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John L View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01/March/2009 at 1:54pm
duckcountry.. let us know how your flyer does.. Approve
 
Onslaught.. Don't leave.. I would like to see that flyer of yours if you could post it here please.. Others probably would like to see it too..Big%20smile
 
Your profile said Minneapolis.. But your Window cleaning is in Madison WI..? I think i saw your vehicles running around from time to time..
 
Big%20smile Smile Tongue Wink Cry Big%20smile LOL Dead Embarrassed Confused Clap Angry Ouch Star Shocked Sleepy Unhappy Approve Cool
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Onslaught View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Onslaught Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01/March/2009 at 6:38am
I forgot to mention how I sell my cleaning service. Fliers have by far the best response and the lowest cost.

I would take a full sized flier over a postcard any day
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Onslaught Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01/March/2009 at 6:33am
As you can see you went through effort to investigate me. I did not try to sell a thing.

I not only have a business in marketing (the ebook is a small part of that business) I also own a window cleaning company (for almost a decade).

Because our industries are very similar I like to get involved with relative businesses. I am certainly not spying nor any other deceptive behavior.

We live in a negative society so I understand your skepticism.

One thing I have been working on is bringing relative services together. Not so much on a forum but on a local level. When I first started my business I was fortunate to be contacted by a house cleaning franchise (Merry Maids) because they wanted to add window cleaning to their services.

We worked out a deal and I was basically subbed out. I wore my shirt, drove my vehicle, I was basically servicing these customers as if they called off a flier. I wont get into the structure of the deal, but I was so busy from their clients I could not advertise. We were both making a lot money from resources we did not have.

If we figure out ways to leverage each other (more so in this economy) we will be strong in a country of dying business.

I initially came on this forum to get a feel for carpet cleaners. The problem was you had a marketing section and I am a little bit of a marketing lunatic.

I am not here to sell anything. If you all do not want advice from a guy that is in a relative business that has great success at marketing, I will leave.

Marketing is relative. I sell my window cleaning service exactly the way you do, to exactly the same people. If I can create a postcard for a window cleaning company that generates over $100,000 in sales, I would hope my advice would be of use.

Breakthroughs are usually made by looking somewhere else for inspiration and applying it where nobody else does. No need to recreate the wheel.

I will NEVER try to sell anyone anything here. I will only give my advice on marketing, and it is needed here.

I totally understand if members do not want me here, but why not have a different perspective? It's up to you guys.

Paul

p.s. I have switched my website in my profile to my blog. I do not sell on my blog it is only free advice and ideas on marketing, and sometimes life.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote duckcountry Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28/February/2009 at 8:58pm
So Paul McQuillan of Harris Minnesota, how do you market YOUR carpet cleaning service?  I take it you do more than try to sell some ebook?  Your website, onslaughtmarketing.com, seems a bit overkill on words and looks like typical sites used by spammers worldwide making one wonder since you just started your site on January 22nd of this year ( one month and 6 days ago) - how is the fishing for victims in our industry going?

Hope you don't mind me pointing out that your $57 offer of a pdf file and saying how you don't want to be flamed for coming on as an outsider leaves you wide open to attacks from those tired of spammers trying to push something they have no qualifications to do.  Tell us what has worked for you in your CARPET CLEANING business or talk to some of the SEO spammers here and see if they can help you promote your alternative to finding a real job.

Why what we do works is not something you would understand, Paul.  You see we come from a position of experience.  Tell you what, be a sole proprietor in our business for a few years, apply your ideas and then come back to share your experiences.   Later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.



Edited by duckcountry - 28/February/2009 at 8:59pm
Are you in a high paying business or are you just a self employed low paid grunt who thinks this business provides dignity?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Onslaught Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28/February/2009 at 8:00pm
Originally posted by duckcountry duckcountry wrote:

And I use simple flyers to attract attention.  These go on door jams.  Here is the first one for next year.  The are printed 3 to a page to save money and not waste it.



Boy, am I late to this party.

Some advice on this little door jammer. I believe your offer would seem more attractive as if it were a deal. Right now it looks like regular price. Regular price is not very exciting.
$59 Two Rooms--Any Size (normally $79)


If may suggest a deadline to stop them from putting it in that drawer in their kitchen. You know the drawer that aliens will discover 3000 years from now in an archaeological dig filled with coupons. Putting a call to action with it may help too-

Offer expires 3/3/2009- Call Now!

It may not seem like it but making any of the wording into a weird font can decrease readership by 700%. Some of the font you use is a little over the top and distracting from the offer/service. The more jumbled the faster the trip to the trash.

There is no such thing as wasting money on advertising. There is wrong media, wrong target market or wrong message.This type of ad will fail and it has nothing to do with the cost of the device (flier in this case), it really does not say anything.

I really believe when you fall exclusively on price (which is done here that is why it is at the top), it will choke the ad to death. Right now the only thing that would improve this ad is lowering the price... who wants to do that?

Why does the carpets stay clean? You may know, everyone on this forum may know, but they don't know.

If we can find ways to tell the potential customers why, they might get convinced.

As far as $59, maybe everyone charges that. Maybe you are more. The homeowner does not know, don't assume they have been keeping notes on carpet cleaning (other than in the mummified drawer). Let them know it is a deal.

Anyway, hopefully I do not get flamed being my first post. I really do want to see people succeed with their ads.


Paul

 

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duckcountry View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote duckcountry Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21/February/2009 at 2:43pm
How about giving away calendars that have reminder dates of when next to clean?

Add reminder postcards to that and they have heard from you two times that month.  The newsletter is #3.  The phone call reminding them by offering a discount is #4.
Are you in a high paying business or are you just a self employed low paid grunt who thinks this business provides dignity?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote duckcountry Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27/December/2008 at 9:09pm
And I use simple flyers to attract attention.  These go on door jams.  Here is the first one for next year.  The are printed 3 to a page to save money and not waste it.

Are you in a high paying business or are you just a self employed low paid grunt who thinks this business provides dignity?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote duckcountry Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15/December/2008 at 5:11pm
The cheapest route I know of is craigslist and telemarketing.  No littering either.  And don't forget to park your mobile signage (company van) where it gets the maximum exposure.  You paid for it, use it.
Are you in a high paying business or are you just a self employed low paid grunt who thinks this business provides dignity?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote envirosafe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15/December/2008 at 3:05pm
Originally posted by adbox adbox wrote:

: D ,
well, maybe.

I used to do this two years ago for a business I was trying to start up. I would go up and down the rows every other day at random times of this large parking lot. Lift up a windshield wiper, set in marketing piece, down, walk on.  I was not targeting the nice looking cars then, I had no reason too. But never once set off an alarm. I  occasionally would greet someone and hand off my flyer with no problems. But sometimes someone would look at me stern browed and say no.

And for myself, I am excited when anything is put on my car. It's a change, and I always would hope it would be a note from a friend... or something cool like that. Plus having done flyer marketing myself I'm always interested in seeing what other flyer marketers advertise-- so you know at least you will have a high-exposure-success-rate with business marketers.

 
That sounds positively delightful!!! Wait until some get thrown on the ground and they come bust you for littering...been there done that, you don't want to go there. But if everyone is as sweet as you, in your neck of the woods, no problem LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote adbox Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15/December/2008 at 1:34pm
: D ,
well, maybe.

I used to do this two years ago for a business I was trying to start up. I would go up and down the rows every other day at random times of this large parking lot. Lift up a windshield wiper, set in marketing piece, down, walk on.  I was not targeting the nice looking cars then, I had no reason too. But never once set off an alarm. I  occasionally would greet someone and hand off my flyer with no problems. But sometimes someone would look at me stern browed and say no.

And for myself, I am excited when anything is put on my car. It's a change, and I always would hope it would be a note from a friend... or something cool like that. Plus having done flyer marketing myself I'm always interested in seeing what other flyer marketers advertise-- so you know at least you will have a high-exposure-success-rate with business marketers.



Edited by adbox - 15/December/2008 at 1:35pm
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John L View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John L Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15/December/2008 at 1:15pm
Hudson your #2 idea target cars with flyers! BAD IDEA..! You don't want to mess around touching ppl's cars.. Alarms go off.. People go off..Angry
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote adbox Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15/December/2008 at 12:43pm
I am not in the business, but I am in the shopping business.

and above all I'd like to see the owner personally pay a visit to the site, say hello to the family, and ask if there is anything he can do with his voice.

Also, I like the idea of the owner asking the customer to refer him to a friend, if they like their work.

ask and you shall receive. If you place the idea in the person's mind, as a request, and they were pleased in your work, then they will also take pleasure in honoring your request.

It will be something they enjoy talking about, and good, stand-out work deserves being honored.

1. Post on craigslist.

2. Have one on your workers place postcards/flyers on the doors of nice neighborhoods. Or even at the malls like someone else mentioned earlier. But if you do this, tell your guys to target the more expensive cars and leave out older junky cars and cars that look like teenagers cars. This is target marketing, and you don't want to waste your purchased material. --- and warn your workers not to get lazy and place them wherever or throw any of them away!

Here is a good article on focusing on the quality of a customer and lead.
http://advertisingblogg.com/the-business-of-carpet-cleaning/

3. Mind the holidays; people will have family over and chose those times to invest in carpet cleaning.

4. In your marketing piece, outline the philosophy of why having a clean carpet in good for your health. Or rather, take this concept and write an article about it, promoting the carpet cleaning service in general, and offer it to your local newspaper. Newspaper's with good mind's will not turn down good content and content that will help a community's overall economy.

The printing is affordable, and postcards are an inexpensive route, and you can also practice target marketing through variable data printing, but I am not certain vdp is the route you should take for your carpet cleaning business. When postcards become pricey is when you use them for a direct mailing campaign. Postage drives the cost up. But even then, if you mail through a mailing company, then the company will be able to save you money on postage, because they own barcoding and routing software that earns postage discounts.

Hope this helps,
Hudson Atwell







Edited by kkForumAdmin - 14/April/2009 at 10:57pm
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Soil Lint Green View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Soil Lint Green Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23/October/2008 at 3:39pm
You are right Carla, satisfied customers are your best marketing vehicle.  Staying in contact with them reminds everyone about your performance and keeps you upfront in their thoughts.
It's ORY GUN, not OR A GONE. Learn to talk.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carla4297 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21/October/2008 at 1:12pm
Originally posted by MR. STEAMER MR. STEAMER wrote:

What works best...I want to drop some advertising but I find I get mixed results...sometimes the radio works great sometimes it doesnt...sometimes flyers work great....sometimes YP's work great...but I find nothing consistant.....Does anyone have any ideas???


Good reputation is everything you need... At least this is what we always wanted. Nothing is more useful than a pleased customer. Additionally to this there are many advertising posibilities as already mentioned, but they shouldn't be your basis i guess...
Do it fast, do it right!
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