The year in review

Good bye 2016 it went by quick. How did we do?

Its the time of the year when the business slows down and you only have one job scheduled that you start contemplating on ways to generate more business  

Over all I did increase my year over year revenues but it was no great effort on my part. In fact I was complacent and didn't devote time or capitol into working the business. My sucky effort in 2016 is not sustainable so I better get off my ass and get to work.


I need to keep it simple and focus on just three things so that I can remember it easy and not make easy for me to "forget"


Mine the gold mine.
   
  
I was told enough time this year by customers that weren't able to find my phone number from the
last cleaning. That is just completely un acceptable. Every customer I clean with should be left with
a minim for three item with my phone number on it. I used to leave business cards. magnet, and
spotter give away.

Utilize a CRM program to manage my customer data base. Ill probably use the one AC likes and give
that a shot. This date base needs to be touched at least twice a year. I used to send out reminders and Christmas cards.

Update, fix, repair any equipment that needs it. I have lost time and money by not keeping up with the maintenance side of the business

Invest capitol into the generating more business on the internet and not just on the free organic and map listing on google.

How was you year in review? What did you learn? Did you do better than last year? What was your most success sales generator?

My year was not your typical year since jumping into the deep part of the pool as a full-time cleaner. I was just really starting to get things rocking when the winter death rolled in, so lessons are many, but unproven.

Improving internet presence is my priority. I am still learning how to get that done, but it was the biggest mistake of the year. I will be rolling out a weekly video campaign and doing all that I can to get my listing to jump off the screen by Spring.

I did spend a lot of my money into updating my equipment and insuring all repairs were done in a rapid manner, so I am happy with those results with the one exception being the belly propane tank which I am working on today.

Over-all, I was happy with the last 4 months of my 7 months since going full-time, it proved to me that my business model will work.....just need to survive the winter to get another crack at it.

I have never been more worried over a winter period than I am this year without the day job income to fall back on. It will definitely motivate me to push hard during the warm periods in 2017.

I started my 2017 marketing early. I did up some postcards to target churches. 3 new customers in last 4 mo(w/2 mailings). Another card to target professional businesses: DDS, chirp, PT, and eye and ear. Gonna find someone to do the addressing and I'll cover postage.Gonna Set up a clander on frequency.
And I have some for past customers "long time no see..".
That's my plan.

Matt; My carpet cleaner wrote:I started my 2017 marketing early. I did up some postcards to target churches. 3 new customers in last 4 mo(w/2 mailings). Another card to target professional businesses: DDS, chirp, PT, and eye and ear. Gonna find someone to do the addressing and I'll cover postage.Gonna Set up a clander on frequency.
And I have some for past customers "long time no see..".
That's my plan.

I like it Matt, looks like you have things covered well.

I might park my van at a busy intersection and stand out there with a cardboard sign asking for cleaning work.

I had a 25% increase in revenue this year, due to targeted postcards.

Added the water fed pole, and made my life easier. Looking forward to using the advances that are coming for my brush system this spring.

This year, I will be again targeting residential clients with postcards. I will also be working toward picking up more larger commercial clients.

2017 will also be a year that I start doing videos, both for business promotion and kicking SEO in the ass.

I am with you on the video front....planning a weekly "cleaner's corner" kind of thing. I intend to dominate my markets in internet presence very early on in 2017.

In previous years, I enjoyed the winter slow down to re-charge for Spring, but this time around, I am chomping at the bit for Spring to get here.

I don't know that I will create that much content myself. That takes a lot of time to do the filming, editing, and posting/linking the videos.

I'm hoping to have at least 12 videos done and posted to my site before fall. So if I can do 2 videos a month, I should be able to reach the goal.

Well, one per week is a lofty goal, but I am trying to build those files now before the Spring. That way I can release them throughout the busy season without getting in the way of the cleaning schedule.

Make that 4 new churches. Forgot about wapato babtist, just got their check. Yesterday; 7 hours at the 7th day advent. My ankles, knees and back were barking at me. Got home, asked my father in law if he had some pain killers. 2 something's with codine!

milspec6 wrote:I might park my van at a busy intersection and stand out there with a cardboard sign asking for cleaning work.

Just don't get a parking ticket in the process

I feel like I have a flat 2016, didn't do as many jobs as 2015 but after an awful November, I looked at all the bank statements up until November, the gross amount was almost the same as 2015, same advertisements amount with the exception of Nov and Dec spike, I'm actually pretty busy this month, so I would say the advertisement bust was just for November, stupid election, lol.
If I can have a decent winter, I will be happy because I feel if I can save at least 10% from gross amount and not touch it for the winter, that's my goal.
My prediction is we will have a decent winter and decent 2017 with the fed interest rates increase, short term effect will be awesome, but in the long run inflation will go up, and will drive prices up, so be ready to raise your prices by 2018 folks.

Sounds like we should all be here operating for another year then. I am finishing up a few post Christmas cleanings soon and then the big bank to start the New Year, so I should be good for another month before I get worried again.

This will be the roughest winter with such a late start on the year that I had. I will be very happy to see it end.

Don't worry Bob, if you think you'll be good for January, you'll be good until March, April is a different story, at least in my neck of woods, tax deadline usually is a job killer, but if you can last until March, then it just a matter of one more awful month before May, which usually picks up with spring cleaning, etc.

I suspect that you are correct, I think I will get through it. I normally do real well in late March on my commercial work, so I guess that is more of the finish line for me.

I just need to avoid any large bills from now until then, but that is rarely under our control, so no sense worrying about it.

Just organizing and editing my database is going to take me a while.

I figured anyone one who hasn't cleaned with me in 5 years I can purge and put on another list