One of my biggest business goofs

[Barry-QDCC]

I use to be a Chem-Dry owner, over 14 years. To skip ahead and miss all the gory details, I closed down in 2008. I did something else for a year or so and got back in the carpet cleaning biz as an independent one man band.

I still had my database (over 8,000 residential customers) from CD so I felt pretty confident that that I could market to them and being a small operation do enough business to do okay. My plan was to keep overhead low (work from home, no office, office help, employees, etc.) so I figured I only needed 3 jobs a day versus the 10-15 I needed to do as a CD.

My goof was that all those years I had NOT gathered emails addresses. Never had my secretary ask every customer for their email. Never required technicians to come back with emails on the invoice. I think we had like 50 emails out of 8,000 customers. So all of a sudden, when I set down to start my marketing as an independent, it hit me that to market one time to 8,000 people sending even just a postcard was a couple thousand of $$$. Which I did not have.

I now RELIGIOUSLY get an email from every customer. I hope you all do the same. Free sounds and looks so much better than $

What's been your biggest business goof?

 

[hogjowl]

Mine was getting addicted to this time robbing, hell hole of a bulletin board.

P.S. I agree about the email addresses.

 

[TomKing]

Barry
Check around it is amazing what some of my local mailing houses can do with targeting lists. You might be able to find someone who can take your list and match it to email addresses. Even if only half you will be in great shape.
Constant contact would only cost you $150 -$200 bucks a month for a list count like that.

Good luck!

 

[Derek]

biggest biz goofs:

i didn't quit janitorial for CC'ing 10 years sooner & also get in on this internet/website thing 10 years sooner.

 

[Becker]

Out of 100 jobs, I fail now to get about 2-3 emails from each client. ( new clients only ) 1-2 might be of the stubborn old age no computer crowd, or 1-2 might be of the well, we don't give our email out. To much spam, I don't need a receipt.
Otherwise, in the past year my email database has grown from 150 to over 800 and growing daily.

Last years email black in Jan produced a nice bit of work and that was to less than 200. By this Jan I'll have nearly 1000 for a slow season bump to help keep both vans lubricated.

 

[Steve Toburen]

Out of 100 jobs, I fail now to get about 2-3 emails from each client. ( new clients only ) 1-2 might be of the stubborn old age no computer crowd, or 1-2 might be of the well, we don't give our email out. To much spam, I don't need a receipt.
Otherwise, in the past year my email database has grown from 150 to over 800 and growing daily.

Last years email black in Jan produced a nice bit of work and that was to less than 200. By this Jan I'll have nearly 1000 for a slow season bump to help keep both vans lubricated.

Speaking of "slow season bumps", Don, HERE is one of the neatest ways I've heard of to push cleaning during the winter season. And the great thing is each one of your business clients thinks you are doing them a favor while they act as a distribution channel for you!

Steve

PS I agree on the emails but there is something almost magical about that high quality plastic gift card!

 

[TomKing]

We use the gift cards they have a very long shelf life.
WE had one come in the other day from 3 years ago.

Speaking of "slow season bumps", Don, HERE is one of the neatest ways I've heard of to push cleaning during the winter season. And the great thing is each one of your business clients thinks you are doing them a favor while they act as a distribution channel for you!

Steve

PS I agree on the emails but there is something almost magical about that high quality plastic gift card!

 

[Russ T.]

Those cards look awesome. I love the idea of putting an expiration date of sometime late Winter on there. It looks like you can put your logo on there to push your brand and great idea to get these to the commercial management to be added as a "bonus" for their holiday paycheck. Looks like a great idea!


The Clean Machine

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Very nice Steve, Thanks!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Steve Toburen]

Those cards look awesome. I love the idea of putting an expiration date of sometime late Winter on there. It looks like you can put your logo on there to push your brand and great idea to get these to the commercial management to be added as a "bonus" for their holiday paycheck. Looks like a great idea!The Clean Machine

You have nailed the concept perfectly, Russ. By making it a "year end bonus" that the business can hand out to their employees and then putting maybe a three month window on the gift card you motivate people to clean during your slow time.

Steve

PS Plus you keep your "pricing credibility" by making it a gift card instead of a discount coupon. In fact, many times the employees of the company that is handing them out assume their employer bought the gift cards for them.

 

[tman7]

Great idea. Any recommendations on where to purchase these plastic gift cards?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Tony we've used Dura Card and always been happy with their products.

https://www.duracard.com/

 

[Russ T.]

You have nailed the concept perfectly, Russ. By making it a "year end bonus" that the business can hand out to their employees and then putting maybe a three month window on the gift card you motivate people to clean during your slow time.

Steve

PS Plus you keep your "pricing credibility" by making it a gift card instead of a discount coupon. In fact, many times the employees of the company that is handing them out assume their employer bought the gift cards for them.

Steve,
I went to the SFS website and found good info on the cards but how would I order? Thanks.


The Clean Machine

 

[Russ T.]

Or if anyone else has a suggestion? Richard, I tried Duracard but we don't have any design software on our PC to design ourselves. I think they will do it for $50 or something. The local shops said it would probably take @ 2 weeks. I thought that was a little excessive. I'm trying to get some cards for an important Janitorial co we do carpet/VCT for. Thanks guys.


The Clean Machine