The return for me has not been good. That does not mean it does not work. I will start again when it warms up.

Greenville SC Roof Cleaning (864)752-7073 wrote:

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Hey guys I want to start 2010 off good! I think I am the Leading Roof cleaner in my area.. there are 2 other companies that are doing it but idk if they are doing low pressure or Non-pressure. But there are so many dirty roofs and I want to GROW this year. So I was thinking that my Marketing plan is going to be Mailing Jumbo Size Post Cards to Neighborhoods that have dirty roofs. Than every roof i do I'm going to put a yard sign in there yard.  Our post card does GREAT right now...but we are just putting them on doors and newspaper slots.
Any advice would be great!

Thanks guys!!

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I believe that they say that with direct mail, 1% or under is average.  Two percent would be considered a gold mine depending on your average ticket price.  Three percent is more or less unheard of unless you are giving away the store.  No doubt about it, advertising is a b**ch.  If it were easy, everyone would be doing "it".?

 

KP Diamond wrote:

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Greenville SC Roof Cleaning (864)752-7073 wrote:

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Hey guys I want to start 2010 off good! I think I am the Leading Roof cleaner in my area.. there are 2 other companies that are doing it but idk if they are doing low pressure or Non-pressure. But there are so many dirty roofs and I want to GROW this year. So I was thinking that my Marketing plan is going to be Mailing Jumbo Size Post Cards to Neighborhoods that have dirty roofs. Than every roof i do I'm going to put a yard sign in there yard.  Our post card does GREAT right now...but we are just putting them on doors and newspaper slots.
Any advice would be great!

Thanks guys!!

---

I believe that they say that with direct mail, 1% or under is average.  Two percent would be considered a gold mine depending on your average ticket price.  Three percent is more or less unheard of unless you are giving away the store.  No doubt about it, advertising is a b**ch.  If it were easy, everyone would be doing "it".?

 

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Hey Ken, Happy New Years.

I would agree with the 1%. offering a needed service at the right time, and right price. I find it almost impossible to figure out. If you knew what percentage you would get all you would have to do is spend accordingly.

I mean now days I don't know what to say. I been out hustling the streets and guys I'm telling you things are not looking good. I am finding out that people really don't have much disposable cash at the moment.

The good news is, we are offering a inexpensive service with the greatest impact. Curb appeal. 1000.00 dollars goes along way in cleaning.

This year again I will be very frugal with my money. 2009 I didn't spend one dollar on advertising, besides hand outs and etc. I spent all my energy knocking on doors, and talking to people. I have cleaned thousans and thousands of house so I do get quite a bit of repeat but nothing like I would expect.

any way guys my only advise would be ... be careful on your spending.

 

seauatthetop wrote:

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hey Clyde as a student new to the industry could u tell me what do u say as an ice breaker when u are doing door to door thanx WILLIAM L MORRIS GLEN ST MARY FL

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Hi William Happy New Years.

sure. Chris posted something back sometime ago which I thought was great. Just to take the pressure off you and the home owner, which is a relieve.

William its just like soul winning. all you do is give him your card and plant the seed... no pure pressure. just tell him when ever he is ready to call you..

just like soul winning brother. I gotta love it right.

 

thanx Clyde good illustration of soulwinning and business prospecting

-- Edited by seauatthetop on Sunday 3rd of January 2010 06:18:09 PM

I do like the soul winning thing also I heard a joke one time a american named Jimmy and a mexican named Pedro were begging for money. Jimmy drove a Mercedes paid cash for his house and had a very nice life while the Jimmy was almost starving. Finlay Jimmy asked Pedro what he was doing wrong. Pedro showed him his sign and it said "I only need $20 to get back to Mexico". Just saying you will wash for food might not be the best approach ha

Whats a good return on post cards? It's impossible to even come close to knowing. I think it's all in timing. I'm not familiar with the South, but I am familiar with the northeast and midwest. The spring would be prime time, that's when you will get your best return on your post cards. as the season wears on the percentage will continue to drop substantially, to the point when winter gets here the percentage will be zero.

It's like the king crab fishing, the window of opportunity is very shallow. With that being said you better be ready once spring arrives.

That is my experience with pressure washing houses, decks, and etc, so I have a tendency to think roof cleaning will be the same. I hope I'm wrong.

If I am wrong, this winter I'm going to go to Florida and buy a house and start going from Jersey to Florida during the winter. On the way I will go see KP, then Gary, my friend to be Pat, and what's that good fella name that built RCA? him, then My Brother William, and all the rest of those Floridians, oh yea and Lori and Rex. I will probably have Rex build by ultimate dream machine pressure washer, I'm thinking something like 20 gallon per minute, I already know what 14 gallons per minutes like so, it's just a bump up.



-- Edited by Walk on Tuesday 5th of January 2010 05:30:45 PM

Walk wrote:

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Whats a good return on post cards? It's impossible to even come close to knowing. I think it's all in timing. I'm not familiar with the South, but I am familiar with the northeast and midwest. The spring would be prime time, that's when you will get your best return on your post cards. as the season wears on the percentage will continue to drop substantially, to the point when winter gets here the percentage will be zero.

It's like the king crab fishing, the window of opportunity is very shallow. With that being said you better be ready once spring arrives.

That is my experience with pressure washing houses, decks, and etc, so I have a tendency to think roof cleaning will be the same. I hope I'm wrong.

If I am wrong, this winter I'm going to go to Florida and buy a house and start going from Jersey to Florida during the winter. On the way I will go see KP, then Gary, my friend to be Pat, and what's that good fella name that built RCA? him, then My Brother William, and all the rest of those Floridians, oh yea and Lori and Rex. I will probably have Rex build by ultimate dream machine pressure washer, I'm thinking something like 20 gallon per minute, I already know what 14 gallons per minutes like so, it's just a bump up.



-- Edited by Walk on Tuesday 5th of January 2010 05:30:45 PM

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This is intersting, Clyde.  I have noticed here in SC that I am real busy in the spring, then business drops off in July but picks up again in late August.  Of course, by December, we're dead again until spring rolls in.  I sure am going to be ready this year!  My wife has been in contact with postcardmania.  We're putting together a campaign to start in late February/Early March as it is Tshirt weather here by March 20th or so.  We're mailing 1500 cards per month. Hoping for between a half a percent to one and a quater.  We'll have to see what happens! 
The designer she spoke with does marketing for Michigan Power Washing. She said he is one of her most consistent clients. Apparently he sees a really good response and mails all year long, just switches to commercial customers in the winter. 

I like the winter plan My goal is to be able to shut down completely for the winter months and get in some much needed family time and VACA!  Maybe this year will do that for me

Ones that return without postage due is a good return..... LOL


I did a test mailing to a particularly dirty neighborhood. All the houses in this neighborhood were 200k and up. I drove through it and wrote down the address of every house that was really dirty on the front side and I only got a 1% response. I got a better response from my newspaper ad. I got a better response putting fliers in newspaper boxes than the mailing. I think I am going to skip the expense of mailings.