Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Doctor Carpet (Ret'd) on August 03, 2009, 11:15:12 pm
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After 8 years of being tucked away on about page 96 of the carpet cleaning section, on a left hand page at the bottom I've finally made it. :o
In the new "slim-line" YP for Manchester South I am the FIRST box advert under the heading of "Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners."
I am on a RIGHT HAND page.
My advert starts HALF WAY down.
It couldn't get any better.
Actually it could. The advert below mine is the same width but with smaller font and with paler colours. It actually gives the impression that my advert is BIGGER than what it is. And these are the only two box adverts on the first page.
Other competitors include with box adverts:
-2 Servicemaster
-4 Competent Cleaners
-4 Chem-dry
-4 adverts with tiny boxes 1/12 of a page for independents
-10 adverts with very small boxes in yellow
My advert has always done me exceedingly proud.
This will be a test.
"Today South Manchester, tomorrow....the world"
(Good old Yellow Pages)
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Don't worry Roger, next year you will have it all to yourself. ;D
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Don't worry Roger, next year you will have it all to yourself. ;D
in other words, the reverse of your advert will be blank. ;D
good luck roger, hope it works wonders for ya.
derek
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here we go again another yellow pages debate. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
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total waste of money yellow pages think people are idots if thay go in there
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not recieved my yellow pages yet but i did get a yellow pamphlet through the door with yellow pages written on it ;D
nice add roger, should do well with that mate.
roger and clinton do me a small favour. and pretend your not carpet cleaners.
lets say you wanted your leather suite cleaned or repaired and you use the yellow pages, also you have to consider the fact that most people don't associate leather cleaning with carpet cleaners. so now look in the yellow pages and tell me what you find. my fingers are crossed.
derek
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Hi Guys
Ross, Roger is an in intelligent, articulate man, certainly no fool.
I have gone back in YP this year with a small card type advert, was cheaper because i am a 'new' customer. Main reason for doing it was a couple of old custies who had lost my number had trouble finding me and also because since I sussed out what works i have always got about 5:1.
Cheers
Doug
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If YP offered me a good deal I would probably give it another shot, but it'd have to be a lot cheaper than last year. I've started getting work from it all of a sudden.... Do you think YP is enocouraging custy's to ring???
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T'up in t'north of the country YP still works........
Roger are you going to show us a copy on here?
Shaun
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total waste of money yellow pages think people are idots if thay go in there
I can't help but spot a little bit of irony in there somewhere :)
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I thunk that two Jim ;D ;D ;D
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yaeh :D :D
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It's like any advertising, you work off your own ROI and testing. Other people's experiences may help guide you initially as save a lot of time and money but hey if it's working milk it for all it's worth.
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fingers uncrossed and ready to answer the phones (plural)
cheers clinton
worth a shot i thought, out side the box eh! downstairs for dancing!
derek
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"the fact that most people don't associate leather cleaning with carpet cleaners"
Derek do you know this as fact or is it just your opinion? perhaps people associate leather suites with upholstery cleaners so would look under carpet & upholstery cleaners in the Y/Ps
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just my opinion mike. definately not fact.
derek
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How true about not being associated with leather cleaning, after all of the 'fuss' about 18-2 years ago on the forums of having to be trained and having a lucrative market my leather work is falling to lower levels of enquiries albeit I don't push it near enough but my scotchguard sales are getting better and better.
2 lessons here are that
1. If you don't tell people they won't know you do something
2. Don't follow the crowd
2a. Looking for a hard floor course now ;D
Shaun
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I have a hard time understanding what Roger Koh is on about most of the time. But one thing I totally understand is whilst you will get leather work off the back of your associated cleaning skills, the perception of 'specialist' will yield the biggest return.
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T'up in t'north of the country YP still works........
Roger are you going to show us a copy on here?
Shaun
Would love to Shaun but my scanner doesn't want to play/shuffled off its mortal coil/is pushing up the daisies/is no more....you get the picture. Or rather you don't. (If I ever do get it working or replaced then I will happily do so.)
The point of the original post was not to have an in-depth discussion about the rights and wrongs of YP but just for me to celebrate the fact that I would appear to have pole position in this year's edition.
I could have gone on (and on and on) about how it works for me and my ROR on it, but that wasn't the point.
(At a tangent to that, as I was typing this I got an enquiry from a lady who had particularly liked the advert and wording. As she lived much nearer to Derek and it was a bit of an emergency I have pointed her in his direction even though she wasn't overstruck by the name of his company. Moral: what works for one might not work for somebody else but that doesn't mean to say that both parties cannot both be right at the same time.)
Derek
Like Clinton I found the advert. Just so long as people don't think you do other things with leather. I haven't tried looking in the section for rubber.....or battery-driven gizmos. ;D
Roger
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she rang me. but i couldn't help. pointed her in the direction of the plumbers insurance company. but cheers for thinking of me.
as for my trading name, if i could think of one that would appeal to everyone, i'd be a millionaire. and the name does look better when you see the company, they compliment each other. ;D
derek
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My pleasure Derek. As you say you can't be all things to all people and yes, it's the whole image that counts as has been said on here before many times.
Roger
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I passed on a full house of carpets to be cleaned to another carpet cleaner today and boy did it hurt! just too far and she wanted it too soon, based on what she was saying it had about 3000 sq ft at least and all empty, didn't get talking price as I would have scared the socks off her.
Shaun
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Shaun
Got a slightly "strange" customer. She phoned on Monday and asked for a clean on Wednesday. I said I could fit it in in her timescale on Wednesday afternoon. She said no it had to be morning as she was going out in the afternoon. She wouldn't leave me a key or anything like that despite working for her over a period of 8 years.
Finally she said "I know it's short notice, so don't worry (I wasn't) I'll try another carpet cleaner :o ??? :-X and see if he can fit me in Wednesday morning. If he can't I'll come back to you and organise it properly for next week."
I was far too professional to tell her what I was thinking at that point. :-X :-X
(I'm not passing-on the biggy I've got coming up in the North East next month, though.)
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Shaun,
I always think of that film Brewsters millions in situations like that. I've recently been passed work by a guy near me who is a bit poorly at the moment. I was very heartened and flattered that a 'competitor' I hardly know would do that.
Have you noticed how the most generous are the most successful?
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Received new book today, only 4 sides this year down from 15 in last years book. The book is half the size as well.
Maybe that the thing to do, go in becasue everyone else is pulling out.
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Received new book today,
Bit slow around your way aren't they ;D
Check out how many adverts carry the same commercial carpet picture ;D ;D ;D
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They call me Mr.Generous it's a well known nick name I have.
Shaun
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would you adam an eve it.
got a call today from an insurance company, she said we've got a company who have had an accident with water coming through the ceiling and onto a 3 piece suite on a job they were doing.
yes, same job that roger passed onto me.
i'm guessing the insurance company liked the name of the company ;D ;)
derek
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Derek
Isn't life ironic? :)
Trust your increased price is just as affordable. Go and wow her ,my son. :o
Roger
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turned them down as well roger, i'm not spending all day trying to get a lot of rust out of a 3 piece suite. just not my scene man ;D
derek