moneylab

I agree; there is no deal until money changes hands. I'm asking for half down, balance with the finished proof of their coupon; or if they want additional savings, I'll give them a significant discount if they prepay in full.

trafficdiva

This is such a great and ingenuous article. How informative! This is the type of information, and may I say answers, home base business owners need. Thanks so much!

hourstoincome

Thanks for your replys guys. I will be getting a deposit on every ad then because you are right, if there's no money, there's no commitment. Also thanks for the reference to post #326 Eddie! It was quite helpful. I am going to try to do some cold calling amd emailing with a modified version of that script.

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Taniwha

The last thing you want to happen is to have your flyer proof ready and have 5 businesses back out because they didn't put in a deposit.

J smith

For those who have hired or tried to hire sales people to sell the ads for you, how did you find those people/how did the hiring process go for you?

I put an ad on criag's list, which stated that it was 100% comission, got 2 resumes/emails, replied, never herd from either one. Through my networking I've found someone who used to work for a coupon magazine in my area (but got laid off and was unemployed/looking for work) met with him, and the guy decided he didn't want to work on comission basis (didn't want to work for an hourly wage either due to it being a new company)

There is this none profit place that helps people find jobs, so I've placed an ad with them, and the person I was talking to referred someone to me. Guy sends me his resume (not too bad, about 10 yeards of customer/sales experience and even some cold calling) I sent him info about the job, no reply.

I just don't get it, I am offering, what I consider excellent comission plus a residual comission on top of that. Assuming each advertiser stays for an average of 2 postcard runs, someone who can sell 15 ads in a month would make 54k/year, which sounds pretty good. Yet I can't seem find anyone even remotely interested. wth is going on?

Oh well, guess I'll just have to keep selling ads myself. Going to try the "report" idea that was suggested in this thread tomorrow, see how well that works.

Doran Peck

In my opinion salespeople are a wate of time and MONEY. This is something that can easily be handled by one person alone. Extra people just eat into your profit. Not only that but they are the ones developing relationships with your customers, not you.

So about the time that this salesman figures out he can do what your doing...

AfteraDream

You can get inside client's head and business and understand their needs better. That may lead to profitable upsells of other services for marketing or web design etc. Good stuff Doran, thank you!

Taniwha

This is the only way I can see on how to solve the back to front issue.

The black boxes resemble the whole offer (for both sides).
The blue boxes resemble the bit you cut out to redeem.
The red boxes resemble the bit you cut out to redeem on the other side.



Can anyone give any hints or shed some light on if i'm warm? Thanks

PS. I would buy the WSO, but I have $30 to my name which I need for the business.

moneylab

Excellent point, Doran!

miserman

Well as according to my society, we guys are having "Flyers" and local businesses are already use them. So I don't think I have the opportunity to do this sort of promotion here. Thanks anyway

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drjen77

Hello Friends!

My first post ever on the WF - eek! I've been a long-time lurker, avid reader, and bashful poster... but now I need some advice, so forgive me.

I have been working hard at my first 9 x 12 card in my area, and like many I have encountered resistance (expected). I have thus far only been really able to give about 1.5 days per week to this, as I stay home with my two young kids all week while my husband works out of town. But I send out postcards, emails, and go door to door as much as I can to local businesses (especially if I find they have an ad in one or more of my hoard of other ads I've collected).

Yesterday I was able to go out all day, and about 1 pm I revisited a local restaurant owner who is bent on Valpak. Wants to see a card out first before doing it. Fine, I'll match ValPak's price for your first run. No... I'll beat ValPak + a gift card to the restaurant... Still no. Then, after asking him more about why he likes Valpak, what return he gets with them (.3-.4%) He asks ME - "who do you work for? Are you doing this yourself? Because I got another one of these big postcard ideas just the other day.... " He goes in his office and sure enough, comes out with a red postcard with bright yellow ads.

This card is 8.5 x 11, on 100# stock, perforated into 1"x2" ads. He's sending it to 10,500 and advertises on the card that you can "advertise for $69." Well, I took the card, did my digging on this, and it's new, too. First run was in March. He does mail to 10,500, but it's broken up into 3 mailing groups of 3,500, so each advertiser pays $69/mo for 3 months or a total of $207 to finally reach all 10,500 over the span of the 3 months. There were 36 ads on the front of the card, and room for probably 8 more. Very simple ads - Logo and offer only, so easy designs. The ads are small, with no separation really, aside from the border around their spot. One advertiser had 4 spots, but they were not made into one big ad, just 4 small individual coupons. The back side has generic terms and conditions, the address of the business, and a QR code that he uses as a benefit of his card.

I've been marketing to many of the people on this card. In fact, I just sent some of them more postcards yesterday (before I got wind of this other version).

My product (on its 3rd revision) is a 9x12 postcard with only 2.75"x3.75" ads - roughly 4 times the size of the other card. I have 8 to a side. I've been working on a $495 price point per ad, and have tested various incentives to get a card done. Yesterday I was offering "fast action takers" a 40% discount (which also went out on the postcards), or $297 for a spot. I have no advertisers signed on so far. Knowing that there is another postcard out there (and it mentions he's expanding to other areas that I've been planning to run in as well)... I COULD break my mailing into 3 divisions and charge a minimum of $99/month for the 16 advertisers - which would be roughly the $297 price point I was offering yesterday for the full exposure.... I could also add more advertisers and make my ads a little smaller to compete more price-wise. I could try a larger postcard - maybe a 12X15 (the biggest EDDM size), even though it will probably get a little mangled in the mail, and put many advertisers on there (if he can get 36, so can I, right?) and out-size him by a wide margin. OR, do I stick it out with what I've got: my larger ads and higher coverage (10k each mailing) for a value of $297-ish and explain to businesses that this is really close to what they are paying this other guy, but your bigger ads reach more customers faster, with less competition.

I just don't know how to proceed as now I'm not the only Mega Postcard shared mailer on the block...

And, of course, dear hubby would prefer that I get a job anyway, and this hiccup has given him more ammo in that direction. But I am determined to not have spent all this time and energy for nothing...

Please advise.

Eddie Spangler

The first question that I would ask you is how much do you want to make per month (profit) and how many hours a week do you want to work?

drjen77

I want to eventually make a 100k/year, which I projected would be a reachable goal with more than one mailer, and will work much more to achieve that. I have in-laws that just moved back to town and they owe us money, so they are going to babysit for me starting next week to work off their debt. I will have a lot more "business hour" time to work on this then. My estimate of 1.5 days/week is time I can canvas, and does not include time spent on direct mail and emails, trying to get insert prices for newspapers to add that as a benefit (which shunned me b/c they view my ad insert as direct competition for their own ads.), etc.

Bruce Wedding

I found the 12x15 price prohibitive, almost 2X as much as the 9x12. Frankly, I would worry so much about this "competitor" but I would practice overcoming that objection. What you're offering is much better than what he is.

Other than that, I'd ask you to think of other ways to add value to what you're offering. Get creative.

Eddie Spangler

Some quick thoughts off the top

1. work harder and call more people
2. worry less about the other guy and more about your own value proposition.
3. promote as a marketing campaign rather than a generic mailer.convince advertisers that they are part of someone much bigger.
4. not to be a jerk but if you cant get 16 people to pay you a measly $297 to be on this card then you may want to look for another way to make money.

Answer the question yourself. Why should someone do business with you?

MonteMichaels

Big points there.

Too many "get rich quick" schemes on here, but this is not one of them. This requires work, and you should treat it like a job instead of just a hobby.

Don't worry about the competition. Just because someone else is doing something similar does not mean that theirs is better. They just got started first.

You might want to look for a daycare just like when you have to get a job. That way you will have the time to put into this. Otherwise get on the phone when the kids are taking a nap.

InTh3Moment

Hello all,

I just wanted to come in to report that I purchased the WSO a week ago and the value that Bob has packed into this thing is simply amazing. Many of the steps are here on this thread but that WSO and the forum for members provides so much insight it's been truly eye opening!

I just wanted to wish everyone luck and thank Bob for over-delivering with quality and content. This thing should be hundreds of dollars EASY for the amount of useful info and tips you get to make this really work and make you money!

drjen77

Bruce - the 12 X 15 is much more expensive, but I did a cost breakdown. 10,000 9 X 12 cards with print/ship to me and EDDM is $177/ad for 16 ads. I'd need only 25 ads on the 12 X 15 to match this cost per ad. Should be do-able, as the other card has 36 now. (costs do not include ad design). I've tried to be creative with my value proposition. For example, a few weeks ago I also started including a chance for advertisers to get their next ad free (up to $495), as a way to give back to the businesses that advertise with me. I agree, I do have a better offer for the businesses, but so far the ones I've approached are either (stupidly ) pinching pennies so tight that all they see is the cost, especially since I haven't "proven" that my ads work in my market or they are under contract with their current advertiser and won't move until that's done. I think my pitch is fine - getting better each time, but my close is still too weak.

Monte and Eddie - I agree I need to get out there more - even without this competition. Starting next week I have daycare, so I can go for it stronger then. Postcards and emails haven't been the most successful for so far, but at least I am doing something to get the word out.

I was a brick-mortar business owner once and even at $495 it would have been an easy sell to me then, but that was 300 miles from here.

Eddie - Until yesterday I was pitching at the full $495, with a $50 discount for signing up with me that day. As I realized I was running out of time from my initial goal of getting my first one done, I needed a more dramatic offer since I didn't have as much marketing time. I revisited your pitch from a while back and went to work. As expected, I got a lot of "we're under contract with ValPak", or "the owner isn't in", or "we don't advertise", or "that's a GREAT idea, but I don't have any pull to make it happen for us", or "what is the typical ROI for this card? Has it been done in our area before?". I will admit that learning about this other card rocked my confidence as I then knew I couldn't really say there isn't another mega postcard in twon.

I think my efforts so far are making an impact as it seems other advertisers are upping their game. There's a booklet mailer that goes out and I also got a copy of his flyer from that restaurant guy yesterday. It looked like it was in direct response to a direct mail piece I sent his advertisers a couple weeks ago.... I sent a comparison sheet and this flyer responded to all those points and he's added a few more "benefits".... but he's still a booklet.

I want to be THE best game in town, no questions asked, and make it truly a "no brainer" for businesses. I thought at $495 it was a no-brainer, but as Eddie said, it will definitely take my getting in front of A LOT more owners to get that, especially with another postcard mailer soliciting them at a much lower price point, even with tiny ads.

So, you wouldn't make ANY of the changes I've considered in light of this other mailer: adding more advertisers to lower the cost, modify the mailing schedule, etc.?

I showed the other one to my husband and he liked it.... especially b/c it's perforated into the coupons. Erg!

BUFFALOBT

My advice to you is stick to your guns...don't change your format...find the ones who "get it"...don't waste your time on the ones who don't.

There will ALWAYS be competition and business owners who like something else more than what you have to offer...that is the nature of this business and any business for that matter.

When you do come across someone who "gets it", you get to sit back as THEY TELL YOU how great this will be for their business! It's really cool, easy, and fun when that happens.

So- keep your head down and keep plugging away- I've done 2 cards so far, and would be doing lots more if time permitted...it works!

Good luck- hope it helps.

Eddie Spangler

@drjen or anyone who is really struggling with just getting started and lacks the gumption to ask/show value for larger amounts of money, (even though in reality $500 month is NOT that much money when talking about advertising)

If you really need a confidence boost and a strategy to get off the ground running as fast as possible consider this gameplan.

For the records I do not consider it optimal by any means BUT I feel that you just need to get a card out asap.

Sometimes its hard to sell value to small biz owners because they can only relate to price, thats why the guy had so much success with the $69 cheapo plan, even if the returns suck they dont feel like it was a big loss. Personally I think this person is making a big strategy error but then again they may be perfect for HIS goals.

Try offering a 5k run at $199, really this has to be the bottom of the price range.
Once they are SHOWN the value then they will pay more because they dont want to miss out.
I know that I commented that someone who couldnt get $297 should look for another line of work well consider that quadrupled for anyone that cant get $199. There are no excuses about contracts with ANY other vendor, it totally doenst matter, we arent asking for a contract and its $199 paltry buck for our killer opportunity!!!!!!!!!!!

We are thinking long term here and people that arent able to invest this small amount to be part of our program are not even worth dealing with in my book as we need to turn them into monthly investors for best results(them and you)

You will be selective and send to the best 5k in terms of proximity and household income that you can determine when doing through the eddm zone guide.

Offer them the opportunity to be part of an exclusive business alliance where besides the cards that you mail, each merchant will also distribute cards in their store.
This in itself will generate a certain level of excitement and optimism. Not only are there no competitors on our card but also the people on it are HELPING us get more customers. Plus it will give you a little more "face time" when you drop off their cards.

Make a display for them, it can be a little as an 8x10 graphic placed in a clear acrylic holder that will be
placed near the cash register or even a large poster that can hang in their window.
Train them to give the coupons to people that come into the store, its a way for them to give extra value to their own customers who didnt come in with a coupon.

Start up a facebook page and a website for even greater value. Remember all the other guys are just selling generic advertising , YOU are providing them with a long term marketing campaign.

You must make sure they are giving awesome deals that people will go for, none of this 10 percent off nonsense. Its important that they get people in because you are going to get testimonials as quickly as possible and use these for future sales.

Anyway im tired of typing right now, hopefully I have given enough ideas for those on the fence to see the big picture and what is really possible through this card.

Dan Ellenwood

To "pitch" businesses, how about an idea like this: Make up a catchy flier with something like "directly reach the 10,000 residences within a one mile radius of your business -- see this video for all the info"

Put a link (URL) to a video on there (use bit.ly or something).

Make up your own customized video for whatever town you are focusing on that explains everything briefly and demonstrates how big it is, how it will get noticed, etc.

Track how many people watch it! Have your contact info so they can get a hold of you if they want in!

This way you can make a "pitch" without being there in person and the business owner can watch it on their own schedule.

Go to fiverr and have someone make up a semi professional video if you'd rather.

This way you can walk into a business, hand someone that works there the flyer, and ask them to give it to the owner.

You can probably think of some other things to make this better, but this way I would think you could hit a ton of businesses in a short time and hopefully create enough curiosity so that owners would take a look.

majorkiller

Thanks for real good discussion... this gave me new ideas... will implement it soon...

moneylab

I wanted to share some results of an email push I did a few days ago. I used the same format that another warrior has used very successfully, with only a few very minor 'tweaks' to fine-tune it for my local market. I realize this isn't a huge number of emails, but they should have been quality prospects, having been gleaned from existing U-coupon booklet and Valpak customers locally:

65 emails sent
22 bounced/failed (34%); undeliverable/rejected/no such user/mailbox full etc

Of the 43 that got through, 11 got opened and read (26%)

I feel that's a pretty good open rate considering it is a cold (a.k.a. spam) email

Resulting inquiries/responses from those 11: zero

Like I said, maybe if hundreds of emails were sent, I'd get a few leads, but I at least wanted to share these results with you.

Greg

drjen77

Dan - We think alike. I have not done this on a flyer, but the postcards and emails I have sent have a PURL that links them directly to a page on my site with a promo video (with bullet points below video for those not inclined to watch a 1:19 sec video). I thought the PURL would "wow" them and I'd get calls. I left the cost vague "under 5c/house" so I could be free to change up the pitch/price as needed. I know I've had a few views - haven't checked the stats in quite a while to be honest. But I haven't gotten any calls from that. I know, I know - do it more. I will. I promise.

One thing that has been somewhat successful is I mailed grouponers a print out of their ad and said "you sold 200 groupons at $x, but gave groupon half of that. Your ad really COST you $Y. For pennies you can reach thousands in your immediate area and pocket the rest" (something to that effect...) with a bulleted flyer of the benefits of the postcard and a map of the mailing zone closest to them. I got 1 call from 30 I sent out, and he said he wanted 2 spots (score!) but needed to talk to his partner before committing. He was going to call me back the next day, but didn't. I've called him twice and gotten a machine. I'll mail him again, though. I call it successful, b/c 1 call from only 30 letters is a decent response at least. These mailings take a lot more time to do, though. I know I should make time to do at least a few of these every day or so.

I know this is an awesome concept - I'm excited to be able to devote more time to this soon and thanks to those that have responded - as I'm sure many of you can relate, unless the money rolls in right away, those around you become doubters for any endeavor. We'll keep on keeping on!

Neil

@drjen77,

That cracked me up - spouses... go figure!

First - I think your determination is awesome. As it is common to feel the most like quitting just before things get going, don't lose sight of the fact that the more times you show up at the same business the more likely they are to see you as being someone they can count on for the long haul.

The statistics are that it takes five touches to close a sale, sometimes eight. So keep that in mind.

Here are a bunch of ideas off the top of my head. I sincerely hope you find something useful here.

Strategy. The better the strategy the easier the yes-es will come. You are doing some really great things. Since you are in it for this business to be successful, don't overlook key concepts like USP - Unique Selling Proposition. Yours is the only premium mailing service that puts the clients message in front of 10,000 households at once as a featured offer (not buried in a booklet). And it is a proven service. Somewhere in this thread people talk about the kind of responses their clients experience. The other thing is that people will tend to keep this card, putting it on their refrigerator.

So a USP would be something like: Get a return on your advertising dollar by delivering your best offer on a high quality hand-held color billboard to 10,000 of your favorite neighbors.

I'm sure that can be improved upon. But you get the idea: it's what's in it for them in a nutshell.

Strategy: who should you contact? You might be better off selecting 100 businesses to contact 5 to 8 times, than contacting every business you come across. Who should you select? Anyone who is spending significant dollars on advertising in your community.

Where do you find them?
- biggest ads in the yellow pages & the local newspaper(s)
- ads in alternative print media left in drops around town (real estate, autos, & alternative community newspapers/magazines)
- google adwords ads displayed for searches for big keyword search terms like pizza, real estate, etc
- television & radio ads
- billboard signs
- high quality building & vehicle signage

Demonstrate value: do you have one of sample cards to show?
- premium format (people want to do business with premium businesses). the premium card conveys professionalism and quality.
- It is not "me too." Are they a "me too" business or one that stands out in their community?
- nothing else puts you in front of 10,000 targeted neighbors in a premium format, that stands apart, and that has a valuable offer at such an affordable price..

Demonstrate your value to the client. Leave something of value everytime you drop by. If you are making 8 contacts, you only need 8 tips, tidbits, or freebies to leave them with. For instance you can educate them on the demographics of the neighborhoods that you plan to mail this too. How many people in a 1 to 2 mile radius, age, income, family size, etc. This also creates the need for them to reciprocate by becoming a customer. Give them a free QR code printed on a flyer that they can put in their window that points to something useful on their web site.

Are you creating a web site for your business? Will you have QR codes or text coupons on the card as well? It would be really easy to create a simple video that tells the story too (get it done on fiverr).

Are you asking the owners a lot of questions about what they are doing and how it's working for them?

I'd also ask questions like:
- "What's the most successful offer you've ever used?"
- "As a fellow business person help me out here, what needs to change for you to see yourself doing this?"
- "How many responses would you need from this to feel like it was a success for you?"
- "What's the lifetime value of one of your customers? So how many responses would you need to get for this to give you a return on your investment?"

Positioning your card against the competition. Do you have one of Bob's cards to show them? If you do I'd ask which one makes the better impression to their potential customer? Do they want to portray themselves as a discount offer or a premium offer?

Pricing Strategy.

- Any drop in price should be contingent on signing now - or "for the next 3 days/clients only." It would create more pressure if you started with a low special offer price (1/3 to 1/2 off to get the ball rolling) and then the price increased every time you see them. For instance $199 for this week only.

Rather than drop price - add incentives.
- Print an extra 2,500 and put them in public places over a 30 day time period.
- Put the card's ads on a mobile optimized web site where folks can capture the coupons on their phone using text or QR codes.
- Combine the card with a directory-style web site that features each vendor.
- Offer a social media marketing analysis SMMA of every business that comes on board (a $500 value).

Solo Ads...
- I would think that a large Real Estate office would be willing to send out a card with only themselves on it.
- as well as any premium company like a Law Firm; cosmetic dentistry; plastic surgeon; premium car dealer, etc.

Just don't take anyone's money that doesn't come up with a killer offer to get folks in the door.

Hope this is helpful,

Neil
PS: feel free to ask questions or PM me if you would like me to elaborate on something.

JaimeCruzM

Thank you for all this great info. definitely is a
"Give a try"
Jaime (El Tigre)

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BlogDiva

Hey Warriors! I have been contacted by several warriors those in and out of the Bob Ross Forum for some help with getting their postcards designed. I'm still available for anyone that needs help Below shows some of my work!

krzysiek

I have a question, pertaining to recurring clients.

How can you get recurring clients on a model like this? If you get a pizza place on board, they'll see new people sign up after a run. They will love it and be happy.

But the second and consecutive runs, they're hitting the same people. Now, if they're still making some good margin even 'after' their special offer - then they won't mind seeing the same faces coming in with the coupon.

But if they are not wanting to keep getting these loss leaders/discount customers in, isn't that all they will keep getting by hitting up the same houses every time?

moneylab

One way around that would be to have the mailer go out to different carrier routes the next time (if your city is big enough); or maybe on the next mailing, do 1/3 of it to the same routes as the first, the other 2/3 to new routes and new homes, for example.

Bigskybassguy

Many thanx for sharing all this!

Q: In your 1st post, you said: "I've done 2 cards so far and had a tracked response of 13% on the first one and 22% response on the 2nd!" How did you track your response? What does the 13 and 22% represent?

Q 2: Most of the coupons on your mailer look like your customers sent you pre-created artwork that you sized to fit on the postcard. Copy points, logos, photos, prices, etc had to come from somewhere... tell me you didn't create all 16 individual ads for the clients!

Regardless, Congrats on a great idea!

KabirC

Q1: He has answered this a few times if you read the thread, but since you obviously haven't and likely aren't going to. It is the percentage of the 10,000 people that used a coupon.

Q2: He stated he made the ads each himself, obviously the client will provide the copy, logo and prices but you/ the graphic designer if you aren't one will do the rest.

Roadlesstraveled

Seeing the picture of the cards has seriously motivated me! Thank you!

Mister Natural

First off,
the "ugly" card won't last and stand up to any competition such as your
product ONCE it get's circulated and people recognize it.

With EDDM you can BLAST 10,000 homes in 24 hours,,

and it takes the "ugly" card a Quarter of a Year to accomplish what you can do in 24 hours?
That is some funny sh*t.

No don't change a thing except talk to more people.
Learn to walk away from those that are mistakenly impressed with ValPak, or make your pitch without trying to convert them from valpak.

Thinking in terms of "tools",, it'd be like trying to talk a carpenter out of his hammer even though YOU were offering him something new called a "nail gun".

You'll find resistance but Eventually,,,,, they might learn. And at the same time you will find people that will buy your new "tool" because THEY SEE THE VALUE.
(I might work that into a pitch,,, well Mr. Bizz Owner valpak is OK for a rusty old hammer but I'm offering you a pnuematic nail gun for just $100 more.)

I believe people are very short sighted. And because ValPak has been around for 40 years the brand name is recognized and familiar the bizz owners that are "set in there ways" just assume they must be doing something right.

Google the following:
ValPak is a huge chunk of that.

I opened a recent valpak envelope and found 8 competitors fighting for customer attention.
That drops them from a 100% chance at a new customer to a pathetic 12% chance of landing a new customer.

If Mr. Restaurant Genius thinks that is a great investment, let him suffer in his own stupidity,
as YOU leave laughing and driving to his competitor.

You can't save the whole world.

J smith

The bottom line is you have to talk to a lot of people to find those who are interested and able/willing to do this. However as far as converting those who advertise in ValPak or other coupon books/magazines, I find I can at least get a conversation going with most of them (as a % they respond a good deal more than just cold walking into random businesses, in my experience)

You can also use the fact that they advertise else where to your advantage.
Start by asking how well their ad in ValPak worked for them, you'll get a range of answers from not a single call, to pretty good. Now you can say "Well, we have put together a marketing product that we believe will work better for you" then you explain what it is you offer.

Once you explain the details of your offer, you can talk to them about the advantages it holds - ie. "Would you say a huge postcard like this will get more attention than a standard size envelope?" They should say yes.
"One of the problems with ValPak is a lot of people just throw it away without oppening, they can see that it's valkpak, so they already know what's in it. In fact ValPak knows this which is why they do a "look inside for a chance to win $100, in hopes to get more people to open their envelopes. And obviously you can't throw away a postcard without looking at it first to understand what it is." They should nod to this as well.

"Also, ValPak can contain a ton of ads last one in my area had 56, so it'd take a while to actually look through each one, which a lot of people probably don't take the time to do. With our postcard you can quckly see all the ads"
"The other thing is ValPak has fairly useless ads - they got like 5 window replacement and gutter cleaning companies, on the other hand we are trying to get good local companies like yours with offers that people want to get and will actually use"
"Oh and did I say we offer exclusive deals? No more having your ad right next to three of your competitors"

Once you get them to agree that the postcard should work better than ValPak or magazine, you just need to convince them that it's worth to spend the money on it: "So, you did the ValPak thing and it worked out pretty well for you - that is you got enough business out of it to be pretty happy. Now, since we both agree that our postcard will work even better than ValPak did, doesn't it make sense for you to reserve your spot?"

Or at least that's the type of conversation I try to have. Doesn't always work out that way of course, some people just don't want to change, others got too good of a deal from their coupon magazine that I just can't touch, some will claim not to have the money (usually an excuse for somethign else though.)

But it gives you a good starting point for a conversation, and since you are offering a superior product, if you find someone willing to listen you can convince them to go with you fairly easily (especially if their ad worked for them, a lot harder to convince people who say "advertising just doesn't work for me")

zacsmith

I've had this WSO for a while, but it's been sitting "on the shelf" mostly for two reasons:

1. I'm pretty busy with graphic design clients and didn't want to take on a lot of retail clients, and;

2. Couldn't quite figure out how to use it within my practice as written without short-changing existing clients or overloading myself managing outsourcers.

But it's been bothering me, as I know it's a great concept.

Then, I was meeting with a client, the marketing director for a convention and visitors bureau. We were talking about a postcard project we had discussed but that had been dropped (a regular, targeted mailing). I casually asked why it had been dropped.

Short answer, she couldn't afford the postage -- she had been paying normal postage rates!

I nearly dropped my pants as I remembered all the sales points from the WSO and started talking about them. She nearly dropped hers when I explained EDDM's bargain rates. Then I pulled out a BLANK 9 x 12" sheet of gloss paper that I just happened to have with me.

The sound you hear are her paints hitting the floor. "That's huge!" she said, referring, of course, to the card.

Bottom line: I've got an order for a single 9x12 for her mailing to a nearby city -- looks as if it's a 50K piece order.

Two days later, she emails that she talked to the marketing person at a neighboring CVB, and they want to do a joint postcard to four cities.

I've been busy researching the best zip codes and carrier routes to fit their desired demographics.

Best of all, I can sell this service to other CVBs in the state, either promoting singles (just one CVB) or multiples. And it keeps a reasonable number of individual clients to work with more closely.

This worked for me as I have a long history of working with these types of companies, and five years with this particular CVB, so the relationship is well established. But I'm sure it will work with other Warriors -- everyone knows other prospects in other industries you can pitch for more exclusive cards.

What really surprised me about the whole thing is that she was begging me to develop this project. No selling!

I think I'm going to get out of the graphic design business and add this type of project to my publishing activities. And, now, I'm really regretting not purchasing the premium WSO with the forum. Heh.

gary

Just my $.02.

Gary Smith, Partner, Wells-Smith Partners
Your Employee Handbook Personnel Policies for Small Businesses
Eliminate the barriers to a successful life: How to Create a Happier Life
Stressful home life?: How to Create a Happier Home

sodomojo

What will they be promoting on the flier? Are they the only advertiser on there? Front and back?
What do you mean a joint postcard to four cities?

Ashleydupray

Hi Zac,
Yeah Im a bit confused as well. So I guess they are wanting to target locals for like what auto shows, home and garden that sort of thing? Is that about right?
Thanks
Ashley

drjen77

Thanks Mr. Natural and J Smith - I don't have a "thanks" button yet.

zacsmith

Tydowns and Ashleydupray,

To answer your questions, it's not a flyer, but a jumbo postcard, but is a little different from what you sell in Bob Ross' system. In those cases, you're promoting products and services by smaller businesses in a strictly local area.

In this case, we're promoting a "travel experience."

The client is a "destination marketing organization," basically a company that promotes a local area. For example, the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau runs marketing and advertising programs to encourage travelers to visit Atlanta - group tours. families, businesses, conventions, etc. Think of the marketing that Disney does for the resorts -- that kind of thing.

The first postcard will be sent to a city in another state that research shows has a large percentage of residents who visit our city specifically for a certain attraction. The card will feature that attraction with a hotel promotion and other special goodies for those who reserve hotel space though a special phone line.

The CVB will brand the postcard with their identity, and with that of the attraction and promote the special attraction, who has provided photos and a nice deal for visitors. The card will be color, front and back, coated, very nice paper, high-quality.

The postcard to four cities is the same sort of deal, except that it will promote two cities that are neighbors, probably highlighting holiday events that are worthy to travel to (yes, we work that far in advance!). It could be a major car show, etc., but the event has to be a large, intra-state draw. In this case, it's a whole calendar of holiday events in the two cities. Those four cities also send visitors to this area.

It's a nice cost-sharing arrangement for the two entities.

Hope that helps. Sorry to be long-winded...

zac

Gary Smith, Partner, Wells-Smith Partners
Your Employee Handbook Personnel Policies for Small Businesses
Eliminate the barriers to a successful life: How to Create a Happier Life
Stressful home life?: How to Create a Happier Home

Ashleydupray

That was great thanks Zac,
So I guess the CVB knows the town the most of the travelers come from?
Ashley

zacsmith

Yes, CVBs are a wealth of information about the local and surrounding areas, and are happy to chat with you and provide it.

Local chambers of commerce are excellent sources for putting this type of coop together.

Gary Smith, Partner, Wells-Smith Partners
Your Employee Handbook Personnel Policies for Small Businesses
Eliminate the barriers to a successful life: How to Create a Happier Life
Stressful home life?: How to Create a Happier Home

0oo0

So when you put coupons on the back... don't they get cut when someone else uses the coupon on the front?

billyme

Nope, you can align them so they line up differently. For example, one has the coupon on the bottom and the other on the top.

Anyhow, wanted to post my thoughts on this method. I've been following it for several months and Bob's WSO is really top-notch. It's rare to find an opportunity to be able to help the local community, earn real money and make it so damn easy. Honestly, the hardest part for everyone seems to be getting out there and taking action. Even for most of us that aren't salesmen, many businesses WANT you there because they know they need what you're selling and are impressed by the card. This card pretty much sells itself - you just have to be there to share it. Don't expect to put zero work in, but this is a pretty fool-proof, unbelievably easy to earn a recurring income and help businesses in the process. All you've gotta do is just get out there.

sodomojo

So you did this? How many ads did you sell? How much did you charge?

billyme

I'm not the best person to talk to about the actual selling process because I got caught up with other things in real life that prevented me from selling. What I can say is that I had a lot of interest and when I started officially a couple of weeks ago, someone else went into places for me and she barely knew much more than the price and what the card is. I could tell though that she got just as much interest from people as I did months ago, but she happened to let people think they could wait off to buy a spot. Pushing a sense of urgency is VERY important to sales. Anyhow, I ended up going out a bit myself and it went fantastic.. I have a few appointments and I plan to try to sell 7 spots so I can get a card mailed out before I leave the country for about a month. I'll have about two weeks to sell the spots. It really shouldn't be an issue and I hope I can get back to you guys when I get back and see how it all panned out.

I just wanted to help Bob out because the community has done so much for me and I know from talking to people (business owners, very successful friends) that this is a solid idea and anyone who is willing to work will experience success with this. It's not like anything I've seen before. And there are plenty of people that have had lots of success with this (most of them are out there selling it and not in here though ).

koenig

You should check out Got Print (dot) net

They have the absolute lowest pricest for printing that I have seen and have used them for business cards and postcards several times.


Koenig

KreoZen

Bookmarked! Thanks for that great idea!

zacsmith

GotPrint is a good supplier. I've used ZooPrinting.com for years. Good quality and low prices, but not much in the support area. But they are a "trade printer" and are used to working with more experienced designers, etc. who don't need a lot of support.

Talked last week to Taradel.com and am very impressed with their samples, pricing and offerings. I'll be placing a 10,000 6x11 order next week to go EDDM into three cities for $.29 per card including printing, mail prep and postage. That is equivalent to the lowest printing, prep and postage pricing I've been able to find elsewhere — and still allows me a healthy markup. And, they were the only printer able to answer ALL of my questions about Business EDDM and delivering from the printer in one state to an area in another state (3 states, in fact).

I'll post an update when it's all finished.

Gary Smith, Partner, Wells-Smith Partners
Your Employee Handbook Personnel Policies for Small Businesses
Eliminate the barriers to a successful life: How to Create a Happier Life
Stressful home life?: How to Create a Happier Home

Bayo

I ordered from Taradel.com, got the goods and I'm totally satisfied with what I got. So I can comfortably say that the quality is definitely fit-for-purpose.

BAYO

thedog

I had my eye on this a while back... great idea allright.

Thing is, I'm in China.

I can do this in Hong Kong, but the maximum size is a weird 150mm x 220mm...

In mainland China, they put all postcards in envelopes... so, not really a goer.

I'm living in a nice touristy town, so am thinking of adapting this to suit my surroundings.

I was thinking, A4 flyers.

On one side, a helpful map of the town, with highlights, and maybe some survival phrases for non chinese tourists... the map and info will be bi lingual.

On the other side, Bob's voucher idea.

Hand these out at bus and train stations, leave em in hostels, cafes and bars...

And charge for ad space.

I just printed 1000 A4 flyers, colour, both sides, for a client, for $50... so, not a huge investment.