Flyers in mailboxes for IT business

[adispy]

Hello,
I'm opening this threat hoping that someone has already tried it and can share his/her experiences.

I'm in the process of opening an IT business (remote and on-site) that handles everything form the client's network, hosting and to installing software on their PCs. I've done this before for many years and I still am on my actual clients and freelancing jobs.
To promote myself beside the website and blog I own, I want to create some flyers and put them in small and medium business mailboxes.

Does anyone tried it, or I am just wasting money, time and energy?

Thanks,
Adrian

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Paul David]

Hello,
I'm opening this threat hoping that someone has already tried it and can share his/her experiences.

I'm in the process of opening an IT business (remote and on-site) that handles everything form the client's network, hosting and to installing software on their PCs. I've done this before for many years and I still am on my actual clients and freelancing jobs.
To promote myself beside the website and blog I own, I want to create some flyers and put them in small and medium business mailboxes.

Does anyone tried it, or I am just wasting money, time and energy?

Thanks,
Adrian

I would use hand written envelopes and post them. Nobody does that anymore.

 

[adispy]

I would use hand written envelopes and post them. Nobody does that anymore.

Thanks. I'll better stick with social media then and events.

 

[Paul David]

Thanks. I'll better stick with social media then and events.

i mean nobody does hand written envelopes so it gets attention!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[adispy]

i mean nobody does hand written envelopes so it gets attention!

I was referring to printed flyers. Here is an example

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/606437906049438414/

View: https://ro.pinterest.com/pin/606437906049438414/

 

[becks22]

I was referring to printed flyers. Here is an example

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/606437906049438414/

View: https://ro.pinterest.com/pin/606437906049438414/

Right but everyone does those. Why not doing something unique? I'm sending out a direct mail campaign next week and all my envelopes are handwritten. A flyer will just get lost in the shuffle

 

[BigRomeDawg]

Right but everyone does those. Why not doing something unique? I'm sending out a direct mail campaign next week and all my envelopes are handwritten. A flyer will just get lost in the shuffle

Are you writing them? I just got a sample from Handwrytten and they look amazing.. but I don't really feel right about it.. lol

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[BizyDad]

Oh my goodness. Hand written letter or flyer? That's the debate?

How about focusing on the offer? If you have a killer offer, it doesn't matter what medium you use to deliver the message.

 

[Daniel.]

Why should they choose to work with you? What do you offer that others don't? Find a USP

A better approach is to build relationships with people and see if there's anything you can help them with.
For example, instead of putting them inside the mailbox, why not walk up to them and introduce yourself?

Edit - Are you essentially trying to start an MSP or you're more after one-off project work? You mentioned handling their network, are you also providing monitoring and EDR along with Cybersecurity solutions?

 

[adispy]

Why should they choose to work with you? What do you offer that others don't? Find a USP

A better approach is to build relationships with people and see if there's anything you can help them with.
For example, instead of putting them inside the mailbox, why not walk up to them and introduce yourself?

Edit - Are you essentially trying to start an MSP or you're more after one-off project work? You mentioned handling their network, are you also providing monitoring and EDR along with Cybersecurity solutions?

Yes Daniel, I am starting an MSP and I am also offering monitoring and cybersecurity not just to increase my offer but also I have less headaches, less phone calls, less bad endpoints, more happy customers.
Walking to them is something I sooner or later have to do -I know that- until I can afford a sales guy, but for now I will start with the business promotion see how it goes and I'm documenting all the angles.
For some reason I just like the flyer part. You can put quite a bit of info in there.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Daniel.]

"For some reason I just like the flyer part. You can put quite a bit of info in there."

Then go for it, you may land something. We're all rooting for you

 

[Walter Hay]

Walking to them is something I sooner or later have to do -I know that- until I can afford a sales guy, but for now I will start with the business promotion see how it goes and I'm documenting all the angles.

If you can afford to pay a commission for a successful sale, try getting one or more commission reps to work for you.
See my thread:

How Commission Reps Helped to Rapidly Grow My Business

It explains my novel "Warm Calling" method that sales reps love because if the package they deliver is worthy of attention, the target decision maker will call them to visit and talk face to face.

Walter
P.S. Try Craigslist to locate reps.

 

[BizyDad]

Ugh. I'm going to make a big assumption here, because I haven't heard what the USP is.

It seems to me the thinking goes something like this...

"I'm putting together a flyer so I can feel like I am making progress but I don't have a great offer or the copy writing skills to make an offer sound great..."

If I'm right, don't waste your time.

Your business is in start up mode. You need to get customers now. The fastest way to get customers is to sell them on your ability to solve their problems.

Who are the people that have the problems you want to solve? Open up your phone book or go to Google maps. Give them a call. Send them a letter. Call them again. Show up at their office. At each point, you just say you're following up on the previous touch point.

But like I said, if you don't have a good offer, none of this is worth much of anything.

How are you going to convince them to leave their current provider and go with you?

If you don't know already, well, the more you're actually talking to people, the faster you'll be able to find that out.

And once you know that, then a flyer or a direct letter will actually have impact.

But right now, it's just an excuse for you to start a conversation. If you expect them to call you because you sent them a handwritten letter or printed a glossy flyer, it ain't happening. Your prospects are too busy to care.

You are better off popping on LinkedIn and finding other professionals who have your ideal customer base. Connect with those people on LinkedIn, and offer to buy them a cup of coffee in exchange for an opportunity to learn more about their business.

Tell them you are networking and you are looking to send business to graphic designers, web developers, business telephone sales people, or whatever field it is that the professional that has your clients is in.

If you can afford to pay a commission for a successful sale, try getting one or more commission reps to work for you.
See my thread:

How Commission Reps Helped to Rapidly Grow My Business

It explains my novel "Warm Calling" method that sales reps love because if the package they deliver is worthy of attention, the target decision maker will call them to visit and talk face to face.

Walter
P.S. Try Craigslist to locate reps.

Piggy backing off of this advice, find people who would happily accept a referral fee to send you the right kind of business...

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Walter Hay]

Oh my goodness. Hand written letter or flyer? That's the debate?

How about focusing on the offer? If you have a killer offer, it doesn't matter what medium you use to deliver the message.

Exactly! Whether you use a printed or "handwritten" envelope it is the message inside that counts.

Direct mail is far from dead. It produces far more responses than cold phone calls or cold emails, but maybe you need to research direct mail techniques. The first thing you need to know is that the headline is of vital importance. A killer headline will be one that makes the reader want to read on, in fact the reader should feel the need to know what comes next.

Walter
P.S Don't forget the value of a P.S. It can reinforce the entire message. I always printed the PS in "handwriting."

 

[adispy]

Ugh. I'm going to make a big assumption here, because I haven't heard what the USP is.

It seems to me the thinking goes something like this...

"I'm putting together a flyer so I can feel like I am making progress but I don't have a great offer or the copy writing skills to make an offer sound great..."

If I'm right, don't waste your time.

Your business is in start up mode. You need to get customers now. The fastest way to get customers is to sell them on your ability to solve their problems.

Who are the people that have the problems you want to solve? Open up your phone book or go to Google maps. Give them a call. Send them a letter. Call them again. Show up at their office. At each point, you just say you're following up on the previous touch point.

But like I said, if you don't have a good offer, none of this is worth much of anything.

How are you going to convince them to leave their current provider and go with you?

If you don't know already, well, the more you're actually talking to people, the faster you'll be able to find that out.

And once you know that, then a flyer or a direct letter will actually have impact.

But right now, it's just an excuse for you to start a conversation. If you expect them to call you because you sent them a handwritten letter or printed a glossy flyer, it ain't happening. Your prospects are too busy to care.

You are better off popping on LinkedIn and finding other professionals who have your ideal customer base. Connect with those people on LinkedIn, and offer to buy them a cup of coffee in exchange for an opportunity to learn more about their business.

Tell them you are networking and you are looking to send business to graphic designers, web developers, business telephone sales people, or whatever field it is that the professional that has your clients is in.



Piggy backing off of this advice, find people who would happily accept a referral fee to send you the right kind of business...

Thanks, you really nailed it and I will work on your advice to build my client portfolio.

 

[becks22]

Are you writing them? I just got a sample from Handwrytten and they look amazing.. but I don't really feel right about it.. lol

no-- I'm actually paying 15 year olds. Friends of friends. I know there are services that do this like Handwrytten, Thank you Scribe, etc. My issue is that I need the envelopes addressed, then I need them stuffed for my mailing. It's hard to outsource all of that without getting everything shipped back and forth which eats up time & money.

Edited to add about the value proposition: It doesn't really matter which method you use, as long as you can get your point across and show your value. I'm choosing to do a direct mail campaign that is more personalized because I know my targets get hit all day with sales calls. I'm picking this methodology specifically to stand out so then I can show them the value I will bring to them without being just a blip on their radar that they forget about 15 minutes later.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[ZCP]

determine the top 20 companies that YOU want to do business with in your area. then call / mail / flyer / show up / call again / go by / speak to manager / karen until you get a chance. GO GET YOUR CLIENT!!!!

vs

placard and hope

 

[James90]

Handwritten letters are the real deal.

Instead of outsourcing the handwriting, i'm sure you can get it printed out in using "handwritten" font?

The other day, I received a direct mail that was disgusted as a hand written letter. This letter looked like it was from my long lost relative, but it was just the JW organization lol.

Did I feel deceived? Yes
But did I open the letter? Yes