Parking Lot Flyers

[Richard R.]

Has anyone had any luck passing out the Jr designed flyers in large parking lots?

My Logo:

Thanks
Richard

 

[Beth]

Hi Richard,
I don't see the images you attached???
Beth

 

[keith]

Richard,

What is the Jr designed flyers?

I do not have personal experience, however a friend tried flyers in a parking lot. He told me that the store called him, and said that his fliers were being thrown on ground. The store told him not to litter the parking lot with fliers.

I also think you would lose control of the type of customer you get. Plus you would not control where the customer is calling from.

I have had good response by putting fliers in the local weekly/monthly newspaper. The cost is $25-30 per thousand, and I usually pick zones or zip codes. I look for a newspaper, with local stories, editorials, sports...

Keith Goodrum
KABCO Window Washing

 

[Richard R.]

Sorry about the name "Jr designed flyers".
JR Wood is a very respected member here on this BBS who shared a copy of one of his own flyers several months ago. Some of us used that flyer for our business. I am trying to see if it has a better effect on bringing in the customers rather than the expensive colored ones I currently use. They cost me a fortune in ink and Jr's flyer is a simple and black ink only. To see one you would have to run a search on "flyers" on this site and go to the 2nd page of the search results. It's about have way down the page.
Keith, I don't think I can do the flyers that way here, but I will surely ask my local paper. That would be great. If you can post your flyer here, we would sure like to see it.
As for the customer control, I have done pretty well with the Walmart bunch because it is usually the older stable folks that shop there. I got a job today after being there about 5 minutes.

Beth, I don't understand what is going on with my pics. I posted them just like I did the images on my other post called "Acid Wash" and one of them worked fine and the other didn't.
When I pull this post up, I see the images just fine. If you know anyone who can tell me what I've done wrong, let me know. Others have said they couldn't see some of my images also but no one offers a solution as to how to fix them.

Thanks
Richard R

 

[Mike Hughes]

I think posting flyers on peoples cars is such an annoyance........I personally would never hire someone that is doing that.........it just reeks desperation to me. In my opinion, the only clients you are going to gain this way is price shoppers.............the kind you don't want in the first place.


In reference to your pictures, perhaps the file size was too large. I think it needs to be under 102000. Meaning, a picture that is 375 x 280 would be 105000, and therefore too big. Use photo editing software or a paint program to decrease the image size.

 

[Richard R.]

Thanks Mike for the photo tip.

Mike,
Could you explain why you are annoyed by the flyers. I have always thought of people who get annoyed over something as trivial as a flyer on their door, lawn, mailbox or windshield as "negative people who need to get a life."
I would just as well hire someone who has left a flyer on my car, than someone who stops to talk to me on the parking lot or sends me a flyer that I knew cost them a fortune to publish.
When I see an expensive mail flyer, I automatically see $$$ signs. Maybe it's just me, but I like the simple flyer. It gives me a chance to study the simple to the point contents and see if I need the service. It is the less pressure approach and I just don't understand what the big deal is. As for the cliental, maybe you wern't brought up in a small town invironment, but these people who call me, are just like anyone else. I have gotten some really good jobs doing it this way. I did work last summer for those who had been saving my flyers like that and they live in $250,000 plus homes.
Besides, what is the big game or big deal of it all? Why do you have to show people you have lots of money for advertisement.
I don't get it.

Oh well, I need to respect everyones opinion and I suppose there are a lot of folks who think that way. I have already got another complaint since this posts, so there must be some valid point to it.

Thanks Mike

Richard R

 

[keith]

Richard,

You have said that parking lot flyers work for you, so why stop? Judging your posts you are happy with the results. I believe you can find someone who is annoyed by any method of marketing. I have had calls from people complaining about the newspaper I'm advertising with. Who cares about the wet blanket, just focus on the customers who are responsive.

I know a guy who gets on his bike, and follows the mailman. He will put his flyers in the mailbox on top of the just delivered mail. He brags that he has talked his way out of the postmaster charging him postage for every address in the zip code a couple times. For me this method is too high risk.

I guess there are many different ways to market a service.

Keith Goodrum
KABCO Window Washing

 

[Mark]

When I was doing mobile washing we would print flyers
advertising our Mobile Home Wash & Wax services, I would
usually recruit a couple of teenagers to distribute the flyers
to mobile home park residents. They would place the flyer on
the screen door most often.

Over the years we had a few complaints about this but the majority
of the people had no problem with the flyers, in fact for a number of
years we were washing more mobile homes than any company in the
area! (Frequently we were able to resolve the complaints with an
apology and offer to wash the persons home at a discounted price,
we would often wind up with a bunch of referals as a result.

I had to chew out one kid for placing the flyers in mail boxes after he had been told not to. (the mailboxes were at the curb.)

Just for the record it is a federal violation to place anything in mail box.

One of my customers specializes in washing homes ranging from $200K
to $5 million he has washed homes of executives, NBA Kings players, and movie stars, he does most of his advertising for house washing in "Small
Neighborhood type publications)

There is not just one right way to advertise!

[hand]

 

[Mike Hughes]

Hey, maybe I am a negative person...............

I made no reference to my own means of advertising, I was just sharing my own personal opinion of the parking lot flyers (which I am entitled to do). If you don't agree, thats just fine and dandy, I won't loose any sleep over it.

I guess it depends on exactly how you are doing it........if you just run around the parking lot and put one on every car, chances are, some of them are going to end up on the ground, and litter..........and, therefore, shame on you (in my opinion). That is what annoys me about them. If you are handing them to people, thats cool........

If it works for you, that's fabulous.........I hope it continues to work for you. Maybe I'm just lazy. [tie]

Every market is different, I suppose. I have never passed out flyers like that. I guess I just can't relate. Here, that is not a very common thing. When it is done, it is usually for something stupid like a furniture store going out of business, or something like that.

I just rely on ads, mostly the yellow pages (and referrals, of course). There's no huge budget for them, they pay for themselves...........

 

[Jon Fife]

I agree with Mike, imagine how pissed you'd be if you owned a store, it closed at 8:00, you go out to find an empty parking lot with a hundred or so flyers laying on the ground that you have to pic up. I'd be upset about it, so i suppose i am also negative.

I have quit doing any type of flyers for legal reasons. Last year i stuck magnets on mailboxes (also illegal), and got about the same response i would have got from flyers. But everyone that called from the magnets let me know how much they appreciated it, they said they were sick of chasing down flyers that were blowing all over the yard.

The sad thing is, this year i've gone to doing mailers, and the response is no better than if i did flyers or magnets. I thought some would appreciate that i was doing things legally, but it does not seem to matter to the customer all that much.

good luck,

oh, and as far as spending a lot of money on advertising-----if you shop around you'll figure out that you can have color items printed up for about the cost of doing the 'cheap' stuff yourself.
And you can ask as JR Wood about that.

 

[Richard R.]

I appreciate everyones opinions and ideas.
Just remember Mike, I follow the advise of this board in most everything I do in this business.
I have a great add in the Yellow Pages too. I don't think there is anything I haven't tried that has been mentioned on this bbs.
I try to weigh out every piece of advise I'm given and put it into action. Some ideas have worked better than others, but there is not one bit of advise that's not appreciated. Sometimes a negative remark weighs a little heavier at times, but I'd rather hear it from you guys than to hear it on the street after I've already messed up.

Thanks Again

Richard R