Carpet cleaning service owner keeps business afloat via client referrals

Most people walk around their home or place of business and don’t realize just how filthy carpeting or flooring can get from foot traffic and constant wear and tear. That is, of course, unless you are ADC Carpet & Cleaning. Owned by Ivan Colon, a licensed and independent carpet cleaning professional with more than 20 years of floor care experience, ADC has been rescuing carpets, floorings and even upholstery from stains and ruin throughout the Northern Virginia area.

While once prosperous and highly productive, the recent market downturns have truly put the brakes on Ivan and his carpet cleaning services. So much so, in fact, Ivan wonders if how he’ll be able to keep the business viable if things don’t turn around in the next coming months. However, in the true spirit of an entrepreneur, Ivan is determined to outlast the recession and climb back on top.

Here’s Ivan’s story:

Mayra: Please share with us how ADC came to be and how you grew the business over so many years.

Ivan: ADC was born in 1998 with a debit card, $500 cash, a portable machine and a beat-up van. I was working for Dupont and I grew tired of all the sacrifices I was making at that time. I had been working 10-12 hours a day six days a week and had no time to spend with my daughter. It took two years before I built up enough credit to be able to finance my first official van with truck-mounted equipment. I established a couple of commercial accounts and my business started doing well. Some of the challenges I faced were from residential community lead-techs/engineers. They wanted me to pay a “fee” (more like a kick-back) in order for me to be able to work in certain communities. Needless to say, I never did bother working with those specific communities; I opted to go my own way.

Mayra: How was your carpet cleaning business before the recession? And now during?
Ivan: Before the recession, business was great. We were doing a lot of marketing, we advertised in phone books, local newspapers and flyers. We tried just about anything and we also did some online marketing. Things didn’t really start slowing down for us until late 2008. Our commercial accounts kept our heads above water. We also did well with our residential customers. Today, business is definitely much slower. I wish it was better but we’re grateful to be maintaining a humble pace.

Mayra: What customer trends have you noticed since the recession hit?
Ivan: Since the recession hit, the number one question potential clients now immediately ask constantly is “How much?” When you give them a price, they’ll say, “Well, company so-and-so can do it for less.” Company so-and-so may not be as knowledgeable about carpet cleaning as they may lead you to think. People don’t understand that cheaper is not always better. Granted we’re in a recession, but you have to put the health and care of your family first.
People don’t consider the bacteria and different type of mildew pores that can accumulate in your carpet and can make you sick. I had a client who had hired company “so-and-so” which did a horrible job. She fired them and then she called me, inquiring about the carpet cleaning process and what’s entailed. We spent about an hour on the phone. I went to her home completed the job and she’s was beyond happy at the results.

Mayra: How are you marketing your carpet cleaning business these days?

Ivan: I am confident the reason why we are still afloat is due to customer referrals, repeat clientele and word of mouth.
These are THE BEST advertising as far as I’m concerned.
We are no longer paying for search pay-per-click services; we found that this doesn’t work well for our business unless you’re willing to dump tons of money into it.
Although our marketing budget is non-existent we are still advertising in some of the local papers
and we still have our commercial accounts.

Mayra: What promotions or sales are working best for you? What new ways are you promoting yourself now compared to pre-recession? Are people biting … or not?
Ivan: We have specials posted on our website www.adccarpetcleaning.com. We try to update it every month, we honor all the posted specials regardless of time frame. We also give discounts to our repeat clientele, give them a “thank-you” gift and leave them with extra postcards for referrals. We also advertise in the local paper and you can find us online when you search for carpet cleaning in Herndon or Reston. We give out flyers and postcards and we’ve definitely had a couple of “bites” with those.

Mayra: If you had a room full of people who wanted to start up their own carpet cleaning business, what would you tell them? What would be your advice to newbies who are considering this line of work and profession?
Ivan: Words of wisdom….hmmm… in this recession, I don’t think I really have many words of wisdom exactly. You just have to try to hang in there, ride the wave and hope things will get better. Right now is not a great time to start a business unless you have the funds but if you are considering this type of work in the future: plan, get IICRC certified and be knowledgeable. Start small and work your way up and try not to depend too heavily on credit cards.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm and is filed under small business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.


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