Define Your Place

Let's really blog for a minute. This seems to be one of the few places where I can actually control what is said and if I allow it, someone else can post a comment too. It seems that if I post on some of the industry forums there are people who disagree with me. Which is fine, it's their right, in as much as it is my right to call things as I see them. I have been taken in by some of the best of the snake oil salesmen in the past and believe me it's not a pleasant feeling to find that what you think you bought and what you actually got are worlds apart.

Hence, if you go to the fish market to buy fish, and what you pick out looks like a fish and smells like a fish then it is a good chance you have a fish. But if the fish seller, wraps a brick in the paper behind the counter and hands it to you, you may not know you don't have a fish until you get home.

Speaking of things that stink, when I see someone or some company who is trying to scam an unsuspecting public and I, along with a few others, can prove this ,then I feel it is my duty to point it out.

I have been attempting for several years to help people in our industry. I have never asked for a dime from anyone at anytime. I answer posts on BigMop , CMM , ICA ,GCA ,Cleaner Network ,Wassoclean , Commercial Floor Board , Cleaning.com , CleanLink , The Grime Scene , Cleaning Request.com and a couple of foreign boards. You will see me listed as either Ken Galo, Ken G or KenKlean.
During that time, not one person or company has ever been asked to send me anything in the form of compensation. I started this website CleanPeers out of my own pocket and kept it running for no fees, costs, charges, donations etc.... Yes I have had a few detractors or nay sayers over the years, misguided and misunderstood people maybe, but I am sure they have a good heart. But when someone takes potshots at me as the result of my cautioning the public as to what I perceive to be a threat or hazard then I must respond and I did. I would like to thank everyone who sent me so many nice emails this past week and those who responded publicly on the boards too!

Next Topic:

Associations

Websters Collegiate Dictionary Defines an association as:

An organization of persons
having a common
interest

Now what would be a common interest for us? Cleaning? Solving cleaning problems? Sales Techniques? Marketing problems? Employee Relations? Selling you stuff? Customer Relations? Various Cleaning Techniques? New Chemicals and their uses? Selling you Stuff? New machinery and their uses? Pricing Tips? Wage rates? Selling you Stuff? Answers from other professionals on how they handled a situation?

I think you get the idea, an online association basically is the guild meeting halls of today's age. You don't sign onto your favorite forum board expecting to be assailed with private messages and email's asking for more of your precious time and worse yet, your money. When you sign onto a board you are looking for comrades in arms not the market place. You want the market place? Looking for something you heard about? Go to CleanPeers we have links to all the manufacturers but why would you want them on your message board? I wouldn't and I don't.

Let's face facts, if you have someone who sells products for a living giving you guidance where do you think they will guide you? Ever hear a sales representative send you to his competition because they make a better product? In the old days, you had guild halls where the skilled craftsmen of their time gathered to share ideas, discuss ideas and in general support one another in their efforts. The online community's listed above are exactly that for us. If they started selling me items or worse, allowed those pesky salespeople to sell to me in what I consider my guild, I would not spend time with them anymore.

There, I have gotten that out and off my chest. KC and the others can go play in their own sandbox and stay the hell out of mine. Distributors posting on a forum board for business owners in the cleaning service industry, what an asinine idea.

Their will be new Billy & Molly stories starting in one week and I promise 2 new stories per week. Look for them on Monday and Friday mornings.