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Craigp

  • Posts: 1272
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #20 on: March 15, 2012, 04:24:49 pm »
Colin, When you been in this business a while your start to see a pattern emerging.

Cheap = crap job.

Ian Gourlay

  • Posts: 5748
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #21 on: March 15, 2012, 04:28:52 pm »
I think he has got in the low price mode

Does need to find Customers and in a way is using the Groupon method and then
up selling

Probably has tried different marketing but needs fast results

I had a similar one in my  local paper about the time I went ill , and I would have pulled my advert as I do not approve of misleading the public as a protest as the paper was prepared to publish such adverts  but circumstances forced me to pull anyway.
Interestingly the Guy is no longer advertising

Dennis

  • Posts: 2044
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #22 on: March 15, 2012, 04:44:47 pm »
Something I haven't seen, literally for donkey's years, is the "We are in your area for 2 weeks" flyers printed on toilet paper bait & switchers.

Colin Day

Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #23 on: March 15, 2012, 04:49:03 pm »
There will be plenty out there that aren't cheap, that do a crap job too I'll bet.....

£15 a room is ridiculous, I agree! Robbing gits.... ;D ;D ;D

Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #24 on: March 15, 2012, 04:58:42 pm »
Something I haven't seen, literally for donkey's years, is the "We are in your area for 2 weeks" flyers printed on toilet paper bait & switchers.

Not all "we are in your area for 2 weeks" flyers are by bait and switch people...

It is called a "call to action" headline, creating urgency in the punter.

2 things sell a product or service.. Need and urgency.

And I didn't use toilet paper when I worked Norfolk with the "we are in your area for 2 weeks" 1/2 price carpet cleaning leaflets..   ;D ;D ;D

Ian Gourlay

  • Posts: 5748
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #25 on: March 15, 2012, 05:02:06 pm »
Was it you in the Mondeo

Dennis we get them about twice a year if you mean the Homecare ones printed by Saxon

Prices appear to have been same for past 15 years if not more

Paul H

  • Posts: 878
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #26 on: March 15, 2012, 05:04:06 pm »
If the guy does say 2 rooms etc.. for £xy or z whatever then additional rooms for £15.... is this not £15 more than the usual 3 for 2 *smallest room free or free rug clean chair clean free carpet clean with suite etc..??

Or have i misread the post that its £15 full stop?

Dennis

  • Posts: 2044
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #27 on: March 15, 2012, 05:13:30 pm »

Not all "we are in your area for 2 weeks" flyers are by bait and switch people...

It is called a "call to action" headline, creating urgency in the punter.

2 things sell a product or service.. Need and urgency.

And I didn't use toilet paper when I worked Norfolk with the "we are in your area for 2 weeks" 1/2 price carpet cleaning leaflets..   ;D ;D ;D

Can you check your records for a Mrs Gilbert of Oulton near Lowestoft done in the mid to late 90's?
















She wants her money back!  ;D :D ;)


Ian: yes Homecare rings a bell or was it Hectorcare.  ;D ;)

Allan Simmons

  • Posts: 327
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #28 on: March 15, 2012, 05:48:22 pm »
I know one guy who is cheap and the job will take him all day if it has to. He does a cracking job and has plenty of referrals. He can't earn too much because the dole will be on to him.... Surely that's proof that people are in this game for a whole wide range of different reasons. Some NEED to make the money to survive where as others NEED the work to keep them out of the house. (I'm somewhere in the middle ;D) There are obviously many other variables of course...

There's nothing any of us can do about carpet cleaners offering a better/cheaper deal than ourselves, so instead of being all bitter and twisted, it's far easier just getting on with your own business and letting others get on with theirs...


Yep.

Ian said "Interestingly the Guy is no longer advertising."  which sums it up, they never last.

Allan Simmons

  • Posts: 327
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #29 on: March 15, 2012, 05:53:26 pm »
Something I haven't seen, literally for donkey's years, is the "We are in your area for 2 weeks" flyers printed on toilet paper bait & switchers.

A firm from Selby have recently done some of the villages in the north of Doncaster with half price in your area fo two weeks, but til then I'd not seen this for ages either.

james roffey

Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #30 on: March 15, 2012, 06:03:57 pm »
He won't be making any money, it's desperation.

The cheap carpet cleaners are in and out pretty quick and don't do as good a job despite what people say on here. Sure there's the odd exception.

I recently had a landlord who used a cheap truck mount c/cer (advertises half price all the time) last year he said they did a 2 bed flat in twenty mins! :o he was also not at all impressed with the result. So they get no repeat custom.

Nice website James but use your selling points better!

Thanks Craig, thats my google anylitics buggered for the month  ::) i wanted to keep my homepage with as little text as i could get away with,

clive ware

  • Posts: 540
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #31 on: March 15, 2012, 06:06:33 pm »
Homecare are now called Apple Cleaning and operate in my area.

james roffey

Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #32 on: March 15, 2012, 06:44:19 pm »
I agree with many of the comments about getting on with your own business and have not really voiced an opinion about this guy because i am relatively new to this business, however when he advertised that a local carpet cleaner  is  using chemicals that can cause cancer, i thought that he had gone too far and i told him so, he did apologise and removed the article from his website, he claimed that he was not refering to me even though i am the closest carpet cleaner to him.

It angered me that he was scaring the public with negative stuff like this instead of telling people he's the best carpet cleaner in town, i thought at the time and still do that its reflects poorly on you and your business if you badmouth the competition, in fact i can honestly say i have never said a bad word to any customer at any time about him, in fact i have given his contact details to customers when i have been unable to do a job.

Of course what he decides to do on his website is his business its a very minor irritation but it does make me sad that someone with his level of experience and claimed knowledge of the web and marketing uses the tactics of a desperate newby, i note on his site now that all of a sudden five google maps reviews have appeared almost overnight well not quite but in the space of ten days    ;)  his customers have decided all of a sudden to tell the world what a great carpet cleaner he is, when before none appeared. yes yes i know i should concentrate on my business, but i have reviews on my google maps listing that have been hard earned and i am proud of them.
I am obviously very naive in running my own business, but fast learning its dog eat dog.
The phonecall i received yesterday was out of the blue but i groaned when he mentioned the reason for the call, i did tell him the NCCA would do nothing as its competition.

I did a room for nothing today   :o   did  four large bedrooms two stairs clear of furniture charged £230 did the lounge for nothing took four hours

Colin Day

Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #33 on: March 15, 2012, 06:51:23 pm »
"he advertised that a local carpet cleaner who claims he is  using chemicals that can cause cancer"

 :o

That's pretty bad marketing, it sounds desperate...

It's pretty simple, if you do a cracking job at a fair price, they'll recommend and use you time and time again.

Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #34 on: March 15, 2012, 06:53:08 pm »
Quote
did the lounge for nothing took four hours

Talk about working cheap  :P :P :P

4 hours to do a lounge?? was it Buck House?? or were you being thorough ??  ;D ;D ;D

james roffey

Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #35 on: March 15, 2012, 07:02:12 pm »
Quote
did the lounge for nothing took four hours

Talk about working cheap  :P :P :P

4 hours to do a lounge?? was it Buck House?? or were you being thorough ??  ;D ;D ;D

If it were Buck house i would do it for nothing, wow by Royal appointment on your website thats marketing. ;D

L.Doubtfire - The Blade Runner

  • Posts: 822
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #36 on: March 15, 2012, 07:11:40 pm »
Allan,you said the customer told you if they were there 11 minutes
That was generous. :o
Excluding travel time.set up machinery time,empty room ya can clean
A carpet ( cough Lewis oaky I will) room say 4 x 4,power brush ( vaccum,
HWE in less than 10minutes ! :-\ :-[ ::) ??? :o ;D :D ;) :)
Am I teaching grandma to suck eggs here or what 8)



Lewis  Doubtfire
L. Doubtfire
Window Cleaner

Shaun_Ashmore

  • Posts: 11382
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #37 on: March 15, 2012, 08:13:26 pm »
I'm guessing the cleaner is Ian Harper, he's a great bloke but IMO he gets confused in what he's trying to offer, for the service he is offering he is far far far too cheap the main problem is he finds it hard to fill his time and keep the phone ringing regularly perhaps advertising cheap (in our opinion) keeps him busy.

It's a balancing act really as costs go up in theory your cost should but bookings could go down because of that.

Shaun

garybristow

  • Posts: 485
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #38 on: March 15, 2012, 08:26:55 pm »
James dont worry about what other people are doing ,theres always a clown who provides a service double cheap,sadly it can be a perfectly good job,i believe cream comes to the top.
When i had dry cleaning shops ther was me and 1 other in fulham,london,when i sold 2 years ago ther was 35 dry cleaning shops
i just concentrated in doing the job properly and never worried about competition,it was a successful business for 25 years
takings were always on an upward spiral
ive got a polish geezer on my patch,his van van is held together with gaffa tape,he just about talks english,hes simply not a threat!!
gary

John Kelly

  • Posts: 4461
Re: Undercutting as a Marketing tool
« Reply #39 on: March 15, 2012, 08:37:57 pm »
As Gary says you just don't worry about other people and what they charge. One of my mates used to whinge on about what another guy was doing and how much he was earning etc etc. I sat him down and said listen mate whatever he does has no bearing whatsoever on your life or your income so forget about it just get on and run your own business.
There are over 25 million homes in Britain thats a lot of carpets and upholstery. Plenty to go round no matter what you charge.
Funnily I heard today that one of the most expensive cleaners I know is fully booked until the middle of April.