Tipset #2
TIPSET #2
ValPak, Websites, and Fabulous Books to Read
Welcome to episode #8 where we talk about TipSet #2
Before we get into the tipset let me quickly respond to a couple questions from listeners about the last episode.
The first question was about which businesses ValPak works the best for. That is a great question, for businesses whose services cost $300-$400 its a no brainer, you get two call from 30,000 flyers and you break even. However, if you have a $20 service like the garbage can cleaners we talked about last week it becomes a little more of a gamble. I wouldn't say that there is a certain type of business that is suited for ValPak advertising it depends on what type of return you get on your flyers.
As a rule of thumb I have found that if I get 1 call per 100 flyers that I stick on doors I will usually get 1/5 that with ValPak. So I will get 1 call per 500 flyers. That is not exact but its what I have usually seen happen. So take a look at your flyer effectiveness and use that to judge whether you should try ValPak or Money Mailer. Speaking of which, Money Mailer usually costs a bit less that ValPak and is a lower cost way to test that style of advertising.
Second comment was about setting up a website for your business, if I had any experience with that, and how effective that would be with something like garbage can cleaning. I do have quite a bit of experience with this. I have created websites for about 6 of the businesses I have started. The way I see it, if you can afford to set up a website: do it. It is a perfect way to establish credibility for your business, give your potential customers a visual idea of what they can expect from your service, and also advertise online for your business using Google local results and similar methods.
So if you can afford it, do it. There is very little to lose. I did not set one up for garbage can cleaning only because I didn't have time. Had I done it more I certainly would have because the before and after pics of a really dirty garbage cans and the praise I received from customers would have been perfect to feature on the web since they didn't fit on the flyer.
The tipset for today is actually a list of 3 books I have read recently that have really helped me in my entrepreneurial efforts. Here are a few amazons links to the books.
1) If at First You Don't Succeed
A great book to help you evaluate which attribute you have, which you can develop, and many many useful examples of each.
2) How to Win Friends and Influence People
The classic is useful today as it was the day of its first printing. In any business you have to sell and interact with people. This book will help you do it better.
3) The Tipping Point
This book is really really interesting. In short, its about how fads form, why some thing find their way into everyone's closet and others don't.
That is it for today. The next episode will be another business idea so don't forget to tune in!
ValPak, Websites, and Fabulous Books to Read
Welcome to episode #8 where we talk about TipSet #2
Before we get into the tipset let me quickly respond to a couple questions from listeners about the last episode.
The first question was about which businesses ValPak works the best for. That is a great question, for businesses whose services cost $300-$400 its a no brainer, you get two call from 30,000 flyers and you break even. However, if you have a $20 service like the garbage can cleaners we talked about last week it becomes a little more of a gamble. I wouldn't say that there is a certain type of business that is suited for ValPak advertising it depends on what type of return you get on your flyers.
As a rule of thumb I have found that if I get 1 call per 100 flyers that I stick on doors I will usually get 1/5 that with ValPak. So I will get 1 call per 500 flyers. That is not exact but its what I have usually seen happen. So take a look at your flyer effectiveness and use that to judge whether you should try ValPak or Money Mailer. Speaking of which, Money Mailer usually costs a bit less that ValPak and is a lower cost way to test that style of advertising.
Second comment was about setting up a website for your business, if I had any experience with that, and how effective that would be with something like garbage can cleaning. I do have quite a bit of experience with this. I have created websites for about 6 of the businesses I have started. The way I see it, if you can afford to set up a website: do it. It is a perfect way to establish credibility for your business, give your potential customers a visual idea of what they can expect from your service, and also advertise online for your business using Google local results and similar methods.
So if you can afford it, do it. There is very little to lose. I did not set one up for garbage can cleaning only because I didn't have time. Had I done it more I certainly would have because the before and after pics of a really dirty garbage cans and the praise I received from customers would have been perfect to feature on the web since they didn't fit on the flyer.
The tipset for today is actually a list of 3 books I have read recently that have really helped me in my entrepreneurial efforts. Here are a few amazons links to the books.
1) If at First You Don't Succeed
A great book to help you evaluate which attribute you have, which you can develop, and many many useful examples of each.
2) How to Win Friends and Influence People
The classic is useful today as it was the day of its first printing. In any business you have to sell and interact with people. This book will help you do it better.
3) The Tipping Point
This book is really really interesting. In short, its about how fads form, why some thing find their way into everyone's closet and others don't.
That is it for today. The next episode will be another business idea so don't forget to tune in!
3 Comments:
Nice blog + podcast. I'm a regular listener at PodCast.net. Decided to check out the blog a few days ago. One of my main questions has to do with credibility. I'm only 20, and I think I lose business due to my age. In general it seams like most people would rather deal with someone older and more experienced. What are your thoughts on this? Is there anyway to compensate?
this is a very well done blog, keepit up man
hurry up and get the new podcast done! lol
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