[suffolkclean]

I would love to hear some of your ideas on your best marketing idea which has brought in some work. My husband has been really busy with carpet cleaning but as us all things have slowed down the last week or so. He also has over a hundred window cleaning customers, but would love to clean carpets on a full time basis.

I do all the sales side of things and go out estimating. My plan in the next few weeks is to visit some local letting agents with 10% off your first carpet clean card.

Thanks to joining this forum I have totally amended our pricing system as we weren't charging enough, reading all your comments has been educational!!
Barbara

[Jim_77]

My best marketing strategy has been to accept all cups of tea offered, including biscuits, chatting to customers and showing interest in THEM, petting their dogs and cats, being nice and friendly and leaving the job knowing that they like me.

My worst marketing strategy was that I once paid for a newspaper advert, worst 75 quid I ever spent and I've been to a Sheffield United game.

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Putting my prices up!

[spencer davies]

www


S

[suffolkclean]

Oh well I'm doing all right then - Done all of the above!!

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Hi Barbara

The best thing you can do is find yourself a good leaflet distributer and get 5000 delivered every single week. Mine charges me £10 a thousand with 2 or 3 other leaflets being delivered at the same time. I get them printed up at www.printcarrier.com who do a splendid job I must say. I get 20,000 at a time for about £170. Don't get any more than that incase you need to edit the information on the leaflet.

It is vital to keep getting them delivered even when you are choca and never stop marketing because you are too busy. The last 2 weeks I have banked over £2000 and things are not showing any sign of slowing down.

I keep a database of all my customers who I send postcards out to every 3 months and the next batch will be sent out at the beginning of December ensuring me a busy period. Carpet cleaners arent important in people's lives (John Kelly taught me that) and it is up to you to make a good, professional impression and keep in regular contact.

Ive tried other forms of marketing but they just dont work for me anywhere near as well as the systems I have mentioned above. I also get lots of referrals and repeat business from regular customers.

I have one property letting agency on my books who keep me busy during the slacker times (of which there are some especially in Jan and Feb) so if I was you I would try and get one of them.

Hope that has helped

John. 

[suffolkclean]

Thanks for that John. We do have a letting agent we do carpet cleaning for so I would like to get more of that. What kind of response do you get via your leafleting eg how many jobs against how many leaflets dropped?

[Ian Gourlay]

With Leaflets we should look at the cost to sales ration not the response rate.

Are you the Same Bababra who used to be on here . Had an advantage and sold rotavac on ebay

East Cleaning if I remember correctly from Bungay

[suffolkclean]

Sorry Ian no I'm not that Barbara don't worry its the 2nd time I've been confused with the other Barbara

I understand you have to work out the cost implications against the work it brings in. I was trying to find out first how much work the leafleting brings in tfor John to work out if its a worth while thing to do.
Barbara From Kesgrave

[Ian Gourlay]

Some people will tell you that leaflets bring in  3 in a thousand enquiries

Others have claimed  up to  one in ten.

At present my average is one in thousand at time of distribution but then i also get calls from leaflets distributed several months ago

I think my average is low.

If you check other posts on leaflets the secret is to put them out  regularly build mometum and repeat areas.

The problem is you spend considerable resources building up momentum.

If you have family make an occassion of it

You have Windows and Carpets , my advise would be have a seperate leaflet for each service.

When you distribute your leaflets you would have two chances instead of one.

Works best with self distribution.

I have a friend who has started a Window Blind Company. Off the back of it his wife started an ironing service. When they have gone out leafleting they have promoted both services

Interesting enough the ironing is racing ahead of the blinds and they are now having to outsource the work.

About four months ago he was going to give up go bankrupt, wife got job

Now looks as if she can give job up, and he can continue to buld blind company.


What I am saying is it does not come easy..
 

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Hi Barbara
Sometimes my response rate with leaflets is 1 in 1000 and other times it is 3-4 responses per 1000 leaflets delivered. It is important to deliver to the same areas again and again and concentrate on the areas close to where you live so you don't need to travel too far. I use to try and aim to make £200 per day but now I try and aim for £250 per day on average. Some days you can make a lot more than that.

I always like to go out and quote on jobs as well. If it is a living room or bedroom carpet dont bother going out and give them a rough estimate on the phone. If however it is a whole house clean then it is in your interests to go out and introduce yourself to them so they feel at ease and know your not a fly-by-night!! When you go in to their house put some overshoes on to show your a professional.

One other thing I would highly recommend is to give out or indeed sell spotter bottles. You can purchase them from www.restormate.co.uk (theres a link on their home page). I sell them for a tenner each and my customesrs love them. I offer a lifetime refill on them as long as they get me back to do work. I also give them away for free to some of my best customers as a thank you and they seem delighted with them.

Cheers
John

[Mike Halliday]

if by best marketing strategy you mean what is the best way to get jobs then I believe never giving a price over the phone ( unless you specifically don't want the job) is the best way to increase work.

you can get lots of enquiries from your marketing and lose half of them by giving a phone quote.

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Totally agree with that!

[Dave_Lee]

Treating every job as an advert towards getting another job. In other words, doing every a fantastic job every time, so that the customer sings your praises loud and clear to their friends and neahbours.
Dave

[derek west]

mike is right
unless your dirt cheap.  giving a price over the phone is a complete no no. most custys that demand a price over the phone are price shoppers and totally oblivious to the differing results that cc's can achieve, and the level of service and knowledge. they think cleaning a carpet is straight forward and its up to you to educate them in the minute or so you have while on the phone to them, if you can convert them into having a free survey done then thats half the battle, but it still won't be easy with a price shopper. ive had good success selling myself and all ready done a few jobs which other cc's have quoted cheaper.
also agree with dave.
as in many of my posts ive said before, if i quote for 2 hours and it takes me 3 then so be it. the quality of the job comes before the hourly rate.
derek

[Mike Osbourne]

The best 15-20 minutes you can spend is sitting down with a cup of tea and listen to your customer talk about themselves.

Now this might seem totally riduculous to the 6 jobs a day boys and they are probably right for their business. But if you do two or three jobs a day above a ton it makes a lot of sense.

Say you invest an hour a day talking with customers.

 You find out what's really important to them, all about their family and their problems. You subtly get your message across and build rapport.

Tell them how you are so chuffed that people recommend you and come back to you, and that because of repeats and referrals you can keep your prices competitive.

Find out where they work, what clubs they belong to as well.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I price over the phone and get a good return, I don't think I'm cheap!

Shaun

[clinton]

John

Thats a good price on your leaflets an having some done by dp and its 119 pound for 5000

I know you ahve to submitt your own artwork but thats a good price mate.

Didnt fancy having them go out woth three other leaflets but if there working i might give the leaflet guy who drops them not solo a chance  

Chers clinton

[Dave_Lee]

Shaun
You are certainly not cheap, many on this board only dream of getting the prices you charge, I also am not cheap but a little less than you. I also do quote over the phone if the job for a new custy is less than say £150, above that I will go out to them and quote. Repeat custy's asking for a price, I will give over the phone too.
Dave.

[Joe H]

Hey Mike (Osbourne) whats this new photo thingy?   Looks a bit posey - have you been for a job?