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Joe H

Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #20 on: April 10, 2008, 07:48:43 pm »
The longer customers hold out not having there carpets cleaned - the sooner it will come they start ringing

spencer davies

  • Posts: 651
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #21 on: April 10, 2008, 10:25:37 pm »
£59 for a three bedroomed house??

Work out the profit after treatments risk insurance, equipment, products, van insurance and diesel,
bank charges, tax, etc.........must be bloody stupid.   ???



S

mark shannon

  • Posts: 961
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #22 on: April 10, 2008, 10:56:12 pm »
Probably hasn't got any insurance

spencer davies

  • Posts: 651
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #23 on: April 10, 2008, 11:02:59 pm »
You would see a better return working in Argos.


S

cleanability

  • Posts: 574
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #24 on: April 10, 2008, 11:49:22 pm »
By the way getting back to an earlier point. You can advertise your prices in Yellow Pages now, I called them today. Which is what I'm going to do. It cant get me any less work  lol

Chris

maxcarpets

Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #25 on: April 11, 2008, 07:26:43 am »
If someone was retired why would they want the expense of a YP ad?

Susan Dean (1stclean)

  • Posts: 2064
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #26 on: April 11, 2008, 07:35:25 am »
If someone was retired why would they want the expense of a YP ad?

very true are y.p adds dear ??? have nt had one in donkeys years

*paul_moss

  • Posts: 2961
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #27 on: April 11, 2008, 08:04:25 am »
Im finding it to is still quieter than normal :(. Lets just hope its a late start this year.
Paul Moss  MBICSc
www.mosscleaning.co.uk
REMOVED FOR POSTING OFFENSIVE MATERIAL

liahona

Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #28 on: April 11, 2008, 08:31:01 am »
Its not really fair for me to make a comment on being quiet or not as I am always quiet but that is by choice, hence it not being a fair comment.

I have always said and will continue to say.............  you need to change your clients to suit what it is you want out of this business as well as your prices but thats another story.

Sweeping statement I know but....... if you are using leaflets and y/p, chances are you will be attracting or not, the type of client that is affected by the economy, school uniforms to buy, holidays to save for, tax time, bad hair day, you name it.  If this is the case then poss now the work is slowing down.

I hasten to add that there are some that are very busy advertising the way I have just mentioned, Mike is always busy and for some the y/p work.  However on the whole more people dont buy from leaflets or y/p.   So go find a market that will buy from you.

If you seek clients that arent affected by the above mentioned criteria then you will not be busy or quiet, you will be wherever you want to be.  It will become your choice how many clients you have not the market dictating it for you.

Clinton, or anyone is the £1200 a year or month or????????

I ask as for 1200 invested looking for work I would want in return at least £35 to £40,000.

If the y/p does this then I will stand corrected, if it doesnt then I will still stand by that it isnt the besy way of getting clients.

Lastly on the subject of being quiet.  If it is that slow, go door knocking, not leafleting and simply ask for work.  Most people you will be surprised will talk with you about your services.  Even if they dont want you at this time they will think of you the time that they do.  There will be some you can book in the same day for maybe over the next week.

I started my business this way and still do the same thing.  Granted I pick and chose which doors I knock on but it is still the same.

Best, Dave.






markpowell

  • Posts: 2279
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #29 on: April 11, 2008, 08:55:48 am »
Dave,
Just out of interest how many hours a week do you spend on this type of marketing ( knocking on doors), I have thought about trying this method in the past. I was under the impression that people hated salesman knocking on there doors maybe im wrong.
Mark

liahona

Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #30 on: April 11, 2008, 10:19:36 am »
Mark, I dont spend anytime anymore door knocking.  Sorry my post was a bit mis-leading as I have just re-read it. Having said that everynow and again I will find someone I want as a client and knock on their door.  But it has only been twice in the last 2 years.  When I set up the business in this country I "knocked" on doors for about 3 months trying to find who I wanted as a client and not the other way round.  I found 4 people then and I have since found 2 more.

I have just recently found a company that custom make silk or silk/wool carpets and I mean wall to wall rangeing from £1000 a yard to £2500 a yard.  Rest assured I will be knocking on their doors.

I think what you have said about salesmen and or women is quite correct.  I dont come across as a salesman so I am quite well received by those I meet.  Unshaven, shorts and all. 

Again, sorry for the confusion, best, Dave

David_Annable

  • Posts: 689
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #31 on: April 11, 2008, 11:54:59 am »
Hi

I disagree about leaflets not working.

Generally the leaflet that doesn't work contains the wrong information. Or is disributed in the wrong areas.

The customer that lives in a £500K must have a higher disposable income than someone that lives in a £50K house.

Ultimately you need to decide what you want to earn per day, how many days per week you want to work & go and find the custonmers that will do that for you.

Dave

NCCA, Woolsafe, IICRC Leather Cleaning Technician

ollie

  • Posts: 378
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #32 on: April 11, 2008, 12:31:41 pm »
Ive noticed a slow down from yp but my customer base is still working for me and I still get at least 3 jobs from every 1000 leaflets and then refferals and repeat etc from those 3 jobs. I try and do 400 ish a day myself first thing in the morning or at end of day. So far so good this year.
ollie

maxcarpets

Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #33 on: April 11, 2008, 12:52:25 pm »
I often wonder what people's different view of busy is.

Susan Dean (1stclean)

  • Posts: 2064
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #34 on: April 11, 2008, 01:08:07 pm »
an answer to your question susan,to advertise in yellow pages a basic non colour advert 5 inch x 3inch about 1200 pounds..what marketing do you do susan to get work?

for the last year i have a very small ad in the loacl paper and thats it dont do northing else couldnt fit much more in these days i rely on my old custy ringing back

carpet guy

Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #35 on: April 11, 2008, 02:18:45 pm »
You could reasonably refer to Dave and Susan as highly successful individuals, in the same business, but at opposite ends of the " market "

What Susan does, is what she learned to do, from her father, but after encouragement on this forum, from a few individuals, she raised her prices and even purchased a T/M, but by raising her pricing gently, she has retained most of her clients.

Dave is a charismatic and very outgoing character, who's success is based, I feel on his character and personality, allied to a meticulous approach.

Everyone else, is somewhere in between....................can you learn from these two successful people, or do you have too much conflict going on, from the " advice " of others.

Replicating Daves approach, will be extremely difficult and unlikely to work for 99.9% because he is, as I said, very much an individual................but, you can " get a rub " off successful people, if you talk with them, meet with them.

Susan was raised in the low price / high volume business and has proven what many already know, that you can give a high value service at a moderate cost and you will always be busy.

As you have virtually no chance of cloning Daves business, you could, " bite the bullet " and just get on with it, as Susan and many others do, successfully, or you could try to become like the Mikes, Shauns, Chrises, Pauls, Steves, etc, who all have individual approaches, that work for them, but will it work for you ?

Whichever route you choose, will involve discipline and patience.

Susan Dean (1stclean)

  • Posts: 2064
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #36 on: April 11, 2008, 02:20:22 pm »
Mark, I dont spend anytime anymore door knocking.  Sorry my post was a bit mis-leading as I have just re-read it. Having said that everynow and again I will find someone I want as a client and knock on their door.  But it has only been twice in the last 2 years.  When I set up the business in this country I "knocked" on doors for about 3 months trying to find who I wanted as a client and not the other way round.  I found 4 people then and I have since found 2 more.

I have just recently found a company that custom make silk or silk/wool carpets and I mean wall to wall rangeing from £1000 a yard to £2500 a yard.  Rest assured I will be knocking on their doors.

I think what you have said about salesmen and or women is quite correct.  I dont come across as a salesman so I am quite well received by those I meet.  Unshaven, shorts and all. 

Again, sorry for the confusion, best, Dave

must be the shorts dave ! your luky charm  ;D

Dave_Lee

  • Posts: 1728
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #37 on: April 11, 2008, 02:28:00 pm »
If you are good at your job and cheap you should always be busy, I know I was. Through two recessions, and very busy, so much so I was struggling for years to fit all the jobs in. Problem was I wasnt making any money, just enough (just about) to pay to bills.
Then I was enlightened by the Fast Track, changed a few things, and money in my pocket at last, not only that I started to be able to afford new equipment, instead of having to run things into the ground and beyond.
I am now neither cheap nor expensive, my customers are those who want a very good job doing, some of which find my charges stretch them to more than they wanted to pay, whilst others are surprised that I am not charging more.
the point of what do people call quiet. It will vary from operator to operator. I count being busy or quiet by the number of calls I am getting, as the conversion rate remains constant. I start to get concerned however if my taking drop below £1,000 per week.
Dave.
Dave Lee, Owner of Deepclean Services
Chorley Lancs. Est 1980.
"Pay Cheap -You get Cheap - Pay a little more and get something Better."

Ian Rochester

  • Posts: 2588
Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #38 on: April 11, 2008, 06:53:47 pm »
As long as tomorrow is busy, that's all that matters.......and it is  ;)

maxcarpets

Re: Still bleeping quiet
« Reply #39 on: April 11, 2008, 08:11:29 pm »
This is my point, £1000 per week would not even cover my overheads, wages etc. I do wonder what people call busy. My example of busy is 3 operators working 6 days a week 8 till 6 Mon - Fri and 9 - 3 on Sat , Sundays as needed. I think that some people think if they go to work everyday then they are busy, I'm not slating anyone but it is difficult to gauge "busy" or not when it seems we all have different business's.

Regards


Justin