Leaflet distribution - how long before response?

[KC29]

Hi if you've ever distributed leaflets for your business, how long before you got a call? If you got a call .

I've just started my cleaning business, been searching online for clients. No response, and those who were interested said it was too expensive. I charge £13 an hour in London. I've just done my first leaflet drop door to door today, about 100 leaflets. Feeling abit low tbh, I know I should have more patience though. Would appreciate if you had any advice.

Feel like sometimes some people make it sound so easy.. they're suddenly "booked full" within weeks

Response rate on leaflets is well under 1%
So 100 leaflets is unlikely to do much

Far better is to rely on word of mouth and social media

There are always people asking for cleaners on our local Facebook groups. Perhaps that would be a better way of advertising?

Would recommend Facebook mums groups and buy/sell/swap sites

Your rates sound ok - if I got one of your leaflets a lot would depend on how it looked/came across- friendly, professional, approachable, was there a website/testimonials or just a mobile number?

Sometimes people will put it to one side until they need a cleaner too so it could be a delayed response.

To be honest I chuck most of our leaflets away. And if I wanted a specific service like a cleaner or gardener I'd most likely ask friends, ask for recommendations on my local twitter or look up testimonials - I would rather get a firsthand recommendation.

You might have better luck with an fb page or similar

But regardless it's only been a few hours right? Most people who work full time (and be more likely to get a cleaner) won't even be home yet.

I think £13 an hour is reasonable (However I say this as someone who hasn’t employed a cleaner but is considering it).
I do agree with the suggestion that using social media may help to boost the responses you get. Best of luck with your new venture.

I'm in my local London borough Facebook group, part of another buy and sell group in the borough. I was told leaflets were the best way to get clients, and that's why I got printed 2500 leaflets from vista under £60 . I have a landline number on the leaflets, feel like now I should also have added my mobile number.

I have a Facebook page aswell, I spent 2 weeks advertising online.

Leaflets frustrate me. Such a waste of paper! They go straight in the recycling out of principle.

Definitely work on your social media and see if you can get a few good google reviews. Once you have some good reviews online I'd say things will pick up.

Good luck OP!

Have you tried putting a card up in your local shop window? I've found cleaners, dog walkers, etc this way before. Where I live, cleaners are like gold dust, so you should find yourself very busy if you're good!

I've now put an ad on gumtree, cost me £10 . Hope that helpsz

Leaflets probably weren't the best way to do it. Most people just chuck them in the bin.

Whereabouts are you, OP? I'm a Londoner looking for a cleaner.

For something like a cleaner I'd never go for someone via a leaflet drop. For someone who's coming into my house regularly I'd only go for someone who'd been recommended to me - which isn't much help when you're trying to get up and running

In London I pay £10 an hour and my cleaner was recommended by a friend.

You will need to spend money on marketing unfortunately.

Local Facebook groups are good, as are local sites/forums. Or ads in local shops.

@TheReturnoftheSmartArse I'm in East London, praying you are too.

Someone has just moved into my area and had been promoting his business on two local boards. He does boxing and kickboxing. He has garnered a huge amount of interest by offering a free club and training on one evening a week. People are falling over themselves to take part even though there is already a couple of martial arts clubs in town. So if you were able to promote yourself by offering something, maybe half price offer etc it would get your business being talked about. People are often asking for cleaner recommendations on the two local sites. The good people seem to be always full up and it goes on personal recommendation.

Personal recommendation works well for this kind of business. Can you convince a friend or someone you know to let you do a clean or even a one-off? In return for them writing a recommendation for your fb page? Something that will give you some credibility?

I've been working as a self employed cleaner for 16 years now, I've always found leaflets to be an ok method of advertising but certainly not the only method.

Put your leaflet up in shop windows and on Facebook selling sites also is there any local community magazines near you??
They will cost but the always worked well enough for me.
Initially it took a few years to build up enough clients to make a decent living, I had to do part time work elsewhere, but at one point I had 6 women working for me and I only scaled things down as I was working 12 hours a day and needed to choose between work and having a family.
I fully intend to build up my client base again in a few years when my daughter is at school.

You'll need to stick with it, it won't happen overnight but if you're good then there's definitely money to be made.

Do you provide equipment? I always have I think that helps.

Also I don't charge by the hour I charge by job make a lot more money that way.

What about offering discounts to a new customers in exchange for reviews/recommendations on social media? Or seeing if any friends would let you give them a hour’s free cleaning in exchange for a review? Might be a good way to get the ball rolling.

We’ve had a lot of work done on our house by local tradesmen (decorator, carpet firm, plumber, plasterer, loft conversion company) and it’s all been via word of mouth and recommendations from friends. The boss of the loft conversion company told us he doesn’t even advertise any more because he gets all of his work via word of mouth. I wouldn’t respond to a leaflet through the door, sorry - if someone is going to be working in my house when I’m not there I want to know they’re trustworthy.

Leaflets go directly in the recycling,sorry. I only go by word of mouth

Agree with others, you will get more notice and word of mouth referrals via social media. So some introductory offers, 2 hours for the price of 1? Or 3 for 2? Offer deep cleans in time for Christmas. Everyone who likes and shares your page will be entered in to a draw for a free one off clean?

I've used cleaners for a while and I much prefer the ones that use their own products and equipments. I had a cleaner crack the cylinder on my Dyson, and hated coming home to a shopping list of all the cleaning products I'm out of. It always felt like an extra £8-£10 on top of paying the cleaner.

Good luck!

Advertise a 3-hour Christmas clean for £25. Hopefully people thinking of getting a cleaner will try you out on that offer (as it's no committment) rather than having the fear of engaging you as a regular and then having to sack you off if you are no good.

I just got my first client from gumtree. My ad has been up for a few hours, but she's ringing me back tomorrow to discuss "requirements ".

I don't have any cleaning experience, would you be put off by this? I want to offer her a discount first clean, £10 an hour instead of £13, is this ok? So she'd had to pay £20 for those 2 hours instead of £26.

I'm so excited, hope she doesn't get put off by my lack of cleaning experience. Everyone has to start somewhere