If I wanted to completely revamp my round..

So I have lots of work in my town,collecting here doesn't bother me. Fast and reliable once a week.

Outside this town only perhaps 1/4 pay online despite me promoting it. Not good.

So I was thinking once I'm used to my wfp set up, or during the transfer to it...of doing a big advertising campaign.

Assuming I had delivered 6000 fliers to a large part of a town nearby (all new or newish builds),chapped this area 3 times a week at least and used fb to promote my business page in this area is my ambition likely?

To replace maybe 100 houses over a few months,with only online payers here and all £10 and above.

I need an online paid round much more than it will be at the moment basically

Of course you can switch it all over to online mate its only a matter of time.

Mines online only, can only take cash or cheque if they are in or willing to leave it out if not then im not interested in collecting. I do have maybe a dozen that i need to collect from BUT they are nearly always in, very very rare they would be out so if they are i will collect double next time so they are not a problem.

I dont have a minimum as such but try to keep my average above £12

I want my minimum to be ten quid I've decided. So for that here (scotland) it has to be new build sized ones.

@adamangler what's the flier % for big drops any idea mate?

I want by summer to have the out of town all online and was thinking big drop chap doors and fb campaign would get me that.

I can sell off work to ofset much of the costs

I had a batch of 5000 delivered when i first started out and got about 15 enquiries not done any volume since

3 per 1000 seems the norm with leaflets.

Going to try a drop of 10k in a couple of months then weigh the return up against the canvassing ive been paying for.

Think im going to start up in totally new area though as getting bored round here too much hard work with low prices

chris if you have potential gd customers dont let them slip through your fingers

I mean flyers through doors wont get you the graft

you hit them houses evening to get them in

new builds ,get in sounds gd but you have to door kock and give them your best slaver pal

chris you lucky twxt if all my houses was $10 I would be loaded

I had a batch of 5000 delivered when i first started out and got about 15 enquiries not done any volume since
3 per 1000 seems the norm with leaflets.

Going to try a drop of 10k in a couple of months then weigh the return up against the canvassing ive been paying for.

Think im going to start up in totally new area though as getting bored round here too much hard work with low prices

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adam I have never dropped leaflets totally no go

door knock,that is how I never get home at night

adam I have never dropped leaflets totally no godoor knock,that is how I never get home at night

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Not done much of either to be honest I just pay others to do it.

I've lots of good customers @Duncs it's the sheer amount of collecting time here though.

I reckon I can chap this new town with shed loads of new builds and do something there. How long it'll take im not sure. It's the one place I know I'd get online payers though

If you want your customers to pay online then you tell them.you are switching to online only as that reduces your admin cost and time

It is your business so you dictate payment method not them

I would say we are switching in 2 months so set it up before then if you still want my services

When i take new customers now they ask how do i pay

I just tell them straight go cardless or cash at the time of the clean

Anyone who refuses to sign up i know is gonna be a messer who has no money to pay

You don't see a plumber or decorator etc being told how he will be paid so why should we

That's true @daveyboy I'll lose a lot for sure. But I'm not bloody collecting like this forever that's for sure.

Canvas for better priced work and online it will have to be

I send invoices to those of my customers that doesn't have/want to use email, as I can't be bothered to collect. Printed out a small leaflet which said something like "From 2017 there will be a 3£ fee to cover stamps and expenses for snailmail invoices. Invoice via email is free though, so feel free to send your address to us". That made almost every single customer change to email invoices.

Anyone who makes me collect I dump. Sometimes people say they will pay online. Then after numerous reminders they don't. Then eventually they say can't pay online you'll have to call round. Sometimes I don't even bother I just write it off. No interest whatsoever in collecting unless I'm passing.

One of the biggest surges I had with GoCardless was when I switched banks all customers paying via bacs got a letter letting them know GC was now the only payment option and I outlined the benefits of GC , I have not done evening cash collections for almost 3 years now .

Now back on the subject Facebook make sure its updated with recent posts , Flyers keep them fairly simple get the find us FB image and website on their as well a simple flyer stating the obvious works well for me most of the time but door knocking as a follow up works 10 times better almost every person I spoke to said ooh I was going to call you

My current plan is all of the above I have also boosted my best performing post for the next 14 days at a targeted female audience and I am doing a leaflet drop tomorrow morning across one of my chosen targeted areas and will drop leaflets across the next few weeks as well .

so Iron do you think GC is the way to go

Im pissxed off with BACS to be honest can work great but folk generally canny be arsed to send.

With GC once you have it set up does the payment come out automatically,or do they have to activate

I'm in the process and have dropped all the accepted payment methods, bank transfer, paypal, credit/debit card on my website and chip and pin .

Now only Cash or Direct debit.

To be honest there is a noticeable pattern. All the decent good payers have no problem switching over to Go Cardless direct debit, the ones who promise to pay online by bacs etc and you have to text them for weeks, virtually begging them to pay you, well they are still going to be that customer.

I have tried nice friendly approach, inviting them to go GC, but it never happens.

Finally put this direct debit question to bed by saying to you all, you have to tell them, no ifs or buts, it's direct debit or cash only or bye bye.

No point thinking that bad payers will turn good because they won't.

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Its always the same culprits with slow payers but as long as they pay in the end then its not too bad, the key to it is to never do a second clean without getting paid for the first. On the rare occasion a customer becomes due without having paid for the last one then they get another text telling them exactly that. Any decent person will understand and apologise and pay, the odd bell end will ignore you. Its those that end up getting the court letter.

One of the biggest surges I had with GoCardless was when I switched banks all customers paying via bacs got a letter letting them know GC was now the only payment option and I outlined the benefits of GC , I have not done evening cash collections for almost 3 years now .
Now back on the subject Facebook make sure its updated with recent posts , Flyers keep them fairly simple get the find us FB image and website on their as well a simple flyer stating the obvious works well for me most of the time but door knocking as a follow up works 10 times better almost every person I spoke to said ooh I was going to call you

My current plan is all of the above I have also boosted my best performing post for the next 14 days at a targeted female audience and I am doing a leaflet drop tomorrow morning across one of my chosen targeted areas and will drop leaflets across the next few weeks as well .

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I have now stopped bothering with leaflets

Used to be great round here

Leafletted for 4 hours last Saturday and nothing from it even though i found a good few roads that every house was filthy

Just too many leaflets being delivered round here

I get more response just by posting on Facebook groups daily

so Iron do you think GC is the way to goIm pissxed off with BACS to be honest can work great but folk generally canny be arsed to send.

With GC once you have it set up does the payment come out automatically,or do they have to activate

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Once they have set it up you just do the job

Click you have done it

Payment is all automated

Couple of days before it comes out their account

Couple more days and it goes in your account

6 days max i think in total

so Iron do you think GC is the way to goIm pissxed off with BACS to be honest can work great but folk generally canny be arsed to send.

With GC once you have it set up does the payment come out automatically,or do they have to activate

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100% it's the way to go, It is so so easy to organise and new customers have no issue singing up.

Year on year I have saved well over £2,000 each year in vehicle costs and working hours I used to spend 6 hours a week or more collecting owed almost £1,000 of cumulative debt and be lucky if I got 10% of the debt owed in.

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When I first built my 1st round up at the age of 12 (keen to work) I done a leaflet drop but put them in bag like betterware or klen easy and and went back to collect them as requested on flyer and it's the only time leaflets have ever worked for me .

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that sound gd

totally pisxed of with the collecting