Williams Carpet Cleaning is featured as an industry leader in the January 2011 cleanfax magazine and here is the story.
If Randy Williams ever has mechanical issues with his carpet cleaning vans or machines, he can, no doubt, make short work of any needed repairs.
After high school, Randy traveled to Oklahoma to drill oil wells. He was what was called a "roughneck". He started as a "worm" and worked his way up to "driller" with his own crew.
In those years, he learned how to fix virtually everything that needed fixing.
Then, in 1982, the price of oil fell and so did most of the oil rigs... so he went to work in the pre-stressed concrete business. He started a lawn mowing business in the evenings to help make ends meet.
One day, Randy mowed the yard of a carpet cleaning company owner. Randy was asked if he was interested in cleaning carpet. Randy's first question was "How much can I make?" The two of them worked out a commission plan with bonuses for add-on sales.
Eight months later, that carpet cleaning company was sold and Randy spent a short time as an owner/operator.
Eventually, Randy and his wife Janet moved back to their hometown of Prosser, WA, where they started Williams Carpet Cleaning in 1996.
Williams Carpet Cleaning offers carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, carpet repairs and water damage services. The two-truck company even cleans airplanes.
Steady, profitable growth
Williams Carpet Cleaning had seen, since its humble beginnings, approximately a $25,000 increase in business each year, due in large part to referral and repeat business.
Like many, Randy started his company by using the Yellow Pages. He also took advantage of a software program to run his direct mail campaigns.
He did all this in-house until discovering a newsletter program where all he does is upload his mailing list and lets someone else do the work.
Randy also finds success with using a local television station to give his company "face time" with the community.
He's proud of his accomplishments, and makes sure his current and potential customers know about it. He's quick to advertise his credentials as he continues to expand his education.
Modern marketing
Randy is quick to take advantage of the Internet and the reach it affords service companies.
In 2007, he built his own website and started seeing results the following month. He uses pay-per-click programs extensively, and sees great results from them.
It worked so well that he started to build and maintain websites for other carpet cleaning companies. He now cares for more than 40 carpet cleaning websites, launching a new venture: Williams Website Design.
With a successful business in both carpet cleaning and website design, Randy's plan is to continue to learn how to better run his company and to watch industry trends so he can take advantage of future growth opportunities.