Updates, Competitions, Suggestions & Advertising Ideas

GOOD NEWS!

Thanks to feedback from Jon in Indiana, the forum now has a new feature.

You can now view the 5 most recent posts without having to search through all of the categories. All you need to do is look in the box to the righthand side under the categories box to see the recent posts. There is one small catch … but it’s a good thing. You will need to check the blog each day, because for every post that gets added, one gets knocked off the list. So please save the forum website address into your favourites and get into the habit of checking it daily (and adding your posts also don’t forget!)

Dean

cabdon,

I have been in “guerilla” advertising for years.. I can remember seeing paid displays going back at least 10 years and probably more. I never investigated back then because I was working for an ad agency and it was “beneath us”…Amazing how stupid I was.

The areas you see with non paying advertisers would be a great prospect for a display in my opinion. Typically these are open and anybody can place a card in them…even competitors of the location. We have a better way.

Good Luck!

dmiles

This answer all comes down to your customer service and the quality of the information you deliver to your clients…that’s it.

As an example, i’m going to use this forum to explain my thoughts about repeat customers. This is not a plug for the forum, it’s just the reality of it based on results and feedback so far.

Have you noticed that the quality of information on this forum is the best you will ever find regarding business card display advertising? Why…because I am fully aware that if I make a point that I will only except quality input and give quality answers, then I know I will attract quality people who will re-visit the forum almost daily. Is that happening…yes. It’s very very important to me that people who have paid me get their monies worth, and you should be thinking the same for your clients!

I’m guessing here, but if I tried to sell you something in every second paragraph I posted, then people wouldn’t return as often. Yes, I will give something a promo ONLY IF I THINK IT’S WORTH IT, is in line with this business and will add value to my great readers and contributors, but that’s it. My only goal for this forum is for others and myself to provide info that helps people make money…that’s it…period. If we all make more money as a result of this forum and the input from everyone, then you’re smiling and so and I.

Now, how could you adapt this frame of mind to increase renewal rates?

1) Never let your advertiser walk past one of your business card display boards and see their space they have ‘rented’ off you empty.

2) Report back to them monthly with ‘cards taken’ results

3) Move their cards to a different location if their cards aren’t getting taken often. This may seem like more work that you don’t get paid for … or will you? Mmmmmmm

4) If you have a good ebook on your computer, why not write your client a random email that has nothing to do with advertising in your business card display and say “Hi Sally, I came across this book about how to make more money in business and thought I would send it through to you as a small token of appreciation for being such a great client”

5) If you have a couple of empty spots in your other advertising display boards that the client isn’t in, why not pop their cards in their to fill the display and increase the chances of your client gets calls?

Now, go back to these five points and after reading each one, think to yourself “would this increase the chances of someone renewing?” If yes, then perfect…do it.

Does this explain why it’s hard to give a specific % answer maryl2010?

There is surely more ideas floating around about how to increase the chances of clients renewing, so let us hear them everyone!

Dean

I HAD TO MOVE THIS POST OFF THE HOME PAGE….

Written by adhive on March 8th.

Dean
I have to give you full credit for introducing this blog, it’s going to provide a fantastic resource for every business card dispenser operator throughout our planet. All the questions and queries posted are similar experiences to our operators and the suggestions and answers so far are just GENIUS!, I wish someone had come up with this idea years ago. We all have a great opportunity to make money with business card dispensers and this blog provides a platform for new people to learn extra quick and for us more experienced operators - you just never know how much more you can learn until you listen to others experience - FANTASTIC!

Mar 8, 4:43 PM —

What I’ve learned by Trial and Error.

When I first started calling on locations and advertisers…I went in with my display in a great looking artists portfolio bag…really held everything in place…I thought it was great…I DITCHED IT!

I found myself looking for a place to lay the case down…un=zip it…pull it out…put the header on…TOOK TOO LONG! I put a handle on the display behind the header and now I carry it in ready to show. I typically keep the back side to the prospect until I say something like “Hello, I’m Dave…First let me say I am not here to sell you anything…quite the contrary…you have plenty of people waiting here or passing by and I want to get their attention and I am willing to compensate you to get their attention.”

They look at the back of the display and I can see it on their face…What the hell does he have…and they are thinking…mmmmm…$$$$$ wonder what he’s talking about.

I either offer Location owners free business cards or a coupon mailer I do to new residents for free…never cash. Neither really costs me much and the coupon mailer works so well I know I will get renewals on that…and hopefully some printing.

dmiles

What I really like about this business is the independence…where else can you make this kind of money and the freedom to do what you want…when you want?

I called on a golf pro today and he was very interested in my display. He needed a 4th and asked me if I could play…pulled the clubs out of the truck…played 18…on a beautiful sunny day (80 degrees)…OH! WE SIGNED A LOCATION AGREEMENT OVER A BEER AFTER WE SETTLED UP…

I apologize if it seems I write too much. I have a laptop with satelitte and I keep it with me all the time.

dmiles

It’s amazing how what you say is interpreted by the listener. I have been going into doctors offices to try and secure their waiting rooms for displays. They are all the same…go to the desk…lady opens the glass…GATEKEEPER, GATEKEEPER!!! After they ask me what this is about I have been saying something to the effect…”I am not here to sell anything… I need to see your marketing director or Business Mgr…GATEKEEPER GATEKEEPER!..What’s it about? I have been saying…I want to talk to them about placing a Business Card Display in the waiting room….SHOT DOWN MOST OF THE TIME….and couldn’t get past GATEKEEPER until I said…”I want to place a COUPON display in your waiting room offering discounts to your patients and staff to local restauarants, golf courses…whatever…DAMN! Placed 2 out of 5 this morning and appointment to go back and see Dr. Tuesday for 3rd..

Amazing…sometimes it’s the perception…I guess they didn’t want to promote business cards but coupons are ok! Go figure it!

dmiles

nattytude,

I am impressed with the response you are getting with the magnets! I have been putting that off…Do you have a full size magnet with picture on the side of your car or bumper size…what? I am thinking about buying a Scion little mini-van and wrapping it with full color pictures etc. (I need a new vehicle anyway)

Build on that curiosity…Why don’t you try asking the 50% that are curious something like…”You noticed my magnet and called…got cha…didn’t I? I don’t sell magnets but I do sell results…I’ll show you how to get customers to not only come into your (store, restauant) but come in and spend money and just to ease your mind…I can do it for less than a $1 a day. Now … I can come by tomorrow morning about 10:10…does that work for you? ”

Good Luck and thanks for the success on the magnets…going to try them!

dmiles

This forum is terrific! My husband & I are just getting our business set up and can’t wait to get started. The information posted here is so helpful. We’ve both been in sales a long time but there’s always something new to learn. It’s also great to see our own ideas posted here by others who have already started. We will have more to contribute as time goes by. Veronica

Another idea i’m going to try, is get maybe 500 or 1000 business card size magnets made up.

Here is my plan. I’m going to walk into the businesses in the area and hand them a magnet and tell them to put it on their fridge. What I am hoping is going to happen is that they will read it on the spot as I hand it to them and ask me “how does this work?”. Of course it will have ‘Advertise Your Business for FREE’ written on it.

So I think this could be a simple way to build my confidence by walking in and giving them the magnet as a gift. They will either ask me on the spot how it works, or they will stick it on their fridge and ring me at a later date. Kind of a non sales approach. This suits my style and confidence for now. If they are interested on the spot, i’ll go and grab the display out of my car.

I can also stick one of the magnets on any business cars that i see while i’m walking around, and i’ll put it right next to the drivers side door handle so they can’t miss it. By doing this, I feel I will get customers that I never would have found otherwise.

I hope this helps some.

nattytude

I NEED SOME HELP!!!!

Somebody….Anybody…I have a Steak House that will allow me to put a display in the waiting area if I can figure out how to attach it to the brick without making holes!

Is there an adhesive something or other that will work?

Anxious in NC!

dmiles

They do make special hooks for hanging on bricks. I don’t know about the max. weight
http://www.improvementscatalog.com/home/improvements/28283-Brick-Block-Hooks.html
try this link

This question just popped into my head. Does anyone ever get testimonials from their business card clients? Do you get feedback from them about business they got from having their cards in your display/dispenser? Testimonials would be a great selling tool for acquiring new clients. They would show proven results to someone considering signing up. What do you think?
Veronica

Great idea Veronica!

Picture this. Imagine dropping a roll of toilet paper…you know how it hits the floor and rolls out?

Now think about how powerful it would be if you had a whole list of testimonials that you could ‘roll out’ infront of the potential advertiser for your business card dispenser!!! Oh yeh!

If you have any testimonials or results from clients you would like to share, then please note them down on the forum for everyone to use, and you will get some also.

This is certainly a great idea Veronica, and everyone should participate where possible. BIGTIME long-term benefit with this idea!

Dean

Hi Dave,

When it comes to stocking up the cards in your dispensers, just have all your cards in one box. Then, when you go around to top up your displays, have a list on paper of who advertisers in each location. Simply put the cards in a managable box that you can carry to the display from your vehicle. Imagine a box of simular shape to one that a DVD player, or a video player would come in…kind of flat, shallow and wide. Just have one of those on hand

You really only need to visit your displays every 3-4 weeks, so set yourself a ‘re-stocking’ day, pack up the cards in the back of the car and that’s it! The nice thing about this business is that it fits into your car…easy to manage.

If you can get the business to the point where it takes you all day to re-stock the displays, then that’s a great problem!

Dean

From my perspective…this blog is to learn and share ideas…I want to throw this one out…If you had to pick a single location type…and all of your displays would have to go in only this type of location…WHAT WOULD THAT ONE LOCATION BE? WHY?

I’ll start it off…I would place all of my locations in a golf pro shop. The reason I would choose the golf course is simple…that’s where the money is! Here the skinny…

Statistics show that this type of audience is more likely to:

• Have greater disposable income readily available.
• Lease or own 2 or more vehicles.
• Take at least 2 holidays a year, one of them being abroad.
• Are early adopters and owners of high end electronic products
• Own at least one property.
• Have average 3 credit cards.
• Have savings and investments.
• Hold a high profile position within an organisation or run their own
business.
Age wise the split is around:
• Under 18……………..10%
• 18 – 35……………….28.1%
• 36+……………………61.9%

On average regular players play golf at least 2 times a week.

Now that’s an attractive demographic for advertisers on my displays.
Look forward to hearing your location.

dmiles

I just got an email from someone saying “these forum suggestions for places to put the displays wouldn’t suit my display board, because mine is to big for this type of location”.

Well here’s my thoughts to this email.

I know for a FACT that there are people reading this forum that have ‘big’ displays that could quite easily help you with suggesting unique locations. We are still waiting (cough) for these people to comment. Please, lets talk about any type displays…I don’t care.

For anyone reading this message who hasn’t purchased business card displays as yet from a manufacturer, make sure you research first what locations you might like to put displays, then decide on the ’size’ of the display you choose. This is basic business research that could make the difference between success and failure.

Now I’m not suggesting you try to get locations first before buying displays…NO WAY! The problem when trying to get locations before purchasing is that you will totally get a wrong idea if it’s going to work or not, because the business owner needs to SEE what they are going to have in their location. A picture on a piece to paper just doesn’t work. So don’t do yourself out of a business opportunity by taking this approach.

Let me put it to you another way. If both you and I walked into a business to get a location, and I had a display to show and you only had a photo of a business card display to show, then I can almost guarantee that the business owner would choose me over you, because no-matter if they are visual, auditory or kinesthetic, I’ve got them covered by taking a display. You would be missing the ‘visual’ part of the sales process…and most people need to SEE what they are getting. (If you want to know more about NLP ‘Neuro Linguistic Programming’, please look under the ’sales techniques’ category.

Just eye-ball locations that you think would suit, then make your business decision from there. You must also assess the quality of the display. Somewhere in this forum I mentioned that one gentleman in the USA purchased 3 different displays before he found one that worked correctly!

Your business card display is the centerpiece of your business and reputation, so choose wisely!

Dean

For those of you who may have missed this earlier on in the forum, there was an interesting article posted that you should read. This will give you an additional idea about how to generate leads to obtain advertisers. The article is about a business card competition that went alittle wrong, but at the same time, there’s an idea sitting there for you that could work nicely…

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28302

Dean