Another Clueless Customer

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aline

Senior Member
Location
Utah
Wouldn't it make more sense to look at the business model of the most sucessful companies in the type of business you're working in instead of the retail business?
This subject comes up a lot but I have yet to for anyone to show me a company that's more sucessful at the residential service and repair business than this company. http://clockworkhomeservices.com/
Wouldn't it make more sense to emulate their business model rather than the model of a retail business?
 
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Rewire

Senior Member
If a top payed guy walks off the job because there's no toilet paper in the outhouse he has other issues. If I'm being paid top dollar and receiving top benefits I can afford to bring my own toilet paper to work. :)

Money isn't the only thing that makes an employee happy but it's a big part of it.
Try telling your employees that there will be no raises for the next five to ten years and you'll no longer be providing health insurance and paid vacation but you'll make sure there's plenty of toilet paper in the outhouse. See how happy that makes them. :)

I guess if you can make working for you so much fun the employee is happy even if they aren't getting paid anything then that's great. Maybe they'll even be willing to pay you to come to work and have so much fun. :)

If I'm getting filthy rich I can afford to provide top pay and benefits to my employees and I'll make sure there's plenty of toilet paper to go around. I can see operating more effiecently but I don't agree with operating more effiecently at the expense of the employee. That's just my feelings.
You think like an employee and not like an owner
 

Rewire

Senior Member
Wouldn't it make more sense to look at the business model of the most sucessful companies in the type of business you're working in instead of the retail business?
This subject comes up a lot but I have yet to for anyone to show me a company that's more sucessful at the residential service and repair business than this company. http://clockworkhomeservices.com/
Wouldn't it make more sense to emulate their business model rather than the model of a retail business?

First I would want independent verification that those franchises are succesful and what the failure rate is.I know a Ben Franklin Plumber that lasted about three years.

As for looking at retail businesses one of the best lessons I learned was from a grocery manager talking about shrinkage,how many of us have the coffee can setting on our counter that we dump the two or three wire nuts and various screws out of our pockets every nite just how many dollars walk out the door every month?We now keep a bucket by the time clock that has a sign saying dump your pockets here.
 

aline

Senior Member
Location
Utah
You think like an employee and not like an owner
Maybe so, but can you answer me why you would follow the business model of a number one company such as walmart that's in the retail business verses following the business model of a number one company such as clockwork home services that's in the home services business, the same business you're in?

Can you give an example of a company that's as sucessful or more sucessful than clockwork home services that uses a different business model?

I've looked but have yet to find one.

It just doesn't make as much sense to me to follow the business model of a company that's in the retail business instead of a company that's in the home services business, the same business that your in.

I would think walmart would treat their home services division differently than their retail division and use a different business model for that division. I'm not so sure they're going to try to be the low price leader in the home services business. There's to many idiots like us that will undercut their price just to survive. :)
 

emahler

Senior Member
Go for it rewire. Matter of fact you should write a blog about how it works out for you on a daily basis. I know I would be hooked.

I never could understand nickel and diming the guys who make your money for you. You're getting that nickel wirenut while they are figuring out how to take something worth a dollar.

Rewire, for all your psychobabble, you are proving to be quite short sighted. Good luck.
 

aline

Senior Member
Location
Utah
First I would want independent verification that those franchises are succesful and what the failure rate is.I know a Ben Franklin Plumber that lasted about three years.
Not every franshise owner will be sucessful, just like not every non-franshise owner will be sucessful. Did the franchise owner follow the franchises methods and procedures or did they do their own thing because they felt their methods were better?

I'm sure there are plenty of non-franchise businesses that lasted less than three years.

The question is what's the percentage of sucessful franchise owners verses the percentage of sucessful non-franchise owners?

Overall how do their average profit margins compare to the average profits of non-franchise owners?

There's nothing that says you have to buy into a franchise in order to follow their business model and operate your business like a franchise.

Who's the walmart of the home services business?
Can someone point them out to me?

I'd really like to know.
 

Rewire

Senior Member
Go for it rewire. Matter of fact you should write a blog about how it works out for you on a daily basis. I know I would be hooked.
just keep following this forum
I never could understand nickel and diming the guys who make your money for you. You're getting that nickel wirenut while they are figuring out how to take something worth a dollar.
so you are OK with loosing millions as long as it is a nickel at a time
Rewire, for all your psychobabble, you are proving to be quite short sighted. Good luck.

Did you learn a new word and are trying to use it in a sentence. So you see loss prevention as short sighted I should be wishing you good luck.
 

aline

Senior Member
Location
Utah
how many of us have the coffee can setting on our counter that we dump the two or three wire nuts and various screws out of our pockets every nite just how many dollars walk out the door every month?We now keep a bucket by the time clock that has a sign saying dump your pockets here.
Wouldn't it be better to dump your pockets back onto the service truck so you don't have to restock the items?

Personally I don't have anything left in my pockets to dump at the end of the day.
I really don't use my pockets for these items. I use a pouch attached to my tool belt or some other type of carrier such as a parachute bag.

Sometimes you can lose a dime trying to pick up a nickel.
 

Rewire

Senior Member
Not every franshise owner will be sucessful, just like not every non-franshise owner will be sucessful. Did the franchise owner follow the franchises methods and procedures or did they do their own thing because they felt their methods were better?

I'm sure there are plenty of non-franchise businesses that lasted less than three years.

The question is what's the percentage of sucessful franchise owners verses the percentage of sucessful non-franchise owners?

Overall how do their average profit margins compare to the average profits of non-franchise owners?

There's nothing that says you have to buy into a franchise in order to follow their business model and operate your business like a franchise.

Who's the walmart of the home services business?
Can someone point them out to me?

I'd really like to know.

That will soon be me.
 

Rewire

Senior Member
Wouldn't it be better to dump your pockets back onto the service truck so you don't have to restock the items?
in a perfect world yes
Personally I don't have anything left in my pockets to dump at the end of the day.
I really don't use my pockets for these items. I use a pouch attached to my tool belt or some other type of carrier such as a parachute bag.

Sometimes you can lose a dime trying to pick up a nickel.

Like any new program some will go along and some will fight it but in the end they will do it so I may loss a dime at first picking up that nickel but I will keep picking it up until it earns a nickel.

I think one of the biggest problems with service businesses is that they only look at other service business for what the should be doing.
 

emahler

Senior Member
if i'm losing millions in wirenuts and screws....then i'm ok...it means i'm making billions...

i just know that the type of men (and women) I like having as employees, don't like being treated like children....and the one's that need to be treated like children don't last too long...

so the day I need to put a time clock in the shop, with a coffee can to get back my wirenuts, is the day I need to close my doors and go work for someone who is better at this than I am...
 

aline

Senior Member
Location
Utah
Maybe that could be part of their benefit package.
Whatever wirenuts are left over in their pockets at the end of the day are theirs to keep. :)

I may not provide health insurance but at least you get to keep the wirenuts in your pocket.
 

aline

Senior Member
Location
Utah
I think one of the biggest problems with service businesses is that they only look at other service business for what the should be doing.
I think far too often the other service businesses that they are looking at for what they should be doing are the wrong ones. They're looking at the ones that are most likely losing money. The ones that are trying to charge less than everyone else so they can have the whole market to themselves.

If I'm the cheapest nobody in their right mind would consider using anyone else. After all I'm the cheapest why would they use anyone else?

If I can just continue to charge less than everyone else they'll eventually all have to go out of business because no one can charge less than me. I'll have the whole market to myself and then I can charge whatever I want because I won't have any competition.
 

Rewire

Senior Member
if i'm losing millions in wirenuts and screws....then i'm ok...it means i'm making billions...

i just know that the type of men (and women) I like having as employees, don't like being treated like children....and the one's that need to be treated like children don't last too long...

so the day I need to put a time clock in the shop, with a coffee can to get back my wirenuts, is the day I need to close my doors and go work for someone who is better at this than I am...

send me a resume when you are ready,
 

Rewire

Senior Member
I think far too often the other service businesses that they are looking at for what they should be doing are the wrong ones. They're looking at the ones that are most likely losing money. The ones that are trying to charge less than everyone else so they can have the whole market to themselves.

If I'm the cheapest nobody in their right mind would consider using anyone else. After all I'm the cheapest why would they use anyone else?

If I can just continue to charge less than everyone else they'll eventually all have to go out of business because no one can charge less than me. I'll have the whole market to myself and then I can charge whatever I want because I won't have any competition.

being cheaper does not always mean losing money,just like being expensive does not mean you are making money. What I am concerned with is profit margin and not profit.
 
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