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[Jayd54]

Hello, all. Just joined the forum yesterday and like it alot. Thanks to those who developed it. Here is my situation/question--I live in a relatively affluent suburb of a Midwestern city (population of 200,000). Right now I am just planning on being a one man push mower show (part-time), as I am already employed full time. Problem is this-I have posted flyers in grocery and convenience stores, laundromats and real estate offices, 10-12 total in number. However, it now has been about 2 weeks with not even a single interested customer contacting me. Is this just going to be a numbers game, meaning that I will need to plaster flyers anywhere I get permission to? Any advice would be appreciated--thanks.

[Phil Nilsson]

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You're going to have to invest some time and money into advertising ... small town newspaper adv (each week) then door hangers, direct mail, signs on vehicles and direct canvassing of the smaller commercial properties. Kind of late this spring to get started. So if you need some way to make it through summer I will email you a few ideas. Let me know.

Phil Nilsson
Nilsson Associates Consultants
Visit Lawn Service & Landscaping Book Store

Edited by - phil nilsson on May 09 2002 6:21:50 PM

[Green Giant]

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Do you have a printer? Sit down and do up a nice flyer on the computer. Information about what you offer,a little about yourself. Print one up to see how it looks. Be simple,don't over do it. Run off a bunch and take them out to a surrounding neighborhood/sub-division. I used to take out a few hundred at a time. The first two weeks we took fliers out we picked up 14 year-round customers. You just never know what kind of response you'll get.
Your response may be 1-2%. Depends what time of year you do it. Like Phil said it's getting into the season,but you never know!
An important item to list on your flyer is that you are licensed and insured! Are you?
BTW... I never had any luck with the flyers in stores and the other places you mention either.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Dennis E.
Grasshopper Lawn
Mulberry,Fl.
(Green Giant is my truck!)

[Scott]

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Flyers can work and three or more responses will normally cover the cost of 1000 flyers, and I've always stapled my business card to the flyer. Make sure you do a spell check prior to do the mass printing. I can't count the number of flyers, handwritten no less, that I've seen that aren't grammatically correct. The biggest thing with flyers is to look professional.
Also whenever you get a potential client, ask them how they heard about you. That'll give you an idea on what is working and what is not.
fyi
In addition, if you do go door to door, by law, you're not allowed to put it inside the mailbox, can't tape it to the box or even the to the post, BUT if they have a newspaper tube/box attached to the post you can put it in there. I know this sounds stupid but all it takes is for one person to raise the flag and call the postmaster and you can be fined.