Thread: what marketing works

I've never seen the point of passing out flyers.

Sure the medium has an inexpensive up front cost. But, passing them out can be a real time drain for marketing that more that likely will get tossed into the trash.

Uninvited junk on your door seems a little intrusive and not a good way to start a relationship.

The inefinciancy of marketing one customer at a time whatever the method doesn't seem very effective to me.

Originally Posted by NICK NELLOS

AT one time between 98 and 2002 I ran 5 trucks. Now I run 2 trucks and have 4. sometimes I run the 4 trucks not often. I dont want to be big again.

Being big does have it's problems and I agree with him that it's not worth it for me either. I make as much money with 1 full and 1 part time van than I did with 5. It's what you do and how you do it that makes a huge difference.

I have many friends and mentors that have used Joe Polish and Pirahna Marketing and they all say it's not even close to being worth it. All of these guys are successful and not because of Joe Polish.

Originally Posted by shane deubell

Just keep asking questions and trying new things,read a book, attend an event etc just keep going

EXACTLY. That is what I did. "Just keep going" (hopefully forward) and after 16 years of fighting, struggling and yes, having fun, we were grossing over $750,000.00 in a market base of 30,000 people. (That's over a million dollar a year business in today's dollars.)

The difference is today's carpet cleaner has soooo many additional options out there to cut their learning curve and gain many years on this at-time painful process. A huge resource are the internet discussion forums, like this one. And I hear tell there are some pretty good seminars out there focused on building your business ...

Steve
www.StrategiesForSuccess.com

PS Tre, I'd like to nominate Shane's post as "Post of the Week" or whatever else you call it.

You can be CONSISTANTLY GOOD,CONSISTANTLY BAD, but NEVER inconsistant!!

The best advertising doesn't have to cost much, May be true in that relationship building doesn't necessarily have to cost much money, time or effort.

I have found that the most expensive advertising comes from: The college of hard knocks, trial & error, doing something just because everyone else does it, using untested methods, thinking you found the magic bullet or being inconsistent.

The very most expensive advertising of all and the reason most businesses fail is: the failure to take action or waiting until you get around to it.

So, Every cleaner should take the time right now and make a list of those marketing strategies that you have been waiting to get around to.

Get out your calendar/appointment book and write down the steps that will execute the most promising ones.

Take action, make it happen. Because, wishful thinking is not marketing.

Originally Posted by Dave Yoakum

I've never seen the point of passing out flyers.

Sure the medium has an inexpensive up front cost. But, passing them out can be a real time drain for marketing that more that likely will get tossed into the trash.

Uninvited junk on your door seems a little intrusive and not a good way to start a relationship.

The inefinciancy of marketing one customer at a time whatever the method doesn't seem very effective to me.

I deliver them to PAPER BOXES and it NOT intrusive at all.. Most of the time they think they got it in there mail boxes. I really don't need many new custy's since repeat and referals have been great! I do think I should correct my last post though... Service Monster (for reminders), flyers (for some new biz when I'm slow), and my website also for new custy's.

Let me ask you Dave how long do you work at your marketing per week?

I had my flyers designed by Wayne Miller this year and I have been getting into high end homes and they seem to tell all there friends when I leave.

This week I had two jobs from my flyers together $455.00 and the rest were repeat or referals, seems to work for me.

Heres the latest(that there is my little guy)....

Keith Says:
"Let me ask you Dave how long do you work at your marketing per week?"

For my most most productive marketing of my new clients I spend NO time and NO money each week.

To be more exact. I guess every few months I might spent up to an hour. So, I guess the answer would be 5 minutes per week. But, still no money and I do most of it in my van before I go to the next job.

Lately It's been producing well over $1000 in new clients every week.

(And that's not counting the new clients generated from client referrals and the web.)



Works for me.

Better tools and equipment may look pretty. But. they won't see much action if you don't have a way to open doors.

It's some form of marketing that gets you in the door.

Good marketing doesn't cost. If it is worth it's salt it should pay for itself many times over.

If you don't like JP or Howard there are many other ways to market or find marketing ideas/materials.

The advantage of using some of the marketing packages is that they have been tested and proven.

So, then that you don't have to spend the time researching, reading about and testing marketing trying to re-invent the wheel.

Also, if they are designed properly you should be able just to plug in your information saving even more time.

(a caveat- I do wonder about marketing that become a perpetual money stream back to the marketer)

If you feel you don't have to market fine. But, most businesses find that if they don't bring in new clients on a continued basis. Their business will suffer greatly.

Great marketing doesn't just happen with a little wishful thinking.


Albert Einstein once said;
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

If you want to improve the performance of your company you need to take some form of action.

Market smart!!