[ian harper]

Doug

With respect, you i know what he charges are min £120 but that not mean he makes more? he can charge this because he has pink flyer working he is selling not marketing, I focus on marketing.

This is why I want to get pink flyer working for me. I am working on new message as its old and to many people use it now and prospects just think your copying and if these people do any thing wrong it could affect other users of the flyer.

Selling does get you more money. I wanted to set my marketing up so I dont have to sell, But that might have to change.

I could double what i get if i started to work more local and did visits like jim does. but thats really not what i wanted. middle ground might be pink flyer.

kevin is a great example of these two different approaches selling or marketing. one its market price the other depends on your sales skills. he also does monthly newsletter, not seen one for some time but Tina has friends that he has done work for in past, so know he uses this method as well. When I was on FT he was on a call and said he does the free room as well, again that was some time ago. so he full on selling with presentation, that can turn people of you and you raise exceptions as well. under sell over deliver is much better

Anyway he is one to follow as he knows what he is doing. AA carpet cleaning brentwood does visits to quote i think and he has done very well for himself. people just cant say no to your face whatever the price. Thats sad

Doug, cost for a customer. the customer pays that part so cost is not an issue.

your right about machine issues but again market decides price. I do have two prices one which you dont see and my upsells also so please dont judge a book by the cover. many carpets cleaners that are in the same price range just keep quite when people go on about high price as they know the truth.

BTW we dont know if kevin does three time less work than me? as I said i dont offer the same service as he does.

Sure that customer was going to pay double because she could not find it cheaper. does not mean she was happy about it. I have done work for your past customers, does not mean you did a bad job? no. works both way that one. I have done work for jims customers as well again does not mean he did a bad job, why then? The market,

Doug its not price it profit, give me a flow of work that i can control at twice the price and i will take it. My point is market price is different to face to face selling price. I am sure once I get my selling up to standard I will not have the issues that i did last month. not talking about selling to the market BTW

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Ian

I know you don't like face to face selling so therefore try to market without having to.

The best way I ever found to do this was prices on leaflets where customers basically rang to book. At the time I had someone taking calls for me and it worked well, it was a lot less hassle.

Cheers

Doug

[Carpet Dawg]

Ian mate, you seem like a nice guy so please don't take this the wrong way. But you over complicate things dude! I mean seriously, it shouldn't be as hard and complex as your making it sound. In fact I know its not.

Ok it helps to know what your "cost per customer" is but you go all deep about it. A rough idea is enough, your not running Sainsburys! your not a multi national!

Just stick to the things that work. There should only be a small handful of things. Very easy to manage. Who's Tina? does she work for you? Sack her, you don't need employees. Make sure you have enough work coming in constantly before going down that route.

Selling, marketing, what the market dictates, pink leaflet blah blah blah blah.... STOP just stop! Its all the same thing right, getting work in the diary. If your not busy then go visit every call that comes in and try your best to be loved by the customer and charge a decent wack.
Or as Doug says, stick your prices everywhere. On your van, all your advertising etc if your going down the cheaper end of the scale.

From reading all your posts I feel like your business takes over your life and consumes your every thought. Its really not that complicated mate.

Lots of love
Tony  

[*Hector*]

Don't go booking a church or anything Tony.....

But I agree with you... 

Ian does seem to over-complicate things.

I have this vision of him sat pulling his hair out, whilst sat in front of his computer trying different marketing methods from the far reaching ends of the universe..

Maybe just finding enough time to clean 1 carpet a day...

Maybe wrong, but that is just my vision of him..

No offense meant Ian..

 

[Carpet Dawg]

 

Stopping half through cleaning that one daily carpet to Tweet about it, and maybe a quick G+1 update 

Ian, take the money out of the customers pocket and put it in to yours. Its easy bro.

[garry22]

These things DO matter (I'm biased because I'm far more interested in copywriting and marketing than carpet cleaning). The problem is that it's nigh on impossible to do these things and go out cleaning all day (very labour intensive). You need to decide what you want to do.

[ian harper]

Quick everyone run, lets hide the trolls have woken up -)

[*Hector*]

Quick everyone run, lets hide the trolls have woken up -)

Grow up Ian... you have more intelligence than that..

 

You type loads of "stuff" about how we should be marketing or selling our business, with charts and flow graphs etc to prove a point...
But you will not listen to a few pieces of constructive criticism without resorting to petty insults...

You actually deserve all you get........

[Craigp]

****With respect, you i know what he charges are min £120 but that not mean he makes more?***

Trust me he is. On FT course I have seen the figures, which I won't say on here but you would be shocked.


Please Ian, don't use the pink flyer then fall at last hurdle by charging cheap.

[garry22]

With respect, you i know what he charges are min £120 but that not mean he makes more? he can charge this because he has pink flyer working he is selling not marketing, I focus on marketing.

I'm a bit confused Ian. I would have put the pink flyer (and anything like it) firmly in the marketing camp.

The idea is to pre sell / educate someone so you do not have to spend half an hour per phone call "sselling them".

Personally, my job as a marketer / copywriter is to put everything in place so that selling becomes as little as "How much and when can you start". If done right, this process can be scaled upwards simply by increasing the numbers (which I presume is what you are getting at?).

[davep]

Sounds like a load of tosh.

Heres the secret.

Any customers you get- do a good job and make them happy.

Leave a bottle of spotter.

Get referrals. Get repeats.

Start over again.

Won't take long to put that on a spreadsheet 

[Carpet Dawg]

Dave!!! you bloody troll! go away with the good advice!


 

[Ian Gourlay]

Please do not ruin it I felt a very sensible discussion was taking place.

I would  suggest that Ian drops the Pink Flyer Idea as it tends to Act as a Filter.
And make a Leaflet set at price at which the Customer is prepared to pay  so he gets the impulse buys.

He might have to go near the HomeCare Guys  prices but I would suggest starting higher. Just Work 127 Corridor and A!13 Corridor?  and Maybe Maldon and Chelmsford.

More than enough houses.

Returns would need to be greater than 1% so it could be hard to find the right level and there is a chance of starting a price

I think you need a Minimum charge. That Pro dry Bloke had quite a good leaflet the one who was an Estate Agent , no idea what the ROI was.

[wynne jones]

Ideally you should track everything!

But some of us are out cleaning carpets and making money. I get the distinct impression for some tracking, marketing ideas and talking about it is a displacement activity for work.

The way to know if that's true or not is your score at the end of the year your accountant gives you called profit.

[Carpet Dawg]

Of course marketing is important. And tracking where your calls are coming from is also important especially if your paying advertising.

But the way Ian drones on about it.... he's making the issue far too complex than its needs to be for a one man band carpet cleaning business.

And its clearly not working for Ian. He's been at it for a few years (I presume), covers a large area but he's constantly changing his set up! He said himself he's invested £1500 in January and is making a lose.

I mean whats the point in carpet cleaners Buzz? throw it in the bin. Its not putting meat on the table is it?

Not having a go at him. Just saying.

[Simon Gerrard]

Well I'm exhausted just reading all of Ian's stuff and can only feel sorry for someone who so completely an utterly misses the point and has become consumed by peripheral issues that can undermine a business.
Building a successful carpet cleaning business is simple.
You go and get the training.
You buy the best possible equipment you can afford.
You place some advertising, setup a website, do some cold calling etc etc and eventually jobs start to come in.
Now the real marketing starts. Excuse from your very first job and every job after that the marketing aspect of your business is about YOU. How good a carpet cleaner you are. What level of service you give. How trustworthy you are and does your customer think they have value for money.

To keep things really simple you can chuck all of that lot into one pot and say it is about 'attitude.' If you're a serious, customer focused person then it will be your attitude that shines through and people will come to trust you and most importantly of all consider you THEIR carpet cleaner. Achieve that and you have a customer for life and with it referrals, recommendations but most of all customer loyalty. That's marketing. If you get all of this right then you will always have more than enough customers willing to pay your price.
And to keep things similar still you can boil all of that down to one simple mantra that if you apply it to every aspect of your business, you will be successful, 'I must try and put my customers in a position where they can't get what I do anywhere else!'
I think you will find that every successful carpet cleaner has achieved that which is why they are successful.

Simon

[neil 47]

 follow these steps Ian
 
read and act   http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814

Sack Tina she comes across as better than everyone else ( doctors receptionist) probable a lovely woman

Change your blog format right idea but not easy to navigate

Get more websites , and rank them organicly higher by  well you will have to figure that out

Be nice , I rang you for some advice and you didn't reply and Tina basically   told me to chuff off   .

Listen to advice  a lot on here ask for advice but because of their (ego id )  they dont take it even after asking for it ,  

Search Your Name in google if your not coming up as a carpet cleaner more than 3 x then you need to do more work online . couldnt find your website with your name Ian

Go Out  I went to the club on friday Two jobs booked and they came to me . Why ? because I go out and network I dont chase work . I try to help ,

Become a expert you have education use it to show people in a easy way why solvents clean oils and detergents clean soiling use Case studies .

Hire a Salesperson if you cant do it


Good Luck Ian

[Ian Gourlay]

follow these steps Ian
 
read and act   http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814

Sack Tina she comes across as better than everyone else ( doctors receptionist) probable a lovely woman

Change your blog format right idea but not easy to navigate

Get more websites , and rank them organicly higher by  well you will have to figure that out

Be nice , I rang you for some advice and you didn't reply and Tina basically   told me to chuff off   .

Listen to advice  a lot on here ask for advice but because of their (ego id )  they dont take it even after asking for it ,  

Search Your Name in google if your not coming up as a carpet cleaner more than 3 x then you need to do more work online . couldnt find your website with your name Ian

Go Out  I went to the club on friday Two jobs booked and they came to me . Why ? because I go out and network I dont chase work . I try to help ,

Become a expert you have education use it to show people in a easy way why solvents clean oils and detergents clean soiling use Case studies .

Hire a Salesperson if you cant do it


Good Luck Ian


Interesting about Google , I can be found  but not as Carpet Cleaner. Good job i have a 3hr social Media training Booked for next week   Ian G.

[derek west]

the cost of most customers is usually grey hair, baldness and anxiety  not all though.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

If you are very good, market that you are very good!
If you are cheaper than others market that you are cheaper than others!

The message should be simple you have their attention then add the benefits later, remember the "half price in your area" leaflets ? The attention is price the call to action is that the cleaners are is in the area for the next 2 weeks and the benefits to use them were 2 fold
 a. the normal price was halved for a limited time
 b. small benefits like 'fully insured and fully trained' which takes risk out of the equation also 'furniture moved and replaced' another was quick drying.

Customers ask which questions the most?

If the demographic you are after is quick answerers that need it now then that's a younger audience not so cash rich if you are trying to get the best price for your return then you may go for an older clientele which have to be more sold to and take time to build up a relationship with.

You need to choose which one, an older person will take time to read your marketing often procrastinating where a younger audience need short sentences they haven't got time to read war and peace or the attention span.

You are trying to offer both so your message confuses both parties.

Shaun