[WCBusinessCoach]

Well I can't speak for Matt but my last five purchases were based on low price alone.  However, I'm just talking about foodstuffs.  As far as the hair clippers go, I went for a brand that I know the pros use so I went for longevity/quality.  I went for the watch for an Xmas prezzie because that was what my g/f wanted (haven't asked her what her decision was based upon).  I went for the one day (paid) marketing course because I believe that the company who provided it are good marketers and I thought I would pick up some good advice (I did - although only some of it was new to me).  The other items were based on (a) trust of the seller and (b) I already knew the product was good because I had previously bought one.  As far as some other purchases were concerned, I wasn't convinced that I was buying the best and I know I wasn't buying the cheapest but I did know there was a decent aftersales structure in place.  So, if you discount price (which I didn't use as a factor for the small ticket items), there is a whole raft of different reasons in there.  I haven't read your book.  I can't hear your video either (no sound on this computer) but I would be surprised if my reasons weren't part of your advice.
I used to think marketing was unimportant.  I don't think that now.  However, I don't have the funds to market the way I would like to so I have to make the best of what I've got.
I do think that marketing from the other side of the pond doesn't always transfer very well into UK culture though but I pick out what I think will work and I put the rest on the shelf.  I never discard it totally as there may be a use for it one day.
One thing that marketing from West of the pond overlooks IMO is simplicity.  I think this is where there may be a cultural divide.  I can't say specifically about Canada but I feel that USA sales and marketing seriously over complicates things usually.

Thx for that detailed reply, and for being so specific about what has driven your recent buying decisions.

THIS is exactly why we need to stop and think seriously about harnessing the power of marketing.
 
Step one is coming up with a list of great reasons why prospects should buy your window cleaning services.

Step two is figuring out the best way to push each of those buttons, and manipulate people to respond to them, and base buying decisions on them.

With respect to your comment about overcomplicating things with North American marketing tactics, that's a new thought for me that I've heard a few times now in the past 24 hrs from you guys.

Simple is cool, no problem.

Make your simple flier do a bunch of marketing pushups, and you'll pump it up even more.

[WCBusinessCoach]

Just had a listen to a couple of videos (the cockroach one and the dollar in the envelope one) the techniques are already out there like a free biro in the envelope, that kind of thing. He goes on to talk about a six percent return on thirty four houses. Nothing new there i've had 50% return before ( i only targeted two houses!).
Offering free cleans? good job he didn't offer them on the two houses that netted 1200 dollars!
Interesting? yes i'd say so - would i subscribe? The guy wants to take my money so for that reason i'm out. 

Have you ever tried the free biro in the envelope?

[Clive McDonald]

hi coach,          if you've come here to learn you'll do well.

 Maybe expecting to teach is stretching the envolope a little.

There are some great threads on here, including the use of round canvassers.WC is different in some ways because it is loyalty based.

[WCBusinessCoach]

The guy wants to take my money so for that reason i'm out. 

You're out of what?

This conversation?

[ftp]

Nope, because i have recieved the free biro in the envelope and the result was either i or my wife rip the top off, sling the junk mail and chuck the biro in the drawer (they are normally crap anyway).
Free cleans? Never ever would i go down that route - that just shows you are desperate in my eyes. A lot of us are using water fed poles and the first clean is always the longest, hardest one of all.
The telephone answering message could be an improvement i would agree. My home line is my main buisiness line too and i really haven't considered making a more professional answering message before.

[WCBusinessCoach]

hi coach,          if you've come here to learn you'll do well.

 Maybe expecting to teach is stretching the envolope a little.

There are some great threads on here, including the use of round canvassers.WC is different in some ways because it is loyalty based.

If I may:

Yes, WC in some ways is loyalty based, so what?

What are you doing to use that information to get more WC business, then?

And what are the "other" ways it is based? And how can they be leveraged?

Stop to listen to your own words, guys.

Your giving me more and more reasons why you should start to figure this marketing stuff out.

And incidentally, no, in my 35 years of life, no, I have NOT discovered marketing. How arrogant would that make me? I simply have discovered an easy way to migrate all of these proven, core marketing strategies into our WC industry, and our tools.

I am teaching you how to apply proven marketing strategy for your WC business, that's all, to achieve rapid, profitable revenue growth.

You have the right to question my position as a teacher, but only if you're open-minded enough to consider the answers.

[ftp]

The guy wants to take my money so for that reason i'm out. 

You're out of what?

This conversation?

A line from Dragons Den - do you have that programme over there?

[WCBusinessCoach]

Nope, because i have recieved the free biro in the envelope and the result was either i or my wife rip the top off, sling the junk mail and chuck the biro in the drawer (they are normally crap anyway).
Free cleans? Never ever would i go down that route - that just shows you are desperate in my eyes. A lot of us are using water fed poles and the first clean is always the longest, hardest one of all.
The telephone answering message could be an improvement i would agree. My home line is my main buisiness line too and i really haven't considered making a more professional answering message before.

(I'm gonna ignore the FREE cleaning reference for now)

Is a "biro" a pen?

Affixing a cheap, plastic, garbage pen to a flier would be an idiotic idea, in my estimation.

Sorry, I thought "biro" was some slang term for money.

Who mentioned anything about pens?

I was talking about affixing a piece of actual coin currency to the flier itself, not a pen.

Have you ever tried this, using actual money attached to a flier, not pens or the like?

If not, why not?

Likely because you're not sure how, right? This idea and strategy is not new, and you yourself seem to revel in pointing out how it's already in your storehouse of knowledge, so why haven't you tapped into it?

Especially in your market, so focused on price, think of how fresh and interesting and captivating a little flier promotion like that could be!

[WCBusinessCoach]

A line from Dragons Den - do you have that programme over there?

Is it? Wow.

Yeah, we have a "Toronto" version of it, but I expect its different from the UK original, if its from your side of the pond.

I love that show. I haven't heard that line, though...cool coincidence...

[ftp]

Also think what a disaster it could be. You have to remember it's a numbers game - not everyone wants their windows cleaned and several already have a cleaner. Are you saying if i stick a pound coin to my flier i'm going to pick up the people who have a cleaner? The biro thing is the same principle it's a gift to entice you to open the mail and hopefully read it, doesn't work in our house. The free clean was something you mentioned on the video that's why i brought it up. One guy on this forum tried it the other week and one woman took the free clean then told him she already had a cleaner so wouldn't require his sevices. Another guy admitted making a mistake by having super glossy four colour fliers printed his success rate was very small - maybe he should have stuck money to them all?

[ftp]

How do you know the dollars stuck to your fliers got you those two jobs? How do you know the fliers alone would not have got them? Have you spoken to those customers to find out why they picked you, was it purely because they had a dollar or because they didn't have a cleaner and wanted their houses cleaned?

[WCBusinessCoach]

Also think what a disaster it could be. You have to remember it's a numbers game - not everyone wants their windows cleaned and several already have a cleaner. Are you saying if i stick a pound coin to my flier i'm going to pick up the people who have a cleaner? The biro thing is the same principle it's a gift to entice you to open the mail and hopefully read it, doesn't work in our house. The free clean was something you mentioned on the video that's why i brought it up. One guy on this forum tried it the other week and one woman took the free clean then told him she already had a cleaner so wouldn't require his sevices. Another guy admitted making a mistake by having super glossy four colour fliers printed his success rate was very small - maybe he should have stuck money to them all?

So, don't offer a free WC clean, no big deal. That's not the point I was making in the video, I was simply explaining the original use of this marketing strategy (this is not a NEW strategy, yet what WC has tried it?)

And what's with the 4-color flier comment? We're not talking about that. We can, but we're not right now.

You said "it's a numbers game". What do you believe that really means?

And the biro thing is the same principle, perhaps, but a horribly poor application of it.

Affixing something a little crazier might just work though, in capturing people's attention and getting them to review your offer.

Maybe affixing a stitch of cloth? Or maybe a chunk of a pub coaster?

But let's get back to this money example:

How much would you be willing to pay for a new window cleaning client?

If the idea of a one pound coin scares you, try out a 5 pence (is there such a thing?)

The point is, by doing something a little different, you cut through the noise.

You could create a little simple story around why you're giving them a 5p, tape it right at the top, fold up the flier, place it in a sealed envelope, and then write on the outside in pen "DO NOT THROW - CURRENCY INSIDE"

Try it. It'll take you a couple hours to make the flier, a few pounds to print them off, affix the 5p's , and then you can pay a local kid next to nothing to drop them all off.

And do a small trial run of the method. 100 houses only, and see what happens.

Minimize your risk during this trial phase, and test, track, and tweak, until you have a consistently performing marketing asset, then roll it out to a larger audience.

This is not risky, or expensive.

Wasting money on weak and ineffective, cookie-cutter marketing is.

[WCBusinessCoach]

How do you know the dollars stuck to your fliers got you those two jobs? How do you know the fliers alone would not have got them? Have you spoken to those customers to find out why they picked you, was it purely because they had a dollar or because they didn't have a cleaner and wanted their houses cleaned?

These people both commented on the flier catching their attention, yes, and how it made them laugh, and commended us on it.

Could they care less about the dollar? Of course, not! But it aroused some curiosity, they read my message (aka "offer") and picked up the phone and gave me a call.

They also live in a neighbourhood with many of my competitors constantly soliciting these same people.

This method cuts through the "noise" and gets people to zero in on what you specifically want to communicate with them. It also has a super-high open rate, which is half the battle, right?

[ftp]

The point i was trying to make is that a lot of customers will have a cleaner and will have had him for years - do you honestly think you can prise your customers away from him with a dollar stuck to your flyer? I'm not saying you are wrong, just churning your ideas about. The only way to know for sure would be to ask your customers why they picked you - was it the dollar, was it the flyer or was it just that they  needed a cleaner?

I see you answered above.

[Paul Coleman]

hi coach,          if you've come here to learn you'll do well.

 Maybe expecting to teach is stretching the envolope a little.

There are some great threads on here, including the use of round canvassers.WC is different in some ways because it is loyalty based.

If I may:

Yes, WC in some ways is loyalty based, so what?

What are you doing to use that information to get more WC business, then?

And what are the "other" ways it is based? And how can they be leveraged?

Stop to listen to your own words, guys.

Your giving me more and more reasons why you should start to figure this marketing stuff out.

And incidentally, no, in my 35 years of life, no, I have NOT discovered marketing. How arrogant would that make me? I simply have discovered an easy way to migrate all of these proven, core marketing strategies into our WC industry, and our tools.

I am teaching you how to apply proven marketing strategy for your WC business, that's all, to achieve rapid, profitable revenue growth.

You have the right to question my position as a teacher, but only if you're open-minded enough to consider the answers.

Sure thing.  It can be very easy to disagree with a couple of things so end up (wrongly) dismissing everything from a source.  We call it throwing out the baby with the bath water.
I've read a number of personal developement books down the years.  In some there were things that were totally inappropriate for me and possibly even had the potential to be psycholigically dangerous.  However, even from such a book, I could still pick out a few gems.  I take the view that if I learn something positive from every book I read, then it was worthwhile.
I spoke to someone about marketing on either side of the pond a while back.  If you market something in the UK people are more likely to want to know what something does.  West of the pond, they are more likely to want to know how it works.  Obviously that is a sweeping generalisation but I believe there is some truth in it.

[Paul Coleman]

I'm afraid the glass is always half empty over here, personally I agree with you coach, but I fear your throwing "pearls before swine".

A great man once said "dont kick every dog that barks at you", Kevin, save your breath!

These posters dont want you or anyone else on here to succeed beyond THEIR OWN capabilities. They are stuck in their small town small mind thinking. They dont have a box to think out of.

Check this out. www.jeffbridges.com/because.html

"It's always been done this way round here"

That link is a classic.   

[matt]

personally i think the americans have the marketing thing right down, they do it well

ive been over to the US enough to see that americans lap up the flashy in your face marketing, nothing wrong it that

are we brits a little more reserved ? ? ? ?, are we too reserved to even try it ? ? ?

discuss

[Oakley Windows]

If you have no interest in growth, I have nothing to offer you.

As he says if you don't want to grow your business don't listen or spend your physically hard  earned £££'s. Just keep on cleaning them windows!!! 

My business will grow with or without thanks Kev. :

[Clive McDonald]

The apes are using behaviour they have learned. That's okay i would be no different.Your point being?

Marketing advice on this forum, who exactly are you aiming to teach.

One guy had 28,000 domestic accounts (c price), what exactly is he going to learn.Others started from scratch and built fabulous businesses within two years, what can they learn.

Some have an ionics system and use this extensivley to gain an advantage.

Many already have an open mind and read widely, what can they learn?

You need to approach the people you feel you can best help.At the same time be aware that there have been lots of flakes on here trying to sell things before.

The main area we tend to be weak on on here is marketing to commercial customers. Any advise on this would be welcome, but do expect to get trumped by the guys who have a bit more experience.

[Paul Coleman]

personally i think the americans have the marketing thing right down, they do it well

ive been over to the US enough to see that americans lap up the flashy in your face marketing, nothing wrong it that

are we brits a little more reserved ? ? ? ?, are we too reserved to even try it ? ? ?

discuss

I believe there is a cultural difference with this stuff too Matt.  It makes it more important to sift through it and figure out what might and might not work in the UK.