Tips for newbies in marrketing their carpet cleaning busines

[rick imby]

Great post Duckster

Rick

 

[Greg Cole]

Let's get back to this...image is everything


It's not the advertiser (yellow pages and other phone books) it's the ad
If you are going to run an ad, have a separate designer design it for you...it won't be the best ROI but it can work if you have a little bit of cash flow.

Join a networking group and then visit EVERY networking group in your area. It cost nothing...usually...and you can make some connections....Carpet Cleaning is an easy lead...everyone has carpet...or even tile.
you will usually get a free lunch out of it.

Get a website and get it optimized...make sure it's done right and make sure it looks like you are the best cleaner in the world, try to be different but try to look like a carpet cleaning company.

Finally, if you want more business...you have to give back. Work with other companies in your power partner group like house cleaners, landscapers, painters, handymen, etc....and try to get them work as often as possible. And let them know to refer you out to any and all of there customers.

Remember to do good work and don't charge too little.

It goes on and on from there.

Great info. I agree with everything except your first point. You are right that the ad is vital to success, but where you place it is also important. The best looking ad doesn't do squat if no one sees it.
Otherwise - great info!

 

[Greg Cole]

Another great post Brian

And an outstanding Thread---


What Greg forgot to mention is one of the most important things about advertising is

!!!Track where your sales came from!!!

Idont agree . The yellow pages have paid for themselves 10fold it must be a regional thing.

Greg's experience is Atlanta where the yellow pages are very expensive....
The other problem with the yellow pages is Which one gets used. I did a survey in my neighborhood because there were 5 yellow page books out. I went to 12 houses--all friends of mine in the 30-50 age groups. You should do the same before you buy a yellow page ad. I won't tell you which book but that it was a landslide 10- were all one company.

Ask them which book, when was the last time they looked in it.

The web is the new yellow pages. Anyone under 30 never picks up a yellow pages. They log onto their phone or computer to do a search.

If you check the average age of the customer you get from a yellow page ad you will see it is probably over 50.

I really agree with most of Greg's comments. But....

The Internet is the new Yellow Pages

Greg doesn't really "get" the internet yet.

He may have spent a bit of money on it but it doesn't even mesh--The words overlap into the wrong places on his coupons.

You need a lot of meat (text) for the search engines to grab ahold of.


Even if you are not photogenic you need to be on your website---you too Greg--- Your website says check our Testimonials but you don't have a link to them and you don't seem to have any.

I have been to at least three of Gregs Websites. This isn't a bad strategy either (building more than one website) as you get bigger but finish one website first. You should go look at them and critique them---You will spot the problems (there are several) right away.

I think the designer was trying to make it look like the front page of a coupon. Not bad but finish it--If it says click here have a link---duh---

I have several other constructive criticisms but Greg you can afford to pay for it I have already given you several freebees.


The woman playing in the water on your water restoration page is delicious---Rick

Great information Rick! Yes the internet is the new yellow pages. Although, They need to focus on a good website BEFORE they start spending money on optimication and PPC!
Can't put the cart before the horse....

 

[Terry]

most of our customers under 50, women especially belong to online forums where they exchange names of contractors etc. When you're leaving a happy customer(all are I hope) ask them to post their experience to the forums, book groups, bible study groups, athiest meet up corners etc.
It's the cheapest marketing you can find and the new customer is already sold when they call you.

Terry

 

[rick imby]

Great information Rick! Yes the internet is the new yellow pages. Although, They need to focus on a good website BEFORE they start spending money on optimication and PPC!
Can't put the cart before the horse....

So Greg, is that why you haven't invested in SEO on your sites? Or has it just not kicked in yet? Or did you hire the wrong team?

I want to mess with your sites---not your head my friend---your site.

Optimizing and building the site go hand in hand---The SEO guy should rule on site building decisions. An ugly site ranked well will do better than a pretty ( I hate flash) site that does not rank.

 

[Greg Cole]

Great information Rick! Yes the internet is the new yellow pages. Although, They need to focus on a good website BEFORE they start spending money on optimication and PPC!
Can't put the cart before the horse....

So Greg, is that why you haven't invested in SEO on your sites? Or has it just not kicked in yet? Or did you hire the wrong team?

I want to mess with your sites---not your head my friend---your site.

Optimizing and building the site go hand in hand---The SEO guy should rule on site building decisions. An ugly site ranked well will do better than a pretty ( I hate flash) site that does not rank.

Guy is slow- but built one heck of a good looking site so I'm being patient.
SEO should be in soon
-g

 

[Mike Draper]

Number 2: the yellow pages are essentially deAd for carpet cleaning. If you are a newbie you don't have the budget to even stand a shot at getting the eyeballs of the very few eople that still use it!

We never have less than a 500-700% return on our yellow page ad. We run a full page ad.

 

[Greg Cole]

Number 2: the yellow pages are essentially deAd for carpet cleaning. If you are a newbie you don't have the budget to even stand a shot at getting the eyeballs of the very few eople that still use it!

We never have less than a 500-700% return on our yellow page ad. We run a full page ad.

Excellent return. So it is running at 15-20%. Acceptable numbers. Remember- I am not bashing yellow pages. I am saying that for a newbie starting out it is usually the kiss of death. He needs to focus his time and energy and money elsewhere.

 

[Wayne Miller]

I agree with much of what Greg says, especially about salesmen. Every last one is an expert and better than everybody else. Most are not your friend. Many won't be there when it's time to renew. Few know enough about marketing and advertising to fill a thimble. None will stand behind their product. You are your own best advocate, the more you can learn the better. I had a YP salesman, someone I used to trust, recently tell me the crappy ads perform best because they "have all the information." And, this was right after he told me the "good" YP ads some directories use to encourage shoppers and avertisers to use the book are hired out to high-dollar outside ad agencies.

Speaking of YP's, they can work well. Better yet, you might be paying half of what they were a few years ago. Don't let the YP people design your ad, don't bite off a bigger ad than you can chew, but don't go with something so small you're buried way in the back. Look at what other advertisers are doing and take your best guess at what you can do (size, b&w, color, white knock-out, etc.) to make your ad stand out.

Commercial work, IMHO, is a neccessity. I don't care for apartment work. Getting started, though, it kept us in business. I can remember Januarys and Februarys when commercial work was about all we had. Twenty-five to 35% commercial work is just about right for us.

I agree register tapes and a lot of things that sit around waiting to be spotted are a waste of money. Newspaper ads didn't do much for us but they do seem to work in more rural areas. There are no generalizations or silver bullets that work the same for everyone everywhere. You've got to test and track.

Postage gets expensive but direct mail is a great way to target exactly who you want. When the money's tight a good 4X6 postcard can double as a flyer.

These days a web presense is a given. People expect it. And, it's a good way to expand on your print adertising. It doesn't have to be elaborate getting started. Just make sure it projects the kind of image people expect from a professional organization.

There's so much you can say about what and what not to do. In a nutshell, the key is to be proactive. Go to work everyday. Look for work. It won't find you. Identify who your ideal customer is and remember you're not them. What looks and sounds good to you may have little significance to a mother of three or an elderly widow with dirty carpets.

 

[Greg Cole]

I agree with much of what Greg says, especially about salesmen. Every last one is an expert and better than everybody else. Most are not your friend. Many won't be there when it's time to renew. Few know enough about marketing and advertising to fill a thimble. None will stand behind their product. You are your own best advocate, the more you can learn the better. I had a YP salesman, someone I used to trust, recently tell me the crappy ads perform best because they "have all the information." And, this was right after he told me the "good" YP ads some directories use to encourage shoppers and avertisers to use the book are hired out to high-dollar outside ad agencies.

Speaking of YP's, they can work well. Better yet, you might be paying half of what they were a few years ago. Don't let the YP people design your ad, don't bite off a bigger ad than you can chew, but don't go with something so small you're buried way in the back. Look at what other advertisers are doing and take your best guess at what you can do (size, b&w, color, white knock-out, etc.) to make your ad stand out.

Commercial work, IMHO, is a neccessity. I don't care for apartment work. Getting started, though, it kept us in business. I can remember Januarys and Februarys when commercial work was about all we had. Twenty-five to 35% commercial work is just about right for us.

I agree register tapes and a lot of things that sit around waiting to be spotted are a waste of money. Newspaper ads didn't do much for us but they do seem to work in more rural areas. There are no generalizations or silver bullets that work the same for everyone everywhere. You've got to test and track.

Postage gets expensive but direct mail is a great way to target exactly who you want. When the money's tight a good 4X6 postcard can double as a flyer.

These days a web presense is a given. People expect it. And, it's a good way to expand on your print adertising. It doesn't have to be elaborate getting started. Just make sure it projects the kind of image people expect from a professional organization.

There's so much you can say about what and what not to do. In a nutshell, the key is to be proactive. Go to work everyday. Look for work. It won't find you. Identify who your ideal customer is and remember you're not them. What looks and sounds good to you may have little significance to a mother of three or an elderly widow with dirty carpets.

Great post Wayne! I don't agree with the direct mail for initial lead generation for a small o&O. Too expensive and VERY low return for a startup. However it is vital for matintaining a database.

 

[ARSuarez]

I say to just buy 'Magnetic Marketing' by Dan Kennedy and be done with it. :wink:

Direct mail is profitable, after a certain point. If you can buy yourself a nice list with qualified prospects, send out a few well-crafted messages. Print up as many letters as you can afford. In a lot of ways, DM is on of the cheapest methods. Again, after a certain point (when you can afford a list).

One of the best books I've read on referral marketing is "Word of Mouth Marketing" by Jerry Wilson. Buy it. Beat it up. Makes some highlighter marks. Great book.

Regards,

Angel