MATH and the cost of time.

Gordon,

You're on to it. I just nailed one today, for a solo card.

He knows exactly how he wants the card to look, which means
he's right for the program. I'm providing the "done for you" so he
doesn't have to bother with it.

I'm also providing some back-end components, that he really wants
and doesn't have. That knowledge comes from working the program
over a period of time and seeing things that others, without the
experience, have no idea about.

So, with the added services, this type of program becomes extremely
profitable. He can't afford to leave. I could - and would - replace him
in a heartbeat.

He knows it.

That's the position you want to be in.

The field is wide open, Gordon. Let the other guys chase their tail.
Get out there and gitcha some.

Ron

Originally Posted by GordonJ

Thanks Jenn, groups have a tendency to follow the leader.

There is no right or wrong way, as you see Ron (a pro) and I do things differently too.

For me, it is ALL about time. I want to close a card in hours, not weeks or god forbid, months. So the question two years ago was HOW?

Answers came from many sources, the best one was from the Warrior Forum, in the form of a smaller card, few ads, lower prices.

So, I tested. And found out what a Co-Op ad card could or couldn't do for the businesses. Without meaning offense to any business, when I say bottom feeders, these are small businesses with almost no advertising budget, they often got into business without giving thought to how to get customers, it was a build it and they will come.

Most businesses could use a steady stream of new customers and keeping old ones. With newspapers dying out and print getting expensive POSTCARDS are an easy way to keep name and OFFERS in front of targets.

My research from the last two years, and this includes 2 dozen people who were doing the 9x12 card, showed:

There was a lot of running around.
There was a lot of CHASING down.
There was a lot of TIME spent in layout, design and proofing.

Several guys who had been doing the 9x12 quit because after all is said and done, they basically had themselves a low paying job, without benefits...and more than a few went back to work.

I found HOSTS, nothing new there, Don Alm wrote about this for years.
The Host sponsored the card and got advertisers on the back.
Then, I found TRADESHOWS, where thousands of people attend and

ONE card with 7 offers of at least 100 bux each, was worth more than any one card or promotion from the show, the power of the Co-Op, especially for related but non competing industries.

I found out cards sent to me for pizza shops across town were a waste of their money, by talking to drivers, owners and actually knocking on doors of people who had ordered.

A shop sending 10,000 EDDM cards, was wasting half his money, because it was too many to the WRONG place.

Also, some gurus were touting a 5% return, saying if they sent 5,000 cards, they could get 250-300 coupons redeemed. I've never seen that happen, but, it is used in phone calls.

I never have talked about performance, but a combo of branding and offers.

Today it is a Zip Zone approach, where in my area (44223) there are 11 pizza shops within the zip code, but only ONE gets on the Co-Op ZipZone mailer, it becomes a DON'T CARE SALE.

I honestly, truly, just don't care who is on the card, and I can close in one call based on that alone, WHEN I use the proper tools (a map).

So, like Ron posted, maybe ONE roofer or plumber will give you the one card. My studies showed about a 2700 net profit from the 9x12 with 14 ads which took 6 weeks.

I can get a 700 net in a day from one co-op of two guys, so it just makes more sense to ME, TO take the path of least resistance, so I could start on Tue morn (never a Mon) and be done by THUR, with a week's paycheck, and have six of those before a nine by 12 guy gets his...

but, it is whatever works.

I'm not a group guy, and don't really care what others do, I like fast, easy and less slop.

Thanks for posting,

Gordon

Originally Posted by ron lafuddy

Gordon,

You're on to it. I just nailed one today, for a solo card.

He knows exactly how he wants the card to look, which means
he's right for the program. I'm providing the "done for you" so he
doesn't have to bother with it.

I'm also providing some back-end components, that he really wants
and doesn't have. That knowledge comes from working the program
over a period of time and seeing things that others, without the
experience, have no idea about.

So, with the added services, this type of program becomes extremely
profitable. He can't afford to leave. I could - and would - replace him
in a heartbeat.

He knows it.

That's the position you want to be in.

The field is wide open, Gordon. Let the other guys chase their tail.
Get out there and gitcha some.

Ron

This is awesome Ron!

Did you by chance present those irresistible back end/funnel services as a part of your solo mailing package or did you ask him about his wish list of additional outcomes he'd like to see from the clientele/traffic your solo mailer campaign would bring?

What you're doing seems to be the most productive way of setting your offering apart from all of the other commoditized direct mail companies that's for sure.