[Mike55]

Hello,

Just wondered what peoples experiences were when advertising their business with a mobile phone number as opposed to a mobile.

Anyone had any noticeable results using a landline rather than mobile for picking up customers.  Just trying to guage whether people are reluctant to use a mobile?

Any views welcomed
Mike

[gerard mcmanus]

Stopped using a mob for following reasons:-

1. didn't have a contract and was spending £20 a month to retrieve voice mails
2. Customer where calling me up for silly things, e.g. I run on a booking system as in the customers know when I am coming to the hour, and was getting calls like "are you coming today?", "yes I was just driving up your street and had to pull over to answer this!" 
3. Battery going and having to charge all the time was a pain
4. Having to go for topups was torture as well

now I know some of them problems would be fixed with a contract phone, but get free evening call on my landline and the voicemails are free, so I prefer a landline.

However do think it looks more proffessional as well.

If you like using a mobile, why not use both?

[Alistair@AWC]

Landline diverted to my mobile!

[C.C.S.]

Landline diverted to my mobile!

same for me.only cost me £2 a month for diverting

[windowcleaninginessex.co.uk]

You really need both, i would never use a work man with just a mobile number, i think you need land line number  it just seems more buisness sense, but mobile is handy when you out working

[matt]

its 2009

i dont get the " i would never use some1 with just a mobile arguement "

you can get the net on a phone these days, you can run a office on a mobile phone now

todays day and age its all about being on the button, being able to be contacted all day


the age old arguement from when mobiles first came out " you could be a gypsy " its very old and doesnt stand up to todays requirements, guess what them gypsies now have landlines installed on the sites they live on

[ian1972]

not being funny this is window cleaning were talking about not putting a drive down or roofing plumbing its not the same as having some guy come lay a drive things going tits up and not being able to contact him,so no reason to not use a window cleaner with a mobile,

[windowcleaninginessex.co.uk]

its 2009

i dont get the " i would never use some1 with just a mobile arguement "

you can get the net on a phone these days, you can run a office on a mobile phone now

todays day and age its all about being on the button, being able to be contacted all day


the age old arguement from when mobiles first came out " you could be a gypsy " its very old and doesnt stand up to todays requirements, guess what them gypsies now have landlines installed on the sites they live on

I see it as ,if you have a landline you have a fixed address , so to me that is better than a mobile , which you can get free sims and different numbers  when you want. Bit harder to change a  landline number

[windowcleaninginessex.co.uk]

not being funny this is window cleaning were talking about not putting a drive down or roofing plumbing its not the same as having some guy come lay a drive things going tits up and not being able to contact him,so no reason to not use a window cleaner with a mobile,

Lets say you are not insured and you ladders fall damaging customers car, with a mobile you can disappear and just change your number.
Thats my view  and i still believe it is better to have both mobile and landline number

[ian1972]

yes but i take it most guys on ere have web sites and contact details on there some may not but at the end of the day the jobs window cleaners do dont tend to b for thousands or even hundreds,and most of your work is repeat business,or thats what we all aim for as in a round.

[ian1972]

i agree your customers should have your contact details but i dont see the need to have a land line as pretty much every1 has a mobile these days

[windowcleaninginessex.co.uk]

i agree your customers should have your contact details but i dont see the need to have a land line as pretty much every1 has a mobile these days

I agree most people have mobiles, but i am only trying to help and give my view.

I have just checked one your websites  infinityclean.co.uk and me for instance would not contact you without a landline number or address which i can not see on the website, i personlly just think maybe they are trying to hide something, maybe this is something you should think about adding to you site, it might just get you more work!!
Darren

[Rob.Hall]

Only use mobile now as I got fed up with silly calls to the land line at all times of the evening.

Never had a problem and never been asked for a land line no since.

Even the retired dont seem to bat an eye lid on this one. When I meet a new custy they sign an agreement which we both have a copy. This has my contact details etc on it.

[matt]

i even find that commercial clients dont care if you just have a mobile

i dont get the " fixed address " thing either

you clean some windows, they look and see they are clean, THEN then pay you

unless you do a cash up front type of deal, what have they got to lose ? ? ?

[gerard mcmanus]

D.M. already said if you drop your ladders you could disappear, also if you just have a pay as you go mobile you could be just a bear monkey not wanting to be pinned down as you where you are from.

I personally think that if someone is paying for the cost of a website, they want to look proffessional, and should have got a extra land line installed or use your existing one as a first port of call.

If you have another land line, you can turn it of after 6pm to go straight to voice mail.

I also feel that the main age range of my round or my key customer of you want to call it that, is people over 50. and I feel that old people tend to be a bit wary of technology like mobile phones, and when they first came out it cost a fortune to call a mobile from a land line and I think, that will still reside with many and put them off.

[gary999]

its all about giving the customer the illusion of trust

[jonnyald]

its all about giving the customer the illusion of trust
[

uote]

" just  an illusion"              -who sang that?

[[GQC] Tim]

If you want to talk to a voicemail, use a landline no. If you actually want to speak to me, call my mobile.

I'm not going to switch through my landline, landline is home. Mobile is business. I like to keep them seperated.

[leapstallbuildings]

Landline diverted to my mobile!

That's what I do too.  I feel it is important to have a landline - but it's also important to answer the calls ASAP as not eveyone leaves a message (could mean losing out on new potential work).  It means a higher landline bill of course but I reckon the work gained exceeds that by a lot.

[matt]

D.M. already said if you drop your ladders you could disappear

Not if they have been sending cheques to your home address.

I have used my mobile as my main number since the early 90's (I had one of those Motorola bricks ) and I reckon in that time 90-95% of my calls have been on the mobile, I do have my landline number on all paperwork though, I would guess in this day and age, anyone who is funny about using a mobile number, is really gonna hate my new fangled wfp system

How often are the words "look professional" gonna be used on this forum, over the years I have had different vans and cars, sometimes sign written, sometimes not, I have used uniforms and sometimes not, I have had quality printed paperwork, and homemade stuff, and very occasionally, I have gone a whole week without shaving and on the whole it has had no bearing on how well my business has done.

I have done large builders cleans, hospitals, national museums, housing association work, the list goes on and on, all the customers have had one thing in common, they want the job doing as well as poss for as little as poss, and the only uniform I have ever been expected to wear is hard hat, hi-vis vest, steely boots and a visitors badge. The top boys at my customers have never said they don't like using mobiles, and the little old ladies just get their daughters to call anyway.

You may well have a lovely new van, with a full wrap and a shiny Ionics in the back (maybe even a genuine Gutter-Vac), and turn up to jobs in your hand embroidered Versace uniforms, after being contacted on your freephone number, but if you are a muppet you will get sacked and the guy who is available on his mobile will do it, probably cheaper.

The customers do not care about any of that stuff, we are window cleaners.

my " your windows have been cleaned " slips have my address on them, so the customer can post me the cheque, the people who are allways in i doubt know my home address

your right about 1 thing, the customers just want clean windows and you not to spot and open window and steal that china cat of the window board

i honestly think they dont care what you look like, if you have a landline / van / hot water system or a wooden leg