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First flyer through my door / show me yours!

Received my first gardening flyer of the year today, I believe you can tell a lot about a company by the flyer, this one is on very thin paper, size A5, black & white and was rolled up to get in the letter box.

I feel this is low quality and members of the public would not be impressed by it, or am I wrong and people will take this gardener on by impulse?

The phone area code was for another town 10 Miles away, do people go for the local dialling code? (I do). I Will deliver my leaflets to other towns but will buy a phone number (use company TTNC to buy number £25.00) for that town & have leaflets printed with their phone code on.

I feel it would be a good idea to show leaflets that we receive or use to assist members of LSJ with marketing & constructive comments by other board users.

Mine come back from printers later this week, 2 sided, will post on here when received.

 

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  • No I am not afraid of competition at all.

    The question I am asking is has this person got it right using the low cost leaflet, posting 10 miles away from the town that uses his phone number or is his way the right way, low cost, post anywere, ie a numbers game the wider your area the more you post the better chance of work?

    This is the question I asked if you was to read over what I wrote again.

    I feel this is low quality and members of the public would not be impressed by it, or am I wrong and people will take this gardener on by impulse?

  • This guy has gone for the shotgun approach it seems. It's horses for courses I think. A lot of people will be scarred off by an expensive looking card. There is a big market out there and it has a lot of different levels. Recent posts have shown that there is work out the at the high end and for those that want a bit of beer money. Same in every industry as far as I am concerned. Normally the quality of promotion indicates the quality of goods or services being offered. It wouldn't be my approach but each to their own. Very interested in your comments about the local area codes. I advertisie in a lot of local parish mags. I noticed I don't get a great response from those further a field (i.e. different area code). I used to carry my address on my adverts but am in the processing of removing it as although I personally believe in instills confidence on the potential consumers' part it also alerts the pikies to where I have several thousands pounds worth of kit stored. That only leaves my office number and a mobile numer. I don't want to drop the office number but think I would be more succesful if it was a local number. How does it work through TTNC, do you just buy a number and then pay for the calls to be re-routed? IF you call is it obvious that it is being forwarded to another number?
  • TTNC , You buy a number for a neighbouring town £25.00 for standard number more if you want silver /gold rated numbers (easer to remember) when a person rings that number the call is re-routed to your designated landline /office number. you can also divert it to mobile the price of the re-route is not very much look on there site, what I like best is if someone rings but does not leave a message when you are out, you can check all calls received missed etc with phone numbers via TTNC site.


    Charles Langford said:
    This guy has gone for the shotgun approach it seems. It's horses for courses I think. A lot of people will be scarred off by an expensive looking card. There is a big market out there and it has a lot of different levels. Recent posts have shown that there is work out the at the high end and for those that want a bit of beer money. Same in every industry as far as I am concerned. Normally the quality of promotion indicates the quality of goods or services being offered. It wouldn't be my approach but each to their own. Very interested in your comments about the local area codes. I advertisie in a lot of local parish mags. I noticed I don't get a great response from those further a field (i.e. different area code). I used to carry my address on my adverts but am in the processing of removing it as although I personally believe in instills confidence on the potential consumers' part it also alerts the pikies to where I have several thousands pounds worth of kit stored. That only leaves my office number and a mobile numer. I don't want to drop the office number but think I would be more succesful if it was a local number. How does it work through TTNC, do you just buy a number and then pay for the calls to be re-routed? IF you call is it obvious that it is being forwarded to another number?
  • Sounds good. Have you had an increase in calls since you started using local numbers? Are people subsequently dissapointed when they establish you are not 'that local' or by that stage have your charms won them over?



    Lawn lover said:

    TTNC , You buy a number for a neighbouring town £25.00 for standard number more if you want silver /gold rated numbers (easer to remember) when a person rings that number the call is re-routed to your designated landline /office number. you can also divert it to mobile the price of the re-route is not very much look on there site, what I like best is if someone rings but does not leave a message when you are out, you can check all calls received missed etc with phone numbers via TTNC site.


    Charles Langford said:
    This guy has gone for the shotgun approach it seems. It's horses for courses I think. A lot of people will be scarred off by an expensive looking card. There is a big market out there and it has a lot of different levels. Recent posts have shown that there is work out the at the high end and for those that want a bit of beer money. Same in every industry as far as I am concerned. Normally the quality of promotion indicates the quality of goods or services being offered. It wouldn't be my approach but each to their own. Very interested in your comments about the local area codes. I advertisie in a lot of local parish mags. I noticed I don't get a great response from those further a field (i.e. different area code). I used to carry my address on my adverts but am in the processing of removing it as although I personally believe in instills confidence on the potential consumers' part it also alerts the pikies to where I have several thousands pounds worth of kit stored. That only leaves my office number and a mobile numer. I don't want to drop the office number but think I would be more succesful if it was a local number. How does it work through TTNC, do you just buy a number and then pay for the calls to be re-routed? IF you call is it obvious that it is being forwarded to another number?
  • On the flip side, some people may be put off by expensive looking marketing material as being too expensive to use your services.

     

    Personally, I think your marketing material should be geared towards the type of clients you want and perhaps have a few different designs for the various segments of the market you service.

     


  • Adrian, I spent 9 years working in marketing accountability. Normally the level and quality of a&p reflects the goods / services being offered. I.E. An Aston Martin brochure would not be printed on cheap copier paper. I am not critiscing the guy at all. Good luck to him

     


    Adrian Hackett said:

    This guy could be the best gardener in the world, but just not so good at marketing. Your comments infer that the low quality of his flyer reflects his company, but you haven't even met him.

     

    When I started my business, most of the work I got was in a town 10 miles away. That was great, as they were small gardens where I learned my trade and made my mistakes. As I became more proficient, I was able to pick-and-choose work and migrated back towards the village I live in. I no longer advertise, (flyers or otherwise) and 90% of my work is now within a mile of my house.

     

    Wouldn't it be better to contact him, point him in the direction of LJN and offer him assistance with his new start-up. After all, isn't that the spirit of LJN?

  • On a personal level i have never used any company that has put a flier through the door, wether printed on toilet paper or 200gsm glossy card with pics! i always look for reccomendations from friends and/or family first and do my own research online.

    I realise a lot of guys on LJN do get decent work from flier campaigns, but its not something i would consider, not for general garden maintenance anyway, they will either go straight in the bin or will attract the wrong 'cheap' customer. I find most people when they want something doing they will go looking for it at the time rather than remember to put a flier aside for later consideration IMHO. Last year i got far more quality enquiries via my website than any other advertising.

  • To win work we all have to be sales people, the hardest part of winning any job is getting in the door, once they have phoned you and requested you visit you are half way there, people do not realise you have come from 10miles away give or take , it is rare they ask were you live at this early stage, it is only when they see your van with different number on when doing the job they might ask, if contact work and you know what you are doing (as you do ) the client is not bothered he is getting the service he required at a price he is happy with.

    The phone rings as much as with your local area code regarding new clients who have not come across you before.

    (From before)  people do not know the call is being re-routed.



    Charles Langford said:

    Sounds good. Have you had an increase in calls since you started using local numbers? Are people subsequently dissapointed when they establish you are not 'that local' or by that stage have your charms won them over?



    Lawn lover said:

    TTNC , You buy a number for a neighbouring town £25.00 for standard number more if you want silver /gold rated numbers (easer to remember) when a person rings that number the call is re-routed to your designated landline /office number. you can also divert it to mobile the price of the re-route is not very much look on there site, what I like best is if someone rings but does not leave a message when you are out, you can check all calls received missed etc with phone numbers via TTNC site.


    Charles Langford said:
    This guy has gone for the shotgun approach it seems. It's horses for courses I think. A lot of people will be scarred off by an expensive looking card. There is a big market out there and it has a lot of different levels. Recent posts have shown that there is work out the at the high end and for those that want a bit of beer money. Same in every industry as far as I am concerned. Normally the quality of promotion indicates the quality of goods or services being offered. It wouldn't be my approach but each to their own. Very interested in your comments about the local area codes. I advertisie in a lot of local parish mags. I noticed I don't get a great response from those further a field (i.e. different area code). I used to carry my address on my adverts but am in the processing of removing it as although I personally believe in instills confidence on the potential consumers' part it also alerts the pikies to where I have several thousands pounds worth of kit stored. That only leaves my office number and a mobile numer. I don't want to drop the office number but think I would be more succesful if it was a local number. How does it work through TTNC, do you just buy a number and then pay for the calls to be re-routed? IF you call is it obvious that it is being forwarded to another number?
  • Lawn Lover,

     

    Thanks for this invaluable information about the local area codes. I am going to give them a whirl. I am ever so grateful for your help. Let me know if I can do anything for you in return. As my old man used to say 'one good turn deserves another'.

     

    Many thanks,

     

    Charlie

    Lawn lover said:

    To win work we all have to be sales people, the hardest part of winning any job is getting in the door, once they have phoned you and requested you visit you are half way there, people do not realise you have come from 10miles away give or take , it is rare they ask were you live at this early stage, it is only when they see your van with different number on when doing the job they might ask, if contact work and you know what you are doing (as you do ) the client is not bothered he is getting the service he required at a price he is happy with.

    The phone rings as much as with your local area code regarding new clients who have not come across you before.

    (From before)  people do not know the call is being re-routed.



    Charles Langford said:

    Sounds good. Have you had an increase in calls since you started using local numbers? Are people subsequently dissapointed when they establish you are not 'that local' or by that stage have your charms won them over?



    Lawn lover said:

    TTNC , You buy a number for a neighbouring town £25.00 for standard number more if you want silver /gold rated numbers (easer to remember) when a person rings that number the call is re-routed to your designated landline /office number. you can also divert it to mobile the price of the re-route is not very much look on there site, what I like best is if someone rings but does not leave a message when you are out, you can check all calls received missed etc with phone numbers via TTNC site.


    Charles Langford said:
    This guy has gone for the shotgun approach it seems. It's horses for courses I think. A lot of people will be scarred off by an expensive looking card. There is a big market out there and it has a lot of different levels. Recent posts have shown that there is work out the at the high end and for those that want a bit of beer money. Same in every industry as far as I am concerned. Normally the quality of promotion indicates the quality of goods or services being offered. It wouldn't be my approach but each to their own. Very interested in your comments about the local area codes. I advertisie in a lot of local parish mags. I noticed I don't get a great response from those further a field (i.e. different area code). I used to carry my address on my adverts but am in the processing of removing it as although I personally believe in instills confidence on the potential consumers' part it also alerts the pikies to where I have several thousands pounds worth of kit stored. That only leaves my office number and a mobile numer. I don't want to drop the office number but think I would be more succesful if it was a local number. How does it work through TTNC, do you just buy a number and then pay for the calls to be re-routed? IF you call is it obvious that it is being forwarded to another number?
  • This geezer probably just got made redundant and went and bought himself a petrol mower and a hedge trimmer, nothing wrong with that though, when i started out i was driving around in my peugeot 206 with a 4x3 halfords trailer on the back. You have to start somewhere!
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