No Question Is Too Dumb — Some Of The Weirdest Questions Customers Have Asked:

Any business that has stood the test of time has stories of weird questions customers have asked. We suspect, though, that movers might have a few more, simply because we spend more time face to face with customers, in their homes, than most business people do.

Of course, there are no stupid questions, and all names will be omitted to protect our customers’ privacy, but there were certainly some questions that made us giggle:

Why do My Movers Hate Me?

This question came after a particularly grueling day. It was hot, the elevator broke down for an hour, and there were some last minute additions to the move. At that point, the movers simply wanted to get the job done. Their faces may have been stern, but it was out of sheer determination. Ironically, this particular customer was a delight. The movers didn’t hate her at all.

Can You Move My Wallace, My Snake?

Once again, not a stupid question. Unfortunately, we can’t move any pets, even the more common four-legged kinds. They are best moved in the car.

Can My Child Ride in Your Truck?

Kids love big trucks. Who can blame them, they are a lot of fun. However, for liability reasons, we are not allowed to carry passengers in the truck.

Why Do I Need to Hire a Mover When I Can Move Myself?

That’s actually a very good question, and the answer is, you can move yourself. Hiring a moving company is like any other service, though. You pay a little (you’d be surprised at how little) extra for the convenience. When you add in the massages or chiropractic appointments you’ll need after moving yourself, it probably about evens out, with a lot less stress on your shoulders.

Can You Take Apart This _________________?

If the disassembly is simple, such as a bed or some table legs, we’ll absolutely take that apart for you. If it took you several hours, instructions (which have since been lost), and an entire tool kit to put it together, it’s best left to people who do that for a living. We might be able to help you find that person, though.

Why is there a Window of Time for Arrival?

We always provide a window of time, just to cover us in case of traffic or if there’s a hold up at our warehouse. Afternoon moves typically have a longer window because we’ll arrive after the morning move.

What if it Rains?

That is definitely not a stupid question. Rain happens. It happens a lot in Bay Area winters. We always prepare ourselves with lots of plastic wrap and booties to protect your floors.

Can You Tune My Piano for Me?

Sorry, but you wouldn’t want us to do that. We recommend always tuning your piano after a move.

Can’t You Just Keep My Stuff on Your Truck for a Few Days?

It’s more common than you might imagine that customers need to be out of their old place before they can move into their new one. We might be able to store your items on our truck for a single night, but beyond that, we’ll move it into our storage.

Featured image via MaxPixel

9 Loose Ends To Tie Up Before Moving Season

With moving season around the corner, now’s the time to be focusing on your marketing & sales efforts. The efforts you put in now will make a big difference when the seasonal moving surge starts to unfold.

Here are a few areas to review when getting ready for the busy season.

Audit Your Website – Act Like A Visitor

Many of your prospects will land on your website as a first touch into your sales funnel. One of the best ways to make sure you’re attracting their business is by acting as if you’re one of those prospects.

Your visitor is considering having a company come in and handle all their life’s possessions. Does your website give the feeling of trust & comfort on first impression? Is your contact info easy to find? Can someone easily fill out a form to request free moving estimate? Does your website render correctly on tablets & mobile devices?

Listings & Contact Info

It’s likely you have listings on sites like Yelp, Yp.com, HomeAdvisor etc. Is your contact info consistent across these platforms? If your info is incorrect, not only will you miss out on leads, but search engines like Google won’t be able to verify your business in that location when they crawl these listing sites. Consistent NAPW (Name, Address, Phone, Website) across these listings websites will help you rank higher in local search results.

Audit Your Moving Leads

If you’re buying moving leads, it’s time to audit which providers have been working for you and which have not. Ditch the ones you know haven’t been working and consider trying a few new ones.

Audit Your Sales System

If you’re getting quality leads and not booking at least 20-30% of those leads, it’s time to start looking at your sales process and filling those holes.

Gather Your Email List & Get Your Email Newsletter Running

A few months before moving season is a great time to get your email list together to start marketing to your happy previous customers and realtor/referral contacts.

Email newsletter marketing is an outbound marketing effort that increases your repeat & referral business from your growing list of satisfied clients & referral connections.

When it’s time to get your newsletter going, consider Moversville. We’re a full-service email newsletter marketing agency built just for moving companies. We create and manage branded email newsletters for movers and streamline them into an already proven email marketing system. Learn More

Review & Increase Your Mailers Marketing

For many movers, sending mailers to local homes for sale has been part of their marketing efforts for the entire life of their company. Since moving season is around the corner, consider increasing the amount of times you send your mailers. For movers we work with, we’ve heard that sending 2 mailers to new homes for sale (a week a part) and 2 mailers to new pending homes (a week a part) is the sweet spot.

Get Your Moving Crew Involved with Your Marketing

If you haven’t already, now is the time to get your crew involved with your marketing. Your crew can take on the job pictures & videos of your company in action. Pictures & videos increase trust & comfort to your prospects who are visiting your website, Yelp profile, social media profiles, and other areas on the internet.

You can also bring these photos with you on a tablet on visual surveys to show the customer what they can expect on moving day.

Hire A Local Videographer

Hiring a videographer to put together sales videos for your moving company is a great investment. Videos can be cut and put together to be put on your website, social media, inserted into your sales process/emails etc.

A one-time investment of this can provide your moving company visual marketing material online for years and years. You can easily find professional videographers in your area on LinkedIn. Hiring a big company may cost extra and they’ll probably do a good job, but you can just as easily find someone in your area that can produce what you’re looking for and will be less expensive.

Get Your Sales People On LinkedIn & Connect With Local Realtors, Property Managers etc.

LinkedIn is the internet’s most popular professional social platform. With LinkedIn, you can connect and network with realtors, property managers etc. in your area – More info about LinkedIn Marketing on our LinkedIn Networking Method For Movers article.

List of Things You Need to Do 2 Days Before Moving Day

There are just two days left before you say goodbye to your old bedroom, your old backyard where you had some great barbecues and neighborhood parties, and to the familiar sounds of your old neighborhood. Probably by now, you're ready to go, just wishing it would all be over, anticipating the new start. But hold on; are some things you need to take care of before the movers or moving truck arrives.

Defrost Your Refrigerator and Freezer

To prepare your fridge for moving, clean it well then allow it to dry for at least 24 hours. If you're moving your refrigerator yourself, make sure you have all the necessary tools to do so.

Check to Make Sure You Have All Vital Documents

Vital documents should always stay with you rather than moving with the truck or moving company. Such documents include passport (if needed), directions, maps, credit cards, bank cards, cash, new keys, rental agreement (if needed), etc.

Keep All Documents Related to Your Move Within Easy Reach

Make sure you have your documents easily accessible so they won't get lost in the current chaos of your move. It's easy to lose small things while packing up your home. Keep a space for things you don't want to lose. A kitchen drawer that's already been cleaned out and packed or on top of the fridge or in the car's glove compartment.

Pack up a Box of Items You'll Need When You Get to Your New Place

You should always prepare an essentials box - a box full of stuff you'll need for the first night or two in your new home. This is where I'll store my coffee maker, coffee, tea, cups, dish towel and all my cleaning supplies, including dish soap. I also make sure I pack some paper towels or cleaning sponges. Get a full list of essentials to include.

Check Your Home Is Ready for the Move

Call the city or your apartment manager to confirm that the moving truck has permission to park in front of the building or in the driveway to ensure you have the right permit and that there's room for the truck. If the parking is not secured, you could end up paying an auxiliary fee which can be extremely expensive and cause unnecessary delays. If you don't have room for the truck to park, make sure you notify the movers to let them know what size truck can be parked in the space. 

Disassemble Last Pieces of Furniture, Including the Beds

If you haven't hired full-service movers or you're moving yourself, then you'll need to make sure all furniture is disassembled and ready to move. You'll have to sleep on just the mattress for your final night, but this will save you time in the morning. There's nothing more frustrating than waiting until the morning of your move to discover that you don't have the right tools to take the bed apart, or that it doesn't come apart very easily. You also don't want to end up paying the movers to take the bed apart, or you'll end up paying extra moving fees. 

Close All Bank Accounts If You Haven't Done so Already

Or if you're transferring to another account in a new city, call your bank to confirm that the transfer has been set up. Also, close any safe deposit boxes you may have and pack your valuables with your vital documents. You could purchase a safe box to take with you; remember if you're driving, carry it with you into hotels or slip it into a bag if you leave your vehicle. 

Pack up your computer and all peripherals, including printer and other home office items that you were using up until now.