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!!

Originally Posted by NICK NELLOS

Buy some good marketing books from the bookstore.

How do you know which one is good? what is good for you may not be good for the next guy....just like SFS.

True Nick,

With a newspaper you can learn the formula on how to design an ad and other marketing tactics.

Marketing ideas are all around if you every day if just look for it.

Also, Marketing doesn't have to cost much.

My best marketing doesn't cost me a dime, printing, postage or time. Like I said before It produces well over $1000 in new clients eack week.

That is because I planted the seeds to make it happen.

That is the way I like to market where you simply have to plant some seeds and it continues to grow all by itself. While you just have enjoy the fruit.


Everyone needs to find marketing that works for them, their service area and their desired customer base.

Some do well paying several grand for marketing. Some get burnt.

Choose wise grasshopper!

Are you guys saying the Super Bowl Commercials don't work?

Learning is never a waste.

But, learning through the college of hard knocks can be a waste of your hard earned marketing dollar and your time.

Time is important because your company may have been able to get years of a better return on your marketing dollar and company growth.

Rather that the opposite that can happen from using the "I hope this works this time " marketing approach.

Think of all the posible mistakes out there:

Phone bookcovers
Maps
Large Yp ads.
Ads on sales slips
Shotgun advertising
Most direct mail
Not having a webpage
Not contacting previous clients regularly
Web directory advertising
Not having a plan
Marketing just because everyone else does it.

The list can go on forever.........

LOL. If you had Carpet Cleaning Companies sending you $999.99 for some information that's valued at 47,000.00 you could afford more advertisement also

Nick, it sounds like you're implying all formal training has no value? Instead, get all your knowledge from books? Hmmmm.....

That may be a perfect way for you to learn. But for most, learning requires multiple avenues. People learn better by reading the message, hearing the message, seeing the message, and putting the message into a real life situation.

Yes, books are great. I've learned MUCH from reading. And yes, at times I've learned more from reading than attending a seminar.

But there's no way I could know all I know today if it weren't for coaching programs and formal training events.

John Braun

Well, Hello everyone! My name is Nick and it's my first post. I just could not resist the urge to say something about
Google AdWords in response to some nay Sayers about Internet Marketing. IT WORKS.... LIKE MAGIC! Why? Because unlike many other businesses out there that sell electronics, apparel, and even carpet cleaning equipment itself, we as Carpet Cleaners, don't have such an enormous world wide competition. When people shop on internet they shop for price, but when people shop on internet to clean their carpets they shop local almost by default. So, even if the guy in PA cleans for $20/room(lol just an example) and another guy in NY cleans for $49/room the customer from NY is not going to call PA , neither PA cleaner will come to NY for practical reasons. The carpet cleaning business is almost like a niche business in itself as it forces our clients to stick to local offers, and this in turn, reduces the strong competition that might exist in other industries. I am NEW to CC. Having experience in HTML, CSS and graphic design I put together my web site and signed up for Ad Words. Also, made a per click ad through Google(cheap) and put the company name into local listing on online Superpages, Yahoo! Mkt. Solutions(yahoo! alt. of AdWords). And guess what?! I was about 1.5 mo. in doing back testing process making sure my site works as it should when I started to get phone calls to clean carpets! That's just internet; no flyers, biz. crads, door to door or any kind of soliciting! In fact, I don't even have my equipment yet! I apologized politely with a smile(something I learned from working at Front Desk Marriott Hotel) explained that the company is just starting out and offered my future clients 1/2 off if they decide to comeback. I only got 5 calls so to me it's not a loss but in fact a marketing deal. I admit I did not expect ANY calls at all and it was very awkward for me to explain the situation. The site is suspended for now and is unsearchable until I get my equipment together. I will be getting a used van and a HydraMaster Boxxer 427 in about a month if things go as planed. Anyway, just wanted to tell some of your out there thinking about Internet to just DO IT! It's cheap (about $150/year) and it's almost a must these days. As a matter of fact, we at Marriott use Google exclusively to provide our guests with directions and addresses for local businesses. So if some one wants to get a hair cut we search for..... barbershop 12550(our zip code) AND when my General Manager wants to clean carpets(as she did 3 weeks ago) in our Hotel's rooms she searches.... carpet cleaning 12550. Well, hope I won't get eaten alive for my factual 2 cents. Cheers Nick.