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Had a question asked to me that I couldn't answer.

by gasman
11 replies
I have a friend who is in the "offline" side of things and he is wanting to add a service to his business that doesn't cost the business any money, but will still make him money. This is what he plans on starting to use as his "in" to be able to upsell other services later.

For example, some type of service that he can do for them to lower some type of business expense and he gets paid at the same time. The only thing I could come up with was Energy Deregulation, but I know nothing about it and apparently he has heard a lot of scams associated with it.

I was wondering if anyone here had any ideas that would work in this situation that he could use?


Thanks
#answer #asked #question
  • Profile picture of the author vndnbrgj
    Learn about Joint Ventures

    Either that... or see if he does something that's proprietary that he could license.
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  • Profile picture of the author ReferralCandy
    Sounds a little too ambitious to me, like hoping for a grand/perfect opportunity. Better to just try a bunch of things one after another and see what works reasonably well. The time spent looking for a cost-free solution is itself a cost.

    You can't wait for all the lights to turn green- you have to try something and just keep moving forward.
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    • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
      Originally Posted by ReferralCandy View Post

      Sounds a little too ambitious to me, like hoping for a grand/perfect opportunity. Better to just try a bunch of things one after another and see what works reasonably well. The time spent looking for a cost-free solution is itself a cost.

      You can't wait for all the lights to turn green- you have to try something and just keep moving forward.
      Well friggin' put
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    The only real world version I can think of are people who work on commission selling items that the business already uses but that can be provided cheaper.

    So it doesn't "cost" them money it saves them money. The credit card machine business is based on this model. Ewen does a version of this model from what he has said.

    But unless you are replacing something they use with a lower cost version I can't think of a way for something to cost them nothing but provide you (or your friend) with income.

    And even when you have a cheaper alternative to what they currently use it still takes skills in sales. Because they trust their current provider. And business is about more than just price.

    There are many things that are similar and cheaper that we do not buy. Because for most of us price isn't the reason we buy. We want value. So you have to show them how they will save money and get more than got before.
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  • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
    What type of business is he in?

    Can he sell his expertise?

    In other words can he charge a consulting fee to certain
    clients or industries?

    Kindest regards,
    Andrew Cavanagh
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    It would help to know what his business is.

    edited to add:
    Originally Posted by gasman View Post

    he is wanting to add a service to his business that doesn't cost the business any money, but will still make him money.
    He could make clothing weaved of the most exquisite, finest material, that only people with the most refined senses can see and appreciate, and sell it for a hefty sum to the Emperor.
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  • Profile picture of the author SashaLee
    Originally Posted by gasman View Post

    some type of service that he can do for them to lower some type of business expense and he gets paid at the same time.
    Hi there,

    He could lower their cost of customer acquisition by bringing them hot ready-to-buy leads.

    Customer acquisition costs are a real expense or investment depending on your side of the equation. Anything that reduces the outlay in getting new customers for a company is always welcome.

    All the best,

    Sasha.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Rosmer
    Please specify more details about his business. Off the top of my head he could for example offer a template website, it costs next to nothing to replicate it but can provide value to the client. Or he could offer a listing on a business directory (kind of like Yelp's model). There are some environmental programs that cost nothing to the client to join that would be an option as well.

    The thing is you don't want to get into a totally new business just to do your business, that's a distraction, you want to find something synergistic that works with what you've already got.
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  • Profile picture of the author natebunger
    Nothing good is free today. It can't be denied that time and money are essential to start a good business. If a person is not willing to invest money, more time will be needed which is very inefficient.
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    • Profile picture of the author nickgoodwin
      I work for an energy broker, and I'll be the first to tell you there are a ton of shady people/companies out there. I do it B2B and although it is very lucrative, the companies that bombard business with phone calls give the industry a bad name. That's why I don't call, I visit. People respect that, and it's MUCH easier to get customers that way.
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  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    He could offer his time for free... but time is money, and money you can get anywhere, time you can not ever get back.
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