Flyer hand-outs..What about this..

Michael,

It's the same type of thing up here in North Queensland. The people who actually do the work are paid a pittance and it makes you wonder if your flyers are actually delivered.

One technique that worked for my wife's clothing and gift store was we put an offer on the flyer. The flyer was folded in three, and when viewed, all that was seen was the headline "Clothing & Gift Shop Owner says: I'll Pay You Five Dollars For This Flyer."

In small print we had "see inside for details".

Inside the flyer we explained what her shop was, where it was (we included a small map with the old arrow saying "we are here"), plus we explained if the person brought this flyer into the shop and spent $20 they would get $5 off.

And it worked. We tested on 1000 names and when the promotion was over (we had a deadline printed on the flyer), we tallied the results and came out ahead.

But for us, what was more important was the new customers. My wife had just opened her shop and we needed customers. We figured this offer might be a good place to start instead of using our money on expensive advertising.

Every month my wife has a $50 customer prize draw and every month she sends a letter to each customer telling them who won, what's new in the shop, and sometimes an offer.

So in our case flyers work and the cost per customer is low compared with other forms of advertising.

Pete Godfrey

> After the "walker" - the person
> who does the actual distributing of the
> flyers - has completed their route (and they
> are given a set day to do it), a
> "supervisor" - actual supervisor
> who works for the distribution company or
> the owner of the company - does a drive by
> the route to double check on the delivery.

> Sometimes they will even stop the car and
> speak to people they see on the street (I've
> chatted with them many times over the
> years).

> A few times I have called a business on a
> flyer and let them know I got five of their
> flyers. Then I leave it with them to follow
> up.

> The walkers themselves are usually sourced
> from simple classified ads. Usually
> something along the lines of make money
> distributing flyers; get fit and make money
> distributing flyers; flyer distributors
> wanted for Area; and so on.

> The rate these walkers get is $10 per
> thousand for the first flyer. If there is a
> ride-along then they get less for that -
> maybe $8 or $6 per thousands - because they
> are already going along the route. But
> ride-alongs are not guaranteed.

> So at $10 per thousand, many walkers don't
> know what they are in for. It could take
> three hours to do 1,000 houeses. And for
> that they get $10 - $3.33 an hour.

> And they don't get any allowance for driving
> to the area they have to walk, or any
> allowance for inserting multiple flyers into
> a "baggie."

> Quite frankly, the distribution companies
> are using slave labor in my opinion.

> But anyway. Because of this, the
> distribution company has a HIGH staff
> turnover.

> And what of those staff?

> Some can be flakes. Some can be desperate
> for a few bucks - after all, no real
> training or qualifications needs to
> distribute flyers. Some can be looking for
> something to relieve their monotonous lives
> at home and thus also get a few bucks - they
> use the exercise logic to justify why they
> work for slave money.

> They are generally NOT people who are doing
> this on the side as well as having a normal
> 9 to 5. So you could question their
> reliability.

> But generally I'd say most walkers want to
> do the right thing and distribute all the
> flyers they are given - at least in the
> beginning.

> As for your reduced results...

> Without knowing when you flyers were
> supposed to go out, there is no way to
> figure why your results were less than
> normal. But here are a few things which
> could have reduced your results...

> War Against Iraq.

> Vacation - people not in, kids checking the
> mail and tossing everything that is not in
> an envelope or a toy catalog.

> Flyer delivered with a LOT of obvious junk
> flyers. Sometimes the flyers that come in
> bundles are a mix of good quality and
> obvious photocopies that have been cut with
> scissors "things." No time to sort
> through it all so the whole lot goes in the
> round file unread.

> Bad demographic pocket. Too many older
> people. Too many younger people. Too many
> people with high mortages. Too many renters.
> Or too many owners if you were targetting
> renters. Too high a concentration of condos
> or apartments and not enough houses - or
> visa versa. Too many illiterate people. Too
> many DINTS. Not enough DINTS. Incompatible
> ride-alongs - bad ride-alongs could set the
> tone of how the recipient views the rest of
> the pack. A new test on your part - headline
> change, text change, etc - instead of a
> control piece. Junk mail thief from a rival
> distribution company trying to wreck the
> reputation of the good company. Flakey
> walkers who snapped during their route and
> had finally had enough and trashed the most
> of the flyers after deliverying a few.

> See, the walkers around here are also told
> NOT to go into properties with dogs. So a
> high dog ownership pocket would end up
> seeing fewer flyers delivered. But if that
> was your target market your flyer never
> reached them.

> The most frustrating thing is not knowing
> why something doesn't work. You could have
> discovered all the above reasons were not
> it. And that all the flyers were delivered
> as promised. But for some cosmic reason your
> flyer didn't go over like normal.

> I like to think of it in terms of the
> scientists rule... "under the most
> strict conditions of light, humidity,
> temperature, climate, and outside
> influences, an organism will do as it damn
> well pleases."

> Michael Ross