Service based business owners advertising?

Im sure some of you own some type of service based businesses (contracting companies, cleaning companies etc etc) Currently own/operate an exterior detailing business for commercial and residential properties (soft washing, roof cleaning, siding renewal, heated surface cleaning and sealing, professional windows and pretty much all things exterior detailing) This our second year in business and we are just not doing the numbers i would like. We are busy enough to have a couple employees and myself but looking to get the name out on a larger scale. Currently running google adwords, website, lawn sign advertising for customers we have serviced, a ton of eddm etc. Any other directions i should look? Have some magazine advertising coming up in the next week so we will see how that does! May be a stupid question but you all seem very experienced and i like to follow advice of seasoned business men!

Bear with me, but this seems deeper than how do you drum up more clients, it's a strategy to operate and scale your whole company. If how to get customers is your basic question, this will be a rough road.

 

What separates your company from any other dude with a 93' tacoma and a pressure washer? Something like 90% of the companies in this type of industry employ under 8 people and customer turnover is pretty high. Why is that?

 

What is the single biggest complaint from customers when it comes to these types of services?

-How are you addressing these complaints as a means to promote your business?

 

 

The biggest complaint with these types of businesses and painters, etc. is response time. Waiting for weeks or months to start work on my home or business is no good. If you can staff up and be ready to estimate and clean windows or whatever within a few days of my call, then you will have all of the business you can handle. If I have to wait for your schedule to slot me in weeks down the road forget it. Your customer demands the work be done now, so find a way to do that. It's not like you are building something and need to wait for permits. There should be no delay in service.

Im sure some of you own some type of service based businesses (contracting companies, cleaning companies etc etc) Currently own/operate an exterior detailing business for commercial and residential properties (soft washing, roof cleaning, siding renewal, heated surface cleaning and sealing, professional windows and pretty much all things exterior detailing) This our second year in business and we are just not doing the numbers i would like. We are busy enough to have a couple employees and myself but looking to get the name out on a larger scale. Currently running google adwords, website, lawn sign advertising for customers we have serviced, a ton of eddm etc. Any other directions i should look? Have some magazine advertising coming up in the next week so we will see how that does! May be a stupid question but you all seem very experienced and i like to follow advice of seasoned business men!

 

Print is dead. I would only do very limited EDDM with QR codes and a landing page with your special.

 

You're doing all the basics. As Key03 mentioned, response time is critical. No call should go to VM and customers should be scheduled as soon as they want. After hours, make you are using a transcription service that text's you so you can follow up that night or first thing in the morning.

 

Your website needs to look professional and have one of those website customer service chat icons ikons so you can proactively reach out to everybody who crosses your website. Converting clicks to customers is what it is all about.

 

Adwords you might want to take a pro look at it, to make sure you are getting your money's worth. It's easy to blow a lot of money with Google and get very limited ROI.

 

I'd check into some SEO. Google is CONSTANTLY changing their search algorithms, so make sure who you chose can keep up.

An onsite(customer) reputation management feedback app as well. Improves employee performance if they know they are getting an immediate review. Plus you can get on service problems immediately.

Hammer away on getting good reviews online, incent existing customers if necessary.

All monitor the places where you may get a bad one, get them taken down regardless of what you have to do make the customer whole even if they are unreasonable.

Referral programs for existing customers

Constant contact with specials.

If you are not closely tracking each marketing channel and tracking the ROI parameters, you're wasting your money. Create tracking call numbers for each advertising channel, then a lot of the reporting is automated, at the least inbound data.

 

Perhaps it may make sense to create an outside sales force.

 

The other thing is looking at expanding your offerings and or service area. If you at the site, carpet cleaning, janitorial, disaster clean up, all sorts of options.

 

Emanon is right, all this is great, but you've got to get a scalable business model in place first. If you are spending anytime doing the cleaning, you're doing it wrong.

Kinnsella is spot on, I wouldn't be spending any money on print.

 

Are you tracking your ROI on different ads?

 

Response time is critical, but to me the biggest issue i've seen over the years with these types of cleaning/landscaping/janitorial services is the quality falls off pretty quickly. Everything is great on new accounts and then the guys doing the work get lazy.

 

Finding a way to receive immediate customer feedback or the ability to address issues quickly, before they are really issues is key. Find a way to implement this and use it as part of your sales technique.

 

I would bet the best way for you to find new clients is pound the pavement and go talk to people. Just skimming the case study below customer turnover is horrifically high across the industry. That leads me to think most people you talk to aren't going to be thrilled with their current service. Make it easy to see you know why they aren't happy and they will be begging you to take their money.

 

These guys have done a pretty good job of it in the commercial janitorial field, getting lots of investment and scaling quickly. I'm more pointing you toward their app and interface, the company culture isn't really important here.

https://mitsloan.mit.edu/LearningEdge/CaseD...Q.Ton.FINAL.pdf

 

fwiw they recently signed a big alliance with Staples, there is potential in the field.

http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/managed-by-q/

Very solid advice, I'd mostly advertise on social media and make sure the quality of the work is always there, as emanon says people tend to slack off after a while, fast response is crucial, having work done around your house is always an inconvenience, try to make it very convenient for your clients.

Very solid advice, I'd mostly advertise on social media and make sure the quality of the work is always there, as emanon says people tend to slack off after a while, fast response is crucial, having work done around your house is always an inconvenience, try to make it very convenient for your clients.

 

I agree with all of you guys. We do make sure all work quotes are fulfilled within the day of call which some times this includes doing quotes until 9pm if thats what it takes. Also all work is preformed within a few days or at very latest within the same week. As far as work quality we have never had a bad review thus far which we take pride in.

 

I know numerous people tell me print is dead however we honestly get 85% of our business that way. We have a professional website and seo campaign provided from hibu and our keywords are fairly general which would lead the optimal amount of customers to us. Honestly though, if we depended mostly on our website and seo campaign we would not be very busy at all! I just feel like im missing something.. a key factor somewhere

I agree with all of you guys. We do make sure all work quotes are fulfilled within the day of call which some times this includes doing quotes until 9pm if thats what it takes. Also all work is preformed within a few days or at very latest within the same week. As far as work quality we have never had a bad review thus far which we take pride in.

 

I know numerous people tell me print is dead however we honestly get 85% of our business that way. We have a professional website and seo campaign provided from hibu and our keywords are fairly general which would lead the optimal amount of customers to us. Honestly though, if we depended mostly on our website and seo campaign we would not be very busy at all! I just feel like im missing something.. a key factor somewhere

 

General keywords, I'd take another look at that. Launch another campaign with more specific keywords, pause the existing. Compare the performance.

General keywords, I'd take another look at that. Launch another campaign with more specific keywords, pause the existing. Compare the performance.

 

If any of you have launched an SEO campaign and can recommend a company id be willing to try a switch. Right now i pay $615 a month for my website and SEO campaign. By general keywords i mean things like "soft washing, roof cleaning, surface cleaning, professional window service, gutter service " etc etc.. When we do all our print and EDDM marketing we tend to throw out a discount coupon to track the success of the marketing. Also, ive looked into possible app use and i believe since our service radius is so small (about 50 miles surrounding the capital region) it would not be worth the money. Also, we offer free estimates so widening our service area may also not be beneficial as we have to account for mileage on vehicle, wear items, gas etc

If any of you have launched an SEO campaign and can recommend a company id be willing to try a switch. Right now i pay $615 a month for my website and SEO campaign. By general keywords i mean things like "soft washing, roof cleaning, surface cleaning, professional window service, gutter service " etc etc.. When we do all our print and EDDM marketing we tend to throw out a discount coupon to track the success of the marketing. Also, ive looked into possible app use and i believe since our service radius is so small (about 50 miles surrounding the capital region) it would not be worth the money. Also, we offer free estimates so widening our service area may also not be beneficial as we have to account for mileage on vehicle, wear items, gas etc

 

You are getting what you are paying for. $615 for SEO and a website a month....my gardener costs more.

 

On-site estimates are a waste of time. Improve your talk track and do phone estimates. Onsite estimates only big deals.

 

No more free advice.

You are getting what you are paying for. $615 for SEO and a website a month....my gardener costs more.

 

On-site estimates are a waste of time. Improve your talk track and do phone estimates. Onsite estimates only big deals.

 

No more free advice.

 

Appreciate the information youve shared thus far!

What about networking with contractors, supply companies, window and siding installers/manufacturers etc? Teaming up with other companies in the same general field of work, possibly sharing customer base might be a way to expand your reach. Just a thought, best of luck!

Dont circumvent the business section requirements by posting this in off topic.