ROI

[Bucey]

What would be a good expectation for the return on phone book ad. This is the first one I have ran and wanted to try and set bench mark in order to justify if a goal was meet. My idea was 3 to 1. What say you?>

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Depends on the ad and your expectations. I had a 350 dollar per month in-column ad with cheap price points that averaged 150 calls per month and generated at a minimum 1500 in work per week and 3000 on a good week.

I have also had very nice professional color display ads to the tune of 1500 per month that got around 30-50 calls per month. These would have worked as well but I did a 180 and tried to be fair and honest with people. Since most of the people were price shopping I only closed maybe 20 percent of calls.

My advice is leave the phone book alone or focus on upsells (bait and switch). Trying to be honest and professional will spell disaster. I guess it depends on the area. I was in the book for 4 years so I can tell you 90 percent of the calls you get will be price shoppers. You can still make it work by offering a basic cleaning for whatever and upsell a more thorough package or you can choose other avenues and focus on referrals.

If I were going to do another phone book ad, it would be bait and switch all the way under a different company name and the work would be sent to subs.

 

[amazingcleansc]

dont say bait and switch. Bait and switch is 3 rooms $9.

but then oh yeah well this isn't going to get them clean. If you want them cleaned its going to be $463.

upsell is basic cleaning 3 rooms- $85

then when you get there, hey would you like me to [insert anything here]

or saying hey what about that couch while im here for 50.

thats not being misleading

if you do the competitive pricing, you still will get upsells

 

[Brian R]

What Daniel said.

I'm too honest for a phone book.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

David I did a three room special for 49 dollars and 15 dollars for each additonal area. I sold deodorizer and a pre scrub on most jobs. My average ticket was around 150 without protector or furniture cleaning. It took me a while to realize I was mostly cleaning for one time clients. Well actually some of my best clients to this day and also best referral sources came from yp ads. Lets say you offer several cleaning packages and you tell a customer on the phone the prices for each but push the cheapest package to get the job, you can always use professional sales materials once you inspect the job and sell a more thorough cleaning. Some may only want just a quick spray and suck in the open areas while others want a full service cleaning. That is fine and dandy. I just feel I get better roi when targeting specific groups of people instead of casting a net out in the whole city. I have some great ideas I have yet to implement simply because I have more work than I want. It's hard to change things when I have steady business coming in, but I realize I do need to make some changes.

Here is my problem with the yp's. If I get a call from someone wanting three room and a hall cleaned, I am going to quote atleast 150 becasue that is what it is going to take to get the job done right. Now I could say I have a special for 49, 69, or whatever and explain that it is for a standard cleaning. I can always sell a deeper cleaning. However that is bait and switch and just one bad experience can ruin years of positive service. It's not worth the risk. There are so many better ways to get great customers that really want a great job. I feel like every single job I do I am going to get atleast one referral from that client. And that has been true. Plus since using sm my repeat and referrals have probably quadrupled.

Now I rarely even quote prices or even have to sell my services on the phone. My job average is much higher, my overhead lower, and every single job is a repeat or a referral. Really this just means more money and less work. When I book a job from a yp caller, I feel like I have really accomplished something.

 

[Bucey]

Lets try this question: If you have placed an ad in the yp what was your ROI?

 

[Brian R]

OK, maybe I will do an experiment...I can do the same thing on line.

Is there a cleaner out there who wants to team up with me to run some really low price ads to see what happens?

I'll put a campaign together with a different name and phone number.
Not hardcore bait and switch but I will run really low priced ads and then you focus on the hardcore up sales

We'll push the "Super low prices" "nobody can touch our prices" yada yada yada.

Let me know...one cleaner...that's it....any area.
Of course we split the jobs....let me know. lol
Brian


PS. We'll call it "Fantabulous Carpet Rejuvenating"

Who's with me!

 

[ACE]

4 to 1 Gross ROI is about what I have averaged with around $100.00 YP Ads. 4 to 1 Gross is okay if you are able to chage good rates and keep customers, thats not always the case with YP.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

OK, maybe I will do an experiment...I can do the same thing on line.

Is there a cleaner out there who wants to team up with me to run some really low price ads to see what happens?

I'll put a campaign together with a different name and phone number.
Not hardcore bait and switch but I will run really low priced ads and then you focus on the hardcore up sales

We'll push the "Super low prices" "nobody can touch our prices" yada yada yada.

Let me know...one cleaner...that's it....any area.
Of course we split the jobs....let me know. lol
Brian


PS. We'll call it "Fantabulous Carpet Rejuvenating"

Who's with me!

I guess you might as well be Greg Cole.

 

[ACE]

OK, maybe I will do an experiment...I can do the same thing on line.

Is there a cleaner out there who wants to team up with me to run some really low price ads to see what happens?

I'll put a campaign together with a different name and phone number.
Not hardcore bait and switch but I will run really low priced ads and then you focus on the hardcore up sales

We'll push the "Super low prices" "nobody can touch our prices" yada yada yada.

Let me know...one cleaner...that's it....any area.
Of course we split the jobs....let me know. lol
Brian


PS. We'll call it "Fantabulous Carpet Rejuvenating"

Who's with me!

What's up with all the crap you posted about being a high end cleaner? Moving into the softcore bait and switch market?

 

[Brian R]

OK, maybe I will do an experiment...I can do the same thing on line.

Is there a cleaner out there who wants to team up with me to run some really low price ads to see what happens?

I'll put a campaign together with a different name and phone number.
Not hardcore bait and switch but I will run really low priced ads and then you focus on the hardcore up sales

We'll push the "Super low prices" "nobody can touch our prices" yada yada yada.

Let me know...one cleaner...that's it....any area.
Of course we split the jobs....let me know. lol
Brian


PS. We'll call it "Fantabulous Carpet Rejuvenating"

Who's with me!

What's up with all the crap you posted about being a high end cleaner? Moving into the softcore bait and switch market?

It was just a thought....I'm sure even the Hiltons own a few Cock Roach infested Knights Inn's

 

[ACE]

It was just a thought....I'm sure even the Hiltons own a few Cock Roach infested Knights Inn's

Sure, when you are working off a % of someone else's sweat and have no out of pocket expence tell the check comes in ,who cares? Enough jobs and you will make lots of money. There will always be someone with a strong back and a weak mind ready to work or you. There will also always be a place in the market for customers who have been burned by national contractors and want someone local.

 

[Jim Williams]

When I was doing YP I only broke even every month. Picked up a few good repeat customers that are still with me though.

I wish someone would have convinced me to get a website 6 years ago. I could have saved thousands in ad $$$$.

 

[Brian R]

It was just a thought....I'm sure even the Hiltons own a few Cock Roach infested Knights Inn's

Sure, when you are working off a % of someone else's sweat and have no out of pocket expence tell the check comes in ,who cares? Enough jobs and you will make lots of money. There will always be someone with a strong back and a weak mind ready to work or you. There will also always be a place in the market for customers who have been burned by national contractors and want someone local.

:roll:
Opposite. Anyone who goes into a home with low price to start will need brains and personality to "up sell" to the customer.
You act like my company came of no sweat of my own.
Typical carpet cleaner mentality.
Do you read yourself? Stay on the truck and "sweat" yourself to nowhere.

 

[ACE]

I am working on getting off the truck in the next couple of years, not on getting rid of the trucks

Part of getting off the truck involves making sure every job is profitable. I have had to drop most of the subcontract work I do. I got tired of getting referral business for someone else's company, late payments, bounced checks and being bullied into doing free work. I don't mind telling you that I took a big chunk of the business with me . Subbing too much for someone else is a great plan to never get off the truck. How many of your subs could afford to get off the truck?

 

[Brian R]

My subs don't want to get off the truck...my main guys anyway. They are not really "business owners" and don't want any part of that part.
It's a good fit.
Anyone looking to expand their business doesn't work well with me unless they are just beginning. I started that Network Carpet Cleaning just for those Carpet Cleaners in other areas that I would normally try to sub to.
My subs make enough money to put some away if they want to get off the truck. Most have some of their own jobs here and there to make it that much better.
We just did a pretty good sized job today and the tech was happy to make on one job (his cut) what he would maybe make in 2 days of his own work.

I'm just the Marketing guy and scheduler. I have my expenses and so do they...it's all even in the end with each tech. I make my money by having multiple areas and techs.

Someone said to me when I first started subbing out that I should just charge 30 bucks a lead or something like that so I did one better. For $35.00 per month I can funnel all the work I would normally get in one area to the Carpet Cleaner in that area. This website works pretty good for that.
Check it out.
http://networkingcleaner.com/Cleaners.html

I can do it for so low of a price by letting the website do the work...not me.
It's working out really well.