Danger Will Robinson... DANGER!

Marketing
1

Knowing most of you are smart enough not to do this, I thought I would bring it up anyway. (I am actually a little amazed to see it)

As many of you know I study local fliers and mailers when I get them. Mostly people selling a service (house cleaning, carpet cleaning, lawn care, etc…)

So I tend to just toss things into a box to mull over sometime. Well today I took a peek in this box to see if there were any buried treasures. I am sad to say they all said nothing but “their service” and maybe a “10% off” (those were the good ones :eek:)

What I found in more than a few was something that I could not believe… something almost as insane as wiping your brown eye with $20 bills.

Example-

Mary’s Incredible House Cleaning

Save 10% when you sign up

See our ad in the Yellow Pages

SEE OUR AD IN THE YELLOW PAGES!?

I know most of you are knowing exactly what is wrong with this picture. You get an ad into someones hand. You manage to keep their interest through the whole ad… then usher them to the yellow pages? So you were on an empty playing field but decided you like a little competition? Now let the bidding begin!

I see a window cleaner doing this too

It should be painfully obvious to all of you this is crazy, but if you are looking to make your company sound legit, send them to your white pages ad (I don’t even like that as they may still grab the yellow) a website is the new legitimizer. If you don’t have that, NEVER send them to a book full of 1/2 page ads screaming “we’re the best”

As Mark Twain said,

“Common sense ain’t all that common”

2

I don’t like the idea of sending them anywhere unless it’s to their phone to call you for an estimate or to book the job.

Amazingly, I see that most of the companies that have horribly weak flyers state that they’ve been in business for 10, 20, 30 years! :eek:

3

most of the companies that have horribly weak flyers state that they’ve been in business for 10, 20, 30 years!

Yes, proof that mere business “experience” is not always good experience. Often, in fact.

4

CFP,
Back in the day, i remember alot of businesses advertising “find us fast in the yellowpages”. Some customers look at this as the Holy Grail to business legitimacy. They think that if you are in the book- you must be on the up and up. Folks even think that if you are a BBB member, you were a chosen few. not true either. I totally agree that it is a bad move to send people to the book as reinforcing a legit business. You are potentially opening the flood gates to other companies bidding against you and taking food right off of your table. Good post.

Steve