I just wanted to share with you all an email I sent out thursday evening around 10pm…i emailed this to approximately 280 people(realtors, prop mgrs, attys, mortgage brokers, builders/gen contractors). At 9am I received a call…new customer (realtor) he said, “robin, you got my attention.” anyway this guy says i don’t need my windows cleaned but i do need my gutters cleaned. so why don’t you come out and wash my windows outside only and clean my gutters." Then at 540pm i received my second call which went something like this, “robin, i work for so-n-so attorneys and you sent my boss an email, and when he’s out of town i check his emails. can i get an estimate and on window cleaning?” anyway i receive 2 calls and booked 2 jobs from this email.
i want to share with you all it may give you an idea of something you could do in your area.
thanks for reading! have a great weekend.
robin
(i used a nice background, and had this formatted nicely…it just doesn’t and can’t show up here)
text of email below*********
-Subject line read: FREE Gutter cleaning TODAY ONLY!-----
–body of email—
Call today - Friday, January 30, 2009, and schedule any other Window Gang service and receive a FREE Gutter cleaning*.
252.633.7878 or 252.240.0505
That’s right…TODAY ONLY! Call today and schedule one of the following services and you will receive a gutter cleaning absolutely for FREE!
Window Gang services:
window cleaning
low-pressure house wash
deck restoration
pressure wash driveway
dryer vent cleaning
BONUS: Refer a friend and receive $25 dollars off your next service. Hurry this offer ends today - Friday, January 30, 2009 at 6:00pm!
*Not valid with any other offers. Offer expires January 30, 2009. Free gutter cleaning applies to residential jobs only.
well thank you, and no offense to cfp and kevin, but no my idea did not come from them. i was reading an e-book by charlie cook “7 steps to get more clients and grow your business”. it was all common sense stuff but it just happened to trigger an idea.
at this point i have not had any late callers, but i thought since i can’t offer them the free gutter cleaning but i can offer them a discount of $15-$25 off gutter cleaning or window washing.
How did you compile the email addresses? Did you buy them or were they past clients, estimates?
Neat idea, I’d be careful to space the offers far apart though. Probably only once a quarter for emails to avoid getting added to the spam folder. I’d hit them with a letter or something next.
first of all thank you for asking…i am so excited about what i am doing. in the past month i have concentrated on new customers, and next step is existing customers…anyway.
i really wanted to target realtors and property managers. written letters just weren’t getting me anything (or at least not immediately). so one day i was doing the door-to-door visiting of real estate offices dropping off info, and i had the “light bulb” moment. i grabbed the real estate homes for sale magazine. most, if not all, the realtors have their email addresses in there. so i spent many hours compiling my email contacts lists…well it has just kept building from there. i have entered to this point 250 email addresses of realtors in 2 counties (of course this is a very small market). another great place is any of those local mags about home building/remodeling…great way to get contractors/builders. and then the local chamber of commerce website. i am not a member, but the member directory is available to the general public. great way to find more email addresses. so i have emailed attorneys, realtors, prop mgrs., mortgage brokers, apt complexes, general contractors, builders, and bed & breakfasts…and so on.
this has been exciting for me and rewarding. i am very motivated. i am really anxious to see what the results will be in the future.
thanks for asking and sorry to get so wordy.
Charlie has some decent stuff. I have his Highly Effective Marketing program and his 15 Minute program.
There is a lot of great ideas that are obvious, basic and mundane that we over-look sometimes.
I do the type of marketing you did here all the time. It can work, no doubt.
I am curious as to your list selection though. You targeted Realtors? Are you trying to get the Realtor to buy or their clients? Your offer looks like it is aimed at the recipient and it likely is. If it were to be for their clients you would have likely mentioned it in the offer… never mind
great queston, cfp…
i have a great offer in place for realtors that i put out there the end of december/first of january. i have a referral program in place for them. so i am looking for the realtors business and their clients.
as far as the charlie cook book…as usual the information was not new, but seeing it again did spark an idea/thought. i think that’s always the case…topics like how to sell, or how to grow a business the information hasn’t changed, but maybe how i or a reader sees it does.
pardon my ignorance, but do you actually have a window cleaning business or are you a marketing guy? if you do have a wc business i’d love to see your website.
thanks for the cheers, kevin.
and i love to share when something i try works, so don’t worry i’ll keep ya posted.
could you explain the “offer a free report”, what kind of report?
Maybe something like “5 ways to sell your listing faster” or something like that, emphasizing the value of a cleaner home during the open house process.
It might be cool to even make a little video report, instead of merely a written one, and provide a link to download the free PDF checklist.
Talk about aromas brewing on the stove, home staging, unique web URL’s, flyers, and are you ready for it…professional window cleaning.
And then use the free (video) report to sell your WC services.
I was trying to put myself in the shoes of the realtor recipients of your email blast.
If I received an email that said “Norton Antivirus sale! Today only!” I’d be annoyed.
But if it said “Protect Your Window Cleaning Client Information” I would likely open it, and if a free report was offered along this same line, I would likely click on it.
And if the report was compelling, taught me something useful, and offered me a turn-key solution to one of the problems it raised, I would likely consider it, even if it involved the same Norton Antivirus offer at the end of the day.
The old “WIIFM” angle.
I think this free report for Realtors thing does a good job of tapping into that.
Yeah, reports do generate leads. The thing about offering a report means that nothing else in that email is selling your service. Reports are 100% lead generation.
It is made to get them interested enough to give you their information and start communication.
To say “get your free report” followed by company offers will kill it altogether.
