Straight Talk – an ISSA Podcast

Jim Ryerson is the founder of Sales Octane and is a well-known public speaker and sales trainer. His passion is helping others with their professional growth and development. Yet there was a time in his own career when a single negative review of one of his presentations derailed his plan to pursue public speaking. This is his story.

Do you have a Google Maps listing? And do you actually show up in your marketplace? If you have any type of Google Maps challenges with your company, this episode of Straight Talk! is for you.  John Clendenning is the founder and CEO of Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters and in this episode, he lays out the strategies you need to maximize your Google Maps listing.

Greg Cabot is the sales and marketing manager with Ameripolish , and is an expert when it comes to cleaning and maintaining any type of concrete flooring material. In this episode of Straight Talk, he provides the technical details anyone involved with concrete cleaning and maintenance needs to do their work, from processes to products. Plus, learn more about the  SmartFloor system . 

Julie Dumais-Nakos is the Director of National Accounts – JanSan/EVS, at PDI . In this episode of Straight Talk!, she shares important information about cleaning and disinfecting products, processes, and more that the industry needs to enhance their cleaning systems in facilities. From better cleaning and disinfecting strategies to products proven to protect staff and occupants, she focuses on rea...

In this episode of Straight Talk!, learn how the Association of Residential Cleaning Specialists International (ARCSI) is undergoing a rebranding as it enjoys its 20th anniversary in 2023.

Dean Mercado is the CEO of Online Marketing Muscle and knows the value and importance of building a strong company brand. In this episode of Straight Talk!, Mercado provides five key strategies every company needs to analyze and implement in order to compete and succeed in business.

Sandy Hanberry is the president and CEO of Colker Janitorial Supplies in Pennsylvania. Her company, an ISSA member since 1979, is celebrating 50 years in the industry. In this episode of Straight Talk, she describes her company's journey, how Colker Janitorial Supplies has thrived through the years, and what's exciting to her about the future.

Earth Day in 2023 is Saturday, April 22. It's an important event for anyone who has concerns about sustainability and protecting the earth. In this episode of Straight Talk, Steve Ashkin shares his thoughts on how he values Earth Day and considers it a celebration of what has been accomplished so far. Learn more about the ISSA Sustainability Committee, and join us !

ServiceMaster Clean®; ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association; and the Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, have partnered to certify nearly 400 ServiceMaster Clean franchises across the United States and Canada to the ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) Advanced by GBAC certification.

Dean Mercado is the CEO of Online Marketing Muscle, specializing in digital marketing coaching. In this episode of Straight Talk!, he shares strategies and concepts that will help any company in the cleaning industry, from small residential cleaning firms to larger building service contractors, to create a strategic business plan.

Randy Burke is the CEO and Founder of DCS Global, and one of his specialties is helping facilities deal with management issues, and with the pandemic winding down, that includes low occupancy cleaning strategies. In this episode of Straight Talk!, he discusses how building owners and managers can do to handle the low occupancy issue and create a plan that works.

In this episode of Straight Talk!, an online marketing expert shares strategies on how to deal with, sometimes remove, and ultimately avoid negative reviews. Dean Mercado is the CEO of Online Marketing Muscle . His strategies for cleaning and restoration companies focus on driving growth and revenue, and one component of that are online reviews, whether on Google, Yelp, social sites, and others.  

Becky Kaufold is the manager of government affairs and sustainability at Spartan Chemical Company, and the chair of the Floor Care Products Division with the Household & Commercial Products Association, or HCPA. In this episode of Straight Talk!, she shares details all cleaning professionals need to know to clean and maintain hard floors, with a goal of the perfect shine that is safe to walk o...

Jennie Romer is the deputy assistant administrator for pollution prevention at EPA. David Widawsky is the division director with the office of chemical safety and pollution prevention with the EPA. Together they describe the U.S. EPA's Safer Choice program and what it means to the cleaning industry.

As originally covered on the Cleaning & Maintenance Management news website (links below), Packers Sanitation Services has allegedly employed minors as young as 13 years of age, in meat packing plants across the United States. These minors have been working in potentially dangerous situations, and as a result some have been injured on the job. The work was often in the middle of the night. Now...

In this episode of Straight Talk!, sponsored by Spartan Chemical Company , learn about hard floor care best practices, the products you need, tips on creating a shiny floor with the proper floor finish, how to remove salt buildup during and after cold, winter months, and much more. Andrew Wolfe, a research chemist with Spartan, shares his expertise with the industry.

Fabio Vitali is the vice president of marketing with Sofidel America . In this episode of Straight Talk!, he describes the company's mission and accomplishments and the Sofidel pursuit to a more sustainable planet.

As a cleaning contractor, do you know when your proposals are reviewed carefully and when they might be tossed into the trash? Chris Arlen is the founder of revenue-IQ and has some ideas for you to consider. In this episode of Straight Talk!, Arlen shares what proposals must contain - and not contain - in order to get action.

Randy Burke is the CEO and founder of DCS Global . In this episode of Straight Talk!, he describes facility audits and how they can be used to improve, enhance, and ensure cleaning and maintenance is accomplished. 

Learn about how cleaning for health can become real for residential cleaning companies, and how the Rethink Clean campaign can benefit your business. Visit https://arcsi.org/rethinkclean for more information.

Debbie Sardone is the founder of Cleaning for a Reason, an ISSA Charities program. It all started with a simple phone call from a cancer patient in need. Since then, the program's 1,200 volunteer companies have helped nearly 50,000 cancer patients in their direst moments in time by giving them a little peace of mind that comes with a nice, healthy, clean home. Learn more about Cleaning for a...

ARCSI , the residential arm of ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, is dedicated to improving the standard of professionalism in the residential cleaning industry. How ARCSI got its start and the history behind the association dedicated to house cleaning professionals is the focus of this episode of Straight Talk! Listen and learn from Debbie Sardone, the president of Bucket & Bo...

Dr. Gavin MacGregor Skinner, the senior director of GBAC, along with Scott Vogel, the chief operations officer with Emergi-Clean in New Jersey, discuss the methamphetamine contamination issue facing facilities today and what you need to know right now.

Mike Sawchuk runs Sawchuk Consulting and is an expert assessing cleaning operations and determining where improvements can be made. In this episode of Straight Talk!, he digs into why cleaning operations assessments are so important, how they differ from benchmarking, what a proper assessment looks like, and how the process works from start to finish.

There is a new "bait and switch" issue in the cleaning industry that is taking hold of some companies, at times creeping in unexpectedly.  In this episode of Straight Talk!, Jim Pemberton, the president of Pembertons in McKeesport, PA, discusses his observations and how critical it is that business owners and managers recognize the signs there companies may be engaging in a different typ...