Slow Slow Slow

[vdub12]

Wow the last two days have been dead. I haven't gotten a single new system in. Lucky I have a few appointments tomorrow. All I have left to do today is deliver a computer I reloaded in trade for my wife to get her hair done.

Granted my business is only a month old as of the first but I had a lot more business over the last few weeks.

What do you guys do during slow times to help increase business. I have noticed passing fliers out to businesses helped a little but I don't have many more businesses to do. I haven't started marketing to residential yet. Maybe I will go pass fliers out to houses. I am sure the turn out rate isn't going to be as good.

 

[iisjman07]

[sarcasm]Why not make some viruses and release them on limewire? That'll bring in some business[/sarcasm]

 

[hardtoremember]

Taxes are coming up [and fast!] so that might be part of it.

 

[vdub12]

Yeah I think your right, it must be taxes.

I'm almost 100% marketed to businesses. I need to increase my marketing to residential. I haven't marketed much to residential because I don't like leaving something behind. I want to talk to someone face to face and you never know when people are home. I guess I need to just do it and not procrastinate.

 

[DanB]

Radio

Radio advertising is usually a bargain. I know you have some low power fm in your area. The deal on your website would probably overwhelm you on Radio. Also since you trade work, you can probably do some tune up and maintenance in exchange for a couple of radio spots.

 

[vdub12]

Radio advertising is usually a bargain. I know you have some low power fm in your area. The deal on your website would probably overwhelm you on Radio. Also since you trade work, you can probably do some tune up and maintenance in exchange for a couple of radio spots.

Thats a good point I will have to contact the local radio station and see what they say.

 

[vdub12]

WOW, Just got back passing fliers out to houses near the golf course where I live. I must have talked to at least 3 or 4 people that don't own a computer. You would think this was the 80's still. I had one guy flat out tell me hes not interested but for the most part I meet a bunch of nice people and hopefully can convert some of them in to sales.

I tell you what though walking though neighborhoods passing out fliers is way harder then businesses and I don't think the conversion rate will be as high. What are people thinking with those long ass drive ways, lol.

 

[JaredEdelson]

Yeah I think your right, it must be taxes.

I'm almost 100% marketed to businesses. I need to increase my marketing to residential. I haven't marketed much to residential because I don't like leaving something behind. I want to talk to someone face to face and you never know when people are home. I guess I need to just do it and not procrastinate.

How are you 100% marketed to businesses?

 

[vdub12]

How are you 100% marketed to businesses?

Currently I have only targeted businesses. I had not yet started marketing to residential customers.

I run ads in the local paper, craigslist, Google local, facebook, and all the other normal venues but they have had a 0% turn around rate on those. Whats worked for me so far is passing fliers out. However, I had only done this with businesses. Today I started residential. And by the way my feet are killing me, lol.

 

[JaredEdelson]

Currently I have only targeted businesses. I had not yet started marketing to residential customers.

I run ads in the local paper, craigslist, Google local, facebook, and all the other normal venues but they have had a 0% turn around rate on those. Whats worked for me so far is passing fliers out. However, I had only done this with businesses. Today I started residential. And by the way my feet are killing me, lol.

Thats good to know. I was thinking about advertising in the local newspaper, and I guess I will try it out. Thanks!

 

[vdub12]

Thats good to know. I was thinking about advertising in the local newspaper, and I guess I will try it out. Thanks!

I would not discourage your from advertising in a local paper. Just because it hasn't worked for me does not mean it will not work for you.

I plan to continue running my ad personalty. Its costing me 130 a month and I am hopping that it will start working at some point. So far though I had a text add for a month that I did not receive a single call from and I have had a graphic ad the size of a business card in there for a week and no calls yet.

 

[maclaptech]

It has been dead for me for last couple of weeks. I've been using Google Adword which worked great in the past but now I'm not getting any calls. I still get clicks on Adword but no calls. I'm going to start with putting fliers on apartment mailboxes since there a lot of apartments around here and see what happens.

 

[vdub12]

It has been dead for me for last couple of weeks. I've been using Google Adword which worked great in the past but now I'm not getting any calls. I still get clicks on Adword but no calls. I'm going to start with putting fliers on apartment mailboxes since there a lot of apartments around here and see what happens.

That might not be a bad idea. Just make sure if your in the US you don't put them in the mail box. Here in the US its considered a federal offense to put things in peoples mail boxes. I guess the USPS wants to get paid for postage.

I haven't had much luck with hanging fliers up. My fliers get riped down fast. There is a local guy around here that I think is riping them down when he hangs his up. Kind of chicken sh*t but I guess thats the way it goes. Personally I leave his up, I am going to be the better man. However, I don't concentrate to much on them. If I am close buy I will stop and hang another one up but its almost always gone the next day.

 

[trapped]

March was really slow for me then like a switch was flipped the phone started ringing on the 1st. Hopefully it will keep up.

 

[Cambridge PC Support]

my March was really really quiet - had to slap myself after thinking about getting a proper job! Went away all last week.

I used the dead time to completely rebuild my website, and came back to 15 missed calls with 13 messages, and 5 email enquiries.

I'm not getting any more hits via search engines on the website, but I think I'm getting a better conversion rate.

So I'd advise you to look at your website, and also check out Google Local Business

 

[SThompson86]

WOW, Just got back passing fliers out to houses near the golf course where I live. I must have talked to at least 3 or 4 people that don't own a computer. You would think this was the 80's still. I had one guy flat out tell me hes not interested but for the most part I meet a bunch of nice people and hopefully can convert some of them in to sales.

I tell you what though walking though neighborhoods passing out fliers is way harder then businesses and I don't think the conversion rate will be as high. What are people thinking with those long ass drive ways, lol.

Did you go door knocking or just catch people around? I am considering going and rolling up some of my fliers in rubber bands and going around my neighborhood at night and taping them to peoples mail box or using the flag to hold them. People do this a lot around my neighborhood. Something about knocking on doors I just do not like. People hate door knockers.

 

[chrisaroz]

It varies by area, but in my area you need a license to go door to door knocking and whatnot - it's considered soliciting. However, you DON'T need one if you're putting flyers on doors. I would call City Hall and ask. Also, it's illegal to put stuff in or on mailboxes. I try to roll them and stick them under the door handles. Of course, if there's a NO SOLICITING sign I skip it, no sense in ticking someone off.

At any rate, it can work. Pick a good area (upper middle class), and be patient. I still have calls come in from 2-3 months ago when I hit a certain area.

 

[vdub12]

my March was really really quiet - had to slap myself after thinking about getting a proper job! Went away all last week.

I used the dead time to completely rebuild my website, and came back to 15 missed calls with 13 messages, and 5 email enquiries.

I'm not getting any more hits via search engines on the website, but I think I'm getting a better conversion rate.

So I'd advise you to look at your website, and also check out Google Local Business

I'm dead last on Google local. I have spent hours and hours trying to increase my ranking to no avail. I have given up on it. Google local is worthless, Napa auto parts and computer stores in other city's are above me. I have read hundreds of papers on Google local and the only thing I am sure about now is no one knows how Google ranks people because everyone has a different opinion. I think it just comes down to Google doesn't like me. Somehow I think I have been labeled spam.

 

[vdub12]

It varies by area, but in my area you need a license to go door to door knocking and whatnot - it's considered soliciting. However, you DON'T need one if you're putting flyers on doors. I would call City Hall and ask. Also, it's illegal to put stuff in or on mailboxes. I try to roll them and stick them under the door handles. Of course, if there's a NO SOLICITING sign I skip it, no sense in ticking someone off.

At any rate, it can work. Pick a good area (upper middle class), and be patient. I still have calls come in from 2-3 months ago when I hit a certain area.

Thats funny, needing a license to knock on someones door. What is our world coming to.

I go to places with no soliciting signs. I figure I'm not actually selling anything, I'm just getting my name out. I have been hired a few times for businesses that had no soliciting signs.

 

[bagellad]

It sounds like you have really high expectations for a business just starting out with a very limited advertising budget. The first year is pretty slow I think most of us can agree with that if not starting out with existing clients from other jobs etc.

If you have only been doing this a month how do you know its slow business and just not your regular rate?

What is all your current advertising right now? Passing out flyers and a newspaper ad you don't think works?