MarlboroMonkey

Let's talk about some SMS Marketing (some more!)!

My short story: I'm yet another hopeful entrepreneur looking to start my first ever business in the mobile marketing arena. I'm pretty much already dominating my local market in relevant keywords, but I haven't settled on my "main dish" of SMS Marketing yet.

I'm also currently in the "Paralysis by over analysis" stage, so give an alcoholic some alcohol and let's discuss the merits of totally managing our clients SMS campaigns, or letting them do their own via the white-label panel most providers on the market offer.

Furthermore, if you're doing the managing, how to do you accomplish that? Just have your client email you the text they want to go out every day? Once a week on Mondays?

Finally, if you're doing the managing, how would you feel about using an SMS provider's normal services on behalf of your client instead of signing up for their white-label and paying a chunk of change monthly?

This thread was inspired by DEaFeYe's thread here.

Aaron Doud

I'm considering doing this on the side of my main job and calling it semi-managed. Basically have them tell me what deals they want to offer but have me handle managing the backend so they don't have to be trained on this.

By calling it semi-managed it allows you to charge more than DIY. It allows you to land more customers because if they wanted to do it themselves they would be already. Most business don't have the time. And finally it allows you to upself a full managed program where you offer consulting and help them plan ad campaigns and track ROI.

Winson Ng

Thanks for the valuable info, Aaron..cheers

Regards,
ThinkMaverick

Winson NG
CEO/Founder of http://thinkmaverick.com
Online Business & Entrepreneurship News, Advice, Strategy Think Maverick
Information to guide start-up entrepreneurs to grow and strategically manage a small business online, using market researched Intelligence.

Lmr1

IMO, I truly believe we need to take care of the campaign for our client...There are many reasons I go this route.
Let's say you sell "Joe" of "Joe's Pizza"......
He already has a ton of responsibilities on a daily basis.
We do not need to increase his stress level...... and WE want his SMS campaign to be something he sees profit from and is happy about.
Also, we are the consultant's...it is what we do. We need to consult and listen, create an awesome campaign, then we need to manage that campaign for "Joe"...
We are educated and aware of the best practices when doing a SMS campaign, we have the knowledge of what to do and what not to do. We know the frequency of texts sent in order to be productive and effective.
"Joe" is not the consultant and it is not his job. He may get flustered, he may send out too many, he may not know the inside info we know and it could end up hurting him in the end. The only way we can insure a successful campaign is to take care of it for "Joe" so he sees a great ROI, and tells everyone he knows about it. That can end up in a referral or two for you. But on the otherhand if it is left up to "Joe", and he has a bad experience for whatever reason and shares this with other people...then there is a jaded opinion that could have been saved by stepping up to the plate and doing what we are suppossed to do.
We want the business owner to have a good experience with their SMS campaign and tell others.
You can sit down and listen and discuss ideas about current promos they are using, what works for them and what does not work.
You can take a calendar and work in 3 month increments and plan the campaign right then and there for "Joe".
Then make copies and give to him so he is aware of when you are sending out the campaigns...He could have a copy in his office and maybe near the register so they know when they are going to have the busier days that month.
It will only take about an hour to do this every three months....(meeting with the biz owner)...
Now this is not to say he cannot throw a new coupon or savings into the mix that was not on the calendar...
say a special holiday comes up and he wants to really make it a big day for himself and his customers.
He could text you, email you, or call you... and tell you what he wants to send out.
You tweak it and make it work then send him a copy of and get his approval and send it out.
But the 3 month pre plan is a good way to go. He is aware, you are aware, and everyone can work smoothly together.
Again, there may be a few times that he needs to inject revenue quickly, maybe get rid of inventory that is about to expire, or for whatever reason....he can contact you and you can take care of it.
But for the majority you can have it already planned out and you can manage your end much more efficiently!
Oh yea...and one more point, he makes more money this way and so do YOU!
Profit is not a dirty word and if you are making him a good return you are earning your keep and everyone is happy!
Just my opinion, I do wish you the best!

MarlboroMonkey

Thanks Lmr! That's some good points you raise and I'm definitely leaning that way myself. I was planning on trying to use something like Basecamp but not sure if I can get clients on board with something like that yet.

RubenJames

I haven't stepped into the SMS part of the biz yet...still studying it.

BUT...I think that "one hour every three months...with occasional blasts"...is a bit Idyllic... :rolleyes:

I do NOT want to become a "$29 a month maintenance/SMS employee"... especially once I have a good sized stable of clients!

It seems that pretty much ALL of my time would be in servicing SMS...and NOT finding new clients!

Can anyone out there, with REAL WORLD experience with SMS and "Do it all for the client" give us a peek into what Really Happens with this scenario?

Thanks!

Ruben James

Lmr1

Maybe I was not clear in my post....I am from the real world with real world experience...Someone can be hired to do the blasts for you that you have sold to your clients and pay them a fair wage while you are out pounding the pavement to find new customers....when the time comes...
let us be real here folks it does not take a long long time to perform a blast for your client.
Also, I am not sure what part of my post made you think I did not or do not have real world experience. I have seen a ton of posts on here that people are doing the same thing that I do and there is a point that they will hire help if need be and that is 100 clients for me. It does not take a long time to perform this task for the client. If you plan your day and know what your day holds....
And what I meant by the hour or so every three months was that I meet with my clients on that basis and take about an hour of their time to chat and catch up on the next three month increment of the campaign and see what they want to do if anything diff....
We send out 4-6 per month, whick is pretty standard and it is working for a lot of businesses...
And who said anything about 29.00/monthly...? Profit is not a dirty word and I am making a great living since I started this.
Trust me my clients are seeing a terrific ROI, far surpasses anything they have invested in prior.
I own my own business. I have people that sell for me and it is working.

I just do not like when people are so ready to attack and read into what other people say and assume a whole lot of things...we all know what assuming does!

Hope this makes my point a little clearer , if not let me know.

RubenJames

Whoa! Calm down there, Big Fella!

No need to get your pantaloons in a bind ... obviously, UN-intentionally, I have "chapped your hide" ... I Apologize!

I commend you for being a SUCCESS!

I want to learn from your Experience!

So...what DO you charge monthly to your clients to have your employees do the SMS grunt-work? :confused:

And...what have you found to be the Best way to find new clients? Cold-calling, email, flyers, etc. :confused:

Thanking you in advance,

Ruben James

Lmr1

Apology accepted.....I am fine. Your post seemed a little assumptive on your part that is only reason I set the record straight is all.
A ton of clients have actually been warm market to be honest...some flyers. some referrals...a few cold calls into the biz.
I recently got rolling, and I charge 250.00 per month.
I include table tents and other signage to get them rolling. I include info to all the staff that outlines what they are about to promote and educate them.
I have found that sometimes the take away is bigger than the push with local businesses...and that is ok with me. I leave my info with them, a flyer and biz card and I am on my way. Time is of the essence and that is when I move on. I pay my reps 25% and they are 1099'ed.
SMS is the best, greenest, most targeted way to get to the customer. There is nothing else that can catch them regardless of their location. It is not a matter of "if"...it is a matter of "when" these businesses will get a SMS campaign going...why not you and your campaign? GO in and get 'em....if not right away they will call and you can get them rolling. All is cool. I do appreciate the sincerity in your post. Thank you sir....have a great night everyone...

MarlboroMonkey

Out of curiosity, which SMS provider or solution do you use Lmr?

Also, thanks for the heads up on Freedcamp Deafeye!

RubenJames

Wow! I'm GLAD I asked for your advice!

There was a LOT of info and even MORE Inspiration!

Thank you for that...I've tucked it away in my "Most Important" notebook!

Best to you!

Ruben James

Lmr1

Thank you for that. I target bars, restaurants, nightclubs, bowling alleys, churches, etc......
The 3 month prep plan works well for me and my clients.... It creates a plan. It allows them to have the info on their person and a great thing to do is see what holidays are coming up in that time frame and go all out for specials, coupons...
it is a great way to build loyalty and show the customer you appreciate them. I never go over 8 blasts a month as you do not want to inundate your customers. Average like I said is closer to 4 ish.....to 5...
You need to give value for value. Their cell numbers are the most precious thing a business owner can get from them so you need to guide your client to show value for that and not send out lame promos and disappoint the customer. There needs to be relevance and also, VALUE!!!
That is what it is all about! It is like saying thank you for your number, I will treat you right and send you great SMS promos for you taking a leap and allowing us that info!
It is about value, and timing as well...It is about knowing this method is sooooooo powerful and taking advantage of it.
Anyone doing this know that you have something of great value here that 99% of businesses will have eventually...
I have a brother of mine who lives in Texas and has made his living honestly and I have never seen anyone turn him down with what he sells....he is a velvet hammer and is never afraid to ask the question and close the sale. I learned that lesson years ago. It is not personal. Some owners will take longer than others to decide. Some will jump right in. The key is knowing when to walk away with a smile and a handshake and tell them thank you and move on....leave a card and they may call.
Sometimes in life it has to be on their time. It may be a power struggle for them. We all have our operational difficulties.....no biggee!
Life is short. Go get em and change your bank account, and their bank account!
It is awesome to know you are doing something legit for people and they are reaping like you!
A great feeling!! Take care guys and gals!

JToneyUK

That seems pretty steep to charge for restaurants and bars!! With each customer being relatively "low value" in terms of how much each customer or group of customers will spend, they need the SMS blast to bring in a big number of customers to just break even.

Lmr1

Well it may seem that way but I am not going into diners and low end types of places. These are places that have it to spend and make that back in an evening plus. I did a lot of research on here before I set up pricing and there are a ton of people that want to give this service away. I am earning it and my clients are happy. I do not understand why 250 per month is an issue to a biz owner who will make many times that within any given month. It is about the ROI.....not the actual amount. Have not had one person bark at that price yet. If you build value and show them the power of this service there is no issue at all.
I owned my own brick n mortar biz a few years back and paid 500 per month for a clipper mag run and lost my shirt. That was highway robbery!!!
I cut that price in half for clients. I am at their disposal and I do not disappear from them. I do not get why people think that is too much when I have seen others say they charge upwards of 500 per month.....
I knew there would be someone here that would inject that comment.....and it is fine you can have your opinion....
Did I mention this is unlimited for them? No per message fees.......
All inclusive so to speak for the 250...we DO NOT punish you for growing your list....
so there ya have it.... It is working for me and I believe it is more than fair.....business 101...All about the ROI!!!!!!
I have businesses that have reported making a few thousand off of their 250 they pay me...it is fair and if anything people need to take a look at what they are doing and know it is ok to make money off of what you are doing if you are honest and treating them well....make some money people....the business owners are! Go for it and know what you are selling has tremendous value!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a great day!

JToneyUK

Yeah, right after I posted that message I kinda thought about it ROI wise. A mid to high end restaurant would just need around 5 separate parties of 4 or more customers via the SMS service in the month to cover that month fee. You'd expect that several blasts of say 100 texts per month should bring in more than 5 parties.

So the return should defo be worth that investment.

Lmr1

Now your talking JToney!!! that is exactly right sir. Spot on and people are having great results. It is so powerful if they know how to use correctly!
Thank you.

Lo6icsense

LMR...who do you use for a platform? I was thinking about going with avid mobile white label...but the monthly payment kinda sucks...what do you think?

TJ Rose

I really don't think the biz owner wants another task on his/her plate to manage. Just have them text you what they to blast and send yourself.

FREE "21 Step Report To Position Yourself As An Expert to Offline Clients"
-------->>>>http://goo.gl/gojkt

ElenaEn

Most small business owners don't have time to learn how to use a new system (or even remember their login into 10+ "self-managed" DYI systems).
The value for them is to be able to call you and be done.
You are the oil-changing guy of the mobile marketing world : )

TJ Rose

Also, if you completely managed their SMS blasts then you don't have to bother with White Label platforms.

FREE "21 Step Report To Position Yourself As An Expert to Offline Clients"
-------->>>>http://goo.gl/gojkt

IWelcomesocialmedia

Thanks for that LMr1

I am in the process of doing this In fact just starting out and need all the tips i can get. This week i went to see a prospect (my first one for SMS) It was interesting conversation indeed. when it got to the price thing mmmm ... I stumbled a bit (I guess that bit is still not very clear to me) But however , i was out there seeing the prospect. It turn out that they want me to manage the SMS, Facebook, SEO and mobilise website. He also said If i make a good job in 3 months he will give me the other 3 restaurants to do. WOW .... Now i am scratching my head a bit on the SMS pricing thing. With the others it will be a piece of cake, like the FB, SEO, etc.... Just this whole SMS thing is so new to me.

MarlboroMonkey

What I'm doing is going to use a non white label platform and mark up about 300 percent for pricing and managing everything including strategy.

frankhill

Lmr

....I'm a noob to this forum. This thread is just my speed. I am going to jump into the mobile marketing arena. I am soooo green. Any tips for for someone like me? Pitfalls to avoid..MUST reads?

Thanks,
Frank

Lmr1

Hello Frank!

Let me know if you are going to target SMS or exactly what you are looking to do and we are all here to help. Is that your area of interest?
There are some good websites and videos and this forum as well will give you a ton of good info! Wishing you the best.

frankhill

Lmr

I plan on targeting SMS for sure, and very likely sell mobile websites.

Thanks
Frank

85kevin85

Definitely outsource the work. With the direction mobile marketing is going and booming, nobody needs to manage it themselves or will have time at first. Let somebody else do it. Then years down the road when things have cooled down and you have the experience go ahead and manage it yourself.

It's about about how early you get in...right?

yanbotha

Mobile sms marketing is become more famous today and many of business promotion is done on mobile through sms marketing and also it provide the two way communication between customer and the company. so every company have to do that which make easy for client .

Dmagnet

I totally agree with your concept of ROI. If the business is making ROI the monthly investment is negligible. If they aren't seeing this ROI then it is considered an expense in the client's mind. So, I like to educate the client on the lifetime or even an annualized value of a customer. I always do this before we start the campaign. I use their numbers (average spent, customer frequency, etc).

One customer that spends $20 per week and frequents the business weekly is worth about $1000/year gross. When the client understand these numbers it is much easier to retain the business. Also, keep in mind we can also increase the frequency of visits and the average ad spend per visit.

One question LMR...

I know that most businesses won't get a huge list of subscribers, however, your $250/mo price point would concern me a little. Here is why. Let's say you sign up a nightclub. It is not unreasonable for a decent nightclub to build a list of 1000 subscribers. If we are sending 6-8 messages per month that is 6000-8000 messages per month. After paying 25% and outsourcing the campaign management the expenses will be more than the revenue. Have you considered this yet. Perhaps you may want to cap the total and then charge an overage beyond this cap.

I'm really curious to see your response on this.

BTW...This is a really great thread. Thanks to all of you for your valuable contributions.

Dmagnet

I agree with this if it can be done properly. However, one of the greatest benefits of sending a message through SMS to a business is the timing factor. Let's use a restaurant as an example. Many factors can cause a restaurant to have a slow day/night...Construction, weather, major local or sporting events, etc. I have a client that owns an ice cream shop. Most of the employees are kids that attend the local high school. We like to capitalize on this so after the game he will send out a message like "Congratulations Panthers on your 17-10 win! Enjoy a FREE scoop when you buy a scoop."

In this case, if you are managing the campaign can the owner reach you immediately in order to send a message? I know I do not want to/nor can I be available. So what is the solution?

My solution is that I use a white label and I manage the campaigns. I also give the client's access to the system. To make things easier I create templates for the clients and I monitor what is being sent. I educate the owners on how to use the system for last minute broadcasts. If I were manage the campaign without giving them the ability to send messages on the fly then I would not be fully leveraging the power of SMS marketing.

HawaiianSon

We only offer managed sms services for our clients. When we tried DIY accounts, we found that the "do-it-yourself" business owners would not work the system and drop out after a few months. I think they are too busy with their business and sms is just another thing to remember to do. So we stopped offering any DIY sms services.

As far as pricing, if you show the value of your services and give realistic ROI examples, price should not be too much of an objection. We charge $297 / month plus overage after 3,000 messages and recommend no more than 6 messages / month. Anymore than that and you get too many opt outs.

Hope my 2c helps!

lanew

Here is what I do. I have client pay for set up cost, etc, and then I train them on the service. I let them run their campaign with a monthly retainer fee for my expertise. I have 5 clients out of 7 that manage their won sms campaigns, however, all 5 have me on a $150 retainer that gets them 2 hours a month of my time. If they want extra campaign help, then I charge $85.00 hour. I've been doing this for three years and it works for me. I always let a client run their marketing if they want. One of two things occur, the realize how hard it is and they come begging me to run it for them and then I charge a premium, because now they see the value, or they are successful with it, enjoy it and value you for giving them that opportunity, and then they will gladly pay you as a consultant. You can addon service and consult, too!

Be well,

Lane

Lmr1

Awesome!
It is good to hear someone offering this service at a solid price for themselves and everyone is making money the whole way around!
Sounds like you got a good handle on what the market can bare and it is awesome that it is working for you!!
Wishing you all the best....:-)

TrustedInfo

All but one of my DIY SMS clients (mostly restaurants) are failing to reach anything near their potential and some have all but stopped using the user friendly system we have in place for them.
I was charging about $50 a month for unlimited SMS, which they jumped at, but even after I supplied initial signage and table tents they failed to keep it going.
I see now I need to up my price and provide more management. Having an unlimited list, unlimited message package makes it a much easier sale and you would think they would realize the benefits of building their list, but the day to day challenges of running the business overtake their marketing priorities.

JToneyUK

It seems that restaurant owners are too busy to think about or manage SMS campaigns. A lot of the time the owner of the place is actually the head chef, so it'd be no surprise that it is the case.

For some people, it may not seem hugely profitable to manage SMS campaigns, but it's so easy to set up, maintain and manage if done properly it would take very little time.

So long as you lay down some agreements such as scheduling meetings and arranging the blasts in advance with the business owners, managing 20 business at say £150-200 a month each would be a great income for a very managable service which I doubt would require too many man hours per week.

The only downfall is as said above a restaurant owner suddenly wants a blast at 7pm on a slow day/night and you are just not available to do it for them. This is where you need to make it clear what the service you are providing is. I would tell them to inform you of a planned SMS blast by 4pm on the day if they want for that evening or something like that. It is not reasonable for them to expect you to be able to do them the service after your working hours are over.

Lmr1

Very good point made about letting the biz owner know the hours that we are actually available to them...I tell them 9am to 9pm.
That pretty much covers the day and makes me truly avail for half of the day...lol
And also I like the 9pm timeframe for the bars that have SMS up and running and they may (at the last minute) want to run a special or make an announcement or whatever and I let them know from the gate 9pm is my latest avail and they sign contract and initial that spot accordingly...
There has to be a clear, concise timeframe from the beginning so no one feels taken advantage of and so I do not have to worry after the time that I outlined...
It is going to be different for everyone. In no way would 9-9 work for everyone. It just works for me. But it was a great point brought up and make it clear from the beginning so there are no surprises! :-)
Great topic folks....

mcfcok

Evening guys

Some great debate/ideas in this thread! What sort of contract do any of you have clients sign and what billing option do you supply? I'm a noobie to so any info is great. I'm UK based btw

Best

Dave

Nick Surran

I like the hybrid approach. I think managing the bulk of your clients' campaigns is important for retaining your clients for a long time and providing the ROI you promise. As many have said, complete DIY clients don't work the system and drop off after a couple months saying "it doesn't work".

I also want my client to be able to send "on demand" messages to bring in customers during those unexpected slow times. However, I don't want to have to manually send these messages for them and be available at a moment's notice for 12 hours per day.

You can provide managed SMS marketing services to your clients with either a normal advertiser account or with a white label account. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I chose to go with a white label solution from Lime Cellular, and I have become a raving fan of their service.

I am able to set up each of my clients with an individual account and then choose whether to send them login information or not. I can even allow them to send "on demand" messages to their list via the cell phone registered with their account WITHOUT giving them a login to their dashboard. They can send messages to their list any time and don't need to have a PC with internet access handy.

So, I'm able to work out a scheduled series of messages to go out over the next 12 weeks as the "managed" portion of my service, and at the same time my clients are able to send out extra messages as needed. Then every three months we'll meet and plan out the next three months.

I think Lime Cellular is the best white label SMS marketing platform.

Tarsha

Thanks for starting this timely thread. I've gotten some info from Lime Cellular, but I'm a little confused about the difference between their $150 and $300 programs. I mean that in the sense of cost/benefit. I truly don't see the benefit of a white label account if you plan to manage all your client's accounts (especially when first starting). Am I missing something?

I have a question about building a client's list. Lmr1 or anyone who can answer it, do you purchase the marketing material (flyers, table tents) yourself, or is that the responsibility of the client? Also, what does the 3 month plan consist of?

I've tried searching for books and other info about SMS marketing, but information seems to be limited. However, I've gotten valuable some info from the forum. I feel like I have the pieces of the puzzle, but am uncertain of how to put it all together. I want to be thoroughly prepared and confident before presenting myself before a client.

ETA: Also, does anyone use QR codes in conjunction with their SMS business? I like the idea of QR codes, but it seems that consumers are not as enthusiastic about them.

HypeText

Selling DIY services is tantamount to taking your car in for a Transmission rebuild and the Shop selling you a tool box and saying "go ahead a fix it".

Small businesses are good at their Business, not ours. That's why companies pay out big bucks to marketing firms to handle their marketing for them.

Mobile Marketing is no different. We are supposed to be the experts and that is what justifies charging legitimate fees for the management of accounts.

Mobile should, in my opinion, ALWAYS be managed.

Why? Because just like getting sold a tool box and being told to rebuild the transmission yourself, giving a Business the Tools without the training and expertise, is only going to lead to attrition as the Business doesn't know what they are doing.

On the flip side, purchasing a Reseller Program or White Label does NOT make you an expert.

Marketing is a Science. If you don't know what you are doing you can potentially do more harm than good to the Business in question.

Because Mobile is so new here in the US there is not a lot out there in the way of "How To Books" or Instruction on how to implement a Mobile Strategy.

Many of the tenets are the same as traditional marketing but there are nuances since it is a "Direct Response" form of Marketing.

I applaud those who have the desire to get into the industry and can certainly appreciate their fervor and desire to enter the realm of self employment, but just like any other profession there is a learning curve.

When one wants to enter the Advertising & Marketing field they generally attend college, get a degree, work as an intern, and then obtain an entry level position. Over a period of years they may get to the point where they are promoted or start their own Firm.

They don't just wake up one morning and fill out an Application at a Marketing Firm and get hired on as "CEO".

This might seem like an extreme example, but it is more applicable than many realize.

I am sure I will come under fire for this, but reading the Warrior Forum and spending a few bucks on WSO's isnt going to cut it. You may pick up some pointers, but it is more akin to speaking with a Transmission Repair Specialist and thinking you can tear into that transmission and repair it yourself.

For those of you who don't know...there are over 800, and as many as 1000, parts in an Automatic Transmission.

My strongest recommendation is that if one wants to get into Mobile that they get educated and trained first. Either working for someone else or by, at the very least, taking a training course. If you are going to do it, then do it the right way.

zoro

Great thread, keep the tips comming. I'm just starting to market my SMS service. I have checked a couple of softwares on WSO's. Has anybody found a good software or pluging that can handle SMS, coupons, etc?

InVizion

Great information, as always! I manage all of the campaigns for my clients, if you wan't to charge more I believe you need to be full service, just my .02. I sit down with the owner the first time and layout the next 4-6 texts. (4-6 weeks). After they get a taste of what works the best, offer wise, we sit down by phone once per month to discuss the next cycle. I also try to stop in at least once every couple months but that get's difficult. The number one piece of advice I can give is "Get away from your computer and either pick up the phone or start stopping in businesses". I have found that nothing works better. Go to the small clients, screw up, stumble over your words, you will get better, I promise. Don't analyze, just start moving.

P.S. Don't wait for business cards, go to txt 180 (no I am not affiliated, I use them) get an account for $9.95, set up a word for your biz and then set up the auto responder. Have the auto responder be your biz card, have it say "Thanks for joining the VIP Club, get exclusive discounts for members only! Won't your customers love this? Call me 123-123-1234". Now the business owner knows exactly how this works. Be real, be human, and have fun. Hope this helps!

zoro

Great info, thanks for sharing. I can tell you have experince and walk the walk and talk the talk.

syncjam

Would you do this during the presentation to an owner? Or when you talk to them on the phone?
Please elaborate.

Thanks...

InVizion

Thanks Zoro, I have found mobile marketing to be an amazing revenue generator, just add hustle

InVizion

Only in person, at first, over the phone I am going just for the appt. If it's outside of my area (I do both, appt. and over the phone only) they I talk ROI of 3-5x and talk about the benefits to them. Once their really interested, then the text can work, it's a helpful closer. Then just walk them through the PayPal button

Legacy3

I'm curious do you any of you use contracts or service agreements or do you find it a put off and just charge month-to-month? If so, how long do you lock businesses in for and do you offer price breaks for longer contracts?

zoro

Just as a giude are you able to share your pricing structure?

Also, I have spoken to 4 businesses yesterday and they all said they would prefer to do SMS Texting themselves. What do you say to those?

InVizion

My pricing structure is pretty simple, $250 per month. My bargaining chip is giving them the first 30 days free to start making money, it works well.

(Do it myself) I run into that all the time, I just explain this is what I do everyday and my results are well documented. I offer set up, training sheets, table side presentation, advertising guidelines, in a turn-key package. Some take it, some don't. Hey, I could give myself stitches if I had too, but I would rather have a professional do it!

In all seriousness, I called 45 people this morning (I do 40-75 everyday) and I didn't have a single taker. Went out locally and found a potential.

Tuesday was a ZERO day, no interest. I love those days, that means I am even closer to a sale. One piece of advice, when you can offer a 3-5x ROI and it's real (Mobile Marketing) don't let anyone tell you this won't work!

Good Luck, let me know if I can help!

syncjam

Who do you call? Are they local or off of whatever list you have? They sound like completely cold leads.

Also, do you do strictly SMS or other stuff as well?

Thanks...

InVizion

I have developed a method that works pretty well but they are all cold leads. I lead with Mobile (SMS) but then I add other service where it makes sense. As far as who I call, I literally call everyone and their brother, if they have one