Q: Once in a while, we get an advertisement from Groupon featuring a competitor of mine, offering a super-cheap carpet cleaning deal. I know I should just ask him how it works for his company, but I'm not sure how he would receive my question. Is this marketing approach something I should look at?

— Barbara, Cincinnati, OH

A: Since its inception, Groupon has become a hot topic for many industries, from hair salons to restaurants and yes… even to carpet cleaners.

Using a marketing platform such as Groupon (and realize there are many others but Groupon is definitely the leader at this time) means you can instantly get your message in front of thousands of potential buyers via e-mail.

All it takes is a little online research and you see that all major markets have seen an influx of carpet cleaning "specials" and deals. Some consumer responses have been amazing, with hundreds of purchases made in one day. In some locations, this has approached a thousand purchases.

Yes, this means that a carpet cleaning company becomes busy very quickly and had better be in a position to handle the huge increase in work. A one-truck operator will find himself in quite a pickle if he suddenly has hundreds of new customers all wanting the $19 one room deal done by Friday.

But the real value of Groupon isn't the "deal" you offer, since the revenue you receive might just cover your costs of doing the job. The real value is in the upsells, doing extra rooms and landing new customers for future work.

Should you look at this marketing approach? It's always smart to investigate various methods to grow your business.

If you need more customers and can handle the workload that a Groupon campaign can generate, and you run the type of business that touts quality and repeat customers, this may work for you as the goal is long-term growth and not simply getting a bunch of jobs at once.

But if you work based on quantity and think that Groupon jobs will generate a lot of revenue for your company, don't do it. You will face an uphill battle to make this worth your while.

Q: I've bid some carpet cleaning jobs at a few area school districts, but it's been virtually impossible to get the work. Is there a secret to this?

— Richard, San Diego, CA

A: Many commercial jobs like this are tough to get because they are based more on price than quality.

That's not to say you can't earn these contracts at a lower price and still deliver quality. But schools, like other civil and government entities, are required to go through the bidding process. This means some of the submitted bids will be so low that you won't be able to compete.

So there are no secrets, just a realization that you must be very competitive with this demographic. Using some of your traditional cleaning methods and techniques might not have a place with schools, as you must increase production significantly.

You should analyze if it is part of the market you even wish to pursue.

Q: When I do some commercial carpet cleaning jobs, such as hallways in apartment buildings where tenants put down small, plastic backed mats, I often find a yellowing problem underneath, which is impossible to remove. Is there anything I can do?

— Josh, Coeur d'Alene, ID

A: There's nothing more frustrating than a problem in a carpet that you can't fix. And that's no doubt what you have here.

According to carpet inspectors who see this condition, this is most likely a condition known as "plasticizer migration." What happens is that oils in the vinyl backing of the mat leach into the flooring (including carpet and VCT).

Common fibers that suffer from this are olefin and polyester, both known as "oil loving" fibers. But it can affect nylon as well, especially if the mat is down over a long period of time.

You can try some aggressive cleaning, using a citrus solvent degreaser and an oxygen booster, but the staining from this is often permanent and there's not much you can do.

With this knowledge, you can inform the customer before cleaning what to expect. Don't inherit the problem.

Have a question for us? Ask at Cleanfax.com/experts or jcross@ntpmedia.com.