[kinder clean]

Hello to all

I am a wet behind the ear newbie & this is my first post.

I am starting a cleaning services business, Carpet & Upholstery but other services may be added later.
I have spent the past few months doing my training, going to exhibitions, buying the best equipment I could afford, getting my vehicle signwritten etc and I feel about ready to take the plunge.

I have read many articles, forums etc with a multitude of different marketing schedules, it seems yellow pages is viewed by the majority as overpriced.

I believe the www is becoming the most popular place for the modern housewife to look for services, & have heard it from several people they are finding their returns from web generated sales are overtaking the big yellow book (the guys at cleansmart included)
I am having a website built right now, but want to get the ball rolling any way possible.

I would be interested in any advise on kickstarting a new business, is the best way direct marketing with the good old fashioned flyer?

I have done 3 paid jobs already as well as every blood relative still breathing. (see separate post for my first job NIGHTMARE. I will look back and laugh soon, so my therapist tells me)

Hope this is my first post of many

Thanks in advance

Paul

[Straker Cleaning]

Paul , Suggest adding to your profile by including your area ........... some may not offer the 'tricks of the trade' they use in case you are on their doorstep .................... many will still offer some help and advice to 'locals' though 

[spencer davies]

Have a word with Mark Roberts, the one from Devon on this forum    if you are interested in the www

S

[Matt Lindus]

You have to have carpet cleaning in the blood to make a go of it. You need to keep pushing hard for the life of the business to keep the wheels turning.
If we advertise Ariel and Sat installation, we have to cut or withdraw the ad in a short space of time just in order to keep up with demand with 7 vans, we are seriously inundated resulting in us subcontracting to a local communication business.

We run full page carpet cleaning ads like a national company all of the time and this only just keeps one van ticking over and results in very little return on investment. This side of the business is shocking at overall net profit but benefits us for taxation reasons.


   

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Matt perhaps you have your advertising all wrong. Big adverts have never created big work, you need to chip away at clients and then it omes back without doing anything and yu'll get a great cash flow for next to nothing spend.

Carpet cleaning customers aren't like arial customers they need wining and dining, an arial customer wants an arial because they've just gone out and bought a plasma and want to show off and want it now! the instant hit is good but the retention will be low where as carpet cleaning is exactly the other way round.

Try putting small ads and leaflets scattered in high quality areas for a few months and go out to quote, then remail them every 6 months offering your services, slowly slowly....

Shaun

[kinder clean]

Cheers Chris just updated my profile

[davep]

Use printcarrier.com for a6 full colour leaflets, whip up a design on your pc and spend any spare time delivering them, do it for 6 weeks to your target area and then start again.  A bit like painjting a bridge 

Be patient as some work may come straight away but you will always get people calling months after getting a leaflet.

Use local mags too, forget big ads as i find people just look for the local number in books.

Alter your design if needs be and always ask where the custy got your number from..

[Andy Hogarth]

As a bit of a newbie myself I'll give you my tips on what works.

Local mags are very good but I find that many c/c's advertise in them you get lots of priceshoppers, however this makes up the most part of my jobs as well as word of mouth/referals

I got 10,000 leaflets printed up from printcarrier and have put about 2000 out and had a couple of jobs

I've had a yell.com advert for about 2 weeks and had 2 fairly lucrative jobs from it, I have it on a two month trial so that is looking good.

I've had a few jobs from advertising on my vehicle

A great one for me has been village noticeboards, especially near churches, also post office windows, they are about 10p per week and have brought in shed loads, just plug the LOCAL thing

Another thing, as a good man once advised me was to mention it to everybody, friends tell friends etc, mention it to anybody who works at an office or pub etc I got a fantastic office clean purely because my mother in law mentioned it to a guy who happened to be looking for one

My website is good for work too, it does crap in the rankins but wherever I advertise I make sure the web address is there, I also do a fair bit of charity runs/walks etc and my latest is the Cleveland Way, I'm doing it for the local press charity and get loads of free advertising from them.

Most of my work though is domestic and I've yet to break into much commercial but just keep plugging away, some weeks I get nothing, some weeks I'm snowed under (which is nice)

Hope this helps

Andy

[spencer davies]

Andy, why don't you learn how to optimise your website and get it to work for you.

S

[Andy Hogarth]

Because I'm dumb Spencer Just can't seem to get my head round the reciprical link and meta tags thing

Any tips or points in the right direction to websites that help would be much appreciated, I have surfed for this but just get lost, a nice easy going explanation woul be most welcomed

Andy

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Where abouts do you live Andy?

There are 2 good guys for optimisation, what's you're site?

Shaun

[davep]

What did you pay for the yell.com thing Andy?

[carpet_care]

Kinder clean I have always thought the most important form of advertising before anything else is the presentation of your vehicle and yourself.

 A clean well presented sign written van pays dividends, many years ago I was a butcher and the most important thing was how you presented your shop front.

 Veiw this the same way with your vehicle and your own presentation wear a polo shirt and matching trousers with company logo on .  

 Wear the blue overshoes whenever you enter a customers house , be punctual and polite.

 All this wil go a long way to building your business up ,and in 5 or 6 years 80% of all your work should come from repeats and referals.

 Advertising whether its yellow pages ,internet local mags or leaflets etc should only be for about the last 20% of your turnover.

 Obviously for the first couple of years you will probably have to plough a fair bit of money into advertising but if you do the basic common sence things the work should come to you and you shouldn,t have to go looking for it.

     All the best and good luck


 Andy Locke.      Melling Carpet Care.

[davep]

Hows business your end of Liverpool Andy?

[lands]

Dave you eco friendly photo has got to be the best tag line I have ever seen on any type of mktg material (and I've seen more than most). Brilliant, well done.

If you want any advice on yell.com feel free to give me a call

Pete

[davep]

The home page one?  Missed your yell.com thingy but may take one later with them, 2 month trial like Andy..

[Andy Hogarth]

Hi Shaun, I'm in York

Dave, the yell.com guy rang me and offered me a one month trial and I said no ta but he persisted and offered me a two month free trial. I can cancel anytime and pay nothing. After the two month is up it's £42 per month direct debit for 10 months. But nearer the time I'll speak to Pete and see what he suggests as to getting the best deal.

[davep]

Andy,  call him and say i was offered the same at £390..  Think they pluck numbers out of the air!

[lands]

Yep the home page one. Where did you get it. How much did it cost to use etc. etc.

Like I said Dave. Happy to help on how to work yell properly. The trial deals tend to differ area to area so you need to find out if you can get on one first.

If you do, give me a bell.

Pete

[davep]

I have one just need to send the paperwork back, is it too late for tips or can i change things after i go live?

I dragged some kids in off the street for the pic