Joe Polish & Lisa Wagner’s Rich Cleaner Blog ::

Today’s post is a friendly heads-up for Piranha Members and other Cleaners and Restorers using Social Media to grow their Cleaning and Restoration business.

Most Piranha Members are ethically and effectively monetizing their internet presence by dominating local search engine results pages (for free) as well as monetizing social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). In fact, Piranha Coaching Members have had advanced, but easy “how to” step-by-step coaching on this stuff.

Today however we wanted to share this some insights with every RichCleanerBlog Reader, Cleaner and Restorer.

Recently a software program launched charging from $23 per month up to $100 per month that is said to automatically find and connect potential Cleaning Clients on Twitter and then automatically solicit your Cleaning services to those prospects. However, automated software like this could actually get your Twitter account terminated… BUT, there are ways to generate and convert leads from Twitter that are FREE and won’t get your account terminated. That’s what this post is all about.

The following comes from one of Piranha’s “Expert Coaches” – Dan Hollings, Internet Strategies for “The Secret” hit movie and Twitter (www.TwitterTwenius.com). For several years, Dan has taught Piranha Members how to dominate local search engine results pages and monetize social media at our live events, in several of our Coaching Membership Calls and even on this blog…

Here’s the insider’s scoop from Dan Holling’s on How To Create a FREE Twitter Machine to Find and Connect With Potential Carpet Cleaning & Restoration Clients:

It’s easy to be lured into automated systems that promise to do all the work while you sit back and just cash big checks. Lately, there have been a string of robotic systems related to Social Media and Twitter, some of which claim to not only find and close customers for you… but from their sales page, you’d think they’d actually do the job and make coffee too.

BEWARE!

Read the Official Twitter RULES first:
www.budurl.com/therules

Note a few Twitter rules such as:

- If you send large numbers of unsolicited @replies in an attempt to spam a service or link
- If you send large numbers of duplicate @replies
- If you post duplicate content over multiple accounts or multiple duplicate updates on one account

If you violate even ONE of these rules, even ONE time. You might as well call it quits for Twitter, because your account may be terminated or delisted from search. Worse yet, you’ll get no customers and you’ll lose money.

Remember these 2 core LAWS of Social Media:
Success = Human Interaction
Failure = Robotic Nonsense

So, with that out of the way, let’s look at ONE way to potentially find prospects and customers on Twitter based on keyword searches. This strategy accomplishes what other systems charge hundreds of dollars for, without risking your account and for little, if any money.

STEP ONE

• Go to TweetBeep
  http://tweetbeep.com
• Open a free account.
• Read the HELP area
  http://tweetbeep.com/support.html

STEP TWO

• Set-up KEYWORD ALERTS
• Target these to your local region (if appropriate)
• AND… to keywords that might lead you to customers talking about the services you provide.
• NOTE: You can add up to 10 keywords for free (that should be plenty)

STEP THREE

• These ALERTS will be emailed to you (as tweets are found)
• OR… you may view the results (as found) within the TweetBeep admin
• Read the Tweets the system finds.

STEP FOUR

• If a tweet is found by TweetBeep and seems potentially related to your services, you can tweet them a short PERSONAL (not automated) message. Do not use the same reply message for every response.
• You should also FOLLOW this person on Twitter.
• The more HUMAN your message reads, the better. Don’t pitch, hype or try to sell directly… instead be friendly, personal and helpful. If you like, add your Free Recorded Message, but only if it seems appropriate.

THAT’S IT

You have created a Twitter Machine (ie: strategy) that automates the “locating” of potential customers, yet does not insult these potential customers with an obvious automated message. Plus, you are not violating any of Twitters rules… and DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

It’s F R E E !!

BONUS TIP: Offering a free Consumer Awareness Guide might be a good idea. But only if a customer and interaction seem appropriate. However, do NOT offer it to every Twitter user you interact with.

You can follow Dan on Twitter at: Twitter.com/DHollings
You can follow Joe on Twitter at: Twitter.com/JPolish
You can follow Lisa on Twitter at: Twitter.com/LisaTheRugChick
Connect with Piranha Marketing on Facebook at: Piranha Marketing on Facebook

A challenge I see many people face is the challenge of implementation.

There are always LOTS of ideas to act on… just sometimes there is not a lot of “action” taking place.

It’s not unlike the countless people who sign up for a gym membership who don’t go workout for months at a time.

They’ve paid for the access – but they don’t act on it. In fact, most gyms count on MOST of their members not acting, otherwise they would need to build a bigger gym to hold them all.

But when their members get serious, what do they do? They hire a personal trainer. To hold themselves accountable. To motivate them to take action.

When you pay a good chunk of change, and commit to others that you are going to “get in shape” – it makes you take action.  It uses positive pressure to get you the results you really want in your life.

And it works.

So when we had our amazing Rich Cleaner Conference last week, and offered a little “positive pressure” of our own in the form of a 90-day SuccessSprint™ of Platinum implementation training – we knew we were going to hear about some great results.

But we didn’t quite expect to hear this:

Or this:

Or really, after only one week after our Conference, to hear this:

In fact – here’s several more:

In 15 years of putting on marketing and business-building conferences, we have never had an event as valuable and inspiring as we had last week in Arizona.

If you missed it – you really did miss an incredible opportunity for access to some amazing wisdom and strategies for your company.

Lucky for you we professionally recorded the entire event, and you can purchase the DVD set, and receive all of the materials, by clicking right here at www.richcleaner.com.

Who knows… maybe with a little positive pressure, you will be one of the next people we hear from talking about how much progress you have made!

- Lisa

Rich Cleaner Boot Camp 2009

At one time, I believe this was the COOLEST cleaner on the block.

Or was it these guys?

Now come on! That brought a smile or two, right?

Don’t you love looking back to see the way things used to be? What we thought was ultra-cool, suddenly makes us ask “what were we thinking?!?” Big feathered hair and leg warmers (puhleeeez don’t remind me).

But decade to decade, styles change.  Our “packaging” changes.

Twitter, social media, mobile websites – things that most “brick and mortar” small businesses say “huh?” to, will shortly be what EVERYONE is doing.

You have to, or you are going to lose business.

For years Piranha Members have done a Carpet Audit™ presentation in the home, with a presentation folder and support materials.  It’s always worked beautifully.

But innovation happened to it and it became a DVD presentation (shown on a laptop) and then an on-line streaming video. Sales conversions AND invoice averages both went up an average of 25%.

This is HUGE.  Here’s one Member sharing his experience on the tool:

Packaging isn’t just about how you bundle your services together.  It’s about how you package yourself, your presentation, and your company. From the uniforms you wear, to your paperwork, to your tools, to your van, to your marketing material and messages, to YOU.

I can chuckle about the two “vintage” cleaning photos … or laugh at my own rug shop’s photos of our first old blue Dodge van, with duct tape as the “fix all” tool used on the front grill. Gotta love those good old days.  It’s nice to look back, laugh, and be incredibly thankful about how far we’ve come and how satisfying it is to build your own business.

If you are looking for the best tools, templates, and systems for success in the cleaning and restoration industries, mark your calendar for September 23-26 – The Rich Cleaner Conference and Trade Show.

Keep it ELF!
Lisa

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