[Perfect Windows]

I regularly have enquiries from outside our area.

Just wondering what people's opinions are on whether to have a section devoted to dealing with them.  It'd keep it off the main forum and it would be a section only looked at by people interested in taking on such work.

Any opinions?

[DaveG]

Good idea. I've had 1 enquiry from Surrey (100+ miles away), 1 from Taunton (70 miles) and a couple from Devon (60+miles) in the last couple of months. 

[robbo333]

Good idea, I am getting lots of enquiries that are slightly out of my area, it would be good to do something with them. I even thought of starting up a website just to deal with this problem, but I don't have the time now the sun is out.

[Spruce]

It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.

Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.

[Perfect Windows]

Why would someone be "suspect"?

The punter has called me to have their windows cleaned and they are out of my area.  If a window cleaner covers their area and isn't full, they'd have to be an utter blathering idiot not to want me to pass on their name to the customer.  I'd be passing on the details of a window cleaner to someone who want a window cleaner. How could that be anything other than good?

Vin

[Shane sharples]

It's handy to know the windys in your area , some of them could cover quite a large area. I have been passing quite a few enquiries onto windys I know

[Clever Forum Name]

Spruce meant  the 100 miles away example

If a customer couldn't work out from my WWW where i cover, then i wouldn't want to pass them on

[Shane sharples]

Haha I get you

[Clever Forum Name]

It's handy to know the windys in your area , some of them could cover quite a large area. I have been passing quite a few enquiries onto windys I know

I did do this all time BUT only ONE person has the decency to text and say thanks so far. So that stopped last week!!!!!!!!!!!

A simple text saying thanks for the lead takes seconds. Ok maybe the person never called the company but i always say mention my name please. The amount of work i pass over is unreal on a weekly basis. It eats into my day explaining they would do better calling XYZ. Now i just say i am full up, sorry.

[robbo333]

It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.

Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.

Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that).  Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course 

[DaveG]

Good idea, I am getting lots of enquiries that are slightly out of my area, it would be good to do something with them. I even thought of starting up a website just to deal with this problem, but I don't have the time now the sun is out.

Alright Robbo, what areas do you cover (East of Bournemouth, that is.. West is my patch!) 

[Smurf]

It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.

Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.

Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that).  Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course 

Osha-clean springs to mind as you could charge them for every enquiry you get you don't want and pass on to them as I'm betting they get [MOD NOTE - NO SWEARING] all .

[robbo333]

Dave: I know West is your patch...that's why I sneak in and clean at night 

Smurf: I was going to set up a website where interested parties would pay say...£3 month to be involved and everything else is at face value.

[Smurf]

Here's one

From: *************************
Subject: ***********************
***************
Message Body:
Quote required for conservatory clean; remove weeds, moss and lichen, clear gutters.

--
This e-mail was sent from a contact form on OAKLEY WINDOW CLEANING (http://oakleywindowcleaning.co.uk)

Data protection act springs to mind  as you just can't post personal details like that (now edited) into the public domain for everyone to see surely

[DaveG]

Dave: I know West is your patch...that's why I sneak in and clean at night 

 

[Smurf]

It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.

Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.

Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that).  Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course 

Optimize Location Targeting - AdWords In Under Five Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8k1kMFO-qw

[Smurf]

Dave: I know West is your patch...that's why I sneak in and clean at night 

Smurf: I was going to set up a website where interested parties would pay say...£3 month to be involved and everything else is at face value.

It's not as simple as that or everyone would be at it surely.
How much do you think such a venture would cost to start up and operate successfully?
More importantly be able to make any sort of profit to make it worth your while.

For me local enquires for some reason or another I don't want to quote I either just ignore them or just say now "try so and so"and just leave it at that. For other enquiries outside my area that I'm not interestd in most of the time I just ignore them as can't be arsed spending time to try passing the leads onto others.

[robbo333]

It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.

Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.

Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that).  Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course 

Optimize Location Targeting - AdWords In Under Five Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8k1kMFO-qw

Thanks for the link but I did all that.
Adwords smallest geographical area you can work with is a postcode e.g. BH10. I have some fairly large postcode areas near to me. One half of the postcode is what I would consider a little gold mine, the other half of the same postcode is not so desirable to me. Hence I get, what I would consider, a non desirable customer. Perhaps I am being too picky?

[Smurf]

It would be interesting to identify if these are genuine enquiries or not.

Surely if you have pricing on your website and list the areas you cover, any enquiry well outside the area you cover is suspect.

Not necessarily. I do Google Adwords and get lots of enquiries but unfortunately Adwords doesn't let you tie it down tight enough on the areas. Not for me anyway. So some calls I get are outside my area (the custy doesn't know that).  Usually my ad is so bluddy good that they don't even look at my website (which has all my areas on it) so they just call me and naturally I am unable to help them...but someone else could. All the windies I know are quite busy, but it would be nice to help the custys out...and me of course 

Optimize Location Targeting - AdWords In Under Five Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8k1kMFO-qw

Thanks for the link but I did all that.
Adwords smallest geographical area you can work with is a postcode e.g. BH10. I have some fairly large postcode areas near to me. One half of the postcode is what I would consider a little gold mine, the other half of the same postcode is not so desirable to me. Hence I get, what I would consider, a non desirable customer. Perhaps I am being too picky?

I have never found the need to use google adwords myself and I tend to ignore any ads on search results too.
You would be far better off with a good seo site that ranks highly on the first page of google organic search results if you ask me.
Regards to enquires in part postal areas that you don't want to work in for whatever reason then I don't class that as being picky at all.

[robbo333]

Dave: I know West is your patch...that's why I sneak in and clean at night 

Smurf: I was going to set up a website where interested parties would pay say...£3 month to be involved and everything else is at face value.

It's not as simple as that or everyone would be at it surely.
How much do you think such a venture would cost to start up and operate successfully?
More importantly be able to make any sort of profit to make it worth your while.

For me local enquires for some reason or another I don't want to quote I either just ignore them or just say now "try so and so"and just leave it at that. For other enquiries outside my area that I'm not interestd in most of the time I just ignore them as can't be arsed spending time to try passing the leads onto others.

I agree, I tend to ignore some enquiries because I can't be bothered, but if I could make just a few quid on each one it might make it a bit of fun. Would another windie be willing to pay half a clean for a potential customer in his area, who knows?
More importantly, I get the hump spending money on Adwords and leaflets and the quality or location of the custy doesn't quite fit the bill (for me).  And in reality the customer is wasted and that's the real shame. Over the next 3 months I have 20,000 leaflets going out, but they are in 'bang on' areas so I am hoping to feel better about those responses. Or i'll cry my bluddy eyes out!
As for setting up a website, as my pappy used to say 'it takes two coats of looking at'. I haven't really given it any thought beyond 'wouldn't it be a good idea'. Maybe this weekend i'll buy myself an AO sized whiteboard and get the pens out. Loves a bit of brainstorming does Robbo.