Off line/ online low cost business models which work.

by 33 replies
35
It is safe to say, most Warriors really don't want anything OFFLINE, even though it can be extremely lucrative. The reluctance is about having to deal with people. It makes me a bit sad, really.

Most of my life dealing with people has been the FUN part, even when it was make a sale or starve times, and most of us have had a few of those times too, eh?

I get it, times are different, talking to people is hard for many, we may have had Incels back in the day, but thankfully, they were silent sitting in the basement getting high.

I want to post about an idea, a concept, which has been my NORTHSTAR guiding principle for decades, and you will see that reflected in my responses to newbies in the BEGINNER'S sub forum...and that is, what do you bring to the table? What do you have to GIVE to the world, what is your offer?

We see decades of how can I get, how can I make money, how can I...me, me, me...and my response has always been, what do you bring with you that you can convert into a product or service that people want and will pay for?

Back about the time this forum started, one old member, Don Alm, had a program about selling MENU boards to restaurants, and I got into that heavily, even finding a woodworker to make my version of the DAILY MENU BOARD, and it was lucrative, albeit a lot of calling on businesses and TALKING to them.

So, would it surprise you to know a variation of that program, although almost identical to what was presented 25 years ago, is still going strong and producing recurring profits for some still in that game?

I'm not surprised. Any good idea you have that can HELP a business to get and to retain customers is going to find a welcome audience. It is a GIVE first, then get sort of concept.

How can you help that Pizza shop get more business? How can you help that restaurant sell more profitable meals? How can you HELP the business first, and by doing so, you have a happy and appreciative customer.

It is a simple concept, and I don't see much of it today at the Warrior forum.

Just yesterday, I talked to an older Warrior (and like many, he hasn't been here in years) about his latest program...and I felt like a time traveler.

Today, August 29, 2024 he is giving FREE flyers to Pizza shops and Take out restaurants to help them get and keep customers. Good golly Molly, that is so 1995, in this sub forum alone, you will find tons of pizza box top ideas, and the Warrior Forum had many many people jump on that band wagon...but I doubt if many are still doing it.

Evolution is what takes place, and today, maybe QR codes or customer rewards, or mms, or something high tech on the flyer, or maybe just a simple coupon. But it is a dirt simple idea, help the shops get and keep customers.

Someone in USA can go out in his/her community and be a STAR by giving away free flyers and the PIZZA shop (restaurant) pays nothing and gets customers, meanwhile, the ads on the flyer put thousands of dollars into the pocket of the GIVER.

Give first, get second.

Hopefully, that is still food for thought today, and is as good advice as it was back in the 20th century.

What do you have to give? What value have your brought to the Warrior forum?

GordonJ
#offline marketing #business #cost #line or #low #models #online #work
  • Just curious...

    I did a little research into this...

    but, what instead of flyers you just had the whole pizza box printed for the business?

    I looked up some prices and they're from .10 for small boxes to .50 for the big boxes.

    What if you just had the ads printed on the box for the pizza place?

    Just wondering what you think?

    Maybe I'm off on this...but maybe you have some thoughts?
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply

    • Printing ads on pizza boxes is a Don Alm method.

      You must not be familiar with his business reports.

      He has about 75 different ways to make money, maybe more.

      You can find his methods in the various archives.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • [DELETED]
  • Is this the same person that was talking about menu mats that are on tables?

    But, yes, person to person selling is where the money is these days.

    There's a whole world of cash right outside our doors if we just grab it.
    • [1] reply

    • Yes.

      Menu mats, refrigerator magnets, hotel guides, etc.

      I would provide a link but rules.
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • [DELETED]
  • Don Alm. Now that's a name I haven't heard around here in a looooong time. But, when he was here, boy I loved reading his stuff. It was fascinating. When I get a minute, I'm going to see what I can find in the way back when threads. Thanks for reminding us.

    Mark
    • [1] reply
    • Thanks Mark, Don was entertaining too...one of his best tips, that this Pizza Flyer uses is: ASK the host for referrals.

      When a pizza shop (or take-out) is shown the flyer, they get two choices, FREE, or a paid one without the ads, just a print job. Only a couple hundred in profits from that, where as a co-op ad flyer will yield between 1200 to 1800 in PROFIT.

      What Don used to do was get the names of the shop's plumber, electrician, insurance agent, barber, etc., etc. So when he called upon them for ads, he was getting a referral.

      Some shop owners are reluctant to share, so one way around that is a business card bowl and an offer to be on 5,000 flyers and this is the AUTO SALESMAN technique that Don used with many of his advertising programs. Getting hosts is easy, getting the advertisers is the work, but there are ways to make this much easier...and using Don's little ol him (tip of hat) technique of getting the host to refer to potential advertisers is a great way to make this money making venture simple.

      The thing that this particular flyer uses is they put BUSINESS CARDS on the flyer, so the advertiser doesn't need to have any offers, discounts or coupons. Since it could stay in the home for a year, it is more of a BRAND device, and that also eliminates some slop and mess as to the design. Just give me a business card, and that is what goes on the flyer.

      Simple, well thought out, and bit of little OL ME (Don Alm) type salesmanship and some have a wonderful little off line money maker.

      GordonJ

      P.S. Today, GOOGLE MAPS is very handy, some take a print out of the pizza shop and surrounding businesses, and ask the owner who gets pizzas from him? These neighboring businesses are perfect for being on the flyer.


      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • Line is A to B.

    Like you gotta MAP fulla EVRYPLACE ... butchya don't know whereya are or whereya gowin'.

    Stoopid thing is, evin if'n you SIRTAIN ... sumtimes the As an' the Bs (an' the Cs) shift from outta the magnitood of the Caahsmaaahs till'n you mighta jus' dissypissied all formsa deliberatin' consciousness for whatevah SNAILS gaht gowin' when they slithah 'bout all ovah.

    Plenny places on the planit rn where the EASY LINE OF ONLINE gowin' down same as the DIFFICULT WHATEVAH could mebbe nevah startup.

    What lines may extend 'cross what chasms now?

    Now more people than evah before may seemingly go ANYPLACE?

    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • So, I think (hope) that I agree that most people, talking Warriors here, don't know where they are at NOW...yet want to get to that point across yonder river to greener pastures where one picks hundred dollar bills off the ground, cause the money tree has been shaken.

      I advocate for Personal ASSESSMENT first and foremost for online/offline or any business or money making venture. But the lure of the easy money, and a few choice keystrokes, makes knowing where one is at, a bit needless?

      If you can't get to a place, anyplace, if you don't know where you are at (am I close Princess?)...then all the maps in the world won't do you any good.

      I always start with what the person has already, and often that is HIDDEN talents, abilities, skills or experience. THEN, where they think they want to go.

      So knowing the A to B, or more likely A to Z because there are many steps involved...

      one can then backward chain, or work from the goal backwards to the now, and have a clear vision of how to proceed, knowing there will be roadblocks, detours along this route.

      Walking into a pizza shop and offering a FREE way to get them more business (tested, proven and with actual results)...then offering a few businesses a way to have their business card in a home for a year...isn't for the incel, clammy hands gamer, vaper, bong hitting Gen Zer...cause it means getting out of the chair.

      But for those who are hungry for a relatively easy way to pocket cold hard cash in the shortest amount of time, doing something like the Pizza card co-op, might just be perfect.

      But, unlikely game boy knows where he is at, and even though he thinks in between tokes that he'd like some money, he is unaware that he needs to do something to make that happen.

      Start, where you are at, with what you have, set a goal, do a plan, execute and adjust.

      Or I could be wrong?

      GordonJ


      i
      • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • In all reality here...

    we're not really in the age of pizza ads.

    Right now, the thing is being an influencer.

    Thousands of followers equal thousands of dollars.

    Yes, I'm old school like you...but, the old-school ideas just don't resonate anymore.

    I think we're in a new era.

    Maybe it's not a bad era. But it's a new era.
    • [1] reply
    • Yes, agree 100%. New era.

      I can't name a single Warrior from the last 24 years who became an influencer, in the modern definition of that...sure, some were influencers over IMers early on, maybe.

      Is there some data which reveals how long it takes a newbie to become an influencer, and how is that done? As a business or money making opportunity, I understand the power of being one, but in all reality, how hard or easy is it to become one where they are paid thousands of dollars? Even top stars like the Pauls, Mr. Beast, and most other unknowns took years to become an influencer.

      Not many Warriors have a Leo Messi talent to draw from.

      So, sure, becoming an influencer certainly seems to be a thing the younger generation aspires too, and it may be worth their while to pursue that.

      In the meantime, ANYONE, with absolutely no influence what so ever, can get a quick thousand dollars from helping small businesses.

      For every Fortune 1000 willing to raise our consumer prices to pay for the influencers, there are millions of momma and poppa shops, like Pizza and Carry Out Restaurants...over 750,000 of just those...who still need LOCAL business. I guess if Jake Paul endorsed a local pizza shop, they might get a bump. But could any afford to hire him?

      From a money making angle, any CELEBRITY status, earned or otherwise (thinking of the Paris Hilton types, the nepo kids born with the silver spoon) have an advantage. Heck, we have an ex Browns football playing selling cars right down the street...if it had been someone else, he may not have gotten off on the fast start his influencer position had.

      I'm not trying to argue the point, I acknowledge the new era. The new times.

      The Taylor Swift era, not the Juice Newton times of my youth.
      From a WARRIOR perspective, and the millions who have come here the last two and half decades desperately seeking some money making advice...

      and today's Warrior, who would love to QUICKLY and easily become an influencer of any kind...

      there are for the foreseeable future, small momma and poppa businesses who need help getting and keeping customers and I think anyone who has any way of helping them to do that, will have a steady income stream AS they build up their reputation and become a beast of an influencer.

      I also believe this NEW ERA is going to result in massive amounts of hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck lifestyles due to what they will or will not do. The divide, the chasm as Princess B refers to, is getting wider daily...and for every Jake Paul, there will be ten jake nobodies eeking out a living while being ballers on Fortnite.

      In the meantime, anyone, and especially new OLD people (newly eligible for SS), can find some sweet part-time gigs, and one of those could be helping Papa Felice and Mama Angie get and keep more customers.

      GordonJ
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • It might be a new era but people will always eat pizza and pizza will always come in a box.

    And there will always be pizza restaurants because pizza is the most profitable food item.
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • [DELETED]
    • This NEW program has produced results, one shop has reported over 50 monthly coupons were used, another has had 35, so far. The first guy was spending 400 dollars a month on ads on register tapes, and got ZERO response.

      This program cost him NOTHING, and he has had 50 more coupons used, and another objected to the price, so it was increased by 5 dollars (discount) which covered him, and he had many more coupons used.

      Now, one thing, and this is old world SALESMANSHIP, (Claude, come out, come out wherever you are)...about a shop that wanted to control who the advertisers were on her card.

      I used to ask, (way back when there such things as daily newspapers which people actually read)..."Do you ask the Akron Beacon Journal who is going to be on the same page as you when you run an ad in it?" OR, "Great, who do YOU want to be on it and I will contact them first, to give them first right of refusal?"

      Or some other face-to-face sales method, but today, too many stars in the sky, just say thanks and move on.

      It is exciting for us old shoe leather sales guys to see a program in 2024 WORK, and it is great to see the OLD school, still have some success in the world today...or as a famous song goes, "Making your way in the world today, takes every thing you got, taking a break from all your worries..." (and getting cash in hand takes care of one worry). CHEERS!!


      GordonJ
      • [ 3 ] Thanks
  • [DELETED]
  • [DELETED]
  • There was an article recently in the NZ press about Kiwi influencers (How I dislike that label!). It used tax data to figure out that the average influencer earned less than minimum wage.

    Dunno if one can view this outside of NZ, but here's a link to the article:
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/money/350395...rs-really-earn

    I kinda figured that out some time ago... :-)
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Lol. I actually deleted that comment. You must have been posting while I was deleting it.

      Sometimes I start a conversation and then just decide I'm not in the mood, or have the time or energy to continue it.

      Added: Also in this case I thought I was getting too much off-topic and taking away from Gordon's post.
      • [1] reply
  • [DELETED]
  • The brilliance of old-school methods, like the pizza flyers or even printed boxes, isn't just in the execution but in the underlying principle:

    solving a real, local problem.

    The strategies that Don Alm and others developed were all about identifying tangible needs, more foot traffic, more loyal customers and providing solutions that directly addressed those pain points.

    This isn't just about technology or new tools, it's about empathy, problem-solving, and human connection.
    • [1] reply
    • Aw, yeah -- but then millennials showed up, with a seecrit language evin' no frickin' bone-assed Gen Whatevah could figure.

      "Why suck up to bloatwash branding when you could have your eyes set on the NEXT millennium simply because Taylor Swift's ass and the flesh of every newborn babe share a similar intrinsically transmissible softness?"

      Gen Whatevah bites back: You named me, and, as it turns out, I'm eternal. So are we grafting emergent infant hair onto Swifto's fannyflaps, or showing kids how to sing real sweet bcs 20% discount on WombSing LifeEcho?

      My view?

      Whose empathy?

      Whose prahblems?

      Whose hoomans-here-rn connections?

      Like evry frickin' wizard evah said: "There is magic in wands."

      Which means kinda ...

      you speakin' to a wand-savvy audience, then run with the wands.

      Resta the time DON'T EVAH TALK WAND.

      (If'n there be such thing as the powah of illusion, it depends on this distincyshwaahn.)
      • [1] reply
  • [DELETED]
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • Let's assoom an OFF switch rn.

    Like alla yr favo socmed platforms leachin' revenue like why the hell play?

    *aaand rullaxe!*
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • Almost 3 months since I posited Sansline.

    "Exactly like it was before, only different."

    (this is naht a subscribah service btw.)

    Could be a good time to figure the hextent to which yr persnl sensorium yawlready been pwned.

    Seems I now gotta bone up on SIDESADDLE without hangin' offa no hoss by muh thongstraps.

    Like sum kinda crowbat.

    THE EMERGENCY TEAM IS BY YOUR SIDE, O PRINCESS!
    HOWEVER DANGEROUSLY YOU DANGLE FRON THE TORSO
    OF ANY BOLTING CHARGER, WE GUARANTEE TO RESCUE YOU!
    AS CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONALS, WE GUARANTEE THERE IS
    NO REQUIREMENT ON YOUR PART TO POSE FOR SELFIES WITH YOUR THONG GRIPPED BETWEEN YOUR TEETH LOOKING EITHER THANKFUL, OVERJOYED, OR SIMPLY PLAIN STUPID.

    That a dreeyim or a sooyside mish?
Join the discussion

Next Topics on Trending Feed

  • 35

    Off line/ online low cost business models which work.

    It is safe to say, most Warriors really don't want anything OFFLINE, even though it can be extremely lucrative. The reluctance is about having to deal with people. It makes me a bit sad, really. Most of my life dealing with people has been the FUN part, even when it was make a sale or starve times, and most of us have had a few of those times too, eh?