[D woods]

Hi CMS
I read your old post fom last year,  on how you get new contracts ( thats probably the best post I have ever read by anyone )

Is that the only method you use for obtaining leads ?

Hi Fox
Do you use the same method for obtaining leads ?

[CMS]

It is now...................

I made some horrendous mistakes in the early days. Drove miles to quote after making the appointment by phone, only to find that it was a piddly little building miles from any housing.

The best way to get a foot in the door is literally to 'get a foot in the door'.

When you're walking along a street/through an industrial estate and you see a building that you'd like to clean, you go in. If you don't want to clean it you walk past - simple!

[CMS]

Hi CMS
I read your old post fom last year,  on how you get new contracts ( thats probably the best post I have ever read by anyone )

For the benefit of others, was it this one?

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6835.0

[D woods]

Hi CMS
Yes it was that one . Have you ever used a sales person/ canvesser to do this
for you, or do you always do it yourself ?

[Fox]

I employ someone on an ad hock basis to do cold calling but don't particularly like that method of selling (not saying it doesn't work though).

I also use direct mail shots and telesales.

Personally I hate generating leads so I do farm that bit out and then attend the surveys myself.  I will do some marketing though when time allows just to keep my hand in so to speak!

I know my area very well indeed and have a pretty clear image of which industrial estates and buildings we should go for.  Every now and again I will get in the car and do a good scout for buildings/estates going up etc.

The other way I seem to get a fair bit of work in is through other sales people, for instance I have just landed a contract because the person I buy my stationary off (big well known company) gave my cards out when she was visiting her current customers!  I have a couple of sales people who I purchase from who give me good leads.

[D woods]

My company currently spends over £115,000 on sales and marketing,
and I am not happy with the results we are getting.

Fox and CMS seem to be getting better results than me for a much smaller
outlay.

[AJCleaningServices]

My company currently spends over £115,000 on sales and marketing...

D Woods,
My turnover is smaller than you spend on promoting your business.  However I can say that do not spend more than 5% of my turnover on advertisements.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am not sure if my question is appropriate, but I would like to ask what is the maximum percentage of your (whoever wish to answer) turnover you would prepare to spend on promotion of your business?

Kind regards,
Arthur

[CMS]

That is hard to define. What would you call promoting your business?

Advertising?
Printing?
Sales staff?
Telesales staff?
Salesmens petrol?
Telephone bill?

Where does the 'promoting' stop and the normal overheads begin?

[D woods]

Yell.com / Yellow pages £40,000
Full time sales person plus car £50,000
Mailshot 2000 per month £10,000
2 Part time telesales Girls £10,000
Promotional literature £5000

[AJCleaningServices]

As I said the size of my business is no were near yours, however let me just say, to be more specific, I do not do cold calls, I do not employee sales staff.  My expenditure on promotion is basically what I pay for ad in parish magazines, my website, my yell.com ad and ad coming up in the Yell Book this summer.

I suppose that bigger turnover requires bigger (in percentage terms) expenditure on promotion.

Karl, thanks for your replay, I am just curios.

Kind regards,
Arthur

[AJCleaningServices]

D Woods, thanks for your replay,
Kind regards,
Arthur

[Fox]

D woods

If you are spending that amount on your sales and you are still not happy then you should be analysing why (which I am sure you are).  This time of year is not exactly a quiet one for contract cleaners either!

The amount you are spending on mailshots seems steep, what sort of response are you getting from these?  I am asuming your sales staff are following these up.

Do you do any of your site surveys or are you relying on your full time sales person?  Is that person just employed for sales or do you expect him/her to look after the account once won?

Alot of questions i know, but ones that should be looked at if you are unhappy with results.

Fox

[D woods]

Hi Fox
MY company is different from most in that we only clean windows
no daily office cleaning.

The main problem we face is getting the client to split the windows from
the office cleaning .

The mailshots go out every month and are then followed up by the telesales
staff.

Site surveys are carried out by my brother myself and our sales person
we each do 3 to 5 quotes a week.

[lyn taylor]

Hi  I would charge 10.00 per hour, then look at other work in the place  i.e.  Kitchen clean, carpets, outside work,  could become a nice little earner, but because of wanting the work, you could lose sight of additional work.........................which is understandable with the climate of the trade at the moment............but think about what you could gain from the contract........and good luck : :

[garyj]

Mailshot 2000 per month £10,000

Thats  24,000 per year @ £10,000, thats about 40p each, what do you send them a book?

I know carpet cleaners that are umming and aarring over spending £200 for a couple of thousand leaflets and £20 per thousand delivered.

[D woods]

Hi Gary
40 pence each is 30 pence for pre-paid A5 envelope and 10 pence for
glossy insert

[AJCleaningServices]

Hi  I would charge 10.00 per hour...

I have suggested even less - £9.00 per hour, however, it is the work during the weekend what makes this job less desirable, as the result my quote for the week would be £200.00. 

domestic bliss is saying that weekend jobs cause more problem than profit:

…I also think i will have trouble getting anyone to do the weekends round here as no one wants to work at weekends...

If for whatever reason I do not like a job, my quote would be such that my staff would be willing to get it done with pleasure