[Ian Gourlay]

I wanted to go but have to go to Bradford on that day.

[Chris R]

why isn't Robert Saunders living on his own personal island, drinking tequilas, and making love to a bevvy of beautiful woman?
Mike

I remember reading that his company had achieved a "one million pound" turnover a couple of years ago ?

So he aint doin bad 

[Fintan_Coll]

Turnover is not what makes a business profitable, it's the bottom line that matters.
Brings to mind a builder in my locality who was turning over millions about five years ago, he is now a bankrupt. He had a huge turnover but was loosing money hand over fist at the same time.

[the red carpet]

Ian, im still having it tough im afraid, had a good week this week £1500+ but as my personel commitments are so big it is such a strain on the buisness that no matter what i take i still seem to allways be behind

Since starting "ft" i have done very little of there stuff as most requires some kind of investment and my cashflow is so bad of late its a struggle to start anything.

Can say though that my average job ticket has risen from £100 to £160 so thats a good thing, more down to just having the confidence to ask for more rather than any particualer strategy. But i doubt i would have done that without seeing what others were charging.

When i started i felt i was dear and would constantly knock my own prices down and give people a extra room free etc. Now i feel im to cheap and am constantly trying to upsell extra rooms and protector just to get a decent ticket price.

Must admitt it has changed my mindset.

[ianharper]

red

guerrilla marketing is the way forwards

respect

ian harper

[boshravie]

ian
How does that work then?

Regards

Bosh

[D woods]

You spend a monkey on advertising.

[ianharper]

check amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Marketing-4th-Inexpensive-SmallBusiness/dp/0618785914/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-7460797-5195159?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182428801&sr=8-1

[PaulKing]

where is the picture of the sexy lady from alltec! somebody post it please.

[boshravie]

Thanks for that ian.

so has it worked for you?
is it any good?

Regards

Bosh

[ianharper]

Boshravie

I am feed up with spend thousands on contact based media that does not work and locks you in. these organizations know that they don't that's why they make you sign a contact.

Anything that keeps my overheads down has to be good. as marketing is the largest spend in carpet cleaning its a place that you need to review all the time.

We gave away a year free house cleaning and it cost us to do it but as far as putting numbers on our turn over it was well worth it.

its ideas like this that are the basics of this type of marketing. just read the books and you will come up with ideas of your own. plus it puts you in a creative place with your marketing that is positive for your income.

Keeping the creative juices flowing can be hard when your self employed, but to keep taking steps up that ladder you must.

if anyone is interested i have just posted a 40 page sales letter manual for all to use on my blog. as you all know i built my maid service with JP ideas here you can see how these basic "direct response" ideas can be used in any service.

guerrilla marketing is just the same.

many of the sales letters as you will see are very close to JP stuff this just shows you how easy it is to take something from outside your circle (carpet Cleaning) and use it.

Taking JP's stuff gave me a USP in cleaning homes that had never been used before. you can also do this if you take ideas from outside carpet cleaning. you would not believe the comments that i have had over the years regarding it.

lets not forget where "direct response came from

http://dc19.4shared.com/download/11777003/90dc0cf4/scientificadv.exe

its the rules in this book wrote many years ago that it all started.

just because something is free or cheap does not mean that it does not have great value.

the price of a guerrilla marketing book can put many thousands of pounds on your business over many years. don't under value it.

Like most things it requires effort. nothing is easy, but the marketing money saved will be worth it.

We all know that FT takes a commitment of many thousands to make it work Evan after the upfront investment. i think that its this money that people get negative about what FT has to offer. well you cant have it both ways. you pay your money and make the commitment or you see the value in the price of a book, the choice is yours.

as always I would like to point out my thanks to JP and direct response for what its done for me. but given how demand is at the moment its time for a new outlook.

I know many of you say you are doing really well and it is probably the ones that have been in business for many years, good luck to you, but many have had to give up or are finding it hard. i am lucky i have other income.

for those who wish to cut the BS lets bet this downturn.

respect

Ian Harper

[boshravie]

Well ian

Many thanks for your detailed explanation, its always good to have knowledgeable people like you on this forum, specially on marketing side.
Like you said on service industry like our trade we need as much marketing as we can to be able to expand.
I have started my business in 1999 and from start I was always looking outward and I had a target of within 5-10 years which I would be managing my business and not just be a soul trader and I have achieved that.
I have maid service as well as window cleaning combined with carpet cleaning and its doing well, but not as well as I wanted to be.
I am always striving for more clients.
 so you could say I am lucky too.
But ian , like you said everything in life is hard to get and if we stop being creative, our business will die.
I will defiantly buy the book thanks to you and also attending the ALL TECK marketing too.
After all you can not put a price on good advice.


Regards

Bosh

[letzclean]

 
Hello Carpetguy,
                       Let me set a few things straight, firstly as you can see I am “newbie” and I can not see where I claimed to be an “expert.” As you claimed in your statement. I have the 8 cd pack from Tim Paulson and Joe Polish where the spill comes from! My point was this” The same statements, facts and figures that were on the Martin Riley Superstar fast track CD, were being used again, as I said make of it what you want?

 but me and the guys on the course know what we made of it. As for being a success in the creative industry I work 9-5 in Media Advertising it pays 35k pa basic 50K with bonuses and OTE Carpet cleaning is just one of many sidelines that I have invested in with two friends to make more easy money. I have never touched a carpet cleaner as of yet, done a few quotes for my partners and have negotiated and won got a couple of  contracts with landlords, not really rocket science is it? We are already cleaning hotels, apartments and restaurants in London and surrounding areas. As I said easy money mate. Seems like you got a bit cheesed off with my comments, I am sorry if I offended you in anyway that was not my intention I wish you all the success and happiness you work for in this competitive and ever changing industry.

Kind regards
James

[carpetguy]

Letz'

Reading my posts, you will find that I am simply " puting the record straight " as far as Alltecs history of involvement with JP is concerned!

What you are highlighting.......................is the fact, that it's very easy to steal ideas, breach agreements, plaguerise other work and make money from it.

This is not what Robert Saunders has been doing, although you give the impression that is what he's been doing.

Polish and Saunders collaborated in the sale of marketing materials.

I have said all along, that c/c is hardly " rocket science "and is extremely easy to get into, but the marketing of any business, is another matter.

Personally, I will be completely out of this industry, in the not too distant future, having been involved for over 20 years.

You could put together Monkey Marketing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,," so easy a monkey could do it " and out of any group of 100 participants, only 20 would put it into practice and out of the twenty, only 4 would stick to the plan !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That, is HUMAN NATURE !

[ianharper]

carpetguy

I am sorry to here that you are giving up carpet cleaning, its a great loss to those already in and those that have yet to start.

I hope and wish you luck in whatever field you are going into.

your 20 years show that you are a true success as a carpet cleaner.

respect

Ian harper

[Ian Gourlay]

Nothing to do with me but I often wondered what fee Alltec had to pay JP to use his ideas and material .

Also What fee JP payed Jim Wolverson

What is really clever is that itrying to think of anything original you end up using their phrases ideas etc Even if you dress it up differently.



However in 1990 when I did my first advert and leaflet  I went on about Dust mites etc.

Another Manual I have which was published I think before JP came on to seen uses similar ideas.

But I nicked the idea from Stimvak

On Ebay there is a Gurilla Marketing CD set that is being promoted but its not the same person who wrote book Ian H has suggested.

In my opinion you will get more new ideas from the book.

[PeterD]

As a new member its good to listen to all the different points of view there is always something to learn about this industry within the replies given.

I always felt from the start that I would get good training based on others opinions from the training they have had and buy a machine etc from a well liked provider for professionals such as yourselves and not be led into get rich quick schemes which cost time and money and are normally just not realistic.
I have always felt that these schemes etc are just another add on to the business to make money and in the wrong hands it can give false hopes to individuals.
There is only one way to make a long lasting success of any situation know your business,customers do a good job and believe in yourself.

[Fintan_Coll]

PeterD, Joe Polish is not a get rich quick scheme, it is marketing knowledge, but you can get rich and quick too if you market your business well,. it doesn't matter where you gain your marketing knowledge from

[Shaun_Ashmore]

JP and Howard partridge programs etc all take time to impliment but the rewards are higher than average incomes, the quickest 'fast track' done by most cleaners is to offer the cheapest price, this will get you work from day 1 and keep you working hard till the day you die.

Shaun

[David_Annable]

Hi

Including Saturdays & Sunday.

LOL

Dave