Here's something you might enjoy

I posted this on another "marketing" board and thought that some of you folks would enjoy reading it also. It has to do with HOW I get some of my promotion ideas;
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Some years ago, when I was living near Aspen, Colorado, I was in a realtor's office and a guy comes in to talk to another realtor. I overhear the realtor tell him he, "couldn't place an aerial photo of his ranch on a brochure because he didn't know anyone who could take an aerial photo".

I stood up and yelled over the desks, "I can take aerials! What do you need!"

Honestly, I didn't know an aerial from a pinon pine BUT...I knew I could "learn". I mean, what's to know? You get in a plane...aim your camera down and click the shutter.

Ha! I found out later, there's a "little more" to it than that. But, at the time I just "volunteered".

The realtor asked me what I charge and my "trained marketing brain went into instant sales mode" and I told him, I'd call him later in private.

Well, to shorten the story, I started doing aerial photos for realtors. Then (here's the reason for this post) as my pilot and I were flying back one day after shooting a number of castles...I looked down and thought, "Hey! Why wouldn't those folks with "regular" homes not want an aerial of their properties?

So...I started clicking away...trying to get individual homes in each shot.

I took about 300 shots.

My plan was to match the photos with the houses and send a copy of the photo on a postcard to the home owners asking if they'd like an enlargement for their wall.

And when I got them developed I'm thinking, "HOW in the world am I going to match these photos with the houses?"

So...I had 300 GOOD aerial photos of homes but I had no idea WHAT the address was of any of them so I could get them into the hands of the RIGHT people.

I thought, "Maybe I could visit the area and try and determine which house goes with which photo." Naw! Too many.

So...as I usually do with my "ideas", I "placed this one on a memory hook" for future reference.

Then, about a week later, as I was having coffee at the local donut place, I happened to overhear the Pharmacist say he, "wished he had a way to get people into his store". None of his sales ads had done much and he was in "need of a promotion idea".

Well...all of a sudden...my subconscious mind kicked into gear as I envisioned those 300 3x5 photos on the back wall of his drug store...with local homeowners looking over the photos for THEIR house.

WOW! THAT was IT!

So...I rushed home...grabbed the box of photos...plunked the box down in front of the drug store owner and told him,
"Here's how you can fill your store with people. These are aerial photos of local homes. I will mount them on boards across the back of the store."

I grabbed a napkin and wrote out an ad HE will run that says, "AN AERIAL PHOTO HAS BEEN TAKEN OF YOUR HOME! COME ON DOWN TO ELJEBEL DRUGS AND SEE YOUR HOME FROM THE AIR!"

Well...I thought the guy would come unglued. He got up and hugged me and said, "Let's do it!"

So...on Thursday (our paper only came out on Thurs) he runs a big ad with some sample photos and the words I gave him.

I had some phone calls to make on Friday morn and around 10am the druggist secretary calls me and tells me to, come on down to the store, I would NOT believe what is happening.

I jumped in my car and as I turned onto main street I could see people lined up down the block from the drug store which was on the corner. As I neared the drug store I could NOT believe what I was seeing. Here was what seemed like a couple hundred people lined up waiting to get into the drugstore.

I had made a display along the back wall with all the 3x5's. These I sold for $5 * ...8x10's were $45 etc...which they could order by filling in the Order Form.

* The 3x5's were FREE if they bought something ELSE from the store.

In the history of the druggist's business career he had not had a more successful promotion.

He sold a ton of his stuff...I sold a bunch of aerials and we were ALL happy.

This thing lasted for about 4 weeks because every week I would take more photos and put them on the back wall every Thurs eve...for Friday's business.

So...I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did of remembering and relating it to you. This refers to the BASICS of marketing;
"Find out what people WANT...and find a way to sell it to them!"

Don Alm




Some of my unique money-makers

Thanks for sharing that story Don...

It's a project that could be repeated today in almost any small to medium sized community. Just the kind of community most of us want to live in.

People still love to see themselves and their homes from a new angle. That desire is not going out of style.

Also, I went to your website link. Nice PJs!

Some folks are always asking about an "INSTANT" way to start making "good money" FROM HOME!

Well...here's one that will STILL WORK! And ANYONE with a computer and some "get up and go" can go out tomorrow morning and MAKE IT HAPPEN!

A few years ago I started a "Fax" business. Sending a 1-page sheet of ads to local business offices. (I know, I know...the "junk fax" thing. I got permission to send my faxes to these offices, first)

Well...one day, as I was looking for ad clients, I happened into a Deli and the Deli owner told me they were ALREADY sending faxes of their daily specials to local businesses.

I asked him WHO was sending the faxes for them. He told me he had his "office girl" send them.

I asked him if he'd be interested in having ME send the faxes for him and relieve his "office girl" from having to do it.

He asked, "How much?" I asked him how many faxes was he sending out. He told me he was sending 150 each morning and that his "office girl" had to come in early to do this.

I looked around his shop...rubbed my chin...I then looked him straight in the eyeballs and told him, "$25 a day!"

He looked around a bit...rubbed his chin...before he could answer I added, "I will do EVERYTHING for you! Create the fax sheet every evening...and fax them out to YOUR LIST of people PLUS...I will add 50 or 60 NEW businesses to the list!"

With this he said, "OK! When can you start?"

I said, "Is right now too soon?"

So...I had a person whom I did not know from Adam a few minutes ago...just make a committment to me of $500 A MONTH!

I then went to another Deli a few blocks away and asked if he was sending out daily faxes. This guy said, "No! But the pizza place next door WAS!"

So I flew out the door to the pizza place and sho nuff...the guy was sending about 150 faxes out to local businesses for his "Daily Specials".

I offered the same deal to him. This guy was a little tougher...he rubbed his chin and said, "Well, that's $125 a week...about $500 a month! I'll pay you $20 a day...$100 a week!"

I said, "Deal!"...and shook his hand.

So...within a few minutes...I was able to contract with 2 business owners for $225 a WEEK for a service that would cost me NADA...ZILCH!

I already had a computer and 2 phone lines into my home. I had a fax modem and a fax program that could send out faxes on 2 lines. The only thing this would cost me was TIME. TIME to get the Daily Specials and TIME to make up the fax sheets and tell the machine when to send them. Maybe an hour a day.

Now...I did not expand this and add more equipment and more accounts...but I know someone who did...who is now getting $300 a month from each of 30 delis and pizza places...a total of $9,000 MONTHLY for having computers send faxes!

IT'S AN ALL PROFIT BUSINESS! NO PRINTING! NO POSTAGE! NO EXPENSES! Other than your phone lines and overhead.

THINK about it! There are Deli's and pizza places in YOUR town who are NOW sending faxes of their daily specials! They are in the FOOD biz! They don't want to be in the "Fax" biz! YOU can relieve them of this headache and make yourself some nice CASH MONEY!

If a Deli or pizza place is NOT sending faxes to local businesses...YOU can offer to set this up for them.

To get the fax numbers...just put a large fishbowl on the counter next to the cash register, with a sign that says; "Let Us Fax Our Daily Specials To Your Office! Drop Your Business Card In The Bowl!"

Wow! What potential! And all it takes is the guts to DO IT! It's waiting for YOU! Go Get It!

I would shoot for $100 a week. You can always come down. One PC will handle 2 phone lines. You can send about 250 faxes in about 6 hrs...so, starting at 7pm...you can send out about 250 x 4 = approx 1,000 faxes on 2 lines...FOUR clients for $400 a week!

You want MORE MONEY? Buy an old used 486 machine and 2 more fax modems (WinFaxPro will handle 2 fax modems in 1 machine) Bring in 2 more residence lines. You now have EIGHT accounts paying you $800 a week.

Add as many more lines and machines as you feel you want to handle.

My friend THIS is NOT some "pie-in-the-sky" plan! THIS is REAL! It's been done...and it's STILL being done!

Deli and pizza parlor owners have ONE thing on their mind...to SELL FOOD! If you can help them sell their food...they WILL pay you nicely for the service.

Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Thanks for reading.....Don Alm

> Thanks for sharing that story Don...

> It's a project that could be repeated today
> in almost any small to medium sized
> community. Just the kind of community most
> of us want to live in.

> People still love to see themselves and
> their homes from a new angle. That desire is
> not going out of style.

> Also, I went to your website link. Nice PJs!




My Unique Money-Makers

Its always goot to read Don's posts

I have been doing this concept now for the past 4 years so i can attest to its working. The company is called menufax and its a permission based faxing biz that caters to small deli's and pizzaria's. each client generates $200 to 400 a month. Its not a hard sale because they are already sold on faxing your just taking over thier list.

I've even taken this concept to be fully automatic whereas each client calls the system and inputs an account number and password and has all the options available. like adding fax numbers removing numbers faxing the menu getting copies of thier lists. each client manages thier own list.

I had this system build from the ground up using dialogic voice fax boards so now i run this biz with 36 lines. pretty cool..

You can hear a demo from the clients perspective by calling 718-281-1207 enter account 0000 then password 1234.. you can hear the options available. Please don't ask the system to fax you any lists it won't fax out out of the area code.

I've recently been experimenting with www.gotomypc.com this service allows me to control any pc.. from ANY remote internet connection really cool... since I travel to Costa Rica alot I run the biz from an internet cafe in C.R.

Don can attest to that..:)

because of the small margins with out of area phone calls This is really limited to local and regional areas... I'm working on a member's only site that will go into more detail on how step by step to operate this biz. I've even partnered with a guy from New Zealand that actaully does the same thing.. won't be ready until 2002.

www.faxertise.com

anyway just to show what can be done with a simple idea

best regards
Eddy

Smile,

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Paul "Sticky Ticker" Reilly




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Hi Don,

Thanks, this is a great idea (along with your other posts too)....

What I like about your "aerial photos" biz was you spotted a need, and then figured out a way to do it.

What most people would do is first say "Oh I don't know how to do that" and let the opportunity go to someone else.... Whereas in your case you said, "sure, I can do it" -- then did it!

It's a great lesson.... Thanks! :)

I think people's wants and needs are being made clear to us each and every day.... It's just a matter of keeping our eyes and ears open to the opportunities, and then attacking them with a "can do" attitude!

Not only did you find a good opportunity.... I bet it was an exciting adventure as well. :)

- Dien

"GET THE ORDER FIRST! THEN WORRY ABOUT HOW TO FILL IT!"

I've done the same thing with the Manuals and Reports I've produced and sold over the years.

1) SEE if there's a market for what you are selling and
2) SEE whether or not you have the ability to sell it

Because...I have known people who spent LOTS of time and money putting together products or programs and when they FINALLY got the thing produced they found that;
1) there was NO Market for it
2) they did NOT KNOW how to sell it

Thus...you get an idea for a manual, report, book, or whatever....create an "outline" or a "sample"....then creat the sales materials for it and start running ads or try to sell it "as if the product was finished!"

IF you start getting orders and you decide it's a "GO"...work day and night to finish it or tell your customers there will be a delay...or return their money.

I've found if you advise your customers of any delays they will understand.

A coal miner buddy in Colorado once showed me an Outline of a book he was thinking about writing which had to do with training new coal miners.

The Outline and Table of Contents were great. I came up with a Title for him called, "The Great Black Hope"...with the "O" in HOPE a round piece of coal.

My buddy told me there was a coal miner's convention being held in Vegas the next weekend. I told him, "Let's go to it and see if there's any interest in the book!"

We made up some "dummy" books with a GREAT COVER, beautiful artwork a friend created. Put in the Table of Contents and filled the rest with blank pages.

When we got to the convention I talked a guy into letting us have a space on his table to display our books.

We were taking "Pre-Publication" orders from mine managers around the country.

At the end of the 4 days...we had collected orders for 6,000 books ($28 x 6000 = $168,000) and deposits of $30,000 ($5 x 6,000)

NOW...on the way back my buddy got panicky. He did NOT know whether he could finish the book.

I told him if that was true...he'd better NOT spend one dime of the advances he collected.

So...he gave it a try but...after 6 weeks or so, I told him to forget it and return the money. Which he did, thank God.

It sure was exciting selling the thing though.

But...when I "spoke without thinking" and told the realtor I could provide him with aerial photos....I had an "inkling" that I could hire a small plane to take me up and my trusty Minolta Zoom and "basic photo knowledge" could get me thru....when I had never been in a small plane
before.

The next day I phoned the office of the small airport in Glenwood Springs and asked if anyone was available to take me up in a small plane to take aerial photos.

The woman on the phone told me to, "Call Murray!"

I called "Murray" and he told me he had a 152 Cessna with 2 seats and I could open the window and the wind would hold the window open while I leaned out to take my shots. $65 an hour.

Then I visited a camera shop and asked the owner if he could give me some tips on taking aerials...which he did...so I was set.

The first flight my stomach was up around my nose most of the time and Murray had forgotten to tell me one small detail about a high-wing Cessna...the wheels stick out from the body of the plane...so that in order to get a decent shot down...you had to remove your seatbelt and hang out the window so the camera lens would be beyond the wheels.

So...when it cam time to take my first shots, I undid my seatbelt...Murray grabbed the back of my belt with his left hand while holding the wheel with his right...so I could "hang out the window" with the wind blasting at my face and upper body.

It's a wonder I got any decent shots at all. But I did and it was a wonderful experience I can sit back and tell my great grand kids about some day.

Also...some "side" stuff to this adventure was I got to meet Lawrence Welk, Jack Nicholson, Jill St. John, Robert Wagner, Robert Conrad, Buddy Hacket, George Hamilton, Michael Douglas and a few other celebs who had properties in the Aspen area.

"Ya Never Knows Unlessn Ya Tries!"

Don ALm

> Hi Don,

> Thanks, this is a great idea (along with
> your other posts too)....

> What I like about your "aerial
> photos" biz was you spotted a need, and
> then figured out a way to do it.

> What most people would do is first say
> "Oh I don't know how to do that"
> and let the opportunity go to someone
> else.... Whereas in your case you said,
> "sure, I can do it" -- then did
> it!

> It's a great lesson.... Thanks! :)

> I think people's wants and needs are being
> made clear to us each and every day.... It's
> just a matter of keeping our eyes and ears
> open to the opportunities, and then
> attacking them with a "can do"
> attitude!

> Not only did you find a good opportunity....
> I bet it was an exciting adventure as well.
> :)

> - Dien




My Unique money-makers

Don,

That's a brilliant philosophy! NOW I can see some of the reasons you've been such a success....

Man, when you think about it, it MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. Get the order first (which ensures there's a market for what you're selling)....

Thanks Don! This is a great piece of advice, particularly for those of us who are still a bit "green" in our business experience (like I am)....

And there's nothing wrong with getting pre-orders using a mock-up.... In fact, it really is a great idea. In a sense, you are asking people to "reserve" the product for them when it's ready. It's a great strategy, and I'm sure it will quickly tell you if you have a market or not....

Thanks Don, I'm learning a lot from your posts.... :)

- Dien