Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on August 12, 2010, 03:45:55 pm

Title: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on August 12, 2010, 03:45:55 pm
just been out canvassing locally and was just thinking why waste the time on printing leaflets as most people just chuck em in the waste bin. .out of 100 leaflets you will probably get a 2% call back so as opposed to knocking doors knocked 4 doors and got 2 custies your views welcome mates :)
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: daniel worgan on August 12, 2010, 03:48:52 pm
Lazy sod.....why did you only knock 4 doors? ;D
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: bobby p on August 12, 2010, 04:06:38 pm
i found the door knocking tiresome,its draining emotionally when you get big slobs time after time ,then  opening my mouth time after time and saying clearly  the same old tutt ,with a forced smile . another downer is that  a "pro" householder may railroad you into giving a lower price on the doorstep than what you really wanted

 whereas shoving out  hundreds of leaflets is only very tiresome on the feet  and you have plenty of time to consider the job price when they ring up  ;)
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: erithwc on August 12, 2010, 04:08:42 pm
i do leaflet drops only for one good reason i hate people knocking on my door trying to sell a service or items and so do alot of other people if they want a window cleaning they can use my leaflet and call me
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: lyndy on August 12, 2010, 04:26:58 pm
Once you have knocked a door and got a no,you can't knock it again.where as with leaflets you keep sending them sometimes you can get a yes after 2 or 3 goes
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on August 12, 2010, 04:27:38 pm
I ONLY HAD 10 MINS TO DO THE CANVASSING IN  ITS A DEBATE ME AND ME MISSUS HAVE GOIN ON AND FOUND A SITE WHO PRINTS LEAFLETS FOR £100 FOR 5000 IS IT WASTING MONEY OR AM I A CHEAP SKATE AND SHOULD BRASS UP THE DOSH ;)
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: lyndy on August 12, 2010, 04:33:41 pm
Brass up!! Depends how much time you have,takes 10 mins to order them,pay someone to deliver them,sit back and wait for the calls
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: gavin pedley on August 12, 2010, 04:39:28 pm
Think about your leaflet too the right one can bring in more than another, there are many good ideas out there for good leaflets that get noticed as many get chucked straight in the bin.

I dont even look at leaflets that get put i my door any more i literally pick them up and put them in the bin not even knowing what they are for, this is a good example of a leaflet that will get read http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=106524.0
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: wpclean on August 12, 2010, 04:58:42 pm
Try using cards instead, I find they get a better response and they usually hang on to them for future reference .
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on August 12, 2010, 05:06:36 pm
SO I HAVE TO BRASS UP THEN SEEMS THE LADY HAS WON  ;D WILL TAKE IT OUT OF HER SHOPPING MONEY
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: glen parva on August 12, 2010, 05:09:12 pm
thats all we do is leaflet picked up 100 custys this year and loads of 1 offs
 2 churches  and a few shops i let the custy call me there idea i found with door knocking it on the spot decision  and they come and go quicker least with leaflets its there idea  ;D
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on August 12, 2010, 05:41:24 pm
Leaflets will be ordered tomorrow - and not out the shopping money neither! Think combination of leaflets and door knocking will be used to compare how each works. Both has its merits I think. Personally not comfortable with door knocking because I don't like being disturbed whereas other half will talk to anyone  ;D
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: tom2009 on August 12, 2010, 05:54:04 pm
can't beat a bit of knocking! I know some windies see it as begging for work, thats what one round here told me it felt like - can't beat a bit of begging  ;)
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on August 12, 2010, 06:00:52 pm
If anyone is comfortable with door knocking I say go for it - and who cares if its begging!

Too many of those 'no canvassing' signs appearing though so will have to be a leaflet for them - if it's worth bothering at all
Title: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: DanC on August 12, 2010, 06:03:40 pm
I dropped some (reasonably priced) business cards recently.  Before putting them through the letter box, I had a quick look, put a price on the back and option of frequency (4 or 8 weeks) and it proved quite effective.  I'm going to do it again ;D
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Smudger on August 12, 2010, 06:20:59 pm
While all you guys are 'waiting around' for some1 to ring you  a more motivated w/c will be
getting them on board, working and getting paid.

this year i door knocked at at the last count picked up over 250 regular new custy's
plus loads of other items, such as conny cleans,

if i knock a door and get a no, they get a leaflet, then i don't have to waste time re leafleting that address,

i'm sure many people get fed up reading the same leaflet every couple of months!

leaflets work, but it's a slow burn, if you need want to get work and a decend quantity then knocking is
the way to go.

Darran
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Sapphire Window Cleaning on August 12, 2010, 07:01:48 pm
I use a combination of the 2, I will drop 200-300 leaflets of each night then on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday-late morning I will quickly knock on the doors I have leafleted that week.

One thing I have noticed lately is there are more and more no salesmen signs on the front of doors.



Matt
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: tom2009 on August 12, 2010, 07:17:45 pm
I use a combination of the 2, I will drop 200-300 leaflets of each night then on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday-late morning I will quickly knock on the doors I have leafleted that week.

One thing I have noticed lately is there are more and more no salesmen signs on the front of doors.



Matt

we've only got to worry when the signs say no window cleaners
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Sapphire Window Cleaning on August 12, 2010, 07:36:39 pm
LOL @ Tom

 ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on August 12, 2010, 08:02:29 pm
i think ive upset me missus re leaflets and shopping money issue  dog house beckons
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: amayze on August 12, 2010, 09:23:30 pm
It's definately NOT a waste of money.

Firstly, use Leaflet Xpress down in Cornwall. You can get 10,000 A5 flyers for £85 inc £15 delivery charge. Thats a better value for money.

Secondly, whilst some leaflets will get throw away (once, within 10 secs of me putting it thro the letterbox), some will keep them.

I still get calls from my early leaflet drops, and last week, one from my first 100, when I used to photocopy them at Staples and cut them up at home !!
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: gavin pedley on August 12, 2010, 10:13:41 pm
is this them? http://www.printingleaflets.co.uk/prices.html
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Sean Dyer on August 12, 2010, 10:47:56 pm
both have there place

if your knocking what if theyre not in

what if they dont want to decide there and then

i find knocking and posting yields the best results


went out knocking a few weeks ago and was basically saying - do you want a window cleaner

picked up work to value of £75 a month all really close, and also had 3 calls from leaflets since to go quote

so knock and post

the problem with canvassing is its hard, harder than cleaning if you are not that way inclined BUT its the best way to build,
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: mick hay on August 13, 2010, 08:19:53 am
Ive been going 5 years, and built my whole business on leaflet drops!

Got a very healthy customer base and get calls for windows and conservatory cleans every year from leaflets dropped years ago.

i will drop 80,000 throughout the year, every year.

A 2% response is very hopeful, if you go on 0.5% for immediate response, you wont go far wrong!!!!
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Smudger on August 13, 2010, 12:27:54 pm
80k ! - i'd have to leaflet every house 5 times a year in a 20 mile radius to offload that amount!

Darran
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: dazmond on August 13, 2010, 12:54:23 pm
smudger i think he pays a company to deliver them!i dont think he delivers them himself!!i think mick its quite a shrew businessman!a lot more than me!i could learn a lot off mick the way he runs his business!! ;) ;D ;D


regards

dazmond
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: geefree on August 13, 2010, 04:36:57 pm
Leaflets are meant to go in the bin,  thats why we only get a tiny percentage of work from them, but you can generate work from them, just the same as you can from any form of advertising,

If you place an advert in the paper, the only people that will ring you are people who need you,  same as leaflets

if you spend £150 on 10,000 leaflets and get only 20 customers at £10 per month,( as an example only as you can build a round on this amount)..  that is still £2400 in one year !

So money well spent,

but door knocking is simply a faster way to build a round. because its instant and you are pushing them into finally getting round to getting a window cleaner.

Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Sean Dyer on August 13, 2010, 05:39:01 pm
Ive been going 5 years, and built my whole business on leaflet drops!

Got a very healthy customer base and get calls for windows and conservatory cleans every year from leaflets dropped years ago.

i will drop 80,000 throughout the year, every year.

A 2% response is very hopeful, if you go on 0.5% for immediate response, you wont go far wrong!!!!
where do you get them printed and delivered mick ???
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: prestigeclean on August 13, 2010, 07:59:54 pm
if you are knocking , take no notice of the stickers on the doors in my experience most people have forgotten they,re even on there , also take no notice of the signs saying no door to door selling , i went out this week and picked up 12 jobs in an area where they were everwhere regards alan
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: e newlands on August 14, 2010, 09:07:50 am
i use a co on ebay cheap leaflets 5000 for under 40 quid i also recently got some ridge magnets done with number etc for advertising  eot / builders clean side and dropped them off to estate agents builders etc paid for themselves from the first job generated
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: leights on August 14, 2010, 09:38:59 am
most of my work has come from ie,can you do the missis friends house, mother in laws, sisters house ect and the first house came from a flyer,  then it grew out of cntrl.

i got a rule of thumb which u can use its really effective in fact everyone should try it.

if i get a new house from a call from an ad or just one of my customers asking for me to go round and clean it
 i knock and flyer the no answs 10 houses either side of the house in question, takes me 20 mins and most of the time i get at least 1 house, so thats now 2 in that street i will have, and then 10 houses from the that house ect ect.
 its great, :P
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: d s windowcleaning on August 14, 2010, 09:54:01 am
ive not posted any flyers for a few years but i got a really good response by leaving a 100 or so in local village shops , doctors reception area local gym just places where a lot of people use they tend to only take 1 if they want the service you offer .
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: mick hay on August 14, 2010, 04:24:16 pm
Ive been going 5 years, and built my whole business on leaflet drops!

Got a very healthy customer base and get calls for windows and conservatory cleans every year from leaflets dropped years ago.

i will drop 80,000 throughout the year, every year.

A 2% response is very hopeful, if you go on 0.5% for immediate response, you wont go far wrong!!!!
where do you get them printed and delivered mick ???

Hi Sean,
i get them printed at   www.cheapleaflets.net    cant fault him

and a fella in manchester delivers them for me, he does mainly council and govt stuff, but ive been with him since he started so still does mine, i pay £25 per 1,000
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Sean Dyer on August 14, 2010, 06:34:07 pm
thats really good i was paying 35 per 1000 and thought that was cheap

thanks mick

Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Susan @ MB Window Cleaning on August 15, 2010, 10:32:09 am
IF I was going to have someone deliver my leaflets for me I would only use Royal Mail.
I have tried a few leaflet distribution companies and I know for a fact they none of them delivered all the leaflet I assigned to them.




Matt
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Smudger on August 15, 2010, 11:09:03 am
Dazmond,  i didn't think for a minute that Mike hand delivered them himself!

there just isn't that many houses around here,  something like 15k within 12 miles of base, so mass drops
of 80k a year would just mean continually leafleting the same houses time and again

Darran
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: daniel worgan on August 15, 2010, 11:24:48 am
IF I was going to have someone deliver my leaflets for me I would only use Royal Mail.
I have tried a few leaflet distribution companies and I know for a fact they none of them delivered all the leaflet I assigned to them.




Matt

And what makes you think that a postman will deliver them all as well..... ;D
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Susan @ MB Window Cleaning on August 15, 2010, 11:58:38 am
They won't dump them in the gutter. Royal mail would be sued to high heaven if they did that.
Plus they are dropping the post off so one leaflet isn't going to make a difference to their everyday job.
Most of these "leaflet distribution" companies really don't give 2 hoots about whether they deliver the leaflets.




Matt
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: bobby p on August 15, 2010, 12:08:55 pm
i found a good way was to put a little ad in a shop window for a leafleter . then pay at the end of each time they go out,so you can see them and hear their stories of their time working. if they tell you about dogs or anything such as enquiries you know they are doing it . 
HOWEVER  they all get sick of doing it in the end ,well mine did, and once i stopped getting any phone calls i knew my leafleter was pulling a stroke and time to move on .luckily i had built up a real big wodge of work by that time
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Panorama on August 15, 2010, 03:54:08 pm
They won't dump them in the gutter. Royal mail would be sued to high heaven if they did that.
Plus they are dropping the post off so one leaflet isn't going to make a difference to their everyday job.
Most of these "leaflet distribution" companies really don't give 2 hoots about whether they deliver the leaflets
hi everybody this is my first post. regarding statement above, i used to be a postman and they wont deliver if you are not paying to do so. everything is around baggage weight now so im afraid the leaflet wont be priority and wont be delivered
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: Window Washers on August 15, 2010, 04:00:59 pm
Dazmond,  i didn't think for a minute that Mike hand delivered them himself!

there just isn't that many houses around here,  something like 15k within 12 miles of base, so mass drops
of 80k a year would just mean continually leafleting the same houses time and again

Darran
you could well be missing the point!
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: mark mann on August 15, 2010, 10:59:42 pm
hi all
i am still experimenting with door knocking - ie cold door knocking without leaflet drop and if no answer leave a leaflet (a5 one sided at the moment) alternatively leafelt a road and then return 2 days later and the line is following up the leaflet.

both ways had mixed results and despite a good 1st week canvassing (im a newbie) the 2nd and 3rd week been crap - which has a knock on effect to being relaxed and confident - picked up most of my customers door knocking when i have felt relaxed confident expectation and being cheerful. i was so down the other day my words came out like a limp wuss - i though thats it im off home and starting fresh tomorow - door knocking has been significantly better than leaflets 24 customers from 3 weekends canvassing only 2 have come from leaflets though ive got one to folow up so possibly 3 (id handwritten an estimate on it when i posted that one) - for the record my and the missus have posted around 800 leaflets - id post it on he for vetting by u guys but havent figured that out yet
Title: Re: why waste money on leaflet drops
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on August 17, 2010, 05:20:03 pm
got some leaflets left from last time i had them will experiment tonight with a leaflet drop will keep it local i think