I have had a change of heart…sort of
Back in “Seriously man what are you doing” I talked about using this blog, the new social media account and the goofy clothing no one cares about as an outlet. It was not only an outlet because window cleaning can be mundane but it was a way to rebrand and have fun with something I have been doing for 15 years. I was motivated to get out and start drumming up new business with a fresh look and a new vison for really what I was striving for. I was cold calling places and trying to stay on top of client communication and offers to current customers and I started seeing results. I was so against using lead generation companies that was pay per lead which I rarely had success with and never lead to quality repeat business. I still got dozens of spam calls a day about advertising, customer management tools and other relatively costly services that didn’t fit my business. Until I was scrolling Instagram one day and saw something that caught my attention.
I am a window cleaning company that offers gutter cleaning, pressure washing and high dusting services. HRS Window Cleaning is a full service one stop shop for exterior cleaning needs. But I really wasn’t promoting or advertising those services other than a quick blurb on my website and to existing clients. But I also knew that the only way I was going to be able to scale my business was to increase revenue, and I had to not only offer but provide more services to do that. A complete 180 from my stance about customer retention as opposed to acquisition I know, more on that later. I had to change my mind about advertising most importantly. That’s where the Instagram ad I saw comes in to play. I saw it, said its too good to be true but still saved it and came back to it later.
The ad was for a marketing company who helps businesses acquire new pressure washing customers. A service I knew was profitable and in demand but their claim of 30 new customers in the first 90 days seemed crazy. But I thought I should at least check it out since the ad effectively reached me so they must know what they are doing. After the initial conversation I was thrilled. Loved the strategy the tools and that guarantee I will see a return or they work for free until I get 30 new paid clients. But then reality set in.
Facebook ads was their big tool. I had never used Facebook and had a defunct personal account I hadn’t accessed in 12 years. I tried to get going again and was immediately restricted, no idea why because they don’t give a reason. I appealed then started my business page and was restricted again, why!? Appealed once again and felt good. Granted the marketing company access and they showed me the mock ups and said it should go live in a few days. Again, I was thrilled. But reality…
Facebook denied the ads because my page wasn’t published even though it was publicly visible. Support said they would have a resolution in 2 business days. That came and went with nothing resolved and no way for me to make the changes they required. I still have no active ads as of March 11th, 2023. (When I started writing this) This whole process started in mid February. The 30 client promise is still valid and they have been great working with me and keeping me patient. But the frustration is mounting because I truly don’t understand why it’s this hard. I know I’ll get there eventually but it’s been wild to say the least.
I still firmly believe customer retention is most important but I do realize you have to continually acquire new customers and prospects everyday. But it’s so hard and I was scared. It’s not until I jumped in to it that I realized my viewpoint was because I was terrified of trying. My ads finally went active on March 13th and I am feeling more confident so stay tuned!
