Bill Yeadon and Steve Toburen - Jondon SFS Class

**admin** · 09-15-2008, 02:32 PM

Hey Bill Yeadon and Steve Toburen, can you guys explain what the SFS Classes are all about from Jondon?

And if anyone has every went to a SFS Class, maybe you can share your thoughts on the class.

**Gary T** · 09-15-2008, 03:56 PM

If you want to learn how to run and build a service business, or build your existing business, GO!!!! Whether it's CC, T&G, stone, counter tops, landscaping, GO!!!! It will be the #1 best thing you have done for you and your business, employees, and family.

**Steve Toburen** · 09-17-2008, 09:18 AM

"Steve Toburen, can you explain what the SFS Classes are all about from Jondon?"

Wow, Tre, this is a tough question simply because Strategies for Success is so all-encompassing and frankly a bit overwhelming which is exactly what we want it to be. You see, many years ago Nick and John Paolella (Jon-Don's owners) realized that while their typical customer was hard working and a "salt of the earth" type of guy, many times he or she wasn't trained as a business manager which in turn stunted the business growth of all involved. They realized that if they helped their customers build thriving businesses very likely Jon-Don would come along for the ride!

So waaaaay back in 1996 Nick and John asked me to assemble a team of industry professionals that would build a comprehensive program that would be focused on the very special needs of the carpet and restoration industry. And I think in the process we avoided some traps ...

For example, Strategies for Success is NOT a “motivational” seminar. (I really hate motivational speeches. All empty fluff without giving you the tools to change anything.) Strategies is also NOT an excuse to high pressure sell you anything. (We don’t even mention equipment or chemicals during the seminar.) And Strategies is NOT a lot of weird, unproven, “in-your-face” theories cobbled together just to attract attention. Everything has been field tested for years both by myself and our over 2,000Strategies members. So what did we build?

Strategies for Success is an intensive, college level business building program specifically designed for carpet cleaning, restoration and janitorial company owners and managers. (Our attendees will tell you they are exhausted at the end of our five days together.) Bill Yeadon, Chuck Violand and I present Strategies six to eight times yearly, Monday through Friday at our various Jon-Don branch locations around the United States. Class runs from 8:00 to 5:30 PM and yes, homework is assigned almost every night!

Strategies is built on three basic concepts:

1. The “Desired End Product” of your company should always be a delighted Customer Cheerleader that sings your praises to everyone they meet.

2. 80% of how your customer decides if you did a “good job” (and whether they will become a Cheerleader) is based on their relationship with the person actually doing the work in their home.

3. For your company to have real value, you must MANAGE the experience of your customer by programming hundreds of Positive “Moments of Truth” into your “Service Circle.” (After all, when you “cash out” what you will really sell is your Customers Cheerleaders AND your systems to keep them and make more … without you showing up for work each day!)

Now Tre, for any training program to truly change lives it needs more than a lot of fancy concepts and theories. This is where Strategies for Success really shines! After all, a company in chaos can’t give great customer service. Strategies members receive hundreds of written Procedures and Systems written specifically for a carpet cleaning or restoration business. Then they automatically are enrolled in our TIPS program at no charge. (Available ONLY to Strategies graduates.) Four times yearly TIPS members receive more Techniques, Ideas, Procedures and Systems (cute acronym, huh?), all focused on creating a better “Business Infrastructure.”

Remember that without a “Business Infrastructure”, a written framework that organizes your company, you just “own a job.” So when you attend the Strategies for Success seminar, you get not only “transformational concepts”, you also receive over 1,000 pages of a “Business Infrastructure” that makes these great ideas and principles a reality in your company.

Sorry to go on and on, Tre, but you asked! It is hard to describe SFS in print. that is why we produced a free 30 minute DVD explaining SFS managment concepts. If anyone wants a free copy just e-mail me at stoburen@homefrontsuccess.com and include your mailing address.

Thanks for the opportunity, Tre, to explain what we are all about.

Steve Toburen
Director of Training
Jon-Don's Strategies for Success

PS SFS in a nutshell? I always say SFS gives you all the advantages of a franchise- systems, structure, procedures, ongoing support but with none of the downside- We have no royalties, restricted territories or rules and regulations- use what you want and ignore the rest.

NOTE: Remember that I am not down on franchises. In fact, many of our SFS members are also members of different industry franchises. We supplement what franchises give their people- which is both accountability (very important) and a much easier exit plan. (A name brand franchise will be much easier to sell when you cash out.)

**Bill Yeadon** · 09-17-2008, 11:27 AM

Hard to add anything to my illustrious cohorts post. As for Tuesday the marketing day, my goal is to provide a better understanding of the target audience and the tools to reach them effectively at the lowest cost.

Most people in our industry tend to look at all of the current advertising and media used and copy it. This is why all of our ads tend to look the same except for the company names. When everything is equal we choose on price.

Differentiation is the key and I try to explain some of the ways we can achieve this differentiation. If you think claiming you are the best is differentation then this is going to be a tough industry. Everyone thinks they are best or else they should get out and find a different career.

As Steve mentioned, we do not sell anything to you in the class. Many students want us to give or sell them a book with ads already prepared. If we did that everyone would be back to running the same ad and price would be the differentiator.

My job is to explain the tools needed to create the pieces of a good ad, website, business card or how to find the design resources. I can guarantee that ValPak or the YP are not the best ones.

The most important aspect of the week is not what you hear from the 3 instructors but what you learn from the 40-50 other students during the week. The accumulated knowledge that is available by just networking is incredible. Most students have gotten past the idea that they cannot share some secret prespray. That is not what makes them successful. If that was the case then everyone could copy Southwest Airlines and be successful.

At ourrecent class In Langhorne our dinner table on Wednesday night had a wonderful discussion on various books and seminars that everyone had attended. My thanks to alumni Rob Lyon who joined us for dinner and brought along some of his newest marketing creations. It is this type of sharing and unselfish behavior that seems to be fostered after a week of togetherness.

Ivan Misener, founder of BNI, has a definition of success "the uncommon application of the common knowledge." It is all about returning home after SFS and choosing to restructure the areas of your company that need it and implimenting the tools you learned one by one slowly over a period of time.

I promise if you will do that you will be successful beyond your wildest dreams.

**Rob Allen** · 09-17-2008, 02:01 PM

I will admit Strategies for Success has helped me on my path to totally revamping and restructuring my 23 year old company. They treated my wife and I with the utmost professionalism and respect.

SFS is a vehicle to drive you to your destination.

So for the novice, do attend class's and a drive along.

For the intermediate to advanced, do the SFS class. You will NOT regret it.

Robert Allen.

**Rob Lyon** · 09-17-2008, 08:13 PM

Glad I could make it, and as always thanks for the great advice, as I said , it was good to see more people networking than playing games!!

**captaincarpet** · 09-17-2008, 08:21 PM

I attended SFS in March, and would recommend it to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

**Elwood J** · 09-18-2008, 12:14 AM

Been there in 97,, 2007 Tooooo long a break in between "I can almost say In the beginning" Said it before and I will say it again, It is the Class of Classes.

Might have to start saving for another one or two.

Do you guys realize this class never ends??? You get Chopped Livers and BillY's private #'s You can coverse with them forever more??? Huh Did you know that?????

I do think I know my schools and what was out there.

Don't know what it's like out there now, but till about 2000 there was very few that attended more schools and classes than I did. You wimps complain about hard to get to the schools, Hell I used to fly from Alaska to Atlanta Or Baltimore if there was a class I haden't taken yet. I even flew to Seattle to attend a 2 1/2 CCINW chapter meeting.. But then we were only making 25-30 cents per sqft and Heavenly Father forbid 12 cents on scotchgard.

**Steve Toburen** · 09-18-2008, 06:09 PM

"Might have to start saving for another one or two."

You pay, John. Helen gets in for free.

Steve

PS Good to hear from you, buddy. Be sure to come by and see your favorite Chopped Liver at the Jon-Don booth.

**Vinnie** · 09-18-2008, 09:52 PM

Can one benifit just starting out by going to SFS.
Vinnie

**Rob Lyon** · 09-18-2008, 09:59 PM

Im a word ABSOLUTLY!!

**Rob Lyon** · 09-18-2008, 10:00 PM

Ps, Best way to start a business and not a Job.

**Bill Yeadon** · 09-18-2008, 11:04 PM

Vinnie,
Hopefully some of the newbies will chime in but I always teach don't hire techs that worked for someone else as a tech because it is hard to break old habits. The same goes for business habits. Learn the right way to price, market, hire etc.
That is the purpose of SFS. If you knew how many questionnaires we get back that say "I wish I had come here (fill in the blank) years ago" it would shock you.
Experience is a great teacher, but a very expensive one.

**Steve Toburen** · 09-18-2008, 11:26 PM

Hey Vinnie,

Instead of me answering your question directly let me share part of an interview that we did with one of our members who had NEVER touched a scrub wand before he attended SFS. (In fact, he was picking up his first truck mount there in Roselle the week he attended the seminar!) BTW, let me hasten to add that this interview was done Before my Big Billy Yeadon came on board the SFS team. If Bill had been there every where you see the name "Steve Toburen" just substitute the name "Bill Yeadon" ...

SFS provided me a road map for success from someone (Steve Toburen) who had "been there, done that" successfully. It also gave me the confidence to build the business as a service business that competes on price/value - not cheapest price. I was also able to network with other cleaners who were realizing success. I received a lot of tips and made friends with an elite group of business owners/operators and technicians, etc. who shared ideas and experiences openly. Can you imagine the impact this had on jump starting my business?

From the start I was confident that I was "pushing the right buttons", to have a helping hand on the rudder so to speak - that being input from my friends at Jon Don, such as Mike Cushing, Bill Goehring, Andy Robinson, (even Nick and John Paolella took time to share) and networking with other SFS members - not to mention the SFS Operations Manual containing the proven business processes from the “guru”, Steve Toburen.

The single best thing I implemented from Strategies was that I BOUGHT INTO THE ENTIRE PROGRAM! I focused on the incremental steps involved in creating the “Customer Service Circle" which turns out "Cheerleaders" as it's “Desired End Product”. This was like having a conscience that affects the decisions you make in your personal life. All business decisions and processes are filtered through a qualifying test - are the steps/actions/processes consistent with “making the cheerleader”? Many times, you have to do things in business just because it is the right thing to do.
I have to mention a second and vitally as important thing - the ability to plan the business and receive competent advice from Steve, Chuck Violand and all the staff at Jon-Don. Imagine - I started this business with literally NO experience in the cleaning / restoration business. What a jump start SFS gave me! Imagine the benefits of starting out with a clean sheet of paper...."

So there you have it, Vinnie. If you want to SEE what we do in SFS just write me at stoburen@homefrontsuccess.com and i will send you a free 30 minute DVD all about SFS.

Steve

PS Nice to see Big Billy posting here. And thank you Rob for being a Cheerleader for SFS.