Finding new business, Ideas.

Real estate agents don't have the time to kill with carpet cleaners anymore than they do lenders, title companies, termite inspectors, building inspectors and escrow officers.  And real estate brokers take offense at anyone thinking they are so important that they deserve the right to interrupt business with a pitch.  Good agents are hardly ever in the office.  The only real estate deals in the office are the ones someone already listed or sold.  Agents are out making deals or they are in the office waiting for the world to walk in or call.  Those agents are time wasters.  Then you have the agents who are in the business for one reason - to buy property for themselves before the rest of the world finds out about the great deals.

Work as a successful loan officer as I did the 80s and then come back with real life experience based ideas.  Not some untested theories.  Clean uniform with company logo, you should wear one when dropping off fliers.  Unless you are going to dress appropriately and would rather convince somebody that you always wear a dress shirt and tie and carry a briefcase to clean carpets, you will be seen as a scam artists in the house so guard your wallet.

The agents have cleaners they prefer and if they don't, they work with someone who does or there is always the phonebook.  They ask each other who to recommend.

Want a way to reach active agents?  Write down the name and number from the yard sign, call the agent and offer to meet for breakfast - your treat.  Work them one agent at a time, always looking for a tip on who is the whale in the office.  That is the one you want to shower with attention.  The whale is the center of influence.

Why don't I do agents?  Actually, I do but I also do their homes, their clients homes and their friends homes.  Did I pursue agents?  I pursued anything with a pulse living in the "right" neighborhood.  I clean the homes of cops too but I didn't walk into a police station to make my first sale.  If a person lives in a home with carpets, they are suspect.  They may not qualify as a prospect, but they are still a suspect.

The only people I can't sell are other carpets cleaners and anyone who has taken up residency in a cemetery.

Want to go after those real estate offices?  Visit all of them to determine your best 20.  B&W fliers in everyone's box.  Then drop by these offices every other day.  Put a small gift (deodorizer or something for the home) on a small flier only once per week.  Compliment the ones who are showing up on signs all over town and having open houses in the paper.  That gives you a purpose for your visit, just wanted to say hi to so-and-so.  If an agent gives you a deal, have flowers delivered which is real visible (oh, who is the secret admirer).  They are egotist, feed their egos.  Type A personalities too.  They appreciate the fact that you respect their time with no idle chit-chat.

If you are doing fliers in neighborhoods and repeating the same neighborhoods every month, the owner of the home will probably call you anyway.  I do full restoration with a shampooer and rotovac on many homes that go on the market right away.  And I do many just before the open house.

I'll bet you that many guys here get lots of agents by just doing the same thing they have always been doing.  Most of us are too busy with what works to try something that has a longer sales cycle than fliers do.  Joining one of those referral clubs will give you contact with plenty of real estate people and will be more effective.

Hire a guy or gal, commission only, to work the real estate offices.  That way when it doesn't pan out, you aren't out any money.

With all due respect, I can't imagine an agent saying to a buyer " Congratulations on the purchase of this $ 300.000 home, I recommend putting in some cheap carpet." Bullet proofing windows is the business I would want to be in around LA.
When you team up with a big real estate office, you get big numbers.

I know squat about cleaning carpets. But, I have years of experience in marketing, and business writing. You have all been very nice, so here are some free ideas.
                         1, People who are trying to sell their house, should have their carpet cleaned. It makes it more sellable, and in this market, the more the better.
                             How do you find these people ?
    I would start by looking for " the for sale by owner people" there are websites that will list their home for them, and there are also magizines they place the home in. I would check out an ad in these, explaining why a small up front investment in carpet cleaning could bring big returns. Remember, NEVER use the word " price" or " cost " in any ad. Always use the word investment! NEVER use the word "house" in an ad, ALWAYS use the word " HOME" Afterall, home is where the heart is.
   2, Who has the most to gain from the sale of a home? The dreaded real estate broker. They want listings from buyers, and sales. A large real estate office, a Century 21, or other big hitter, needs to move homes to make money. I would go to them with a business proposal. I would tell them that offering potential new listers a free carpet cleaning would be a great way to bring in more sellers. I would try to cut some type of deal. You could also tell them that offering a potential buyer a free carpet cleaning before they move, is a great way to attract more buyers to their listings ( which I am sure are piling up ). At any rate, the brokers pay for it, and they have lots of work! You could also go to individual brokers with the same proposal and they could offer potential buyers a free carpet cleaning before they move in. It just comes out of the brokers commission, let them pay. I would jump on it, if I was a broker trying to move some inventory, and I would love it, if I was thinking about buying a home.
I have many more marketing ideas, and would love to help, if anyone cares to know.
mrbreeze.