Are you collecting email addresses for local businesses? ....question for ya

12 years ago

hi Nathan,
Thanks for responding, but I'm referring to collecting email addresses from existing customers.
The guy I spoke to claims it's difficult to impossible....at least at Pizzerias.

Email should work fine if you have a list of existing customers that have opted-in to get mailings of offers.

To me, it sounds like "oppurtunity" if you come up with the right offers to get them to bite.

Thanks
1 reply

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David Miller

12 years ago

Question about your conclusion. It seems to be based on what this person has said about email marketing.

"This guy has sold over a 100,000,000 high-end full color pizza place menus in about ten states in the northeast USA.
He's sold to well over a thousand stores"

My question is, what is this guy basing his conclusion on? Clearly he's a successful printer. But in his dealings with the resturants, how is that the subject of email marketing would come up?

Thanks
1 reply

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Jerry McGough

12 years ago

vndnbrgj
First off, I don't "have a problem"....

I simply want to know if what my friend says is consistant with what they're seeing.

I have chosen email marketing, as my "first" upsell of services after they place some free listings on the coupon site.
SMS and other things are further along a progression.

Hi David,
The subject of email was brought up by me.

This guy pretty much lives with pizza place owners.
You'd love this guy.....
Most of his accounts were gotten with cold walk-ins.
He gets in his truck and hits tagrets in about ten states.
He's late 60's and dresses as a .....and is known by.... Cowboy.

If you're in the northeast USA, there's a good chance one of his menus...done by my wife.....is in your kitchen drawer.

So anyhow....I asked him why 95% of small local businesses around here aren't trying to get my email address.

Thanks
1 reply

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vndnbrgj

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Jerry McGough

vndnbrgj
First off, I don't "have a problem"....

I simply want to know if what my friend says is consistant with what they're seeing.

I have chosen email marketing, as my "first" upsell of services after they place some free listings on the coupon site.
SMS and other things are further along a progression.

Hi David,
The subject of email was brought up by me.

This guy pretty much lives with pizza place owners.
You'd love this guy.....
Most of his accounts were gotten with cold walk-ins.
He gets in his truck and hits tagrets in about ten states.
He's late 60's and dresses as a .....and is known by.... Cowboy.

If you're in the northeast USA, there's a good chance one of his menus...done by my wife.....is in your kitchen drawer.

So anyhow....I asked him why 95% of small local businesses around here aren't trying to get my email address.

I never said you "had a problem"....
I simply offered to help if you were having trouble so excuuuuuse me!

You said, he brought up email saying it doesn't work and you are trying to push him on it? Good idea

Here's some marketing advice:
Sell people what they want, and sprinkle in what they need!

Thanks
2 replies

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Jerry McGough

12 years ago

vn....
Thanks for trying to help, but you're not understanding my post.
i'm not trying to sell him anything.....

Thanks
1 reply

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vndnbrgj

12 years ago

I'll give my favorite local pizzeria a full blown campaign of front page coupon listings, an extensive email collection process, emailings from their list, solo ads to coupon site members, mobile w/qr codes and so on.....

I'll show measurable results and use them as a case study and hit the other hundred pizzeria places withing driving distance.....starting with their closest competition.

Measurable results are the key......

Originally Posted by Jerry McGough

I have chosen email marketing, as my "first" upsell of services after they place some free listings on the coupon site.
SMS and other things are further along a progression.

Originally Posted by Jerry McGough

vn....
Thanks for trying to help, but you're not understanding my post.
i'm not trying to sell him anything.....

I do understand your post. In your OP you said you would offer the initial service to a business owner in order to generate results that you could showcase to other business owners.

Then, you said you would "upsell" email marketing.

What I said, is why sell a business something it doesn't want.

[ 1 ] Thanks

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- Neale Donald Wilson -

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David Miller

12 years ago

OK...let's all take a breath and relax.

I just remembered something that I encountered several years ago that may apply here. Of course, a market test of "2" is no more a market test then a political poll with skewed questions.

About 3 years ago (more or less) an associate of mine was marketing a local coupon website. I went with him on quite a few sales calls and although most local stores were excited about getting on board, the few pizza places we stopped in were cold as ice about it. They didn't even want to discuss it, they tossed doe to let us know they stopped listening. Quite rude and annoying (and people wonder why I prefer the phone?).

However, one shop owner did say that they never use coupons because as a neighborhood shop they have so many regular customers it's not worth it. He claimed that no one is going to go out of their town to save a buck or two, but if they do, they'll be back anyway.

Now, a couple of points about this. These shops were "pizza places" not full blown restaurants where you would take your family. Perhaps a few tables in back, usually having to be cleaned by the next customer. They are the kinds of places that haven't changed one bit since they opened, unless there's been a fire that forced renovation.

They don't market beyond their "very" local community and no desire to grow. They seem to be satisfied with the status quo. In thinking back on these experiences, I can see why this is a logical conclusion.

True, you can try to share the benefits of email and sms and countless other marketing techniques. Most of these neighborhood shops are exactly that, neighborhood shops. They don't want to be the next Dominos or Papa Johns or Pizza Hut and they will be first to tell you that those chain pizza's are awful (I have to agree).

As marketing "consultants" sometimes we forget that there are businesses that are content as they are.

[ 4 ] Thanks
2 replies

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The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.

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Jerry McGough 12 years ago

vn....
Email (as is SMS) is something that integrates nicely with coupons.
Preferably I'd like them to bite on that....
I've got about ten ways I can make them money.
This is merely where I choose to get started and see what I can do for them.

David.
Nice...you've been there.
Your right....like I said above, they're in there own little world.

A couple of things I do know though......
- my wife does about twenty menus a week and 75% of them have coupons on them
- us customers hoard those expensive menus for the coupons....they'd probably go through half as many if the coupons were somehow separate

Thanks guys for responding.....

P.S. one of those places I have six of their menus, I stopped in on Friday. I asked the woman owner why she doesn't collect email address (they have coups on their menu and use the clipper mag)....and....I got nothing....silence.....she didn't have a clue that she could promote by email....not only coupons, but those three new menu items on a small sign in their window.
I told her I'd be back, that we've got to sit down and talk. She'll probably be my first test case.
Too bad I'm probably a month to launch and/or have the time to take the time to test it right
- Thanks
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xlfutur1

12 years ago

Originally Posted by David Miller

OK...let's all take a breath and relax.

I just remembered something that I encountered several years ago that may apply here. Of course, a market test of "2" is no more a market test then a political poll with skewed questions.

About 3 years ago (more or less) an associate of mine was marketing a local coupon website. I went with him on quite a few sales calls and although most local stores were excited about getting on board, the few pizza places we stopped in were cold as ice about it. They didn't even want to discuss it, they tossed doe to let us know they stopped listening. Quite rude and annoying (and people wonder why I prefer the phone?).

However, one shop owner did say that they never use coupons because as a neighborhood shop they have so many regular customers it's not worth it. He claimed that no one is going to go out of their town to save a buck or two, but if they do, they'll be back anyway.

Now, a couple of points about this. These shops were "pizza places" not full blown restaurants where you would take your family. Perhaps a few tables in back, usually having to be cleaned by the next customer. They are the kinds of places that haven't changed one bit since they opened, unless there's been a fire that forced renovation.

They don't market beyond their "very" local community and no desire to grow. They seem to be satisfied with the status quo. In thinking back on these experiences, I can see why this is a logical conclusion.

True, you can try to share the benefits of email and sms and countless other marketing techniques. Most of these neighborhood shops are exactly that, neighborhood shops. They don't want to be the next Dominos or Papa Johns or Pizza Hut and they will be first to tell you that those chain pizza's are awful (I have to agree).

As marketing "consultants" sometimes we forget that there are businesses that are content as they are.

Very true. Many business owners are very content with the status quo and have no interest in expanding their business. Seems totally illogical, but I would put more than just pizza places in this category. There are businesses in every niche that have no real interest in getting bigger and making more money. They may say they do but their actions speak louder than words. Its why the statistic of 80% of small businesses go out of business in the first 5 years still stands.

Thanks

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vndnbrgj

12 years ago

That's your problem.
You are focused on email.

Have you given sms a shot?
Give that away to a pizza joint.

You want to do this full blown pizza email campaign... For what?
Why would a pizza place want email addresses?
To bring in customers?

That is what sms does... It will help a pizza place fill it's seats on slow nights.

If you are having trouble.... Let' work together.

Thanks

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qwqw

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Nathan Robinson

Instead of email try SMS marketing. A lot of guys on here doing pretty well with that. Havent dabbled with it myself yet but it seems to work great.

Text messages get opened like 99 percent of the time, everyone always has their phone and checks it, and it is direct.

Thats what I would do in my opinion

99% os a great number to demonstrate how SMs works. Yes, from people you know it might be the case.

How many SMS with advertising you will open after you get 10 of them in a row?

How many of SMS advertising on your phone can you handle?

How long it will take you get pissed off with all those SMS bombarding your screen?

Is it easy to get unsubscribed form SMS? No. It takes time to type whatever they require to get unsubscribed. How much time are you willing to allocate on "unsubscribing" yourself?

People are reluctant to give you their e-mail in fear of spam but it's easy to change e-mail.

How easy to get you phone changed once you get on spamming spree with sms?

So what would be the SMS opening rate in that case?

Thanks

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Eddie Spangler

12 years ago

qwqw-
"Is it easy to get unsubscribed form SMS? No. It takes time to type whatever they require to get unsubscribed. How much time are you willing to allocate on "unsubscribing" yourself?"

STOP then send-how hard is that?

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qwqw

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Eddie Spangler

qwqw-
"Is it easy to get unsubscribed form SMS? No. It takes time to type whatever they require to get unsubscribed. How much time are you willing to allocate on "unsubscribing" yourself?"

STOP then send-how hard is that?

5 clicks. way too much for the task.

Thanks

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Harjeet05

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Nathan Robinson

Instead of email try SMS marketing. A lot of guys on here doing pretty well with that. Havent dabbled with it myself yet but it seems to work great.

Text messages get opened like 99 percent of the time, everyone always has their phone and checks it, and it is direct.

Thats what I would do in my opinion

Yes i agree with you
Today's Emails not checked by everyone.

Thanks

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beeswarn

12 years ago

A pizza is dough, marinara sauce and cheese. Everything else they do is marketing. So don't be afraid to pitch these people new marketing ideas. They're conditioned to try them.

Thanks

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xlfutur1

12 years ago

I have a pizza client that does both SMS and email marketing. Both work great. We just started a birthday club about 6 weeks ago (free small pizza during birthday month) and they already have 150 email subscribers and people are redeeming the coupons. The opt in is on their own website though. The previous "coupon" site didn't work as well as having it in house.

For SMS, they have about 750 subscribers in the last 12 months, and they really don't do much to market the SMS program. They could have 1500 if they put in some effort. So basically this guy is way off base.

Thanks

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sweetcrabhoney18

12 years ago

My husband loves pizza and gets SMS and emails. He's always bugging me about it. Both seem to work well..because as soon as he gets that text.. he wants to get a pizza right then. however for my company I haven't done any pizza clients( yet ).. I have gathered emails and sms's for nail salons and a few spas.. It depends on the customers which one will work better when compared to the other.

I enjoyed your story David..

Thanks

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Are you collecting email addresses for local businesses? ....question for ya

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