Don Alm
January 2, 2007, 08:55 PM
This one is TOO GOOD! I just had to give it a try. Here's what I'm talking about;
Over this long weekend I had to replenish my paper stock for the "TV Channel Guides" I have to print my participating hotels. I went to Staples and lo and behold...right next to the paper stock I needed was a folder holding some "MAGNET SHEETS".
These are Magnetic Sheets with a white paper coating so they can be printed on. I've done some "Frig Magnet" programs so I was thinking about trying to tie these sheets in with my "Welcome" program when "IT" hit me like a ton o bricks.
One of my many projects was making "Photo Calendars" for Car Dealers. Someone at the dealership would take the photos of their buyers standing next to their purchase....just before handing them the keys.
They would mail me the 35mm film...I'd get it developed....blow up the photos...place them onto a sheet of colorful card stock....laminate it and attach a Calendar Pad....and send them back to the car dealer who would have salespeople give them as "Gifts" to their customers.
The car dealers were willing to pay for these because;
1) they made a nice Gift and built Goodwill with their customers
and
2) because they were WALL Calendars AND...because of "EGOS" of people, these would be HUNG ON THE WALLS of their customers for ALL TO SEE whoever entered the home. And...because the Car Dealers Logo, Name & Address was at the top...these became "REFERRAL TOOLS" for the Dealership.
Well....those were the "old" days....when film had to be developed and enlarged...glued down to index stock...laminated...pad attached. VERY "Labor Intensive" (for me) So....after "bothering" with "part-time LABOR" I got tired of dealing with these and sold it off to a guy who proceeded to run it into the ground with shoddy products.
Well....knowing how IMPRESSED both the Car Dealers and their customers were with PHOTOS (of the car buyers standing by their new vehicle)...and knowing how Car Buyers were anxious to "SHOW OFF" their new purchase...when I saw these "Magnet Sheets" I thought;
"Why not print a FULL COLOR PHOTO of Car Buyers on these sheets...along with a Calendar and LOGO and Name of the Car Dealer where they bought their vehicle....and give THESE to the Car Buyers as a GIFT from the dealership. With the "modern-age DIGITAL" cameras....photos could be taken at each dealership and (here's the NEAT PART)...the photos could be EMAILED to me....where I would place them onto my graphics page and hit "Print" and out would come a BEAUTIFUL...FULL COLOR MAGNET SHEET that would be perfect to place on the Car Buyer's REFRIGERATOR....which would BE IN FULL VIEW OF EVERYONE entering the home...bringing VALUE to them for the Car Dealers because of their "REFERRAL VALUE".
So...I made up some samples....along with something else I decided to include to "Build the Value MORE"....and trucked on down to one of the car dealers who used to handle my Photo-Calendars.
I showed him my samples...quoted a price and WHALA...he said, "Let's Give 'er a GO!"
This is a dealership that averages 20 cars a week...over 80 a month. So, I'm gonna "give 'er a go" and see what happens.
My thought is..."What If just 20 Car Dealers decide to have me make "Photo Frig Magnets" for them....and they all order 80 a month? Could I make 400 of these a week?"
Heck....I could make 100 a day MYSELF...if need be. The digital camera, computer and printer do all the work for me. No need to rely on any "outside labor" to do these unless I want to.
Now...what if I could make $20 on each of these "packages"? Would THAT "tickle my ivories"? You betcha Red Ryder!"
So...in between "other projects" I'm gonna see if I can "ride this one" and see where it leads.
Again....GOOD "Money-Making" ideas are ALL AROUND.
If anyone would like to be kept abreast of my progress...send me an email and I'll keep you updated.
Don Alm....starting the New Year off RIGHT!
Over this long weekend I had to replenish my paper stock for the "TV Channel Guides" I have to print my participating hotels. I went to Staples and lo and behold...right next to the paper stock I needed was a folder holding some "MAGNET SHEETS".
These are Magnetic Sheets with a white paper coating so they can be printed on. I've done some "Frig Magnet" programs so I was thinking about trying to tie these sheets in with my "Welcome" program when "IT" hit me like a ton o bricks.
One of my many projects was making "Photo Calendars" for Car Dealers. Someone at the dealership would take the photos of their buyers standing next to their purchase....just before handing them the keys.
They would mail me the 35mm film...I'd get it developed....blow up the photos...place them onto a sheet of colorful card stock....laminate it and attach a Calendar Pad....and send them back to the car dealer who would have salespeople give them as "Gifts" to their customers.
The car dealers were willing to pay for these because;
1) they made a nice Gift and built Goodwill with their customers
and
2) because they were WALL Calendars AND...because of "EGOS" of people, these would be HUNG ON THE WALLS of their customers for ALL TO SEE whoever entered the home. And...because the Car Dealers Logo, Name & Address was at the top...these became "REFERRAL TOOLS" for the Dealership.
Well....those were the "old" days....when film had to be developed and enlarged...glued down to index stock...laminated...pad attached. VERY "Labor Intensive" (for me) So....after "bothering" with "part-time LABOR" I got tired of dealing with these and sold it off to a guy who proceeded to run it into the ground with shoddy products.
Well....knowing how IMPRESSED both the Car Dealers and their customers were with PHOTOS (of the car buyers standing by their new vehicle)...and knowing how Car Buyers were anxious to "SHOW OFF" their new purchase...when I saw these "Magnet Sheets" I thought;
"Why not print a FULL COLOR PHOTO of Car Buyers on these sheets...along with a Calendar and LOGO and Name of the Car Dealer where they bought their vehicle....and give THESE to the Car Buyers as a GIFT from the dealership. With the "modern-age DIGITAL" cameras....photos could be taken at each dealership and (here's the NEAT PART)...the photos could be EMAILED to me....where I would place them onto my graphics page and hit "Print" and out would come a BEAUTIFUL...FULL COLOR MAGNET SHEET that would be perfect to place on the Car Buyer's REFRIGERATOR....which would BE IN FULL VIEW OF EVERYONE entering the home...bringing VALUE to them for the Car Dealers because of their "REFERRAL VALUE".
So...I made up some samples....along with something else I decided to include to "Build the Value MORE"....and trucked on down to one of the car dealers who used to handle my Photo-Calendars.
I showed him my samples...quoted a price and WHALA...he said, "Let's Give 'er a GO!"
This is a dealership that averages 20 cars a week...over 80 a month. So, I'm gonna "give 'er a go" and see what happens.
My thought is..."What If just 20 Car Dealers decide to have me make "Photo Frig Magnets" for them....and they all order 80 a month? Could I make 400 of these a week?"
Heck....I could make 100 a day MYSELF...if need be. The digital camera, computer and printer do all the work for me. No need to rely on any "outside labor" to do these unless I want to.
Now...what if I could make $20 on each of these "packages"? Would THAT "tickle my ivories"? You betcha Red Ryder!"
So...in between "other projects" I'm gonna see if I can "ride this one" and see where it leads.
Again....GOOD "Money-Making" ideas are ALL AROUND.
If anyone would like to be kept abreast of my progress...send me an email and I'll keep you updated.
Don Alm....starting the New Year off RIGHT!
