[Sunshine/Cleaning]

Sorry to see your thread closed slumpbuster, but I think you have missed the point on marketing.

It's not about the company and its back story. What a customer always asks is What's In It For Me.

Good marketing gets the customer to think about how their life is improved by accepting your service. They don't give two hoots about your story.

I wrote a flyer and had a marketing expert look at it, the first thing he did was to ask me to re-write it and never use the words I or we but rather use the word YOU.

Try it, it works.

[mci services]

Stuart that is interesting and I will put that into practice soon, thanks

ps why was the other post locked

[kate1]

I think it depends on what your canvassing.

Commercial - professional telesales call.  Buying data lists that give you the amount of people that work at the building - unless you know of the premises personally.  Or make a list of the companies that you do want to win the contract for.

Domestic - its more personal, they want to see the person that is going to be at their house.  Although there is scope to "think out of the box" making yourself different.

Voucher scheme, so many cleans - and then offer something different.  Just my humble opinion, but you have to stand out.

Trust
Reliablity
Price



Hope that helps

[Londoner]

A few years ago there were a couple of self appointed gurus on here who promoted "killer" marketing and leaflets that I thought were rubbish.
In my opinion what the customer wants to see is a straight forward reliable sort of window cleaner.

"I is nuffink but a poor, yet honest working man" is the approach that works. All this fancy marketing and glossy leaflets runs the risk of giving the impression you are just a spiv on the make if you are not careful.

Thats not to say the "I is nothing but a poor but honest.........." approach is not clever marketing. Its actually very clever marketing.

[kate1]

Vince, thats what Im stating, dependent on what you are canvassing for.

Its two different markets. 

Commercial have budgets, its dealing with two different sectors/tenders.

Maybe something for the domestic, we will put you into our prize draw for Christmas for a hamper, its just an incentive.

Maybe a bit of seasonal promotions, coming upto Christmas?

[Ian101]

Read a few marketing books over the years but the best by far IMHO is Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Levinson ... good section on canvassing and he uses a window cleaner as an example.

Great info on having a marketing plan and sticking with it also diffeernce between advertising and marketing very important too,

[Sunshine/Cleaning]

A few years ago there were a couple of self appointed gurus on here who promoted "killer" marketing and leaflets that I thought were rubbish.
In my opinion what the customer wants to see is a straight forward reliable sort of window cleaner.

"I is nuffink but a poor, yet honest working man" is the approach that works. All this fancy marketing and glossy leaflets runs the risk of giving the impression you are just a spiv on the make if you are not careful.

Thats not to say the "I is nothing but a poor but honest.........." approach is not clever marketing. Its actually very clever marketing.

I also tried some of their suggestions and they really work, the reason being is that they are different to anything else being put through the door. However, they do need to be used alongside a strategy and not in isolation.

It is said it takes 7 exposures for any marketing to take effect. If you can arrest the attention of the homeowner somehow you can get that down to say 3. That still means you need to do 3 marketing shots whether that is leaflets or an advert in a paper in order to illicit a response. Many leaflet drop or advertise once and wonder why they get no calls.

[kate1]

To be honest,  like I have said before your not "just window cleaners"

A   Your part of the community
B   Your providing a professional service
C   People look for loyalty schemes
D   Its a volume based industry, based on price
E   People "buy" trust.
 
Thats domestic

Commercial

A   Price
B   Budgets
C  CRB checks
D  Ability to have an account

Lol I have a couple of hours free on Wednesday, I would be quite prepared to do some canvassing for any commercial work.  FOC.  As long as you have a list thats TPS and TPC checked.  It may provide some useful results for commercial work

[Steve CM]

Kate do you do telesales? if so mail me on steve@clearmagic.co.uk

[mci services]

Lol I have a couple of hours free on Wednesday, I would be quite prepared to do some canvassing for any commercial work.  FOC.  As long as you have a list thats TPS and TPC checked.  It may provide some useful results for commercial work

that is a very kind offer, and would be interested to see what leads can be produced in a few hours. pity I don't have a list handy unless the yellow pages count

[Nathanael Jones]

To be honest,  like I have said before your not "just window cleaners"

A   Your part of the community
B   Your providing a professional service
C   People look for loyalty schemes
D   Its a volume based industry, based on price
E   People "buy" trust.
 
Thats domestic

Commercial

A   Price
B   Budgets
C  CRB checks
D  Ability to have an account

Lol I have a couple of hours free on Wednesday, I would be quite prepared to do some canvassing for any commercial work.  FOC.  As long as you have a list thats TPS and TPC checked.  It may provide some useful results for commercial work

Have you done commercial telephone canvassing for window cleaners before Kate? I think I personally would much prefer this route to a doorknocking company,.. and I would expect the results would be better too.

[kate1]

Nat

Ive done lots of industries, commercial selling for window cleaning will be no different to PAT, same formula, get past the gatekeeper (receptionist)

Speak to facilites management.

But I would need a list with the person who is in charge of that.

I can do some asking around once I get through - thats no problem

But for a trial, its not a great length of time, I cant guarantee anything until I speak to at least 50-100 people, but it may help you guys on here to guage how it works

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

I think slumpbuster's biggest problem is lack of personal belief. I've never known a person give so much credit to anything 'bar himself & is blinded by it. I reckon he's got what it takes but will never do it, instead just continue to look at others!

This strategy, that strategy, this book, that book, george, WCW, gadgets galore etc.

If one spent as much time "doing" rather than "thinking" one might see the results one desires!

Actions are what is required, thinking, talking & looking up to others will not do the job & the funniest thing is, it is all really simple, slumpy just refuses to believe so!

[Clive McDonald]

I don't think you can call the random bloke standing next to you in the chip shop queue a marketing expert but victor'remington' kiam"it was so good i bought the company" was.The two wc guys off dragons den racing to be the biggest in the uk off the back of a website that's most prominent and central feature is videos of them, them, a bit more them, and then people talking about them should perhaps listen to you a bit more and duncan a bit less.

I don't remember mentioning leaflets, or door knocking, or tele sales, althought i'm sure they all work.Someone else mentioned networking and i'm sure that works too.

What i said was i am working with a text book for two weeks.The book is called the referall engine.It's not a book that caught my attention, it's a book (audio book) that i sought out because i had plan, and wanted to execute it with some kind of informed advice in the field.

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

I don't think you can call the random bloke standing next to you in the chip shop queue a marketing expert but victor'remington' kiam"it was so good i bought the company" was.The two wc guys off dragons den racing to be the biggest in the uk off the back of a website that's most prominent and central feature is videos of them, them, a bit more them, and then people talking about them should perhaps listen to you a bit more and duncan a bit less.

I don't remember mentioning leaflets, or door knocking, or tele sales, althought i'm sure they all work.Someone else mentioned networking and i'm sure that works too.

What i said was i am working with a text book for two weeks.The book is called the referall engine.It's not a book that caught my attention, it's a book (audio book) that i sought out because i had plan, and wanted to execute it with some kind of informed advice in the field.

But you & the team from dragons den are two completely different business's which require two completely different approaches.

There is a 99.9% chance that you will never be where they are or even where D.Morris is for that matter. So, IMO, the most important thing is to concentrate on what is achievable to you personally within your scope of willing action!

These kind of people get there by themselves.

[D woods]

Hi Guys

Dont be fooled by size, just because a cleaning contractor is a  big outfit does not always mean they are making any money.

[Paul Coleman]

I think being tuned in is a good way to market too.  I have obtained new customers in a variety of situations that were nothing to do with window cleaning e.g. at a medical appointment, while waiting for my tyres to be changed, eating lunch in a café.  All sorts of every day situations can bring in work if you are switched on to it.

[Richard Neal]

I think being tuned in is a good way to market too.  I have obtained new customers in a variety of situations that were nothing to do with window cleaning e.g. at a medical appointment, while waiting for my tyres to be changed, eating lunch in a café.  All sorts of every day situations can bring in work if you are switched on to it.

I agree 

[kate1]

Ok

Im offering two hours free telemarketing on Weds

Commercial only

Its really not an ideal trial, would take more 4 /5

[Window Washers]

Ok

Im offering two hours free telemarketing on Weds

Commercial only

Its really not an ideal trial, would take more 4 /5

do it for me Kate

07788 732 789

01480 354 615

www.windowwashers.co.uk



Ian

I will pay for work no probs and be honest with results.