Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Totus on September 12, 2009, 05:34:09 pm

Title: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 12, 2009, 05:34:09 pm
Currently in the throws of expanding through leafleting and also going to start cold calling end of this month. As all of you know it's a painstaking but necessary method of building our business's.

Just wondered whether anyone had done a "Blues Brothers'" and used a PA system in there van? Is this a crash and burn idea or could this actually work?

Thoughts?
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: wfp master on September 12, 2009, 05:51:50 pm
lmfao go for it  at least peple will get a rite laugh what u going 2 say through the  mike come on tell me.. ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 12, 2009, 05:58:42 pm
Was gonna get my brother to drive around in the van with a pre-recorded message. And I was going to be on standby to take the calls and do the quotations.

No jingles though, already had enough of that with the bloody ice-cream vans all summer!!! >:(
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: jonnyald on September 12, 2009, 06:55:37 pm
reckon thats a good idea  , better still if you are sitting on the van roof waving a squeegee .     ;)
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 12, 2009, 06:59:32 pm
Can't be in 2 places at once so might have to employ someone on a day rate. Maybe a little sort from the pub :P
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: concept on September 12, 2009, 07:32:26 pm
is it april 1st?!

surely you're kidding?!
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Steve CM on September 12, 2009, 07:37:01 pm
Can't be in 2 places at once so might have to employ someone on a day rate. Maybe a little sort from the pub :P

thats easy neil just give em my number mate and i'll take the calls for ya!! ;D
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 12, 2009, 07:39:30 pm
is it april 1st?!

surely you're kidding?!

Deadily serious. Just cos it a'int be tried doesn't mean it couldn't work .Imagine how little effort it would actually take to do? Hire some gear for the day and off you go. If it works BINGO if it don't you've lost a £150 or so.... not bad for a punt really.

Try it in an area where you have no work but would like to expand into, so if it dies on it's arse you haven't pis*ed on your own patch.
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 12, 2009, 07:42:26 pm
Gotta go. Need to work on my vocals lads. Gonna see if the X Factor have any untapped talent on tonight i could use for my master plan!!!! ;D
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Moderator David@stives on September 12, 2009, 08:11:01 pm
I had a cracking idea a while back, I was going to leave it until my franchising days.

What you do is buy an ex icecream van, kit it out as a window cleaning van, then whenever you pull up anywhere , just hit the button to get George Formy blaring out of the tannoy instead of the ice cream tune.

"When i'm cleaning windows"

I reckon it would work 100%
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: BORBRYCE on September 12, 2009, 08:58:31 pm
Gotta go. Need to work on my vocals lads. Gonna see if the X Factor have any untapped talent on tonight i could use for my master plan!!!! ;D

Forget the x factor, just go on dragons den with that fantastic marketing ploy, they will all be sold on that one and throwing money at you to buy great big loudspeakers.....dont forget the team of cheerleaders at the bottom of the street though, you dont want to look unproffesional or nowt. Have you thought of a rap song mabey to blast out...mabey
Gonna, gonna, gonna wash glass babeee, let me wet your glass.....slimey, slimey, soap suds honey...let me rubber your glass, or similar?
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: chris@c.m.s on September 12, 2009, 09:15:35 pm
I had a cracking idea a while back, I was going to leave it until my franchising days.

What you do is buy an ex icecream van, kit it out as a window cleaning van, then whenever you pull up anywhere , just hit the button to get George Formy blaring out of the tannoy instead of the ice cream tune.

"When i'm cleaning windows"

I reckon it would work 100%
Exactly what I was thinking and have been thinking for a while It would definitely make them smile,  ;D not sure I would like the attention though I have the Benny Hill theme ringtone on my mobile if it goes of in a crowd most are in fits and I'm left embarrassed I love it in a way though ;D ;D ;D 
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Clive McDonald on September 12, 2009, 09:23:51 pm
I think this idea has some kind of legs. You will of course recall squeakys request for help with ideas sign writing his van.I badgered him about having a large plastic yellow duck on the top of his van and a sound system that made a loud "Quake Quake"..... "Quake Quake" when he pulled up. It was my opinion that this would evoke humour and interest. However the thread went a bit pear  shaped and people started making fun with the quake quake thing. He got irate, and things got worse.

Anyway, my point is that i think this could be done with the correct branding.Knife sharpeners used to shout,rag and bone men shouted, or blew a honker, and as mentioned ice cream men have a short jingle.So it's about finding something approriate, and possibly humourous.
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: BORBRYCE on September 12, 2009, 09:24:53 pm
Quote
Exactly what I was thinking and have been thinking for a while It would definitely make them smile

So would walking down the street with your trousers down and bending over and doing moonies with "im a windy washer" written in brown felt pen all across your butts........be a lot cheaper too. ::) ::) ::)
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: chris@c.m.s on September 12, 2009, 09:44:00 pm
When you live 10 miles from Brighton there's a  good reason why that's a really Bad idea  :-X :-X :-X
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Clive McDonald on September 12, 2009, 09:47:08 pm
May I suggest you have the tardis landing noise ewan.Ronnie, you need a trumpet.
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: BORBRYCE on September 12, 2009, 09:49:42 pm
When you live 10 miles from Brighton there's a  good reason why that's a really Bad idea  :-X :-X :-X

Speak for yourself hun......some of us guys...well...thats our thing you know. Now where did I put me lippy...tis Saturday night u know. :P
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: TonyD on September 13, 2009, 01:04:12 pm
I like it, please give it a go, it will probably work well.  It's exactly what Guerilla Marketing is all about -

guerilla marketing

Definition

Unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources.

Information

Coined by Jay Conrad Levinson, guerilla marketing is more about matching wits than matching budgets. Guerilla marketing can be as different from traditional marketing as guerilla warfare is from traditional warfare. Rather than marching their marketing dollars forth like infantry divisions, guerilla marketers snipe away with their marketing resources for maximum impact.



Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: ian1972 on September 13, 2009, 02:24:21 pm
anything that t work is worth a go
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: gerard mcmanus on September 13, 2009, 06:00:09 pm
I seen clubs doing that in benadorm, I suppose if you ran an offer, setup at local venues and gatherings, and got people to sigh up there and then it could be good, but and might work well, but do you need to do it to get noticed, and could you not just get the customers by door knocking.

There are plenty of good marketing ideas out there that could work very well, but sometimes the simple things work best.
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 13, 2009, 06:40:13 pm
Can't door knock in Bedford Area - NO COLD CALLING ZONE.

Have picked up about £1700 new monthly work this year but need another £2k and looking for a quick hit.

It took 10 days a month for the last 8 months with 2 of us leafleting and we've dropped over 15,000 leaflets so far this year.....too much time not enough return.

Leaflets are good and have high impact as i used to do website and graphic design prior to window cleaning. Always picking up work when out and about and new customers says "been looking for ages" and I think "we'll i've dropped your area 4 BLOODY TIMES THIS YEAR!!! please just pick up the 'phone and call.

My thinking is that if they hear the advert (i'm looking to do this on saturady mornings only, NOT as a constant thing as I drive around, as I think i'd get shot!!!!) then if i mention on the jingle that "someone is available to quote you now ......blah blah blah" they might just act on it there and then.

That is why door knocking works, you are there and can quote in 5 mins. I believe that the only reason leaflets have a poor success rate is that a high % of people cannot be arsed with having someone pop around next week when they've got in from work, it's just another thing to schedule in.

As i said at the start of this thread, not sure about doing it but if it works it could work big time.
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: jonnyald on September 13, 2009, 06:48:57 pm
id say drive VERY  slowly ,  allow folk to  see you from behind their nets and  then they can take it all in  and come out to you  . a bit like when santa comes round  on his false sleigh that is towed by a car .      except you are in the daytime  ;D
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 13, 2009, 06:49:58 pm
Think how long it takes to leaflet drop 1000 houses?

1 person doing 2 a minute on average takes 1 hour to do 120
To do 1000 would take 8 HOURS and then you still have to go back and quote. More time, petrol etc...

A 30 second jingle played in 1 street would impact on roughly 100 houses minimum, say you get 2 call for quotes.....10 mins per quote and a bit of chat... let's call it 30 mins for two customers.

Start at 10am (not too early) and finish 3pm, 10 new customers 2000 houses covered and say £10 minimum per house £100 worth of new work.

4 weeks £400....food for thought?

I know figures can be bent to suit, but there is a definitive time saving here, and if it doesn't work what have you really lost a saturday afternoon and say £150-£200 to hire the gear.
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 13, 2009, 06:52:35 pm
id say drive VERY  slowly ,  allow folk to  see you from behind their nets and  then they can take it all in  and come out to you  . a bit like when santa comes round  on his false sleigh that is towed by a car .      except you are in the daytime  ;D

I might get some Mr Kipling cakes stacked up with the back doors open for some of the older folk...just to lure them out ;D
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: mick partington on September 13, 2009, 08:10:56 pm
well it worked years ago with rag-a-bone men and balloons for the kids,but iv got a good idea keep the ice cream in the van sell this to all the kids following you round taking the p out of you and it might off set your fual costs ;D
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 13, 2009, 08:19:14 pm
Mick - Could even have water fights. They can bring there super-soakers.....i'll bring my pressure washer with a 0 degree jet on it. ;D

"water does not determine who is right,it determines who is left" ;D
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: mick partington on September 13, 2009, 08:26:49 pm
Mick - Could even have water fights. They can bring there super-soakers.....i'll bring my pressure washer with a 0 degree jet on it. ;D

"water does not determine who is right,it determines who is left" ;D
;D
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: jonnyald on September 14, 2009, 08:09:13 am
so whens it happening TOTUS  ?    be sure to get a vid of it and put it on here ,  okay . 
Title: Re: Calling All Homeowners
Post by: Totus on September 14, 2009, 09:52:18 am
so whens it happening TOTUS  ?    be sure to get a vid of it and put it on here ,  okay . 

Probably early next year now as i've just hit a stroke of luck and managed to buy some work in. Yippee!!!

But i will be giving it ago, just need to do a little bit of research here and there.