Slow Slow Slow

bagellad said:
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?
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No, fliers are working great. I get most of my business from fliers. The news paper ad is not working out in my opinion.

And yes your right I expect the first year to be bumpy. I was just completely dead and board Monday and Tuesday of this week. However today was hammered and I have a job on Friday. I think I will do ok though. All day I here people complaining about the other techs that have worked for them. I of course don't bad mouth anyone, I don't believe in doing business that way but I think according to some of the stories I have heard I don't think I am going to have a hard time.

We will see what happens though, I know I may be slow right now but things will pick up and even slow I love my job.
 
BTW are high expectations not the expectations to have. I think the more confident I am and the harder I work the more likely those high expectations will be achieved.
 
bagellad said:
Well expect the best, plan for the worst has always been my policy.
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Thats very true.

Honestly the business I have gotten so far is far over what I had expected. I'm starting to think maybe I am not charging enough. However, my prices are in line with other techs in the area other then the one that refused to tell me his prices, lol.
 
IAMPC said:
I'm going to start with putting fliers on apartment mailboxes since there a lot of apartments around here and see what happens.
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Did you ever do this? and if so how many do you put at each location? The apartments in our area have little kiosk buildings where everybody's mail box is, and I would not want to spam those locations out too bad.. lol
 
SThompson86 said:
Did you ever do this? and if so how many do you put at each location? The apartments in our area have little kiosk buildings where everybody's mail box is, and I would not want to spam those locations out too bad.. lol
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Here those little buildings have a locked door so we could only spam the outside!
 
SThompson86 said:
Did you ever do this? and if so how many do you put at each location? The apartments in our area have little kiosk buildings where everybody's mail box is, and I would not want to spam those locations out too bad.. lol
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I don't think it matters. Just do it and if they call you and ask you to stop, don't do it at that location. I see people leave things on apartment mailbox area all the time. There are hundreds of apartments around where I live so I'm going to start doing it, but I haven't done it yet.

I will let you guys know how it goes.
 
Yea I will have to scope it out.. there is a complex accross the street from my neighborhood. I may ride my bike over there, and have a glance lol.

Are you targeting all apartments low and high income? we have alot of low income apartments around here, and I am just wondering if you are anybody would advise against advertising at those?
 
No offense to anyone but I wouldn't advertise in a low income area. In my experience you would not be choosing customers you want to keep. Always go middle to higher end customer.
 
SThompson86 said:
Yea, thats what I was thinking. One would get those customers who do not want to pay or pay very much.
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I've managed several places and found exactly that! When we would advertise to the low budget customer we would get more scoffing than actual business. In our line of business at $60 to $90 per hour I would think the return would be very low.
 
SThompson86 said:
Yes indeed. Where else have you guys placed fliers?

Thanks for the replies
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Well I have had the best luck passing fliers out to businesses.

In the last 3 weeks I have hit most of the major consolidated business arias. I have passed out about 200 fliers costing me close to $20 and gotten maybe 10 customers. A few of those are very good customers. Out of all of these very few have a problem paying.

Thats a 5% turnaround and so far been my best form of advertising. I have not even started passing fliers out in un consolidated areas yet.
 
vdub12 said:
Well I have had the best luck passing fliers out to businesses.

In the last 3 weeks I have hit most of the major consolidated business arias. I have passed out about 200 fliers costing me close to $20 and gotten maybe 10 customers. A few of those are very good customers. Out of all of these very few have a problem paying.

Thats a 5% turnaround and so far been my best form of advertising. I have not even started passing fliers out in un consolidated areas yet.
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That's a pretty excellent return - would you be willing to post your flyer here?

Thanks!


Sky
 
vdub12 said:
Well I have had the best luck passing fliers out to businesses.

.
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I have for sure considered that, but I want to wait till I get some legal issues cleared up before I start going after businesses. I am currently an LLC, but I am having a time trying to get a city business license due to the fact I do not own my on home or store front. I am hope there is some sort of loop whole for persons like my self which would be a 100% mobile business
 
One of my "not so rich" clients just passed me a bad check for $115. I called and left her a voicemail, emailed her...won't get a call back from her again I'm sure. Not event worth chasing. She had to pay $35 for the check I'm sure, I don't feel bad for her, but I don't get why folks write bad checks. What's the piont.

That's also why I prefer credit card payments, no check to worry about. It clears or it doesn't.
 
And to add on about "Hand and foot" marketing I call it (cards, flyers, etc)...I have done extremely well with this. My interns and my assistants are going out next week to downtown Minneapolis and handing out flyers and my hand-wrapped with logo Tootsie pops for an afternoon. The week after that, they are doing another area of Minneapolis and then maybe a college area.

They are young and all full of energy, they will do well....better than me! :cool:
 
SThompson86 said:
Yea I will have to scope it out.. there is a complex accross the street from my neighborhood. I may ride my bike over there, and have a glance lol.

Are you targeting all apartments low and high income? we have alot of low income apartments around here, and I am just wondering if you are anybody would advise against advertising at those?
Click to expand...

The area I live in is all middle to high income area part of town.
 
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