[wayne zabel]

I'm just wondering how you guys that do EOT work actually got the breaks that got you in with letting and estate agents,this an area that I havent really made in roads into although I havent done a great deal of pushing apart from a few letters sent out a few montghs ago.

I do some EOT work but this is given to me by a friend who does the property repairs at the EOT so I dont deal directly with the agents.

I did get one job from a managent agency when i first went fulltime but never got anything else from them,the carpet had a few "shading" problems and I think they were expecting miracles.

It is this that has led to to believe that EOT work can be more trouble than its worth as you are dealing with people who know nothing about CC but want a top job all the time.Is this true?

It seems that to get a break you need to be in the right place at the right time or offer work at very cheap rates or hope that the last CC didnt do such a good job and hopefully get a foot in the door.

Any advice and opinions please

[Ben Lugg]

Hi Wayne,
i have four letting agents that i do work for, two of them are regular ie most weeks.
 I started out by visiting all letting and estate agents in the local area first and then visiting agents in a wider area. On each visit i gave the agent a simple introduction pack with my information and some guidline prices. I dressed smart/casual ( logoed workwear great if you have it), and gave a short verbal description of my services. Try not to outstay your welcome, just be yourself.
You will be lucky to get signed up quickly it is a waiting game and something you may have to repeat say after a few months.

Good luck , hope this helps.

Ben.

[jasonl]

There are 160 lettings agents within 20 miles of me , if they stay with a cleaning company 5 years on average , then every month more than 2 of them will change who they use. I simply write to them all every month , I pick up a new client every other month , I lose one every 6 months

[Matt Seymour]

I would say that face to face marketing always works best when approaching business clients. If nothing else it shows a great deal more willing on your part and gives you the opportunity to put yourself across and address questions far better than you ever could in a letter.

If a client is already using someone else on a regular basis a letter (which will probably be one of many they receive) is hardly going to make them reach for the phone and contact YOU unless it is one hell of a good sales letter.

[Oneills onb]

We do alot for 1 agent where we also do the office cleaning and there is always at least 2/3 letters in the bin every week, I would say face to face is better

[Len Gribble]

I have a personal relationship with my letting agents I only clean carpets

[derek west]

i got in with one of mine through a flood, theyve used me for all carpets ever since, and done 3 floods over xmas for em all though one was a false alarm, water flooding out of the front door but it was only the tiled porche that got wet so i turned round and went home, £30 though, thank you very much.

[feldon]

I have written a few letters without response then went and visited face to face only to be told that I needed to visit their head office in the next town etc. so I returned to home and hit the phones.  Called 3 agents week before xmas and asked to speak to the letting manager, explained who I was what my services are and asked if they ever used carpet cleaners or got tenants to source, asked for their name so I could send some details and all 3 said they would be interested in using me in the new year.  As others had said I think it will be a question of writing, phoning or popping your head round the door every month until you get some regular work of them.

[Jim_77]

It seems that to get a break you need to be in the right place at the right time or offer work at very cheap rates or hope that the last CC didnt do such a good job and hopefully get a foot in the door.

You've just about got it sussed in that one sentence!

That obviously applies to those driven by price, which constitutes the majority unfortunately.

All you can do is recognise the ones who appreciate the quality angle (but still not too expensive!) and look after them really well.

I was down to one agent until recently when another one has started putting work my way.  I have shed no tears for the ones I've lost.

It can be an infuriating and thankless marketplace to trade in, but you will find your niche, jsut think it through and bear in mind you need to adapt to what they want and not the other way round

p.s. I would make personal calls to the offices, with a covering letter in hand.  Get the name(s) of the relevant people without being pushy and then follow up with a letter and then a call.

[slioch]

Lots of good advice.

I do work for about 4 or five agents and they all look for a one-stop-shop i.e. carpet (sometimes upholstery), general clean, windows and oven.  Not all jobs need all the services but there seems to be an expectation.  For this reason I sub out the work I don't do to trusted companies.

Secondly, they like to have a good idea of price i.e. a menu of prices for size of property, furnished or unfurnished etc.  This can be a pain with jobs priced too cheaply but if you do enough work it balances out as some are a doddle.

Finally - reliability and quality.  Let these slip and you are off their Christmas card list. 

[feldon]

Hi Slioch

Thats my thinking, I'm going to add oven cleaning to my services in the next few weeks.  Have done deep cleans on kitchen and bathroom etc for family who have some rental properties but would not know how to price this element for letting agents, any idea's what to charge for cleaning these (excluding ovens and carpets)?

[nevil]

Letting agents suck. I have done and still do a lot of work for them. The problem is in most cases they view us as a necessary evil. Unlike your average domestic customer who is driven to keep his/her house looking nice and is normally very happy when we do a great job of their carpet. Letting agents sometimes don't even bother to look at what you have achieved. Invariably they want a miracle and want to pay peanuts. Also many pay slowly, Expect you to work with no notice as well as chase around picking up and dropping off keys.
Having said all of that they can fill your diary and normally they won't be on site looking over your shoulder while working. I have worked for lots over the years. Some good some bad. All I can say is don't be afraid to bin the bad ones because they really are not worth having as customers. Given the choice I would prefer private customers every time.

Edited to add. To win their business I wrote a sincere ( not selling ) letter to all local ones offering to demonstrate my wizardry in their offices free of charge. Got a good response to that.

[slioch]

Richard,

Difficult to answer your question - depends upon many things, not least where you are.  The carpet cleaning is the best paying element and that is why I sub out the rest. 

As a guide I would start with your carpet prices and (noting what Nevil says) adjust accordingly.  I find I am charging about 30% less for the agents but it is regular work and I fit it around my schedule so I regard it as an extra £100 (or whatever) at the end of the day or between jobs rather than feeling I have been ripped off. 

With that in mind check out local oven and general cleaners.  The oven cleaners tend to have a unit price and for general cleaners its hourly rate.  Adjust these prices accordingly (but there is probably not enough margin to cut by 30%).  If you are doing it yourself, you need to be confident of your proficiency and ability, otherwise you will spend all day earning very little and still not get the shower screen or the hob properly clean.  That is why I use subs and they give me work in return, often really good repeat customers.

At the end of the day, don't be a slave to the agents - if you are losing more than you win you need to change or get out.