Seems there are many who have had businesses for many years but still are marketing and selling.
I wonder as we are fortunate in the way that our customers are reoccurring and we build onto our customer base each year.
For deck builders, how many decks can you build for the same family. They must always be selling to have work.
Do many loose jobs each year and that’s the need to keep marketing after years in the window business?
I don’t know. After a decade in the industry, as of today, our schedule is half booked or slightly more into December. We haven’t even tapped our residential market yet. I guess marketing would be redundant for us unless we choose to add more staff. Good point.
Many companies are growing have several employees , so they need to advertise to stay busy .
But as a solo guy who does good work at a competitive rate , I think it would take about 5-7 years where you can rely on repeat business and refferals .
attrition takes no breaks
10% a year of recurring was mentioned as being standard in this industry
with no attention to it that compounds after a few years
for those thin on recurring work then it’s about always filling the schedule
I think some use the marketing to reach those who have used them in the past, ending up being more a reminder card
here in so cal, commercial contacts change often and people move often, lots of transition all the time
just read how modern times are harder than ever (and costlier than ever) to get new customers, requiring up to 16 brand impressions on average before taking action
I market to replace headache clients. Or, clients that pay the least overall. I have zero tolerance for either. They must go because they are dragging down my bottom line. Who said it?.. “ABC”
A. Always
B. Be
C. Closing
Always. Be. Closing.
All good points.
In my area in particular, there is a LOT of movement with buying and selling homes (95% residential) and I think it’s the blind cleaning that brings most of my window cleaning customers in, so they have me perform the work and move or you get a new home owner and they have me perform the work and that’s that. Really, I need to be ASKING the customer for their business later that year or next year and maybe even schedule them in advance right away with a text/email notification a week ahead of service. That gives them time to either reschedule for an appropriate time or remind them.
Great question. Advertising is spendy. I spend about $500-600 per month in peak season on Google Adwords alone. We have around 5-10 window cleaners on Adwords competing, so the PPC is pretty high.
To Bruce’s point. 10 of our top 50 clients moved out of State last year. They were solid, faithful and consistent.
So many of our job in slow season are only done cause they are moving, in busy season our big ticket jobs are cause some big party typically high school graduation.
However, the original question is something I have thought about.
I can’t seem to get past a certain # of employees. The marketing I do the more I am running around. Over winter we came up with some ways of staying in contact with our current client base better. Hoping that helps save time and money.
What is your ROI for adwords? Thanks
You are the type of competition that a hustler like myself dreams about…
We’re entering our 3rd spring and we’ve stopped all advertising.
well except for about $20-30 for adwords
How so?
My marketing budget for March is $500, and for the remainder of 2017 is another $500.
The second $500 gets paid to my other (web) company 
So @SqueegeeNinjaNJ what’s your web company’s name in case we’re interested in the service you provide?
@DaveYogi, my very first thought was this - Storefront.
I noticed you are in the 0-5 range. True?
Increase those storefronts and I assure you, you’ll have more work than you know what to do with, with virtually no “marketing”.
Compelling demos sell.
Besides business cards, I spend $0 on marketing, am booked year round M-F, with no residential. No website, no FB, no Twitter, no Instagram, no YT, no Snapchat, no website.
Additionally, you see the estimates I’ve posted for commercial that I get from the route. It’s the redheaded stepchild of WC but it does help solve the marketing dilemma.
2-6 has been the range the last 2 years, in the field.
A business that gets complacent about their brand and marketing and takes their foot off the gas… You are just giving wiggle room for the next guy to start chipping away at you.
This part of your post makes me smile.
If I don’t do any marketing and fill my schedule, still increasing my previous year sale by 5-10% without doing marketing leave the door open for my competitors.
I already turn down jobs, why spend money to market and sell just to turn away any new customer that comes from it.
