The MAGICAL Email
In my last Blog ‘Acres of Diamonds’ I explained how I consider carpet cleaners spend a disproportionate amount of time chasing after new leads rather than re-engaging their existing customers.I wrote about two carpet cleaners, and fellow NCCA members, Jim from Essex and Mark from Hertfordshire, both of whom made over a 10:1 ROI on mailing their existing database (10:1 is the ‘Return On Investment’ from their mailshots, which means they made over £10 for every £1 they invested).
So far the highest ROI form a mailshot to a carpet-cleaning 'list' in this current campaign that I’ve been told of is a return of 35:1. This is amazing £35 back for every £1 they spent, which was done by a franchise carpet cleaner, based in the 'Home Counties' and the jobs are still coming in.
This was achieved by using two of the tools I recommended in my last Blog. These were both NCCA Corporate Members, Allan Simmons of ‘Get Booked Up’ and Neil Jenkins of ‘Mail Boxes Etc…’
Before I start, hopefully this blog will answer the carpet cleaners who questioned why I ‘only’ recommend ‘Old School’ offline marketing. In carpet cleaning (as with any industry) you MUST use ALL types of MARKETING to GROW your business. More importantly, my message was to target your EXISTING carpet-cleaning clients before you spend money finding more people.
The MAGICAL Email
Or to give it its full title, The MAGICAL 'NINE WORD' Email, works great with both existing clients and ‘Dead Leads’.
Firstly let’s start with the ‘Dead Leads’ by defining the term ‘Lead’. It’s that person who has ‘raised their hand’ and contacted you and let you know that they are interested in what you have to offer… which you do through effective direct response, education based marketing.
So when a person has simply shown interest, but not ‘bought’ from you yet, they are a ‘lead’. Maybe you’ve even gone as far in the process as giving them a 'free quotation' or even a 'Healthy Home Carpet Audit', but they still haven’t paid you any money.
At this stage what do you do?
Just ‘write them off’ and move on, chasing after the next lead? Or do you know how to ‘dig in’ and find those ‘hidden profits’?
Don’t get me wrong, keeping a steady stream of fresh leads coming into your carpet cleaning business should be an integral part of your automatic marketing systems. However, it’s what you do with those leads once you get them into your database that can mean all the difference in the world to your profit margins.
Statics show that once a person has shown interest in what you are offering and not bought from you …there is still a 50% chance that they will buy from you in the next 18 months.
So for every 100 leads you have that didn’t become paying customers, their business could be still worth somewhere in the region of £7,500.00 to your bottom-line (i.e.; if your average carpet cleaning job ticket is £150 and you get 50 out of 100 of those leads to buy from you). Therefore it’s definitely worth your while to pursue converting your existing leads into ‘paying’ clients for your carpet cleaning services.
World-leading marketer Dean Jackson revealed what he calls the 9-word e-mail that works like magic (marketing magic) in re-engaging and converting sales from your existing leads. His friend and fellow Marketing Ninja Joe Polish, well know to many UK carpet cleaners has already introduced this to the carpet cleaning industry in America and it's working great.
Here it is….
First, find every lead you can in your business. Look for the email of every person who you have ever had contact with that hasn’t become a client yet. All of them, even the names of clients you haven’t heard from in 2 or more years.
Now here is the steps for the 9 word email, which works so amazingly well… (Please note: you can very easily turn this into a ‘print’ or ‘offline’ piece and mail directly).
Step 1.
Type your leads email address in the box marked 'TO:'
(eg: keith@keithsemail.co.uk)
Step 2.
Put the person’s first name in the subject line of the email
(eg: ‘Keith’)
Step 3.
Then type these 9 words for the body…no more no less…
“Are you still looking at getting your carpets cleaned?”
Step 4.
Press 'SEND'
If you want to see what that a 9-word email looks like here’s an example...
====
From: Mr Carpet Cleaning
Date: 15, May, 2013 at 9:53 AM
Subject: Keith
To: keith@keithsemail.co.uk
Are you still looking at getting your carpets cleaned?
====
That’s it. Nine words ... End of story.
Don’t be tempted to say one more thing! There is no need to sign it or include a phone number in the e-mail because with one ‘click’ they will respond to you.
(Please Note: If you are printing and posting this piece make sure to include a way for the client to contact you, i.e. a phone number, email or web address, or all three, but don't go over board, you don't even need printed letterhead).
Now it might feel weird to just throw a question out there with no reason or explanation, but leaving this ‘open loop’ is what makes it work. We want this to go off like a rock ... Putting a carpet cleaning offer in will dampen the fuse.
You will find your ‘leads’ cannot resist the open-endedness of this conversation and it will engage them. You’ll find your inbox filling up with responses.
One business person that Dean taught this to had a 40% response in just 12-hours on leads she was literally about to throw into the bin because she thought they were ‘dead ends’.
Look at the stack of carpet cleaning ‘leads’ you have had over the last 18-months. What if 50% of those could be converted into £150 carpet cleaning jobs, and they could be if you just take the time to re-engage them in a ‘conversation’ with you…?
And remember, there is no such thing as “But I’m in carpet cleaning…” or “But my clients are different…” or “My area is different…” the response to this is universal. It’s human nature and that is consistent across the board, no matter where you’re located or what business you are in.
Try it on your dead leads … what do you have to lose?
Also, if you want to see a quick cash infusion from jobs next week, don’t look any further than the customers you already have. We know you'll have a better take up when using direct mail ... but email is FREE
I challenge you to try a ‘Magical Nine-Word Email’ to your own carpet cleaning database. You could send it in-between the direct mail letters.
Here’s a few of ideas for existing carpet cleaning clients…
Want that fresh, clean look to your carpets again?
Could your home carpets do with cleaning… again?
Remember how your carpets looked after my cleaning…?
Dirty Carpets Again? Do you like my help…?
I look forward to hearing about your ‘Magical NINE Word Email’.
Regards
Keith Robertson
NCCA Vice President and Marketing Director
PS. For more information on the ‘Magical NINE Word Email’ and more FREE marketing tools and ideas from the great Dean Jackson I recommend you visit his website at http://ilovemarketing.com
PPS. For great tools for marketing your carpet cleaning business contact the famous 'Joe Polish' at http://www.richcleaner.com/blog/
