Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: geefree on August 05, 2007, 09:59:43 am
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Hi,
I have been out delivering leaflets, my leaflet heading is TRADITIONAL WINDOW CLEANER. etc... then it goes on to explain we also use the pure water fed pole system...
Now, i also have a photo on it with a guy cleaning an awkward window with the pole....
my problem is .... i am getting very little responce,.. am i confusing my would be customers? am i putting them off with wfp?
i used to use a small leaflet home made which simply had my heading at the top , and simply said , " do you require a regular, llocal friendly window cleaner? we are currently expanding our services to your area " etc etc..
and i had immediate calls the same day.
what do you guys think?
too much info confusing etc?
Cheers.
Gary.
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Hi,
I have been out delivering leaflets, my leaflet heading is TRADITIONAL WINDOW CLEANER. etc... then it goes on to explain we also use the pure water fed pole system...
Now, i also have a photo on it with a guy cleaning an awkward window with the pole....
my problem is .... i am getting very little responce,.. am i confusing my would be customers? am i putting them off with wfp?
i used to use a small leaflet home made which simply had my heading at the top , and simply said , " do you require a regular, llocal friendly window cleaner? we are currently expanding our services to your area " etc etc..
and i had immediate calls the same day.
what do you guys think?
too much info confusing etc?
Cheers.
Gary.
I think it's better to limit the amount of initial info in order to avoid clutter and confusion (taking care to include business name AND address and a LANDLINE phone number). I put on there that full terms and conditions will be provided if a quotation is requested. Although this has usually worked reasonably OK for me, I found that my last batch of leaflets had a very poor response. This may have been because I targetted areas that were likely to be already popular with window cleaners.
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You need to remember that the best time to deliver leaflets is at the weekend because during the week it will get mixed up with the junk the postman delivers.
I do this and some of you may do this in that we pick up the letters and just screw up the junk without looking at it.
What I find that works is business cards.
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I have put put a few leaflets in the past 2 weeks and the response rate is far lower than normal...I presume this is because it is holiday season...but I am getting a much lower call rate....I'll put out 1 thousand this week just to see...I have noticed in my local area than most of the caravans are back (indicating the people are back from hols).
Leaflets are not that good so the number put out has to reflect the general low response rate.
:) Dave.
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gazza i think you have answered your own question there mate are you trad or wfp because i would be confused if it came though the post.
if youy are wfp then remove the trad bit and change it to wfp
i have found with leaflets that they only realy work if you place an ad in the local paper at the same time and also have a sign written van that is being seen out and about.
unfortunaty this time of year there are to many beer money w/c going around chucking out poorly made leaflets and getting a bad name for us ture w/c.
nothing wrong with making your own up but make them up on good paper or even card because people will see that you have taken time and effort into making them which in turn show the sort of work you will do
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Hi,
I have been out delivering leaflets, my leaflet heading is TRADITIONAL WINDOW CLEANER. etc... then it goes on to explain we also use the pure water fed pole system...
Now, i also have a photo on it with a guy cleaning an awkward window with the pole....
my problem is .... i am getting very little responce,.. am i confusing my would be customers? am i putting them off with wfp?
i used to use a small leaflet home made which simply had my heading at the top , and simply said , " do you require a regular, llocal friendly window cleaner? we are currently expanding our services to your area " etc etc..
and i had immediate calls the same day.
what do you guys think?
too much info confusing etc?
Cheers.
Gary.
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WHOOPS SORRY...
hi,
these are not home made leaflets,.... i state that i am a window cleaner who also uses the wfp...... the picture is an example of what can be cleaned with wfp...
i probably have answered my own question, i usually get a good response.... but i think winter is better for leaflets when all the lazy boys go back into hibernation.and we get their beer money back.
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remember also that this time of year people have gone on holiday too, so many may not see your leaflet for a few weeks and when they get back will be faced with a pile of post to sort through.
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thanks guys...
i will hope its because of the bad boys and the holidays and not my leaflet.
;)
cheers
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is that my lot ? lol
out of 107 w/c,s ::) ::) ;D
:)
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come on petski...
your the man ;D
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i used to use a small leaflet home made which simply had my heading at the top , and simply said , " do you require a regular, llocal friendly window cleaner? we are currently expanding our services to your area " etc etc..
and i had immediate calls the same day.
Cheers.
Gary.
If your origional leaflets were getting people to phone why change them. Maybe just have them done at a printers.
"If it aint broken why fix it"
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good responce.
;)
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i use business cards ordered from vistaprint can upload your own design
if needed. mine are the basic blue with my details what i do my home address
my home number etc etc i then laminate them 200 at a time never fail to get a
least five enquires from these. last week picked up 8 new customers just from
couple hours delivering.
speak to customers about these cards they all say they look more proffesonial
than leaflets
oh yeah cost me £18 for 2500 cards
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i use business cards ordered from vistaprint can upload your own design
if needed. mine are the basic blue with my details what i do my home address
my home number etc etc i then laminate them 200 at a time never fail to get a
least five enquires from these. last week picked up 8 new customers just from
couple hours delivering.
speak to customers about these cards they all say they look more proffesonial
than leaflets
oh yeah cost me £18 for 2500 cards
What size business cards do you use, the wallet size ones or bigger.
Thanks Matt
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maybe you shouldnt put too much details, use a seperate more detailed leaflet for commercial contracts. A plumber wouldnt say I am using this new method of plumbing. We are the tradesmen, it shouldnt matter to the customer how the job is carried out. The more you tell the customer about wfp, the more questions they have and the more they wonder about it, you don't want your customers to know too much in the sense that they can question your methods. I hope that makes sense, Luke
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I can't for the life of me understand this concept of delivering leaflets!
If you're taking the time to walk up to somebodies door and push one through the letterbox why not just ring the doorbell and give it the sales speil?
OK if nobody is in then push the flyer through the letter box....you never know!
But experience tells me that new customers like to see a face to get an idea as to who is going to be on their property.
I've found that my "hit" rate is something under 1% using leaflets. Bang on doors and I reckon 3ish per hour...take a week out of work and canvass 5hrs per day...that's 15 per day Xs 5 = 75 new customers.
Also with all these leaflets being chucked...think about all the trees!!!!!
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you've hit the nail on the head simon, 98% of my customers have come from cold calling, I only leave a leaflet if nobodys in and then I will go back to the not at homes in a few days, it works a treat. I have only ever had one day when I didnt come home with a new customer and that was because nobody was in. luke
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I think that people who leaflet are basically shy...(which isn't a crime).
But what's the worst case scenario? People say "no thanks".
Let the shy'uns carry on with the leaflets...me and you will cold call and get the biz ;D
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Simon,
I find that a lot of the so called customers you get when you canvass turn out to be people who never thought about having a window cleaner until you turned up and put the idea into their head.
Then after a couple of cleans they lose interest and cancel or mess you about and you end up dropping them.
They are the "Oh yes alright then" types who will give it a go just because it was suggested. When a customer replys to a leaflet they are much more serious about having their windows done and tend to last.
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I agree totally, but even that being the case I'd still rather spend time knocking on doors and get work than post flyers through letterboxes and hope for a return call.
People are fickle and at the end of the day they either want a regular clean or it's a one off...how you've "touched base" with them is academic.
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Gazza,
The price you pay for professional leaflets could get you a years listing in the Yellow Pages mate! Think about it I got quoted a similar price for a few thousand leaflets as I did for the Yellow Pages and a few thousands leaflets takes hours if not days to post were as with Yellow Pages they canvass around 100000 addresses for you. You could spend the time you were going to canvass actually knocking on a few doors and get a better ration of customers per houses visited ration.
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i use business cards ordered from vistaprint can upload your own design
if needed. mine are the basic blue with my details what i do my home address
my home number etc etc i then laminate them 200 at a time never fail to get a
least five enquires from these. last week picked up 8 new customers just from
couple hours delivering.
speak to customers about these cards they all say they look more proffesonial
than leaflets
oh yeah cost me £18 for 2500 cards
What size business cards do you use, the wallet size ones or bigger.
Thanks Matt
wallet size, go tescos get their cheap laminating paper £4 25 sheets in each
pack and a cheaper laminating machine from there£12-£15 inormally get 10
business cards between each sheet 1pack=250 laminated.
It can be a bit time consuming but its definately worth it, had another three
calls today while i was out,its definately the cards they look much more professional
than the flyers and at a cheaper cost to your self.
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I think you have to keep it simple , not to much information on them or they bin them straight away.
When I first started I had a good responce from my leaflets.I did some cheap home made ones
All I put on was
Do you have a window cleaner.
Do you want a window cleaner.
We are now cleaning in your area.
For a free quote.
Please leave this leaflet in your window .
Then on the other side I put
Yes please give me a quote for cleaning my windows.
A couple of days later I went around the area and any that had a leaflet in the window I gave them a quote and also told them what day I would be cleaning .
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I personally prefer to leaflet because i know how irritating it is people
knocking on your door selling goods or services,so i give the potential customer
the option. like a previous poster said these customers who then approach
you really do want a service from you.
I have found personally thats what works for myself :)
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if the customer call you then they want a window cleaner and you can charge more but i found that if i cold door knock then they think you need work and will haggle like mad. i like the idea that they need me not me need then and leaflets just let them know that you are about. shy not at all ill knock on any door and talk to any one but during work i only like to talk to people who are intrested in me cleaning their windows not just to explain the wfp.
again when i expanded into another area i put leaflets in selected areas and also had a half page ad in local paper. i now have very good work which enabled me to give 10k a year of work away.
the business card works well as 3 mths ago doing one customer in this very classy road i delivered cards though doors out of 18 cards got 6 customers out of it within the time i got home and now have 10 3 mths later. all £25+ and done well inside a working day and recon theres room for 3-4 more which i have priced up and waiting for the go a head. ps all had other w/c and were paying £15ish but he hardly turn up
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Vince,
that will always happen and some people will only use you as they are moving etc etc but the way i get round that one is to charge them an initial clean price.this way if you charge £15 instead of £10 if they then cancel its been worth your while if they remain a customer your quids in.