Confirmation letters...

[LisaWagnerCRS]

Confirmation letter or email when the job is booked.

Easy to implement. Upsells without having to get all upset about *shock* having to SELL.

Simple idea. Easy to act on. And will make you money.

Just wanted to share something to make you money that isn't complicated. Post on the why/how on CleanWiki.com

http://cleanwiki.com/marketing/quick-cash-tip-selling-without-selling/

If you want a copy of a sample confirmation letter - just email me at lisa@joepolish.com with "confirmation" in the subject line.

Enjoy!
Lisa

P.S. The winner of Piranha's GOTT (get off the truck) challenge gets announced tomorrow. They got off the truck in 90 days, and the winner gets a month of tech wages paid for (up to $3,000). It was a cool little contest that literally got a number of long time owner/ops to get themselves off the truck (something they've been saying they've wanted to do for year). Sometimes all you need is a little challenge to get things moving.

Anyway... here's the page with the info on the 4 finalists - one will be picked tomorrow as the winner. I think you can still vote - we have more than 500 votes cast. It was a fun challenge, and these 4 guys are taking off strong this year.
=> http://www.richcleaner.com/blog/2011/03/02/get-off-the-truck-winner-announced-saturday-morning/

 

[Art Kelley]

I like the idea of a confirmation letter listing my other services. Right now I do no contact with my existing customers. They call I work I'm gone from their lives for a year or two or three. Which is fine with me and I'm sure with them. But they aren't mind readers. Many don't know I clean upholstery, even though that has been in my company name for 25 years, and I'm now offering tile cleaning.

 

[XTREME1]

I have been doing the Art Kelley marketing program as well. I had a pretty dreadful February in residential and started posting open appointments on Facebook and filled the schedule. I have a preletter but do not send it out and should. I did have much less schedule confusion with customers, techs and my schedule board and should go back to it

This is a great reminder. Thanks

 

[Steve Toburen]

That's a good idea on the PS Lisa! (I would say that.)

Just like Art and Greg both say, it is amazing how many long time clients don't realize you clean upholstery or tile or even can "reapply" their carpet protector. So it just makes a lot of sense to subtly remind them that these services are available IF they wish.

Steve Toburen
http://www.SFS.JonDon.com

PS Now since this is the Make More Money Room one great way is to get more five star online reviews.

So to piggyback on to Lisa's tip also ask them at the time of the phone call if they would prefer their Next Day Quality Check verbally over the phone OR by email. 90% will say email. Then when sending the QC email also include a brief request, "If you are delighted we depend on your referrals" and give brief directions and links to online review sites that are popular in your area. Angies List, Yelp, etc. Your online reviews will soar. (If you do good work, of course!) Here is how we suggest you do it ...

http://sfs.jondon.com/8036/resources/qu ... ng-reviews

 

[Bruce Humphrey]

Thanks for the Cleanwiki link Lisa , getting customer emails like pulling teeth for anyone else?

Steve , that's a great PS idea on asking for an online review in the confirmation email :shock: Can't believe we've been sending these emails out for years and not asking

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

That's a good idea on the PS Lisa! (I would say that.)

Just like Art and Greg both say, it is amazing how many long time clients don't realize you clean upholstery or tile or even can "reapply" their carpet protector. So it just makes a lot of sense to subtly remind them that these services are available IF they wish.

Steve Toburen
http://www.SFS.JonDon.com

PS Now since this is the Make More Money Room one great way is to get more five star online reviews.

So to piggyback on to Lisa's tip also ask them at the time of the phone call if they would prefer their Next Day Quality Check verbally over the phone OR by email. 90% will say email. Then when sending the QC email also include a brief request, "If you are delighted we depend on your referrals" and give brief directions and links to online review sites that are popular in your area. Angies List, Yelp, etc. Your online reviews will soar. (If you do good work, of course!) Here is how we suggest you do it ...

http://sfs.jondon.com/8036/resources/qu ... ng-reviews

Hey Steve - nice addition. You are absolutely right - easy to email. It's interesting how much easier it is for someone to give an email when you ask than a phone number these days. =)

One thing we did for our members, to make it even easier, is to give them a review postcard - pre-addressed and stamped that is sent to a 3rd party to scan reviews to post. Then you can capture some of the great ones who it's so much easier to write the words on a card and rank you rather than to go log in and do it. A handful of these a month makes a nice impact.

I also recently had a hotel contact me AFTER filling out a print survey thanking me personally, and in a PS having a link to travelocity to ask if I'd share a review there also. The first impression of the personal and sincere thank you from the general manager, with an invitation to make sure to let them know when I am in town again, made it something I really WANTED to do to help - and the exact link to where I needed to post, made it an easy step to take.

Sometimes the barrier to testimonials is not having them want to give them... but to make it so damn easy for them to do it.

I'm a big believer of easy steps and quick tips... hand me a huge manual or binder my eyes glaze over. Give me one thing to do, then I'm apt to actually get it done. LOL

Lisa

 

[Steve Toburen]

Everybody is reluctant to give out their email, Bruce.

Lisa's post on Cleanwiki and our SFS approach are basically the same. Great minds think alike and all that- You must give the customer a Valid Business Reason to give you their email. We both suggest sending a "cleaning checklist" as part of the confirmation process. Here is how we suggest doing it using a "Columbo Close" ...

http://sfs.jondon.com/8038/resources/qu ... il-address

Steve "I'm no guru" Toburen
http://www.SFS.JonDon.com

PS Whatcha think, Brian? Is this the sort of info you are looking for in the room? Or we could chat about Groupon ...

PS to Lisa "Give me one thing to do, then I'm apt to actually get it done." Uhhh, yeah, right, Ms. MultiTasker! I shamelessly have co-opted your quote from 2 years ago at Connections: "Movement trumps meditation any day." (I do give you credit though.)

 

[Royal Man]

I always ask for reviews in the post cleaning follow-up Email.

The main thing is to ask (verbally, web Links, after care card and E-mail)and make it super easy for your clients to leave a review.

Lisa,
Just wondering what 3rd party are you using to post the reviews from the cards mailed back. I researched this a few months back and can't find my notes.

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

Thanks for the Cleanwiki link Lisa , getting customer emails like pulling teeth for anyone else?

Steve , that's a great PS idea on asking for an online review in the confirmation email :shock: Can't believe we've been sending these emails out for years and not asking

Bruce, this also is an easy fix.

You have her physical address. You tell her you need to send her a confirmation and message to prepare for your visit - you can drop that in the mail or if she'd rather have it emailed you could do that. And just be quiet until she answers.

That is the easiest way to get it.

Lisa

P.S. Steve that quote by the way is a derivative of a Gary Halbert line... but cleaned up quite a bit - LOL.

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

I always ask for reviews in the post cleaning follow-up Email.

The main thing is to ask (verbally, web Links, after care card and E-mail)and make it super easy for your clients to leave a review.

Lisa,
Just wondering what 3rd party are you using to post the reviews from the cards mailed back. I researched this a few months back and can't find my notes.

It's a service we set up for our members. We have lots of tech contacts. =) And this is a LOT of manual labor. Thankfully Joe has helped enough on-line marketers multiply their revenue using off-line techniques, he's got LOTS of sway to make deals happen.

Don't know if you've listened to his new marketing podcast - it hit #1 on "new and noteworthy" on iTunes - it's at http://www.ilovemarketing.com.

It's right up your avenue... it's COMPLETELY FREE! :mrgreen:

Lisa

 

[Brian R]

My favorite way to "ask" for emails is to let them know that we will email them an invoice to go along with the one we are leaving with them at the job completion.
I usually say "we like to send you a pretty copy of the invoice because it's sometimes hard to read a carpet cleaners handwriting."

They love it and give their email without hesitation.

The Full Circle girls are excellent at this.