My island has an uncomfortable relationship with chimney sweeps. In 1822, 10-year old apprentice chimney sweep Valentine Gray was found dead in an outhouse next door to what is now my favourite coffee shop. Public indignation about his death lead to the “Climbing Boys Act” of parliament, outlawing the practice of sending young children up chimneys.
But, we still have chimneys that need sweeping. Dirty chimneys lead to about 7 000 chimney fires every year so insurance companies make having the chimney swept annually a requirement.
I found a chimney sweep from a Google Ad.
This one is a grown man. He arrives, spreads covers over the furniture and shoves a motorised brush up the chimney. When he’s done he sends a camera up on a stick and checks for cracks. It takes about 15 minutes.
As a marketer I'm way too curious about other people's businesses. I spent most of his first visit asking him how he gets and keeps customers. I was on the sofa, he was on his hands and knees with his head in the fireplace.
He did the normal advertising - Google, Facebook, signs on his van and so on. There was nothing special about his customer finding system. But, his customer-keeping system was the best I've ever seen for a small business.
Getting your chimney swept is grudge purchase. I do it because my insurance company insists. It’s one of those chores that you want over and done with the least amount of hassle.
And this chimney sweep has an Olympic gold medal in removing hassle. He arrives on time, smells OK and does a dirty job quick and clean. But, the real magic starts when he hands you the plastic gadget that reads your credit card.
A few seconds after you type in your pin you get 3 pings on your phone. The first is a receipt. The second is a link to download your chimney sweeping certificate for the insurance company. The last is a calendar notification for next year’s visit.
He knows that by booking you in before he leaves the room he's got your business for the next year.
It's not one-sided. This is much easier for me. I don't have to remember to go looking for a chimney sweep in time for next year's sweeping. I don't have to risk hiring a cretin who arrives late or dumps a load of soot on the sofa.
2 weeks before the next appointment you get an automatic email. If you’re still OK with the date you click yes, otherwise it lets you reschedule.
I've used him for the last 5 years. I can’t remember his name or the name of his business, but his smooth process has made me a loyal-for-life customer.
Want to increase your conversion rate? For free?
I’ve seen
conversion rates double, triple and even 10X after a few quick and easy changes to the enquiry form.
Subscribe now and I'll send you a free copy of my in-depth ebook High-Converting Enquiry Forms.
You're already paying for clicks. Now turn them into conversions.
Privacy policy. Unsubscribe at any time.
Related articles
Do I really need 7 websites?
Two groups of people visit your website: people who know what you sell and strangers who don't know you but want what you sell. One website can't serve both groups effectively.
Does PPC work for accountants?
The short answer is “Yes, but only sometimes”. Google suggests that AdWords will work for any business but this is not true in real life.
How do you test a business idea?
You don’t want to invest time and money on a business idea unless you’re sure that it’ll get traction. Read on to learn how to use Google Ads to test an idea before committing to it.
How to turn leads into sales.
Two businesses in the same industry. One converts 5% of website leads into sales. The other converts 60%. Read on to find out why.
I can’t get to the decision maker.
"I‘ve got a great product but I can’t get to the decision maker." That’s a problem we smaller business owners face a lot. Can I tell you about how a former client of mine got the decision makers to come to her?
Is AdWords scaleable?
There are a finite number of people who want what you sell, can afford what you sell and are in an area you can reach. Some portion of those people will use Google. That number is the upper limit of AdWords scaleability.
Is AdWords worth it?
"Is Google Ads really worth it? I have found that through tracking my CPC, I am not having that much success." was asked on Quora. My answer saved below.
Selling to strangers is different
Ask 100 small business owners how they find customers and 99 of us will say "word-of-mouth". What we won't tell you is that our word-of-mouth marketing is not well tuned engine that spits out a steady stream of great prospects. They arrive by luck or magic.
The cost of zero.
Every small business owner needs to understand the cost of zero before they next invest in marketing. It does not matter what medium it is: Google Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, magazines, radio, or anything else. The reason these campaigns fail so often is never as obvious as you might think.
Will Google Ads work?
Thinking about advertising on Google? There are thousands of people who've used Google Ads and never made a sale. You don't have to be one of them. Read on to learn how.
Zombie Hunting Wednesday 3pm. You in?
We’ve all got zombie leads. These are people we’ve quoted who haven't said yes. They haven’t said no either. Instead they’re ignoring us - our emails go unanswered and they’re always too busy to talk.
