Foam Cutter

[kodydog]

We have a small marina here in Callander... I should drop off my cards with them and see what happens. the other Canvas people are in North Bay I am always afraid of stepping on the territories.
I am going to do up a flier on recycling your furniture...I wonder if we're allowed to drop them off in rural mailboxes .

Ask the marina if you can post a flyer in their window.

Around here were not supposed to stick flyers in mail boxes. They are for "official" use only. But that doesn't stop people from taping fliers to the outside. Better yet I wonder if you could do a monthly article for that news paper you talked about. Become the expert on recovering furniture.

Always assure yourself that their is plenty of business for everyone. Then you won't worry about stepping on toes. They will get theirs and you will get yours. Your not taking anything away from someone else. There is plenty for all.

[lc]

I had a call yesterday refering to an article I had put in . I don't know if I'll get her job but it was good to hear where she got my name from.
Maybe a monthly article would do the trick ., I only did a little write up off and on a few times a year ., I'll check the pricing of that...hmm too bad they wouldn't pay ''me '' to write it . ha ha
I don't think we are able to do the mail box thing either and posting on trees and poles could get a bit tacky..but outside windows maybe...I'm not sure .,
I like the idea of asking to put a window flyer at the marina .

[kodydog]

I don't think we are able to do the mail box thing either and posting on trees and poles could get a bit tacky..

I'm thinking it couldn't hurt to do your neighborhood. Let your neighbors know what you do. Could start a snowball effect once they get to know you. Neighbors make good customers.

[Qwerty27807]

Qwerty's flyer is a good idea, But bullet points #1,#2 are not points that I would want to make to my customer.
You're calling attention to the fact that most new furniture simply isn't worth recovering.

The photo card above is just something I whipped up as an example.  Actual text could be anything that helps the customer identify a NEED, and offers a time-limited solution to meeting that need.

Too often I see people advertise things like "Bob's Lawncare - call me for the best rates".  Better would be to show advantage to potential customer:  "Bob's Lawncare gives you the freedom to enjoy your summer.  Sign up for a monthly contract in March and receive a FREE application of a 50 lb. bag of Weed & Feed".

I suggest the photocards because they are so unusual, and eye-catching.  I get the typical poorly xeroxed flyers on my mailbox all the time.  I ignore them mostly because they are so poorly presented, or simply "Hi, I have a service to sell" without giving me a compelling reason to buy that service.

One guy went through 2 years ago and placed pretty magnets for his septic system pumping service on mailboxes.  I know of at least 3 people who have called him off the magnet stuck to their refrigerator.  Expensive yes, but much less than Yellow Pages, and there when the customer suddenly decided they needed his services in the future.

Don't stop marketing when you're busy, because this type of business is not an impulse or recurring purchase.  You need to be in their mind when the desire hits.  Just because you have a product to sell, doesn't mean anyone wants to buy it.  You have to educate/tease/bribe them into knowing why they should buy it -- hopefully yours.  8)

[lc]

Querty the magnet idea is a really good one . I myself have referred to the magnets on my fridge for some things .
You all have me really thinking now.
I think I am really going to have to study up on marketing ideas...I don't want to look cheap .I also don't like the cheap little I can fix anything flyer's ., they're a dime a dozen and they can make you look poor the way it is presented.....
I know putting them through the mail can get quite costly.
So far my cheapest advertising is the lettering on my van ..250 bucks and a mobile billboard for as long as the ol truck can survive.

[Qwerty27807]

I've used both of these places, with good results:

http://www.psprint.com/magnets

http://www.discountfavors.com/custom-magnets.html

The second place also does a really good job on doorhangers:

http://www.discountfavors.com/custom-door-hangers+rectangular-shape-with-four-tear-off-coupons.html

(Much more expensive than cheapo xerox copies, but the xeroxes get almost 0% response so they are a total waste of materials and the time to distribute them.)

[sofadoc]

I could see having a magnet with your local pizza place on your fridge. But your upholstery shop?
I mean, where will it end? If I were going to stick a bunch of magnets on my fridge, they would have to be ones that I might call frequently. I don't know anyone that has their upholsterer on speed dial.
I like the flyer idea, but if I only had a limited advertising budget, I wouldn't start with magnets.

But I guess refrigerator magnets are a chick thing, maybe I just don't get it.

Do you know how to determine which one is the "wife" in a homosexual relationship? Find out who the magnets belong to. ;)

[lc]

Point taken Sofadoc.

Your right , we do only use the magnets for speed dial services like good old pizza .
What about things like pens ? Mind you I lose them constantly .

It may be the flyers and small write ups the way to go .  I do like the bullet form idea with some really good tips on furniture upholstery
I am trying to get myself in the right direction in advertising without looking like a cheapy.
Upholstery as we all know ''we' ourselves can't afford it ..but the classes above us can so we have to look upperclass when advertising
I will take on any good advice.

[sofadoc]

I get free sample pens all the time from places that have pulled info from my website.
Usually the going rate is $39.95 for a 100 pens. One of the free samples actually had MY picture on it. I would've paid them 50 bucks NOT to do that! ;D
Pens are nice, but I'm not too sure if the people you give them to ever look at the advertising again. One place tried to sell me sofa deck labels with my shop info.
My theory on that is: The only people that are going to see it are the people that are ALREADY my customer. If you saw a nice couch in a home or business, would YOU look under the cushion to see who covered it?

I know that as soon as they wad up a flyer and throw it away, that advertising is gone for good. But at least with good bullet points, you've planted the seed in their brain.

[fragged8]

I've had several give aways, mugs and baseball caps but I now have pens

The customer this week I gave him a pen when I signed him up,
his wife loved it so stole it , then I gave him another.
This week i finished his job and he told me his daughter keeps stealing
his pen so could he have another one heheheh..

The right pen works, don't bother with the cheap plastic one unless
they are for sitting on a counter. Mine are all metal with an LED torch in the
end. they do cost me about £2 each or $3.50 but it's well worth it.

Rich

[lc]

 
I'll check into that Rich ...I guess I go to umm where ?? a promo shop of sorts ..walmart ? ha ha sorry I haven't a clue as to where to get the promo items around here..what do I look under in the phone book ?
We have a trophy store that may carry them and do engraving ..I think I'll search the web it may help eh ?

I have a lot of customers that seem to really touch my heart and the ones that do repeat ..pens no problem !!
After all .,I guess when you think about it they actually paid for them...if I am wrong correct me here.  
Excuse my ignorance here ,I have a hard time with abbreviated terms on the forum that I will need to pick up on eventually ..what does the yabbgod  mean under your name .

[sofadoc]

Excuse my ignorance here ,I have a hard time with abbreviated terms on the forum that I will need to pick up on eventually ..what does the yabbgod  mean under your name .

Yabb (Yet another bulletin board) is the format name for all discussion boards of this type.

0-49 posts: Newbie
50-99 posts: Jr. Member
100-249 posts: Full member
250-499 posts: Sr. Member
500 posts: Yabb God

Achieving Yabb God status is the Mafia equivalent of becoming a "Made man" ;)

[lc]

Awesome Thanks Sofadoc !  Someday I,ll get it figured out but you sure narrowed it down for me ...

I wish the Business and General discussions were all one though instead of bouncing back and forth.

[Mojo]

I use Vistaprint for all my ad needs. I buy Rack cards as well as business cards and have even purchased banners and yard signs from them in the past. www.vistaprint.com They have just about everything you will need for promotional products. They can be a bit pricey on some items but are very cheap on other things. My business cards and rack cards are dirt cheap and very high quality.

I spend about $ 200 a year on promo stuff but this year because I have done extra seminars I have spent close to $ 500. I do not know what my ROI is ( return on investment ) in regards to the rack cards but I have gotten alot of compliments from them. I wanted very high quality cards so I went with color front and back. I use these to hand out at seminars and include them in the bags I give away. I have never done magnets or pens and probably never will. I would rather put this money into quality advertising products such as rack cards, business cards and product labels.

The bags I give away are always sponsored by someone else. Sattler provided me with their bags for my last seminar and Aerospace 303 is providing all the bags plus free pouches of product for my next two seminars and vendor shows. Miami Mike provided me with a very nice Miami Corp Polo shirt which I also had my company name embroidered on. I wear this at seminars and shows. Solarfix is providing me with all new RV specific fliers for my next two shows and seminars as well which will include their product info. The head of Sattler North America came in and did my seminar with me at my last RV rally I attended and covered the care of fabric for me. We had a blast doing the seminar together. Last year Recassens did an RV specific Recacril flier for me to use at my seminars.

Sattler and Solarfix always provide me with warranty cards, fliers and sewn-in labels so every awning or slide topper I make goes out the door with their labels sewn to them. I provide their warranty cards and fliers together with my own literature inside a large envelope on each order. It just lends a bit of professionalism to my operation and RV owners love all this info and warranty info to put with their RV file. They are known hoarders of product info and most have a file they keep for everything related to their RV's. :).

This is all called co-op advertising. It is nothing new and has been used for years by large companies. When there is a direct benefit for them then large companies will pool funds with their jobbers or customers in order to penetrate markets and move products. This is highly successful and cost effective. A perfect example of this process is Walmart and Proctor and Gamble working together to promote Tide or Maxwell House and Kroger combining ad funds to move coffee. It is hard to do in our business because we do not move enough product to make it worthwhile to manufacturers but when you start giving seminars and standing in front of hundreds of people at a time then it is a bit easier to get support. All of these companies have product labels they will give you for free and most have fliers as well. You just need to ask for them.

Speaking of support, this is another reason why I sole source through Miami Corp. They are very supportive of my business and recently highlighted my products on their Facebook page. They also provide me with direct access to their manufacturers so I can garner support from them as well.
They know that the more successful I become the more materials I will buy from them. I am also a very loyal person and when they expend a lot of time and money in me I will buy from them.

The point is, never overlook outside support to help with some of the marketing ideas you may have. I really need to get off my fat butt and scan the rack cards I had made and post them on here so people can see what I am talking about. These would be ideal to place in a marina in a small plastic rack. I will try and remember to scan them and post the pics here.

Chris