Ideas needed

dwna1a

dwna1a

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Apr 23, 2012
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Many of us here own our own companies and I could use some help, so I'm asking here.
After a year of training and an investment in equipment we can now remove water spots off glass (yes boat glass to) but now we need to get it out there that this service is available. We tried an ad in the paper with no luck. I'm thinking of offering to do 4 different homes shower doors for four different area real-estate offices just to show this can be done and save a homeowner hundreds of dollars in replacement costs.....any ideas will be welcomed
 
Marketing is always difficult.

I would wait until it's the best time of the seasons in your region for this type of work and do a youtube video and share that link with prospects / realtors. I would talk to other home businesses about co-branding....Also, I'd try and get local news to highlight your unique service.
 
The real estate office is a great idea, I have a friend here who does home theatre installs, and they were one of his main targets for networking.

Website, obviously, but get someone to look at the seo, ensure that it has words in there targeting, new bathroom screens, replacement glass etc, consider trying a google Adwords campaign, and make sure it is tied to the geographical area, don't want to be paying for someone searching in timbucktoo.

Do you have anywhere you can set up a display cheaply. Shopping Centres, DIY shows etc.

Have you sign written the vehicle or trailers? There is a guy here, with a Pest Extermination business, he had a Van all sign written up, that I presume became surplus to his business, guessing the trade in valuation was crap. He basically parked it on the side of the main road in and out of our suburb.

That went on for 12 months, then I noticed a Truck parked on the other main road in and out of our area, again I am presuming the same thing, didn't trade it.

Do a letter box drop, as you have already said, see if you can get some testimonials or before and after shots, offer an introductory special.

Importantly set up a referral reward, and if you do follow up with it.

With the real estate network, make sure you keep yourself remembered. I went to a seminar here once with a guy that set up a very successful nationwide removal it's company. Real Estate Agents were one of his main sources of leads. He would regularly, send a bunch of flowers to the receptionists, or deliver a box of donuts at morning tea time. Ship hot cross buns to them at Easter, etc etc.........mostly very cheap promotions.

Hope some of this helps.........


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+1 on the youtube video and networking with real estate agents. My friend is a videographer who makes YouTube videos for companies of a sorts including lawyers and they are very effective.

Also consider direct mail with a company like Val Pak or Consumers Eye. While you may not get a huge response you will get name recognition. And if you even only get 1 in 1000 out of it then it will most likely cover the cost of running the ad.
 
Not put water on your fire but new product launch are very expensive. If you have a better mouse trap and have the patents tied down you might want to license the product to one of the big cleaning product companies. If you do have a product that really is marvelous and manage to put it on the market the big boys will come up with a similar product or just wait for your patents to expire. I know someone with a better product he spent a lot getting it on the market but he cannot afford to manufacture in volume to get the cost down and thus few sales. He was offered enough to retire for life but wants to make his baby work. His children will probably sell when he dies in a few years and enjoy the fruits of his labour.
 
If you want to be a marketer it is a lot of work and you need to be 100% positive about your product. I got retired at 50 and started a company. I was told SING LIKE YOU DO NOT NEED THE MONEY. You have 30 seconds to make a sale. You need to practice your advertisement “My name is and I am President or whatever you want to call yourself of and we have a product that………… Here is a sample for you to try, our contact information is on the product”. Cold calls are hard but they work expect many rejections but one will pay out. Do not be afraid to call Wal-Mart, Target, Quick Oil Change places or where ever you feel there is a large volume demand for your product single source retail will not get volume sales. Do not be greedy with your pricing but do not give it away. Pricing correctly is crucial to a good market entry. If you are not 1000% sure of what you are doing you will fail.
 
Just reading your original post again, my first post is my response, this post is a couple of comments.

Newspaper adverts..

Is it the same over there as here? Newspaper ads are EXPENSIVE, there are main newspapers and local/suburb papers. Not much difference in cost, but fewer people actually read the local, because it's free and delivered, most seem to end up in the bin with the rubber band still around them!

Anyway the seminars I have sat through and the marketing people I have contracted over the years have all maintained one thing.

You cannot put one advert in the paper. The ad has to be in regularly, for several months to be monitored and the effectiveness evaluated. As in the case of what you are doing, it needs to be in a particular section of the paper, and your audience needs to be in the market at that time that they are viewing that section to read it and most importantly keep it. Otherwise several months down the track they think, I saw something that would do this.......but where???

Radio ads are even worse.

I presume you I am preaching to the converted, that amount of advertising is just not affordable.

Hence thinking outside the square as per your question here, how do you get your service known.


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Start on craigslist,services offered its free!There are also those stupid pop-ups in headers and sidebars that are cheap but although annoying they get noticed.
 
Advertising is expensive, and it didn't work. I think due to the fact that most folks here don't understand what hard water staining is. They have it and can see it, but when you say it it doesn't connect. Boaters know what water spots are but most homeowners think that the spots are just dirty window glass. That's the problem I'm having and that's the reason I want to ask four different realtors to allow us to do four different shower doors but that's not going to get this in front of homeowners. I did do a restaurant window yesterday and many folks stopped and asked questions but I can't keep do small jobs like these for free. I have a bank front to do next week and I'm going to do a small area first to show them it does work, but the rest for a fee. I guess that may be the only way.
 
So, you are trying to sell a product to an audience that doesn't recognize that they have the problem you want to solve?

I am thinking that you are going to need to show people that they have the problem. I am also thinking that is going to take some time. Advertising is NOT a one-shot deal. I would suggest a monthly newsletter to the biggest potential commercial consumers of your product along with the website.

But, you are going to have to have them identify if they even have the problem, show people that this is a problem, explain why it is a problem that needs your solution, and then sell them on the solution.

Best wishes.
 
I think your on the right path with the real estate agents, my previous comment though, is that you must stay in their memory, hence the donuts!

Do you have any networking organisations there?

BNI .?
We have here BEC (Business Enterprise Center) which is a government backed one
SWAP

As I think what you are looking to do could benefit well from something like BNI ( I have to add here I don't have an affiliation, as my business products wouldn't benefit from BNI )

Facebook, Twitter, both free, and there are ways to update them easily each day.

There is a lady here that does Mould removal.

I also worked with a couple that did clean air and tick repellant, these worked well.

Look at what is available in your area in small business groups, breakfast meetings etc, mentors, there should be some free, other than the meal, groups, and low cost groups.

Try and find someone, customer, supplier, who you can meet up with and bounce ideas off, and network with.

If you want some more in depth thoughts on the customer/supplier meetings etc or anything PM me and I will respond


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IanBat said:
Money back guarantee?


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On your boat???? Yea sure! Just fly me out....Tues is good for me it's due to be below 0 wind chill here...."I wanna go where it's warm" Jimmy B

I'm going to two different networking groups this week to see if they will work for me one is a BNI group
 
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dwna1a said:
On your boat???? Yea sure! Just fly me out....Tues is good for me it's due to be below 0 wind chill here...."I wanna go where it's warm" Jimmy B

I'm going to two different networking groups this week to see if they will work for me one is a BNI group
Click to expand...

This week is forecast for around 85- 90 all week, it is going to be overcast though with the chance of the occasional shower!

Good luck with the BNI, as I said for my product range it doesn't fit, but the people I know with similar to yourself it works well, as long as you push! I also have worked on a principle with any group or seminar that I have joined or attended over the years "if I walk away with one idea or thought to take back to my business, then it has been worthwhile."


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Based on your product description you need to get it to three groups Bath and Fitting shops, Boat Manufacture and Auto Wash. Call all three and offer your product at cost as a sample to be included with new item purchases. You will need to prove it works. A well edited video is a start. A local college film or news department can help as it would be a project. It is very difficult to sell a new procuduct to a very seceptical world.
Good Luck
 
IanBat said:
This week is forecast for around 85- 90 all week, it is going to be overcast though with the chance of the occasional shower!

Good luck with the BNI, as I said for my product range it doesn't fit, but the people I know with similar to yourself it works well, as long as you push! I also have worked on a principle with any group or seminar that I have joined or attended over the years "if I walk away with one idea or thought to take back to my business, then it has been worthwhile.


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Click to expand...


Near 60 here now.... Tomorrow we start at 55 and then dive to 12...weather sucks here now.
 
northern said:
Based on your product description you need to get it to three groups Bath and Fitting shops, Boat Manufacture and Auto Wash. Call all three and offer your product at cost as a sample to be included with new item purchases. You will need to prove it works. A well edited video is a start. A local college film or news department can help as it would be a project. It is very difficult to sell a new procuduct to a very seceptical world.
Good Luck
Click to expand...

That's a good idea...thank you, I never thought of the car washes, we only have two with windows in them so a great deal of folks would see it!
 
all I can say is that if the service was available up here in SW Ohio, you'd have a sure customer as I have now nicknamed the Taylormade Glass on my 2012 470DA "Windshield Impossible"…I have a season and a half and seriously have not had a single moment of truly clean clear glass. I have tried zoo many different products, and processes and can't get the windows clean and streak/swirl free. Taylormade threw a few suggestions at me, but when someone says "Do Not touch your window frame with the suggestion" I figure that's not the best solution either. Soo if you end up with someone up here that provides your product/process I am up for giving it a try….
 
DF470DA said:
all I can say is that if the service was available up here in SW Ohio, you'd have a sure customer as I have now nicknamed the Taylormade Glass on my 2012 470DA "Windshield Impossible"…I have a season and a half and seriously have not had a single moment of truly clean clear glass. I have tried zoo many different products, and processes and can't get the windows clean and streak/swirl free. Taylormade threw a few suggestions at me, but when someone says "Do Not touch your window frame with the suggestion" I figure that's not the best solution either. Soo if you end up with someone up here that provides your product/process I am up for giving it a try….
Click to expand...

Pm me what you've tried and what's going on with the glass. Maybe I can help from here
 
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