Clean It Up

UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: bennymon on August 29, 2006, 12:25:22 pm

Title: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on August 29, 2006, 12:25:22 pm
hi folks ive just had 50,000 leaflets printed costing £550       20,000 are being delivered next week costing £580  any idea what the 20,000 leaflets should bring in work wise .i have a small budget at present and im worried i may have made a costly mistake :-\ :-\ cheers
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: John Kelly on August 29, 2006, 12:39:09 pm
Its hard to estimate how much work your leaflets will bring in. It all depends on the area, type of customer etc. Not much help I know. However leaflets are one of the better marketing tools for carpet cleaners. The trick is to continue putting them out to the same areas on a regular basis. Only then will you be able to quantify how effective they have been.
One important point, make sure they are going out to where they say. Ring up a few people and ask if they got them, also an opportunity to ask if they want any cleaning done.
A lot of leaflet distribution companies use casual staff for delivering and its quite easy for large bundles of your leaflets to end up in the nearest bin.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Mike Osbourne on August 29, 2006, 12:48:45 pm


I think you are very brave to invest a grand in something you are not sure about the likely results. Could you not have done a 10k/20k drop and go off these results? I'd prefer to pay a little more per leaflet, than take an uncalculated risk.

Also depends on what your 'small' budget is. If you have £10k sitting around then fair enough.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on August 29, 2006, 02:03:56 pm
the company delivers for £23+vat per thousand but to get that price you have to put out 20k minimum    i need to get work as quickly as possible as im struggling to pay bills so its fingers crossed :)
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: craigp on August 29, 2006, 03:00:14 pm
the price you paid for leaflets pretty good, i take it thats full colour, leaflet companies in my experience stick  40% in the bin and deliver the rest, try delivering 2k a week your self. ive found its the only way, often you get poor results with first drop to an area you got to go back and deliver same area again after 4 months or so. then again after another 9 mths. and every 9 mths there after ;)
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Ian Gourlay on August 29, 2006, 03:12:14 pm
I am always concerned when I read of Forum members investing heavily.

I realise sometimes you have to gamble and most of us have lost seveal hundreads possibly thousands on Marketing that does not bring in results.

I think you should test leaflets before your invest in bulk distribution.

I hope it works for you.

I think you should also be looking at other ways of generating income.

Such as delivering leaflets for other trades people.

Window Cleaning etc while you are waiting for your marketing to kick in.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: the red carpet on September 05, 2006, 11:22:37 pm
You may be lucky, and i hope so.

The problem with what you have done is, if it dosent work well you wont know what to blame.
Were the leaflets rubbish?
or the delivery bad?
And so you will have to test again, throwing good money after bad :(

I think you should always deliver at least 5000 of any leaflet and record the response yourself, before getting anyone else to deliver for you.

Ps, anymore than 5-6 jobs per thousand is unrealistic, i think most are happy with 1-2.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on September 06, 2006, 06:02:39 pm
i will let you know how it goes  there going out this week not had one through my own door yet  :-\
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: rich hand on September 06, 2006, 09:46:18 pm
I have  a very reliable leaflet delivery team, im lucky, and they put out 100% I really do believe. Anyway I get around 3 calls per thousand of which 2 turn into jobs. Not an elablorate leaflet just the hard facts with minimum prices and it works better than several others I have tried although I havnt tried a leaflet with full on sales spiel.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: the red carpet on September 06, 2006, 09:54:54 pm
Richard, you really got lucky, i gather from previous posts this was one of the first companys you tried.

Belive me you have landed on your feet, i tried many many companys and got had over time and time again, its so fustrating >:(

After a year and to much wasted money to think about, i think iv finally found someone reliable.

Your next move now is to tweek your leaflet, so it brings in 4 jobs per thousand not 2.

Then you will really make money :D

I have a simple message you can add to your existing flyer that for me at least, doubled my jobs from 2 per thousand to 4.

If you wanna chat e-mail me.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: mark_roberts on September 06, 2006, 11:17:31 pm
I cant believe that your struggling for work and have taken such a huge gamble because a) you didnt deliver yourself and b) you didnt test.

You may get work but go deliver yourself and test different designs in batches of 3000 every 6 weeks.

Mark
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: nick p on September 07, 2006, 05:17:22 pm
hi

red whats the company you are using is it a national one

cheers nick
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on September 07, 2006, 05:38:25 pm
they are called sprint advertising
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: the red carpet on September 07, 2006, 05:47:00 pm
Never found a decent company yet, this is a one man band that gets a bit of help from his son now and then.

He does also do freelance work for dor2dor, but i tried them and got nowere ???

And the good thing, just £15 a thousand.

And i know he does the work, there is a oven clean company near me who's leaflets i allways see in my custys house's, and i have had them through my door and i see them about quite a lot as im delivering myself. And it has bugged my for ages how they seem to get so many out and every time i try a delivery firm i get knocked.

So i rung them and asked them who they used, and they put me on to this guy, they have used him for 3 years now and he comes highly recomended.

So fingers crossed
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: nick p on September 07, 2006, 05:55:23 pm

i just got info of sprint and another one called castle rock marketing sprint want to put 5 laflets through the door where as castle only do 3 at same time but dont no if they will go out 100%

cheers nick
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: rich hand on September 07, 2006, 09:08:40 pm
Richard, you really got lucky, i gather from previous posts this was one of the first companys you tried.

Belive me you have landed on your feet, i tried many many companys and got had over time and time again, its so fustrating >:(

After a year and to much wasted money to think about, i think iv finally found someone reliable.

Your next move now is to tweek your leaflet, so it brings in 4 jobs per thousand not 2.

Then you will really make money :D

I have a simple message you can add to your existing flyer that for me at least, doubled my jobs from 2 per thousand to 4.

If you wanna chat e-mail me.

I certainly did get lucky, found this company as soon as I got back from Oz when I really needed to get some work FAST cos I was skint! A friend of a friend simply said a leaflet guy lives up his street and there you go. He just has several guys delivering whom he hires and fires until he knows he has genuine deliverers and he finds out by knocking on doors himself. Generally you can forget the national companies who sub out to any old team. I have a mate who runs such a team and he states 40% get binned which is standard for all such teams.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: calmore on September 07, 2006, 09:26:29 pm
Can anyone recommend any leaflet distribution companies in Hampshire?
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: the red carpet on September 07, 2006, 10:48:39 pm
I have now decided on my method of recruiting leaflet deliverers if i ever need them.

See somone delivering leaflets.

Follow them for ten minutes.

Ask them if they want some extra work.

Done, at least that way your starting of with someone who actually delivers them.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Damian on September 07, 2006, 10:54:28 pm
When will you get time to kerb crawl red? Youre booked up-remember!?  ::)
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Lavinia on September 08, 2006, 11:08:06 am
I have found that if my flyers go out with a local company they get dilivered with 3 or 4 other flyers and I get a very poor responce. for the last year I have been using royal mails Door to Door and have not looked back,its more expensive but I get ten times more jobs.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: rich hand on September 08, 2006, 05:59:22 pm
My leaflets go out with 2-3 others and I still get 0.3% response
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: the red carpet on September 08, 2006, 08:25:15 pm
I dont need to kerb crawl, my delivery is sorted now ;)
Just my advice to others.

Lavinia, obviously the company you were using were not delivering then, like most, as royal mail go out with a couple other flyers as well.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: angela carlton on September 10, 2006, 09:55:01 pm
I'm not a leafleting fan, but the response Terry had from a handful of postcardscertainly caught my attention.

Seven calls from 50 cards is incredible.............

Angie     
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Ian Gourlay on September 11, 2006, 03:55:27 pm
I am anxiously wating to Hear what result bennymon acheived.

Hopefully busy cleaning carpets with enough work for the next two weeks.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on September 11, 2006, 05:48:44 pm
so far 2 calls one job booked then cancelled the next day :'(
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Damian on September 11, 2006, 08:24:58 pm
so far 2 calls one job booked then cancelled the next day :'(
What prices (if any) have you put on your leaflets bennymon?
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on September 12, 2006, 01:26:49 pm
hi i didnt put prices but they had 10% off  ive also got some to put out with 3 rooms for the price of 2  /and some for jan feb pay for 1 room get 1 free :)
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: John Kelly on September 12, 2006, 01:59:28 pm
Don't be disheartened its hard when you're starting out. When I first started I contacted as many estate agents as I could. Letter first then either phone call or visit. I used to do anything, full cleans, cookers, garden tidies, minor repairs. It all helped to pay the bills. I still work for one of them however only on their more upmarket properties, tight fisted landlords won't pay my prices.
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Mike Osbourne on September 12, 2006, 02:09:46 pm

Bennymon,

All I would say is leaflets for me have been a poor do. And that's me delivering them. All I would say is any carpet cleaner's saving grace is he can put his smartest gear on and start knocking on doors. I felt very helpless when the phone didn't ring, now I know I can get 2-3 jobs in an afternoon of doorknocking. In fact I'm off this afternoon as I don't have a job and this will fill up the week or start of next for me.

Put your phone on redirect so you don't miss any calls.



Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on September 15, 2006, 09:43:19 am
still no more calls from leaflets  :'( :'(  but  ive got 2 jobs monday and 1 all the other days  :) :)
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on September 15, 2006, 03:51:26 pm
just been told my leaflets were put in local papers im really pi**ed off  >:( the led me to believe they would go out with a couple of other leaflets the guy said its ok they have gone out  i said how would you like it if you ordered a steak dinner and got a **ing happy meal >:( >:(  SPRINT ADVERTISING  avoid >:(
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on September 21, 2006, 05:47:50 pm
so far 5 calls 2 jobs  £60  £135 dont think ill get any more now as they went out 2 weeks ago thats not good >:( >:( >:(
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Bob Robertson on September 21, 2006, 06:19:12 pm
Hi  Bennymon

Some people keep them and you get a call weeks later. dont give up hope ;)

tihson
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Mike Osbourne on September 21, 2006, 07:28:27 pm

Bennymon, so what is your plan of action? What have you been doing in the meantime? 
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: bennymon on September 22, 2006, 10:50:54 am
had a busy week until today[ builders not finished so cant do job yet] the plan of action is when im not working im gonna put out leaflets my self and knock on doors. i think i will ask people if they have had one of my leaflets if they havnt i will let them have one    and take it from there so it looks moore like im checking if the leaflets have been put out and not like a salesman  ;) ;)
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: carpetclean on September 22, 2006, 12:54:29 pm
I have found that if my flyers go out with a local company they get dilivered with 3 or 4 other flyers and I get a very poor responce. for the last year I have been using royal mails Door to Door and have not looked back,its more expensive but I get ten times more jobs.
i contacted door to door and theu informed me that it was £2500 minimum order. was this the case with you!?
Title: Re: leaflets
Post by: Mike Osbourne on September 22, 2006, 01:11:00 pm

Bennymon,

Yes, I use the 'have you had one of these?' method sometimes. Was mensioned on a previous post. If it eases you in to door knocking then fine.

I'd also be prepared for a delayed reaction. I did ok but was putting in 4 x 4 hrs sessions over a week. Got only 3 jobs and cheapies at that. Then week later suddenly the phone was ringing. There were days when I started questioning what the hell I was doing, so it's important to have faith and keep going.