"PennySaver" ads

[Piannaman@aol.com]

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Terry,

I did this too, a few years back.  The ads almost always paid for themselves, 
and then some.  But what I got 100% of the time(I'm not kidding, either!) was 
someone with a really beleaguered old piano that wanted it "tuned" or "fixed" 
just so that wll of the notes would work.  I think they must have bought 
their pianos in the same publications.  I ended up with alot of repair 
experience from those ads.  Make sure you have plenty of glue and clamps in 
your tool kit.

Dave Stahl

In a message dated 4/30/03 7:41:33 PM Pacific DaylightaTime, 
gnewell@ameritech.net writes:


> Terry,
>         I have had some experience with just what you intend to do. I 
> started doing this when I first started tuning quite some years ago. At the 
> time they were targeting areas for me by demographics and all manner of 
> variables. My first time in an area was good and actually profitable. I did 
> somewhat more than actually paid for the add and I considered that to be 
> profitable as I had someone to call on the next time around. I found that 
> the next time around in the same area was not as profitable as the first 
> and diminishing returns as I hit the same area each additional time. While 
> it got me started I would never do that again now as I found that the 
> "pennysaver" is exactly the mentality of the customer I got from the add. 
> These folks were always looking for something for nothing and valued my 
> service mainly because I was willing ,at the time, to discount it.
>         Terry, you've been on this list for a while as I recall so that 
> hardly puts you as beginner. I would recommend to you the method that I 
> have been using for years with some fair measure of success. Referrals. Now 
> before you go all glassy eyed on me read on. At the end of each service 
> call / tuning I say simply this. "Thank you for having me out to tune your 
> piano today. I appreciate your business. If you like the service I have 
> provided for you today I would appreciate a referral. Each referral you 
> send me is worth $5 (or whatever you think is appropriate for your 
> business) off of your next  service." I've found this to be simple, 
> straightforward, and easy! The penny pinchers out there try really hard to 
> get $5 off coupons and that's great 'cause their sending me new business 
> but they only get to use the coupon on their NEXT service. Those who can 
> tell that I do a fine job on their instrument usually want to tell their 
> friends especially if I've developed a rapport with them anyway. Either way 
> it's a win for you and for your customers. Try it you've very little to 
> loose.
> 
> Greg
> 
> 
> 
> At 10:19 PM 4/30/2003, you wrote:
> 
> >> Has anyone had any success with running ads in the "pennysaver", or other 
>> similar mailers? I'm wondering if i put in a simple text ad to run for 8 
>> weeks, in 7 different zones, (that I would consider to have the most piano 
>> "density"), if it would be profitable. First, I know that these ads, to 
>> really be at all  successful, need to run regularly, but I'm assuming 
>> eight weeks should give me at least a fair idea of the ads effectivness. 
>> Based on the cost of the ad, if i book just 1 tuning per week from the ad, 
>> I will double my investment...but then again, because these mailers 
>> generally attrac "bargain hunters", I may have to lower my price, or risk 
>> losing the job as my normal fee is not considered to be in the "low end". 
>> I plan on placing a Yellow page ad for the next Verizon Super pages Book, 
>> but that will not be coming out until 10/03, so I thought I'd give this a 
>> try. Any thoughts or experiences with this type of mailer? thanks!
>> 
>> 
>> Terry Peterson
>> 
>> 
> 



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