Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: tonner0 on December 12, 2013, 11:43:16 am
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Just wondering what advice you guys could give me on doing some vouchers to try and keep customers coming back. I am thinking "10% off next time you have carpet cleaned", and voucher lasting up to 2 years. Should I print it on paper or light card and what sort of size would you suggest. Should it be able to be used for custy's friends too? Your thoughts on what works and what doesn't would be appreciated. Merry Christmas to all!
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If you're any good they'll call you back anyway.
So why bother discounting a job when they want you anyway?
Discounts are for attracting new customers (IMHO).
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Have the same carpet cleaned again within 6 months then they get it for free.
As long as while you are there they get another carpet cleaned
Or have it cleaned again within a year and you will do it for free and also give the a crisp new £10 note.
Or my favourite , have it cleaned again and you will buy them a speedboat :D
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We give 3 vouchers with each job - 1 for themselves (£25) off the next job, and 2 to pass on to friends with £20 off for the friend and £20 to the customer for the referral.
We've been doing it about a year, and are just starting to get a significant number of repeats using them. We also get a lot of repeats not using them, even though we know they were given one, and we only credit the value if the voucher is presented.
We used to put a 12 month validity on them, but now leave them open-ended.
To put the value in context we have £120 min job value, and ave. ticket about £240.
I can't give figures to show it works, but we'll carry on for now.
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I like that idea Max, thanks, I may well try that. I do car valeting as well as carpets and want to drop the valeting if I can get enough carpet cleaning to do so want to build up my customers. It would be interesting to have others opinions as well, especially on the thought that discounts should be for new customers. Thank you all for your responses.
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If you're any good they'll call you back anyway.
So why bother discounting a job when they want you anyway?
Discounts are for attracting new customers (IMHO).
David what do you call the bloke who cleans your windows ? bet you dont know his name . they forget you in 98% of the time.
unless you actively remarket to them with letters
why else would Mike put out 4000 leaflets a year , by your reckoning he shouldnt have to .
Its a numbers game and you get a few re peats thats it .
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neil, David is righ, if your good thay will call you back, thay will keep your bussiness card, if your not good they will not.
my many customers asking me for bussiness card to leave with them before I going to leave it myself.
I am so busy this christmass thanks to massive recomendations and coming back customers and only a bit over year in bussiness.
And they remember my name, which is not english.
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I've told this tale many times before but worth repeating. A carpet cleaner who was starting up had to do a business course in order to get a grant. Part of the course entailed doing market research. He was at a loss at how to do this so his tutor asked him how many people get their carpets cleaned. He couldn't answer obviously so he was told to find out. What he did was stand outside a supermarket with a clipboard and asked people if they'd ever had their carpets professionally cleaned. Of the ones who said they had over 80% couldn't name the company that had done it. Frightening, but as has been said earlier not surprising. As a cleaner you are not that important in peoples lives unlike their dentist, doctor etc. Also a lot just think every cleaner is as good as the next unless you educate them otherwise when you do get the chance.
Regarding referals. I used to leave 10 x 10% discount vouchers with the customer to pass on to friends and family. These had the customers name written on so I could see where they came from. If I got 3 referals then the customer was given £20. I think in the 2 years I ran this it cost me the grand total of £120. Howevr I did also get loads of ones and twos which only cost me the 10% discount.
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Must admit I've gone to houses that have had there carpets cleaned before by someone else.
When I ask them who it was I bet 9 out of 10 can't remember.
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neil, David is righ, if your good thay will call you back, thay will keep your bussiness card, if your not good they will not.
my many customers asking me for bussiness card to leave with them before I going to leave it myself.
I am so busy this christmass thanks to massive recomendations and coming back customers and only a bit over year in bussiness.
And they remember my name, which is not english.
Bullpoop
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I have quite a few customers who I've been to more than a couple of times and they still ring me as if its the first time !
I say "I've been to you before " and they say "no I dont think so" ::)roll
In fact some deny they've even ever had there carpets cleaned before ::)roll
Bizarre !
People got short memories when its come to perfunctory things like cleaning, they just want to get it done and move on to the more exciting things in life !
Steve
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Bullpoop
if you say, let it be :)
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Bullpoop
if you say, let it be :)
I know so , been at it more than a year . You will never make a living of domestic repeats .
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neil, David is righ, if your good thay will call you back, thay will keep your bussiness card, if your not good they will not.
my many customers asking me for bussiness card to leave with them before I going to leave it myself.
I am so busy this christmass thanks to massive recomendations and coming back customers and only a bit over year in bussiness.
And they remember my name, which is not english.
Bullpoop
+1
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After 5 years full time I run at 60% repeat - recommendations no bullpoop :)
Today 5 jobs - 3 repeat 1 rec 1 magazine ad
Tmrw 4 jobs - 3 repeat 1 rec
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do not be a cold person, talk to them, take your time, not only good job to make them remember about you, nice people for nice customers ;)
Many people will call even cleaner who did not a best job, they will call as they liked you. Everyone customer is different / we just need to feel them.
Some might be 20 and more years in business and be not a nice person to talk with, customer will not call you again.
Guys, too much stress on you, stop thinking only about your hour rate, how much I am going to make this week and more... and be still hurry
Everyone here has a different point of view. But best is to say "bullpoop" ;D
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I agree Radek :)
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Rad
The only cc that get repeats after a year are ones that cause rapid resoiling by cleaning them wrong .
David
I agree you can get repeats but sometimes they are just a pain I like to go do a job get paid move on
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(light hearted reply):
Neil, you wind-up merchant ;)... Resoiling after 1 year cannot be blamed on a poor clean.
Anyway, your website says you still have availability before Xmas, so you must be doing it wrong.
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David I always have availability , theres lots of cc to pass work onto
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I've been to jobs where the customer has been overjoyed at the clean and then slagged of the last carpet cleaner and I've known it's been me that did it :o , and also knew i did a good job. ;D
Some people just like to have a good moan, it does make you wonder what people really say when you're gone !
Steve
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I've got lots of spaces before Xmas, which will all fill up as time goes on.
I can't see why it's some sort of badge of honour to say you are booked up, all it means is you are letting Down all the people who call,
hull must be different to the rest of England as I've spoken to 5 carpet cleaners over the last week all have spaces to fill, either this area is different or the carpet cleaners don't have inferiority complexes and need to boost their egos with stories about how successful they must be as they are fully booked ;D ;D
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That will all change in the next few years, Mike.
Now that Hull has been awarded city of culture for 2017 the residents will all want to show they are 'cultured' by having their carpets and upholstery cleaned regularly ;)
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I agree
With mike
Most people view websites sat sun then book Monday
Steve
You are spot on , I get one a week that swears I did them when I know I didn't
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do not be a cold person, talk to them, take your time, not only good job to make them remember about you, nice people for nice customers ;)
Many people will call even cleaner who did not a best job, they will call as they liked you. Everyone customer is different / we just need to feel them.
Some might be 20 and more years in business and be not a nice person to talk with, customer will not call you again.
Guys, too much stress on you, stop thinking only about your hour rate, how much I am going to make this week and more... and be still hurry
I whole heartedly agree with the bits of the above I can understand (and be still hurry? wtf?). My endorsement of the "bullpoop" comment was because all of that isn't enough - and your dismissal of the value of trying other stuff, like vouchers, seems complacent.
I reckon we should try to do our best at everything we do. In encouraging people to keep our details, we need to be warm and friendly and give them an incentive. Complacency - thinking you don't need to improve - is dangerous.
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???
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It's not always the same carpet when it's a repeat!
Quite often it's the lounge then back a few months later for bedrooms then back again after the builders have been etc
Rubbish job = no repeats.
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Max read carefully what i said as i do not disagree to the vouchers.
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Your all missing the point here.
Which is
Max - how do you achieve £120 min and £240 average. Ive just made that my new years resolution so please tell me how you do it assuming we're talking residential jobs.
Thanks
Mark
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thanks for information
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Your all missing the point here.
Which is
Max - how do you achieve £120 min and £240 average. Ive just made that my new years resolution so please tell me how you do it assuming we're talking residential jobs.
Thanks
Mark
Mark
Domestics priced at 60p /sq ft clean only 84p C&P (inc VAT) - rest follows. (In reality we find a reason to discount on a lot of jobs - most, even, and the min job value is for whole rooms - we will do a stain removal for less - hopefully not below £80.
Job sizes commercials higher, per sq ft much lower.
Radek
I must say I took it that you thought being a nice person was enough. We try very hard at every aspect, including being nice (You know - "being sincere is the key - fake that well, and you've got it made.), but we believe you've got to try at every level - including pushing price up.
We did think we were a bit high, but when we went through the VAT barrier, we just added it on top, and we're getting the same proportion of bookings (70 to 80% of visited quotes.)
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Thanks Max
But I was more thinking along the lines of what incentives do you use to push the average job up to or over the £240 average price.
For me £240 would get your suite and two average sized rooms cleaned without protector however those size of jobs are not the norm these days.
Also at those prices your in the higher end scale of homes and so how do you target them these days as there not typical yellow pages or google type customers.
Thanks
Mark
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Mark
Not a lot, specifically. A suite and the room, clean only, would be over the 240. We do a lot of leaflets, and blanket cover whole areas, then web, parish mags. Cambridge & the villages south is a "nice" area, and the local economy is healthy. We do visit any enquiry that's more than an EOT or a couple of rooms, unless they're repeats that we know. We don't push protection enough (for the business - but probably an attractive low key approach if you're a customer).
Customers know we're above average price, so we have to try hard to be perceived to be worth it.
Max