Interesting thread, there is a carpet cleaning training company that has " free carpet cleaning " as one of their main marketing ploys. There intention is to develop a client out of a customer, so they offer one carpet clean for free, so that they can demonstrate how well they clean carpets.
Now when you consider that many people will only have there carpets cleaned once a year or two, then it could be a long time before they see the real benefit of this marketing, but for window cleaning, as we clean the windows every month, you could see the benefit much quicker.
When I was first starting off, I used to put in a very low price for Show houses on new estates, so that I could be on the estate every week and find out when people were moving in, this was very succesful and now I realise that I could have done these Show houses for free and still it would have been worth my while.
I know over the years that every time I am asked to go into a new area that, customers start to come to me and the area develops, if I was in need of work, getting a foot-hold in a new area by doing one house for free, would be a good marketing ploy.
But as a commited christian I also know that there is a principle called " Sowing and Reaping " and so over the years I have also looked for opportunities to sow some free window cleaning, not every day or even every week, but every now and again I would clean someones windows for free.
Next week I have a customer who has been a customer of mine for probably 10 years and last time around she told me that she was out of work and could I come round to her less often at the moment, well I will do her house for free, probably take about 45 minutes, but she has been a good customer and will continue to be when she gets another job.
Gardeners know that you cannot keep taking out of the ground without putting something back, so even if it is just at this time of the year ( christmas ) find away that you can put something back into the area's that you work in, and you will find that next year you will have a better harvest.
Blessings
Poll