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12-09-2012, 01:02 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-09-2012, 01:20 PM by leofry@1966.)
how can i get more... I have thought about really putting my advertising dollars toward the monthly accounts
idea
1. get past the gate keeper and start taking the decision maker out to dinner.
and tickets to ballgames and such (whats legal and whats not)
2. have a lunch for all the decision makers pay for the lunch and put on a presentation.
(how to put on a good no GREAT presentation)
3. give a bid that and give the fist 2 months free...
Monthly accounts would help me so much that's what i need
I guess I would also like some advice ... do some of you guys have a system... example..
1. send a card to the decision maker introducing yourself
2. two weeks after card call or stop in
3. follow up call or stop in
4. repeat system every 3 months...
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12-09-2012, 07:33 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-09-2012, 07:41 PM by leofry@1966.)
Rick I want them bad... i saw your post on face book... no joke (that that i don't want more) but if i had a 20k that would be a about 30% of what i need to make all year... just trying to figure out the system to get them... right now i guess its find out who is the decision makers, then send them a a card... then try to make contact then do this every 2 months... ???
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Buy Ricks CMS package. I am no expert in commercial carpet cleaning but I bought the CMS package and it made me look like one. I've cleaned one carpet so far that wasn't for a friend or family. I met the decision maker with the inspection form in the package and asked her all the ?'s on it. She asked me how long I'd been in business? I lied and said 6 months. She believed me because I presented myself as a professional.
The other company that put a bid in handed her a business card with a price written on the back. No ?'s no inspection. The decision maker picked me to clean the carpets cuz I impressed her with my presentation. I'm in the process of printing up business cards and a 1 page flyer from the CMS package. Until I become an expert in cleaning I will at least present myself as one with the forms, flyers etc in the package. I'll be hitting the streets very soon.
BTW- as I cleaned this filthy CGD the decision maker watched and said " I always thought this carpet was gray not blue"
Neil
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leofry, before you invest all that $ do a search on the old encap forum. do a search for "free demo" and that is all you need to do.
if you arent already offering the free demo or the ideas presented in those threads, then dont waste your $ on lunches etc... the ideas we mentioned in those threads is farrrr cheaper and will probably produce better results.
generally the DM's in my area do not have the time or interest to go to lunch with another salesman.
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12-10-2012, 08:44 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-10-2012, 08:46 AM by Jeffrey.)
Leofry - what are you doing now? How have you been picking up business so far?
Be careful that you don't communicate a feeling of desperation to your potential clients. It's well and good to want to do business with someone, but desperation looks and smells different and doesn't usually get the desired response.
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I was thinking the exact same thing as Jeffrey and Derek. You can get to aggressive and end up with nothing. All my current accounts are large and are on a monthly cleaning schedule. Did they start out that way , NO over time and TRUST the developed into it. They all started out as Demo's of problem area's.
I had a freind in another area that would always try to take a new customer to a monthly/quarterly cleaning right away. He ended up closing very few accounts as his proposals were very "over the top" and hard to understand with all the different options, when the customer just wanted their carpet cleaned. The company is no longer in business
Get your foot in the door do a bang up job and the routine cleanings will come.
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all great advice .. thanks
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Hi Derek,
We have serviced many accounts on an "as needed" basis. In a perfect world, it would be great to have them all set up on service contracts. However that's realistically not going to happen. But you can set up a number of them as recurring monthly accounts simply by educating the client about this option.
1. Help them see that this is a practical way to MAINTAIN their carpet on an ongoing basis.
2. Offer a discounted rate for doing it on a monthly basis.
3. Outline in your service contract doing different parts of the building on different months and then itemize it over the year. (Our CMS "Commercial Marketing System" has a form for this which makes it very easy and natural to set up a new account on an ongoing basis).
There's no magic way to convert all your clients to "monthly". But simply by educating them about the value of your maintenance program, you can help to move a number of them into the monthly basket. There will always be some pay as they go customers too, but you can increase the number of monthly accounts if you walk them through the advantages of going "monthly".
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Derek it I really didn't do much. These arr really big accounts that have internal people. I just took care of there problem area's, and became their go to guy. By doing exactly what I said, showing up on time, fixing problems they couldn't they came to trust and rely on me. (They get inspected all the time.
They have ton's pf contractors and it's amazing how they constantly screw up showing up late, not communicating, rude etc.
I recommended that we do few high traffic area's on monthly they agreed so when I tell them I'm coming in to do the monthly areas they give me a list of other areas thr y want done. Other accounts adked them who they use and they recommended ne and and after a couple months they asked me to work up a monthly price.
So after saying all that basically I'm a lucky SOB.
But all of them started as you recommended with a demo.
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Great thread!
Like all of you, I too am clamoring for more commercial work. I do get some, but not nearly as much as I'd like to.
Starting in January I plan on hitting it heavy.
The one issue I am struggling with is the initial approach. Most say walking in and introducing yourself is the most often used technique.
I do wonder though if it's the most effective?
The reason I say this is because for nearly a decade and just prior to getting into this business I ran a couple of large sales offices. From time to time we would get sales people and solicitors that would come in.
We were never rude to them but we never paid any attention to them either. Things were just too hectic and busy. It can be very difficult - if not impossible - to stop what you're doing in order to listen to what might for right or wrong seem to be a 'pitch'.
Are any of you using the phone to make the initial contact or maybe a letter sent directly to the decision maker?
Has anyone tried bulk mailers?
I'm not opposed to walking in, just wondering if that's the best route?
)
