A leaflet drop, then a phone full of half-answered messages
You drop leaflets on a new estate on Saturday. By Tuesday you have a text from one house asking how much, a Facebook message from another, a form from your website with no phone number and two missed calls. You are working all day, so you reply that evening, one by one, asking what type of house it is and whether there is a conservatory.
Some reply the next day. Some never do. One says they have already booked someone who came round the day after the leaflet. You end up with a handful of customers from a drop that probably produced twice as many interested people.
Enquiries arrive in five places while you're up a pole
Window cleaning enquiries are small and frequent, and most householders contact two or three cleaners at once. The first sensible reply usually wins. A one-person or small business is at a disadvantage because the person who can answer is working.
- Enquiries arrive by text, phone, Facebook, website form and word of mouth.
- Each one needs the same questions answered before you can price it.
- Replies happen in the evening, a day or more after the enquiry.
- There is no list of enquiries, so some are never answered.
- Nobody knows which leaflet drops or channels actually produce customers.
Leaflet money that doesn't turn into customers
Printing and delivering leaflets costs money and time. Every enquiry that goes cold wastes part of it. New customers are also how a round replaces the ones who move away, so slow replies quietly shrink the round over time. And the evenings spent answering messages are unpaid.
Enquiries captured and answered while you work
We build a simple enquiry system around your round.
- Every channel points to one place: the leaflet has a short link and QR code, the website form feeds it, Facebook messages get an automatic reply with the link, and missed calls get a text with the link.
- The link asks the questions you always ask: address, house type, number of storeys, extensions or conservatory, front and back or front only, and preferred frequency.
- For standard houses, a price comes straight back from your own pricing rules, with the frequency options and the next round day in that area.
- For anything unusual, the customer is told you will take a quick look next time you are nearby, and the enquiry goes onto a look-and-price list for that area.
- Accepted customers are added to your round records on the day that fits the area, with their payment preference.
- Each enquiry records its source, such as which leaflet drop or channel, so you can see what works.
| Enquiry | Today | With enquiry capture |
|---|---|---|
| Leaflet text | Answered that evening | Link sent, priced in minutes |
| Facebook message | Answered when seen | Automatic reply with the link |
| Missed call | Maybe rung back | Text with the link straight away |
| Unusual house | Back and forth by text | Added to look-and-price list for that area |
| Which drop worked | Unknown | Source recorded on each enquiry |
New customers join the round while the leaflet is still on the table
Most enquirers get a price the same day, often within minutes, while they are still thinking about it. You stop spending evenings replying to messages. New customers land on the day that suits the round. And after a few drops you can see which estates and channels produce customers, so the next leaflet budget goes where it works.
It also changes how you come across. A householder who gets a clear price and a round day within minutes of texting feels they are dealing with a proper business, which is exactly the impression that makes them stay for years.
A normal week after a drop looks like this: enquiries arrive while you work, most get priced automatically, and in the evening you glance at the few that need a look, all already sorted by area.
Do enquiries slip through for you?
- You reply to enquiries in the evening or the next day.
- Enquiries come in through several channels.
- You ask the same questions every time before you can price.
- Some enquiries never get an answer.
- You do not know which leaflet drops bring in customers.