[Ed.]

Hi guys

So thinking at some point to get a massive leaflet drop done. But prob not the right time right now so thinking next year with that now. Just wanted people opinion on lead generation and google ads ?

Does it work and is it worth it ? I have website and post on social media groups but have notice recently not picking up much new work. Obviously understand the situation at the moment and won’t be easy to pick new work up.  Just wanted your guys opinion on how you pick up new customers

Thanks
 

[Smudger]

if you plan to use google ads, you really need a decent/pukka website, get a Facebook page and blog - it needs to be constantly updated and make it interesting - also look into SEO stuff - otherwise I think you'll be throwing good money after bad.

Darran

[david mark]

Leaflets for me

[Stoots]

Well i will say lead gen, because its what i do for myself and for others, ive added 100 customers to my own round the past 6 weeks without really trying and for a very low spend.

Online is where its at, if you can learn seo, landing pages, sales funnels, email marketting,  fb and google ads, retargetting and all than good stuff then you are onto a winner.

If not then paying for lead gen, leaflets and canvassing etc will all work.

[Spruce]

Interestingly the motor trade in general gave up on mail shots and leaflet drops some 15 years ago because the results weren't cost effective.
Covid19 has put an end to door knocking which we found was an effective way of growing our business.

The best way for us was to ask our existing customers for friends and relatives living locally who would need a window cleaner.

We also found that offering additional services to our customers such as clearing out gutters,  fascia, soffit and gutter cleans as well as conservatory roof cleans also got is more work.

More and more customers have Window cleaners who refuse to do these additional add-ons.

For new cleaners many have found on line advertising works for them as others have stated. They just have to sift through the dross.

[jo5hm4n]

Hi Ed,

In short Lead Generation, just like other forms of advertising - Leaflets / Canvassing  if done properly is a good way to get new customers in, but the benefit is that it will be a fraction of the cost compared to paying outright for other forms of advertising.  Lead generation has its positives and negatives, but you can gain some really good well priced customers from it if done correctly.   I personally have tried nearly all methods of advertising and going forward will only use Lead Generation / Canvassing for my own business.

I now offer a Lead Generation and a Lead Generation Canvassing service for window cleaners in the UK.  I offer tailored packages to suit the individual needs of each window cleaner and their required amount of growth to suit their spending budget.

Send me an email if you would like some more information or just want to have a chat on the phone - info@windowcleaningleadgeneration.co.uk

[NWH]

From what I’ve heard lead generation is a gamble you pay for leads and they will give them but the catch is they will be any lead from someone with 2 windows-200,the works not vetted you pay for a lead so that’s what you get.
Leaflets drops can be in and cover an area you want but like anything you can’t beat seeing what you pay for first,I would say if someone has had very good work from the lead generation method they’ve been lucky.

[jo5hm4n]

From what I’ve heard lead generation is a gamble you pay for leads and they will give them but the catch is they will be any lead from someone with 2 windows-200,the works not vetted you pay for a lead so that’s what you get.
Leaflets drops can be in and cover an area you want but like anything you can’t beat seeing what you pay for first,I would say if someone has had very good work from the lead generation method they’ve been lucky.

I totally get where you are coming from but in some areas you can get amazing results.

I did a campaign for a window cleaner few weeks ago and from 20 leads we ended up with 16 customers 2 of which where £50+ houses.  All 16 signed up to gocardless within 7 days.  Absolute result!  Conversion and return on investment for this order was very good.

Last month another campaign i did for a window cleaner out of 20 leads we ended up with 6 customers.  Ill say no more it wasnt the best....

Swings and roundabouts just like with any other advertising there is always good quality and bad quality customers to be had.

[NWH]

Like I say it’s hit  and miss the same can be said for leaflets but if you get someone to leaflet you can target an area,a lot of people see an add for window cleaning and they still don’t understand that a window cleaner wants regular work.
Lead generation is better for the person selling the leads than the person receiving them from what I read-heard,not saying good work can’t be got from it but in general as you say a few good jobs from a pile,it’s still sorting wheat from chaff but you have to pay for the chaff because they may not cancel therefore they are a genuine customers that has stayed so has to be paid for.
I would say this is a better way to go about getting work if you want it quickly but are not to concerned about the quality so to speak.

[NWH]

If you’ve got decent work it will normally snowball with the same sort of stuff it has with me over the years, if you’ve got a terrace house not always and not being rude but there’s a good chance the people they know will live in similar properties and the recommendation they give will end up being more of the same.
If you clean a huge house of a banker or lawyer if they recommend a friend they will be in a similar house  or of similar wealth,you can have 5-6 jobs who are all friends and it can equate to a weeks work you may get the amount from the first example and it wouldn’t be enough for a mornings work,word of mouth is the most powerful tool in this game imo of course.

[NWH]

People with multiple vans may not see it the same they need numbers in volume completely different view if you are at the coal face most days,lead generation and massive leaflet drops are the way to generate volume of work but not always quality of work.

[Stoots]

The thing is word of mouth is fine if you are a one man band, but youll never grow a business without investment.

Whether you buy leads, pay for leaflets or use a canvasser you will always get mixed results and messers. Its all a gamble.

[NWH]

The people you get leads from don’t care what type jobs come in they are trying to sell you an amount of leads big stand alone houses 1 bed flats they won’t care,do you want to build a business from work you want to clean or anything that comes in that just generates turnover,you won’t earn much cleaning flats and spaces out terrace houses I would think that the majority of people use this to top up work they already have.

[Stoots]

The people you get leads from don’t care what type jobs come in they are trying to sell you an amount of leads big stand alone houses 1 bed flats they won’t care,do you want to build a business from work you want to clean or anything that comes in that just generates turnover,you won’t earn much cleaning flats and spaces out terrace houses I would think that the majority of people use this to top up work they already have.

That depends where you are in your business and where you want to be.

For most solo guys who are full then topping up their round via word of mouth only and cherry picking work works great.

For those starting out then they dont care so much about taking on anything until they get to a level they dont want to do.

Likewise if you are paying someone else to clean windows then you are not as fussy as long as its profitable.

I have some awkward newer jobs ive just picked up such as terraced houses, stuff i wouldnt normally want but for now it will do especially since i can send the lad who works for me to do them, thats makes them much easier to stomach

[NWH]

At least you are being honest in that reply you send someone out to clean it so you don’t pretend it’s good work it’s just turnover, if you need work on mass you need to leaflet drop or use  this lead method but the work will be hot and miss,more miss  than hit though.

[jo5hm4n]

At least you are being honest in that reply you send someone out to clean it so you don’t pretend it’s good work it’s just turnover, if you need work on mass you need to leaflet drop or use  this lead method but the work will be hot and miss,more miss  than hit though.

Thing is though you say they just want to sell you leads and dont care what type of house or customer it is, and that you could end up with work you dont wan't.

Thats only true up to a point.  Lets say i do lead generation for a new window cleaner, i know for a fact he wants work and growth so will literally take any customer that comes in, however an experienced window cleaner already making decent money maybe just looking to top up his round slightly will be more picky, doesn't want terraced houses, flats, awkward access jobs etc.  He is more likely to look at certain leads and go, right im not doing that, chuck those ones in the bin. 

The most important thing i have found is ROI - Return On Investment.  How long it takes to get your money back from paid advertising.

Door Knock Canvassers - Will take 3-5 months to get your investment back paying for a x3 clean
Leafletting - I'm told with mass leafletting takes anywhere from 4-6 months to get your investment back if done properly
Lead Generation - Will take you 2 months almost guaranteed to get your investment back.   Even if you are super picky it will only take you 3 months max to get it back, so its still more cost effective than other methods.

Lets say Myself or Adam sent you 20 Leads for £10 each @ £200 total.  Even if you just converted that into 7 customers at average price of £15 thats = £105 Monthly turnover  That's a 30-35% conversion rate which is extremely low by the way most people can expect 50%+ each time.  Within 2 months you have your investment back, you are now in profit and any customers who you are not 100% sure about you can dump knowing you are not losing out as you already have your money back and just keep the best customers you gained.

Now lets say you are very fussy and don't want any jobs in certain areas, or flats or terraced houses or dodgy parking.  It's simple, you can afford to be picky and choose what you want, so simply dont convert the leads for those types of customers and just convert the good ones.  Your numbers will be slightly lower, but in most cases by being picky you will now go from getting your investment back in 2 months, to getting your investment back in 3 months, and on your terms, you've handpicked the customers you wanted and still get your money back within 3 months which is still on par if not slightly better than Door Knock Canvassing / Leafletting.

I'm not telling you all of this to try and convince you to use or do Lead Generation at all.

Like Adam above, i just like to be honest and share personal experiences of what is realistic generally speaking.  You can fine tune Lead Generation to work the way you want it to work.

All that matters is Quality of customers and return on investment.  If you can find the right balance with both of those things with lead generation or any type of advertising then you are onto a winner!

[Stoots]

At least you are being honest in that reply you send someone out to clean it so you don’t pretend it’s good work it’s just turnover, if you need work on mass you need to leaflet drop or use  this lead method but the work will be hot and miss,more miss  than hit though.

Of course it will be hit and miss, but that goes for any sort of marketting/advertising in any business not just window cleaning.

Any time you try to grow quickly by chucking money at it you are going to have to work out your return from various methods and find what works for you and what you are trying to achieve.

Like i said growing organically would be the cheapest and best way but its also painfully slow if you need or want work fast.

Any form of advertising is simply throwing enough mud at the wall to see what sticks, whether you chuck it unto lead generation, leaflets, adwords or a canvasser etc.

[robbo333]

I'm putting out 4,000 leaflets per month at the moment and my phone is ringing every single day.

[NWH]

If you are looking for quality I wouldn’t use lead generation it’s luck there’s no other word for it.

[jo5hm4n]

If you are looking for quality I wouldn’t use lead generation it’s luck there’s no other word for it.

Unless you have actually tested it in big numbers yourself you are in no position to say that.  Yes you can get bad quality leads/customers, but you can get the same from paying a door knock canvassing company.

I've spent thousands on door knock canvassing and lead generation, both have give me good results and both have give me bad results.  Overall results for myself are better with lead generation all day long.