How I Use Balloons And Advertising To Earn $1,300 Per Month

91 replies
Here's how it works ...

In a nutshell what I do is sell happy bithday balloons that i buy for a $1 at my local dollar store at 5 different mom and pop corner stores in my area for $4 each balloon, giving the corner store $2 per balloon sold and i tie one of my pizza discount cards at the bottom of the string as a gift, but my major twist is that on the back of my pizza card I have 8 ad spots that I sell to local business owners such as a hair salon, ice cream shop and a auto repair shop, etc. at $100 a spot to be placed on 500 pizza cards and distributed on the balloons as a happy bithday gift item.

Now to keep things simple, lets just say each corner store sells 25 balloons a week or a total of 500 balloons a month at a profit of $1 each to me or $500 profit per month just for the balloon sales and $800 a month from ad sales for a grand total profit of $1,300 per month.

I just wanted to share this idea here to show how you can take two or three diferent businesses and tie them together and create a totally new business and have a hot selling product and service.

Let me know what you think?

Thanks,

Martin
#300 #advertising #balloons #earn #month
  • Profile picture of the author HappyGayleen
    How creative of you - and how generous of you to share!
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  • Profile picture of the author Warrior Ben
    Very creative indeed... I wonder what the ROI is for businesses who spend $100 on advertising for just 500 pieces. Probably pretty small, but then again it is a small investment on their part. Kudos on this post!

    -Ben
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    • Profile picture of the author RRG
      Originally Posted by Warrior Ben View Post

      Very creative indeed... I wonder what the ROI is for businesses who spend $100 on advertising for just 500 pieces. Probably pretty small, but then again it is a small investment on their part. Kudos on this post!

      -Ben
      Hi Martin,

      Questions:

      How do you fit 8 ads on the back of a business card? Seems like each ad would be exceedingly small.

      How do you get businesses to kick in $100 bucks for a tiny ad with only 500 exposures?

      How much time does it take you to sell the 8 ad spaces, and set up the deals with the 5 shops? Do you service each location every week? Every day?

      Thanks!
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      • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
        RRG,

        Getting 8 ads on the back of a business card is easy, check out a sample card pic below that has 15 ads on it.

        Selling ads is a numbers game, i sell on the norm 1 ad space at $100 for every 3-5 business owners i talk to and they buy based on the fact and benifit that people will be keeping the pizza card for 6 months to a year and every time they use the pizza card they know their ad will be seen, so repeat exposure.

        I was able to set this business idea up from start to finish in a little over a week, it's all about taking action and keep doing what needs to be done untill your finished.

        I used to check in once a week with each corner store to see if they need more balloons, but now the corners store owners just call me when they are out of balloons and i sometimes have to service each corner store twice a week.

        I hope this answers your questions.

        Thanks,

        Martin
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        • Profile picture of the author RRG
          Originally Posted by MartinBuckley View Post

          RRG,

          Getting 8 ads on the back of a business card is easy, check out a sample card pic below that has 15 ads on it.

          Selling ads is a numbers game, i sell on the norm 1 ad space at $100 for every 3-5 business owners i talk to and they buy based on the fact and benifit that people will be keeping the pizza card for 6 months to a year and every time they use the pizza card they know their ad will be seen, so repeat exposure.

          I was able to set this business idea up from start to finish in a little over a week, it's all about taking action and keep doing what needs to be done untill your finished.

          I used to check in once a week with each corner store to see if they need more balloons, but now the corners store owners just call me when they are out of balloons and i sometimes have to service each corner store twice a week.

          I hope this answers your questions.

          Thanks,

          Martin
          Yes, that answers my questions. Thanks, Martin.
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        • Profile picture of the author PatrickP
          [DELETED]
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          • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
            Hi Everyone,

            I would like to say that I didn't steal anything from Don. If Don would have read the whole thread he would have read that RRG asked to see a sample of what a business card with ads on the back looked like, so i didn't think it would be a big deal to post Don's sample of his keeper card, but i guess i was wrong.

            Don, has issues with anyone who comes up with ideas even close to his and claims that they are his in some way and the truth is that Don has stolen many ideas and images from others and if anyone would like proof of this and to find out the truth about Don Alm they should check out this website: The Truth About Don Alm

            I'm not the type of person who likes to out people, but Don has made many negative comments on my posts on this forum and others that are not true, so if he wants to claim i'm stealing his ideas and images, etc. I feel I have the right to show that Don is not telling the truth himself about his ideas and images.

            Thanks,

            Martin
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      • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
        RRG and Everyone Else,

        Below is a sample discount card back where you can see and get a better idea how you can get 8-12 ads on a back of a discount card.

        I hope this helps,

        Martin

        Originally Posted by RRG View Post

        Hi Martin,

        How do you fit 8 ads on the back of a business card? Seems like each ad would be exceedingly small.

        Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author friendfeed
    This is really a creative idea and brilliant and sharing this thread showed your gentle and kind.

    Hats off Mate..Wishes and thank you too
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  • Profile picture of the author TycoonRob
    I'm not getting the logistics of this. So either when you first give the 5 mom & pop businesses their stock of balloons, or when they need more - is it just an uninflated balloon with a string and the pizza card tied to the bottom of the string? Then the mom/pop shop inflates it? Seems like as quickly as balloons go "bad" and leak out that you couldn't give them to the store inflated with helium. ??
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      razztek,

      I buy the balloon already blow up from the dollar store and i tie my pizza card to the bottom of the string and then i deliver them to the corner stores to sell them. I don't have any issues with the balloons inflating as they are almost always sold before that point.

      I hope this answers your question.

      Thanks,

      Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author socialmediaking
    Maybe it's because this involves balloons that it sounds like a crazy idea, but it works lol so congrats. I'm assuming you live in a populous city that has lots of corner stores and a high-demand for birthday balloons so I don't think that this could work for everyone.

    I think the most impressive part is signing up the 8 clients. You should try to find other places you can advertise those same businesses you've already sold or similar businesses you could add to a bigger card. This reminds me of another thread about a guy who sold coffee cups with custom logos on it and gave them to the coffee shop for free. Think horizontally, about other niches you can go to, and you've got 5,000 per month instead of 1,3000. Good share and good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author Exel
    I can see this winning some crazy competition like 'Make business with balloons'
    where most would say it's impossible.

    Incredibly creative idea, good job.
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  • Profile picture of the author anilksinghal
    A very creative method indeed...But approaching advertisers takes up a lot of time and convincing them is not that easy.
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    • Profile picture of the author RRG
      Originally Posted by anilksinghal View Post

      A very creative method indeed...But approaching advertisers takes up a lot of time and convincing them is not that easy.
      That's why being in the "convincing" business sucks.

      Don't try to convince people. Make your offer, let them know what's in it for them. If they see the value, they'll buy. If they don't they won't. And you move on to the next one.
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      • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
        RRG,

        You nailed it right on the head, no hard selling here, simple show a sample discount cards and exsplain how it works and why it benifits the business to advertise and if they see the value they will want to advertise and if they don't, they won't want to advertise. It's a numbers game, you just have to keep going from business to business untill you sell all your ad spot and before you know it you will be sold out and making money.

        All the best,

        Martin

        Originally Posted by RRG View Post

        That's why being in the "convincing" business sucks.

        Don't try to convince people. Make your offer, let them know what's in it for them. If they see the value, they'll buy. If they don't they won't. And you move on to the next one.
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  • Profile picture of the author BrandyM
    Huh, very interesting. I can see where NY area would have a lot of mom and pop corner stores. Nice idea!
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  • Profile picture of the author Centurian
    Business owners are looking for different ideas from just the typical ad in the paper.

    $100 is a simple sale when people will be keeping the card.

    Some will sign up just to get you to leave them alone if it's at least a viable concept.

    They can easily conceive the multiple exposures their ad will receive.

    Great street play Martin.
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  • Profile picture of the author celente
    Killer stuff.

    There was another post a while back about how to make money with ballons and bakery shops with the same idea.

    nice work, and congrats on your success.
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    • Profile picture of the author midasman09
      Banned
      GREAT Stuff, Marty! Hanging a "Card" on Balloon Strings! Who woulda thought?

      Don Alm...."Keeper Card Originator"
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  • See? We can really make good money out of everything. May it be balloons or whatever. I knew some people who made a living and earns good amount of cash monthly thru sand. It's all about creativity and persistence.
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    • Profile picture of the author midasman09
      Banned
      Hey Marty! Would you remove one of MY PHOTOS from your post #7 above!

      It gets my Dander up!!

      Respectively,

      Don Alm
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  • Profile picture of the author rice4u
    This is pretty creatively idea, but how many ppl would buy $4 balloon? Even so, i guess it really depend on your location...
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    • Profile picture of the author godinu
      I would say it's an impulse buy. Someone's already in the corner store to buy a last minute gift or card, then they see those nice balloons.

      Originally Posted by rice4u View Post

      This is pretty creatively idea, but how many ppl would buy $4 balloon? Even so, i guess it really depend on your location...
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      rice4u,

      They are not just buying a balloon for $4, they are also getting the pizza card good for 20 buy one, get one free pizzas and on the back a discount card good for discounts at local area businesses, so this is why they would buy a balloon for $4 that makes a great gift.

      Thanks,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by rice4u View Post

      This is pretty creatively idea, but how many ppl would buy $4 balloon? Even so, i guess it really depend on your location...
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      A customer buying one of my balloons with discount card for $4 is an impulse buy or desperation buy because they forgot and they need a gift item now and the fact that people are busy they forget peoples birthdays, etc. till the last minute, so that helps with my sales

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by rice4u View Post

      This is pretty creatively idea, but how many ppl would buy $4 balloon? Even so, i guess it really depend on your location...
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      For me to drive to the dollar store a few times a week and buy balloons and tie my pizza cards to the bottom of the string and then deliver the balloon to each corner store takes me less than 8 hours a week.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by dtang4 View Post

      That's really creative.

      How much time a week does it take you to manage this operation?
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  • Profile picture of the author PandaPoacher
    Hmm that's actually a pretty nifty way of getting your business out there as well as help others. Like the balloon idea a lot.
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  • Profile picture of the author abubakar89
    Well, Thats creative , thanks for sharing
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  • Profile picture of the author manny2513
    I love to see creativity in action. Keep shares like this coming man. Thanks a lot
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  • Profile picture of the author dame016
    Wow. Love the idea. Knitting business. Thanks for sharing!
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  • Profile picture of the author perfectlovehere
    Originally Posted by MartinBuckley View Post

    Here's how it works ...

    In a nutshell what I do is sell happy bithday balloons that i buy for a $1 at my local dollar store at 5 different mom and pop corner stores in my area for $4 each balloon, giving the corner store $2 per balloon sold and i tie one of my pizza discount cards at the bottom of the string as a gift, but my major twist is that on the back of my pizza card I have 8 ad spots that I sell to local business owners such as a hair salon, ice cream shop and a auto repair shop, etc. at $100 a spot to be placed on 500 pizza cards and distributed on the balloons as a happy bithday gift item.

    Now to keep things simple, lets just say each corner store sells 25 balloons a week or a total of 500 balloons a month at a profit of $1 each to me or $500 profit per month just for the balloon sales and $800 a month from ad sales for a grand total profit of $1,300 per month.

    I just wanted to share this idea here to show how you can take two or three diferent businesses and tie them together and create a totally new business and have a hot selling product and service.

    Let me know what you think?

    Thanks,

    Martin
    That actually seems like a pretty good idea. Could even have your own website on there with marketing gigs.
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  • Profile picture of the author celente
    Looks like you got your idea from this post. (See below)

    A warrior a while back posted something similar a while back and is making good money with the whole balloon idea.

    Read WF post Here ==> http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...ney-maker.html
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  • Profile picture of the author dms321
    Very interesting. I am wondering if you are planning on expanding this and whether that would require much more time and effort? Or maybe outsourcing it?

    But definitely out of box thinking.

    Thanks.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      Yes, I am working on expanding this idea to work with other locations besides corner stores and once I get things set up I will be outsourcing the delivery of the balloons as my main skill is in selling advertising, so I will foucus on getting advertisers on my discount cards, but I have been considering doing a coupon book that would be attached to the balloon instead of a discount card, but I'm still in the process of working out all the details, but I will keep everyone here posted once things are in motion and prove to be successful.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by dms321 View Post

      Very interesting. I am wondering if you are planning on expanding this and whether that would require much more time and effort? Or maybe outsourcing it?

      But definitely out of box thinking.

      Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author RaptorGabe
    I've been going through your different niche ideas, freaking awesome! I'd love to see your breakdown of the selling of these services to local businesses
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  • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
    I would like to thank everyone for all their positive comments and PM's. I really do enjoy helping others learn ways to make extra money and hearing success stories.

    To your success,

    Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author jameswatson2002
    I love the unique approaches and creativity I find on this forum!
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  • Profile picture of the author dtaylor
    Martin, with the content you provide it is no wonder your threads always have a high post count.

    Thanks for sharing.
    DTaylor
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  • Profile picture of the author adebayjim
    Hey Martin,

    That's a great idea. I went into the local poundshop (££(UK)) today and saw some items then I could sell on for profit.

    Inspiring stuff.

    Cheers
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      adebayjim,

      I wish you much success and please keep us posted here on your results.

      To your success,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by adebayjim View Post

      Hey Martin,

      That's a great idea. I went into the local poundshop (££(UK)) today and saw some items then I could sell on for profit.

      Inspiring stuff.

      Cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author vivi62
    HI I like your thinking maybe it could be adapted to uk but I dont know where I would get the balloons from.
    regards
    vivi62
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  • Profile picture of the author heevyhivy
    I remember when I was a child and visited the people in charge of a newly built housing estate, they always, ALWAYS gave me a balloon, and it made my whole family happy and more willing to keep talking.
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  • Profile picture of the author stuff2
    Thanks for sharing Martin.

    I do not think I have heard of this type of business and you have gaven me some other ideas.

    As for who thought of the idea first, Just go to wso, clickbank or a hamburger joint and so many rehash stuff over and over is this a copyrighted idea.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      stuff2,

      I'm happy to hear that i was able to help you with coming up with some other ideas, maybe you could share those ideas with us here?

      To your success,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by stuff2 View Post

      Thanks for sharing Martin.

      I do not think I have heard of this type of business and you have gaven me some other ideas.

      As for who thought of the idea first, Just go to wso, clickbank or a hamburger joint and so many rehash stuff over and over is this a copyrighted idea.
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    • Profile picture of the author DGFletcher
      Maybe I'm just tired, but I read what you do, saw "something something balloon something something balloon balloon something something" reread it again, saw "something something balloon something something balloon something something" and tried to reread it again, only to get "something something balloon something something."

      What are you doing? About all I caught is it involves balloons. It seems like a great idea, but I really don't get it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robert Michael
    Nice, now that is what I call 'thinking outside the box' !

    I probably wouldn't have thought to sell ad spots on something as small as a card.. but that is really creative stuff.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      Whos That Guru,

      Selling ads on business cards as a discount card is great, as the card can be placed inside a wallet or purse and saved and re-used over and over again.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by Whos That Guru View Post

      Nice, now that is what I call 'thinking outside the box' !

      I probably wouldn't have thought to sell ad spots on something as small as a card.. but that is really creative stuff.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      Thanks and selling ads on business cards as a discount card is a great marketing/advertising method, as the card can be placed inside a wallet or purse and saved and re-used over and over again.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by Whos That Guru View Post

      Nice, now that is what I call 'thinking outside the box' !

      I probably wouldn't have thought to sell ad spots on something as small as a card.. but that is really creative stuff.
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  • Profile picture of the author sonix
    Creative idea, thanks for sharing!
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  • Profile picture of the author InTh3Moment
    Martin, I am reading all of your unique ways to make money and I gotta say you may be one of the most creative and outside-of-the-box thinkers I have come across.

    It's pretty amazing how you are able to come up with these really simple yet profitable ideas that are all around us. Thank you yet again.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      InTh3Moment,

      Thank you very much for the kind words.

      I'm happy to hear that you like reading my money making ideas and I hope you are able to benifit from them.

      To your success,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by InTh3Moment View Post

      Martin, I am reading all of your unique ways to make money and I gotta say you may be one of the most creative and outside-of-the-box thinkers I have come across.

      It's pretty amazing how you are able to come up with these really simple yet profitable ideas that are all around us. Thank you yet again.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      InTh3Moment,

      Thank you very much for the kind words.

      I'm happy to hear that you like reading my money making ideas and I hope you are able to benifit from them.

      To your success,

      Martin


      Originally Posted by InTh3Moment View Post

      Martin, I am reading all of your unique ways to make money and I gotta say you may be one of the most creative and outside-of-the-box thinkers I have come across.

      It's pretty amazing how you are able to come up with these really simple yet profitable ideas that are all around us. Thank you yet again.
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      • Profile picture of the author CreekChub
        Originally Posted by MartinBuckley View Post

        InTh3Moment,

        Thank you very much for the kind words.

        I'm happy to hear that you like reading my money making ideas and I hope you are able to benifit from them.

        To your success,

        Martin
        Seriously? Martin, you're as transparent as a piece of plastic wrap. You bumped your own thread - twice - by simply copying and pasting an earlier post of yours. You just "thanked" a guy who posted almost a year ago - for the second time. If you spent as much time working on something productive as you do lazily copying shady IM tactics you might have more than a couple of nickels to rub together at the same time. What a joke.
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        • Profile picture of the author systemload
          Not to mention post #75
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  • Profile picture of the author gcoo029
    Thanks for sharing Martin. I can see your ideas could be implemented in almost any country around the world.

    Cheers

    Greg
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      Greg,

      Your welcome and yes most of my money making ideas can be implemented in any country.

      I hope you and others are able to benifit from my ideas and make some money with them.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by gcoo029 View Post

      Thanks for sharing Martin. I can see your ideas could be implemented in almost any country around the world.

      Cheers

      Greg
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  • Profile picture of the author c.t.coburn
    Martin, I'm surprised you're not attaching a magnet to the balloons instead of a card. guess your main biz is the pizza discount card?

    now as to what you'd print on the magnet? I'd leave that up to your creative mind, I'd probably include a "header" for whoever was selling the balloons for me as an added incentive for them (once the balloon was gone the magnet would be on their refrigerator.)

    maybe you could just use the back of your pizza card as the note i.e. "from ___ for your birthday" etc.

    WOW! I was just imagining how many of these you could sell at Valentine's Day. A balloon, pink pizza card with place for a note on the back and a magnet with "Bev's Corner Store" or "Amy's Bakery" etc all tied together.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      c.t.coburn,

      Thanks for the great ideas and I'm working on a new twist to my balloon idea and I might be able to impliment your ideas into it, so thanks for sharing your thoughts.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by c.t.coburn View Post

      Martin, I'm surprised you're not attaching a magnet to the balloons instead of a card. guess your main biz is the pizza discount card?

      now as to what you'd print on the magnet? I'd leave that up to your creative mind, I'd probably include a "header" for whoever was selling the balloons for me as an added incentive for them (once the balloon was gone the magnet would be on their refrigerator.)

      maybe you could just use the back of your pizza card as the note i.e. "from ___ for your birthday" etc.

      WOW! I was just imagining how many of these you could sell at Valentine's Day. A balloon, pink pizza card with place for a note on the back and a magnet with "Bev's Corner Store" or "Amy's Bakery" etc all tied together.
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  • Profile picture of the author Madridista
    so creative Martin.......
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  • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
    Yesterday I was searching on clickbank and can across an ebook
    on how to make $300 a day distributing balloons and sense it
    relates to my business and this thread I thought I would share
    the link here, so check it out at:

    How I Earn $300 A Day Distributing Balloons

    All the best,

    Martin
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  • Profile picture of the author anwar001
    What I am failing to understand in this strategy is why would the stores buy balloons from you for $4 when they too can get it for $1?
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      They are not buying the balloons from me I am giving them the balloons for free on consignment, they are paying me for my pizza discount card once they make a balloon/pizza card sale.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by anwar001 View Post

      What I am failing to understand in this strategy is why would the stores buy balloons from you for $4 when they too can get it for $1?
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  • Profile picture of the author pablo4103
    Is this part of your "Pizza Card Profits" idea?
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      It's an idea I did share in my Pizza Card Profits guide, but it's not one of the 10 different ways I do go into details on how to sell and make money with pizza cards.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by pablo4103 View Post

      Is this part of your "Pizza Card Profits" idea?
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  • Profile picture of the author chevron2105
    Martin,
    Please don't stop sharing your ideas here due to a few negative comments. The majority of us here really appreciate what you are doing and find your posts helpful and informative. God Bless!
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      chevron2105,

      I won't let a few negative comments stop me from sharing ideas here, so thanks for your support!

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by chevron2105 View Post

      Martin,
      Please don't stop sharing your ideas here due to a few negative comments. The majority of us here really appreciate what you are doing and find your posts helpful and informative. God Bless!
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  • Profile picture of the author jking1
    Another splendid idea Martin! You're really great in finding ways to earn income and your location is also good for different kinds of business and money-making strategies. I wish I can earn from balloons too but it seems that my place is not a vibrant area for such products.
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  • Profile picture of the author ramonakicks
    This is a good idea, I like it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Justin T Wells
    This is a great idea. To expand it, I do have some ideas.

    The easiest thing to do is to find a handful of other niches. It does require work, but has the potential to make more sales per location. Let's say one of the corner shops has 25 balloons in stock. Instead of all with pizza cards, mix it up a bit. Find 3-5 other types of businesses to provide discount cards for. Not everyone wants pizza. Given a choice, I bet 2 things will happen: more balloons will sell and you will be able to find out over time if other niches sell better than pizza as the bonus gift with the balloon. You might find that you can find the right mix per location as the demographic differences might not be immediately obvious. Hell, I'd make one a fitness place such as "free 1 week membership" or "free 1 on 1 personal trainer session" or combine the two. You'd sell these to health-oriented people as well as others who intend this to be a gag gift for being "over the hill." You have to test this over time, because in the short term it could be something as simple as color or message that is the big seller if you have a variety of balloons. Make at least 1 gift aimed at kids. How many parents see your balloons but don't buy for their kid because the gift isn't right? Also, consider putting gift cards on some balloons for the shop they are in, activated at purchase. They don't have gift cards? Sell them on gift cards!

    Visit the area hospitals and see if the gift shops will sell your balloons. In my area, hospital gift shops are outrageously expensive, but they still sell lots of stuff because people get there to see someone and realize they should buy something. If this works, I'd consider adjusting the "free gift" and possibly charging the gift shop more. You'd also likely be using "get well soon" balloons instead. You just have to think of what general groups of patients there are and what might be appropriate. For instance, you could try various toys as well as aspirational gifts, or other things someone might look forward to. maybe a free 15 minute balloon or glider ride, some sort of free spa treatment- whatever makes sense. I'm sure there are sorts of businesses that have some sort of service they can provide for free to encourage people to spend money.

    I would also try to think of any ways to sell these in quantities other than in retail stores. One possibility is to sell a twist on this service to schools or via schools to parents. For instance, you could offer a service where you deliver balloons everyday to area schools. Parents could opt-in by paying in advance for their child to be surprised with a balloon with a free age-appropriate book attached, or something else that makes sense. Maybe share a percentage with the school for a specific purpose such as technology fund, teacher discretionary fund etc. The beauty of this idea is that as children see other kids get balloons, they will tell their parents how much they too want a balloon on their birthday. As long as the school or teachers are communicating the message, these will sell themselves. This is easily a $15-25 sale because part of the value is that it is done for them- people inherently know there is cost involved in ferrying around balloons with gifts attached. Just make an easy order form and/or website where parents can select a gift from say 20 choices. Try to get as many sales as you can upfront, such as the beginning of the school year so that you can buy the proper gifts and reduce risk of something no longer for sale later in the year. Just be sure to never miss a delivery... The best part of this is that it turns into an annual gift that the child wants every single year, if only because the other kids are getting it. If you do this for schools that are convenient for you, it will become quite normal to walk or drive 5-10 minutes to go deliver 2 or 3 balloons, which could be $20-50 or more in profits for you each day for almost no work after the initial setup. Even better is if it's a school that you have a child in or know someone that has a child in (who perhaps would like to deliver the balloons for a cut of the profits.) Just remember, don't be that guy who forgets a kid's birthday present he may have been looking forward to.
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    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      Justin, thank you very much for your reply and great ideas.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by Justin T Wells View Post

      This is a great idea. To expand it, I do have some ideas.

      The easiest thing to do is to find a handful of other niches. It does require work, but has the potential to make more sales per location. Let's say one of the corner shops has 25 balloons in stock. Instead of all with pizza cards, mix it up a bit. Find 3-5 other types of businesses to provide discount cards for. Not everyone wants pizza. Given a choice, I bet 2 things will happen: more balloons will sell and you will be able to find out over time if other niches sell better than pizza as the bonus gift with the balloon. You might find that you can find the right mix per location as the demographic differences might not be immediately obvious. Hell, I'd make one a fitness place such as "free 1 week membership" or "free 1 on 1 personal trainer session" or combine the two. You'd sell these to health-oriented people as well as others who intend this to be a gag gift for being "over the hill." You have to test this over time, because in the short term it could be something as simple as color or message that is the big seller if you have a variety of balloons. Make at least 1 gift aimed at kids. How many parents see your balloons but don't buy for their kid because the gift isn't right? Also, consider putting gift cards on some balloons for the shop they are in, activated at purchase. They don't have gift cards? Sell them on gift cards!

      Visit the area hospitals and see if the gift shops will sell your balloons. In my area, hospital gift shops are outrageously expensive, but they still sell lots of stuff because people get there to see someone and realize they should buy something. If this works, I'd consider adjusting the "free gift" and possibly charging the gift shop more. You'd also likely be using "get well soon" balloons instead. You just have to think of what general groups of patients there are and what might be appropriate. For instance, you could try various toys as well as aspirational gifts, or other things someone might look forward to. maybe a free 15 minute balloon or glider ride, some sort of free spa treatment- whatever makes sense. I'm sure there are sorts of businesses that have some sort of service they can provide for free to encourage people to spend money.

      I would also try to think of any ways to sell these in quantities other than in retail stores. One possibility is to sell a twist on this service to schools or via schools to parents. For instance, you could offer a service where you deliver balloons everyday to area schools. Parents could opt-in by paying in advance for their child to be surprised with a balloon with a free age-appropriate book attached, or something else that makes sense. Maybe share a percentage with the school for a specific purpose such as technology fund, teacher discretionary fund etc. The beauty of this idea is that as children see other kids get balloons, they will tell their parents how much they too want a balloon on their birthday. As long as the school or teachers are communicating the message, these will sell themselves. This is easily a $15-25 sale because part of the value is that it is done for them- people inherently know there is cost involved in ferrying around balloons with gifts attached. Just make an easy order form and/or website where parents can select a gift from say 20 choices. Try to get as many sales as you can upfront, such as the beginning of the school year so that you can buy the proper gifts and reduce risk of something no longer for sale later in the year. Just be sure to never miss a delivery... The best part of this is that it turns into an annual gift that the child wants every single year, if only because the other kids are getting it. If you do this for schools that are convenient for you, it will become quite normal to walk or drive 5-10 minutes to go deliver 2 or 3 balloons, which could be $20-50 or more in profits for you each day for almost no work after the initial setup. Even better is if it's a school that you have a child in or know someone that has a child in (who perhaps would like to deliver the balloons for a cut of the profits.) Just remember, don't be that guy who forgets a kid's birthday present he may have been looking forward to.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8523756].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author davidbatchelor
        Originally Posted by MartinBuckley View Post

        Justin, thank you very much for your reply and great ideas.

        All the best,

        Martin
        Hey Martin,

        I am still waiting for your reply.

        ~ David
        Signature
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