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August 17, 2011 at 12:16 am #1045336Up::0
Uniforms are now done. Training continues with Upholstery course now under the belt. Did my second job just this weekend, and have won another job which is not a cleaning one, but a flooring labour job, which is scheduled or a couple of weeks from now. 3 – 4 hours work one night for almost a grand. Not bad if you ask me!
Customer at the job this weekend just gone was very pleased with the job I did.August 20, 2011 at 1:55 am #1045337Up::0Hi Crash Lander,
I hope you are getting the happy customer to provide you with a testimonial – so you can use it on brochures, your website, etc?
Kathy
August 22, 2011 at 12:19 am #1045338Up::0I haven’t asked the client for a testimonial, because I don’t think he knows how to use a computer, but, I do have to go see him today again, so I will ask him if he minds writing me a letter or something that I can put on my website….which I must get off my bum and do!!
Did another job yesterday. One member of the household was heard to say “Wow!” as I walked out the front door to put some gear away. I guess that means they were pretty happy. lol.
I didn’t ask them for a testimonial because I was actually doing that job on behalf of another company. So as far as they were concerned, I was Chris from XYZ company, even though I had Clean Cut Carpet Cleaning on my trailer and uniform.August 22, 2011 at 9:39 am #1045339Up::0Hi Crashlander,
You may actually find that not knowing how to use a computer is ok – a hand written testimonial, scanned and used as an image on your website would certainly remove the issue where you write the blurb for your customers and it sounds just like you… (because it is…!)
Kathy
August 23, 2011 at 2:04 am #1045340Up::0PerfectNotes-Kathy, post: 87881 wrote:Hi Crashlander,You may actually find that not knowing how to use a computer is ok – a hand written testimonial, scanned and used as an image on your website would certainly remove the issue where you write the blurb for your customers and it sounds just like you… (because it is…!)
Kathy
Yep. I asked him if he’d mind writing me a testimonial letter. He said he would do it for me when he got a chance. I will scan it and put it on my website (when I do one! Planning on doing one this weekend.)
September 14, 2011 at 2:39 am #1045341Up::0So, have done a couple more jobs now, and am loving the versatility of the industry. Everything from carpet and upholstery cleaning, to take up and disposal of old floors, and now I even have a carpet tile installation job coming up!
I’ve started some work on my website. It’s nowhere near finished, and I haven’t implimented any real SEO tricks as yet. (Not that I really know any, but Google is my friend!) I want to get the content up first and then tweak it from there.
What is done so far is basically the main layouts and page structure, with a few more to be added as I find the time. At the very least, the name and number is now accessible on the net.
Happy to take some constructive criticism on it so far, but be kind. It’s nowhere near a finished product yet, and may change completely by the time I’m done.
I am happy with the colour scheme, because it’s virtually identical to my uniform.
I think the addy is in my sig. can’t remember. if not, it’s here.I never did get that testimonial from that customer. Oh well. I’ll get some!
September 14, 2011 at 3:11 am #1045342Up::0Actually, I do have a couple of SEO type questions.
1. Why do my (many) free business listings, such as trulocal etc, all come up in google searches (I think at the moment, when I search for carpet cleaning lara, I get 2 listings on the first page that mention my business name, and another 2 listings on the first page that link to the business listings, on which I am listed number 1. Accurate as of today!), but I am buggered if I can find my actual business website. Maybe this is because the website has had no content up til the last few days. Hoping this will improve as I increas ethe content.
2. I did a Google Places page, and tweaked the profile so that it said 100%, and it never shows up on the google places flags bit at the top of the searches, and i can’t find it in the first 10 pages either. I have been told that the higher the percentage of completion, the better the ranking. I even added a video to it but that dropped the completion percentage to eighty something, so don’t know what’s going on there. It took ages for the pin number thingo to arrive for verification, but it eventually did come, and I have verified the site.
3. I started a wordpress blog several weeks ago, and nothing from it is showing up on any google search. I wonder why?
September 15, 2011 at 1:44 am #1045343AnonymousGuest- Total posts: 11,464
Up::0Howdy Crash Lander,
For best results, try posting your request for a website review in the Community reviews section of the forum, and your SEO questions in the Search engines etc section.
And to add your new website to your forum signature, visit the Control panel, and choose Edit signature.
Good to hear that all is going well,
JayneSeptember 19, 2011 at 12:57 am #1045344Up::0Hi Crashlander,
To answer one question – the website having no content would mean that Google won’t put it in search results yet – it can take a while for new content to be indexed so that you show up in searches.
As opposed to the directory listings, where you put in basic details and (presumably!) they have been around for a while, so have been indexed and show up.
Hopefully someone else can come up with answers to the other 2 questions in the SEO/website areas.
Kathy
October 3, 2011 at 12:12 am #1045345Up::0Wow! What a couple of weeks! Thanks for the replies to the seo questions. I managed to get my Google places add to improve it’s listing! It went from low down buried in page 13, to place number 1 on page 1! Woohoo!! For my immediate suburb search that is. (Search: carpet cleaning lara).
Now to work on it for my greater area of Geelong! That comes up on page 7 I think.
Have had several bookings in the last week, and word of mouth is slowly beginning to spread, with 1 referral job already.
have arranged with my full time job to switch to part time as of next week, so i’ll be able to fit more jobs in now, rather than knock back 3 jobs, like I had to last week!!
Website is still not really off the ground. It’s up, basically, but I had to remove a lot of it, as I was apparently utilising tricks that Google frowns upon. lol. I have some more ideas to get it ranking well and hope to be able to impliment them soon.January 24, 2012 at 4:07 am #1045346Up::0Well I thought I’d added to this story since I took the step to go part time with the full time job, but obviously I haven’t. Been too busy I guess.
Anyway, the news is that since switching the day job to part time, I’ve had 2 days a week (plus weekends if I get super desperate! lol) to work on my business.
It’s been a busy time, and things really took off from 1/10/11 to Christmas Eve. In that time I managed to break even, (if the business earning enough money to pay me back every cent I put into it is what is classed as breaking even).
Unfortunately, over the Christmas break, I decided it would be fun to go go-karting with my boys, and, well, i didn’t go round a corner as well as I had hoped I would, and i ended up scoring myself some internal injuries, which, the doctors tell me, could kill me if I don’t avoid all strenuous activity for a couple of months.
So, everything has been on hold for about 3 or 4 weeks now, and hopefully I’ll be able to get started again in another 3 weeks or so.January 24, 2012 at 8:05 am #1045347AnonymousGuest- Total posts: 11,464
Up::0Oh, OUCH. I hope you feel better soon Crash Lander.
Sounds like you took you “Crash Lander” nickname too seriously!
All the best,
JayneJuly 30, 2013 at 9:53 am #1045348Up::0Well, it’s now been 18 months since I updated this story.
What an 18 months it’s been!
My injuries healed nicely, but I was off work so long I basically had to relaunch the business.In February 2012 I upgraded all my portable gear to a truck mounted unit, so the nice trailer I was so proud of got sold as it was no longer needed. The new truck mounted gear was bought for a great price, and began generating more and more efficiency and profit for me with every turn of the key.
In June 2012, I finally said goodbye to my day job, and went full time working for myself. I can tell you, I’ve never looked back!
I’ve now invoiced over 500 jobs, and have joined ICAN (Patrick Burgo’s baby) as it’s Secretary, and also at the moment it’s Treasurer!
I LOVE my work, and get enormous satisfaction in seeing a dirty carpet returned to clean again, and the look on the customers faces makes it all worth it.
I joined my local BNI chapter, and that’s also worked out pretty well for me.
I revamped my website and now it ranks well. (http://www.cleancutcarpetcleaning.com.au)
I also run a Google Adwords campaign that is also working well for me.A large percentage of my work now is repeat and referral work, which is awesome!
In fact, this week is shaping up to be my biggest week dollar wise since I started the business, and it’s supposed to be the quiet period!! Very happy, and still very excited about my business!July 30, 2013 at 12:38 pm #1045349AnonymousGuest- Total posts: 11,464
Up::0I always love your updates Crash Lander
Thanks for dropping by to share your progress with us. I’m sure there are many newbies around who’ll be inspired to read about your journey.
Love your work!
Jayne -
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