[Mike Halliday]

some may have seen this on cleanfax but for anyone who has'nt they may find it interesting

http://www.cleanfax.com/upload/eadv/JohnDowney/FreeRoomLetter.pdf

[derek west]

risky.

[Ian Gourlay]

very it crashed my computer

Will have to let it warm up a bit longer

[peter maybury]

The biggest problem with the domestic market in this country is that people just dont have their carpets cleaned often enough, is it really worth offering this in the hope that you might get a liounge carpet clean once a year?. We all have regular customers but they are not the majority of people so it is not the same as gaining a customer who is going to have the whole house cleaned several times a year. I am lucky enough to be too busy to market most of the time, but if I ever do demos it is always for larger commmercial jobs.
Showing what you do to people will bring in business as long as you look professional and can deliver the goods. You just might end up doing free work for the wrong type of people.

Peter
www.carpetcleanercardiff.com

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

I got this as well. I don't like the original JP letter, but I thought this one was well re-written.

Still not sure if it would work well here.

[wynne jones]

'I haven't tried it, but it won't work because I don't like the way it reads'

How many times do we hear that on forums. One day somebody is going to just try something, (which might take what a week and £50 for leaflets) and find out for sure.  :

This works, I know for sure. Mentally though people can't see passed the idea that one person in a hundred may get one over on them. Make it worth your while and do it somewhere that counts.

[Neil Williams]

You just might end up doing free work for the wrong type of people.

Yeh I always see the good in people too
Seriously it probably will work for those amongst us who have the ability to sell sand to the arabs, those who upsell on every job and those of the enterprise mentality.

[Ian Gourlay]

As you may recall I went on a Fire Walking Event a couple of months ago.

Piere and myself came up with a Free Spot Clean voucher as away of getting referals

Kevin Barber was there he said why not just use the Free Room it works for me.

Yes he has had one or two take him for a ride.

When I was banned from Alltec unless I signed official secrets act for talking about Free Room on Mini coaching programme about ten years ago on Cleantalk  and publishing the results Kevin was probably the most sucessful

PPS The winner was an expensive cleaning gift basket with spot and stain removers for carpets tiles etc etc

PPS Second Place was advise your customers at time of booking that your business has been built on referals and it is unusual to receive a customer from another source, so at the end of the clean you will be asking for referals.

PPs My idea was last place as I only gave everybody else 3 points out of ten and I was voted on last

[wynne jones]

Now I thought you where all a positive lot.

You are focusing on the wrong things.

Although you may quite naturally get another carpet to clean... THIS IS NOT what you're main aim is.

Everyone also focuses on the odd arsehole who is simply out for something for nothing, focus instaed on the big picture.

If you do this in the right places you will get into the houses people on here are always scratching their heads saying they can't penetrate.

You need to think of it this way. You lower your prices to get work and that's what you get paid and usually in crappy places. With this you stick your head down, clean a carpet for free and then get paid a hell of a lot more from some of these people and their friends and neighbours and ON AVERAGE make a whole lot more.

This is the easiest way for a grafter with some balls to get into high end homes. I'm happy saying this on here because very few people will do it and those that do it I wouldn't begrudge them a penny.

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

What sort of return did you get from the initial send out Wynne, can you put a figure on it ?

[elliott cleaning]

You have to consider the demographics if you are going into something like this - which is what Wynne implied.

Consider Granville, hicksville, Ohio.    Community of 900 households - mean family unit income £60k.     Even with a whopping 10% uptake you are looking at a possible 100 room cleans & the potential upsell in that 'small town, prissy, America' - in that average income bracket - is high.

Wouldn't fault the offer for a new to the area operator - just felt he could have given an alternative reason for being in town.   Crap happens to all of us at times in life - but do we have to use that for our business purposes??

regards

[robert meldrum]

I used the original JP letter slightly modified and got plenty of requests but I FAILED TO FOLLOW IT THROUGH PROPERLY.

In the letter I used it was more about " It's been a while .....how about letting us clean a small area for FREE to remind you of how good we are " All we ask is you supply 2 / 3 referrals for us to contact ........relatives or friends who are likely to want some c/c done !

This letter a FAR BETTER PRESENTED but a bit long winded ...........the old J P one was to include poor spelling and amateurish layout which I reckon would not cut it today.

[colin thomas]

ok call me pessemistic but i've cleaned plenty of carpets for high end customers and i don't think they push your services to their friends any more than the average customer. in my opinion you get more referals by being polite, clean, do a good job and give a free bottle of spotter to customers. i'm busy all of the time, why would i clean a carpet for free?
today i had a guy on the phone and i talked him through the work he wanted, i gave him a price, he said 'ok, the jobs yours for £25 discount', i said who do you think i am, tesco. i re-affirmed how i clean and the results he could expect and he said ok, let's go ahead. i will do a brilliant job, he will get a free spotter and he will pass my name on, is that difficult?

colin

[wynne jones]

Steve

I would say 50% will offer you more work whilst you are there. I resist offering which is hard to do. It's just an opportunity to do the know like trust thing.

Again it's a question of the big picture. If you want a return straight away it's not for you. In fact there were a good few times when I got dejected and felt I had wasted my time.

Within a year I would say with repeat and referral included it brought in about five grand but really it's who you get known by in that first year that is the value.

[wynne jones]

ok call me pessemistic but i've cleaned plenty of carpets for high end customers and i don't think they push your services to their friends any more than the average customer. in my opinion you get more referals by being polite, clean, do a good job and give a free bottle of spotter to customers. i'm busy all of the time, why would i clean a carpet for free?
today i had a guy on the phone and i talked him through the work he wanted, i gave him a price, he said 'ok, the jobs yours for £25 discount', i said who do you think i am, tesco. i re-affirmed how i clean and the results he could expect and he said ok, let's go ahead. i will do a brilliant job, he will get a free spotter and he will pass my name on, is that difficult?

colin

Colin if you are fully booked who would do this? Nobody

I also suspect you have a bit of where withall and been going a while. This is ideal for someone wanting to break into decent areas who lacks marketing creativity but happy to work hard and delay gratification for a healthier return in the long run.

You are also a cynical old fart.

[Ian Gourlay]

Bearing in mind the Free Room Letter I am talking went out to 300 past customers in feb

The Highest return was about £1600

The lowest was £900

That was using the follow up letters and in the main American terms

If You search on Cleantalk you may find my origional post when I had the actual results

Also realise this was 10 years ago I think the price was 35p to 40p a square foot

[Matt Seymour]

Far too American for my liking.

I wouldn't even consider using it.

[ianharper]

guys

its true that Kevin has build his business on this. first his starting point was I think 15 year already in the business. so you need to take that in to account.

next if you ever meet Kevin you will know instantly why it works for him. With total respect I was on a FT call and he could not understand why customers cancelled on his maintenance plans. plus he comes across as really nice guy.

Next this free room with come with a audit of all the carpets in the house with a presentation. This one is what i dont like its a bit enterprise style. you just want one room cleaned but end up signing up for all your carpets on a plan. I think that a prospect has a cool of period legally and |I have never seen this from FT or JP guys.

it works but its not for me, also you never see proof when these guys quote returns. now you would not expect someone to just share this info but when its in a professional site you have to ask why and would expect proof.

I just not see carpet cleaners running around in expensive sports cars with a high-end lift style. The two things just don't match up.

I have  tried many things and been totally committed to them so whats the magic item that I am missing?

Its funny that these successful guys secrets are available but at a price, and are very close to the guys selling this info. funny that if they doing so well!

Respects

Ian Harper