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Old April 26, 2019, 11:41 AM
GordonJ's Avatar
GordonJ GordonJ is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
Posts: 3,471
Default Not big on the BS. A little history lesson.

I started selling advertising to businesses in 1965. I placed action ad clocks in businesses.



I was in high school and had a few of them in pizza shops and dry cleaners.

I sold the ads. I made decent money, more than from working forty hours a week in the pizza shop, for sures.

Since then, I've called on thousands of small businesses. It can be a grind.

That's a fact Jack. But grinds can be profitable.

So what? I'm promoting Steve DiMarco's CHALK BOARD biz-op right now. Today.

And the reason I am is: I know Steve is DOING this. He's been in the print game for 25 years, was a franchise owner and a distributor, knows both the franchise game and all about distributorships.

We collaborated on a report; THE ABSENTEE CASH COW report.

He still grinds. Although, not like he used to do. A bit slower, a fewer calls per week, not only because he is getting aged and ancient (still a decade behind me, almost)...but also because he is efficient at what he does.

What about the Bull Shat? I know and understand psychology and copywriting as well as most professionals, so I see how people "get hooked" on an idea.

Like selling advertising to businesses.

Easy-peasy, they WANT YOU,
they need you,
and when you can bring in an extra 50 to 100 new customers for them, they will throw money at you for ever.


THAT KIND OF BS.

History lesson 2. Five years ago (yea guys, been that long) I spoke with a dozen people selling advertising on postcards. They bought into the idea it was an EASY thing to do, and there was TONS of money to make doing it.

You know who you are, but one guy quit his job. Was going to do these postcards and within 3 months, had to go find a new job.

Most found out quickly... you need to see a lot of people, it is not unusual for a good salesperson to call upon 8 businesses to get one sale. These are the so-called "desperate to buy from YOU" targeted businesses who will thank you for calling on them and letting them be a part of your co-op postcard campaign. Yea, right!!

REALITY. Any selling is a numbers game. Good salespeople get better and better at the game, identifying prospects, calling on the right people, closing faster.

So it was with many of you who tried that whole postcard marketing. Steve and I had been doing our own version, pre EDDM days, targeting roofers and home repair people for a coupon referral program we were working on. It was great on paper, everyone liked it, but it didn't work.

But because Steve had extensive print background, and was organized a decade ago to get wholesale printing done, we tested several of our own postcards, BECAUSE we didn't like the TIME IT TOOK

THE TIME IT TOOK

The time it took to sell 12, 14 or 18 ads on a co[op card. SLOP AND MESS. We found out, YOU found out, most find it out. It is not unusual for a co-op promotion with 14 ads on it to take 7 to 8 weeks to get done. And the first guy you signed up is getting antsy.

SLOP AND MESS.

It is Not EASY. It is not easy to sell lots of ads in a short period of time, I know, Steve and I know, we found out by putting our money where some other guy's mouth was. Hey, nothing against any of dozen or so guys and a couple of gals, still selling co-op advertising opportunities OTHER THAN...

slick copywriting claims of quick, easy. BS!

So five years ago, in testing several versions, and you can find a lot of those here in the archives...we liked the single card, or the HOST CO-OP card, or the Pizza Box or better yet, pizza menus...and our whole thing was

SPEED. Sure, if you get the 18 ads done, you could pocket a few thousand dollars. But why not do fewer ads, and make a faster grand?

I'm not big on income claims, or claims of results. Big mistake some gurus have made is saying, stupidly on camera at that, that a business could expect 5% or if 10,000 cards were mailed, 500 new customers. YIKES, I saved that one. What puffery! No way Jose.

Claims like that will come back to bite you in the ****.

Steve and I, five years ago, thought a "paycheck" would be a good deal. And based on Avg. American take home, after taxes at that time was 400 dollars. Average of 10 bux an hour. Yet millions were at minimum wage, under 7 back then. Under 10 today.

So if we, or you, or anyone could go out and work 20 hours a week, or half the time of a regular job, not counting travel time...and bring in 500 bux, we'd be ahead of the game.

Which is why I put that amount, 500 bux in the promotion for CHALK BOARD PROFITS. The four ad board, will bring in 1500, and those ads are 350 x 3 and one at 450. MOST co-op postcards and their gurus tell you to charge 500 or more.

350 is less than a dollar a day. I've had mailings drop on bad news days, it is always a disaster. Sure, a biz might test your 5,000 EDDM mailing, and will expect RESULTS...and if they don't get them, they are one and done and your grind continues.

Whereas on a CHALK BOARD, the ad sits for a year (or six months) and is seen over and over and over again, all year long.

Is it easy to give away CHALK BOARDS FOR FREE? Yes and no. Many will say no thanks. But you need one to say yes. So if it takes 10 to find one, then you call on 10.

We've found when you put it in their hands, and they see and FEEL how light weight it is, and how colorful the chalk is, and it is FREE...WELL, there you go. But choosing the right kind of restaurant comes into play too.

Now math. 3 ads will give you a paycheck. 4 ads will give you a DECENT CHECK. 700 TO 900 dollars a board is attainable, and makes for a nice 20 hour work week. Emphasis on WORK. 500 can be quick, if you don't get greedy too soon.

Compare what 350 dollars will buy in YOUR area. How many newspaper ads? How many postcards mailed out ONE TIME? How many TV or radio ads (zero would be my bet)...

Where can a business get every day exposure for their advertising buck like what is on the CHALK BOARD.

IT isn't get rich quick. It is, HOWEVER, make a paycheck in a week working 20 hours. DOABLE. No BS.

One a week, two a week. Restaurants and dry cleaners. Even pizza shops and a few other sites. CHALK BOARD PROFITS.

Any questions?

http://www.angelfire.com/biz/gjbiz/sdb.pdf

Gordon
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