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I need some advertising advice. I am a new operator in Springfield, MO. Unfortunately I missed all the phone books and the soonest I can get in to any of them is December. The following are some of things I am currently doing:
1. Joined the local Chamber of Commerce
2. Delivering Franchise Express flyers (canvassing neighborhoods).
3. Affiliated with Service Magic
4. Simple Google Ad
5. Custom flyers for commercial businesses, churches, etc.
6. Delivered 325 flyers to local major real-estate office.The Chamber membership gets me ten 30 second radio spots on popular local radio stations, a quarter page ad in the Penny-Power to 18,000 households, and a banner ad on the News Leader website for ninety days. I am realistic and don’t expect my phone to be ringing off the hook, but I have the ‘Franchise Jitters’ if you know what I mean. Any advice for kick-starting the business line would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Get some needed practice. Clean your carpets and those of your family and friends and ask for referrals. They will come!!
You might go door to door with a brochure and business card and introduce yourself. Scary, but will get you practice and in front of people.
Wish youthe best.
Dave Dilts
Lancaster County PA
Welcome to HB Hector!
A couple of things.
Although advertising success will vary area from area there are some things that can be said for most areas.
1. Yes, join your local Chamber. In our Chamber (it’s small) we get to introduce ourselves. Explain the system well as I’m sure Realtors will be in the crowd. Explain the Dry in 1 Hour process. Get to know every Realtor you can.
2. I recommend that you do not canvass the neighborhood. Door hangers tend to be less effective. Using the Franchise Express flyer is a great idea and that is how I kick started my business. Have it inserted into your local newspaper. Keep in mind that it works very well for some and not so good for others. Test it out. I used it exclusively for the first few months with great success.
3. Service Magic can be good however you MUST be the very first carpet cleaner to call the customer or you will not get the job.
4. I do not recommend search engine marketing for what we do.
5. Instead of flyers, just go by to said businesses and talk with the owners. Ask the owner/manager what it would take to get their business.
6. This is a great idea. Talk with Laura Burkhart (CA operator)
Also, write a letter explaining that you’ve started a new and exciting business. Next create a list of all the people you know; friends, family, and other contacts and mail it to them. You may also want to send a letter to all of the local churches offering them a special discount.
Try creating a letter to friends and family introducing your new business and ask for their business. Give them a new customer discount and referal dollars to be used at their next cleaning when a new customer they refered to you has their carpets cleaned. I have had one lady who has given me 8 referals which created approx $1200 in sales. I give $10 for each referal. Looks like her next cleaning is going to be on me!!!
Try The Property Managers in Your areas, you may have to take some jobs cheap to get in But it will get you jobs, I have found that realtors are as tight as a ducks you know what when it comes to spending thier money (commission) , However if you do a good job I find they pass your name on at least… The property Management side can be Tight as well but you will get some experience. It is the hardest thing out there to find what works for you in your areas…………….good luck………….
Is there a BNI group meeting in your area? I would highly recommend getting involved with it. It is better than the Chamber. They are a group of local businessmen/women that meet for the soul purpose of passing referrals and building eachother’s business. It was the first step that I took in starting up in January and since then my $350 investment has made me over $10,000 in business. They limit the group to only 1 person per profession. If you find that there is already someone in a group, consider starting another one. If you have any ?’s call me 907-622-6840
Welcome Hector,
It sounds like what you’re doing is great. The best advise I can give you is-take a deep breath, relax. I know it can be a little intimidating at first but you’ll settle into your own groove. You sound like you are very motivated and you have already put a lot of thought and effort into your current advertising program. You will soon discover what forms of advertising produce results and which ones don’t. Talk with your state owner often and ask for advise from him as well. That’s what they’re there for. Good luck to you, and feel free to contact me anytime as well. 888-313-3533Thanks to all who have responded to my post. I appreciate the insight. This organization sets itself apart by the operators cooperating and lending their own experiences and expertise to those of us that are new and green. Thanks again!!!!
Welcome aboard, Hector. Sounds like you are doing everything right to get started. We suggest you contact your local newspaper and insert the Franchise Express flyers. When you contact your local newspaper, request for a Monday or Tuesday distribution day. In our territories, Monday was the best day because only two other inserts (a dentist & mortuary ad) were in the Monday paper. However, our newspaper stopped Monday inserts so now we are inserted in the Tuesday newspaper with three other ads (dentist, department store, & insurance company) which still gives us a good response. Also be aware that newspapers will probably have a limit that can be inserted. We schedule for the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of every month. The reason is we can somewhat control what areas we are working, helps cut down the gasoline costs for our two trucks.
Best of luck to you. And get ready the best is yet to come. Soon you will be on your way to Great Success. 🙂
The cheapest thing you can do is to talk a newspaper into placing a story about your new venture, about Heaven’s Best and the unique “Dry in 1 Hour” cleaning process. Along with the story, add a photo of you standing by your new van. Photos always catch the eye, making people more inclined to read the story. The story will be free but it’s best to follow with an ad in the same paper.
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