[ianharper]

Hi Guys

As you know i use newsletters each month to my clients, i was cleaning a client that used a FT guy and was on a maintenance plan, anyway she did not like him so tried my services. cut a long story short i was asking her about the service she had received and got onto newsletters she told me that she binned them each month without opening them.

So i did some spot calling to my clients and was chatting with them and did some digging about my newsletters and in an indirect way found out that it looks like mine might not have the affect that i want. so i have changed to a card system.

I think with people fast life's these will work better.

Right next, we might all be shooting ourselves in the foot with all the talk about how carpets damage health. I think that it would be advisable to qualify such statements with facts about the dangers of dust and hard flooring.

we need to get the message out that hard floors cause more health isues than carpet and that carpets act as a filter. together we can change things.

anyway the new monthly reminder card on my blog.

respect

ian harper

[carpetguy]

Think I mentioned somewhere that you should never mention negatives to prospects, just a matter of playing with words

I know it's what Little Joe did, but that doesn't make it right.

I've come accross this sooooooooooo often in web sites and sample leaflets'

Tell them about bugs and they will buy laminate, or wood !!!!!!!!!!!!

[matt jones]

Hey ian, i had a small editorial done on my business in my local paper and pushed the message that hard flooring is damaging peoples health etc etc lol. Also said about the safe eco cleaning solutions that i use and a day later booked in a nice job from it.
regards
matt

[ianharper]

Matt

get hold of a dust hazard clip art and use this in all your marketing with "hard floors damage your health" under it.

its the old way that by telling prospects about a problem they will buy your answer to it, but these days as you say they have other options like hard floors.

it would be nice if the carpet manufacturers started to put this message across but i not holding my breath -)

Carpetguy. its common practice to state a problem and then fix it with what your selling. whats happening here is that carpet cleaners are not telling people about the bigger problem as they think it does not matter.

FT has not helped this as they use the health message a lot with no reference to hard floors, then others outside FT copy it and then you have this messages that say that even carpet cleaners think carpets are unhealthy.

the health message has its place but needs balance with it.

the problem is getting prospect to read about it.

I have just started to look into lumpy mail and trying to find a cheap give away that i can use to get this message across.

any ideas

respect

Ian Harper

[carpetguy]

Ian your enthusiasm is great, but if you continue to approach your marketing from that angle, you might just be losing out.

I was probably one of the first purchasers of JP's Piranha Marketing in this country and found nothing that wasn't being done by the top people in marketing...........

Double glazing /  central heating / etc, all of these people sold the Benefits and Advantages of their products, services

They told you how much your home would increase in value, by puschasing their goods or services.

Nothing has changed in over a century of marketing...................What I was taught many years ago, was to SELL THE SIZZLE not the sausage.

When I market my Therapy business, I sell the client, improved flexibility, or posture. I don't ask them if they suffer from pain, but I will tell them, they can be FREE of pain.

I would never show prospects what's LURKING IN THEIR CARPETS, because they would rip them up and in their mind, resolve the problem.

Carpets are Warm / Soft / Cosy / etc. and I  / you can keep them that way !!!!!