newslink
ncca
June 2010
The official journal of the National Carpet Cleaners Association
Features:
Dealing with Pet Urine The Importance of Survey ŠClass Florals by Brintons
Contents
Published monthly by:
03 Note from the editor
The National Carpet Cleaners Association
03 NCCA general meeting 06 Stoneman’s corner 08 Standards and fair trading summary 2009/10 10 Identification and cleaning of a Belgian Wilton 12 Terracotta restoration in Addis Ababa 13 What should you put in your customer Newsletter? 14 Dealing with pet urine 15 The importance of survey 16 The effects of fire on modern soft furnishings 18 The ‘grumpy old man’ 19 Urban myths 20 ISSA Interclean 22 Breakthrough REACHed 23 Mechanical agitation 24 Safety in a restoration situation 25 Saved by the disclaimer 26 Door to door canvassing 27 Buying new equipment 28 Lack of support for small businesses 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.
62c London Road, Oadby, Leicestershire, LE2 5DH Tel: 0116 271 9550 Fax: 0116 271 9588 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk Editor Nicola Law Editor in Chief Keith Robertson Design Editor Nicola Law CEO/Finance and Admin Director Nick Johnston Company Secretary/ Technical Director Paul Pearce Training Director Pawlo Woloszyn Marketing Director Keith Robertson Director Glyn Charnock Director Denise Pitt Director Nigel Lay
©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.
page 2
Note from the editor
T
his last month has been hectic, to say the least. Our General Meeting took place on the 27th May and, as you can see from the list opposite, there have been many changes to the Board of Directors and their roles. The office has been extremely busy behind the scenes and worked hard to produce this issue of Newslink, which you'll find is bursting with ideas and information. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again, we always welcome editorial from our members, whether it be one short paragraph or a page-long
NCCA General Meeting
T
article. You can include anything you want from births and marriages to technical information. So don't delay, write to us as soon as possible. Nicola Law I'll just finish by saying that the new-look Newslink received further praise this month, this time from 'across the pond'. Patrick Winters, President of the IICRC, sent an e-mail to the office this week saying that he was “very impressed” with the new journal. We hope you are too.
Nick Johnston
he recent General Meeting of our Association took place on the afternoon of Thursday 27th May at the NSPCC Training Centre in Leicester. The turnout was very low, attracting less than ten members. A low turnout seems to be usual for meetings of this type, perhaps because of the 'dry' content, but this is nevertheless disappointing. There were however, a good number of Proxy forms returned to the office prior to the meeting. June Frankum, our outgoing President oversaw the proceedings, starting with adoption of the minutes from the Annual General Meeting on 15th February 2008 and the Members' Meeting on 9th May 2009. These were adopted and no matters arose from either set of minutes. This was followed by the President's report, which June used to mention a number of projects: ! The search for a suitable property to become our long-term home is ongoing. The move would benefit members as we would be in control of our own training facilities. ! The new Articles of Association have been finalised and thanks were given to all those who gave their time. ! Great strides have been made in public relations and marketing and we have to continue pushing the NCCA's name to raise awareness with the general public.
June thanked retiring Directors, Pete Collins and John Claydon for their 'many years of excellent service and dedication' and both were later presented with a gift and flowers for their wives. Lastly, June confirmed her retirement from the role of President and from the Board, and thanked her NCCA colleagues for their 'total support'. The next item on the agenda was the financial report and adoption of accounts. As Finance Director, I reconfirmed that the loss during the year ended 31st March 2009 amounted to just under £20,000, largely due to the planned investment in PAS 86 and the determined focus on public relations and marketing. The accounts were duly adopted. A question was raised about the increase in meeting expenses, which was responded to by outlining the amounts Directors are able to claim for fees and expenses incurred (see article on page 19 for further information). Although accounts have not yet been finalised for 2009 - 2010, it is expected that a much reduced loss of around £3,000 will show, which is very encouraging in this difficult trading climate. Training income improved over the previous year, whilst training expenses reduced and the planned expenditure on PR and marketing remained constant. Cont’d on next page
page 3
Summers Solicitors re-elected as solicitor. ! Paul Pearce was re-elected as Company Secretary. Then finally, 'Any Other Business' provided an opportunity for members to raise questions and issues. Shaun Bradbury of Dry Fusion UK raised two questions: ! NCCA's current carpet and upholstery course is
For the current financial year, we have moved over to 'business as usual' mode and no significant capital expenditure is planned. PR and marketing has been pegged at 8% of income for the time being and we will need to work hard to get good value out of this relatively small sum. At the end of March 2009 the Association held £143,000 in deposit accounts and this From the left: Nigel Hough, Marie Bannatyne and June Frankum figure remained steady twelve months later with approximately £145,000 on deposit. Written departmental reports were circulated at the meeting and can be obtained by contacting the office team. The next item on the agenda was the adoption of the amended Articles of Association. Paul Pearce has worked on this project for the last five years and he was particularly pleased to see them voted in. We now have a set of modern articles which meet statutory requirements. Adoption of 'sending items electronically to members and via the website' immediately followed. Previously all documents had to be sent in printed form, which is aimed at owner operators and includes information expensive, prevents the office team from doing about running a business which is not relevant to other more valuable work and does not meet employed technicians. Also, delegate contact details today's communications requirements. Again, we are circulated to Associate members, which again is have a platform on which to build and perhaps we inappropriate for technicians. After discussion to can get more member involvement in important understand the issue fully, it was agreed that this decisions by using electronic communications and item will be reviewed by the trainers. feedback. ! A current ruling prevents any member from subThe next part of the agenda involved appointments contracting work to any individual or firm who is not within the Association: an NCCA member. This meant that for Shaun's ! Glyn Charnock, Denise Pitt and Nigel Lay were all businesses, which always refer to fully trained voted in as Directors (profiles will be published in the network members, not all of whom will be NCCA July issue of Newslink). members, they could not meet the requirements of ! Nick Johnston and Keith Robertson stood down by the One to One rule introduced in April 2007. They rotation and were re-elected. had to resign membership of their Carpet Cleaning ! As previously reported, June Frankum, Pete Collins business which was not something he wanted to do. and John Claydon resigned as directors. It was agreed that this issue would also be reviewed ! As no candidates were ready to stand for election and feedback provided. as President, Nick Johnston was voted in as Chief The meeting ended with the presentation of a Executive Officer. cheque to the NSPCC for £510, the funds raised from ! Peter Morris of Hayles and Partners was the raffle and donations at the Gala dinner held at reappointed as auditor and Martin Frankum of Carpex in March. page 4
©Picture from Paul Pearce
Cont’d from previous page
Website enquiries Members may receive enquiries via the NCCA website. The site features a membership directory that includes a full list of NCCA members. Visitors can search the directory by location, service or use the general search feature to find a company. Enquiries from the NCCA website will be sent via email and go directly from the enquirer to the member, with the title “NCCA Member Enquiry�. It is important that the office know your current email address for you to benefit from
this service. Please contact the office to make any changes to your entry. Members also have the opportunity to advance their NCCA website listing for a small one-off fee. This includes benefits such as a direct link to your website, further copy space for promotional information about your company, your logo being included in your entry, your company name being highlighted within the list and more. For further information please contact the office by phone or email and request an Advanced Entry order form.
page 5
Keith Robertson
Stoneman’s Corner Customers - Who would have ‘em!
H
ow do you manage your customer's expectations after a job? Surely, if they are happy when you have finished, that's the end of it. Well, not always, and the short answer is - with difficulty. Managing expectations is not easy, particularly if you work with hard natural surfaces such as stone or wood. There was the lady, who had her early Victorian pine wood floor sanded and hard wax oiled, who was delighted until a neighbour came in and said, “Oh that's so dark.” There was the company managing director who wanted to debate just how much light should refract off the surface of a one hundred and fifty year old sandstone floor. He wanted more, but without it being shiny, and if we
didn't achieve exactly what he wanted he didn't think there was a requirement for him to pay. Then there was the medical doctor who claimed that his grey sandstone stairs started to whiten within weeks of the completion of the job but waited six months to complain, by which time the decorators had stripped the walls on the staircase on to the unprotected steps and proceeded to clean the accumulate gunge and paint stains with solvents, to the extent that the sealant had been softened sufficiently to leave foot and handprints clearly visible. What can you do to both preserve some sort of relationship with the customer and still hang on to your sanity? My suggestion, for what it's worth, is to put in page 6
writing as much as you can to explain the potential problems that can come from dealing with natural surfaces, particularly when they are old, so that the customer understands that any future problems are his and not yours. I may clean a Victorian tiled floor and salts appear. Is that my fault? No, but because I am aware that it can happen I make sure my customer not only knows in advance of my starting the job that this is a possibility, but also knows that I don't fix it for free. Well not usually. There have been times when a job has taken longer than anticipated and the customer is sitting on a pile of your money when expediency dictates that you get it done and get out of there. So what should you tell them? In the case of stone floors I prepared, with the assistance of one of my sealant manufacturers, a report entitled 'Looking After Your Sealed Floor'. In it, customers are told about efflorescence, limescale build-up, deposits from cleaning products, damage due to harsh cleaning products, damage from paint spots and the potential damage from wallpaper stripping. First they receive a copy of the report within the estimate package so they have advance knowledge and then another copy accompanies the final account as a reminder. I feel sad that things have come to this, but it has helped as it has now put me into a stronger negotiating position. I can make it clear that I am prepared and willing to help but not at my expense. Now I know that the majority of customers are pleasant logical thinking people that you can reason with, however, the percentage of less agreeable, harder to please, arrogant, know-all customers is continuing to grow. Access to the internet hasn't helped because they will latch on to some poorly constructed article for an unheard of online magazine or blog and believe it is factual in every detail. Perhaps I see it more frequently because so many of my domestic customers are self-made, ever striving people who have succeeded by pushing the
weak to the side as they have trampled their way to the top of the pile. Yes, I know I am becoming cynical and that does come with age, but it also comes with experience when dealing with people. I quite enjoy occasionally sacking customers but I do want to make sure they have paid me first. Sometimes customers do try to treat us as village idiots, as did my customer with the supposedly whitening stairs. He claimed to have taken photographs but was never able to produce them. With a completely straight face he said he could live with the paint splashes, footprints and handprints but not the whitening which must be my fault as the decorator said it wasn't his. My lady with the 'dark' wood floors was partly appeased when I explained that there were people who would have paid a fortune to get that deep rich finish and even more so after I suggested she leave it for a few weeks to mellow. She later phoned to say it had. The customer who decided his floor should refract more light gave in when I explained that we would have to arbitrate the matter in the Sheriff Court and the chap with the whitening stairs is still in the ring boxing with me. It is so important before taking on jobs to be sure that you can see and interpret the snapshot that is firmly planted in the customers mind and be sure that you will be able to match their expectation. Regardless of their questions about methods, techniques, whether we support sustainable cleaning or have become green to the tip of our ears. All they really want is a result. That is why we are there and woe-betide us if the result doesn't match what they want. All of this is fine and quite normal but when it comes to dealing with natural materials, other factors can develop that are out of our control. It is difficult to manage nature so it is important for us to find ways to manage this. You may have found a different way. If you have, please share it with us. page 7
Standards and fair trading summary 2009/2010 Lewis Scroby
S
ince taking over the role of Standards and Fair Trading Officer from John Claydon towards the end of 2008, there has been much to deal with. I hope you all saw my last departmental report earlier this year in the February issue of Newslink. Since then progress has steadily continued with investigations into complaints against NCCA members and reports of trademark infringement and logo misuse against non-members. John Claydon provided his last official report to the members at the 2008 Annual General Meeting and I have below put together a summary of all matters that have been dealt with by the Standards and Fair Trading department since that time. I hope to continue the success of John and previous NCCA representatives in this role. Complaints At the meeting in February 2008, John reported twenty-three complaints against members received by the NCCA office since the last AGM. I am pleased to report in the last fifteen months, complaints against members have dropped to twenty. Of these, ten matters were resolved by the member (either before formal involvement of the Association, during the complaint procedure or following a report and recommendation from the NCCA), three others reached the point of a report being provided, with the NCCA concluding in favour of the member. Three customers did not pursue their complaint, two others were passed, by the member, to their insurance company and one led to the member seeking legal advice, taking the matter out of NCCA jurisdiction. Just one member failed to deal with their complaint in a satisfactory manner and was thusly removed from the Association. Many of the complaints that arrive in the office against members are very similar and, although the Association will do everything it can to ensure a satisfactory resolution to these problems, the
majority of the time they can be avoided by simply carrying out a pre-clean inspection. The inspection or survey is the most essential stage of the cleaning process and will always be useful if a customer is not satisfied. I'm sure you all would be happy to avoid call backs and unhappy clients, which is why it is amazing that so many members don't always carry out a survey. If you have written down and warned your clients about things like pre-existing damage, staining, risk of shrinkage, possible colour migration and anything else that may (or may not) be relevant then you negate the opportunity of receiving a complaint about it after the clean. The office has also received and array of complaints against non-members and even though we cannot take direct action, we do try to help or at least point consumers in the right direction. The positive side of this is that these customers quickly understand the benefits of using an NCCA member. On occasion, we have also received a complaint against non-members that are falsely claiming NCCA membership or misusing the logo. In these cases we obviously can get involved and report the company. Trading Standards offices are much more interested in taking action if an unsatisfied customer has been misled by false advertising. Misuse of Name/Logo Although non-member companies illegally using the NCCA trademarks is an ongoing problem for the Association, great strides have been made since the introduction of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Trading Standards offices now have much more authority and resources for dealing with rogue traders and, since I took on this role, all of my official reports and witness statements have been responded to, which is a huge improvement on previous years where several chases were required to get any sort of acknowledgement. In 2008 John reported twenty-seven cases of page 8
name or logo misuse and that number is exactly the same this time round. With the growing popularity of online advertising, many of these were websites displaying our logo or making false claims about membership. Fortunately, almost all of these were swiftly dealt with following an email to the offending company. On three occasions a former member had yet to remove NCCA references from their advertising, but contacted us to rejoin once they realised their mistake. Two other problems led to full reports to Trading Standards who eventually filed for prosecution - in both cases the offending logos were removed very quickly after receipt of the legal notification. Five cases are currently outstanding due to only recently being reported to us. I would like to reiterate to members that if you do come across any form of advertising with reference to the NCCA and are unsure if the company is entitled to be doing so, please check the website or contact the office to confirm that they are current full members. We will investigate any possible trademark infringement and take the appropriate action, providing relevant evidence can be supplied.
Obiturary It is unfortunate to inform you all of the sad loss of Andy Alcock (of the Leather Training and Technical Department, Harrogate), who was diagnosed with a brain tumour about six months ago. The industry has lost a great ally who was always ready to help and advise with his vast knowledge of leather cleaning and restoration techniques. He will be greatly missed by all his friends and colleagues worldwide.
Diary Dates 2010 NCCA COURSES Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning 25th - 26th June 3rd - 4th September (change of date) 29th - 30th October Hard Floor Cleaning 14th - 15th October Technical Roadshow 9th June (Tetley Walker Club, Warrington) Leather Technical Day 8th September (British School of Leather Technology, Northampton) Spot and Stain Removal (To be held in Leicester. Venue to be arranged) 22nd October NCCA courses held at NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester unless otherwise Stated. Visit: www.ncca.co.uk for booking forms and further details. IICRC COURSES (SURREY) Fire and Smoke Restoration Technician with Adam Jankowski 16th - 17th June Course above held at National Flood School, Farnham, Surrey. Tel: 01252 821185 IICRC COURSES (BUCKS) Water Restoration Technician with Gary Loiben 5th - 7th July Courses above held at Dri-Eaz Products Ltd, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire. Tel: 0800 542 9609 IICRC COURSES (HERTS) Upholstery and Fabric Cleaning Technician with Paul Pearce 8th - 9th June Courses above held at Alltec Network, Royston, Hertfordshire. Tel: 01763 208222
Visit: www.iicrc.co.uk for further details on IICRC Training Courses
page 9
Identification and cleaning of Belgian Wilton
A
re you in the practice of carrying out a thorough survey when quoting for a cleaning job? If you aren't, then now is the time to take heed and set yourself the goal of carrying out a proper survey on every job you undertake. If anything goes wrong, insurance companies will want to know that you did everything possible to avoid this from the outset. Firstly you will need to know the type of fibre you are planning to clean; and at the very least you should know whether it is natural or synthetic. Remember natural fibres absorb more moisture, whilst the synthetics will release moisture, and not always up the wand either. Construction is another thing to be considered. Is
Paul Pearce
the carpet woven or tufted? Combine two factors such as a woven construction and polypropylene fibre and you have a Belgian Wilton. A Belgian Wilton can be a tricky one. This carpet will shrink just looking at a bucket of water (well perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration!) So how do you tell what a Belgian Wilton is? Simple, you will need to release the carpet from the gripper. To do this, find an area somewhere near a radiator, where the carpet may be tucked around the pipe. Peel the carpet back so you can see the backing - enough to compare it to the face anyway. If it is a pattern carpet check to see if the pattern shows as clearly on the back as it does on the face. If it is plain (yes there are plain ones too) does that show clearly on the back? In this particular page 10
construction the face fibre is wrapped around the weft thread into the back of the carpet so it really is easy to see. Avoid shrinkage A Belgian Wilton has a synthetic fibre, which is petroleum based and therefore attracts oil-based soils. Because of this it can become very soiled. Unfortunately, these stains are not easily removed. Some people may choose to use a high alkaline pre-spray to emulsify the soils and then wet extract. However, this will remove the carpet from its fixing, even if it seems well secured. Why does this happen? Well the carpet, as I have already said, has a polypropylene face fibre and this is woven around a jute weft. For those that are not sure, the weft goes from weft to wight (In other
words the width). Because the face fibre does not absorb moisture and cannot be removed fully by extraction, it then finds the jute, which is natural and will absorb. This in a nutshell causes the shrinkage and, because of its usually tight weave it will not re-stretch. Probably the safest way to clean this type of carpet is to use a low moisture process such as the bonnet cleaning method, or dry compound extraction. Remember to always do a survey before you start. You do not want to Check the backing wrongly identify a Belgian Wilton as something else. It could prove absolutely disastrous.
Terracotta restoration in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia We encourage all NCCA members to write for Newslink and welcome any editorial of interest, whether it be personal news, including births and marriages, or even full technical articles. This month we received an email from member Pierre de Wet, from the Art of Clean in Cambridge, who has been asked to clean a stone floor in Addis Ababa. Below he explains how this came about. “During an industry event earlier this year in Carnforth, Lancashire a colleague, Russell Tyler, alerted me to an excellent opportunity to help restore a terracotta floor in a restaurant many miles away in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Russell said it hadn't been definitely confirmed but as soon as it was he’d let me know, so I expressed an interest and left it there. A few months later I took a phone call from Russell. It was good news; the hotel in Addis Ababa confirmed that they would be going ahead with the job. Russell asked me to join him on the trip due to my experience in this type of work. Strange how opportunity comes knocking at your door and how you sometimes have to view things
with the future in mind. This opportunity will expand my knowledge and further my experience so it was not to be missed. What has made this even more appealing to me is the fact that the job is in such an exotic location. The work is scheduled for a period of nine days to ensure we have enough time to complete it to the highest possible standard. As you will notice from the picture there is a lot of dirt and old sealer to be removed from the floor. The clay tile surface has to be well prepared and free from dirt and any old products before we can proceed with applying the new sealer. The cleaning solutions and equipment are already on their way by sea via Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where it will be transported by rail to Addis Ababa. Once the equipment and cleaning solutions reach their destination we can book our plane tickets.” The journey down to Addis Ababa will be made in September and after the work is complete Pierre will be reporting back on how the job has gone. So, keep an eye out in the Autumn editions of Newslink for an update. page 12
What should you put in your customer newsletter? David Coker
S
o here are the three reasons why every carpet cleaner should be sending a monthly newsletter to their customers: 1: Newsletters help you retain your clients. 2: Newsletters help with referrals. 3: Newsletters help build your brand. Now, what should we put in the newsletter to achieve these goals? The first thing we want to do is to actually get our newsletter read or at least welcomed by our customers. That means write it with your customers in mind. In other words, write what they will enjoy reading, not what you want to write. The best content I've found over the past twelve years is a balance of content that informs, educates, and entertains! If your customers feel entertained and enjoy reading your newsletter, they'll look forward to it, issue after issue. And what happens if your customers read your newsletter issue after issue? You'll build credibility, increase your reputation as an expert in your industry and increase brand awareness. Your customers will remember you, will do business with you again, and will refer others to you as well. Newsletters should be written in a conversational tone and you should avoid the use of technical jargon. Customers have no interest in psi or water temperature at the cleaning wand. In addition, make your newsletter fun to read by including trivia, maybe some humour (being careful not to include anything offensive), and general interest articles about health, home, and life issues and some leadership or management tips. So what specifically can you put in your newsletter? Here are some of the things I've used: Information About Your Other Services Many of your customers will not know that as well as carpet cleaning you also clean upholstery…or
hard floors…or curtains. How many times have you heard a client say “I didn't know you did that" These are all missed opportunities to increase your revenue without the heavy cost of acquiring a new customer. Education About What's New In The Industry Have you recently upgraded to a truck-mount that can mean a quicker job or faster drying times? Have you bought turbo-dryers that can leave their carpets dryer? Or a new, better stain remover? Don't forget, your customers are not interested in your machinery or chemicals, only what these new things can do for THEM. Newsletters are a great way to educate customers and also position you as the expert who is abreast of industry innovations. People like to do business with a 'leader in the field'. General Interest Articles About Health, Home and Life Issues The majority of my customers are women who are interested in health and beauty matters. I often include humorous pet stories that will appeal to them and have been very surprised that these are the type of articles most passed along to friends. Other topics include gardening, cooking, trivia and things to do with the home. Carpet Cleaning Matters? Occasionally I've included articles about cleaning that will directly benefit my customers and position me as the expert, such as “Should You Replace Your Carpets with Hard Floors?”, “How to Remove a Heavy Spillage From Your Carpet” or “What Should You Look For When Replacing Your Vacuum Cleaner”. But these are few and far between. Don't forget…it's not about you. Customers are only interested in 'what's in it for them'. Inform, educate and entertain them, and they will look forward to your newsletter. page 13
Dealing with pet urine Darren Jones (Chem-Dry UK Ltd Technical Training Manager)
A
nimal stains on carpets and rugs are all too familiar to the millions of people in the UK who own a cat or dog. Pet urine is one of the most frequently occurring problems in the home which can cause damage to carpet and soft furnishings. If treated immediately, most pet urine leaves no trace on the carpet. If left untreated however, the odour will increase and become unbearable for the homeowner for anything up to five years after the pet has urinated. Pet urine can cause irreversible damage to carpet fibres. If left untreated, or frequent urinating occurs in the same area, the urine can cause the fibres to break down and colours to be released. This is more likely to take place in high wool content carpet due to its natural absorbency. With persistent urinating, colour change of the fibres will occur. Often without knowing, pets will urinate in the same general location. The urine can soak through the carpet, down to the backing and underlay, and can soak right through to the concrete or wood underneath. It may also pass under the skirting boards and penetrate the framework of the building. Animal Behaviour Patterns When dealing with urine there are different animal behavioural patterns that need to be considered based on whether the pet is: ! Male ! Female ! Neutered male ! Spayed female
Knowing the sex of the animal and whether or not it has been neutered or spayed can be a great assistance when treating a pet urine issue. Male or Female Pets Because the urination action of male and female pets differ, different areas of the home can become affected. For example, female dogs' urination will be deposited in a confined, compact area on the floor, whereas a male dog's urination will reach areas beyond a carpet or rug, affecting skirting boards and walls. Pets not Neutered/Spayed With male and female pets that haven't been neutered/spayed the urine tends to be located around the perimeter of a room. This is due to the pet marking its territory, or if the urine is in concentrated areas, the pet emptying its bladder. Neutered/Spayed Pets If the pet has been neutered then all they are interested in is emptying their bladders, which means the damage will be in a large concentrated area. Methods of Urine Identification In many cases the customer is not aware of the extent to which the urine has damaged their soft furnishings. By carrying out a urine identification test the customer is able to get an understanding of the extent of damage and the carpet cleaner is able to advise on an effective treatment plan. If there is no staining present the first tool that can be used is a moisture meter and conductive pins. Salts in urine act as a conductor between the pins and provide an identification reading. page 14
The second method is with the use of an ultraviolet light. To get the best results it is recommended that the user shuts out all normal light and shines the ultraviolet onto the soft furnishings to identify any urine. The emitted UV light reacts with various external phosphors in the urine in exactly the same way the UV light inside a fluorescent lamp reacts with the phosphor coating; the external phosphors glow as long as the UV light is shining on them. Once the carpet cleaner has identified any urine markings on the soft furnishings, it is recommended that he/she draws a floor plan, highlighting any areas of concern to show the homeowner. This is particularly handy to refer back to when your treatment plan has been executed; providing you and the homeowner peace of mind that all works have been successfully carried out.
Marketing Update The NCCA is continuing with it’s marketing drive and we are pleased to announce that we have recently appeared in popular trade press publications: Cleaning Matters, Cleaning and Hygiene Today and Carpet and Flooring Review.
The importance of survey John Claydon
A
thorough survey or audit, prior to undertaking any cleaning operation, will help to highlight any problems that may arise. If there is uncertainty about anything, or a possible problem is foreseen, then with the client's consent we should thoroughly test with all of the products we intend using, to ascertain what the results may be with the chosen cleaning method. The client should be kept informed of what is happening and why. If a problem becomes apparent whilst cleaning an item, even if it were unforeseen and testing revealed nothing untoward, the last person to work on the item prior to the problem manifesting itself, is deemed to be responsible, unless of course it is possible to prove otherwise - a fact confirmed by Trading Standards. If we are sure that we are not at fault then this has to be proven. It could require an independent inspection and report or a technical examination and report. These can be funded by either party or jointly if both are in agreement. Just bear in mind that simply denying responsibility will not help in achieving an answer to the problem. If a complaint is received, hopefully it can be resolved before there is a need for the Association to become involved. Above all it is essential to respond quickly and politely to any complaint. An honest and fair assessment should be made, with all available avenues sought to resolve the problem. Although ones pride and confidence may feel somewhat dented on receiving a complaint and you may be provoked, it is essential to refrain from angry exchanges with a complainant. This only serves to escalate the problem out of all proportion. A polite attitude with calming dialogue helps to diffuse the problem and paves the way towards an easier solution. page 15
Peter Collins
The effects of fire on modern soft furnishings Upholstery Polyurethane foam, from an upholsterer's point of view, is flexible, cheap, comfortable and provides easily produced soft furniture. However, from the outset, this foam has been responsible for extraordinary rapidly developing fires, which have often had a high rate of fatalities. In many homes, and other buildings, this type of material is commonplace. The fire tends to spread from the original item, causing severe fire damage. This foam may smoulder in certain conditions, producing large amounts of carbon monoxide, as well as cyanide in the form of HCN. When it burns, this foam will not explode spontaneously, which might surprise you. Regulations currently in force in the UK require the customer to be warned if the furnishings are susceptible to being ignited by a small flame source
or by a cigarette. The most important ignition factor to be considered is the interrelationship of the covering, interlining and the base. Polypropylene fabric, with a polyester interlining, on the polyurethane foam is an easy ignitable combination and can cause a 'flashover' in a domestic situation. This can happen from a small flame source, in four to five minutes. To a similar extent acrylic coverings can propagate the same situation and unsupported PVC imitation leather is a bad covering, as it shrinks away from the flame exposing continuously fresh quantities of foam to an advancing flame front. Nylon material such as an uncut Marquette, when ignited, may have the flame development slowed down by the formation of a tumescent char on the surface. After the application of the flame, cotton or other cellulosic coverings can readily smoulder page 16
over a large surface area and can, due to a large heat transfer, induce the foam to smoulder. This was, at one time, thought not possible. An incandescent object, such as an electric fire, is another source of danger when placed next to foam filled furniture. Other forms of upholstery foam, used as fillers for pillows and cushions is `reepol` reclaimed from other foam cuttings and low density chopped foam. It's usually multicoloured, hard compressed foam that is just as flammable as the foam in upholstery. `Reepol` can burn away leaving no trace, particularly if the material in which it was placed also burns extensively. Latex foam is usually found in some types of furniture and sometimes in mattresses. Grey or cream in colour, Latex foam is usually in slab form to control its resilience. To create ventilation it is pierced by transverse holes about one centimetre in diameter. It can be made out of a natural product (polyisoprene) or a synthetic rubber (styrene butadiene), both can develop smouldering from a small ignition source (e.g. cigarette) and can if ignited directly by a flame, burn fiercely with a high volume of black smoke and a high thermal output. Latex foam can produce socalled `cold smoke` a white condensed vapour or smoke (which probably contains styrene vapour, butadiene and intermediate pyrolysis products) and can cause an explosion if there is adequate ventilation. Carpets Traditional carpets have never been a major form of fire propagation at floor level and a standard (pure wool or 80/20) Axminster or Wilton carpet woven on to a fabric base can resist even the most severe exposure to burning and will not spread fire beyond the immediate area of primary ignition. Even if they are stored in rolls or stored upright `chimney` style, these types of carpet do not cause the fire to
spread. However, the newer designs of synthetic carpet, comprising of acrylic, modacrylic and polypropylene piles usually bonded with a polypropylene `Hessian` type backing on a foam base, are causes for concern as these styles of carpets possess totally different fire characteristics from traditional carpets. Acrylic carpets and rugs and the use of modacrylic added fibres `Shag` pile carpets and rugs, with up to one-inch long pile threads that are made from acrylic fibres, whether alone or in combination with cotton, are severe fire hazards when exposed to any ignition source. In the U.K. the requirement for safety standards is that the modacrylic fibres should be added to reduce the surface spread of flame. Any acrylic carpet or rug with less than 50% modacrylic fibres is capable of spreading the flame quickly across the surface of the carpet or rug. If the conditions are right, an area of horizontal fire development from its source of ignition can achieve forty metres squared in ten minutes. Other easily ignitable fibres that can support combustion readily are polyolefin (polyethylene and polypropylene). However, the major hazard is the latex foam backing from modern made, cheap carpets. These types of carpet, particularly if they are made with an acrylic, cellulosic or polyolefin pile, are capable of transmitting a flame horizontally from an incandescent or flaming source. In a room fire a laid foam backed carpet can, with pre-heating, ignite over it's whole surface and even when these types of carpet are stored in rolls, something as simple as a naked light bulb (switched on), which comes into contact with the carpet, can easily ignite it. In a building fire with sprinklers, these types of carpet pose a major threat as the fire development and thermal output is extremely rapid. page 17
The ‘grumpy old man’
I
Derek Bolton
think I can be seen to fit into this category very well these days, although one really doesn't have to be that 'old' to qualify. I was volunteered to play 'taxi' to the female members of my family last Saturday for their trip into Leicester for a touch of 'retail therapy'. I usually manage to slip off to do my own thing on these occasions as I am deemed 'persona non grata' on these particular trips…I wonder why? Anyway, my 'singles' excursion took me into the local John Lewis where I love to look at the array of rugs and carpets on display and maybe ask a few questions of the sales staff, simply to play with their minds. I eventually wandered into the vacuum cleaner section to see what was on offer just in time to listen to a salesman pitching to some ladies on the virtues of their steam generator equipment. I watched the demonstration, which ranged from ironing to cleaning ceramic tiles and beyond, with interest. Then one of the ladies piped up with the question “can I clean my carpets with it?” To which the salesman replied “Oh yes, you can clean everything” and he then went into raptures on the subject. Thankfully the ladies didn't take him up on the offer so I waited until they had moved on before this rather grumpy old man pounced. I drew the poor man's attention to what could happen if his wonderful
device were used on pile fabrics and what potential damage could be caused on some carpeting. He wasn't a happy chappy that's for sure and spluttered that he always informed potential buyers that they couldn't clean velour fabrics. I must have been asleep when he mentioned this fact to the ladies a few minutes earlier. This is not an uncommon phenomenon as on many occasions over the years I have heard sales staff give incorrect information, or should I say being economical with the facts whilst trying to make a sale. My favourite is “Oh yes, if you have a protector at a cost of £xyz any stains will just simply wipe off”. When I have corrected them the most common reply is “well, you know what I mean” The mind boggles! On another retail therapy trip into Lincolnshire I was on one of my 'singles' trips around a furniture store and had great fun with a salesman who tried to sell me a wonderful genuine 'silk' rug approximately 6' x 4' for just over £100. He had to agree with me when I said that I didn't know how they could make them at that price … nuff said! I remember many years ago long before I got into this business my Boss at the time telling me “Never believe a word a salesman tells you… they are only interested in making a sale”. I must say that over the years I have found his words so true. Page 18
Urban myths
Nick Johnston
‘
U
rban myth: 'entertaining story or piece of information of uncertain origin that is circulated as though true’ It's a myth that carpets require more regular cleaning once they have been cleaned for the first time (unless a dirt-attracting residue is left in the carpet). It's a myth that cleaning wool carpets removes the natural lanolin (over 99% is removed when the fleece is cleaned or 'scoured'). It's also a myth that NCCA directors receive a pay packet for the work they do for your Association. I'll come clean - in the fairly short time I've been involved with our Association, I get a tiny bit peeved when members (and non-members would you believe!) have a snipe at the amount of remuneration directors receive. You see, although our dedicated office team is full-time and on the payroll, the role of director is entirely voluntary. On reflection, I should have written this article sooner in my tenure. I consider myself chastised. So, in the interests of openness and transparency, here's a list of what directors are entitled to claim:
! Directors receive no remuneration for attending quarterly board meetings or general meetings (such as AGMs). ! When directors attend other meetings on behalf of the NCCA, or carry out other significant duties, they can claim £50 for each half day or £100 for a full day (equivalent to around £12.50 per hour). The President receives a 25% uplift on these rates. ! Claims for vehicle mileage can be made at the prevailing HMRC rate, currently 40p for each mile travelled on NCCA business. Other travel is reimbursed at cost. ! Where an overnight stay is deemed essential, directors stay in budget hotels where possible and claim reasonable expenses for meals. ! As a perk, directors can attend training events at cost price, if space is available. So, in hard cash terms, what have directors been paid? I've reproduced a table below which shows the expenses claimed in the year ended 30th April 2009 (the most recent year for which we have audited accounts).
Director Directors'Fees Accommodation Travel
Meals
Misc.
Exhibition Items TOTALS
A B C D E F G Totals
£0.00 £0.00 £13.70 £10.30 £25.00 £218.00 £0.00 £267.00
£18.43 £0.00 £0.00 £26.07 £912.37 £0.00 £850.00 £1806.87
£114.55 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £114.55
£900.00 £300.00 £950.00 £1,100.00 £1,700.00 £100.00 £1,300.00 £6,350.00
£0.00 £0.00 £60.00 £0.00 £60.00 £620.00 £0.00 £740.00
£483.56 £243.32 £635.20 £676.80 £647.19 £1,913.31 £858.84 £5,458.22
£1,516.54 £543.32 £1,658.90 £1,813.17 £3,344.56 £2,851.31 £3,008.84 £14,736.64
Director D in the table is me and I am happy to be used as an example. You'll see that I claimed for 11 days of NCCA work (other than board meetings or AGMs). I drove 1,692 miles for the NCCA in my van and claimed small amounts for meals and other out of pocket expenses. Overall, I hope you agree that the total claimed of just under £15,000 represents extraordinary value for money for members just £25 of each member's annual subscription goes towards reimbursing the directors who work for your Association. Want another myth? OK. It's a myth that Elvis is dead. He's been seen in a chip shop ..... page 19
ISSA Interclean 2010
Keith Robertson
T
The Turkish rug washing machine
notion he would get away with charging three course meals instead of two. However, those incidents aside we had a thoroughly enjoyable business trip to the ISSA Interclean Cleaning Show. Angela and I took the 7.30am flight from Edinburgh to allow us a good portion of the day at the RAI Conference Centre in Amsterdam where the show was being held. One of the benefits of Schipol
airport is that the rail station is right under the main concourse of the airport terminus. The shows organisers even arranged for complimentary rail tickets between the airport and the RAI station which is only a few hundred metres from the show itself. All attendees this year were fortunate that there were no interruptions from the volcanic cloud that had devastated the previous week's air travel, so at the airport we were mingling with attendees from as far afield as Dubai. In fact the first person I saw at the airport was Jan Hobbs, the editor of Cleanzine. On arrival at the RAI we had barely checked our suitcases into the cloakroom before we bumped in to Richard Sudall of Chemspec Europe, who was not only visiting the show but had arranged meetings with a number of his European distributors. Minutes later we literally bumped into NCCA members Carl Campy and John Bailey, of Diamond page 20
ŠKeith Robertson
he weather in Amsterdam in late April was quite a bit warmer than we had been experiencing in Scotland. Amsterdam is always a great place to visit as, almost universally, the people of the city are very friendly and most can speak good English. There are always the usual tourist hiccups like the taxi driver who zoomed off in the opposite direction to the hotel we were staying in and the tram driver who thought he could palm an extra two Euros when I paid my fares, and the restauranteur who had the
Cleaners in Burnley, who had flown across from Liverpool. They told me about the great success they have had recently by placing full-page advertorials in a posh Lancashire 'home' magazine and were kind enough to share a couple of the adverts with me. Thanks lads. On the first day we also took the opportunity to visit the BICSc (The British Institute of Cleaning Science) stand and meet up with Lynn Webster, the National Chair, and her colleagues. What about the show? For those of you who have attended in the past you will be aware that there is only one way to describe it - VAST! There had been some doubts as to whether there would be as many companies with stands this year, because of the recession. However, although there were some who did not come, there were still more than seven hundred exhibitors.
Among the items I found most interesting for my business was an American system for taking the scratches out of glass, a German built machine for removing paint from stone, a Dutch company with an excellent range of floor cleaning and polishing pads and the best designed pump-up sprayers I have ever seen, which were manufactured by a German company. Way out of my price range, but devastatingly beautiful, was a Turkish rug washing machine with a built-in spin dryer - the young lady on the stand was almost equally attractive but was still unable to convince me to take my credit card out of my wallet. Shows are a great place to meet up and rekindle friendships and although Karl and Karen Nilchibar from Amtech were busy assisting one of their suppliers they were willing to spend time with Angela and I, as were many others that we have got to know over the years. We spent three days at the show and on the Thursday, as a complete change, took a tourist coach tour which included a visit to the Hague where, among other buildings, we were shown the Peace Palace which was built after Scot, Andrew Carnegie, made a gift of $1,300.00 in 1903 to house the Hague Court of Arbitration, which to this day administers cases arising out of international treaties. We were able to spend an hour or so at the internationally famous outdoor The model village model town exhibition of Madurodam and also made a visit to a Delft I always set myself the goal of finding three pottery, which allowed me the opportunity to products that I will want to follow up at every show I purchase some fabulous hand-painted tiles. attend. Sometimes that can be a problem but on On the Friday - which was a national holiday in this occasion it wasn't difficult. the Netherlands and meant most shops were shut It wasn't an ideal show for those only involved in and the city centre was jammed packed with locals carpet cleaning as Phil Jones from Prochem will and visitors - we took the opportunity to visit the attest. He and his colleagues looked quite glum Van Gogh Museum to enjoy both his paintings and when I first saw them, but they welcomed us on to those of Paul Gauguin before flying home in the their stand and we had a good chat. evening. page 21
Breakthrough REACHed
T
he European Commission says it has broken the deadlock on setting the criteria for identifying hazardous chemicals, requesting companies to table plans to substitute them even if no alternatives have been clearly identified. Environment Commissioner Janez Potonik and Industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani announced recently that they had found a common approach to identifying and managing Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs). SVHCs include chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects and other serious health
problems. They also tend to persist in the environment and accumulate in the body. The agreement was announced during a visit by the two commissioners to the European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki (ECHA). The commissioners’ “common interpretation of the REACH text” breaks the deadlock on substituting hazardous substances and represents a step change compared to the situation that prevailed under the previous Commission, reports Euractive.
The agreement clarifies the authorisation procedure for hazardous substances on socioeconomic grounds. Under the REACH regulations, even if a substance presents a risk to human health or the environment, authorisation may be granted if the socio-economic benefits are proven to outweigh risks arising from its use and if there are no suitable alternatives. Under the Commission's new procedure, “all available information is to be considered and will be used in a so-called 'weight of evidence approach'”. In addition, companies that have been unable to identify alternative solutions for a dangerous substance will have to show they have carried out in-depth investigations and must indicate a timeline within which alternative substances could become available. “Therefore substitution fully remains an objective in the authorisation process, even if it cannot be effected immediately” the Commission stressed. According to the EU executive, implementation of the amended criteria will be subject to transitional arrangements. It will become mandatory for registrants two years after the entry into force of the agreed criteria, which will be stated in the revised Annex XIII of REACH. Now that this deadlock has been broken, the Commission says it will shortly give “the longpage 22
awaited draft guidance on authorisation” to the ECHA to allow it to make progress on registering chemicals and managing Substances of Very High Concern. The Commission also asked the European Chemicals Agency to add one hundred and six more substances to the current candidate list of SVHCs, which may need to go through special authorisation procedures before being used. An agreement between the EU executive and the ECHA is expected to bring the number of chemicals on the list of SVHCs to one hundred and thirty five by 2012. To coincide with the commissioners’ visit, the European Chemicals Agency, which is responsible for managing the implementation of REACH, announced the launch of a new version of its online registration system REACH-IT. ECHA said the system is accompanied by a new tool allowing companies to verify the technical completeness of a dossier before submitting it. Meanwhile, instruction manuals for using the new tools are currently only available in English. Work to translate them into the other twenty one official EU languages is under way. Greenpeace EU director Jorgo Riss said the European Commission’s announcement had “widened the pool of potential chemicals to be phased out, but failed to speed up the process”. “REACH is supposed to ensure dangerous chemicals are phased out and replaced with safer alternatives,” he pointed out. “But nearly three years after it entered into force, the Commission has not made a decision on a single very hazardous chemical.” Greenpeace EU added that the commissioners’ announcement is “limited to an agreement that over the next three years, one hundred and six hazardous chemicals will be considered for possible phase out. But the commissioners have not announced how many of these would actually be phased out”. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) said it was pleased that “the ‘logjam’ on some crucial
REACH issues” had finally been broken. “At the current speed of naming chemicals on the ‘most harmful’ list, the commissioners’ decision to add one hundred and six new chemicals is equivalent to jumping ahead almost five years,” it added. Article reproduced with the kind permission of Cleanzine.
Mechanical agitation Ken Wainwright
H
ave you ever stopped to consider not only the importance of agitation, but also the different ways of achieving it? Agitation plays an important role in all of our cleaning systems, and it can be performed by hand, by rotary or cylindrical type brushing machines. When a pre-conditioning cleaning solution is applied to a carpet, a quick 'brush-in' with your broom type brush will be beneficial, but will not give the best results. A suitable rotary, floor polisher type machine can apply considerable agitation and very quickly too, but there is a high risk of damaging the pile, especially on wool and wool blend carpets. If cleaning by Hot Water Extraction, the contrarotating cylindrical brush type of machine performs excellent agitation on cut pile carpets. Not only will this work the cleaning solution throughout the carpet yarn, but also physically loosen the soil and lift and open the pile, so by making the final rinse/extract more effective and quicker. This can all lead to reduced water consumption and hence quicker drying carpets. Quite often, many of us will already own a cylindrical brush machine and use it only for Dry Powder Extraction. It's probably left standing idle on the van waiting for that time when it's needed as a problem solver. It's a very useful piece of equipment. Once you have used it to agitate your pre-spray it will be the tool of choice in the future. If you don't yet own one, it might be worth seriously considering a new investment. page 23
Safety in a restoration situation
A
Peter Collins
safety programme should be in writing so everyone is aware of common sense working practices with regards to exposure to hazards, whether they be in fire, flood or trauma work - remember the potential hazard for Hepatitis B and the Aids Virus.
work boots, gloves, respirator and overalls in the initial clear up at the job site. This Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will protect the person(s) working in a potentially hazardous environment. Up to three pairs of gloves should be worn depending on the situation and the job
In restoration work you can be exposed to a wide variety of both known and unknown hazards. The cleaning agents and chemicals that we use on the job site are known hazards. Fire related gases and residues, as well as the microbial factor in sewage backflows, toilet backflows, trauma handling and the potential chemical mix in these situations are unknown hazards. Think of asbestos or lead paint, damaged electrical wiring, loose debris which might collapse, sharp objects and weak floors. Common sense precautions in a restoration situation should include wearing a hard hat, goggles,
involved. Employees should be issued PPE and sign for it. They should be responsible for the cost of replacing it if lost or misused. The employer should replace disposable items. Personal Protective Equipment: ! Hard Hat: For use in potentially hazardous areas i.e. ceiling collapse, unstable walls, overhead glass (sharps injury). ! Safety Goggles: Eye protection from chemical splashes, misting, fogging, pesticide spraying. ! Overalls: Protection for your clothes, keeps off dust, paint, carbon and it keeps you comfortable and cool. ! Work Boots: Protection from chemicals and sharps injury. ! Gloves: (Latex, Cotton, Leather, Chain mail) Protects hands from chemicals, dirt, cuts, sharps injury. Never handle smoke/fire damaged materials or objects without them. In water damage situations always wear them. page 24
! Respirator: Protects lungs from contamination, always wear one. On the worksite: Safety equipment should include a full first-aid kit, fire extinguishers and a face-wash station. Chemicals and equipment should be stored out of reach of children; chemicals should all be labelled and stored safely. Ladders used should be made of non-conductive material (e.g. wood) when working near electrical wiring. Chemical safety data sheets should be carried in your van for all chemicals that are present, and copies should be left at the office.
Common sense safety precautions: 1. Turn off and unplug all electrical equipment before cleaning. 2. Do not give any chemicals away to your clients. 3. Neutralize any chemical splashes on person(s) with water. 4. For possible risks and hazards post warning signs and a telephone number for direct contact. 5. No unprotected person(s) in area(s) treated with chemicals or ozone gas. 6. Establish a hazard communication programme.
Saved by the disclaimer Pawlo Woloszyn
W
hilst having a chat with the receptionist of a care home that I service on a contract, I was informed that the manager had moved on and that I was to report to the new manager's office, which I dutifully did. We made our introductions and began to discuss a particular room that had urine contamination. The occupier had moved out and there was to be an inspection the following day. It was imperative that the room was ready for the inspection, so I went to take a look. Wow! I have to say the stench was unbelievable! From the odour alone I knew that it would be impossible to have the room ready, as the carpet and underlay needed replacing and the floor needed treating. To say the least the manager was not happy with my report. He insisted that I clean the carpet, or forget the contract. I then called head office to explain that the contamination was too extensive and that there was no way that a straightforward clean could even touch the problem. The MD was not available, but the carpet had to be cleaned for the following day, so I informed them that I would only take on the work if their manager signed a disclaimer in which I would report my findings. With the disclaimer signed I carried out the work knowing that it was totally pointless. Yes, I made an improvement, but it hardly touched the surface. Needless to say the manager was not very happy with what I'd done. He then proceeded to call the head office to tell them that he thought my aim was to carry out unnecessary work. That hurt! At 10.15 the next morning I received a call from the head office and was told to get there as soon as I could. When I arrived I was sent into the MD's office and was met with a very frosty reception. I let him have his say and then produced the signed disclaimer. I don't think I have ever seen anyone's attitude change so quick. I was asked what timescale I needed to carry out the work I originally wanted to do, before discussing price. Now how's that for a 'turn around!’ page 25
Door to door canvassing
C
anvassing door to door can be a very effective way to develop enquiries and sales. This approach can be applied to both business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) products and services. The approach involves visiting people in their home or place of work with a view to discussing their needs and wants, establishing rapport and generating targeted leads. The main benefits of this approach include the speed of generating enquiries due to the immediate response received. It is probably the most direct form of contact and being face to face the most influential. From a prospective customer's point of view it can be intrusive so needs to be managed with care and consideration. Here is a list of the key
success factors with this approach: ! Accuracy of targeting ! Warmth and enthusiasm ! Putting prospective customer at ease ! A clear message encapsulated in a dialog that flows seamlessly
Brian James ! Multi-sensory approach ! Active listening and Objection handling ! Peer group influences ! Timing Accurate targeting can be achieved by having a clear understanding of your ideal customer and matching this with the type of prospects you connect with. It's essential to begin the conversation in a polite, friendly and enthusiastic manor. This helps to put the prospect at ease. One specific way of achieving this is to acknowledge they are already an intelligent buyer, based on your observations. For example, if you are promoting home improvement solutions you can acknowledge the improvements they have already made to their home which are immediately evident. You need to describe the purpose of your visit in a succinct and clear message. For example, you might be promoting security alarm systems and you need to make this obvious within the first few words of your pitch. Try to describe your product or service message in a flowing cohesive manor so it is easy to follow. This enables your prospect to fully digest the extent of your promotion before they start to respond. Using a multi-sensory approach is a highly powerful means of communicating a message in the shortest time. For example, you may be able to show photos or samples of your product or service page 26
in action. Use hand and face gestures to illustrate and augment your message. Active listening is required to receive their response and appreciate their views and situation. Practice a range of likely objections beforehand so you are ready with a reasoned and logical response. Peer group examples are very influential and compelling such as citing other nearby customers who have successfully purchased your products and services. Timing is critical. If you are able to orchestrate appropriate timing this creates genuine interest. For example, your product or service may be seasonal or buying characteristics may be cyclical, so choose your timing with care. Here is a successful process for presenting your pitch to achieve maximum responses: ! State name and company ! Have ID to show if required ! State the purpose of your visit and deliver your pitch ! Offer a range of alternative options to generate maximum interest levels ! Don't sell - just offer something free (such as a quote, survey, consultation etc) ! Make suggestions about intelligent buying opportunities ! Agree next action Where interest is shown you can conclude the conversation by exchanging contact details and reaffirming there is no obligation on their part. Make sure you keep accurate notes of conversations and the success ratios you achieve. For example, record the number of visits to the number of appointments and the number of appointments to the number of sales. As with all marketing activity, you want to be aware of your key performance indicators and profit margins so you can refine the process. Above all, make this activity fun and enjoyable. This is the last in the monthly column written by Brian James. Brian has been writing for the Newslink for over six years and we would like to thank him for his many contributions and wish him every success for the future.
Buying new equipment Ken Wainwright
W
hen buying new equipment, one of the considerations in the choice we make is the specifications of the working parts. Thinking specifically of Hot Water Extraction machines, but I'm sure the same applies to other equipment, the technical data is measured in different ways. A good example is for vacuum performance. Different manufacturers will use: Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM), Linear Feet Per Minute (LFPM), Water Lift in inches or centimetres, and also in inches of water or inches of mercury lift. Confused? It gets worse. With portable machines, Manufacturer A will say that two vacuum motors connected in series will leave the carpet driest. Manufacturer B will say that two vacuum motors connected in parallel perform best. It also occurs to me that by the time you've waded through and deciphered the gobbledegook, many machines, because they have the same components, are showing the same performance figures. But surely, different machines, designed differently, running different quality and lengths of hose are different. So now I'll get to my point; it's a plea to all manufacturers. Please agree on a common unit for measurement for all specifications. None of us use a machine without hoses, and as 7.5 metres is the most popular length what about measuring the performance of your vacuum systems in CFM for example, measured at the end of a 7.5 mtr hose of the same quality as provided with the machine? Then likewise for the water pump, tank capacity, weight etc. Personally speaking, I know which portable works best for me, but I know of so many people who are totally baffled by the numbers. I hope this helps. page 27
Lack of support for small businesses
Phil McCabe (FPB)
M
any small firms at present feel threatened by the continuing lack of clarity over business support and the economy. That is according to the latest research by the not-for-profit business support group, the Forum of Private Business, which found the UK's SMEs are fearful about their own position and the country's economic health. According to the Forum's Economy Watch member panel survey the main areas of concern, particularly for those firms carrying out a significant proportion of public sector work, include unclear tax plans, the threat of spending cuts jeopardising public sector opportunities, and whether a coalition government can possibly produce policies that stimulate business growth while simultaneously reducing the UK's gaping Budget deficit. In addition, the survey found that the longer-term issues of red tape, economic management and the growing tax burden remain major problems for owner-managers, who believe they will represent some of the main barriers to business over the coming year. “Many small businesses feel threatened by the uncertainty caused by a lack of defined policies on tax and red tape, as well as threats to public procurement in the wake of anticipated
spending cuts,� commented the Forum's policy representative, Matt Goodman. "Entrepreneurs want better support, a clearer tax regime, prompt payment and less red tape, although there is some scepticism about the delivery of this last measure." Just over half (53%) are 'not very confident', 'pessimistic' or 'very pessimistic' about growth, echoing the Bank of England's Governor, Mervyn King's, comments that the economy is still fragile and that the risk of page 28
a 'double dip' recession is still very real. But there are some positive indications that the economy is recovering. Overall, the survey found that, compared to previous months, confidence is slowly creeping back for many small businesses. In total, 44% of respondents said they were 'confident' or 'very confident' that the economy is picking up. Orders increased for 43% of the small businesses surveyed, fell for 18%, with 39% reporting no change. Turnover increased for 38%, fell for 21% and stayed the same for 41% of respondents. Interestingly, profitability increased for 33% of businesses, was down for 32% and stayed the same for 35%, perhaps suggesting that, while orders are up, firms are having to slash prices savagely to compete. But, as previously reported by the Forum, the perennial problem of late payment is still threatening to overshadow these improvements by severely denting firms' ability to maintain any kind of cash flow, with 29% of respondents still citing it as a significant problem. According to the Forum's survey, just 4% of owner-managers said the problem of late payment has improved, while the majority (67%) said it has remained the same as a year ago. Businesses also told the Forum that the tax burden is becoming greater, with 27% saying it had increased and 70% that it has remained the same. Above all, firms will need to be able to recruit the right staff to be able to meet renewed demand when economic growth begins in earnest. Many small firms welcomed news that the planned 1% increase in employers National Insurance scheduled for 2011 and blasted by the Forum and other business groups as a 'tax on jobs' has been scrapped. In all, 43% of FPB members surveyed before the election said the cost of employment was one of the biggest barriers to recruitment.
Items for sale MACHINERY AND CHEMICALS FOR SALE 2 carpet machines Rhino 500 PSI, heater and twin vacs, complete with hoses and wands. 1 carpet machine Rhino 300PSI, heater and twin vacs, complete with hose and wand. Host dry cleaning machine and powder. Various chemicals. For further details and prices, please call Lee Cooper on 07770 226454.
BUSINESS FOR SALE Carpet and Upholstery cleaning services business for sale, established in 2001. Package includes Renault Master van (2006) with bespoke fittings for chemical storage. Premium interactive website with online survey/quotation facility which can be viewed at www.spotlesscleaningservices.com The domain names www.spotlesscleaningproducts and also www.spotlessnetwork domain names included, and online shop facility. Steempro 2000 with all extras, Sebo Vacuum cleaner, karcher hot water extraction stainbuster, orbis cyclical cleaner, chemicals, etc. Leather restoration kit. Regular customer base. Reason for sale : Allergy to chemical products. Sale price £30,000 O.N.O. Contact : Tel: 0141 941 2510. E-Mail: spotless@ntlworld.com
BUSINESS FOR SALE Small, long-established, reputable NCCA Registered, working carpet, upholstery & soft furnishings cleaning company. Essex based. Owner Operator retiring. To be sold as a complete package only. Mobile HWE & Dry Cleaning System. Domestic & Commercial Clients. Genuine interested parties only please to call 07903 497298 and leave details.
TRUCKMOUNT FOR SALE Thinking of moving up to the big time and bigger contracts but can't risk £20,000+ investment in new large commercial machine - here's your chance to go for it without the big outlay. Steam Genie Sizzler machine complete with suction and water hoses on large easy to use reel with the power to support two operatives working at same time, a real money spinner. Less than 3000 hours on clock and has never failed to deliver. Only £2250 - 10% of outlay for 100% of return!
The Association advises that all goods are checked to be in a satisfactory condition, and comply to electrical and health and safety standards, etc. It is recommended that equipment serial numbers should be checked to ensure the seller is the legitimate owner. The Association accepts no responsibility or liability arising from any transaction or dispute between the buyer and seller.
page 29
New NCCA Members
NCCA Associate Members
FULL MEMBERS
+ Alltec Network: 01763 208222 (C/M/F/T)
K M Cleaning Services Charnock, Staffordshire
+ Amtech UK: 0845 130 4755 (C/M)
WOW Carpet Cleaning (Southampton, Hampshire)
+ Bio Productions Ltd (inc. Stapro): 01444 244000 (C)
Bob Bone Carpet Cleaning (Horsham, West Sussex)
+ Chemdry UK: 01482 872770 (C/M/Fr)
+ Ashby's Cleaning Equipment: 01322 227806 (C/M/E) + Camberford Law: 0208 315 5000 (I) + Chemspec Europe Ltd: 01274 597333 (C/M/T/D/F) + Cleanerswarehouse Ltd: 01772 434333 (T/C/R/M) + Cleaning Support Ltd: 0844 8482371 (C/M/W)
HITS Every day we receive calls from the general public requesting details of members in their area. Since the last issue of Newslink details of 64 members have been provided to interested parties. The standard procedure for giving out member’s details fairly is to select three member companies nearest to the enquirer, it is then up to the enquirer to define their appropriate choice.
+ Cleaning Systems UK: 01334 656787 (C/M/T/F) + Cleansmart Ltd: 0115 8240034 (T/C/R/M/K) + Dri-Eaz: 01908 611211 (C/M/T) + Drizone Ltd: 0870 733 7733 (T/C/W/M) + Dry Fusion UK Ltd: 01772 433711 (C/M/T/W/Fr) + Forum of Private Business: 01565 634467 + Giles Insurance Brokers Ltd: 0141 285 3300 (I) + Hi-Tec Cleaning Group: 02866 341416 (C/E/F/M/T) + Host Von Schrader Ltd: 0151 347 1900 (M/C) + Homeserve at Home: 0870 320 3333 + Hydro Dynamix: 01622 664993 (Fr) + McGregor Lloyd (insurance brokers): 0121 706 0616 (I) + Nilfisk Advance Ltd: 01284 763163 (M) + Nu Life Stone Care Ltd: 0161 480 7284 (M/C) + Prochem Europe Ltd: 0208 974 1515 (C/F/M/T)
NCCA Member Benefits + Amicus Legal Ltd (free legal helpline): 01206 366500 + SiteWizard (website creation) 08450 608860 + EMJ Management Ltd (workwear clothing and accessories): 02392 434650 + Brian James (Marketing Consultant): 08450 608860 + Thompson Local (Ask for Corporate Advertsing Department) 01252 390385 + Yellow Pages (Ask for Corporate Advertising Department) 0808 100 7890
+ Rainbow International: 01623 422488 (M/C/Fr) + Restoration Express: 01252 726106 (M/C/T/A) + Safeclean: 01235 832975 (E/T/F/R/Fr) + ServiceMaster Ltd: 0116 275 9000 (M/C/Fr) + Sebo UK Ltd: 01494 465533 (M) + Stainshield Ltd: 01372 841467 (C) + Textile Cleaning Solutions: 01934 521155 (M/C) + The Big Clean: 0208 3934778 (M,C,W,K) + The Leather Training & Tech. Dept: 01423 881027 (T) + Truvox International Ltd: 02380 702200 (M) + Woodbridge Comercial Ltd: 01279 422220 (C/M) C - Chemicals / M - Machinery / W - Wholesalers / Fr Franchises / I - Insurance / K - Marketing / T - Technical Services / F - Fire Retardents / A - Auxiliary Services (Restoration Cleaners) / E - Supply/Repair of Curtains and Blinds
At Least Two for the Price of One! Why buy two products when one will do a better job? Super Strength Economy in Three Handy Bottles..... 1. Coffee Stain and Browning Treatment 2. Heavy Duty Soil Lifter 3. Kill Odour Plus 1. Deals with coffee, tea, wine, dye stains and browning problems in one clever product. 2. A pre-spray for carpet and upholstery, an oily stain spotter, cleaning booster and draught mark cleaner in one. 3. A deodoriser, urine neutraliser, sanitiser and traffic lane cleaner in one. For more details on other cost at use savings from Chemspec Europe ask for our FREE June technical newsletter or download one from our web site (click on products then newsletters). Chemspec Europe, Tong Park, Otley Road, Baildon, West Yorkshire, BD17 7QD. Tel: 01274 597333 Fax: 01274 597444 E-mail: info@chemspec-europe.com Website: www.chemspec-europe.com