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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION SUMMER/AUTUMN 2017 Cover photo by Regina Slate Trellis
THE WCP CLEANING SHOW Full story on page 14
10 OUR TRUSTED LOCAL CLEANERS
14 THE WCP CLEANING SHOW 2017
22 TAKE A LOOK AT OUR NEW MEMBER BENEFIT
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A WARM WELCOME TO
THE CLEAN SHEET THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE CARPET CLEANERS ASSOCIATION Welcome to the latest edition of our magazine, The Clean Sheet. For those that don’t know me let me introduce myself, I am Dave Wheadon and was appointed CEO on the 1st December 2016. I would like to thank all our members that attended the recent WCP Cleaning Show 2017 in Stoneleigh, I hope you agree that the new venue and event had a real buzz about it. We must thank David Weaver who worked tirelessly to deliver such a great show. This event is key and for me part of the overall plan to freshen up our Association.
We are also beginning to roll out regional meetings for members to informally network with myself, Directors and office. We are dedicated to increase the tangible benefits of being a member and also in effective representation as an industry body. On October 1st we are launching the new Business Support Service for members, provided by Qdos. You can read more about this on page 22. We are also beginning to roll out regional meetings for members to informally network with myself, Directors and the office team. The first three meetings are: 25th October (Reading), 23rd November (Norwich) and 7th December (Gloucester), more details to follow.
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It would be great to catch up with familiar faces, as well as meet some new ones. Keep an eye out for a meeting near you soon and please do come along! From its launch, Trusted Local Cleaners (TLC) is already delivering more enquires than the same period last year and these enquires will only increase as the site gains more credibility. As customers are leaving reviews on members’ respective listings, Google is now identifying TLC as trustworthy because of both the quality and number of reviews. Many of you will start noticing that Google has started to pick up your reviews and has begun to display them on your
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If you ever need me, just ring me, I may not always answer, but I will always call you back. I will always be honest to you, and if I can, I will help you. Google Business summary. TLC is also providing an important ‘back link’ to your own business websites which is further optimising search engines results. We are busy organising our training courses for next year and many of the courses are now being held regionally so hopefully they are now closer to you. Amongst the new courses, we are including a hands on instruction on social media with Lauren, Allan Simmons’ Marketing Masterclass, and we will also be introducing a new course on business planning, which we are hoping you will find useful. I am working on some other new courses too, so look out for the details soon.
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I must also thank both Lewis and Lauren for their dedication, support and hard work. The way they have been open to new ideas and change is fantastic, and we really are creating a force to be reckoned with! Finally – if you ever need me, just ring me, I may not always answer, but I will always call you back. I will always be honest to you, and if I can, I will help you. Dave Wheadon
DIARY DATES Regional Meets
Reading
25 Oct
Norwich
23 Nov
Gloucester
7 Dec
National Carpet Cleaners Association 62c London Road, Oadby, Leicestershire, LE2 5DH Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Dave Wheadon
PRESIDENT Allan Simmons
VICE PRESIDENTS Tim Colenutt Paul Pearce
DIRECTORS Glyn Charnock (Company Secretary) Nigel Lay Martin Johns David Weaver
Twitter: @NCCA_ Facebook: NationalCarpetCleanersAssociation Search ‘NCCA Members’ for members-only Facebook group Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Association or it’s officers or members. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the statements within this publication, we cannot accept responsibility for any errors, or omissions, or matters arising from any clerical or printing errors, and whilst every care is taken of manuscripts and photographs submitted to us, we can accept no responsibility for any loss or damage. ©Carpet Cleaners Association Ltd 1994 (Trading as the National Carpet Cleaners Association). No part of this Newsletter may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Carpet Cleaners Association Ltd.
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COLOURFASTNESS Article by Derek Bolton
Colourfastness or Dye Bleeding is a problem that is not very common these days… thank goodness. The range of chemicals and introduction of suitable hand tools has helped considerably in getting fabrics dry quicker; providing, of course, that the cleaning technician is up to the job. There are however, still fabrics being manufactured, more often abroad and imported, that use dyes that are not totally colourfast to even the mildest of detergents. We can also come across fabrics that are pH sensitive, turning a lovely shade of pink if left in an acidic condition or even a rather nice green if left alkaline. Trainers on all courses instil into us that we should always test fabrics for colourfastness. Often the technician may see evidence of colour migration at the inspection stage and have to make a decision as to whether the issue can be controlled or it is best to walk away.
THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES CLEANING TECHNICIANS MAKE ARE: 1) The incorrect product used for testing - Make sure that you use the chemicals you are intending to use during the cleaning process. 2) Use of agitation whilst testing - Vigorous rubbing may well take colour from the fabric which won’t be apparent until the fabric is dry (known as crocking). 3) Allow sufficient time for test results to show This will mean waiting until the fabric has dried naturally. 4) Too much penetration of test material allowed - This can result in watermarking problems or colour change. When you conduct a colourfastness test you are trying to duplicate in a small, inconspicuous area, what will happen on the entire fabric if you clean it. Non-colourfastness can sometimes be detected visibly. Look carefully at the edges of the various coloured pattern sections to see if you can see signs of colour migration. The orange fabric above was imported and you can clearly see the potential problem on the surface of the fabric, more so on the reverse side. This was a sample of the fabric supplied to me by a retailer and atmospheric/ humid conditions were a contributory factor. The cotton fabric on the left gives nothing away when viewed from the surface, but opening up a cushion shows what is on the reverse side of the fabric. In this case a red colour is clearly visible. A discreet test on the zip end of the cushion will tell you whether it can be wet cleaned and with your own knowledge and experience you should be able to come up with a suitable method of cleaning - subject of course to a favourable colour bleed test. Don’t forget to note your findings on the survey form and discuss with the client BEFORE any cleaning process commences. Have fun!
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WORK DROPPING OFF? THEN DO THIS… Article by David Coker
A few years ago when I was consulting with a fellow carpet cleaner, I ran through a number of suggestions to improve his business as his work was dropping off significantly. His reply though after listening to all of them was “I just want the phone to ring more!” He hoped there was a magic something that could be bolted on to his business solving all of his problems. Now of course it’s true that no business went broke from having too many customers (poor cash flow excepted), but it’s very simplistic to think it is easy to get more enquiries just like that. Gaining customers is one of the most difficult (and expensive) things for any carpet cleaning business. As Michael Gerber says in his book, The E-Myth, you have more than one business. One of these is a marketing business that MUST line up new work. It is often asked on cleaning forums what single method of advertising will solve all business problems in getting new customers. But marketing is NOT something separate from your carpet cleaning business that is just occasionally added on. It is actually an intrinsic part of your business. It’s a system and needs to be scheduled
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each month. Many just feel a cheap ad on Facebook now and again will be enough. A particular problem seems to be that carpet cleaners are not used to running their carpet cleaning as a proper business. Previously, if they were an employee, they didn’t have to. They just turned up for work. It was already there for them. Now they realise how difficult it is to get customers… or more accurately ‘buy’ customers.
Marketing is NOT something separate from your carpet cleaning business. So, getting customers through the door is an ongoing process and needs to be systemised. It starts with WHO you want as a customer and then making sure that EVERYTHING addresses what those prospects want. This includes the dress, grooming and attitude of technicians. Occasionally I’ve taken my eye off the ball myself. If for some reason I miss out part of our marketing system (perhaps not sending reminder cards on time or not simply keeping in constant contact) my business pays for it a short time later. Marketing must be a system just like a conveyor line with a prospect at the beginning and then going through different processes until they come off at the end as a customer. Or better still, a customer for life who will always be happy to refer you.
Watch my FREE video mini-course showing you exactly how to get higher prices for carpet cleaning and end price shoppers forever. It’s absolutely FREE and you can watch it by entering the link below into your web browser www.courses.success4carpetcleaners.com/ freecoursesignup
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THE RUG & CARPET STUDIO & ICKWORTH HOUSE VISIT Article by Glyn Charnock
July 22nd saw the NCCA visit to the Rug and Carpet Studio in Long Melford, Suffolk, followed by a tour of National Trust property Ickworth House. The day started with everyone meeting at the Rug & Carpet Studio. After coffee and a chance to look at some of the hundreds of rugs for sale, we gathered upstairs for a presentation by Sara. She began by telling us how she started her career working as a costume maker and how she diversified her business and moved from London to Long Melford. She now has seven employees working in the studio as well as a conservator, repairing and conserving rugs and carpets of all types, along with the shop selling rugs from all over the world. She also assists high-end clients and interior designers in locating rugs to match room
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designs and can even have rugs made to order to specific designs. Sara had not long since returned from Nepal where she employs an ethical factory to weave ‘one off’ rugs from her designs as well as copies of damaged ones which can no longer be saved. After she showed us the different wool types used by the weavers in Nepal we were treated to a slide show and videos of the factory processes and the machinery used by the Nepalese. Jonathan assisted in the presentation by modelling one of the carpet samples! Sara told us that she made a point of speaking to some of the ladies who work in the ‘factory’ (a collection of small ramshackle buildings with corrugated tin roofs) quizzing them on their treatment by the factory owner. They told her, through an interpreter, that they were very happy. They are paid per area of carpet woven and could work for as long or as little as they liked. They are paid a good wage, their accommodation is provided and their children’s education is also paid for by the owner. Although in the future the latter could be a problem, as was pointed by members, that these well-educated children will not want to become labourers in the weaving industry. We enjoyed a great discussion and insight into the dying, weaving, cleaning and finishing process of rugs and carpets in Nepal.
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After the presentation, we were shown into one of studios by Jo, ducking our heads (or some of us were!) in the small doorway of the very old building. She showed us several of the rugs that they are currently working on, that needed various attention.
She now has seven employees working in the studio as well as a conservator, repairing and conserving rugs and carpets of all types, along with the shop selling rugs from all over the world. Time was now short, so after a hastily eaten but delicious lunch at a local inn we left for Ickworth House. Sadly we lost a party member on the way who decide to return home rather than catch up with us, but he contacted me to say he had had an excellent day and was more than happy.
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The second, shorter talk of the day was by a lady called Beryl who had worked at Ickworth House for 20 years. She imparted some of the history of the building and its past occupants and of course some scandal. She finished by telling us about the various carpets within the house. After a brief look around the house the group were split for the two separate tours. My party were taken downstairs, where audio tapes of staff members and their families recalled their duties and life below stairs in the 1930’s. The fourth Marchioness of Bristol, Lady Theodora Hervey, would come downstairs and take prayers with the staff, taking a keen interest in their lives. The Fourth Marquis was often mistaken for the gardener and he regularly played squash in one of the rooms with one young servant whose job it was to maintain the boiler, giving the lad a £5 note whenever he was the victor. Later he was to buy him a new motorbike so he could get to the house quickly if the boiler broke down. It was said the lad only cried twice, the first time when the Marquis died and the second when the boiler was dismantled and taken away when the National Trust first took over the house. Our guide explained that today that would never happen. The other tour was of a torchlight being shone onto paintings, highlighting anything interesting within the subject matter. Although some of the members opted out of the tours and had a cup of tea instead. Just to say to those of you on the tour, I hope you enjoyed the day as much as my wife and I did. Thank you so much for supporting this little event, it’s always a pleasure to see the regulars at these visits and to meet some new faces. It was a shame that we didn’t manage to fill all the places as smaller numbers make it more difficult to ensure these events pay for themselves, but the Association still has plans for more meetings and tours in the near future.
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NEW PROTECTOR FROM PROCHEM Prochem has just launched its new Fluoroseal® CF protector product providing the perfect aftercare solution for protecting your customer’s carpets and upholstery from soil and stains.
This dual function carpet & upholstery protector replaces both Fluoroseal Plus and Aqua Seal Fabric Protector with one product, based upon cationic fluoropolymer technology for durable soil and stain resistance. A high quality professional carpet protector, Fluoroseal CF coats and protects fibres, providing excellent repellency and protection against oil and water-based soils and spills, with the added benefit that the product can be used on both carpets and upholstery. Fluoroseal CF is suitable for use on most wetcleanable carpets, rugs and fabrics, subject to proper pre-testing and assessment, and is WoolSafe approved.
Fluoroseal CF is ready-to-use and should be applied to new or freshly cleaned carpets and fabrics. Fluoroseal CF is available now in a 5L pack size. Further news from Prochem is that it has also launched its new B106 Extraclean product, a carpet, rug and upholstery extraction solution that cleans, neutralises odours and reduces re-soiling. In a crowded solutions market, B106 Extraclean stands out for the diversity of its performance characteristics coupled to its sheer effectiveness in the field. A WoolSafe approved maintenance product for wool carpets and rugs, this advanced formulation extraction detergent utilises a micro-encapsulation anti-resoil formula for effective extraction cleaning of delicate fibres, rugs and fabrics, leaving a pleasant residual Lemon Breeze fragrance with an odour neutraliser. One 5L container makes up to 500 litres of ready-to-use cleaning solution; one of the latest additions to the company’s ranges. These products form part of the current range of products in Prochem Europe’s 2017 Catalogue. For more information visit www.prochem.co.uk or call 020 8974 1515.
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MEET THE NCCA DIRECTORS PRESIDENT – ALLAN SIMMONS
“What is it about this industry? It was 1988 and all I wanted was some beer money… I finished 6th form and whilst waiting for my results I asked my Dad, who had just started a part-time carpet cleaning business with Chem-Dry, if he would teach me to how to clean carpets. I said I could clean them when he was busy in his day job and couldn’t fit people in, and I could earn some beer money. The rest is history. I LOVED the work and the reactions of clients when I showed them the clean furnishings. Within 3 months I’d decided that not only did I love the work but I realised that I could make more money and build a business cleaning upholstery with my Dad than continuing education. With my limited savings and a business plan in hand I managed to get a bank new start business loan, which is a funny story that I’ll share over a beer with you some day. I bought the upholstery cleaning franchise for Chem-Dry. We ran them as two businesses for about 12 months then the accountant said “You’re mad, make it one business and a 50/50 partnership.” and here we are today. We now run a five van operation with five technicians and one full-time office manager. These days we’re very much hands off and the carpet cleaning business pretty much runs itself with a great team looking after it. Me and my Dad now pursue other interests, but are still involved
in the carpet cleaning industry. I still do all the marketing for the business and that is my passion. I always knew that delighted clients was just one small part of the business. I’d read a book called “Word of Mouth Marketing” and that taught me how to ask for referrals and testimonials and how to ask for other work, i.e. offer our other services. Again, the rest is history and with hundreds of books, courses and loads of practical experience under my belt I still belong to many Marketing Groups, both inside and outside the industry. I love applying the ideas I find to our carpet cleaning business, and sharing those ideas with others too. For me it’s always about working smarter, not harder, and ethically maximising what you already have. What is it about this industry? I love it!” More stories from the NCCA Directors in the next edition of The Clean Sheet.
L-R: Tim Colenutt (Vice President), Dave Wheadon (CEO), Nigel Lay (Director), Martin Johns (Director), Allan Simmons (President) Glyn Charnock (Training Director/Company Secretary), David Weaver (Events Director), Paul Pearce (Technical Director)
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COURSE DATES NCCA COURSES 2017
CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING
17 - 18 November ADVANCED SPOT & STAIN TREATMENT & REMOVAL
27 October MARKETING MASTERCLASS WITH ALLAN SIMMONS (SOLUTION CORNWALL)
29, 30, 31 January 2018 DEALING WITH BLOOD TRAUMA, BODY FLUIDS AND THE DANGERS OF CROSS CONTAMINATION (BRISTOL)
8 March 2018
IICRC COURSES 2017
Held at Alltec Network, Hertfordshire Tutor: Paul Pearce CARPET CLEANING TECHNICIAN (CCT)
17 October UPHOLSTERY & FABRIC CLEANING TECHNICIAN (UFT)
24 October Please check www.iicrc.org/education-certification/ course-schedule/ for further details.
Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk
All courses are held at NSPCC Training Centre, Leicester unless stated otherwise(*).
Twitter: @NCCA_
Please check www.ncca.co.uk/training for further details.
Search ‘NCCA Members’ for members-only Facebook group
Facebook: NationalCarpetCleanersAssociation
NCCA SURVEY FORMS USING NCCA SURVEY FORMS WILL: Allow you to record vital information including any previous damage or inherent problems. Provide you with an evidence trail in the possible event of a later problem or dispute. NCCA survey forms are available for members to purchase and come in pads of 100 with a carbonated sheet. Visit www.ncca.co.uk/members to access the online shop.
MEMBER REFERRAL STATS Since publishing a referral statistics report in the last issue of The Clean Sheet there have been 280 recommendations for full members provided by the NCCA. This number is made up of referrals from the NCCA office and potential customers contacting members directly through the website.
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THE WCP CLEANING SHOW IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NCCA On Saturday 9th September, the NCCA joined forces with The Window Cleaning Page to put on our largest event to date. The National Agricultural & Exhibition Centre at Stoneleigh Park played host to our first and (certainly not our last) joint venture.
Twenty minutes before opening, there were queues outside the doors. After collecting a goody bag and “VIP” wristband, NCCA members headed through the window cleaners section towards the carpet cleaners exhibition space. The larger area allowed exhibitors to have more space to show off their latest products and equipment, and to facilitate on-stand and outside demonstrations. For those of you that missed out, Lauren (NCCA Office) and Tim (NCCA Vice President) did a 45 minute live video on Facebook during the quiet(ish) lunch break. Below is a recap of who was there and what they were exhibiting.
AMTECH UK
Launched the new Orbot Vibe, which incorporates the HOS patented dual-action orbital system. Karen from Amtech explained that all accessories for the new machine are the same so any old accessories can be used with the new machine. We also saw the “Wonder Wand”, a speciality wand which recovers 90-92% of water, leading to significantly faster drying times. www.amtechuk.co.uk
AUTOCLEANSEUK AutocleanseUK is a network of vehicle cleaning & odour removal operators. Russ Chadd was on the stand and showed us the amount of dirt in your average seat belt, which he submerged for 15 minutes in micro cleanse. Spoiler alert – it was gross!! Russ also had a range of Ozone Generators on display which are used for automotive odour removal and also fire & flood restoration. www.autocleanseuk.com
ALLTEC NETWORK Alltec had some of their latest products on show and offered a discount for attendees. Popular choices amongst visitors were the new ‘Urine Stain & Odour Remover’ and ‘Odour Clear Cherry Bomb Deodoriser Concentrate’ – the cherry bomb has such a fantastic smell and only needs 2-3 drops into a clean water tank to help carpet smell fresh & fruity for days. www.alltec.co.uk
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BESURE BROKING SERVICES
CVM GROUP LTD
BeSure are a bespoke insurance company and one of our newest Corporate Members. Their policies include Treatment Risk, which is important to have on your insurance policy as a carpet cleaner. Additionally, you can get insurance to cover your TruckMount in your vehicle – a difficulty many businesses face when arranging insurance!
CVM Group Ltd provide a range of vehicle finance solutions. They have a range of vehicles which can include additional equipment such as TruckMount systems. CVM’s monthly payment plan is especially great for new start-ups as it massively reduces upfront costs.
www.besure.insure
www.cvmgroup.co.uk
CLEANERSWAREHOUSE.CO.UK/DRY FUSION Dry Fusion showed off their latest model of the Dry Fusion Cleaning System, which is said to be more efficient, quicker and quieter. The full range of Dry Fusion solutions were available to see, with ‘The New Generation’ greener products; promoting odourless, colourless, non-toxic and anti-static features! www.dryfusion.com
CARPET CLEANERS WORLD There was a massive display of products and machines on display by Carpet Cleaners World. CCW are the UK’s sole imported of Hydramaster TruckMount systems, and can supply, install and service your TM at their unit or on site. www.carpetcleanersworld.co.uk
CLEANER STONE FLOORS Cleaner Stone was set up by Peter Rowan in response to an ever increasing demand for stone cleaning and restoration.
DIGITOOL Digitool offer marketing material for the trades industry, ‘how to market your cleaning business better’. Daisy Foster drew in the crowds at the show as gave out free advice on websites, Facebook and Google Ads. We heard Daisy chat about focusing on Facebook for job prospects and the importance of scheduling – interesting stuff! www.godigitool.com
CLEANSPEC CUMBRIA LTD Andrew and Lynne Briscoe joined us with their huge stock of Hydramaster and Chemspec products. Also on display were two Protima rug care products; the Tornado Centrifuge (W3300 55) and Tornando Carpet Beater (T600). Cleanspec also had one of the TruckMount systems on show outside. www.cleanspec-cumbria.co.uk
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GET BOOKED UP
LEGEND BRANDS EUROPE
Chatting with Allan Simmons Jr, he was thrilled to have been able to meet up with lots of his software users for the first time. The Get Booked Up software is designed to help your carpet cleaning business by managing your client database and reducing your admin. GBU have just realised version 4 of the software, with more integrations and more to come!
Legend launched their brand new spotting machine at the show and also had a generous supply of Formula 90 to give away. Richard Sudall talked through the Hoff 700 machine which has 5 Teflon glides which rotate at 170rpm – 700 cleaning passes per minute!
www.getbookedup.com
LTT LEATHERCARE
www.legendbrandseurope.com
LTT Leathercare are now doing own label products for clients to sell on to their customers. Judy Bass is running a number of training courses over the next year such as leather identification and cleaning, leather repair & restoration and leather technical courses. www.lttleathercare.com
SEBO UK
GP CLEANERS GP Cleaners are the UK’s and Europe’s sole distributor for Chem-Tex Panther TruckMount systems. They offer a full fitting, repair or restoration of TruckMounts. GP Cleaners also sell, service and repair Craftex carpet and upholstery cleaning machines.
As of September 1st, the power of vacuum motors became regulated, which restricted the sale of ‘inefficient’ vacuum cleaners. On the stand was Sebo’s new BS 360 vacuum cleaner which meets regulations, as it’s under 900W. Lots of members manage to grab a bargain on the day too! www.sebo.co.uk
www.gpcleaners.co.uk
HOST VON SCHRADER Lots of Host products designed for fine fabrics, wool, carpet tiles and more. Steve Medley talked us through The Aridex Dry Upholstery Cleaning System, which makes use of counter rotating brushes that pump foam out. The machine both makes and extracts the foam. This easy to control system leads to significantly faster drying times whilst assisted with dryers. www.hostvonschrader.co.uk
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SOLUTION CORNWALL LTD Solution had an extensive range of their machines and chemicals on display, including the latest ‘premium’ and ‘elite’ lightweight titanium wands. They also had a brand new foamer – the only one in the country! All you do is fill with encapsulater and dial the level of foam you want – ideal for upholstery and even oven cleaners. These can be added on to Solution’s new solo sprayers. www.worldofclean.co.uk
TEXATHERM SYSTEMS LTD Texatherm’s impressive stand design stood out from the crowd – what a great effort! On display were a range of their new 250ml spotters designed for clients to give to their customers. The talking point of the show was the big prize draw, which saw one lucky winner take home the EMV machine and a day’s training. www.texatherm.com
PROCHEM EUROPE Prochem brought a TruckMount and variety of machines along to show. Some of their featured products included ‘Extraclean’ – a WoolSafe approved micro-encapsulation extraction cleaner, and ‘Fresh Breeze’ – an odour neutraliser designed to work together with Extraclean on carpets and fabrics. www.prochem-uk.com
THE TILE MASTER The hard floor specialists had a huge range of sealers, cleaners and strippers on display. Tile Master’s simple to follow systems help solve even the most complex hard floor cleaning and restoration problems. www.tilemaster.co.uk
Aside from trying out the latest equipment and grabbing a bargain, many members gathered at the NCCA stand for a coffee and a biscuit! The feedback received regarding the changes we’ve made has been very positive so far and we look forward to developing around this idea for next year. “Congratulations to the NCCA directors and all of the team from Oadby, complimented by all of the exhibitors and visitors. A new show, format and venue with stunning result. Thank you everyone for moving our great industry up another notch.” – Ken Wainwright, Kendry. “Big thanks to all the NCCA team for a really great exhibition today. Well done folks it was the best yet and can’t wait for next years.” – Keith Sanderson, Derby Carpet Cleaners.
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“I have been attending the carnival for the last four years and every time I come home with new idea, energy... And possibly new things I buy!” – Kamila Logozny, A Plus Services Photo for front page?
WINNERS!
Lots of NCCA members and other attendees won an abundance of great prizes from our Corporate Members: Neil Kelloway from Barnsley was the lucky winner of the Texatherm EMV machine and a day’s training.
THANK YOU Thank you to all our exhibitors; Alltec Network, Amtech UK, AutocleanseUK, BeSure Broking Services, Carpet Cleaners World, Cleaner Stone Floors, Cleanspec Cumbria Ltd, CleanersWarehouse.co.uk, CVM Group Ltd, Digitool, Dry Fusion, GetBookedUp, GP Cleaners Limited, Host von Schrader, Legend Brands Europe, LTT Leathercare, Qdos Consulting, Sebo UK, World of Clean - Solution Cornwall Ltd, Texatherm Systems, The Tile Master - your continued support is invaluable to the Association. If you want to get in touch with them, contact details for our Corporate Members can be found towards the back of the magazine. A big thank you to GetBookedUp for sponsoring the NCCA member’s hospitality area, and also to Sandra Pearce for keeping us caffeinated throughout the day.
Keith Sanderson of Derby Carpet Cleaners won a £100 Virgin Experience voucher courtesy of CVM Group Ltd. NCCA members came out top for Solution’s prize draw. Mike Bushell – won a TM3 CRB machine. Mair Hunt; won a carpet & upholstery training course but Mair & Solution Cornwall Ltd decided to kindly give the proceeds to Kirsty’s Kids charity. Jamie Noriega, David Thorne, Harry Hemsley, Neil Totty, Nick Boast, and non-member, Allen Willey each won a pack of chemicals.
Thank you to our CEO; Dave Wheadon, President; Allan Simmons, Directors; Paul Pearce, Tim MA, Glyn Charnock, Nigel Lay, Martin Johns and to the Office for their assistance with event preparation and execution. A special thank you to our Events Director; David Weaver, who played a significant part in making the day so successful. Finally a big thank you to our wonderful members, without you these events wouldn’t be possible. Whether you went home with new products, new machinery, new training courses booked, new friends, and new ideas - we hope that you were able to reap the benefits from it! Until next year...
Well done all!
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THE NCCA MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE
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In 2014 the NCCA introduced a tiered membership structure allowing members the option to progress through the levels of membership by fulfilling additional criteria, such as length of service and further training.
THE LEVELS ARE AS FOLLOWS: ASSOCIATE MEMBER
MEMBER
ADVANCED MEMBER
The new structure was designed to recognise continued and long term support and reward additional training beyond the basic criteria for joining. The flowchart below explains, in brief, what is required for each level. On registering at a new level, a specific logo is provided displaying the member status and membership number along with an accompanying certificate. Trusted Local Cleaners
SENIOR MEMBER
profiles will also show the level. There are no additional charges and any member can apply for a new level if they meet the criteria. If you would like to apply for Advanced or Senior Membership, a form (MSWord), confirming the full criteria, can be downloaded from the NCCA website. Visit www.ncca.co.uk/renewals/ and look for the Membership Structure section.
ASSOCIATE MEMBER ● Base level for new entrants to the industry ● Available after gaining a recognised qualification in professional carpet and upholstery cleaning
MEMBER ● Standard level for registered companies ● Available to new members after one year at Associate level, or two years industry experience, and completion of advanced spot and stain training
ADVANCED MEMBER ● Available after two years at Member level ● One additional training qualification required (in addition to entry level carpet and upholstery and advanced spot and stain)
SENIOR MEMBER ● Available after seven years of continuous membership ● Four additional training qualifications required (in addition to entry level C&U and advanced S&S) ● Must attend at least one course or technical event every three years
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8 STEPS TO A PHENOMENAL CLEANING & RESTORATION BUSINESS STEP 3. FUNOMENAL PLANNING
So far in this series, we have talked a lot about VISION. A vision for your life and a vision for your business. Once you have a vision, you’ll want to transfer your vision into a plan. Most cleaning and restoration companies don’t have a plan. What about you? Do you have a written, thought about, strategic business plan? The reason most people don’t have a plan, or they don’t refer to it if they do have one, is because planning doesn’t sound like very much fun. It’s a lot more fun to most people to talk about things we’re familiar with… like Truckmounts or terrible customers.
In order to win in business, you have to PLAN to win! And winning is FUN! I used to think planning wasn’t any fun too. I was too busy or had too much to do and it didn’t seem
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to help me much. Why plan when you can just go DO some stuff? Now, planning is my favourite thing to do. Here’s why… In order to win in business, you have to PLAN to win! And winning is FUN! It’s no fun to lose right? It’s no fun not to have enough money in the bank. It’s no fun when you can’t keep good employees. It’s no fun when you have to work 80 hours a week. But it’s FUNomenal when you can live your dreams because you did a good job planning your business (and of course implementing that plan). It took me a long time to learn that planning was key, but as I write this piece, I’m at my primary residence in Houston for the first time in 21 days. Where have I been? Italy for a ten day vacation, London to see some coaching clients, at my home in Florida at a member retreat and hanging on my dream beach as I call it. And the best part is I have a staff and systems in place that run a profitable cleaning business for me. I didn’t have to manage. I didn’t have to solve problems and I didn’t have to be involved. Since I started taking planning seriously and getting my team involved, my vision of having a turnkey business became a reality.
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So, what do I do with all that time ‘off’? I plan! I plan every day! I work ON my businesses every day. I mostly work on my coaching business, but even there, I plan and think every day. Your plan is the key to reaching your vision. The plan is the roadmap to the destination. Your plan is the playbook to win the game of business!
So, what do I do with all that time ‘off’? I plan! I plan every day! I work ON my businesses every day. I mostly work on my coaching business, but even there, I plan and think every day.
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4. Your Systems Assessment – Where are you now 5. Your Marketing Plan – How you will generate prospects 6. Your Organisational Chart – Any staff changes or position changes you want to make this year. 7. Your Phenomenal Four Projects – the top projects that will have the biggest impact right now - as you complete one, add another 8. Your ONE Thing – the most important item to accomplish right now Would it be worth learning how to properly plan if you KNEW you would reach your wildest dreams? Or, as my good friend Rudy says “What would you attempt if you knew you couldn’t fail?”.
1. Your Personal Dreams and Goals – covered in the first article in this series
Zig Ziglar said you were born to win, but, in order to be the winner you were created to be, you must plan to win and prepare to win before you can expect to win. But when you plan to win and prepare to win, you can expect to win.
2. Your Business Vision for the Next 12 Months – covered in the last issue
Next month, we’ll finally talk MARKETING and MAKING MONEY!
3. Your Budget – Your projected income and expenses
Take care.
Okay, so what should be in your plan?
Howard Partridge
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NEW MEMBER BENEFIT From October, Qdos Consulting will be providing our brand new business support service.
● Workplace Equipment and Vehicles
As an NCCA member, you will have FREE, unlimited access to FIVE different advice lines and an extensive documents library which hosts free downloadable templates and purchasable documents.
● Chemical Substance & Biological Hazards
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
1. Employment law / HR advice
The business support service includes dedicated advice lines that can help you with a range of subjects across HR / Employment Law, Legal, Tax, VAT and Health & Safety.
Advice to help with a wide range of subjects including absenteeism, disputes, recruitment, annual leave, legislation.
Ssssh! You’re in the library!
Advice on any business legal matter including contracts, company law, property, director or client disputes.
One of the main features of the business support service is the comprehensive document library, which has almost 1,000 downloadable template documents, covering a range of topics within HR, Legal and Health & Safety. The extensive Health & Safety library provides a number of documents that are relevant and beneficial to carpet cleaning businesses:
● The Working Environment ● Physical Hazards and MANY MORE!
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2. Legal advice
3. Debt recovery Advice on our rights and what you can do to help get money from customers who fail to pay your invoices on time. 4. Health & safety
● First Aid & RIDDOR
Access to advice on any health & safety matter including risk assessments, first aid, fire safety, policies and documents.
● Risk Assessments & Audits
5. Tax and VAT
● Fire Safety
Advice on tax or VAT matters including HMRC investigations, property income, VAT registration, exemptions and more.
● Developing a H&S policy
● Manual Handling & Lifting
6. Employment documents A bank of hundreds of employment documents covering everything from recruitment to employee exit. 7. Contracts and handbooks Access to documents that you can use to create your own contracts of employment and employee handbook.
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9. Legal documents Access to over 200 business legal documents such as check list, documents covering online trading, intellectual property and partnerships. 10. Health checks Access to free HR and H&S health checks which are easy to complete and provide an instant result, giving you a view of the health of your current HR and H&S systems.
8. Health & safety documents Access to over 250 documents covering risk assessments, policies, regulations plus a H&S gap analysis.
Full details will be available to download from the members area on the NCCA website and the NCCA office.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE AIRFLEX STORM 800
£4,000 (Total cost new : £7,000) Spot cleaner. Everything needed for a new business, including chemicals. Used less than 40 hours.
Contact Danny 07855 816222 - Powys
PROFESSIONAL KIT BUNDLE
£6,000 ONO.
Due to retirement I’m selling all my kit comprising 2007 fiat scudo 64000 miles mot april 2018 ashby enforcer little used 1 x25 1x50 vac and solution hoses (no wand )sprayer brooms buckets chemicals etc 2 airmovers plus van is fitted out with 350 litre tank and equipment needed for pole fed window cleaning 1x22 1x27 poles and roofbars virtually all thats needed to start earning straightaway.
Contact Stephen 07766 327327 - Essex
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CORPORATE MEMBERS The NCCA is fortunate to have the support from many leading suppliers in the industry. These organisations are proud to be associated with the NCCA and we welcome their support. Please find their company details below.
Alltec Network Ltd www.alltec.co.uk 01763 208222
BeSure www.besure.insure 02922 400004
Allied Insurance Services Ltd www.alliedinsurance.co.uk 0844 8156211
Amtech UK www.amtechuk.co.uk 01444 232211
Ashbys Cleaning Equipment www.ashbys-uk.com 01795 436999
Bio Productions Ltd inc. Stapro www.bio-productions.com 01444 244000
Camberford Law Plc www.camberfordlaw.com/cleaning 0208 3155000
ChemDry Franchising Ltd www.chemdry.co.uk 01482 888195
Cleanerswarehouse Ltd www.cleanerswarehouse.co.uk 01772 434333
Cleanspec Cumbria ww.cleanspec-cumbria.co.uk 01768 865812
CVM Vehicle & Finance Solutions www.cvmgroup.co.uk 01489 880050
Dry Fusion UK Ltd www.dryfusion.com 01772 433711
Furniture Clinic Ltd www.furnitureclinic.co.uk 01207 279964
Get Booked Up Software www.getbookedup.com 01405 813665
Gleaming Insurance www.gleaminginsurance.co.uk 0845 4740068
Hi-Tec Cleaning Group www.hiteccleaning.co.uk 028 6634 1416
Host UK Ltd t/a Host von Schrader www.hostvonschrader.co.uk 01244 289256
Kendry www.kendry.co.uk 07968 175166
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Cleansmart Ltd www.cleansmartsupplies.co.uk 01158 240034
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Legend Brands Europe Ltd www.legendbrandseurope.com 01908 611211
LTT Leathercare Ltd www.lttleathercare.co.uk 01423 881027
McGregor Lloyd Ltd 0121 7060616
NSL Restormate www.restormate.co.uk 01670 590099
Nu Life Stone Care Ltd www.stonecareuk.co.uk 0161 4807284
Prochem Europe Ltd www.prochem.co.uk 0208 9741515
Rainbow International www.rainbow-int.co.uk 01623 422488
The Restoration Academy UK www.therestorationacademy.co.uk 0194 434772
Restoration Express www.restoration-express.co.uk 01252 726106
Safeclean www.safeclean.co.uk 01235 444700
Sebo UK Ltd www.sebo.co.uk 01494 465533
ServiceMaster Ltd www.servicemaster.co.uk 0116 2759000
StainShield Ltd www.stain-shield.ltd.uk 01372 841467
Textile Cleaning Solutions Ltd www.texatherm.com 01934 521155
Solution Cornwall Ltd www.worldofclean.co.uk 01209 204343
Tile Master Global Ltd www.thetilemaster.co.uk 0161 4440377
Vaclensa PLC www.vaclensa.com 0161 7281800
WANT TO BECOME A CORPORATE MEMBER?
APPLY TODAY!
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The WoolSafe Organisation www.woolsafe.org 01943 850817
Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk
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NEW MEMBERS
Adchem Cleaning Specialists West Midlands
Artemist Ltd Surrey
CleanDay London London
Eastleigh Carpet Care Hampshire
Fitz2Kleen Warwickshire
Kando 2 Ltd Wiltshire
Little Lottie Cleaning County Durham
N C S Cheshire Cheshire
NIXPO Ltd Hampshire
WANT TO BE A MEMBER? Then let us know...
Cater Clean Hampshire Hampshire
Tel: 0116 271 9550 E-mail: admin@ncca.co.uk Website: www.ncca.co.uk
S A S Carpet Cleaners Leicestershire
Swiftwater Cleaning Services West Yorkshire
Fibres Carpet Care Suffolk
M & B Solutions Lancashire
Queen of Clean Isle of Man
Power Clean Wales Glamorgan
T C Chapman Dorset
T W H Carpet Cleaning Cheshire
CELEBRATING 35+ YEARS OF MEMBERSHIP COMPANY NAME
JOINING DATE
Competent Cleaners Ltd
21/2/1978
A T Brown & Son
2/4/1979
Pilgrim Payne & Co Ltd
1/5/1979
M & K Cleaning Services (London) Ltd
6/6/1979
P A Cleaning Services
9/7/1979
Arrow Cleaning Services
31/7/1981
Arwin Cleaning Services
25/9/1981
Blyth Group Cleaning Division
26/4/1982
Speedy Kleen
15/6/1982
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#TLCOFTHEMONTH – SPRING/SUMMER 2017
Every month we put one of our Trusted Local Cleaners in the spotlight and feature them as our #TLCofthemonth. Whether it’s for receiving an exceptionally good review from a customer or helping out in their local community, we’re truly proud to showcase our Trusted Local Cleaners. AUGUST 2017 Top 2 Bottom Cleaning, Darren Coxall. “I am a regular customer of Darren and once again I am very pleased with the quality of his work on my carpets. My carpets look fantastic now! Darren is also a very friendly person and passionate to go for the extra mile. He is a true professional and I would definitely use his services again. I would also recommend him to be the Trusted Local Cleaner of the Month!
JULY 2017 CSB Carpet Cleaning Ltd, Kevin & Mair Hunt. “Absolutely brilliant service from Kevin and Mair. I’m selling my house and was worried about the look of the carpets. My carpets now look fantastic, I no longer have the embarrassment when viewers come and will improve my chances of a sale. They were fast and efficient. SUPERB job done! 5 Star Easy!”
JUNE 2017 Five Star Furnishing Care, Dean Haywood.
his continued support of the Association. Senior member Dean has been with us for 12 years, and is a valued member of the Association. Thanks Dean!
MAY 2017 Clean N Restore, Nick Miljkovic. “I called up Nick from Clean N Restore on a Friday afternoon and he called me back straight away and said he would be available to come out and clean my carpets on the Sunday afternoon. He was very professional and courteous and turned up on time. The figure he quoted me was significantly reduced on the day due to the little time it had taken to clean the carpets and we were very happy with the result. We would thoroughly recommend Nick and his company Clean N Restore if you are in need of carpet cleaning and a professional local service.
Want to be next month’s #TLCofthemonth ? Direct your customers to your Trusted Local Cleaners listing to leave you a review and nominate you to be featured.
In June, the office chose Dean to be featured for
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