It’s the household chore we all love to hate; scrubbing the oven. Despite this vital appliance working overtime catering for our busy, hungry households, when it comes to maintenance many of us put it off for as long as possible. It’s not the nicest of tasks but, for health and safety reasons, someone has to roll up their sleeves, don rubber gloves and do the job.
James Booker loves the fact that people hate cleaning their ovens. Since taking over the Oven Wizards franchise for Ashford and Maidstone, he now has a thriving business built on excellent recommendations. His cleaning services are much sought after.
Previously a Supermarket Manager, James first ventured into business ownership in 2004 when he took over the running of the Time for You franchise in Ashford. The franchisors were successful husband and wife team Freddie and Ruth Rayner, who founded not one, but three, home cleaning franchises, Time for You, Oven Wizards and Bone Dry. In 2006 James decided to add Oven Wizards to his business portfolio. He explains why he feels the service is so popular:
“Basically it’s a horrible job that no-one wants to do, people literally put cleaning their oven on the back-burner. Our specialist cleaning products and trained cleaners can do the job quickly, thoroughly and professionally. Once customers agree to try the service and trust you to come into their home, they always come back and recommend us to their friends and family.”
James speaks highly of his colleague, franchisor Freddie Rayner, “Freddie and his wife have been very supportive of my business from the start.” Like his fellow franchisees, James relies on leafleting to market his cleaning company to drive customers to look at the website and contact him. In 2004 he met Andrew Frisby, franchisee for DOR-2-DOR Kent and enlisted him to build awareness of his new ‘oven gleaming’ service.
What were you looking to achieve with your leaflet campaign?
“To create a client base and build awareness of my business. You need to consistently leaflet households time and time again to maintain your brand awareness.”
What format is the leaflet and who designed and printed it?
“The leaflets were designed and printed at Head Office.”
What areas did your campaign cover?
“We targeted selected areas in Ashford and the surrounding area.”
What results did you see?
“Time and time again we have received a very good response. I can tell when an area has been targeted because the phone will ring accordingly. 65% of our new business we achieve through leafleting. On average 50% of all initial enquiries become repeat customers who recommend us to others.”
Would you recommend DOR-2-DOR?
“Yes, I have done. Andrew knows how to target the customers who would appreciate my service. The campaign is executed within a tight time frame, the service is reliable. Andrew is a genuinely nice guy, personable and knowledgeable about sales and marketing.”
