[Paul Clapham]

I was thinking about offering domestic customers the chance to book evening bookings, between now and August 31 , as it will still be light in the evenings , it could save people taking the day off work or booking a weekend slot, just wondering if anybody already offer's this as an option.

I know lots of you are going to say , don't do them ,cannot do them, because of family commitments, or that your diary is full during the normal day etc, etc, but my situation is different, as I don't have any young kids to worry about , and my diary is not full for each day of the week !   

Paul.

[fenman]

If it suits you and your customers why not.
Sods law tells you that you will get an evening job straight after a particularly hard day but think of the money and get through it.

[Colin Day]

As I have recently acquired a new 9-5 job, I can only offer evening's and weekends now and it is proving very popular with my customers, new and repeat alike. I haven't lost any work through it....

I have got kids and they have quite a lot of activities on week nights, ballet, air cadets, brownies etc etc.

Saturday mornings are usually quiet for me as the wife takes the girls to ballet and the lad's out with his mates. Saturday evenings and Sundays are the only real time we get to spend together as a family anyway.

[Andrew@Approved Carpet Cleaning]

Sounds like a good idea to me. The other half is undecided. We are both self employed and we both realise that you have to do what you have to do when you are starting up etc, then i think i may just offer the evening booking option too. Thinking about it, having the machine running outside someones house in the evening , and the van there too, could be a good bit of marketing, cheap too!! 

Is it worth marketing it as a selling point or just as an added bonus? 

[AshWhite]

I have got quite a lot of activities on week nights, ballet, air cadets, brownies etc etc

Fixed that for you, Col.

[Paul Clapham]

That's a good point Andrew, lots of the neighbour's will be home in the evening and will see the machine set up, also delivering the neighbour sales letter could have a better return rate.

I think it could also be used as a marketing tool , if you don't want to work , or cannot work , on a certain date you could just say its booked up.

[The Carpet Cleaning Pro]

I have always delivered leaflts around the same street on evening jobs for years and it always seems to get jobs in. When its good weather neighbours are always curious as to what you are doing and this becomes a great sales pitch. Another thing is the neighbours all want to "keep up with the Jone's" so just book as they feel they are mising out on something. I usually offer them ALL a 10% discount for multiple neighbour bookings on the same day, this also works a treat.

[davep]

Surely being self employed means you can get out of working daft hours, 9 - 2 suits me.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I can't work evenings I'd never be able to spend most of my free time on here!

Shaun

[Paul H]

I dont offer it but if the customer requests it then yes... get what you can when you can for you can i say..

Now are we saying if you were to offer it on your marketting means whatever that be say leaflet , AD ..or other... then this would possibly attract more custom??

[robert meldrum]

Strange post.............................Since I started in carpet cleaning, over 30 years ago I thought everyone offered a service which included evening working.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I have cultured my customers into normal hours without giving up my evenings some have my weekends normally Saturday occassionally Sunday but only in emergencies.

Shaun

[Richard Basey-Fisher]

errr    evenings  =   golf

[bennymon]

i wouldnt do it now but you have no ties so go for it 

[Adam P]

if your diary isn't full why offer evenings? it'll be even emptier. i don't mind offering it, the same with weekends, but if i've got a half empty week i don't see the point in booking a massively busy day when i couild make another empty one more full

[Helen]

Surely being self employed means you can get out of working daft hours, 9 - 2 suits me.

Exactly, so if you work a Sunday, you can take the monday off, if you work a Tuesday evening, you can take a wednesday morning off......
We don't openly advertise to domestics that we do evenings as mostly full during the day and wouldn't want to make a rod for our back But each to their own

[Fintan_Coll]

Nothing wrong with working evenings if it suits everyone. Why not also offer to pick up keys and return them to your customers place of work. I do that often, no reason why anyone should have to take time off work.

[Carpet Dawg]

I'll start a smallish job (2 carpets for example) at 5.30pm at the latest if it really needs to be at that time or an emergancy and if I like that customer.

Mainly work from 9 to 5, Saturdays too till about early afternoon. Tomorrow is a full day though.

Tony