[wynne jones]

Hector get a room it's embarrassing.   

[Steve Rothwell]

 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I agree that if you don't read the small print it could become problematic IF I were to do it I'd have a dedicated website explaining the benefits of my clean with the pricing structure you could do this with a free website from weebly or whoever, the take up would be far less but the profits would be greater.

Shaun

[Allan Simmons]

Loads of guys have said it already, but here goes, AVOID GROUPON! all the reasons are above.

Something I do regularly, but is a great way to use your time if quiet, is start to build relationships with people who might refer you.  It's what Howard Partridge calls "Doughnut Friday".  Buy some bags of doughnuts in Sainbury's, and put a sticker on them and take them to carpet and upholstery retailers.  The sticker should just say something like "Thanks for recommending us recently, it's appreciated.  Put the kettle on and enjoy these with our compliments.  All at XYZ Cleaning"  DO NOT put a telephone number or web address on, it's not an advert it's a thank you, and you'll be asked for some cards anyway.  I did write a blog article about this on our software website, but here goes...
Walk into the shop and ask for the owner/manager, even better if you know their name before hand.  Just say "I was just passing and wanted to drop these in as a small thank you for recommending us recently.  I don';t know who it was here but a client told us someone here had recommended us."  Pass the doughnuts and smile and say nothing.  They always thank you for them but also it starts the conversation along the lines of "oh yes we know about you" or whatever, but it's a soft foot in the door that ask them to start recommending you, by assuming they already have and rewarding them for it.  Just try it, they will ALWAYS ask for cards, which you just happen to be able to find in your poaket after a little bit of a search   Then just drop in again in 6-8 weeks aain.  We have loads of retailers recommending us from this simple approach.  This also works with Estate Agents etc.

This uses your quiet time to build the relationships and start the steady stream of referrals coming through.  Beware though, you will be drinking a lot of tea, and eating a lot of doughnuts with them    Remember to make sure you record somehow who they have recommended when they do start recommending you, if you can go back in and mention Names of people who they have recommended they will be delighted 

Al.

[Allan Simmons]

That is providing you do groupon the groupon way!

I noticed a cc doing groupon offering 10 sq metres for £20 (or something like that) then £7 a metre thereafter, how many rooms do you get at 10 sq metres ? If someone asks for 2 rooms 16 sq metres each that's 22 m (32m less the offer)  @ £7 = £144 plus the groupon bit.

Shaun

It would be interesting to know if they repeated that offer Shaun, that might work, but it's a bit bait and switch?

[L.Doubtfire - The Blade Runner]

Allan, I bet you could give Dale Carnegie a run for his money
( How To Win Friends And Influence People )
I got the book years ago,when computers were the size of the
Average room and there was no such thing as e,mails and web
Sites.
Could`nt get my head round it somehow,ended up not reading it
All as I recall,should I have done  :


Lewis  Doubtfire

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Lewis that's an old old book the newer marketeer reads men are from arms and women from Venus 

Another good read is Magic words that bring you riches, not worked for me yet though!

Shaun

[Ian Gourlay]

I thought that was a relate book?

Alan  does it work if the retailer has not recommended you and you are trying to convince them they have.

[Paul Clapham]

........and another one , phone call this morning, quoted this afternoon , booked in for next Saturday morning, and this was from an area I have not leafleted yet, she saw the leaflet at her mums last night.

I now have ( for me) not to bad a week in the diary..........now need to start on W/C 19 March !

[wynne jones]

Good job Paul, bang out some more now.

[clinton]

Sounds like your turning things around and as wyyne said keep putting them out.

Just shows how things turn around quick with a bit of footwork if needed..

[Allan Simmons]

Allan, I bet you could give Dale Carnegie a run for his money
( How To Win Friends And Influence People )
I got the book years ago,when computers were the size of the
Average room and there was no such thing as e,mails and web
Sites.
Could`nt get my head round it somehow,ended up not reading it
All as I recall,should I have done  :


Lewis  Doubtfire

Just happy to put something back in Lewis.  What goes around comes around and all that.  I was a struggling carpet cleaner and learned these things from others, came up with some myself and now, although it's still tough right now, am doing okay.

Al.

[Allan Simmons]

I thought that was a relate book?

Alan  does it work if the retailer has not recommended you and you are trying to convince them they have.

Hi Ian,

If you've been around a while and there is more than one person in the retailers then it definitely works.  Someone at some point will have heard about you somehow.  When you introduce yourself, and this isn't my original idea, i just implemented it exactly as i was told, you just say "Hi I'm Allan from XYZ Cleaning, I don't know who it was here but a client of ours when she booked in said someone here had recommended us."  If you think about how vague that is it could have been one of the delivery guys, the fitter, the sales guys, a mistake on "your clients" part.  It is so vague you can 'blag it'.  What usually happens is the discussion starts about "Oh yes I've used you before..." or "Our Enid has had her carpets done by you..."  It was Howard Partridge that suggested this and you won't believe how effective a couple of quids worth of doughnuts are until you try it.  For now I'll save what I came up with for Hairdressers using something similar.  Might start a new thread about that one, Referrals from hairdressers.  I've written about it before on blogs and had good feedback from others who have tried it too.

Al.

Al.

[Ian Gourlay]

Similiar to when we used to Tele Canvas new Customers

Even from the very beginning we use to say  you have probably seen our vans around.


On another post I was saying how some of the JP and other American stuff stretches peoples comforts zones

May-bee I'm not a Gypsy. and find it hard to blag

Find it hard to understand as door knocks no problem at all

[Allan Simmons]

Yeah, "Blag" is an awful word really isn't it Ian, but you know what I mean.  I suppose it's just the confidence in your service and that probably they do already know about you and possibly have recommended or discussed you so it is just possible/probable it's not really a blag? 

Anyway, Howard Partridge said do it it works, so I did it and it works   

Al.