[the red carpet]

I'm trying to get in with my local estate agents to provide a regular source of work and have come up with this letter
I plan on sending it with a 6 page a4 brochure i have designed including before and after pictures, price list, info etc.

Feel free to copy and use it if you like and if you feel any bits could be changed please let me know.

And if anyone could correct the gramma and spelling mistakes for me that I'm sure i have made, i would really appreciate it.




Dear manager,
       
Earn Yourself £30 A Time!

Hi there, my name is Daniel McPharlane and I run a successful carpet and upholstery cleaning company called “The Red Carpet” not far from were you are based.

I am writing to you today as I am trying to build mutually beneficial relationships between my company and the local estate/lettings agents.

What I propose is that you use my company as your preferred “carpet cleaners” and recommend us to all your clients trying to sell or rent a property through your agency, and also that you call on our services when you have tenants moving out that need to clean due to tenancy conditions.

In return, I am willing to pay you 20% commission on all jobs you pass my way, my average job value is £150 so you can expect around £30 for every job you pass to me.

Only you know how much work your company could pass my way but I am sure that potentially it could become quite lucrative for both of us.

Using our advanced equipment, chemicals, training and experience we are capable of cleaning carpets to a very high standard instantly making a property more attractive and marketable.

And I’m sure with your experience you would agree that a clean property is easier to sell or rent than a dirty one, so this could also mean more sales and commission for you.

I have enclosed a information pack and price list with this letter for you to take a look at, and
if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

D MCPHARLANE
Proprietor

[Steve Chapman]

red,
I've worked for  estate agents and letting agents for about 10 years and can tell you 2 things,
1, most letters go straight in the bin or are opened by the wrong person,
2, they won't be interested in the money as most costs are passed on to the client.
Believe me i know as i tried it myself.

You really need to go and speak to the manager in person.I tried this are many failed letters and after two weeks clocked up about 8 agencies and none of them remembered seeing my letter.It's really quite hard going in face to face but it is really the most effective.

also most of the agencies encouraged me to increase my prices so long as i did a good job and was reliable, one of the things the look for is being available at short notice, esp if they are closing a deal as time is money to them and that is what they will be interested in.
also be flexible, not many agents like working on a fixed price basis, but what you may lose on one you gain on another.

all in all you have to go and thrash out the needs of easch agent, as they are not all the same but they do appreciate the personal touch.

I've been working for the same few for last 10 years and it does provide some steady income, but do be prepared to get some rough jobs
regards
steve

[Spot On cleaning]

Not that easy,

                     but as has been previously mentioned, you have to be flexible. I wrote over a 100 letter over two years ago, and nothing.. Then out of the blue 2 jobs from the same one, with no commission taken. Then nothing.

After buying a new truck mount, we sent out over 500 letters and have picked up 3 more. One takes 10%, one takes nothing and pays up straight away and the third takes nothing and pays within two weeks.

I have done 2 rental properties this week. The one, a one bedroom house got me £95 for 75  mins using the truck mount, from setting up to leaving the property. From this is taken £9.50 in comission and £3 in petrol. Another bonus for me is that i know a lady who works for the one, who pays straight away, and as she has been in the business for 31 years, she knows all the other letting agents in my area, as well as the commercial ones.She has given me lots of advice, as well as the option to also do the rubbish cleanup if i should want this as well, and talk to the other letting agents.

I'll let you know how it pans out in the future.

Dave

[the red carpet]

My last batch of estate agent letters (53) sent out
brought back in 3 jobs so it wasnt to bad, a lot better response than leaflets

Trouble is they apear to have been one offs as i havent had any more work from the 3agents since
i thought this may encourage them to push it a bit with there clients.

I would for £30 a time.

At the end of the day its money for nothing for them, and they have more chance of selling or renting after.

I'm gonna send to the same 53 again and see what happens.

[Spot On cleaning]

With many estate agencies, some has a preresquisite that the carpets have to be cleaned after tenacy finishes, and if they don't, it is taken out of their bond money. Another thing we tried once was to target the houses that have for sale boards or to let boards on them.

We gave out a lot,but did'nt get a lot. It's pot luck sometimes and i think the funny weather at the moment ain't helping.


Dave

[craigp]

i was told by an Australian women that in Austrailia before/after any property is let carpets had to be cleaned by law.

i would'nt know if thats right, but thats what she said.

[Len Gribble]

Red

Have never induced a kick back nor would I, my price is my price there mark up is down to them, echo Steve reply.

See from your site Stains Removed can you elaborate on this. I always say will try!

craigp

It may be so now that they have to be licensed.

Len

[Ian Gourlay]

Craig re Carpet Cleaning for Lettings in Australia

You may remember I started a thread about Carpet Cleaning being made Compulsory The Government gets a lot of policy ideas from Australia.

[Dennis]

The Government gets a lot of policy ideas from Australia.

That explains a lot since most Aussies ancestors went out in handcuffs! 

[andrew chrysler]

Hi Red.

Glad to see you got a decent response from the letters; but I imagine the reason for no repeat work is because they have now lost the letter.

I would suggest that you send a "thank-you" letter as a follow up; thank the agent for getting you the job, and remind him that you would like more work from him.

Some estate agents might be reluctant to recommend a carpet cleaner whose work they can not guarantee..... is it worth offering to clean their office carpet free so they can see your workmanship?

My approach would be a personal visit to the estate agent, and a free clean of his office carpet, together with providing a quantity of leaflets in a leaflet dispenser. Repeat monthly calls to top up the leaflet dispenser will keep your name in front of the agent.

For each full house clean I would give a free room clean, for either the manager or one of the staff. Costs half an hour, not £30.

With regard to Australia, how about this slogan

We can get all the XXXX out of your carpets

 

[Art]

You'll find most estate/letting agents contact  cleaning companies who clean carpets aswell.

Less hassle and one phone call.

Might be worth phoning round a few cleaning companies that do end of tenancy and offer your services to them.

The free carpet cleaning and leaving leaflets, i wouldn't if i were you. That's like pressure sales, which wouldn't work, agents don't appreciate in your face tactics.

Letting agents will give you work if you contact them at the right time and you keep doing a good job at very short notice. So make sure you charge well as there's a lot of running about at times.

If you want repeat work, never say no i'm to busy, unless it's impossible fit them in or they'll phone someone else then next time guess who get's the first phone call  :

All of the above is from personal experience,hope it helps

Arthur