Should I fire my client?

Originally Posted by Larry Foster

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

Larry, the only thing that will make Cpa move if you offer to give him a percentage of the profit. The Cpa has a list of Business owners and you need to get the list to mail to or email them your offer and give the Cpa
something for doing it. You could go to the Better Business Bureau or you could go to Score if you have one in your area also You could put your information in with the local chamber of commerce. You could also do some free information seminars or Join Ventures. www.dollarmakers.com/joint_adventures.pdf

Thanks for those good suggestions.
As far as my CPA, I can't even get return phone calls from him.
Hate to keep firing them, but fired the last one because I waited weeks for return phone calls. This one has money for uncompleted work.
In my part of the country, the way we sometimes get a response is to find him (no local office but has one he can use sometimes) and put my hands around his neck and see how far his eyeballs bulge.
I dug out my old stuff from Andy Frain, by the way, and have been scanning it.
Here's another thought and, probably, a bad idea.
I bought and own the domain, designed and copyrighted the site, provide the autoresponder.
Who's list is it?
If I build this list, are there other things I can do?
Example:Promote some of my own stuff in the weekly emails, such as my "I buy houses business", my wife's personalized gift business, other things...
Of course, I would promote his stuff , too, because that's why they joined.
Thoughts?

I stopped by my client's store today to pick up some groceries. While there, I didn't bring anything up about the project other than when I was checking out, I asked if he was getting the weekly emails.
He said he got this week's (although I have no idea why he didn't get any other week unless it was spam filters).
He offered without any prompting from me that he was now ready to start promoting and would have flyers up in the store today.
We'll see what happens.

Hi Larry,

Thanks.

How's this progressing so far?

I was thinking that You can lead a horse to water, but
You can't get them to drink...
BUT, You seem to have made some 'headway' in the situation.
Good for You!

Christopher

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Originally Posted by Larry Foster

I stopped by my client's store today to pick up some groceries. While there, I didn't bring anything up about the project other than when I was checking out, I asked if he was getting the weekly emails.
He said he got this week's (although I have no idea why he didn't get any other week unless it was spam filters).
He offered without any prompting from me that he was now ready to start promoting and would have flyers up in the store today.
We'll see what happens.

Hi, Christopher.
Thanks for asking.
One week later, there are still no in-store flyers.
He does want to put his hot food menu on the site. Trying to decide whether to try to leverage that desire into a commitment for some promotion from him, whether to create a manual for him to do his own thing while I bow out or just tell him that I'm bowing out because this doesn't meet my needs or put a price on it and say that if he wants to do it his way, I need paid for my time.
Do you have any suggestions?
Larry