via the office; when the damage to their valuable furnishings has already occurred and they realise that they have become a victim. Although we will always endeavour to help where we can, the Association has no jurisdiction to rectify a problem through a non-member. We will always pursue the offenders to ensure that we protect our IP rights but that is often too late to assist the consumer. I am therefore asking for all our members to regularly check cleaning companies in their area for illegal use of the logo or any other IP rights, notify the office and we will take the necessary action. I would also like to point out that we do have members that have been involved with other organisations like Trustmark, Woolsafe, IICRC to mention a few, whereby they have decided not to renew the membership but are still displaying the logo or other IP rights on vans, internet pages, etc. This actually contravenes your membership of the NCCA which requires you to act with integrity, so I ask all members to also check the validity of logos or other IP from related organisations that you may not be entitled to use. Keeping our own house in order makes sure that we can legitimately chase offenders who illegally use our/ your intellectual property. Nigel Lay
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
THE WASTE WATER INCIDENT By Jerry O’Sullivan – Former Member
We’ve taken a trip down memory lane and republished some articles from the past decade. We hope you still benefit from their content years later! I’ve been cleaning carpets for many years now. I like to think I am a competent and careful technician, taking great care to pay attention to the details of my craft, and also to be considerate of my customer’s possessions and fittings. I also regard myself as being sympathetic towards my ecological responsibilities. My commitment to the environment has led me to develop my own working practices and select cleaning products to be of minimal pollution impact. Wherever possible, I use solutions claiming they are bio-degradable; I’ll use distilled alcohol spotters in preference to mineral solvents and always dispose of my recovered water into a toilet, as Im sure that this will then pass directly into the sewerage system, rather than land drains and soak-away systems.
toilet to be installed using small-bore waste pipes, and an inbuilt electric motor grinds up the waste products to allow easy passage. As we all know, our wastewater may contain many different elements, including carpet fibre and grit. In this instance, the Saniflo mechanism was damaged beyond repair by these foreign bodies – the grinding blades jammed and the electric motor burned out. Obviously, I am one hundred percent to blame for this mishap. I have paid for the repairs and replacement and am awaiting recompense from my insurers. I hope that you all will be able to learn from my hard learned experience and avoid a similar mishap in the future.
Unfortunately, I have to report that my water disposal practice has turned around and bitten me – quite hard too! On a recent job, after satisfactory completing the cleaning of a lounge carpet, I proceeded to dispose of my soiled water into the customers WC. As usual, the final process was the flush and clean the pan. That’s where my problem began! Without a second thought, I flushed the toilet, an action instantly accompanied by a horrendous grating and crunching noise. Unfortunately for me, the toilet was not a conventional installation but a ‘Saniflo’. This particular design allows a
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
BELONGING By Cecil Aigin - Honorary Member
Over the years, our company was approached by one organisation or another, offering us membership.
Consequently, it has been a very long haul for the NCCA to have achieved the degree of public awareness that it now enjoys.
Some of these companies were only providing window and car stickers which would promote our participation. Training and promotion were only occasionally on offer and we were not always required to provide anything to prove our professionalism and integrity. Needless to say, we were never attracted to such organisations. We were staunch and active founder members of the National Carpet Cleaners Association and, as far as a professional trade body was concerned, the NCCA was all that we required.
Members must never miss an opportunity to promote the NCCA and their own professionalism.
Our Association has always held the training and integrity of its members and the creation of a national image, both publicly and commercially, as top priorities. Multinational companies spend enormous amounts in order to make their corporate image and logos immediately recognisable.
One of the major aspects of our membership is that many prospective clients will have some knowledge of NCCA and will be aware of the security that this will provide them with. I would always choose to be a member of a trade association that, in addition to other benefits, is active in generating public awareness. However, needless to say, promoting the image and aims of the NCCA is a two way responsibility. The Directors have always played their part in this direction. But, members must never miss an opportunity to promote the NCCA and their own professionalism. Your sales literature and quotations should always include details of your membership with regard to training provided by the NCCA, the availability of continuous technical updating and support and insurance requirements. Describing the conditions of membership, that every member must fulfil, will assure them of the best possible results for the cleaning of their valued furnishings and carpets. “Belonging� to the NCCA is something to be proud of, make sure everyone knows about it.
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8 STEPS TO A PHENOMENAL CLEANING & RESTORATION BUSINESS STEP 4: PHENOMENAL MARKETING SYSTEMS
So far in this series, I’ve shared that, in order to have a phenomenally successful cleaning and restoration business, you need to have: Phenomenal L.I.F.E. Goals, a Phenomenal Business Vision and a Phenomenal Plan. Next comes systems. There are five systems required for any business.
1. Marketing -
Everything you do to attract prospects to your business.
2. Sales -
Everything you do to convert prospects into paying customers.
3. Operations -
Everything you do to serve your clients.
4. Administration -
Everything you do to track your numbers.
5. Leadership -
Everything you do to move your business forward.
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The rest of this series will focus on one of those systems. Why don’t we get started with the first one: Marketing. What comes to your mind when you think of the word marketing? For some, it’s advertising, and others might think of networking, branding, or the idea of “getting your name out there”. Of course marketing includes those things, but really marketing is everything you do to attract prospects to your business. Phenomenal marketing delivers a meaningful experience that engages, educates, and entertains. A phenomenal marketing system is a group of working parts that duplicates results consistently. What kind of results? A phenomenal marketing system consistently produces your perfect target prospect. If you are attracting the wrong kind of prospect, your marketing isn’t working.
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And if your sales are up and down because you don’t consistently implement marketing, then you don’t have a system. Too many business owners spend lots of time and money “getting their name out there” but have no real system of attracting prospects consistently. Most often, a small business owners marketing is a gamble more than a planned effort. Regardless of the type of marketing you do, it must increase sales. Of course the sales process will determine whether the prospect will actually buy, and that also depends on the quality of the prospect you are attracting. When you attract the wrong kind of customer (because your marketing isn’t what it needs to be), it doesn’t matter how good your sales process is. You may close the sale, but you won’t build the kind of business you want.
THE ONLY 3 WAYS TO INCREASE SALES Regardless of the type of business you are in, there are only 3 ways to increase sales under the sun. 1. Get More from Existing Clients. The first (and the easiest) way to increase sales is to get your existing clients to use more of your services, or to use your services more often. This can have a dramatic effect on your income. If you are not marketing to your existing client base, you could literally double your business with this strategy alone. This is assuming that you have something to offer your existing clients. Keep in mind that properly marketing to your existing clients is one of the chief ways to position yourself at a higher level. By educating your clients and “training” them to think of you and your company in a certain way, you “brand” yourself among them. Don’t forget about referrals!
One of the biggest benefits of marketing to your existing clients is their referrals! If you are not in constant contact with your clients, they will forget about you. You must be top of mind at all times. When anyone mentions your industry, your name should immediately come to their mind. Statistics have proven that it costs an average of 500% more to gain a new client than to keep an existing one. They already know you. You already know them. They have already paid your price. They are the most likely to do business with you assuming that you have a repeatable service, other products, and/or you want referrals from them. 2. Get more clients. Speaking of referrals, the second way to increase sales is to get more clients. This is the one that people usually think of first. And most businesses say that 85% of their business comes from repeat and referral business. Yet, they don’t have a system in place to maintain and increase repeat and referral business. Most small businesses say they build their business through “word of mouth”. There are many, ways to get more clients, but the best way is through referrals and I’ll show you how to put your word of mouth marketing into a phenomenal system.
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3. Increase Price. This is a powerful way to increase sales, but probably the last one that small business owners think of. In fact, you only think of it briefly, because after all, “with the economy being what it is...”. I hope to change your mind on this. If you are able to increase your price without losing too much in sales volume, your top line increases. If you raise your price 20% and lose 20% of your sales volume, you are still making more profit. If you raise your price 50% and lose 50% of your sales volume, you are still making more profit.
The second referral system is the referral partner program. This involves building relationships with referral sources such as flooring retailers, interior designers, plumbers, etc. 4. Direct Selling Systems. If you offer commercial services, there’s nothing wrong with walking in the front door to call on an account. The question is, do you know which prospects are easiest to land? Do you know what to say? Do you know what to bring?
There are 6 marketing systems that will help you accomplish these three ways to increase sales.
5. Direct Marketing Systems. My suggestion is that you don’t spend money on advertising until you’ve exhausted the previous methods. When you do invest money in ads, be sure you understand what you’re doing.
1. The Experiential Marketing System. Phenomenal Marketing creates an experience that engages, educates and entertains. What do I mean by that? Having a Free Trial Offer, a Free Report, or some way that people can engage with you and get educated on the industry is a great way to add people to your audience. Entertaining people that you network with by taking them out to lunch or giving gifts are other ways of creating an experience that puts you in a position to share how you can help each other is very important piece of the puzzle that most cleaning and restoration companies miss.
6. Internet Marketing Systems. Although online functions are a part of the previous five systems, I give it it’s own category because there are so many parts to it. We are living in a digital marketing revolution. Whether you survive or thrive depends on how you understand it and use it. For starters, having an attractive, functional mobile ready site with an opt-in is basic. Having a strong social media presence and an e-mail newsletter is another foundational principle. From there you can explore Facebook ads, SEO (search engine optimization) and the various other online opportunities.
2. The Client Base Marketing System. The biggest marketing mistake of all is not marketing to your past clients. Especially if you’re in the cleaning business. You should have a regular mailer, calls and e-mails that go out to past clients to generate more repeat and referral business.
My caution is to not put all your eggs in the digital basket. Even though everything is moving that direction, the most successful cleaning and restoration business owners build relationships face to face.
THE 6 MARKETING SYSTEMS
3. The Referral Marketing System. There are two kinds of referral systems. The first is a referral reward system that automatically rewards people that send you a new client. Caution: Most referral reward systems are set up wrong.
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The virtual world is a place you can engage people, connect with them, build an experience and a following that simply leverages everything else you do. Next month I’ll share how to convert those prospects into paying customers. Howard Partidge NationalCarpetCleanersAssociation
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GLYN CHARNOCK DIRECTOR PROFILE I entered the carpet and upholstery cleaning industry part time in 2000, “trained” by a splash and dash operator and cleaning carpets around my other business commitments. When I went full time I did the NCCA training thanks to my wife Maureen’s insistence. Realising how little I knew, I embarked on a journey to become as professional as I could be and I try to learn at least one new thing about our industry every day.
I embarked on a journey to become as professional as I could be and I try to learn at least one new thing about our industry every day. Like many carpet cleaners, I started out doing end of tenancy cleans, builders cleans and other general cleaning work as well as carpets and upholstery. I grew the business, taking on staff, but made a decision to concentrate on what I enjoyed, cleaning carpets, upholstery and leather. I scaled back the business to return to being a “1 man band” (and 1 woman of course – mustn’t leave Maureen out!) and have never looked back.
I was invited to join the NCCA Board of Directors a number of years ago and have dedicated as much time and effort as my business and Maureen will allow. As membership director I spearheaded the introduction of the tiered membership structure to recognise members additional training and experience and introduced TrustMark to the NCCA. As training director, I have widened the scope of training which allows cleaners to apply for membership and with Paul Pearce we have formalised the syllabus for training allowing entry in to the association and updated the examination. With Dave Wheadon driving the Association forwards at an ever increasing pace, I am looking forward to the planned expansion in the training we provide.
My business is now mainly domestic with a few regular commercial clients, and I am satisfying my thirst for knowledge by working with conservators and the National Trust, adapting our commercial cleaning processes and equipment to a conservation environment. THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION WINTER 2017
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CORPORATE MEMBERS The NCCA is fortunate to have the support from many leading suppliers in the industry. These organisations are proud to be associated with the NCCA and we welcome their support. Please find their company details below.
Alltec Network Ltd www.alltec.co.uk 01763 208222
BeSure www.besure.insure 02922 400004
Allied Insurance Services Ltd www.alliedinsurance.co.uk 0844 8156211
Amtech UK www.amtechuk.co.uk 01444 232211
Ashbys Cleaning Equipment www.ashbys-uk.com 01795 436999
Bio Productions Ltd inc. Stapro www.bio-productions.com 01444 244000
Camberford Law Plc www.camberfordlaw.com/cleaning 0208 3155000
ChemDry Franchising Ltd www.chemdry.co.uk 01482 888195
Cleanerswarehouse Ltd www.cleanerswarehouse.co.uk 01772 434333
Cleanspec Cumbria ww.cleanspec-cumbria.co.uk 01768 865812
CVM Vehicle & Finance Solutions www.cvmgroup.co.uk 01489 880050
Dry Fusion UK Ltd www.dryfusion.com 01772 433711
Furniture Clinic Ltd www.furnitureclinic.co.uk 01207 279964
Get Booked Up Software www.getbookedup.com 01405 813665
Gleaming Insurance www.gleaminginsurance.co.uk 0845 4740068
Hi-Tec Cleaning Group www.hiteccleaning.co.uk 028 6634 1416
Host UK Ltd t/a Host von Schrader www.hostvonschrader.co.uk 01244 289256
Kendry www.kendry.co.uk 07968 175166
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Cleansmart Ltd www.cleansmartsupplies.co.uk 01158 240034
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Legend Brands Europe Ltd www.legendbrandseurope.com 01908 611211
LTT Leathercare Ltd www.lttleathercare.co.uk 01423 881027
McGregor Lloyd Ltd 0121 7060616
NSL Restormate www.restormate.co.uk 01670 590099
Nu Life Stone Care Ltd www.stonecareuk.co.uk 0161 4807284
Prochem Europe Ltd www.prochem.co.uk 0208 9741515
Rainbow International www.rainbow-int.co.uk 01623 422488
The Restoration Academy UK www.therestorationacademy.co.uk 0194 434772
Restoration Express www.restoration-express.co.uk 01252 726106
Safeclean www.safeclean.co.uk 01235 444700
Sebo UK Ltd www.sebo.co.uk 01494 465533
ServiceMaster Ltd www.servicemaster.co.uk 0116 2759000
StainShield Ltd www.stain-shield.ltd.uk 01372 841467
Textile Cleaning Solutions Ltd www.texatherm.com 01934 521155
Solution Cornwall Ltd www.worldofclean.co.uk 01209 204343
Tile Master Global Ltd www.thetilemaster.co.uk 0161 4440377
Vaclensa PLC www.vaclensa.com 0161 7281800
WANT TO BECOME A CORPORATE MEMBER?
APPLY TODAY!
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The WoolSafe Organisation www.woolsafe.org 01943 850817
Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk
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BECOME A NEW MEMBER Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk
Absolute Floorcare Ltd Fife
Andy Clean Services Staffordshire
Aqua Fresh Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Warwickshire
Carpet Envy Cheshire
Cheshire Stone Floor & Carpet Cleaning Cheshire
Clean as a Whistle Lancashire
Carpet Maids Tyne and Wear
Focus Clean Hertfordshire
Gemini Cleaning (South East) Ltd East Sussex
M G Cleaning Services Nottinghamshire
Mike’s Carpet Cleaning Services Rhondda Cynon Taff
Nethermoor Carpet Care West Yorkshire
Prima Carpet Cleaning West Midlands
Result Fife
The Carpet Wizard Dorset
Clean Expert Ltd London
Elder Cleaning Service Hampshire
Little Duck Cleaning Services Cumbria
Phil Reed Cleaning Neath Port Talbot
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS CIMEX R38 CYCLONE & ASHCOMBES ELITE DL HWE
EXPERIENCED CARPET CLEANERS REQUIRED
Cimex R38 Cyclone comes with carpet shampoo brush. Both aging but in good working order. Approx. £3,000 each new, looking for £600 total for both.
Experienced carpet cleaners required to operate Truckmounts in ongoing contracts based South/
Contact Danny 07986 000736 bill.lorna8@virginmedia.com
Contact Bruce Risbey 07770 870337 bruce.risbey@futurecleaningservices.co.uk
£600 (Approx cost new : £3,000)
South West/M4 corridor area mainly nights.
- South Yorkshire
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Seasons Greetings! From the CEO, Directors and Office Team. The office will be closed for the holidays from December 23rd and will re-open on January 2nd. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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