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So Many Ways To Find Your Hungry Crowd

by DABK
15 replies
I ran into a guy who sells sound-proofing windows... Way they find clients: they go to tripadvisor.com and read hotel reviews. When they find one that has complaints about noise (from the nearby highway, usually), they get in touch.


Interestingly enough, even when shown a bunch of 1 star reviews due to noise, some managers / owners insist that they do not have a problem.


Interestingly enough because the guy I met would not admit that his skills are the issue... Per him, only the owners / managers not caring / understanding how a few bad reviews can cost them money is the issue.


He was very proud of how they find clients.



Another one...

I know of a guy who owns a window boarding company (the kind of company that comes in and covers your store windows if they break, till you can replace them).



They listen to firefighters and ambulance, police dispatchers... When they hear about a store break-in, fire or some other big event, they rush to the location.


This, by the way, is a stressful way of doing it, among other reasons because, day or night, you have to get there before the other vultures, ahem, window boarding companies, get there.


Would you be proud or stressed or both or...
#crowd #find #get leads #hungry #hungry crowd #marketing #ways
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  • Profile picture of the author cearionmarie
    The method done in both examples is quite interesting. It's a direct way of looking for potential clients but I think they are both limiting their options when they are only targetting those who are already affected. They could widen the range of their scope if they market more on the "prevention" side of things, but of course, that would need to have skillful marketing skills.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      They are limiting themselves. On the other hand, they are limiting themselves to people who they know have a problem they can fix and that, logic says, should be fixed fast.


      The one with the boarding of windows... If you own a business and your windows are broken at 2AM, you might look online for a 24 hour boarding company, you might ask the firefighters / police if they know of one, but you don't have time to do much research. If one such company shows up, I think you'd give them serious consideration... Even though they just showed up.


      Originally Posted by cearionmarie View Post

      The method done in both examples is quite interesting. It's a direct way of looking for potential clients but I think they are both limiting their options when they are only targetting those who are already affected. They could widen the range of their scope if they market more on the "prevention" side of things, but of course, that would need to have skillful marketing skills.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
    I hire low-income people from time to time to do temp manual labor and they have many ways to make $50 to $100 in a short time.

    My favorite is a guy that sells cheap umbrellas on rainy days outside of malls for $10 a pop to people that are exiting the mall and have to walk to their cars in the rain. Sometimes his buyers throwaway the umbrellas into their shopping carts and he grabs them and resells them.

    Another guy sets up a 'sellers stall' at outdoor flea-markets and carries peoples heavy stuff to their cars. He also carries scuba tanks for scuba divers at dive resorts.
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    I honestly don't know if this story is true or not, but I heard it...and it makes a point.

    I young boy was tasked with selling candy bars for $2 each, for a school fundraiser.

    For $2 you got a large candy bar, along with a $5 off coupon for Pizza Hut.

    Every kid got a box to sell. This one kid sold more than the rest of the school combined. By himself.

    He just told people that walked by him "$5 off your Pizza Hut pizza and a candy bar, just $2"

    Almost everyone he talked to, bought.

    Where did he stand? At the entrance to his town's Pizza Hut.

    Where you stand matters. And sometimes the premium makes the sale.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      It certainly does.


      I know of a loan officer who, once upon a time, put up a "Get this house with 0% down" in front of a property for sale that was a corner property at a corner that had a stop light and was 4 or 5 blocks from the entrance to the highway that take people to downtown Chicago.


      He got dozens and dozens of clients he closed loans for from that, well, 27... which to my lazy mind is dozens and dozens though, technically it's only 2.25 dozens..


      Same sign a few blocks away, no stop light, not the main way to get to the highway, got him only 2 clients.


      Interestingly enough, I could not get him to look for corner properties next to a stop light on a major street and contact the agent to make arrangements for his sign to go up... The first one got up because the property for sale belonged to his aunt. The 2nd and 3rd and 4th (none on main streets by stop lights) because his wife was the selling agent.



      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      I honestly don't know if this story is true or not, but I heard it...and it makes a point.

      I young boy was tasked with selling candy bars for $2 each, for a school fundraiser.

      For $2 you got a large candy bar, along with a $5 off coupon for Pizza Hut.

      Every kid got a box to sell. This one kid sold more than the rest of the school combined. By himself.

      He just told people that walked by him "$5 off your Pizza Hut pizza and a candy bar, just $2"

      Almost everyone he talked to, bought.

      Where did he stand? At the entrance to his town's Pizza Hut.

      Where you stand matters. And sometimes the premium makes the sale.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mikeandtonia
      Now that is what you call strategically positioned. It is absolutely important to be aware of where your audience is and where you will have the most impact. It just might be all you need!
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Interesting and a bit stressful for me, rushing to emergencies to get right on business. I preferred to pick a business model where I could help people, be seen in a bunch of different areas related to my niche, and allow in profits. Seems easier to me, long term, versus chasing business. But whatever feels good and works for you, go for that.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Business owners who have their front window broken sure appreciate someone who can come keep the vandals away for cheap.

      I would have a heart attack within a month. But someone's gotta do the job too.


      Originally Posted by ryanbiddulph View Post

      Interesting and a bit stressful for me, rushing to emergencies to get right on business. I preferred to pick a business model where I could help people, be seen in a bunch of different areas related to my niche, and allow in profits. Seems easier to me, long term, versus chasing business. But whatever feels good and works for you, go for that.
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  • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
    I don't think the tripadvisor method is stressful? It's quality free data that can be outsourced for cheap.

    An ambulance chaser is a stressful way to earn an income though, yes. Even if you hear of a break in, it's not guaranteed a window was broken and requires boarding.

    These specific examples may not be ideal business models for everyone, but you have to give them credit for acquiring business. They're on the right track with their creativity to get them in front of the right customers by thinking outside the box.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
      Originally Posted by palmtreelife View Post

      I don't think the tripadvisor method is stressful? It's quality free data that can be outsourced for cheap.

      An ambulance chaser is a stressful way to earn an income though, yes. Even if you hear of a break in, it's not guaranteed a window was broken and requires boarding.

      These specific examples may not be ideal business models for everyone, but you have to give them credit for acquiring business. They're on the right track with their creativity to get them in front of the right customers by thinking outside the box.

      With all respect, most big city ambulance chasers have ties to less ethical methods of guaranteeing a steady cash flow such as ties with less than ethical law enforcement. Those "ties" may extend to local mafia and gangs as well.


      Ever wonder why a business that does not pay the local bad guys for protection ends up with broken windows, missed deliveries etc?
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        Might be something less sinister, might be somebody's marketing.

        Per one of the loan officers my company did appraisals for, a window replacement contractor he knew was not above having someone break a window at an address one of his people had dropped a flyer / would be dropping flyers.


        Originally Posted by Jeffery View Post

        With all respect, most big city ambulance chasers have ties to less ethical methods of guaranteeing a steady cash flow such as ties with less than ethical law enforcement. Those "ties" may extend to local mafia and gangs as well.


        Ever wonder why a business that does not pay the local bad guys for protection ends up with broken windows, missed deliveries etc?
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        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          Originally Posted by DABK View Post

          Might be something less sinister, might be somebody's marketing.

          Per one of the loan officers my company did appraisals for, a window replacement contractor he knew was not above having someone break a window at an address one of his people had dropped a flyer / would be dropping flyers.
          People who sold burglar alarms used to pay police to go through neighborhoods at night with their alarms blaring for a few seconds.

          This heightened the fear in the neighborhood, and made them more likely to buy burglar alarm systems.

          My first sales job was selling fire alarms, and if there was a fire in a neighborhood, the company would call that area a few days later. But...they didn't start the fires.
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  • Profile picture of the author eccj
    My initial reaction is the first guy with the soundproofing is legit and smart and the second sounds like a miserable way to work and live.

    If I were the business or homeowner who had a window knocked out and some "business" showed up wanting to board my windows I would think it was a tad too convenient.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      When they show up, the police / security / ambulance / firefighters are there, and they know some of those people.



      And, it's usually, a fire broke out or other major thing, not just a window was broken.






      Originally Posted by eccj View Post

      My initial reaction is the first guy with the soundproofing is legit and smart and the second sounds like a miserable way to work and live.

      If I were the business or homeowner who had a window knocked out and some "business" showed up wanting to board my windows I would think it was a tad too convenient.
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  • Profile picture of the author Medon
    Originally Posted by DABK View Post

    I ran into a guy who sells sound-proofing windows... Way they find clients: they go to tripadvisor.com and read hotel reviews. When they find one that has complaints about noise (from the nearby highway, usually), they get in touch.


    Interestingly enough, even when shown a bunch of 1 star reviews due to noise, some managers / owners insist that they do not have a problem.


    Interestingly enough because the guy I met would not admit that his skills are the issue... Per him, only the owners / managers not caring / understanding how a few bad reviews can cost them money is the issue.


    He was very proud of how they find clients.



    Another one...

    I know of a guy who owns a window boarding company (the kind of company that comes in and covers your store windows if they break, till you can replace them).



    They listen to firefighters and ambulance, police dispatchers... When they hear about a store break-in, fire or some other big event, they rush to the location.


    This, by the way, is a stressful way of doing it, among other reasons because, day or night, you have to get there before the other vultures, ahem, window boarding companies, get there.


    Would you be proud or stressed or both or...

    The methods used are not the best. But what matters is that it is a lead. If the lead can bring them clients, who cares? Even though they can adopt better marketing strategies and it will help them.
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