Today is my birthday, a FREE offline biz idea for you (un-tested)

[Vikuna2009+]

Happy Birthday to me and maybe this can bring you some dough. Here's my thought:

I hate cold calling but what if you turned it into a survey? Less salesy, more of gathering information. There are various steps to this. Just follow along.

Step 1 Cold call or visit, ask if they have a "Birthday program" in place. A way to contact their buyers on their birthday. For them to be able to give something for FREE on their birthday. My GUESS is, 95% do not have it.

Step 2 Offer to design a "flier" that says that if you visit my email, give your email address, you will receive INSTANT gratification (a 50% off coupon or SOMETHING, just for joining my list) and then on your birthday, get a FREE gift (or special offer).

Step 3 Offer their friends and family the same thing.

Bottom line, instead of offering the biz owner an aweber account or saying you can design a newsletter for them, your IN would be the BIRTHDAY program.

Your thoughts?

P.s. Happy birthday to me

[Tsnyder]

I do something similar but I offer them a completely automated
system that sends out a physical greeting card as well as other
campaign cards throughout the year.

They simply log in... enter the contact info... create the campaign
and go back to what they were doing. The system sends the cards
as well as sending the business owner a reminder. The cards cost
them about a buck, including postage.

It's pretty slick.

Tsnyder

[Justin.Zimmerman]

I like the little spin you put on this. Since it is
less "salesy" I could see it being easier to get
your foot in the door. I'll have to try it.

@Tsnyder: I'm curious on the card system you
use. Is it a reseller? or your own system?

[Vikuna2009+]

Originally Posted by Tsnyder

I do something similar but I offer them a completely automated
system that sends out a physical greeting card as well as other
campaign cards throughout the year.

They simply log in... enter the contact info... create the campaign
and go back to what they were doing. The system sends the cards
as well as sending the business owner a reminder. The cards cost
them about a buck, including postage.

It's pretty slick.

Tsnyder

Hi Tsnyder,

that sounds like "send out cards" to me, which is, if I understand it right, a type of affiliate program. Yes, I have checked them out and they are great but I was a little turned off that I would have to pay somewhere around $250 to sign up (don't remember the exact amount).

MY IDEA was to do a SURVEY and ultimately sign them up for an auto-responder where THEY can themselves, send out a special greeting and YOU earn the commission for signing them up. A COMBINATION would probably be ideal.

However, if you managed to "survey" and then "sell" the auto-responder, you could THEN dwelve into other areas of their business, making even more money.

Have a great day, Eva

[Online Bliss]

Happy Birthday Vikuna2009+,

That is good advice,
that advice is why I visit this forum
I can't think of everything!
P.S. I miss the LA area, I hope the weather is better.

[Vikuna2009+]

Originally Posted by Justin.Zimmerman

I like the little spin you put on this. Since it is
less "salesy" I could see it being easier to get
your foot in the door. I'll have to try it.

@Tsnyder: I'm curious on the card system you
use. Is it a reseller? or your own system?

Hi Justin,

simply calling around without trying to sell, just asking "do you have a birthday program" will probably get you in the door. I HATE cold-calling but I see this as a door opener that could lead to other possibilities.

I was a follower of Dexx's thread and still working on all the ideas AP gave so freely but I simply can not afford direct marketing right now. That is why I thought of the "birthday program" as an non-intrusive, innocent way of calling businesses direct and build it from there.

Have a great day, Eva

[Music City Copy]

I think if you take this idea to the next level it could really be effective. Use the survey approach, but add the "we're doing this for the benefit of the industry" explanation.

For example, you could

1. Offer a free "event" positioned as "Reasons Why 97% of Businesses Fail in 10 Years Or Less." Make it either a webinar or even a pre-recorded video they could watch. Make it seem very valuable like they need to have the access code.

2. Then, show them your presentation which is front-loaded with market statistics of all the obstacles they face. Then show them all the options they have to solve these problems (use a general marketing tutorial here.) Show the downside to all the options except the last one, which is what YOU offer (Online Marketing Services).

Don't sell, just offer advice. That's how I make every sale I make. I just offer advice. I tell them how I would do it if it was me, and then I walk away. Then, they come to me. Bingo. A sale is made.

The key is getting them to come to you. So why not go to them first, offer a valuable presentation with no strings attached, and get them looking to you for expert advice. This is how the game is played. I promise.

Great idea about the survey!

[MisterMunch]

I used to get this post card from Donald Duck & Co on my birthday. Always nice (ended when I turned 18)

QXL (a huge norwegian auction site) let me have free auction listings for a month after my birthday. It helps you to get started using the system again, and will sure bring back some advertisers who stoped using them for a while. I never signed up for this though. It is part of the deal you get when you register as a seller.

[yommys01]

Happy birthday to you. Wishing you all the best on this special day. Cheers.

[Tsnyder]

Originally Posted by Justin.Zimmerman

I like the little spin you put on this. Since it is
less "salesy" I could see it being easier to get
your foot in the door. I'll have to try it.

@Tsnyder: I'm curious on the card system you
use. Is it a reseller? or your own system?

Hi Justin..

As the OP guessed, it's a reseller type system
from a company called Send Out Cards.

I have tons of businesses using it. Banks, car dealerships,
plumbers, real estate agents. They love it and it brings them
additional business through customer loyalty as well as lots
of referrals from current customers.

If you'd like to test drive the system PM me and I'll set
you up with a free account.

Tsnyder

[Tsnyder]

Originally Posted by Vikuna2009+

Hi Tsnyder,

that sounds like "send out cards" to me, which is, if I understand it right, a type of affiliate program. Yes, I have checked them out and they are great but I was a little turned off that I would have to pay somewhere around $250 to sign up (don't remember the exact amount).

MY IDEA was to do a SURVEY and ultimately sign them up for an auto-responder where THEY can themselves, send out a special greeting and YOU earn the commission for signing them up. A COMBINATION would probably be ideal.

However, if you managed to "survey" and then "sell" the auto-responder, you could THEN dwelve into other areas of their business, making even more money.

Have a great day, Eva

Yes, Eva... that's the system i use. The autoresponder idea is
good but for birthday greetings, or other special occasions, it's
hard to beat a physical greeting card for the impact it has on the
recipient.

Tsnyder

[AmyBrown]

Happy birthday!

I like the idea and agree it could be a good starting point for conversation with a business.

Some of my thoughts:

- Personally, I'd approach it one business type at a time, for example chiropractors could offer a free adjustment on their customer's birthday. In the case of a chiropractor they would already have the data so it could be used for customer reactivation.

- Day spas, Med spas, massage studios and salons are also niches I'd pursue with this opening.

- If approaching the business in person I'd have samples of an html and plain-text email as well as a postcard.

- In most cases I'd recommend only asking for dd/mm

- Pet stores and veterinarians could use a similar concept for pet birthdays.

- Here's info on how to do this with Aweber: Restaurant and Retail Marketing: Send Birthday Emails

[CliveG]

Happy Birthday,

Many people I know take holiday on their birthdays - UK thing - so that might affect (positive or negative - I don't know) the impact.

Clive

[freudianslip27]

I think that the birthday angle is fantastic. Yes, trying not to come off as "salesy" is a real challenge. I think that the birthday angle is something that people will recognize and say "why didn't I think of that". Being able to offer them a solution that is handsoff for them makes sense.

Whatever you can do to get your foot in the door and seem different than everyone else.

Matt

[Vikuna2009+]

Originally Posted by Music City Copy

I think if you take this idea to the next level it could really be effective. Use the survey approach, but add the "we're doing this for the benefit of the industry" explanation.

For example, you could

1. Offer a free "event" positioned as "Reasons Why 97% of Businesses Fail in 10 Years Or Less." Make it either a webinar or even a pre-recorded video they could watch. Make it seem very valuable like they need to have the access code.

2. Then, show them your presentation which is front-loaded with market statistics of all the obstacles they face. Then show them all the options they have to solve these problems (use a general marketing tutorial here.) Show the downside to all the options except the last one, which is what YOU offer (Online Marketing Services).

Don't sell, just offer advice. That's how I make every sale I make. I just offer advice. I tell them how I would do it if it was me, and then I walk away. Then, they come to me. Bingo. A sale is made.

The key is getting them to come to you. So why not go to them first, offer a valuable presentation with no strings attached, and get them looking to you for expert advice. This is how the game is played. I promise.

Great idea about the survey!

Great idea, will take it into consideration, lol

[Vikuna2009+]

Originally Posted by MisterMunch

I used to get this post card from Donald Duck & Co on my birthday. Always nice (ended when I turned 18)

QXL (a huge norwegian auction site) let me have free auction listings for a month after my birthday. It helps you to get started using the system again, and will sure bring back some advertisers who stoped using them for a while. I never signed up for this though. It is part of the deal you get when you register as a seller.

Kind of stupid on tem thoug, ending it as you turned 18. Don't they realixe that you are getting into your mature years, wanting to eventuaally bring your kids there? Go figure

[Chris Lagarde]

Originally Posted by freudianslip27

I think that the birthday angle is fantastic. Yes, trying not to come off as "salesy" is a real challenge.

I'm intrigued by this idea. It could be a nice Freemium to offer. Here's a few thoughts to make it workable:

• Outsource the setup
• How does the birthday data get entered? By the customer/prospect, on their own time after they leave the business (not likely), or by staff via a web form you can setup for them (better control over the process)?
  • Would Get Response, or Aweber, accept multiple signups from the same IP address even to different email addresses? The same IP address would typically show up if the business staff are the ones entering in the customer data.
• Each business would need to have a custom birthday greeting designed. Again, this can be outsourced.
• How would you handle possible misunderstanding that you won't be sending their customers those awful e-cards? Perhaps that's why you want the show-and-tell examples
• You will need to clearly spell out the advantages for the business.
• What's your upsell? Make a list and be sure to check in regularly. Definitely Send Out Cards would be a good upsell (Full disclosure: I do not sell Send Out Cards although I've been using it for personal and business use for the last few years.)
• Rather than lead with this, use it as a freemium offer after you've given a talk, or done something else where a bit of trust has already been earned. It wouldn't be worth the time and effort of overcoming the repient's initial skepticism if you start off with this offer.

Being able to offer them a solution that is handsoff for them makes sense.

Whatever you can do to get your foot in the door and seem different than everyone else.

Matt

Best to be prepared to offer a mostly handsoff solution for an upcharge. But now, a service they may not believe will work for them (initially), is now costing the business something.

[Chris Lagarde]

A possible upsell would be SendPepper which combines email and postcard marketing.

[Vikuna2009+]

Originally Posted by freudianslip27

I think that the birthday angle is fantastic. Yes, trying not to come off as "salesy" is a real challenge. I think that the birthday angle is something that people will recognize and say "why didn't I think of that". Being able to offer them a solution that is handsoff for them makes sense.

Whatever you can do to get your foot in the door and seem different than everyone else.

Matt

That was my thought too. Instead of being a pushy "sales person" you would be perceived as a positive thinker, lol. Personally, this is something I could easily do, not being a pushy sales person

Originally Posted by AmyBrown

Happy birthday!

I like the idea and agree it could be a good starting point for conversation with a business.

Some of my thoughts:

- Personally, I'd approach it one business type at a time, for example chiropractors could offer a free adjustment on their customer's birthday. In the case of a chiropractor they would already have the data so it could be used for customer reactivation.

- Day spas, Med spas, massage studios and salons are also niches I'd pursue with this opening.

- If approaching the business in person I'd have samples of an html and plain-text email as well as a postcard.

- In most cases I'd recommend only asking for dd/mm

- Pet stores and veterinarians could use a similar concept for pet birthdays.

- Here's info on how to do this with Aweber: Restaurant and Retail Marketing: Send Birthday Emails

Hi Amy,

thanks for the article. I've bolded one of your sentences above and I suppose that it stands for only asking for date and month and NOT year, right? Could you spell it out in full, thank you, Eva

[AmyBrown]

Originally Posted by Vikuna2009+

Hi Amy,

thanks for the article. I've bolded one of your sentences above and I suppose that it stands for only asking for date and month and NOT year, right? Could you spell it out in full, thank you, Eva

Yes, in most cases I'd only ask for month and day, not year. For reasons of vanity or privacy people can be reluctant to give the year.

This is an example of a sign up for a promotion I've received: CAFE FUN | eCLUB

The birthday coupon was $10 off a $20 purchase with a 2 week redemption period.

[Vikuna2009+]

The birthday coupon was $10 off a $20 purchase with a 2 week redemption period.

Besides Mimi's sending a birthday coupon, do they also send you regular email newsletters throughout the year? That was my thinking when setting up a biz with an auto-responder.

[AmyBrown]

Looking back they sent promotions for Thanksgiving, Christmas/holidays, New Years, Superbowl, and two for Valentine's day.

[Vikuna2009+]

Originally Posted by AmyBrown

Looking back they sent promotions for Thanksgiving, Christmas/holidays, New Years, Superbowl, and two for Valentine's day.

Coming from a nation-wide franchise, that's not bad, they forgot Easter though, lol

If the restaurant you are targeting is individually owned, there are TONS of seasonal reasons to send out a special but instead of just pumping out coupons, setting them up with an auto responder were they get personal and introduces the chef, new staff, any additions to the menu, Tuesday Night special for v.i.p. members and so forth, would probably bring higher loyalty.

[Jagged]

Originally Posted by Tsnyder

Yes, Eva... that's the system i use. The autoresponder idea is
good but for birthday greetings, or other special occasions, it's
hard to beat a physical greeting card for the impact it has on the
recipient.

Tsnyder

A customer receiving a free dinner for their birthday has more impact....can't eat a card...lol

Birthday clubs for restaurants increase sales....give away one meal for free....who eats alone...specially on their birthday? Usually come in groups of 4 or more....thats 3 additional dinners sold, plus drinks, plus desert, plus tips for the serving staff to make them even happrier....it's a win-win all around.

An autoresponder is a "must have tool" for local restaurants. The trick is getting them to understand that....

• Birthday / anniversary clubs
• Holiday extended hours announcements
• Holiday menu changes or additions
• Holiday offline party space announcements to local businesses
• Happy hour specials
• Lunch / dinner specials
• Customer appreciation breeds customer loyalty
• Contests, other customer reward program announcments
• Employment opportunities
• Local business awards...(best burger in town, best chinese restaurant 2010, best pizza, etc...)
• Community news, team sponsorships

Show the restaurant owner (or any business owner) the possibilities & ROI it offers...thats what they understand....

*Happy Be-lated Birthday Eva

~Ken