We are almost half way through 2009. And for many of our readers, this means it’s time to get serious about finding the right carpet cleaning from the right company. Hiring the right carpet cleaning company often times requires great thought (hence ‘The Thinker’) and can become very over whelming. The first will be “5 Reasons Carpet Cleaning Businesses Go Out of Business” and the second will be “The REAL Consumer’s Guide to Carpet Cleaning”. After reading both articles, it is my intention that many of you will be better prepared to make the right choice for your carpet cleaning needs.

5 Reasons Carpet Cleaners Go Out Of Business

#1.  Too Cheap:

This may sound self-serving, but it’s the truth. Just like any other business, carpet cleaners must turn a profit to survive. No profit means no business, which is why so many carpet cleaning companies, are unable to weather this current economic storm. (Unless of course it’s a government owned/run business then this obviously does NOT apply). Although there are many factors- such as efficiency, labor, mistake-free work, etc that will dictate the profitability of a job, there will always be unpredictables. But one thing that I’m absolutely sure of is this:

Carpet cleaning companies that price their services on the ‘high side’ are, as a whole, still in business.

I’ve seen hundreds of carpet cleaning shoppers with buyer’s remorse simply because they based their decision on the cheapest quote. Such logic is a recipe for disaster. And as a carpet cleaner you do NOT want to be the “Whole House Special” Guy, nor do you want to bait-and-switch. These practices will not get you the clientele you want, which is customers who refer and use you regularly.

#2.  Stink at Cleaning Carpet

Yes, this may sound like an obvious answer but it’s amazing how many people get in the carpet, rug and upholstery cleaning industry because they think that it requires little skill. Huh????? Just because you can purchase carpet cleaning equipment doesn’t make you a good carpet cleaner.

#3 Don’t Travel:

It used to be that carpet cleaning companies could stay in one city and have enough work to keep them busy. With the housing market explosion the way it was, this is no surprise. But since everything went South in late 2008, carpet cleaning companies have been presented with an important question: Do we travel out further to ensure we stay busy, or do we hunker down in our small little radius here and hope the phone rings? The reality is that carpet cleaning companies that have weathered this economic storm aren’t afraid to put gas in their vehicles.

#4. Don’t educate the consumer

The world we live in has changed drastically over the past few decades, with no change having a greater impact on businesses than our world’s entry into the information age, and more importantly, our dependency on the internet. When I got into the carpet cleaning industry about 12 years ago, I was amazed at how little information was being provided to consumers on this complex topic. Hence my efforts to change this culture with this blog, my eBook, our company YouTube videos, etc. Carpet cleaning companies that don’t take the time to educate their clients are quickly going the way of the dinosaur because they are no longer being recognized as an authority in the industry. Consumers realize that if a business truly takes their trade seriously, they will also be an ample provider of helpful product information and enlightenment.

#5.  Jack of all trades, master of none

You may have heard the term “leaving money on the table.” This usually applies to “other services” you may offer such as tile and gout cleaning, or duct cleaning etc. While these services may be appealing since your “already in the home,” they can end up being what we call “bad money.” What we mean by this is given the same amount of time, effort and product, you would probably be more profitable cleaning carpet.

One of my favorite books of all time is Jim Collins’ “Good to Great.” In Collins’ book, he analyzes companies that have managed to stay in business for really long periods of time all the while leading their industry and becoming one of the best at what they do. In order to become ‘great,’ Collins says, “All businesses must have a ‘hedgehog concept.’” To make this long story short, businesses need to find the one thing they can be the absolute best at, and then do it better than anyone else. When a business understands their hedgehog concept, it allows them to have clear vision and direction, as well as the ability to become truly branded because of their chosen concept.

So there are your top five reasons carpet cleaning contractors don’t survive in this difficult business.