Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Perfect Windows on May 16, 2016, 03:04:40 pm
-
I regularly have enquiries from outside our area.
Just wondering what people's opinions are on whether to have a section devoted to dealing with them. It'd keep it off the main forum and it would be a section only looked at by people interested in taking on such work.
Any opinions?
-
Good idea. I've had 1 enquiry from Surrey (100+ miles away), 1 from Taunton (70 miles) and a couple from Devon (60+miles) in the last couple of months. ::)roll
-
Good idea, I am getting lots of enquiries that are slightly out of my area, it would be good to do something with them. I even thought of starting up a website just to deal with this problem, but I don't have the time now the sun is out.
-
It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.
Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.
-
Why would someone be "suspect"?
The punter has called me to have their windows cleaned and they are out of my area. If a window cleaner covers their area and isn't full, they'd have to be an utter blathering idiot not to want me to pass on their name to the customer. I'd be passing on the details of a window cleaner to someone who want a window cleaner. How could that be anything other than good?
Vin
-
It's handy to know the windys in your area , some of them could cover quite a large area. I have been passing quite a few enquiries onto windys I know
-
Spruce meant the 100 miles away example
If a customer couldn't work out from my WWW where i cover, then i wouldn't want to pass them on ;)
-
Haha I get you
-
It's handy to know the windys in your area , some of them could cover quite a large area. I have been passing quite a few enquiries onto windys I know
I did do this all time BUT only ONE person has the decency to text and say thanks so far. So that stopped last week!!!!!!!!!!!
A simple text saying thanks for the lead takes seconds. Ok maybe the person never called the company but i always say mention my name please. The amount of work i pass over is unreal on a weekly basis. It eats into my day explaining they would do better calling XYZ. Now i just say i am full up, sorry.
-
It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.
Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.
Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that). Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course ;D
-
Good idea, I am getting lots of enquiries that are slightly out of my area, it would be good to do something with them. I even thought of starting up a website just to deal with this problem, but I don't have the time now the sun is out.
Alright Robbo, what areas do you cover (East of Bournemouth, that is.. West is my patch!) ;D
-
It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.
Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.
Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that). Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course ;D
Osha-clean springs to mind as you could charge them for every enquiry you get you don't want and pass on to them as I'm betting they get [MOD NOTE - NO SWEARING] all ;D ;D.
-
Dave: I know West is your patch...that's why I sneak in and clean at night ;D
Smurf: I was going to set up a website where interested parties would pay say...£3 month to be involved and everything else is at face value.
-
Here's one
From: *************************
Subject: ***********************
***************
Message Body:
Quote required for conservatory clean; remove weeds, moss and lichen, clear gutters.
--
This e-mail was sent from a contact form on OAKLEY WINDOW CLEANING (http://oakleywindowcleaning.co.uk)
Data protection act springs to mind as you just can't post personal details like that (now edited) into the public domain for everyone to see surely ???
-
Dave: I know West is your patch...that's why I sneak in and clean at night ;D
;D
-
It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.
Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.
Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that). Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course ;D
Optimize Location Targeting - AdWords In Under Five Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8k1kMFO-qw
-
Dave: I know West is your patch...that's why I sneak in and clean at night ;D
Smurf: I was going to set up a website where interested parties would pay say...£3 month to be involved and everything else is at face value.
It's not as simple as that or everyone would be at it surely.
How much do you think such a venture would cost to start up and operate successfully?
More importantly be able to make any sort of profit to make it worth your while.
For me local enquires for some reason or another I don't want to quote I either just ignore them or just say now "try so and so"and just leave it at that. For other enquiries outside my area that I'm not interestd in most of the time I just ignore them as can't be arsed spending time to try passing the leads onto others.
-
It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.
Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.
Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that). Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course ;D
Optimize Location Targeting - AdWords In Under Five Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8k1kMFO-qw
Thanks for the link but I did all that.
Adwords smallest geographical area you can work with is a postcode e.g. BH10. I have some fairly large postcode areas near to me. One half of the postcode is what I would consider a little gold mine, the other half of the same postcode is not so desirable to me. Hence I get, what I would consider, a non desirable customer. Perhaps I am being too picky?
-
It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.
Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.
Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that). Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course ;D
Optimize Location Targeting - AdWords In Under Five Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8k1kMFO-qw
Thanks for the link but I did all that.
Adwords smallest geographical area you can work with is a postcode e.g. BH10. I have some fairly large postcode areas near to me. One half of the postcode is what I would consider a little gold mine, the other half of the same postcode is not so desirable to me. Hence I get, what I would consider, a non desirable customer. Perhaps I am being too picky?
I have never found the need to use google adwords myself and I tend to ignore any ads on search results too.
You would be far better off with a good seo site that ranks highly on the first page of google organic search results if you ask me.
Regards to enquires in part postal areas that you don't want to work in for whatever reason then I don't class that as being picky at all.
-
Dave: I know West is your patch...that's why I sneak in and clean at night ;D
Smurf: I was going to set up a website where interested parties would pay say...£3 month to be involved and everything else is at face value.
It's not as simple as that or everyone would be at it surely.
How much do you think such a venture would cost to start up and operate successfully?
More importantly be able to make any sort of profit to make it worth your while.
For me local enquires for some reason or another I don't want to quote I either just ignore them or just say now "try so and so"and just leave it at that. For other enquiries outside my area that I'm not interestd in most of the time I just ignore them as can't be arsed spending time to try passing the leads onto others.
I agree, I tend to ignore some enquiries because I can't be bothered, but if I could make just a few quid on each one it might make it a bit of fun. Would another windie be willing to pay half a clean for a potential customer in his area, who knows?
More importantly, I get the hump spending money on Adwords and leaflets and the quality or location of the custy doesn't quite fit the bill (for me). And in reality the customer is wasted and that's the real shame. Over the next 3 months I have 20,000 leaflets going out, but they are in 'bang on' areas so I am hoping to feel better about those responses. Or i'll cry my bluddy eyes out!
As for setting up a website, as my pappy used to say 'it takes two coats of looking at'. I haven't really given it any thought beyond 'wouldn't it be a good idea'. Maybe this weekend i'll buy myself an AO sized whiteboard and get the pens out. Loves a bit of brainstorming does Robbo. ;D
-
It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.
Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.
Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that). Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course ;D
Optimize Location Targeting - AdWords In Under Five Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8k1kMFO-qw
Thanks for the link but I did all that.
Adwords smallest geographical area you can work with is a postcode e.g. BH10. I have some fairly large postcode areas near to me. One half of the postcode is what I would consider a little gold mine, the other half of the same postcode is not so desirable to me. Hence I get, what I would consider, a non desirable customer. Perhaps I am being too picky?
I have never found the need to use google adwords myself and I tend to ignore any ads on search results too.
You would be far better off with a good seo site that ranks highly on the first page of google organic search results if you ask me.
Regards to enquires in part postal areas that you don't want to work in for whatever reason then I don't class that as being picky at all.
Again I agree, I think Google Adwords suck but I am getting at least 1 call a day at the moment and I feel like the gambler at the roulette table waiting for the right numbers to come in. I get the odd good custy (just enough to pay for the adwords) but nothing more than that. As for SEO, I think I can build a good website (my own is ok) but my SEO skills are terrible and it doesn't interest me so I'm two pages in...i think.
-
The original point was not to make money.
Part of it was to give customer service - some of these leads are relatives/friends of my customers; I just want to pass them the details of someone who's professional enough that they'll bother to phone the lead back.
The other reason is that even though the rest of these leads are coming from money I've spent and I'd be getting nothing back, at least someone on here would be getting the benefit rather than the customer ending up with some unknown tracky-wearing-bottom-dwelling-pikey cleaner who'll let them down.
Anyway, sounds like there isn't any demand for a separate section on the forum for lead exchange.
Vin
-
Oooops sorry did get a bit off track.
Yes I'm up for it, excellent idea.
-
Potentials I call them tend to contact more than one service provider in their local area anyway. Therefore what may seem a hot lead can go cold very quickly so I can’t see the point of a lead swap section myself. Not only that I would never recommend anyone I don't know personally nor want to cold call potentials myself when they have contacted another firm for a quote in the first place.
Vin, as for adwords leads costing you money that end up being out of your area then maybe you should be looking at alternative options if you can't configure your adwords properly so to stop them coming through.
-
Potentials I call them tend to contact more than one service provider in their local area anyway. Therefore what may seem a hot lead can go cold very quickly so I can’t see the point of a lead swap section myself. Not only that I would never recommend anyone I don't know personally nor want to cold call potentials myself when they have contacted another firm for a quote in the first place.
Vin, as for adwords leads costing you money that end up being out of your area then maybe you should be looking at alternative options if you can't configure your adwords properly so to stop them coming through.
I don't have a problem at all with adwords from the wrong area. My searches are tighter than tight. The ones that come in are from non paid for results.
Vin
-
rather than the customer ending up with some unknown tracky-wearing-bottom-dwelling-pikey cleaner who'll let them down.
If you're that worried about the customer getting a good proffesional service then tell them how far away you are and ask for a mileage and call out charge that way they can benefit from the extreme Proffesional service you offer and you won't lose out either. Or they can make an informed descision and look for another one. Heaven forbid they might actually Google one ;D