marketing post card

[Ron Lippold]

For those of you that by your own list, does anyone specify women only for the leads. I know over half the buying public are ladies.

 

[Ron Lippold]

I work it every day, I'm just looking for the best customers.

 

[Ron Lippold]

Let me clarify. I think it's easier to sell women over men. They will and have spent more.

 

[B&BGaryC]

Easier to make a man feel stupid for asking about price without offending him. Women are way too easy to offend, you don't even have to try to make them feel stupid.

I land 95% of my estimates on male clients, the female clients always need to ask their husband, and I didn't sell the husband, I sold the wife. If a guy says he needs to talk to his wife before he schedules, just say something like, "I understand, if you need to get permission you can ask her and get back to me later."

Response: "I don't need her permission to do anything."

Good, because now I have my schedule book open and sitting on his table. He will feel like a real tool if he doesn't pick a date.

 

[Ron Lippold]

wow gary its different here the women make the decisions

 

[Tony Neville]

The women make the decisions here too. In fact when the man tries to tell us not to do "this room it's not bad". We have to go back plan on it!! It's funny to watch a poor guy "MAN UP" and get busted back in his place by the "Little woman".

85 - 90 % of our customers are women they are big girls and can make big girl decisions, work to make them happy and life is good.

tony

 

[Ron Lippold]

thanks Tony thats what I was looking for

 

[billyeadon]

women

Ron,
The definitive book is Marketing to Women by Martha Barletta. You are correct in that women make the majority of all decisions.

 

[Ron Lippold]

thanks bill

 

[B&BGaryC]

You guys are probably right. Maybe I just suck at selling to women. Maybe when they say they have to talk to their husband, it is code for, "I don't want to pay this much."

I am getting really tired of price shoppers though. I worked for an "Elite" carpet cleaning company before I came here. I almost never got asked about price. I was in all of the nice homes, I worked 55-90 hrs a week, at least 20-35 grand in sales a month. I got paid $10/hr.

Now I get paid $40/hr but I can't get the damn work.

I begged my boss to pay me $10/hr for a guaranteed 40 hr. work week. And I make more money. It's sad.

I don't know how to overcome the price. I put on a darn good show, or so I think. I test their carpet, tell them what kind it is, how it's made, what it's strong points and weak points are. I show them our Deluxe wall to wall/balls to the wall full out cleaning package, our standard package, which includes pre-vac, fabric protection, a custom blended pre-conditioner designed for their carpet and level of soil, citrus deodorizer, Manual agitation of all their traffic areas to maximize cleaning effectiveness, full spotting, post grooming, drying services.

and then I also show them our economy package, at a measly 26 cents a square foot, which includes the custom pre-conditioner and a basic cleaning and post grooming.

But they gotta talk to their dang husband!

 

[B&BGaryC]

P.S., I close 95% of the estimates I do for male clients, but only about 5-10% of my estimates are for males.

I just flat don't get work right now. Unless it is a customer that I don't want.

I gotta figure out what it is, the company rep. my weaselly predecessor left, or is it me? When I was the sole tech at the "Elite" company, we got rated best carpet cleaner in my town. That oughta count for something.

 

[-JB-]

Typically it seem that about 95% of the time if the wife says "I need to talk to my husband" the call was a WOT!


"I need to talk to my husband" is code for "Are you sh!ttin me! It's how much?"

 

[steve r]

your confusing them, too many options.dont sell price just set the appointmentand give them a price when you get there.

 

[-JB-]

Valid point.

 

[B&BGaryC]

These are folks that won't book unless

A: I give them a price over the phone. (How do you do a burn test over the phone anyway?*)

Or B: Give them an estimate appointment prior to the cleaning appointment.

*"Okay ma'am, now that you have the carpet fiber in the tweezers, get a BIC lighter and set it on fire. Okay good... What color is the flame? How fast is it burning? Do you smell asphalt? What about Celery? Does it smell like burning hair? What about the ash... what does that look like?..."

 

[B&BGaryC]

But I think maybe I oughta just trim it down to two options, Standard and Basic Cleaning...

The only difference between my two top packages is furniture moving. I hate furniture moving. Maybe I'll just cut out the top package that includes the furniture moving, and DING THEM REALLY REALLY BAD if they make me move the furniture. It would simplify things and help me out.

 

[Blue Monarch]

Burn test. lol

 

[joey895]

Burn test. lol

Ditto

 

[steve r]

sounds like your really over thinking this. keep it simple and dont be afraid to work hard. i move furniture free its not that hard and i wont move everything (tv.s computers stereo file cabinets no way).you also say you get clients you dont want.if they pay i want them especially if its trashed. they will be your best cheerleaders.
forget what you did for anyone else you are starting over.
if you have to lower prices for a while to get the work do it as long as your still making a good profit.
hek my phone only rings about 5 or 6 times a week,i wish it would ring more but i dont advertise except for a small yp ad. im 1 year in buis. and its almost all referals and apts. and when i go knocking on doors for commecial.
if your not booking many of the calls i would be concerned. it could be pricing or maybe your not listning to theyre needs. i let them do all the talking and only use short answers. be confident dont brag just tell them what they want to hear. dont be desperate.
i hope this makes sense(?) to ya, i dont know if does to me lol.
also i dont do packages but i do charge more for trashed jobs sometimes.keep it simple for them,tell them between this and this,give a low and a high and figure it out when you get there.
i could be wrong but this works for me but im slow too and have very little experience.there are some good classes out there for this stuff too.

good luck hope it works out for you. oh yeah and like the others said dont be afraid to go out on your own,im glad i did and im 43,should have done it in my twentys.

 

[Rex Tyus]

Maybe when they say they have to talk to their husband, it is code for, "I don't want to pay this much."

It is actually code for
" something about the way you look, sound, or smell concerns me."

Any one that is or has ever been married should know women don't not buy because of price. :shock:

 

[B&BGaryC]

It is actually code for
" something about the way you look, sound, or smell concerns me."

Any one that is or has ever been married should know women don't not buy because of price. :shock:

Maybe quit the Cigs? Never was a problem before...

Funny story 'bout smell. I was cleaning an 85% saturated urine damage carpet. I told the gal 15% is replacement time. She didn't care, she just wanted me to help it out a little. At 75cents/ square foot for small living room and hall, I agreed to do all I could. Well, after steaming piss for an hour and a half, I had to go do an estimate. I was really not received well at all. I got home, and my roomy says, "Dude! Did you piss yourself?"

Wonder why the lady wasn't excited to have me in her home?

 

[B&BGaryC]

It could be because I'm a fat man too...

I dress well though, maybe too well. (Such a thing?)

I always wear slacks, dress shoes, and button up shirts. (Short or long)

Too dressy?

No company logos on anything but the truck. Problem?

 

[Rex Tyus]

If you figure out women FOR GOD'S SAKE let me in on it. I just know price is not the most important factor 8) .

Cigs are definitely a turn off these days. Mix up a spritzer bottle of hydrocide to apply just before driving in vs cologne. Cologne can be a negative as well. Acceptable dress literally varies by region. Lisa made a post awhile back about marketing to women, search and memorize it. Best info yet on marketing to women in my opinion. Good luck, and clue us in on any changes that have positive results. Chances are many of us are doing similar things we could improve on.

 

[B&BGaryC]

Yeah, maybe the cologne is not good.

I got some really strong stuff, so I don't have to re-apply it, but maybe one squirt in the morning is better than two squirts in the morning...