This month’s issue of Cleaner includes the Annual Buyer’s Guide, providing a good look at the latest and best tools and equipment for your business. But as you page through this issue, don’t just think of the Buyer’s Guide as a long list of products. Look at it as a guide to the equipment and opportunities that can help your business grow.
Both feature profiles this month illustrate the importance of keeping an eye on the future and understanding how changing markets might affect your business. Mr. Rooter of Houston and No-Clogg Sewer & Drain Cleaning Services strengthened their businesses by adding valuable services when the time was right.
Roger Goertz, owner of Mr. Rooter of Houston, added jetting service early on because he saw the potential for growth. Now, 10 to 15 percent of service calls lead to a jetting job. That’s work the company either wouldn’t have won or couldn’t have done as well had it not jumped into the jetting game.
Baron Burems, who has owned and operated No-Clogg since 1995, also knows the importance of making the right equipment choices. Burems has scaled down the size of his business while maintaining the same profit levels. Every minute of the workday counts, so having the right equipment makes a big difference in handling jobs effectively and efficiently.
Burems points out that owning jetters and inspection cameras gives him an advantage over many smaller competitors. He owns most of his equipment but still rents items, like pipe bursting equipment, that he needs less often. The company hopes to grow its pipe bursting services, but for now, Burems says the $70,000 equipment investment doesn’t make financial sense.
Being up to date on equipment helps Burems make those decisions, and it will help you plan your business strategy, too. Equipment that wasn’t right for your business three years ago might be a better fit today, and could be a critical piece of the puzzle a few years down the road.
Regardless what you own or plan to buy, it’s important to know what’s available, because you might find yourself bidding against the capabilities of equipment you don’t own. If you’re working in a colder climate and own only standard jetting equipment, a competitor who purchases a truck-mounted hot-water jetter will instantly gain an advantage on certain cleaning jobs. Understanding your competitor’s new capabilities will help you bid smarter, or it might save you the time of preparing a bid if you know you can’t compete.
Likewise, knowing the limitations of a competitor’s equipment can give you a big advantage. It will allow you to differentiate what you can do for the customer and bid with more conviction. When you know the time and expense involved for a competitor, you instantly gain an edge. That’s valuable information for you to have during the bidding process.
Staying on top of equipment options, features and pricing will help you make the right choice at the right time. So browse the Buyer’s Guide, even if you don’t plan on being a buyer anytime soon. You just might find the money machine that drives your business profits for the next 10 years.
