Customer Retention

[EDS]

My prized possession is my customers. This is my first year in business and things are going bette then expected. Every customer is a new customer and I want to keep those customers for life. And their lays my problem: how do I get customers to remember me and remember how to contact me a year from now?

I have had numerous customers ask me if I use a rotovac. Often they said that the last guy used one and they were thrilled with the results. The next sentence is that they lost his number.

Of course I could offer customized spotter bottles with my own label. This is something I eventually plan to do. However, in the short term I have been texting my customers my pre-made contact info that they can save in their phone. If you have an iphone you know what I mean.

 

[jcooper]

And their lays my problem: how do I get customers to remember me and remember how to contact me a year from now?

Postcards, phone calls, emails, xmas cards, letters etc.. Any way you want, ED!

I have had numerous customers ask me if I use a rotovac.

Really??? Ours don't even ask if we have a TM.

 

[EDS]

The customers that have asked always have had someone use it in their home before.

 

[Shane Deubell]

By land, air and sea....

Email, print mail and phone calls, everyone absorbs information differently. My parents are in their 60's, mother facebook all the time, father newspaper/mail piece by piece.

 

[Beeks]

yep what those guys said........ monthly email reminders, tri monthly postcards. We do spotters,magnets and referral cards as well while we are in home.

 

[Ken Snow]

We have found the simplest and most effective is to ask if we can contact them in 6, 9, or 12 months to schedule their next cleaning? Making it a question with multiple options we have found engages them to give one of them vs just saying when can we contact you. Almost all say 9 or12 months with a small percentage saying I'll contact you.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Someone sold them on how well that unit cleans. Whether it actually made a difference or not is not as important as that the client believes it does.

You can unsell them, tell them how you have more control with the wand and you don't like how aggressive the powered head is OR buy a powerhead, any of the brands 360i, Hoss, T-Rex, RX-20, they all work great, then sell against those that only use a wand.



Stay in contact and you'll maintain most of them.

 

[Shane Deubell]

We have found the simplest and most effective is to ask if we can contact them in 6, 9, or 12 months to schedule their next cleaning? Making it a question with multiple options we have found engages them to give one of them vs just saying when can we contact you. Almost all say 9 or12 months with a small percentage saying I'll contact you.

Ken, when you say "when you can contact them".

How are you contacting them? the phone to reschedule?

 

[bob vawter]

sorry...i thought this was a Gurkink thread........

 

[Tony Neville]

sorry...i thought this was a Gurkink thread........

Now that's funny!

Tony

 

[Ken Snow]

Yep we call them if they have opted in.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[GeneMiller]

With new customers I try to find out how long since it was last cleaned. Then depending on how long it has been and how dirty I recommend a frequency they should be cleaning and ask if I can call them. Don't make it rocket science. Also leave a card and a magnet.
Oh yea and leave them with a thoroughly clean carpet. Most companies here don't move a thing, use drop cloths at the front door or dry mop their floor when all the hoses are out. Wow them and you won't lose them.

gene

 

[Shane Deubell]

Yep we call them if they have opted in.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Hmmm, interesting....

Ask a customer at end of service when they want to be called {be specific}, enter into a database,database alerts you, call to reschedule.
Simple and inexpensive.

Wonder why more gurus don't recommend something like this, should only take about 20 minutes day and is free.

 

[FB19087]

http://www.principalfocus.com/carpet-cleaning-marketing.htm
http://www.stampworks.net/stock_magnets.html
http://www.jondon.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=custom

 

[juniorc82]

I usualy leave them a magnet so it can be on the fridge. Business cards seem to wind up in the junk drawer of homeowners

 

[Mike Draper]

I usually ask if i can have a key to their house and then tell them I'll be cleaning it on a regular basis and that I will just make an automatic draw out of their account after we clean.