[cannon]

Now this wont be for everyone but while wandering around my local car boot sale the other week i thought why not try and market my carpet cleaning here as its a big one attracting alot of people. In much the same way as the rac do, lay out my equipment in front of van, have a banner made, fully uniformed give out some leaflets and talk to prospective customers etc.

 Well my jaw hit the floor today at the car boot sale cos someone has beaten me to it!

I for one was VERY interested in his carpet cleaning so i spoke to him for a few mins and he certainly had the spiel, and at 25 pound per room INCLUDING stainguard he was drumming up quite a lot of interest.

 Maybe this is a good thing as its putting carpet cleaning in to peoples minds and when they get home and look for local companys they come across my new website

[Mike Halliday]

of course he was getting interest  at £25 : : thats the sort of price  people who go to carboot sales will pay for carpet cleaning, try charging a normal price and see how much interest you get

[jasonl]

I did a few county shows in my chem dry days , the sales on the day of spotter (stain extinguisher)  more than paid for the stall costs ,  got lots of customers and an unknown quantity of brand awareness from it.

[Deep Cleaning Solutions]

25 pound per room is expensive my way.
Mike Halliday......
"try charging a normal price and see how much interest you get",
what's a normal price?

[Carpet Dawg]

Lets be honest, Do you really want to attract car boot sale customers? are they not the rug doctor brigade? maybe not all but a vast majority

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Alot of car booters are bargain hunters they will look for the cheapest deal, selective marketing would be better IMO, if you charge 10 times more then you would blag an invite to Windsor castle when the Queen is in residence and Barack Obama and friends are round for cucumber sandwiches.

Shaun

[Carpet Dawg]

I understand we clean for a living Mr Allan! and No, i dont think we a brain surgeons etc but £25 a room?? come on man!
I'd not even unload the van for that!

From the few bootsales i have been to and from what people have told me about thier selling experience at car boots, this is exactly the type of tight wad that you'll attract at car boot sales. Proper penny pintchers. But if that is your type of customer then good luck to you.

[Carpet Dawg]

A bugger, he's deleted his post  : knew i should have used the quote function lol

[SteveAllan]

Yeah i took it off coz i knew the reaction it would get from the legends in their own minds brigade. Not all car booters are tight wads, you give a price, if they dont like it then you dont clean for them the same as when the price shopper rings you up - simples :

[Shaun_Ashmore]

My parents are carbooters and they wouldn't pay for me to clean for them, infact their car boot friends ask me for quotes and they never use me, you can see by the look on their faces.

I get price shoppers like others do but if you get the correct message across in your marketing then you can convert most where as loads of price shoppers and not converting them is demoralising.

Shaun

[Ian Gourlay]

Unlike my hero Shuan i dodorooms for £25 if it isan empty property and I haveseveral rooms

But I would not ne happy doing aLounge dinner full of stuff for that.

At theweekend i had an instance where a guy wanted me todo traffic lanes in large lounge Dinning room complete hall stairs and landing large and bedroom traffic lanes for £50

He told me he had a qoute for £80 to do complete lounge plus the rest as desscribed.

Funny I remember going there last year and had same conversation

[Michael Smallwood]

Unlike my hero Shuan i dodorooms for £25 if it isan empty property and I haveseveral rooms

But I would not ne happy doing aLounge dinner full of stuff for that.

At theweekend i had an instance where a guy wanted me todo traffic lanes in large lounge Dinning room complete hall stairs and landing large and bedroom traffic lanes for £50

He told me he had a qoute for £80 to do complete lounge plus the rest as desscribed.

Funny I remember going there last year and had same conversation

Just like Ian, I will do additional rooms for lower amounts - as long as the overall job makes sense to do.

As for the same conversation as last year with the customer over price, I guess that some customers have their buying spiel as well rehershed as Shaun's sale pitch. 

[Simon Gerrard]

I think it's stretching credibility a bit to suppose that the people who attend car boot sales will only pay £25 per room  - but if Mr Halliday says that's the case then who are we to argue, Mr Halliday knows everything.
In my book a lead is a lead no matter where it comes from.

Simon

[Mike Halliday]

unlike you....you just think  think you know everything


'In my book a lead is a lead no matter where it comes from'. which book is that?   Simons Big Book of Crap..... which is what you normally quote from

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Ian I do carpets for £25 if the measurements add upto that, I do not do single carpets for that though.

With the law of averages would you prefer a room fullof carboot style customer or a room full of Chemdry style customers?

Shaun

[Simon Gerrard]

Mike,
I'm not going to get into an argument with you.  But to make a statement like;'thats the sort of price  people who go to carboot sales will pay for carpet cleaning' is just rubbish. Oh, don't tell me, you've been down there on a Sunday morning with your clipboard and flask of coffee  interviewing people about their buying habits and can therefore speak authoritatively on the subject, or is it yet more of your BS.

Simon

[cleantom]

Mike,
I'm not going to get into an argument with you.  But to make a statement like;'thats the sort of price  people who go to carboot sales will pay for carpet cleaning' is just rubbish. Oh, don't tell me, you've been down there on a Sunday morning with your clipboard and flask of coffee  interviewing people about their buying habits and can therefore speak authoritatively on the subject, or is it yet more of your BS.

Simon

I just love this forum   

[Mike Halliday]

Simon why would we argue, this is just a bit of fun

we all have an opinion, the fact that we don't all agree is what (as clean tom puts it) what we all love about this forum.

my comment was more based on the fact that he was getting lots of interest at £25 a room.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

It's a bit like clash of the titans as both are renound for their outspoken views, wouldn't be like Simon to start an arguement on the airwaves though

I'm not taking sides of any one person but I agree with Mike on the socio demographics, I try and get from the customer his or her buying habbits with planned questions and I more or less know which customers I require and where to look for them.

Shaun

[Simon Gerrard]

Me!!!! : Start and argument Have an outspoken view. Nah!!!

The fact is if you put yourself in the same place as a large gathering of members of the public and display your wares, whether it be carpet cleaning or double glazing - you WILL generate leads. Ok, some won't want to pay your price,  but surely that is no different to a percentage of the people who call you for a quote and end up booking your competitor because he was cheaper.

Simon