[Totus]

Currently in the throws of expanding through leafleting and also going to start cold calling end of this month. As all of you know it's a painstaking but necessary method of building our business's.

Just wondered whether anyone had done a "Blues Brothers'" and used a PA system in there van? Is this a crash and burn idea or could this actually work?

Thoughts?

[wfp master]

lmfao go for it  at least peple will get a rite laugh what u going 2 say through the  mike come on tell me..

[Totus]

Was gonna get my brother to drive around in the van with a pre-recorded message. And I was going to be on standby to take the calls and do the quotations.

No jingles though, already had enough of that with the bloody ice-cream vans all summer!!!

[jonnyald]

reckon thats a good idea  , better still if you are sitting on the van roof waving a squeegee .     

[Totus]

Can't be in 2 places at once so might have to employ someone on a day rate. Maybe a little sort from the pub

[concept]

is it april 1st?!

surely you're kidding?!

[Steve CM]

Can't be in 2 places at once so might have to employ someone on a day rate. Maybe a little sort from the pub

thats easy neil just give em my number mate and i'll take the calls for ya!!

[Totus]

is it april 1st?!

surely you're kidding?!

Deadily serious. Just cos it a'int be tried doesn't mean it couldn't work .Imagine how little effort it would actually take to do? Hire some gear for the day and off you go. If it works BINGO if it don't you've lost a £150 or so.... not bad for a punt really.

Try it in an area where you have no work but would like to expand into, so if it dies on it's arse you haven't pis*ed on your own patch.

[Totus]

Gotta go. Need to work on my vocals lads. Gonna see if the X Factor have any untapped talent on tonight i could use for my master plan!!!!

[Moderator David@stives]

I had a cracking idea a while back, I was going to leave it until my franchising days.

What you do is buy an ex icecream van, kit it out as a window cleaning van, then whenever you pull up anywhere , just hit the button to get George Formy blaring out of the tannoy instead of the ice cream tune.

"When i'm cleaning windows"

I reckon it would work 100%

[BORBRYCE]

Gotta go. Need to work on my vocals lads. Gonna see if the X Factor have any untapped talent on tonight i could use for my master plan!!!!

Forget the x factor, just go on dragons den with that fantastic marketing ploy, they will all be sold on that one and throwing money at you to buy great big loudspeakers.....dont forget the team of cheerleaders at the bottom of the street though, you dont want to look unproffesional or nowt. Have you thought of a rap song mabey to blast out...mabey
Gonna, gonna, gonna wash glass babeee, let me wet your glass.....slimey, slimey, soap suds honey...let me rubber your glass, or similar?

[chris@c.m.s]

I had a cracking idea a while back, I was going to leave it until my franchising days.

What you do is buy an ex icecream van, kit it out as a window cleaning van, then whenever you pull up anywhere , just hit the button to get George Formy blaring out of the tannoy instead of the ice cream tune.

"When i'm cleaning windows"

I reckon it would work 100%

Exactly what I was thinking and have been thinking for a while It would definitely make them smile,  not sure I would like the attention though I have the Benny Hill theme ringtone on my mobile if it goes of in a crowd most are in fits and I'm left embarrassed I love it in a way though  

[Clive McDonald]

I think this idea has some kind of legs. You will of course recall squeakys request for help with ideas sign writing his van.I badgered him about having a large plastic yellow duck on the top of his van and a sound system that made a loud "Quake Quake"..... "Quake Quake" when he pulled up. It was my opinion that this would evoke humour and interest. However the thread went a bit pear  shaped and people started making fun with the quake quake thing. He got irate, and things got worse.

Anyway, my point is that i think this could be done with the correct branding.Knife sharpeners used to shout,rag and bone men shouted, or blew a honker, and as mentioned ice cream men have a short jingle.So it's about finding something approriate, and possibly humourous.

[BORBRYCE]

Exactly what I was thinking and have been thinking for a while It would definitely make them smile

So would walking down the street with your trousers down and bending over and doing moonies with "im a windy washer" written in brown felt pen all across your butts........be a lot cheaper too. : : :

[chris@c.m.s]

When you live 10 miles from Brighton there's a  good reason why that's a really Bad idea 

[Clive McDonald]

May I suggest you have the tardis landing noise ewan.Ronnie, you need a trumpet.

[BORBRYCE]

When you live 10 miles from Brighton there's a  good reason why that's a really Bad idea 

Speak for yourself hun......some of us guys...well...thats our thing you know. Now where did I put me lippy...tis Saturday night u know.

[TonyD]

I like it, please give it a go, it will probably work well.  It's exactly what Guerilla Marketing is all about -

guerilla marketing

Definition

Unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources.

Information

Coined by Jay Conrad Levinson, guerilla marketing is more about matching wits than matching budgets. Guerilla marketing can be as different from traditional marketing as guerilla warfare is from traditional warfare. Rather than marching their marketing dollars forth like infantry divisions, guerilla marketers snipe away with their marketing resources for maximum impact.

[ian1972]

anything that t work is worth a go

[gerard mcmanus]

I seen clubs doing that in benadorm, I suppose if you ran an offer, setup at local venues and gatherings, and got people to sigh up there and then it could be good, but and might work well, but do you need to do it to get noticed, and could you not just get the customers by door knocking.

There are plenty of good marketing ideas out there that could work very well, but sometimes the simple things work best.