Should I fire my client?
 

I am trying to get a local business going where I help merchants build online customer lists. I am in a small town.
Basically, the idea is to use in store and offline promotion to build a "club" list.
I am providing the squeeze and thank you pages and doing weekly email broadcasts. Additionally, I provide the marketing strategy for getting sign ups.
Since I am just starting, I offered my service for free to one client, a local independent grocer whom I have known for a long time.
The reason is for testimonials, referrals and proof that my system will work.
Also he's a self-proclaimed "pain in the a**."
Here's the rub.
I had to take all meat out of the squeeze page. I couldn't say things like "Insiders Club" or "offers exclusive to club members"
I can't get any "bribe" from him to offer his customers.
You can see the squeeze page here: The squeeze page
As far as promotion, I got him to put his address in his weekly flyer
Flyer
Suggested he put his address on cash register tapes, in store flyers and bag stuffers.
He said he would make the flyers and bag stuffers but never did. And there is nothing on his register tape.
I made flyers and bag stuffers and gave to him about a week and a half ago.
He hasn't put any up or used the bag stuffers.
It is impossible to get to sit with him and discuss this. I understand he's busy but he has plenty of time to BS with his buddies.
I think it's time to fire him. I feel that I'm wasting my time.
Your thoughts are appreciated.
Larry Foster

Re: Should I fire my client?
 

Re: Should I fire my client?
 

Larry, your service is to good for him, you need to try an up scale hotel or a high in Restaurant. Doctors or Lawyers someone who can pay you and know the life time value of client. May be you can try your Cpa get him to send an email out to list.

Re: Should I fire my client?
 

If you do things for free you need to understand they think your advice is free.
The owner likes rapping with his buddies.
Have you explained the bennies that this list bring him.
If he understood he may devote a few minutes of his time to you.

Reading your post, I see that he feels that keeping the relationships with is buddies is more important that building a list of clients that may shop exclusivley at his store instead of the competitor (if there even is one in this small town.

Reading your post, I feel that this guy is doing it as a favor and doesn't really understand the bennies to his store for being alligned with your offer to be part of your club.

One thing that comes to mind is don't make him bend over backwards to be part of this thing.
Do something that he understands, don't make him or his help place flyers in the bags. Buy him 2 weeks worth of plastic bags (with your squeeze page addy on it).
Now this is something that he can understand! (reducing his overhead expense) I bet he would use them!

Before investing in something like this, (or even the bags) I would rethink whom ought to be fired,
If he doesn't understand the value to him, why should he jump through hoops to please you just because you are a friend.

Seriously, if you havn't got this guy to understand the potential value of this thing, and he is a friend, I would re-tool and try again.
When he is calling you for a meeting, go full steam ahead.
If you can't make your warm market jump, how in the heck will you sell your idea to a cold market?
Jason

Re: Should I fire my client?
 

Hi Larry,

Unfortunately your friend just doesn't "get it" and he obviously doesn't see the value in what you''re offering him.

Your have two options as I see it...

1) Try to educate him about the benefits of developing a customer email list and develop relationships with these folks

or

2) Talk to other business owners in your town and find someone who "gets it" and is anxious to have someone like you helping them out.

Personally, I think you can waste a lot of time and effort in trying to convince this guy so I would try to find someone who sees the value in what you want to do and offer to help them. Unfortunately when people don't have any money at stake in a project they don't put much value on it, so maybe you could charge a discounted fee to another interested business or two in return for their testimonials at a later date?

Bottom like is I say fire this guy and move on to people who are willing to work with you. Sure, you can work hard to sell your ideas to people, but it may take less time and effort to just sort through the folks in your market and work with those that see the benefits right away.

Good luck,

Steve

Re: Should I fire my client?
 

Hi Larry. There were some interesting threads about this same idea on the old sowpub forum.

From what I remember - Linda Caroll and Andy Frain and a few others had started something like this and made it very successful in their towns.

One thing similar amongst all their plans was: they owned the lists. And not the stores who had joined their program.

As far as I remember, here is how it worked:

1. They created a website for their entire town - and not just one store.
2. They went and convinced local store owners to allow them to place a long paper near the checkout counter.
3. People could write their names and email addresses on that paper. They would collect these emails and feed it into their system manually (or by hiring a high school kid).
4. These same businesses would then pay for an ad or a coupon placement in the email newsletters.

You could do something like that too. And - to generate the email lists - you could offer some kind of goodie to people so that they would write down their email addresses.

Re: Should I fire my client?
 

Ankesh...

Interesting that you mention those particular Archives...

Hopefully, Dien will be able to get them back up in the near future!

Hi Larry,

Sounds like this guy still runs his business from about the 1960's. :)

Maybe just a Luck guess... But your Chances of Changing his Marketing methods are almost impossible...

As I'm sure he's very set in his ways of Doing business...

Although, with a store being in business for that Many years in a Small Town...

Means that they have a very Solid business and Strong customer base that can work for you in some Other ways!

Instead of Firing your Client, why don't you "Twist" the business idea around a little and start your own Club concept and maybe Joint Venture and/or get Creative and Feed Off of his customer base...

With it being a Small Town, you're probably going to run into similar type problems But Again Solid businesses with Strong customer bases...

That Want to Join Your Club... Your Lists...

So that they can get UpToDate weekly email broadcasts with Fresh Offers and Deals from a Multiple of their Favorite Local businesses BUT all through One Single Email Newsletter. ;)

If others are interested in Local Email Marketing...

This recent post may Trigger some business ideas for you...

The Power of Local Email Marketing
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5769

Hope some of this makes Dollars and Sense...

Phil

Re: Should I fire my client?
 

Here is Andy Frain's web site regarding Ankesh's mention on his Mining Local Gold concept...

I'm not sure on how active or uptodate things are But you can check it out and try contacting Andy if anyone's interested...

http://www.andyfrain.net/

Phil

Re: Should I fire my client?
 

Thanks, everyone for all the great responses.
I knew this was the place to get the answers.
Have to leave for a few hours but will clarify when I get back.
Appreciate your help.
Larry

Re: Should I fire my client?
 

Everyone.
Thanks for all the great responses. I knew this was the place to post this question.
I'll try to clarify in the order of the posts since I feel my initial post was too brief.
Strange1.
We are about 40 miles from the closest metro area (Pittsburgh) and the population of the town is about 5000. We have no high end restaurants or hotels. We do have doctors and attorneys. I can't see the local attorneys using a service like this and many of the doctors here do not take new patients. If anyone can tell me the secret to getting a CPA to return a call, I'm on the second one who won't, even though he sat at my kitchen table and promised that wouldn't be a problem.
Jason.
I have explained the benefits to him and his competitors are either large chains or affiliated with a large "branded" grocery.
I offered him something that neither of them have and the opportunity to get a leg up on them.
I understand about the bag stuffers, but he won't even post flyers in his store or put it on his register tapes.
And won't let me, either.
He did say at one point that he could have his web site address printed on his bags.
I suggested that he post one near his checkout, but he doesn't want anyone reading anything there. He wants to move them through. I'm not sure why he has the magazines like the National Enquirer there if he doesn't want anyone reading.
Initially, I "educated" him about what could be accomplished.
One thing that may be a factor is that since he isn't much of a web person, he isn't convinced that up to 80% of his customers may have email.
Not sure if he's doing this as a favor. And as far as free, he has asked for a bill. But I told him my offer was to do this so that I could use this an an example of what I can do.
Ankesh, I looked at Andy Frain's stuff at one time. It was kind of interesting. I even subscribed to his membership for a while but, as I recall, it was more for the right to use a software than about marketing.
Phil and Steve, thanks for your input, too.
I'll post some ideas separately if anyone has any additional comments about them
Thanks
Larry