Carpet Cleaning for a Penny

[renegade_cowboy]

My business is still under a year old and working on some postcards and door hangers. I charge per room and have been doing the free room with the purchase of the minimum order. I have got some good jobs with that sale. Referrals off those.

I was thinking of doing the penny sale to put a twist on the marketing. Get an area cleaned for a penny with the purchase of the minimum order. Has anyone done this? The marketing is doorhangers, postcards and business cards. The website is finally being put together and was also going to offer it on there.

Thanks

 

[Mikey P]

Coit has been doing this for years

 

[Chris A]

My local Coit ran that sale in April....

 

[Guest]

Make sure the living and biggest rooms get the appropriate prices; never throw the stairs in for free!!I went to do an estimate once and printed ad $25 to $45 per room; well the living room carpet covered 1400sqft. and masterbedoom covered 900 sqft.; needless to say I was glad I had a maximum size house sqft wise in print for those prices.

 

[XTREME1]

How much do you get a room Brent?

 

[renegade_cowboy]

I thought I heard of it before. I couldnt remember where. I am just trying different things to get more clients.


Greg, $24.99

 

[XTREME1]

sorry I was going to give you some ideas that have worked for me and others but you can stick with giving away rooms.

 

[Chris A]

sorry I was going to give you some ideas that have worked for me and others but you can stick with giving away rooms.

LOL!

 

[GeneMiller]

Brent,
If you look for people looking for a cheap price that is the customers that you will get. It's better to look for people that what a quality job and are willing to pay fo it.

Gene

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Brent,
If you look for people looking for a cheap price that is the customers that you will get. It's better to look for people that what a quality job and are willing to pay fo it.

Gene

Thanks Gene. My prices are average for my area. Many are way cheapier then me and some are more. My prices are around what the local SS, Coit, D.A Burns charge. I am testing different prices in different areas. I have been hovering around $100 an hour mark. My equipment is paid for and overhead is very little.

I have not been in business very long and just want to work. I think when my business is more establish I can be more selective on who my clients are, but until then i got 3 mouths at home to feed.

I have not sold myself short and lost money on a job. I have done some free cleaning for certain people that are unable to afford carpet cleaning.

Sorry Greg I hate getting into price wars on the BB.

 

[XTREME1]

Has nothing to do with price wars. Just because most of you are afraid to admit what you charge.

I was going ro say if your getting $35, $45, $100 a room it doesn't matter but if you are giving away a room with the purchase of 2 you may be better off with a flyer saying what a great job you do and that you are afordable already but from now until august get an additional $30 off any additional service after 3 three rooms whether it be a room, upholstery or something and have it made up as fake currency.

When I stuff an envelope with 2 fake tens stapled to a flyer I get a response.

 

[ACE]

I am trying not to market to price shoppers and instead slowly build a higher end customer base. Work on getting more referrals from customers in nicer parts of town and raise your prices. I am getting ready to send out a coupon for one room cleaned totally free to my customer to give to their friends. I would be happy to give free demo cleanings all day just to get in the nicer homes. Free no obligation demos are one thing, but don’t get caught up in marketing to price shoppers. They will drop you as soon as they find a better deal. It’s easy to underestimate the true cost of being in this business when you start out, especially if you plan on adding employees and getting off the truck at some point.

 

[GeneMiller]

Glad to see someone else thinks like me.

Gene

 

[XTREME1]

They will drop you as soon as they find a better deal. It’s easy to underestimate the true cost of being in this business when you start out, especially if you plan on adding employees and getting off the truck at some point.

your wrong when people find a good value even if it costs a little more next time they will stick with you. Alot of people will be gun shy to waste highend dollars on a company after being burnt in the past. 95% of the homes I go in are worth more than $600,000 and I have a very loyal following after only 2 years fulltime

 

[tim]

I agree with you Greg, IF you give a great clean at a fair price, no one can wrench them away from you. I have found, whether you are high end or low end, you audition for their next clean EVERY time you clean, not just the first time.

I have seen high end guys start to get lazy and skip steps. That just opens the door for someone else. As long as you can give a great cleaning and the customer recognizes the value, you are golden. The minute they feel they paid for more than they received, they are looking around. The service HAS to exceed their expectations for the price paid. That goes for low end or high end.

If you charge the same as SS and do the same quality of work, why would they choose you over a national franchise that can be there in 20 minutes? You have to find your niche. You can go cheaper or you can out clean them. Choose one and go after it. If you choose both, you can grow quickly but have a difficult task of remaining profitable the larger you get. Most people choose one. Just make sure you exceed their expectations for the price charged.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

I am trying not to market to price shoppers and instead slowly build a higher end customer base. Work on getting more referrals from customers in nicer parts of town and raise your prices. I am getting ready to send out a coupon for one room cleaned totally free to my customer to give to their friends. I would be happy to give free demo cleanings all day just to get in the nicer homes. Free no obligation demos are one thing, but don’t get caught up in marketing to price shoppers. They will drop you as soon as they find a better deal. It’s easy to underestimate the true cost of being in this business when you start out, especially if you plan on adding employees and getting off the truck at some point.

I am not sure how you think with what you are doing is any different than what I am doing. I only market to selective areas that i wanna work in, for people I wanna work for. I am not trying to market to price shoppers, I am trying to get into a customers house with a special offer.

Like I said my prices are very average for the area, there are a ton of local cleaners that are way cheapier than me. I would think their customers are willing to drop them in a heart beat for the next low price. Those customers usually have dirtier carpets and have no loyality. Again that is why I market to certain areas. Majority of the houses I work in are $500,000 and up. That is not saying alot with the way the housing market is here.

I work on getting refferrals and I give the customers a great service. I think this job is 20% cleaning and 80% customer service. You can do a great job, but if you have bad customer service they will never call you again. The 20% is not a poor quality in cleaning, its that the customer has more of an impression with the customer service than the actually cleaning majority of the time.

Thanks for the advice Greg.

 

[GeneMiller]

Tim,

You said why would somebody chose you over the national franchise. That's easy and your most important marketing tool. You.
Am I the best carpet cleaner they have ever had. Am I everything that they ever dreamed off. Well truthfully yes, but all kidding aside. I'm sure that everbody already knows that women are the decision makers most of the time. If she is comfortable with you then she will be happy to call and use you again. Even if you aren't the best or the cheapest. That is your best weapon against the large companies. Yes, maybe they will send out a great tech but it's unlikely it will be the same guy.

Gene


Gene

 

[juniorc82]

I did about 2k door tags this year. I havent gotten nothin. these are some really good door tags also. Our rainy season did come late this year maybe things will pick up the first or second week in june.

 

[ACE]

Brent,
I am still learning about marketing and am no guru . I’m like you, a new business trying to build a customer base. Unfortunately, I learn best from my mistakes. My experience with marketing is that you need to do something different then your competition. Advertising a low price is the worst thing I could do around here. There are lots of 5.99 a room guys sending out postcards. You need to set yourself apart from the franchises. Why would someone chose you over a franchise with name recognition if you are coping their advertising? I have tried the shotgun approach of postcards and door hangers with next to no return. I am not saying those method can’t work but we live in a post-modern society where everyone is overwhelmed with marketing. Your marketing pitch needs to be really unique and well presented. When you add up your cost of finding each customer with these methods it might be half the price of service with those prices. Give the postcards and door hangers a try you won’t lose much. So far the only things that has worked for me are well designed YP ADS, Magnets, Customer Retention / Referrals Programs and get this, talking to people.

Good Luck with Your Marketing Efforts.
Mike.

 

[XTREME1]

I did about 2k door tags this year. I havent gotten nothin. these are some really good door tags also.

they are not good door tags

they didn't work and those are the worse kind

 

[Royal Man]

IMO door flier/tags are a waste of time and effort.

When I get that stuff on my door it goes right into the trash.

There are much more effective and much less expensive ways to advertise that using fliers, door tags yellow pages, valpak ect...

E-mail me for one way you can use in your area.

[email="www.Info@FreeMarketingForever.com"]www.Info@FreeMarketingForever.com[/email]

Dave Yoakum-

 

[XTREME1]

IMO door flier/tags are a waste of time and effort.

There are much more effective and much less expensive ways to advertise that using fliers, door tags yellow pages, valpak ect...

quickly built a pretty good business with these things. If you're not willing to invest in your marketing you may as well not be in business. Most of the time marketing fails is because it isn't the messenger it is the message

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Brent,
I am still learning about marketing and am no guru . I’m like you, a new business trying to build a customer base. Unfortunately, I learn best from my mistakes. My experience with marketing is that you need to do something different then your competition. Advertising a low price is the worst thing I could do around here. There are lots of 5.99 a room guys sending out postcards. You need to set yourself apart from the franchises. Why would someone chose you over a franchise with name recognition if you are coping their advertising? I have tried the shotgun approach of postcards and door hangers with next to no return. I am not saying those method can’t work but we live in a post-modern society where everyone is overwhelmed with marketing. Your marketing pitch needs to be really unique and well presented. When you add up your cost of finding each customer with these methods it might be half the price of service with those prices. Give the postcards and door hangers a try you won’t lose much. So far the only things that has worked for me are well designed YP ADS, Magnets, Customer Retention / Referrals Programs and get this, talking to people.

Good Luck with Your Marketing Efforts.
Mike.

Not copying anyones advertising. I knew the ad seemed familiar but wasnt sure where I heard it from. Sure as shit it was coit. I did get a few jobs from the limited marketing from that ad. I have been doing alot of the free room with moderate success. This is the fun part of the business, trying to find what works , with what demograph. I dont think there is one magic bullet ad. I do agree the referral and direct contact is the best return for me. I leave the customer a little something something so they remember me and pass along my business cards to friends and family. I do got a great marketing plan, just need more money to do it. It takes some time to get going but its going. The thing with marketing is you got to stay consistant. I only market to certain areas and not to the masses. I like to hit certain homes once a month or so with postcards.

The door hangers do work, I am getting .75-1% return. I just hate doing them but it is very very cheap.