[wynne jones]

I watch QVC sometimes and I'm amazed the things I desperately need but didn't know I did.

As for creative ideas there's no point being specific because most people will say they won't work, when I know they do. Also one of the reasons things don't work so well any more is all the lurking numptys who never contribute who could be your competition and just take take take. 

[Mike Halliday]

QVC brings up an interesting point, it takes the time to sell to you (you watch it for 20mins per product) so it has the opportunity to create the desire for the product.

our marketing can sell to the potential customer but cannot create desire, the customer must already have a desire for our services.

a leaflet would have to be bloody amazing to take a person who has no interest in carpet cleaning and create sufficient desire for it that they call us, much better to try and find that elusive person who already has the desire and try and get them to call us

[Allan Simmons]

That's why we use a notepad.  They call weeks later and they turn up everywhere.  Cards, doorhangers, leaflets, and any other 'one hit wonder' 5 around was no better than the regular leaflet response, but notepads, that get put next to the telephone or on the corner of the breakfast bar, get used and are a 'there when you need us' response mechanism, plus the sticker part way down, have you tried us yet?  We closely monitor all this stuff and these work.

[wynne jones]

There's no one way. If you have plenty of cash in the bank you know your way works.

[Paul Clapham]

Allan ,

can you advise on the size of your note pad and cost of printing and who with , I have just done a Google search and they seem a bit expensive @ 50 sheet pad for 200 @ 45p each, is this the kind of price you are paying.

cheers

Paul.

[Allan Simmons]

Hi Paul,

It's A5 , we used to buy them but even when we were buying 5,000 at a time they were still around the 35-38p mark.

We now make our own, we have a Risograph machine and buy in A3 paper, we also have a commercial guillotine and clamp.  Our techs if they have a quiet afternoon or gap in the day print them, then make first cut, glue them, then cut those down to the A5 size.  We no longer apply a backing board, so we're just making HUGE thick glued stacks and split those down as needed.  We leave every client one with the job, about an inch / inch and half thick.  The 5 arounds are about 10mm thick with the stickers on, and we also leave them on desks while cleaning commercial premises.  We usually manage to keep on top of having them available just fitting in the making around quiet afternoons or short notice cancellations we don't manage to fill.  Obviously this time of year is a bit quieter too so we've got a stock on now.  I've not worked out a unit cost recently, and paper prices have gone up, but it just gives us flexibility to leave thicker pads with the client, and blocks a couple of inches thick for commerical buyers too.

The notepads turn up everywhere, i've stood behind people at Checkouts and they have their shopping list on a sheet.

It depends what you charge, obviously, but even at 40p each I think they are worth doing, particularly if you make a point of knocking on the door and introducing yourself and saying you'd just like to leave them a leaflet and notepad in case they're interested in future, then shut up and leave, no pressure.  That's what I did when i was on the tools and it worked really well.  Now, our techs don't like the actual knocking on the door bit, so we just put the notepad through with a leaflet, doesn't work as well but still works well enough to justify it.

[Paul Clapham]

Cheers Allan , and thanks for the info, I used to have a Riso a few years back in my photo lab , great machines,

[Shaun_Ashmore]

How much is a spotter that you may leave behind? A note pad is far cheaper and you can even put a message on it!

The only thing is that the yello post it note could be ripped off and disguarded.

Shaun

Allan if you have been reading the thread but Franklins have totally closed down?

[Allan Simmons]

Even the phoenix Franklin's has gone now?  Wow, I would have thought one man could have made a decent living off their reputation and database alone.  Thanks for the info Shaun.

[andy east sussex]

weve recently deliverd 5000 leaflets had 9 jobs from it so wasnt to bad but one lady from a job said every time she gets leaflets she just dumps them as she gets to many but she was speaking to husband in the morning of the leaflet drop about having their carpets cleaned and droped through at right time. i think thats all it might be just got to be lucky on the drops plus weather weve been having etc

[Jim_77]

Mike, I don't think you can really compare your exhaust analogy to carpet cleaning.

Exhausts are simple - they are fine right up until the moment they go wrong, at which point you drive to wherever fixes exhausts and get it sorted.  The chances of putting a leaflet through someone's door on the exact day their exhaust falls off must be millions to one!

Contrastingly, lots of people may have been thinking about getting carpets/suites cleaned for a while and then BANG this leaflet appears and sparks them into action.

Sometimes simply the suggestion of carpet cleaning makes people look down at what they're standing on and thinking "Hmmm actually these carpets could do with a spruce up, I'll find out what it costs....."

I've got quite a few little enclaves in various locations where I'm working my way round customers who are all within 50 yards of each other, simply from doing 20-odd neighbour nudgers after a job.  It's like getting a snowball rolling and interestingly most are cul-de-sacs!  I think the best is 7 houses out of about about 15 in a cul-de-sac, pretty much half the street are my customers!

My experiences tell me that, compared to "normal" leaflet drops, neighbour nudgers have both a dramatically higher response rate and also yield a much better stamp of customer.  That's both in terms of what they spend and the way they buy from you.  What I mean is, they are not price hagglers looking for a bargain but pretty much already want you to come and do the work without being fixated on the price.  All because you've got the credence of having done a job for someone who lives within a few houses distance from them - they come pre-qualified.

I think two things need to be right to make neighbour nudgers work.  Firstly do 20, not 5 or 10.  Secondly, obvious but the actual leaflet needs to be right.  Mine has a space where I hand-write the name and house number of who I've been working for, which I think is really important.

I know you're only new to leafleting, give me a call if you want any tips

[Allan Simmons]

I like the idea of adding where you've just worked.  Do you ask permission Jim?

[Jim_77]

Yes, all the time.  Nobody's ever said no thank god!

It's almost unheard of as well that any neighbours will actually come round and knock on the customer's door asking to "have a look" at what I've done... most people will have either seen you there (heard the truckmount more like!) or might have a quick casual chat with the customer if they bump into them outside.  Either way just the fact you've produced a satisfied customer a few doors away is enough to give them the confidence to use you.

[Mike Halliday]

Jim I think you might be half right

don't you think that lots of people have an event that takes them from 'not interested' to 'being interested', they don't want carpet cleaning until they are having visitors or spill a drink or the weather improves then they become responsive to our marketing.

not everyone wants their carpets cleaning but are procrastinating.... so a leaflet or 5-around spurs them into action

[Allan Simmons]

Yes, all the time.  Nobody's ever said no thank god!

Cheers, obvious really