How to get new business
Printed From: Carpet Cleaning Forum
Category: Carpet Cleaners Discussion
Forum Name: Business Marketing Advertising and Promotion Discussion
Forum Description: How do you successfully promote your business? Offer and receive advertising tips
URL: https://www.kleenkuip.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3876
Printed Date: 06/October/2025 at 6:16pm
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Topic: How to get new business
Posted By: nordicfrost14
Subject: How to get new business
Date Posted: 24/June/2007 at 12:09pm
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Hi all, I would like your ideas on how to drum up new business. Do you guys and or girls have any good ways to do this inexpensively? Also what are your ideas on buying a new truck mount, are there any really good ones for under $8,000.00 new? Since I'm a newbie and Ill probably be buying on shortly. ------------- A good name and humble deeds will last forever. |
Replies:
Posted By: Jeff Van Buren
Date Posted: 24/June/2007 at 3:00pm
| Commercial or Residential customers excellent-supply.com has a CD on commercial I hear its good, will be purchasing soon myself. Residential have local paper run new business in area, flyers to local zip codes your interested in. I put mine in paper boxes on Sunday, most read the sunday paper and your flyer will be in it when they unravel the mess. Do some local charity cleaning for experience and exposure, churchs, senior centers,etc.don't whore up the market with ridiculous low prices you will only attract the bottom feeders. Contact some apartment complex's if you can get them clean your ready for everything else. Larger commercial accounts offer 1 room free gift certificates to get your foot in the door limit the size of the room to normal office or reception area let them see results before asking for business, let them see you can talk the talk and walk the walk! Not evrybody can. |
Posted By: hcciam
Date Posted: 29/June/2007 at 7:47pm
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Market to your existing clients. Always keep the ones you've already got! Out work your competition, ie show your clients a cleaning like they never knew existed, ie just clean it according to the standards. Shouldn't be hard to out work the others. The ones you don't outwork you want to get to know and network with, they are not competition for their work will only serve to edify your own. Ask for referrals. Your clients are your best sales force, as long as you have wowed them. ------------- Ron Werner Owner Happy Carpet Cleaners Victoria BC |
Posted By: chargerhm69
Date Posted: 07/August/2007 at 5:57pm
| I try to market home owners associations, and realtors. Theres always people buying used houses. Print up some flyers and offer a free 1 room cleaning up to 200 sq. ft. that will help you get in the door. from there just do what you can to do a great job. If they like you they wont stop with only 1 room. And dont be affraid to ask your existing clients for referrals, if they like you chances are there already doing it. You can always help encourage them by giving them some of the same flyers to give to there friends. Good LUCK |
Posted By: John L
Date Posted: 07/August/2007 at 11:23pm
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Everyone has different Marketing Strategies..
Inexpensively = flyers..
The Best Way = Telemarketing Residential.. Walk in demo for Commercial.. And Sales Letter.. Followed up by appointment to discuss cleaning needs..
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Posted By: Video Marketer
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 1:19pm
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Take a look at web marketing. The web is growing and there are literally thousands of searches every day for cleaning services. But be warned, there is a lot of competition, so your website needs to stand out. By the way, if done right, internet marketing is one of the lowest $/customer costs.
If you have a website already, we offer a free web analysis on how to improve your site. ------------- The Video Marketer www.LeadingEdgeiSolutions.com |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 1:33pm
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you have to watch out...lost off companies go broke using web based advertising like google ad...
Wanna drive a Guy like Lee from Fresh and clean out of business?????? google his company and keep clicking that link... it's cost him everytime someone uses that link... it cost him even if you book or not... ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: nightrider
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 2:31pm
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Posted By: hcciam
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 4:06pm
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I would like to append to Nightrider's comments. I would say you do not NEED a website. It does not cost a lot to have a website or maintain it. There are some inexpensive softwares available that allow anyone with decent computer knowledge to create and maintain their own website. All you need is a host. Mine costs me about $17.50 a month for hosting and I think it was about $150 for 9yrs for my domain name. While I do get people that call me from my website my main reason for having it is to be able to refer people to it to answer there questions instead of me taking 30 minutes to explain what I've already written. I don't make a lot from my site but then I'm not busy promoting it. Since 2000 I've made $5238 attributed to website source alone, doesn't include people that were referred and then saw my website. My costs involved are about $1000 for creating it ($600 for an original programmer, $400 for do it myself software), 17.50/mth for 6yrs=$1470 for hosting, About $210 for domain registry, totalling $2680. So my website has brought it 2:1, not including repeat cleanings. Do you NEED one. No. Is it good to have one. Yes. ------------- Ron Werner Owner Happy Carpet Cleaners Victoria BC |
Posted By: MR. STEAMER
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 4:11pm
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do you get calls from your web site??? and how do you get the calls??? ------------- www.mr-steamer.com |
Posted By: hcciam
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 4:20pm
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Yes, they either email me or phone me. its www.gethappy.ca pretty simple site. ------------- Ron Werner Owner Happy Carpet Cleaners Victoria BC |
Posted By: John L
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 5:21pm
| I have a FREE website.. OH YEAH !! |
Posted By: nightrider
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 5:25pm
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Posted By: John L
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 8:30pm
Thats my point..
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nightrider wrote:Posted By: hcciam
Date Posted: 15/August/2007 at 9:08pm
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didn't read to close, did you laddies. The money I spent on my website initialling was over 6yrs ago. Now it costs about $250/year. It more than pays for itself every year with 1 job. PLUS I have a place to refer people to where I can let them investigate my busn and get good info about choosing a cleaner without me having to spend 15-30minutes on the phone. AND, should I ever get around to actually marketing the website, ie, just using all the freebie stuff to get it higher in search engines, it will bring in that many more jobs. I have not regretted spending the money I have on a website. If you're so busy you never have to worry about any marketing then fine, don't worry about a site. Why waste your money to get work you can't service or have a place to provide info when you have no new people calling. ------------- Ron Werner Owner Happy Carpet Cleaners Victoria BC |
Posted By: cambrey
Date Posted: 11/September/2007 at 11:07pm
| A website is not a must but it definately gets me a much better return than any other advertising I've tried. Also once it is up and running it is pretty much on autopilot with just some weekly updating to keep your good ranking. Updating takes just a few minutes. My site costs me less the $60 per year, including the domain, web space and maintenance. I bring in about 6-10 jobs per month directly attributed to the site. |
Posted By: duckcountry
Date Posted: 28/September/2007 at 1:17am
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If you have a domain name it will not get you more business. Add a website and you might get noticed. But use the domain name for an email address and now you have some perceived credibility. What looks better on a business card? bestcarpetcare@aol.com or ceo@bestcarpetcare.com? It is expected these days that a business has a domain name along with a phone listing and business license. Times are a-changin'! Domain names are cheap and you can get a low cost web presence complete with easy to use email account setup these days. I might be able to help direct you if you ask real nice. |
Posted By: CCandmore
Date Posted: 28/September/2007 at 9:43am
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I'm sure you'll get a lot of different answers to your question. Here is what does/doesn't work for me:
The best advertising is word of mouth. Be pleasant, do a very good job and then ask the customer to recommend your service & leave a few extra business cards. If you get a reasonable callback, fix it AT NO EXTRA CHARGE. This will get you a happy customer who says good things about your company. Remember to promise small and deliver big. I use a yellow pages ad because a lot of people will not remember your name - they just go to the yellow pages. My competition is going to be in there, so I am too. You don't need a full page ad, just get in there and make sure the words "Carpet Cleaning" are prominent. I've found that yellow page ads are overpriced, but I get enough business back to at least break even on the expense. I advertise in the services section of the local newspaper. I feel that it is also overpriced, but it gets more business and seems to be a better deal in my area than the yellow pages. I don't go around knocking on doors. I don't want me or my business associated with the pain in the ass people who do that sort of thing. But, if after a residential job you hang 5-10 mailbox/doorknob hangers, this is a cheap and effective way to pick up more business. My hangers say " We cleaned your neighbors carpets today... blah, blah, ... Call for a fee estimate." Something else I'm considering is leaving a "free" bottle of spot remover with my company name and number printed on the bottle. Some suppliers (Ted?) offer this type of product. I'm thinking if they've still got the bottle in the cabinet, they'll grab it instead of the phone book when they want carpet cleaning. If anybody has tried this, I'd like to know if it's effective. |
Posted By: duckcountry
Date Posted: 28/September/2007 at 1:34pm
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My work comes from repeat, word of mouth and a consistent canvassing of the same neighborhoods ever month. And that is the order by work volume. If I don't do the third one, I will lose out on the growth of the first one which drives the second source. Got to plant the trees and then care for them if you expect a fruitful crop every year. And the real money comes from repeat customers because no advertising costs are involved in those sales dollars. ------------- Are you in a high paying business or are you just a self employed low paid grunt who thinks this business provides dignity? |