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Leafleting, how long do you do it for?

Joshyouare

Active member
Messages
201
Location
Leeds
Since I'm not full at the minute, on my spare days I like to tell myself that I will leaflet on that day. I try to work from 10am-4pm every day (just what works for me), anyhow my question is, how long do you guys leaflet for and do you have any tips on how to leaflet for the full day.

May sound like a bit of a stupid question but I can sometimes only manage about an hour of it as I get so bored. Especially recently, not had any responses from the last 500-700 leaflets. However the cleaning part I can do all day everyday, maybe because I'm actually getting paid for the time.

 
Know the feeling, I started dropping on dead days.. only dropped 1.5k so far and haven’t had any interest (3 weeks now) 

Obviously disheartened by this so gave up, need to kick start myself again and get back out there as they are just sitting there! 
 

I guess it all depends on how much you charge and how many windies are in the area.. my town is saturated with them so I’m just taking it with a pinch of salt but seriously and a snails pace.

 
Hi i have been dropping Cards for couple of Months now , i know what you mean its disheartening,  I had 4000 printed its like what you say hardly any Response at all i think I have had about 10 calls only 3 jobs . Other jobs are from Facebook and shop window adverts . Several experienced guys on here have said to build a decent round be prepared for up to 2 years . Looking how it is as well so many Newbies its harder and with the current climate its really hard . Just have to stick at it i was speaking to a guy who has been a windie for over 15 years , he said have a backup while you build , Like deliver parcels if this is your sole job until you get have a decent income  . So as a fellow newbie I know how you feel but stick at it , the jobs will come , do you have your van signed up 

 
Hi i have been dropping Cards for couple of Months now , i know what you mean its disheartening,  I had 4000 printed its like what you say hardly any Response at all i think I have had about 10 calls only 3 jobs . Other jobs are from Facebook and shop window adverts . Several experienced guys on here have said to build a decent round be prepared for up to 2 years . Looking how it is as well so many Newbies its harder and with the current climate its really hard . Just have to stick at it i was speaking to a guy who has been a windie for over 15 years , he said have a backup while you build , Like deliver parcels if this is your sole job until you get have a decent income  . So as a fellow newbie I know how you feel but stick at it , the jobs will come , do you have your van signed up 
Facebook for me has provided my worst customers so far so I don't really focus on that (including lead generation). I did have a sign written van but now I'm currently working out of my car (quite an efficient set up though). I've been going for nearly 2 years now however and this is the worst conversion rate from leaflets I've ever had in the past few months.

You need to do tens of thousands and look at how they’re distributed. 
Fair enough mate, my question is if anyone has any tips on how to make leafleting an easier task. As for me it's just one of those things which seems like a massive chore.

 
Facebook for me has provided my worst customers so far so I don't really focus on that (including lead generation). I did have a sign written van but now I'm currently working out of my car (quite an efficient set up though). I've been going for nearly 2 years now however and this is the worst conversion rate from leaflets I've ever had in the past few months.

Fair enough mate, my question is if anyone has any tips on how to make leafleting an easier task. As for me it's just one of those things which seems like a massive chore.
Yup. Use Royal Mail. About £60 per thousand.

 
Might be something to look into then, would you use this over paying someone else to deliver them or putting that same money into facebook? Could really do with my last few days filling up asap.
I did not even know they did this service , I am going to look now I would rather pay them as well to be fair . 

 
I did not even know they did this service , I am going to look now I would rather pay them as well to be fair . 
Just make sure to look into it, as it will be delivered with 5 other leaflets I'm guessing. The good thing with royal mail though is that they pretty much are guaranteed to get delivered, whereas if you pay someone to do leaflet a single leaflet you may find half of them in a bush somewhere.

 
Just make sure to look into it, as it will be delivered with 5 other leaflets I'm guessing. The good thing with royal mail though is that they pretty much are guaranteed to get delivered, whereas if you pay someone to do leaflet a single leaflet you may find half of them in a bush somewhere.
They just go through with whatever post there is that day.

 
Hi @Joshyouare

Leafets are a funny subject. In answer to your question.

1) How to leaflet a day. Eat bloody well because you cover serious miles and get some cordless and discreet headphones and listen to a marketing ebook whilst doing it. I used to leaflet for 8 - 10 hours straight when starting out. The backs of my hands used to get so grazed from putting them into letterboxes that they would break the skin before I started wearing thin gloves.

What motivated me was the more I give out the More the chances increase of converting it to work. Every leaflet is always a step closer to your goal.

It takes clients a number fo times to see your brand before they decide to use you on many occasions. Keep at it.

2) While I haven’t seen your designs, make sure you spend the correct effort making an effective design. Don’t under estimate getting on the internet and learning from proper marketing experts how to design and write good copy that converts. It really pays off.

If so, do consider paying a professional copywriter a few hundred to design something based on your business setup. It may be 300 but if it converts 4 in every 1000 compared to 2. Then over 10,000 you will have an extra 20 clients for example so it does pay off. 

On design research - listen To people who can back up what they say. There is always those willing to give advice but many are not in the position to have proved the self qualified of doing so. Example, I’ve known people to tel other how they should manage employees and run a larger business when they work alone and have never employed anyone else.

We have our leaflets delivered mostly via Royal Mail now and get 10-20k done at a time over a few weeks period. We typically get back 4 in every 1000 converting to a regular client. We then always get a good amount of Adhoc work plus add ons from the regulars on first cleans. Quotes from these tend to come in over a few months from the drops as people hold onto the leaflets.

This always covers the cost of the leaflets within the first 6 weeks following the drop but I tend to only track the regular conversions as that is our core aim.

I’m sure there is better and worse conversion rates but this gives you an idea. Clearly it is location and timing dependent.

The idea is that your leaflet should be designed well enough that it does not just swiped up with the normal mail. If it’s not engaging them then the design is not good enough. Clearly it will not work for everyone but you must design to engage the type of person you want the most.

Hope that is of help for you.

Edit: Just to add. I believe that our conversion rates on leaflets are helped by the fact that we have multiple vans with clear and simple logos and we clean for many houses in our areas. So when people get our leaflets there is a really high chance they have seen us about and therefore already have some trust you see. I guess it’s about ensuring a consistent coverage which builds trust. They see good reviews online. Neighbours talk we of you. They see your van or car driving with courtesy. They see you looking smart and professional etc. When they then see the leaflet they are already kind of knowing your business)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Leafets are a funny subject. In answer to your question.
Really appreciate your reply mate - I know what you mean in terms of the grazed and cut knuckles, same with door knocking in winter!

I guess if I've got nothing else to do that day it might be better to actually deliver them myself. However after doing the maths, the Royal mail route does actually seem like a decent option.

I get that if you've paid people to get the information you might not want to share it, but any tips on window cleaning specific leaflets that you could give me? My current leaflets and past leaflets have had a little box to give a front windows quote. In the past I've had really good returns from them but not recently for whatever reason. Obviously if I was getting them delivered though I couldn't use this one.

 
Edit: Just to add. I believe that our conversion rates on leaflets are helped by the fact that we have multiple vans with clear and simple logos and we clean for many houses in our areas. So when people get our leaflets there is a really high chance they have seen us about and therefore already have some trust you see. I guess it’s about ensuring a consistent coverage which builds trust. They see good reviews online. Neighbours talk we of you. They see your van or car driving with courtesy. They see you looking smart and professional etc. When they then see the leaflet they are already kind of knowing your business)
This is something I've tried to aim for with the leaflets I've made. Will be dropping them around areas I already work plus places where I regularly park the van for non-work journeys. The side of the van is about 50% logo, and the leaflet in turn has a front that is 25-30% the logo. That way they should make a mental link quite easily at just a glance at the van and/or leaflet. So rather than being 'a window cleaner' I should be to their mind 'that guy in that van there'. Which should hopefully help create (for want of a better phrase) a pre-conceived trust leading to them more likely to prefer me over another windy for cleaning?. Yes thats long winded, and yes, probably a rediculous theory! But I've done a bit of training in media, and had a few discussions with friends who have a psychology based job/background, so hoping it should work?

 
@Joshyouare & @Robt100

Thanks for the comments.

@Robt100 I 100% agree with what you’re saying and I believe this is correct. Seeing your brand multiple times and being consistent creates trust. Many of us have to go through the stages of,
1. Knowing a company exists
2. Considering using that company
3. Using that company.

I think this is referred to as the marketing funnel if I remember correctly but re-inforces what you are saying. I think along the same logic as you. This is why I re-designed our logo which is highly visible, bold and simple.

@Joshyouare I haven’t paid anyone myself because I’ve been continually learning over the last 10 years and have much applied knowledge and experience.

I am by no means an expert but we have built a fairly large company within a few years so I’ll pass on some tips I know of that should help.

- Include a photo of someone from your business looking trustworthy and professional. Perhaps in uniform or at least clothing that signifies you are a trades person. Some don’t believe in uniform but it is proven that as a culture we trust authority and uniforms in business.

- Prices. So many window cleaners don’t like publishing any prices or guide prices. I’m not sure why but I know from experience that people like to have an idea of the prices and most appreciate the unique nature of most houses so they accept some leeway on your quote versus a published guide price. We categorise as Sam, medium and large. And then Extra large. In the last year since publishing this we have only had 2 quotes disagree based on their view of where they fit. This is out out maybe 700 quotes. Our leaflet conversion went up with prices being on the leaflets.

-Call to Action. Understand what you want the customer to do upon seeing the leaflet and don’t try to pack on all the info you can. Perhaps you want them to call you for a quote. Then your phone number should be prominent on both sides. Don’t include different ways to get in touch if you can. Make your preferred method the most prominent and perhaps a secondary there but not as obvious. Gear all the leaflet to this call to action.

Example. We have leaflets which don’t mention gutter cleaning. Front has image of an employee smartly dressed in front of signed van. Some key bullets on the service to one side and web address at the bottom.

On the back it’s mostly split into 3 sections. Reviews, price guide and contact bit with web address.

The key is to show them who we are. What the service is. Ie window cleaning every 4 week. Text reminder. 50 google reviews. Local company. They see the image and think. He looks trustworthy and then there is prompt for them to get in touch.
If they spin over there is prices to confirm we are in the ball park they expect. Reviews so they can see we are good in terms of rep and then contact again.

It’s very neat and simple.

-It’s good to find ways to establish credibility and prove trust. Reviews and stating that you serve over 500 customers for example makes people feel, “they must be okay”

- I found that once we hit over the 300 regular clients mark and also had more than one van on the road we just kept getting more and more enquiries and quotes. I think what happens is over time people get to know your business and if your re operating with good service and consistency then as soon as someone’s window cleaner gets inconsistent or unreliable, they already know who to call. As an example, some key roads we operate on we clean like 20 houses out of 120. This has happened over the course of a couple of years and I believe it is because we must always be seen there and people can’t deny we are always smart, clean vans, we are very professional and polite and we have a strong brand presence with vans, uniform and website plus leaflets and fb ads too. It’s kind of multi angle marketing hitting all points.

I would recommend just watching lots of videos on copywriting and web design and leaflet design online. Over time you will just learn it like a Language . It’s hard to explain fully but you get to just know what good looks like for example. It’s like knowing when a window is fully cleaned. New employees take a while to get the knack. Marketing I guess is the same but it’s a real learning experience.

My first leaflets and website was rubbish. I can’t believe that I once thought they’re were good!
But just effort and persistence day in day out and you keep improving every week and every month. I can’t recommend books enough.
 

The e myth is an absolute must.
there is lots of copywriting books too. How to sell through the written word. Essential I think for anyone in business even so you know how to properly hire someone or else they could be selling you rubbish and you wouldn’t even know.

It’s a bit long but hopefully that’l get you started. Wes McDowell is great on YouTube. Its’ web design mostly but the skills are almost directly applicable to leaflet design too.

 
Really appreciate that again @Omega, a fair bit of what you have said is actually on my leaflet already but definitely a few things I can add which hopefully will give a slight increase in returns - I'll let you know. I'll absolutely check out the things which you have recommended as well. Cheers again.

 
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