Making Money For Dummies (And In a Crowded Market)

[UncommonWay]

Holy shnykies I completely forgot this thread existed.

Folks, this thread was created in 2015 and quite a few things have changed(at least in the carpet cleaning arena) so if you’re looking to get into this niche then I want you to be aware of a few things.

Direct mail doesn’t work nearly as well as before. It still works, but the conversion rate is definitely on a downward slope.

I’ve shifted to using FB advertising as a result. I’m not sure how long the party will last, but right now $1,000 in ad spend yields 300 leads. Results may vary based on your area and I happen to be in an incredibly good area for this type of biz. This stuff reminds me of the glory days of AdWords when clicks were dirt cheap.

I’ll upload my funnels on here when I get a chance. The marketing principles remain the same. Use some good bait to get the lead then wow them with great service so that you keep them forever. The backend targeting stuff does get a bit technical, but if a simple guy like me can do it then so can you.

Party on and keep moving forward, folks!

I would love to see what you've learned about Facebook advertising, since I am using that first my lead gen business.

 

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[IceCreamKid]

I would love to see what you've learned about Facebook advertising, since I am using that first my lead gen business.

I have a love/hate relationship with FB advertising.

The downpoint to this product is that it can be more labor intensive to provide results - constantly requiring images, ads, and messages so not to fatigue your audience with the same ads over and over. This is what those friggin lead gen gurus don't tell you when trying to sell you their damn $497 courses. When you look at their testimonials it's always someone claiming, "I got 30 clients in the past 2 months!". 30 clients is neat, but were you able to KEEP them?

Also, it may not be as consistent a source of leads because you might have to consistently identify new pools of audiences to target with your ads. If your target audience becomes fatigued from the message and you run out of audiences in an area then the performance can completely drop off.

That being said, if you learn how to use it properly with the proper niche it can be highly effective.

I don't have much experience with AdWords, but perhaps @Andy Black can chime in on how it compares to FB ads. From what I can tell, AdWords campaigns seem to last longer and require less maintenance particularly for established industries.

 

[Andy Black]

I have a love/hate relationship with FB advertising.

The downpoint to this product is that it can be more labor intensive to provide results - constantly requiring images, ads, and messages so not to fatigue your audience with the same ads over and over. This is what those friggin lead gen gurus don't tell you when trying to sell you their damn $497 courses. When you look at their testimonials it's always someone claiming, "I got 30 clients in the past 2 months!". 30 clients is neat, but were you able to KEEP them?

Also, it may not be as consistent a source of leads because you might have to consistently identify new pools of audiences to target with your ads. If your target audience becomes fatigued from the message and you run out of audiences in an area then the performance can completely drop off.

That being said, if you learn how to use it properly with the proper niche it can be highly effective.

I don't have much experience with AdWords, but perhaps @Andy Black can chime in on how it compares to FB ads. From what I can tell, AdWords campaigns seem to last longer and require less maintenance particularly for established industries.

I don't have much experience with Facebook ads.

AdWords paid search ads run like clockwork when they're dialled in.

I've had campaigns run pretty much unchanged since 2009. After all, when you want a washing machine repaired in Dublin you probably search for "washing machine repairs dublin", and the most enticing ads say "Dublin Washing Machine Repairs". I can't see that changing this year or the next.

It's a different group of people searching each week, so ad fatigue doesn't come into it. And why would you get fatigued when that's precisely what you're looking for at that moment in time?

I love paid search.


Happy to have a chat about AdWords anytime @IceCreamKid ...

 

[Ronr3914]

My primary goal for this thread is to hopefully open your eyes to the fact that although everyone is jumping on the online entrepreneur bandwagon, there is still plenty of money to be made in the offline world. Hopefully it helps somebody out.

You can take almost any old school biz and apply basic direct response marketing principles to the advertising to scale it to a very good 6-figure income. I'm guessing you can scale it to 7-figures as well, but I haven't done that myself nor am I going to pretend that I have.

The Details

Why carpet cleaning?

-Solid profit margins. A $300 job will require $10 worth of cleaning solution. There's also the cost of gas, insurance, etc but the profit margins still remain good if you apply the proper tweaks to the biz. If you play the bait n' switch game like a lot of the competition then you won't last long.

-Recurring revenue. IMO, the greatest benefit of recurring revenue is that it gives you the opportunity to acquire customers at breakeven or even a loss in some cases. I try not to take an upfront loss on a customer though.

-Any ordinary man can learn to clean carpets. It takes plumbers and electricians months or years to get certified, but you can learn to clean carpets in a weekend.

-Low start up cost. If you know where to look and buy used stuff, I'd estimate that you can start the biz for around $1k. As you scale up, you'd want to buy better equipment and a nicer van/truck.

-Unsophisticated competition. It's quite easy to gain traction in this niche because the competition mostly hasn't spent any time learning marketing. Most will just say stuff in their ads like, "XYZ Carpet Cleaning. Call us for the best price". My prices are in the top 10% most expensive for the area. Positioning, positioning, positioning.

-SIMPLE. SIMPLE. SIMPLE. No fancy knowledge needed. EPC, CPC, CPA, none of that.

The Story

I took over the steering wheel of a carpet cleaning biz earlier this year. For years, it was struggling with approximately $50k annual profit. Where I live, you're poor if you make $50k.

I immediately began implementing marketing systems for customer acquisition and customer retention. I never changed the website simply because I'm lazy and running 3 other businesses alongside the carpet cleaning biz. I'll get around to it one day.

There are 2 types of entrepreneurs: the Elon Musk types who create brand new innovative products. They don't need to spend any money advertising because their products are so unique and attention grabbing. Then there's everyone else...the guys who cast a wide net selling many ordinary things. They need to advertise.

The biggest help was that I started using a service called Every Door Direct Mail. This allows you to send postcards to entire zip codes at nearly half the normal postage rate. The postcards had all of the classic elements of direct response marketing.

-Stating the problem

-Addressing objections

-Establishing credibility

-Testimonials

-Risk Reversals

-Described what was unique about our service/product

-Call to action

What I found is that depending on the zip code, I would get back $3-7 for every $1 spent on advertising. Neat. Scaled it like a kid in a candy store once I knew the metrics.

You are literally one direct response marketing campaign away from making a cool 6-figures, perhaps 7-figs...even if you're in a boring niche like carpet cleaning. Study direct response marketing. Once you have the direct response skills embedded into your brain, you can go into almost any niche and make a very good 6-figure income. Or you can just keep it simple and jump straight into carpet cleaning. It's not sexy, but it just plain works.

Here's the YouTube vid that inspired me to jump in. Last I heard, the guy was doing $3M/year in carpet cleaning.

Ask me anything about direct response marketing, the pitfalls of this niche, the process of cleaning, or just anything in general. There are a lot of details I left out simply because it would be too much to type in this already long post.

Jump in. Take action today. Success loves speed.

MJ just referred me to this article. Amazing read and hugely inspiring. Exactly what I needed to read right now. Thank you!

 

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[FreedomforEarl]

I don't have much experience with Facebook ads.

AdWords paid search ads run like clockwork when they're dialled in.

I've had campaigns run pretty much unchanged since 2009. After all, when you want a washing machine repaired in Dublin you probably search for "washing machine repairs dublin", and the most enticing ads say "Dublin Washing Machine Repairs". I can't see that changing this year or the next.

It's a different group of people searching each week, so ad fatigue doesn't come into it. And why would you get fatigued when that's precisely what you're looking for at that moment in time?

I love paid search.


Happy to have a chat about AdWords anytime @IceCreamKid ...

What is a good place to learn about adwords ? Is this the best place to get your product name out there . Where can I learn ?

 

[IceCreamKid]

What is a good place to learn about adwords ? Is this the best place to get your product name out there . Where can I learn ?

As stated earlier, AdWords seems to work best for established niches where people are already searching for your product/service. FB works best for a new or unusual product that catches people's attention, much like the random products you see at the kiosks located in the walkways at the mall...random products.

If you want to learn AdWords then buy our very own Andy Black's course in the forum marketplace.

Perry Marshall is also another good resource, but I'd rather learn from a guy that I can directly speak with if I encounter an obstacle that I can't figure out myself.

Good luck my friend.

 

[Andy Black]

What is a good place to learn about adwords ? Is this the best place to get your product name out there . Where can I learn ?

Check my signature. The first radio interview would be a good place to start...

Also @eliquid's signature.

 

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[samsara]

What is a good place to learn about adwords ? Is this the best place to get your product name out there . Where can I learn ?

Andy's posts:

AdWords stuff >> The AdWords Jumpstart Course | AdWords Posts | Insiders AdWords Thread
For B&M business owners and local marketers >> Local Lead Gen Thread
INSIDERS progress thread >> Monetising My AdWords Knowledge

 

[Guest06196]

Hi @IceCreamKid

Awesome thread. Too many gold nuggets to fit in my one post. Reading it provides me with much more value than doing a course at a prestigious university. My high-level conclusion:
I feel more confident now to deal with issues that come with a business thanks to numerous tips in this thread.
I feel encouraged that I can move back to a smaller, "boring" city because there is money everywhere.
I feel validated. I've been thinking recently, whatever I do doesn't matter. Just don't get stuck in a dead-end job. Expose myself to different trades and I'll have more opportunities to discover needs and acquire new skills to satisfy those needs. (my background is like yours, Asian, so cleaning has been off-limits)

I'll go on and finish your other Gold threads.

I'm finding it very difficult making a meaningful connection in the dating scene because all I ever think about is biz and investing. Very few people think the way that we do at this forum. At the heart of everything, what we want is freedom. 99% of the population doesn't even think about that.

3 times in the past week I've been asked, "Do you watch Game of Thrones?" and I just can't relate to that. I'm going to binge watch it this weekend though because I'm curious to see what the fuss is all about.

Hey @IceCreamKid, you don't need to watch any TV show to have a good conversation and build connection. Like you mentioned earlier, we sell to people's emotions. Ask "why is it your favorite show? Which character do you like the most? Why?" Use open-ended questions with superlatives to elicit positive emotions. When emotions are aroused, people start to give the relationship meanings. Memorize the conversation as much as possible and use high points to tease her later. Obviously don't overdo deep conversations. Switch between deep and shallow so she won't freak out. In the process, enjoy yourself. You're being a good conversationalist because you're likable and easy to talk to, not because you desperately need something from her. Exactly like the way you make contribution to this forum.

I also asked myself, why no one as of yet has revolutionized the service industry with a product like Uber. They are so many companies in the niche, who already offer quite a lot of technical advances, but all have more of a closed marketplace with inhouse staff, at least from what I have found.

Should be a huge business for for the most needed services like cleaning, gardening, handyman etc. to offer an open/sharing marketplace, where all people can offer their skills and you are only the middle man.

A lot of people are already doing it.
Example below
TidyMe | Book Trusted Home Cleaners, House Cleaning Services
Stacey Jacobs
"...she built the site, engaged the cleaners, started marketing and had her first customers in seven days."
Page 97, The 7 Day Startup by Dan Norris
Judging from the Google review and website analytics, I'd say it's a very successful Fastlane.

 

[Wolfman]

Hey there IceCreamKid, quality post.

I'm posting because my father owns a small contracting company and has been doing work on people's houses for over 30 years. Lately I've been trying to convince him to scale it up but he always becomes hesitant when I bring that up because he is afraid of losing control.

The company is just him and another guy who do small jobs for loyal customers. He does no advertising, has no online presense, and gets ALL of his customers by word of mouth. He is a very personable guy and does an amazing job every time, which is why he doesn't want to give up control by scaling the business. That's also why people keep coming back for repeat business.

The only issue I have with this is that he is getting old and has some health problems, yet he continues to do brutal manual work all day rather than hiring out the work, scaling, and managing. Additionally, if he or his partner can't make it to the job or are having health problems then there is only one person there to get the job done which in my opinion is an unreliable way to go about the business.

He says that he wants to pass the business down to me when he retires, in which case I would work on scaling the business while leveraging his existing customers.

I just want to hear your opinions/thoughts on the control issue that he is worried about, and how you might go about avoiding any issues with this in the long-term if you were to scale up a manual labor business such as this.

Thanks!

Hello fellow-Massachusettsite, Is your dad stubborn? If so we are in almost the same boat. I'm facing this w/ my dad who doesn't want to wear hearing aids or stop driving--it's all about control. A therapist friend explained that they are used to giving/nurturing/working and they don't want to give up those roles. So until there is a safety issue I guess I'll just raise my voice and keep him off the road at night. In the big scheme of things we're lucky to have this "problem". Truly, Greg

 

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[Wolfman]

I have no interest in divulging specific financials to thousands of anonymous eyeballs and lurkers. If I ever meet you in person I'll fill you in.

The purpose of this thread is to help others learn the skills of entrepreneurship so that they can go into almost any niche that they want and make some decent coin. That's what matters.

The quality of your life is directly correlated to the quality of your questions. Don't worry man I still love you.

Hello Ice, I wish I could meet you, not for financials, just b/c you seem nice. But anyhow, I saw a post here that got me thinking about my business. Let's say I want to market to people who just bought a house. They're names, addresses, price/description of prop. is all public info, and sometimes you can get a phone # on google. Is EDDM the medium for that? The issue is that I can find all of that buyer info and focus on individuals, but it takes a lot of time. Or I could do blanket marketing like sending a postcard to a whole zip, then I'd be wasting resources on non-sellable targets. What have you found to be the "sweet spot" Ice? Thanks, Greg

 

[Wolfman]

A friend who is very close to my heart wanted to retire from the biz. I asked him to give me a shot at taking it to the next level.

I did a very brief evaluation of competition using some simple tactics. Entrepreneurs tend to over-complicate things in their mind, but things can really be simple if you want it to be.

The best way to evaluate competition is this: park outside of their warehouse and just watch. How many vans do they have? How many go out each day? When do they leave and come back?

Then call them up and make an appointment for a carpet cleaning. I'll go deeper into this when I have some time, but buying someone else's service/product can expose you to their entire marketing campaign which they've tested and optimized. I'm not saying to steal their marketing word for word, but use it as a baseline that you can work from.

I offer multiple cross-sells such as upholstery cleaning, tile & grout, and wood polishing. The only one that's actively advertised is the carpet cleaning though because that's where the most profit is.

I also looked into mold remediation companies and fire restoration, but opted out because it was too complicated and I like simple businesses that crank out recurring revenue. I'm more of a lifestyle entrepreneur and value my free time more than having a Lambo to impress the middle class with.

As for upsells in addition to Scotchguard, there are a couple: deodorizer, pet urine de-sanitizer, option to subscribe to 50% semi-annual cleanings. Scotchguard by far gives the most profit boost with zero extra labor. Sometimes we'll have Scotchguard thrown in for free without even telling the customer because they might really need it.

Hi Ice, Everything you've said including your personal proclivities has resonated w/ me. (Besides, if I owned a Lambo I'd be dead.) Also, I'm a simple kind-of guy, that's why my product/invention is so obvious it's incredible. It's like putting legs under a board and calling it a "table."
I'm right at the beginning of the learning curve, experiencing all that entails: fear!, excitement!!, mental exhaustion... Do you mind if I ask you "word to the wise"-type questions periodically? I've finally wrapped my head around "scaling" and now I need learn specific strategies like direct marketing w/ EDDM. I'd share my product/invention w/ you on pm if that would make these questions sharper.
I hope you continue to do what gives you joy. And, thanks, Greg

 

[Wolfman]

The driver of the vehicle is a more important factor for determining success than the vehicle. Don't get me wrong the vehicle is very important too, but I'm pretty sure that if you put Bill Gates in charge of opening up a hot dog stand he'll probably scale it into one of the greatest hot dog empires the world has ever known.

I don't like hi tech, super sexy businesses. I like simple, tried and true, with high probability of success businesses. That's just my temperament. Amazon drives me nuts with how they can blacklist their sellers over something stupid. That's not to say Amazon is a bad route to take though. Some guys are crushing it on there.

It's only a matter of time before the Chinese learn to write good copy, descriptions, and take good photos. That'll be the time when a lot of private label guys on Amazon get crushed.

Hi Ice, Me too, I like low-tech. The problem w/ my product/invention is the margins. The price tag could be seen as exorbitant. So my scaling possibilities are limited to geographically (perhaps exporting) and B2B w/ some big boys.
You talk about not trading time for $$. While that makes perfect sense, I'm not even up and running and I'm working ^12hrs/day. (Believe me, I'm not complaining.) Delegating responsibility is a financial impossibility at this point.
Do you have any book suggestions to learn how to systematize so time/money are not joined at the hip?
Thanks, Greg

 

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[Wolfman]

Hi Ice, Me too, I like low-tech. The problem w/ my product/invention is the margins. The price tag could be seen as exorbitant. So my scaling possibilities are limited to geographically (perhaps exporting) and B2B w/ some big boys.
You talk about not trading time for $$. While that makes perfect sense, I'm not even up and running and I'm working ^12hrs/day. (Believe me, I'm not complaining.) Delegating responsibility is a financial impossibility at this point.
Do you have any book suggestions to learn how to systematize so time/money are not joined at the hip?
Thanks, Greg

I don’t know anything about you, but I know me…and I’m just a regular guy who has his ups and downs like everybody else. I’m learning and growing everyday. I’m not who I was. The beginning of wisdom starts by saying “I don’t know”.

If success means having all the answers and having everything sorted out then I’m not successful and very much at peace with that.

Hello Ice, How are you? I'm feeling good. One of my best friends, a person I trust completely just rained on my "parade". MJ talked re expecting this but even knowing it will happen doesn't make me impervious to it. It (momentarily) took the wind right out of my sails and planted a seed of doubt.
I'm just doing what you said, reaching out to you for help/advice. How do you deal w/ these occurences. It's not like I have the luxury of having 1000s of friends so that I can afford to delete one for being negative sometimes. Any practical advice Ice? Thanks, Greg

 

[advancedyn]

Ask me anything about direct response marketing.

Is there a specific book(s) or website(s) you recommend to learn DRM?

 

[guirren]

Is there a specific book(s) or website(s) you recommend to learn DRM?

@advancedyn : as @IceCreamKid mentioned above:

Margins are discussed on the first page of this thread. Truthfully, margins will vary based on the tweaks that you make to the biz.

For example, when I took over the steering wheel I immediately changed the following:

1. Increased prices by 40%
2. Completely changed the branding to premium everything
3. Changed the guarantee to a very bold one to remove all of the risk from the customer. A good guarantee should make you want to throw up in your mouth a little bit.<-Very important.

It's best to target premium buyers in this niche for the following reasons:

1. Premium buyers tend to have bigger houses. Bigger houses=more sq. feet to clean=more money
2. Premium buyers don't haggle you on the price. They care about quality more than anything else.
3. Premium buyers don't complain nearly as much as broke people looking to save a couple bucks.
4. Premium buyers show up on time for the appointment.
5. Premium buyers usually have a network of friends that they will refer you to if your product/service is actually good. Broke people don't usually network.

If you're looking to learn more about direct response marketing I'd highly recommend Perry Marshall. I said it before and I'll say it again: if you can get a good grasp of direct response you'll have no problem making a very good 6-figure income. He was the first guy who really helped me get an understanding of how to create systems for everything. He focuses a lot on the 80/20 principle.

Perry Marshall. Dude is a genius. He focuses mostly with online marketing, but uses timeless direct response marketing tactics.

80% of the customers pay by check. Most of the clients are old rich people with a net worth of $5M minimum. In the Bay Area, $5M isn't really much to brag about. A lot of old people are still afraid of giving out credit cards so they still pay by check.

The remaining 20% pay by credit card and a Square reader+Android is used in those situations.

Thanks for another great thread @IceCreamKid , definitely got me started thinking about a business. That's the furthest I've ever come so far.

 

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[NaPal]

I read this thread a few years back and just found it again. I love it! I'm starting a lawn care business and am going to put some of your techniques into play.

@IceCreamKid can I buy some cleaner solution off of you? My kids are constantly staining up our carpets

 

[miraman]

Hey there IceCreamKid, quality post.

I'm posting because my father owns a small contracting company and has been doing work on people's houses for over 30 years. Lately I've been trying to convince him to scale it up but he always becomes hesitant when I bring that up because he is afraid of losing control.

The company is just him and another guy who do small jobs for loyal customers. He does no advertising, has no online presense, and gets ALL of his customers by word of mouth. He is a very personable guy and does an amazing job every time, which is why he doesn't want to give up control by scaling the business. That's also why people keep coming back for repeat business.

The only issue I have with this is that he is getting old and has some health problems, yet he continues to do brutal manual work all day rather than hiring out the work, scaling, and managing. Additionally, if he or his partner can't make it to the job or are having health problems then there is only one person there to get the job done which in my opinion is an unreliable way to go about the business.

He says that he wants to pass the business down to me when he retires, in which case I would work on scaling the business while leveraging his existing customers.

I just want to hear your opinions/thoughts on the control issue that he is worried about, and how you might go about avoiding any issues with this in the long-term if you were to scale up a manual labor business such as this.

Thanks!

This is similar to my situation. I run a lawn landscape business and always been afraid to let go of control because every time I hire someone they crap out on me or do a bad job or whatever. If I had someone I could trust that could take the reigns and scale it like you said, that would be great. You need to show your dad you can do that or he will just stay doing it his way forever.

(just noticed how old this thread is. lol - oh well)

 

[PoGOOD]

The only issue I have with this is that he is getting old and has some health problems, yet he continues to do brutal manual work all day rather than hiring out the work, scaling, and managing. Additionally, if he or his partner can't make it to the job or are having health problems then there is only one person there to get the job done which in my opinion is an unreliable way to go about the business.

Reminds me a lot the history of my father that was in plumbing / heating / gas installations yers ago. Same business model - himself and a very few employees, but always with minimal skills - always demanding him being on site in person to guide the work. It all worked smoothly until his health issues stopped him from being available for his guys.
Due to his health the business turned belly-up within weeks... Sad story, but maybe you can share it with your father...

 

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[IceCreamKid]

Guys there is absolutely a way to scale this without having to deal with quality control issues. Think it through. Think outside the box.

We're in the business of solving problems. Step back and think.

If you can't figure it out I'll give you the answer, but first I want you to think. Stretch the brain.

 

[Guest24480]

Guys there is absolutely a way to scale this without having to deal with quality control issues. Think it through. Think outside the box.

We're in the business of solving problems. Step back and think.

If you can't figure it out I'll give you the answer, but first I want you to think. Stretch the brain.

On scaling the contracting business..

Strategic partnerships with subcontractors, coupled with one or two (to start out) well-paid, experienced site project managers to oversee and manage the on-site operations? Each site has a few laborers/installers/carpenters/painters for the less skilled work.

The issue with subs is their punctuality and reliability, and their ability to stay loyal when you don't have a consistent stream of work in the pipeline. You could combat this by giving greater incentive via strategic partnerships for them to drop what they're doing and come work at a moment's notice. Although doing so could eat at your margins significantly if you had to do this for plumbing/electrical/roofing, etc. Depends on the project I guess.

 

[advancedyn]

Selling franchises is one way. People tend to work a little harder and pay a little more attention to detail when they have skin in the game. It's worked for tons of different business models. Restaurants, insurance, real estate, etc. If it can work for all of them, it can surely work for this too. If it's never been done, just remember the sub-4 minute mile was "impossible" until Roger Bannister came running along. (see what I did there?)

G

Guys there is absolutely a way to scale this without having to deal with quality control issues. Think it through. Think outside the box.

We're in the business of solving problems. Step back and think.

If you can't figure it out I'll give you the answer, but first I want you to think. Stretch the brain.

 

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[Fightrepreneur]

Do you have a recommendation on learning how to write copy for EDDM? So far I've been doing a Udemy online marketing course but its mostly tailored to copy for blog posts etc. Still good though.

Also, when I google every door direct mail I get a ton of results.. is this the site? Every Door Direct Mail® | Mail for Less with EDDM® from the USPS®

I've been parsing this thread for nuggets, actually came across it a couple weeks ago, good stuff but I generally limit my time spent on forums to ensure I don't get caught in the web of action faking. It opened my eyes to the world of "low entry" services where you can add value by going the extra mile without requiring years of work/school for certification.

I started a service business to target my local area, hoping to market to the massive student population in my area down the line (had a bitch of a time today trying to find someone in the procurement department to figure out their policy).

I'm offering the first service free, no risk, no signup, for the customer. The ONLY thing they need is to trust me enough to deliver my promises. My first plan is to distribute flyers manually in my neighborhood (very old school but trying to actually take some action). The flyer does not specify pricing or ask anything of the customer, it simply lays out the problem and offers a free trial with no strings attached to decide if the service would be valuable to them. I checked with my city codes today and called the local PD to make sure there's no issue with putting flyers on doors or parked windshields, they basically said its fine as long as they don't have signs up saying no solicitation. It rained tonight so sadly I couldn't canvas the 'hood with my copy, tomorrow is another today.

I think direct mail marketing may be my silver bullet if I can get the copy down.

My goal this next week is to provide value for ONE person. If people won't try my service for free its gonna be a tough sell to try to get paid. I have a lot to figure out and test but I'm at the point where I have to start marketing to gauge the response.

Would you mind if I PM'd you a couple details about my service business?

 

[D_Benga]

Going through this thread and reading through the pages. So much useful information here. Thank you.

 

[tmb22]

Hey @IceCreamKid thanks for all your amazingness. Got a couple questions as I am starting a local service company (nothing at all related to carpet cleaning). What does your process look like for clients booking an appointment once they hear about you? Are they able to do it on your website? Or do they have to call?

I'm asking because I'm starting this business on the side, while I work full time. So, I'm trying to figure out the best way for potential customers to contact me to schedule appointments without hiring a customer service person to handle everything. And, like you with carpet cleaning, I need the route to be optimized instead of an appointment in one part of town and then the next one 30 miles away, etc.

 

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[IceCreamKid]

What does your process look like for clients booking an appointment once they hear about you? Are they able to do it on your website? Or do they have to call?

They SHOULD be able to do it on my website but I've been too lazy about putting an online scheduler on there. Admittedly, I've lost the passion that I once had for the biz.

Clients currently either call, text, or e-mail to book an appointment. We give them 3 hour arrival windows and overlap them with other openings in order to give the technician more leeway. Clients receive a text message 30 minutes before actual arrival.

For example, arrival time:
8-11
10-1
12-3
2-5
4-6

By doing this, you're able to squeeze in more jobs in a day than your average carpet cleaning company and have less downtime.

I'm asking because I'm starting this business on the side, while I work full time.

Just my 2 cents, but offline biz models are much more difficult to execute while working full time compared to online.

In an ideal situation, the skills you're learning from your job are directly transferable to your fastlane project.

 

[tmb22]

They SHOULD be able to do it on my website but I've been too lazy about putting an online scheduler on there. Admittedly, I've lost the passion that I once had for the biz.

Clients currently either call, text, or e-mail to book an appointment. We give them 3 hour arrival windows and overlap them with other openings in order to give the technician more leeway. Clients receive a text message 30 minutes before actual arrival.

For example, arrival time:
8-11
10-1
12-3
2-5
4-6

By doing this, you're able to squeeze in more jobs in a day than your average carpet cleaning company and have less downtime.


Just my 2 cents, but offline biz models are much more difficult to execute while working full time compared to online.

In an ideal situation, the skills you're learning from your job are directly transferable to your fastlane project.

Thanks for the reply. My full-time job is way more flexible than most, so I have a decent amount of time to devote to this. It's just sporadic, so I've looked into hiring a company like Ruby Receptionists or Pat Live to handle the phones and booking appointments. Do you or anyone else on here have any experience with one of these?

Also out of curiosity, @IceCreamKid what is most of your passion in these days? Options? Ecommerce?

 

[tmb22]

They SHOULD be able to do it on my website but I've been too lazy about putting an online scheduler on there. Admittedly, I've lost the passion that I once had for the biz.

Clients currently either call, text, or e-mail to book an appointment. We give them 3 hour arrival windows and overlap them with other openings in order to give the technician more leeway. Clients receive a text message 30 minutes before actual arrival.

For example, arrival time:
8-11
10-1
12-3
2-5
4-6

By doing this, you're able to squeeze in more jobs in a day than your average carpet cleaning company and have less downtime.


Just my 2 cents, but offline biz models are much more difficult to execute while working full time compared to online.

In an ideal situation, the skills you're learning from your job are directly transferable to your fastlane project.

If you or anyone else cares, Online Booking & Scheduling Software for Home Service Businesses | Zenbooker has been the best looking option I've seen for a job scheduler to embed into your website. It's pretty customizable

 

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[Sandholdt]

@IceCreamKid
First off - thank you.
I really love all the value you're giving.
Based on different threads here on tfl forum including this, I've come up with a pretty simple idea for a business setup.
You being the man for all the unsexy businesses here, I hoped that you might want to give me your opinion on my idea.
In short it's a subscription based car wash company - just with next level service.
May I PM you?

 

[gunhol]

@IceCreamKid Could you critique my copy for a local window cleaning biz?
Its a flyer that will go to mailboxes here in my hometown in Norway. I used a case study as inspiration.

Tired of All That Pollen Grease on Your Windows?
Get your windows ready for the summer for only 797 NOK.

Our trained professional window cleaners will be in your neighbourhood on the 15th and 16th of June.
Therefore, we are offering all neighbourhood residents the chance to get their windows at a discounted price of 797 NOK.

Book Now 917 12 939
Call This Week and Book Your Cleaning! Limited Availability!
The Reason We Can Offer This Low Price Is Because We Are Offering This to The Entire Neighbourhood As a Collective Within a Given Time Frame.

100% Satisfied or Money Back Gaurantee!

*Picture of windows before and after clean*
*Maximum 15 windows per house.​