Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Doctor Carpet (Ret'd) on October 09, 2008, 04:53:13 pm
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Just had a sales rep sign me up for a promotion. Business cards in 2 very big Sainsbury's stores. They will print them and stock them. Full colour on front, black & white on back. Both stores have over 20,000 visitors a week.
The card holder is by the exit with space for 21 businesses. I will be the only carpet cleaner business advertised in it.
Negotiated price down from £10 per week + VAT to £7 per week including VAT. Ie total of £728 for 2 years advertising. Contract runs for 2 years. Price includes all design, printing and stocking of the cards. I can change the design upto 8 times in the two years.
What do people think?
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I would cancel it !.
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Me too - did a similar thing in Homebase a couple of years ago. I thought it would be a winner.
Never got a single phone call - you would be better off putting that money into your website and internet advertising.
Just my opinion.
Steve
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Rodger , take Glynns advice and cancel it I did the same sort of thing in Debemens in the Trafford centre not a single call in 12 months
John
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i would, go and stand there for an hour and log everyone that looked at the cards and also log how many take the cards. sounds stupid but its the only way to get a rough idea. do it at the busiest time, think thats thursday evening.
but personally i wouldn't do it, that money would get me 80,000 leaflets printed, full colour A5 front and back, think i could do more damage with them stood outside sainsburies handing them out,
just my opinion though, could be wrong.
derek
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I did this in 2006 and it was a total waste of money.
Mark
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Much to my regret Roger, I did something similar many years ago.
Not the best way (by far) to spend your hard earned money IMO.
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I did the same once but mine went in B&Q Total calls in the 2 years =0.
Funny thing I never heard from the rep again after that, do you think they knew something I didnt?
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Ask for the names and phone numbers of other carpet cleaners who are successfully using it. I'll be surprised if they can give you even one.
When they say they can't due to data protection issues, then tell them where to stick them.
Garry
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Cancel it quick!
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Yep,
I got very excited the other day when my local Tesco rang. Some time back I'd rung them about doing their entrance matting and they had told me to GO AWAY.
Anyway thought they had remembered me, but Oh no it was to advertise in the shop. Of course I returned the favour and told them to GO AWAY.
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Roger, I think there's a trend developing here :-\
If it's not too late cancel! I've never heard of this working.
Think psychology. Consider the mindset of people as they use the store.
On the way in, they may be stressed from driving there in traffic, kids screaming, someone cut them up in the car park, trolley wont go the way they point it etc etc... at the point of entering the building they have got tunnel vision.... straight to the first items they want to get. They're not going to stop and look at things like this.
On the way out... they may have got trolley rage, sore feet, backache, kids still screaming, worried about how much they've spent on the shopping, late for the school run, etc etc, you could probably think of loads more emotional turmoil people are going through as they're exiting a supermarket. me personally, I just wanna get the hell out of there and go home.
Peoples' minds aren't in the zone to be marketed to.
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There too busy hiring their Rug Doctors from the Customer Services Counter to notice your puny ad.
Think about it. 2 YEARS! They know they have to sell it at that because there's absolutely no chance of a renewal.
See what they say if you said 1 month pro rata if it's so good they will let you try it.
Suprised at you Dr Carpet, intelligent bloke an all. ;D
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Yep cancel my wife signed me up to one of these a few years back 1 job in a year.
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dont do it how many times have you used something like this when you needed a service, ive seen the one in my local tescos and never see anyone take a card from it
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my kids take the cards by the handful and play snap with them :o ;D
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CANCEL, CANCEL, CANCEL >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
but if it is too late to cancel, i think you will find that the company will be obliged to make sure your cards are always stocked
so go in whenever you can and grab all your cards
that way at least you wont ever have to get more business cards printed and you may be able to salvage something
or maybe by some miracle you might get some work from it
hope your good at holding your breath
but if at all possible CANCEL
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CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL!
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Why do you think the supermarkets put all the Insurance and Banking leaflets and the tills because its the only place this works.
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ABORT. ABORT. ABORT
Never heard a good word about this form of advertisement.
Get these calls all the time.
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Poor guy . I remember I asked about this on here after receiving the call and was told the same thing, cancel. I called the guy back to cancel the meeting and he was well hacked off.It is always worth doing a search on here before you sign up for anything, or just ask for other guys experience with marketing.Hope he is not to late to cancel.
Bob
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Isn't it the law that your now supposed to be given a 'cooling off' period? So even if he has signed up he should be well within his rights to cancel if he wants to. John
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sorry to add another CANCEL but it really will be wasted money
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ahh crap! oh well, we live and learn :P
I decided against YP and Y.com as i got nothing last year and decided to try another way.
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So let me get this straight.
That's 22 23 replies in favour ........................................of cancelling.
Thanks guys for the advice - the moment of madness has passed. :)
A stop on the cheque tomorrow morning is the order of the day and a text message to the rep to cancel the order. (Yes I did check with her to ensure that this could be done.) :o
10 out of 10 for this forum's prompt and helpful responses. ;)
And on this note normal thoughtful replies will re-commence. ;)
Roger
PS I hope nobody decides to now post saying it's the best thing possible - I'll assume it's a p1ss take. ;D ;D
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Roger have the decency to phone him/her to cancel, I got a cancellation of a job once by text it's not nice.
Shaun
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Shaun
Meant to say phone - the wrong word got typed. But thank you for pulling me up and as you say pointing this out to everybody.
Roger
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My thoughts are the same as everyone else, cancel if at all possible but if you are too late then keep picking up the cards yourself for your own use.
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Hi roger
Any more ideas in the pipeline for advertising other than the topic on this thread ???
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I think the price you are paying is the normal price.
Also been watch Natural Born Salesman the top dog used that trick.
Standard Method
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Ian what method?
Shaun
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Up your price and then discount so customer thinks they are getting a good deal. The other technique used was about the security, the salesman told one customer that they are near on impossible to break into even using a hammer!! That gave him his USP.
What a bunch of clowns they are. That cockney guy who has won it for the last two weeks is horrible, but then again, he has been top seller!
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Ah I get it I must have missed that bit as I was just coming in from my run.
I think the cockney guy is a bit too much of a "thank you thank you thankyou suck suck suck", the so called ex double glazing salesman who got voted off was having a laugh he was very creepy.
Shaun
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go in whenever you can and grab all your cards
that way at least you wont ever have to get more business cards printed
What a brilliant idea!!!!!!!!!!!!
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You've only to look in my Tesco to see it don't work.
Some of the ads are in 4 different boxes for the same service just to fill them up.
Stiill don't think you can beat ads in your local papers, Yellow Pages and Thomsons.
Still get web site ad people telling me that these practices are old fashioned but at the same time they won't prove it by giving me a months free trial with there web site.
They insist people go on the internet when they want a tradesnan nowadays but I know where I go when I want a plumber, straight to the local Thomsons or YP.
jOHN
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i've had more calls off my van than yellow pages, each to there own i suppose. won't be renewing yp next time, stick with the one liner, no doubt yell.com will be a lot dearer next year though as a lot will do the same.
derek
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I fell for this one in the local Tesco store a few years ago. I had Carpet cleaning exclusivity, and when I noticed another CC's cards in there, I complained. I had only paid for two months. They cancelled my payments but promised to keep my cards stocked up for 12 months. So I did what Colin suggested and emptied the box of cards every time I went there. I did get 3 or 4 jobs out of it too.
Dave.
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Derek
I gave my yell pages up for the first time in about 15 years or so and have gone on th yell.com
Think your right that it will get more expensive as time goes by :(
Have you had any calls or work from it yet ???
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clinton
yellow pages 1(no result) - yell.com 12 (8 results)
in 6 weeks
derek
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Yp was good up to about 4 years ago derek and about ten yrs ago you could always get three or four jobs a week from it.
Sounds like your yell .com is the good leader :)