This has to be the best marketing source besides referrals.

[daniel@procarpet]

Buying a list of all your current customers or even just your best customers neighbors.

Create a killer post card, bochre etc, and target them mentioning your customer. I guess door hangers could work if the design and message was good. This would allow you to hit them a few more times. Most people need to be marketed to a few times before they will commit.

What do you think?

 

[Brian R]

Have you done it? If not, are you going to? I would be interested to see how it goes.

If you could get a really good photo of your customer standing out in front of her house with the family that wuold be awesome.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Check this site out.

I got a solicited call last night at 10pm but checked the site out because it was a catchy domain name.

www.inyourneighborhood.com


I already have some decent marketing materials. I guess how well this campaign works would depend on the message and design. Anyways this is a system.

Do outstanding work.
Seek referrals.
Have a nice wrap.
Target those close to your current customers (friends, relatives, neighbors)

It is a chain effect.

Brian commercial is next on my agenda. Doing these 500 dollar plus commercial jobs and setting them up on a monthly or quarterly deal is great for cash flow. The only thing bad about it is the work is freakin back breaking for sure. Next time I clean the place I did last night will be with a stack of pads, a mop bucket, and some encap shamoo. The carpet wasn't even dirty.

 

[Brian R]

You can do the same with commercial. Get one of your commercial accounts to let you mention them in your ad to other commercial jobs.

 

[Goomer]

Create a killer post card, bochre etc, and target them mentioning your customer.

I'm not too sure all your current customers would appreciate you using their names, in any way, without their knowledge.
People can be funny about things like that.

 

[tmdry]

SM does this, I've mentioned to Brian in another thread.

You can buy the list online and do it yourself too, just makes it easier when a company is doing the work for you.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

SM does this, I've mentioned to Brian in another thread.

You can buy the list online and do it yourself too, just makes it easier when a company is doing the work for you.

Cool I can send them my materials and let them mail them for me. I would only want to target 5-10 homes around each customer. They could mail them when the thank you cards go out. A well crafted piece with a great offer should work well. Now I need to start working on post card ideas.

I doubt the bland sm cards would work good to bring in new clients. Repeats just need to be reminded to pick the phone up and call.

 

[Brian R]

In that other thread I explained how it worked. Joe gave me a call.

SM can do the printing, mailing and importing of customer info but you have to buy that list from Infousa or other first.
They then import it into SM and then you can run a mailing compaign.

SM prints in 500 or 1000 at a time...but can mail as few as 5 if you wish
You supply the artwork.

Really, you can run those campaigns yourself in SM if you know the addresses of the neighbors.

Why not spend ten minutes (or less) after every job getting the addresses on the street you're cleaning.
put them into SM and send them mailers?

Or you could just get doorhangers and let your helper do it while you're talking to the customer.

 

[Willy P]

Unless you get a signed authorization to use the customers name, I suggest there may be privacy concerns that could open a can of worms.

 

[Brian R]

Yes, I would definitely get the permission...I figured that would be a given.

 

[Goomer]

Yes, I would definitely get the permission...I figured that would be a given.

SM does this, I've mentioned to Brian in another thread.

How exactly does SM obtain permission to use every current customers name for promotional purposes?

 

[Brian R]

I think what he is saying is that SM mails...they don't do the printing or promotial info.

 

[Goomer]

I think what he is saying is that SM mails...they don't do the printing or promotial info.

I see.
Anyway, using peoples names without permission is asking for trouble Danny Boy, you might want to rethink it.

 

[Askal]

We tried this about 10 years ago. Kind of like 5 around but mailed a card instead. Said "We just did carpet cleaning for your Mrs. Jones. She was very happy and we thought you might be interested in..... Nearly 0 response. It was discouraging because it seemed like such a good idea.
Al

 

[Brian R]

I would get the homeowner involved in the project.

Ask if you can take a photo of them and the family outside the home with the home in the background.
Promote it using her name and her words.

Send them to a very large part of her neighborhood.

If her photo is on it and she is involved, she might just talk to the other homeowners about you.

Put it up at the local grocery store (not walmart) and local stores that the neighbors frequent.

If done right, it could work well.

I would pic nice neighborhoods for this of course...maybe one with an HOA.