Wow! Am I ever completely blown away with the help I’ve received to name our new RugBadger.

Hundreds and hundreds of great suggestions came in for the contest from all over the world.

Hi Dusty, (Steve)

After reviewing and thinning the giant stack of entries, I narrowed it down to 30+ winners. Now before I disclose who the winner is, I think I will mention the names of a few very close second placers and a few trends for names I didn’t choose…if you didn’t notice, there is an animal theme and I love it.

Here are the names I may have liked or might have hated:

Beaver…I’m a feminist, need I say more

Honey Badger: Love the name Mike and if I could have one as a pet, I think I would let it rule my house…but not the name for this little machine. This video is so funny, just had to share, enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

Alternative names for Badgers (Thanks Frank and Ian): Badget (Olde English), Ratel, Boar (m), Sow (F), Rugget (Olde English).

Weasel: Lots of entries (David, Daniel, Joseph, and Gary) for these critters and I like them, I watch documentaries…but a weasel has a negative connotation for tricking, fooling, and generally not being on the up and up…Will Endure All Soils Especially Loose Soils (Thanks Sonny)

Ferret: like a weasel I love the animal…don’t they stink though? really foul and greasy? Free Every Rug Renovating & Eliminating Toxins (Thanks Scott)

Wolverine: they are tenacious like a badger, but they stink, and they steal from other’s efforts and don’t have the cunning or endearing quality

Rat: While the name rug-rat is cute, rats are vermin, spread disease and are almost impossible to eradicate when not wanted. (Jim, Brent, Barbara)

Nano…not sure why so many entries for this name. When Dusty gets his electron scanning microscope working and develops a nano sized duster, I will absolutely call it the Rugbadger Nano (and he would win a Nobel Prize) but until then…Mork calling Orson, come in Orson…..nano, nano…

Bantam: I love chickens and a bantam is a breed of very beautiful chicken…in fact I’m the neighbourhood chicken lady and I suppose that makes me a bit eccentric…

Sorry to my mates Down Under: Lots of amazing Australian critter names like TAZ, Wombat and Bandicoot, but they just don’t seem to fit for this particular machine…perhaps if Dusty makes a bouncing machine (with a pocket) we will name it the Badger-Roo…but for now the theme is from my continent…

Hedgehog…like them, but wouldn’t want to rub one on a rug….

Bobcat…we have a pet bobcat at home Mark…Bugs Or Big Creepy Awful Things. (Thanks again Sonny)

Cougar: Love this name but not for this machine, maybe the next bigger better model…great acronym Eduardo…Concentrated, Optimized, Ultralight, Grime and grit beater for Area Rugs

Terrier: love the acronym, Dan, but I have visions of a Jack Russell shaking a towel to shreds not how I would want to handle a rug. Terrific, Excellent, Rapid, Results, Involving, Every, Rug…love it!

Rugbadger SDT (Smaller Duster Tool, Thanks Steve) Not to be confused by Rugbadger SBD or Rugbadger STD…

Rugbadger MJ: Just beat it!

So many names that just are good, but don’t quite grab my attention:

Dude or Dudette… it just doesn’t work for me sorry
Rug Rocket (Peter) Don’t know why I didn’t pick this one, cuz I like it.
Cathy and Anthony, Hound or Pup: dogs have too many “accidents” on rugs.
Mini (Bradley, Kenneth, Fritz, Frank, Annette, Brian, Wade…) was very popular, not sure why I don’t care for it but certainly it’s not an animal.
Lil’ (Jamie, Frank, Fritz, Robert, Scott, Allan, Jeff) and Baby (Cathy, Erika) were prefixes to many names and just too cutesy for this bad boy…
Jr. (Gary, Scott, Jerry, Frank, Fritz, Mike) not quite original enough…but could’ve worked.

Some names just were not giving me positive vibes…
Dustymite (Steve), Dot (Jamshid), Scrappy (Mike), RugBuster (David), Rugmuncher (Clive), Wiggles? (Clint), My Secret Weapon (Eduardo), Dust Storm (Arvydas), Brat (Rodney), Rug Rambler (Ryan), Dirt Digger (Fritz), Bandit (Mike) Rug pester (Bob), Rugbot (Carlos), Beetle Badger (Phillip), Small Fry (Jason), Manipulator (Artie) Dust biter (Arvydas), Eliminator (Arvydas), Rug Thug (Robert), Rugbadger BM -beginner model (James, BM -bowel movement), Muncher (Doug), Rug Marvel (Walis), Provoker (Mike), Sprint (Pat), Dirt Eradicator Mini (Mark), El Toro (Tom), Rascal (Robert), Mighty Mo (Dennis), Rugger (Mike), RugBadger Compact (Graeme), Dusty’s Robot (Carlos), Rug buddy (Walid), Midget (Frank)

Some names were just plain weird. What were you people thinking!
Banshee (Eddie), Sanctifier (John), ? Hufflepuffer © (Daniel), VibroruggerRex (Daniel)

Some names were amazing but just too original to use.
Nap knocker (Mark), RugBadger Dream (Richard), Vibraclean (Earl), Son-of-a Rug badger (Fritz, you are funny)

And some names are great animal stand-ins:
Thumper the Rabbit (Willis, Flagen, Steve), Chinchilla (Steve), Chipmonk (Doug), Mongoose (Alex), Dust Bunny (Scott), Gopher (Scott), Muskrat (Adam), Critter (Glenn), Razorback? (Jack),  Rugmole (Walid)

Now the most creative people actually came up with brilliant acronyms:
CPE (Armando) Compact Powerful Effective
CPM (Armando) Compact Powerful Machine
Bandit (Michael) Bantam Agile ‘N Dust Inversion Technology
Rug RAT (John) Restoration Assault Tool
ARC (Frank) Area Rug Cleaner
CARC (Frank) Compact Area Rug Cleaner
BASS (Corey) Badgering Area rugs Simple & Safe
LAD (Phillip) Little Automated Duster
ACE (Darleen) Affordable Compact Efficient

Absolute worst name (but great acronym)…ADAM – Automatic, Dusting, Apparatus, Machinery…just because it’s your name (narcissistic to say the least)
But Adam you redeem yourself with your next name, the Rug Robin…as I’m not a narcissist, I will not be choosing this name either…but nice way to flatter the judge…

Honorable mentions go to the BEST acronym…love, Love, LOVE it!…Badgerette….Bugs, Allergens, Dirt, Grit, Extractor for, Rug renovating, Easy, To, Transport, Equipment….well done John. (quite frankly, the little machine is just to ugly and for such a cute name)

And the winner is………

RugBadger CUB…while there were a few people who mentioned KIT and I think they deserves kudos as well, it just doesn’t have the pleasing sound that CUB has.

This is in fact the name of infant Badgers. As for the “badger” names submitted, it was obvious that so many of you did your homework to learn more about these wonderful wild creatures and that is very flattering indeed. I was so impressed by the multitude of people who did their research and submitted CUB, it was the obvious winning name by popularity.

So how did I narrow it down to just one winner? Easy, the reason given…if you didn’t give a reason, I immediately took you out of the running, and that shortened the list considerably. It was hard to pick just one so I had to think this over and over and I finally decided on the best choice by the acronym…

C – compact
U – ultralight
B – badger

Well done Michael Smith…YOU WIN!!!!!

Happy Badgering,
Robin

Are You A Runner Up?

• A. My catalogue of 6 business building reports (click here for info)
• B. My DVD on how to get the very top $ caring for rugs (click here for info)
• C. Our RugLover Marketing, quick roll out program 1 (designed for carpet cleaners that have a dream to have a rug care profit center)

You know initially we weren’t going to do anything for Black Friday. But then we thought, “Hey why not? What have we got to lose?”

So here it is. We’re calling it The RugBadger.com  “FREE SHIPPING Plus MUCH More” Event! 

Here’s The Deal…

Our Six Marketing Reports ($162 Value)
Click Here To See Them

Our Secret Strategy Marketing DVD ($147 Value)
Click Here To See It

WoolSafe Program ($199.95 Value)
Click Here To See It

Module 1 of The RugLover Marketing Mentorship Program ($297 Value)
Click Here To See It

Module 2 of The RugLover Marketing Mentorship Program ($397 Value)
Click Here To See It

3 months of RugLover Marketing Mentorship Program ($399/mth = $1197 Value)
Click Here To Learn More

Think about this: Which company would a potential client likely choose – one they randomly found on the internet or one they’ve seen because of (positive) media exposure?

The answer, of course, is the one that got media exposure.

People like having what’s called social proof – other people saying postive things about something. It makes their decision to buy a product or service a lot easier.

And postive media exposure is like social proof on steroids. Anytime you can get into the news and get a postive story out about your company or have your company related to a positive event is like marketing gold.

But newspaper or TV coverage is not the only way to get publicity. You can also get publicity from lots of places including popular internet blogs.

Just check out this blog post done on a RugBadger client in Halifax. He’s already has gotten some great new clients as a result.

http://localbiznovascotia.com/express-area-rug-cleaners-halifax-20-years-experience/

Generating free publicity should be part of your marketing campaigns and if you don;t know where or how to begin – click here for the best place to start!

If it wasn’t for Steve Jobs and his innate ability to take a vision and turn it into reality, we certainly wouldn’t have some of the culture changing things we have today like

• The Apple computer which forever changed the public’s concept of what a computer is from a gigantic machine used only by big business to something an ordinary person can have on their desk
• The graphical user interface that PC owners call windows (there’s a good chance we’d still be choking on DOS and told by Microsoft to like it)
• The iPod and the way it not only changed how we listened to music but how it forced the music industry to serve us music the way we wanted not how they wanted us to buy it
• The iPhone and how it changed not only our concept of what a phone can be but how we interact with our world as a result of having a mobile computer in our pocket
• The iPad and how it is helping to save the publishing industry like magazines & newspapers from extinction
• Pixar animation which raised the bar so high in terms of animation that it’s now the standard

Not too bad for a college drop out.

Watch the video above and discover the simple concept Steve Jobs used that allowed him to affect the world in the ways he did. It only goes to show that if we have the courage to follow our own dreams and not let anything get in the way – we too can change the world.

Thank you Steve.

But what you may not know is just how IMPORTANT the mobile smartphone have become when it comes to how people search for a local business like yours

Check out this video and discover what Google says about…

• Why your company website needs to be optimized for mobile phones
• The three things that smartphones are always doing
• What people would rather do without rather than give up their smartphone
• The actual percentage of users who use their smartphones to shop (it’s really really high)
• The 5 ways people actually use their smartphones to shop
• The actual percentage of users who buy as a direct result of the info they got on their smartphone (this one really is high too)
• What one the most popular uses of a smartphone is and why it affects you

If watching this video does not convince you that the way people find businesses like yours has changed then you might want to watch it again. The mobile phone, Google, Facebook and the internet has changed the way we need to attract and interact with our future customers.

Has this video helped you to understand how technology has affected the way consumers choose products & services?

• Get all of your videos hosted for free?
•  Educate potential clients about how you can solve their problems?
•  Show potential prospects video testimonials of your happiest clients?
•  Explain in creative ways your company’s USP (unique sales proposition)?
•  Have your videos drive traffic to your website?

If you’re not using YouTube to do all of the above (and more) then you’re losing out on the most powerful 24/7 sales force available.

To show you what I mean, Below is an example of what one RugBadger client has done to promote their area rug cleaning business.

Quick Contest:

Win a copy of Peter Stone’s amazing rug repair book (click here to learn more about it)

•  What you have to do: In the video Annette tells you how much longer a cleaned area rug will last. Send us that number to dusty(at)rugbadger(dot)com with the subject line: “YouTube Area Rug Contest”
•  Deadline: 11:59pm on Thurday July 29-2011

Be sure to check out Annette’s website where they feature Oriental Rug Cleaning and of course the RugBadger: http://pcsniagara.com/index.php/screen/orientalrugcleaning

It was a quite an interesting question about the concern he had about the RugBadger and all the dust he thinks it will create. Here is the unedited email he wrote:

Gary..

Now that’s an interesting observation and shows the marketing I’ve done is doing it’s job – generating a response from the reader. So here’s is my response…

The Six Second Myth Killer
The biggest myth in this industry is that many people think that their area rug cleaning equipment or system actually removes all of the dirt from a rug.

That just isn’t true and you can prove it to yourself by taking the “Six Second Challenge”.

• Take any rug you’ve just cleaned & dried and turn it upside on the floor
• Run a beater bar vacuum for 6 seconds on a small area over the back of the rug
• Lift the rug up and if you see any dirt on the floor, your system is leaving dirt behind

I’ve performed the six second challenge on rugs cleaned with every type of cleaning system imaginable and found they all have left behind the heavy, gritty sediments that damage the rug fibers and shorten the life of a rug.

http://www.rugbadger.com/rugbadgers.html

Please let me know if this clarifies your question Gary.

Dusty Roberts

So that’s all I had to say except except for one small little detail.

A RugBadger is much faster than any vacuum when it comes to vibrating dirt out of rugs because it was specially designed to that  day in and day out, hour after hour WITHOUT losing performance or breaking down like a vacuum will tend to do.

1. Your business earns more profit
2. You have a valuable skill you can transfer to any other business or product.

Now marketing is a huge topic and within it falls one aspect you probably have a love/hate relationship with: Advertising.

Whether it’s the yellow pages, newspaper, val-paks, flyers, door-hangers, radio or the hundreds of other ways you can advertise, it’s all supposed to achieve the same result – bringing you new prospects. But if you don’t have a system in place to track the results you’ll never have any idea if your money was wasted or not.

Speaking of wasted money – television commercials are prime example. How many times have you watched a commercial and could not remember what the advertised product was 5 minutes later?

That kind of thing happens a lot so what clever advertisers do is try to capitalize on a feature of the brain linked to long term memory – surprise.

Below I have an example of what I mean. See if you can guess what the product is before the commercial ends.

WARNING! This video contains disturbing material and may upset some sensitive viewers.

QUESTION: What creative ways of marketing have you thought of to surprise your clients and get them to talk about your company?

Also attending were my good friends Ruth Travis (aka the Rug Lady) and Jeff Bishop who put on one of their World Famous HOBO, “Hands-On, Boots-On” rug cleaning classes. And no kidding, the class really put on their boots and cleaned upwards of 25 filthy, stinky rugs themselves under the guidance of Ruth and Jeff.

Dusty Roberts giving a talk on how to market your rug cleaning business

My job was to talk about how easy it is to market and get the business for area rug cleaning without spending a dime on traditional advertising like flyers, radio, TV etc.

I have to tell  you the talk was VERY WELL RECEIVED!

Now during my talk I also revealed for the first time ever my Secret Sauce Handout

Now if you want to get a hold of these top ten tips you’ll have to click here to get it.

I did however decide to print my secret sauce handout below for you…

Dusty’s Secret Sauce

1. Join The RugHub Forum

Whether you’re a novice, an expert or a master cleaner, the RugHub is the best online forum and resource for all area rug cleaners. If you’re a novice the information here will help you to become an expert. If you’re an expert you can get help with your toughest cleaning problems. If you’re a master cleaner then you can be one of the resident experts and create a worldwide following. Join now for free at http://therughub.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?

2. Take the WoolSafe Online Course

By becoming a WoolSafe® Fabric Care Specialist you not only learn about how to clean wool with confidence but you’ll also be able to display the recognized WoolSafe symbol on all your marketing material. The added benefit of this course being online is that you can take it in the comfort of your own home or office and complete it on your time schedule. Get a $20 discount on the online WoolSafe Course right now by going to http://www.rugbadger.com/woolsafe-online-training.html

3. Buy the Comprehensive Guide to Oriental & Specialty Rugs

Ellen Amirkhan & Aaron Groseclose’s have created the richest goldmine of Oriental rug information ever crammed into one product. Their manual called, “A Comprehensive Guide to Oriental & Specialty Rugs”, is really an entire Oriental rug seminar in a book. This 19-chapter book is the first of its kind written for the rug cleaning professional. It has all the practical how-to steps you’ll ever need for identifying problem rugs, what inspection procedures to use and even the exact cleaning methods for any type of rug. Order this book now at http://www.rugbadger.com/ultimate-rug-guide.html and get $20 off using this discount code: wool

4. Attend an HOBO rug cleaning class!

The best class to attend for learning how to clean rugs is the first one you can get your butt to. Every rug cleaning class will teach you something new every time and all of them are good. But if you can, make sure you get to the HOBO (Hands ON, Boots On) courses put on by Jeff Bishop and Ruth Travis. Upcoming dates are May 10-12, 2011 in Philadelphia and then June 13-15, 2011 in Alabama. Visit http://therughub.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl? to get more information

5. Rug Mastery Class

Ellen Amirkhan & Aaron Groseclose have developed one of the most comprehensive area rug cleaning courses on the planet which will give you the equivalent of having a PHD in rug cleaning. When you complete the course you will have earned the designation of Master Rug Cleaner. http://masterrugcleaner.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=57

6. Find a Mentor

The fastest way to learning anything – especially rug cleaning – is by being an apprentice. The best way to do this in rug cleaning is to find an expert and work for them for a week. You’ll not only learn how to clean rugs, but also a lot about how to make the business run successfully. If you don’t know of anyone who can mentor you contact Dusty and he’ll hook you up with someone who can.

Dusty’s Hot Bonus Tip

Many people starting out in cleaning area rugs find it difficult to practice their new skill. The problem is that any rugs they get are usually owned by client and they cannot afford to ruin it for them. The Solution? Head down to the Salvation Army or any charity thrift store and offer to clean any rugs they get for free.

You benefit by being able to practice on all kinds of rugs without the fear of ruining an expensive one. The Salvation Army wins by getting cleaner rugs they can sell at higher prices to raise more money for charity. You both will benefit from the publicity this newsworthy charitable act creates plus you may even end up with a tax receipt.

************************************************

Rug Class Alert, Seats are selling out fast.
Upcoming rug classes…Denver, Philly (HOBO), Alabama (HOBO) and Ohio. Click here for more info and register now!

That sounds weird, right?

I mean the reasons people say why they opened a business in the first place is so they can

• be their own boss
• work their own hours
• make more money
• have more time off
• vacation whenever they want

Yet the truth is, what most small business owners actually have is nothing more than a glorified job. Sure they might make a little more money and have a fairly comfortable lifestyle, but can they walk away from their business for a month or two without it suffering?

My experience with many small business owners tells me, “No”.

The reason is the business is usually set up around the owner. If they aren’t working the money stops. That’s not a business – that’s a job.

A business should be able to run on it’s own and generate income for the owner without them there.

Now here’s the hundred thousand dollar question: If you stopped working today how long would it be before your business grinds to a halt? A week? A month? Six months?

Now maybe you’re one of those people who like the idea of your business being dependent on you. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that as long as you accept the risk that if something happened to you your income ends. Injuries, debilitating accidents and illnesses are just three of the things that can hit you any day of the week.

And end your ability to make money.

But there is a way to GUARANTEE your income keeps coming no matter what happens to you.

No, it’s not insurance.

It’s setting your company up to run in a way that’s automated, profitable and doesn’t require you to work “IN” it.

How exactly do you do that? Easy, by letting someone who has already done it show you step-by-step.

Click here to discover how you can finally automate your business this year

Think about it what it would mean to you if someone could show you in three days the exact way to…

• Dominate the local market in your niche
• Set up a Referral Marketing system and never advertise again
• Double you business in 12 months or less
• Get the Internet to drive an endless stream of new customers to your door
  

Then imagine if you got all the details on…

• An Inside Sales System that automates what happens when your phone rings
• How to increase sales once you’re on-site
• How to systematize your entire business so it runs efficiently with out you there
• How to track everything so you know how much money every activity either costs or makes you

Wouldn’t having that kind of information change everything for you?

This is the same information I used to restructure my business. Setting up these success pillars under my business has allowed me to leave a month or two at a time without ever worrying about it.

But don’t take my word for it, see what others have said happened to them when they put the same success pillars under their companies…

Click here to discover how you can finally automate your entire business this year