Advertising services

[Larry Fisher]

Hi all,

I've tried newpaper ads over the years and the ONLY place they have
delivered a profit is the small town weekly.  There ain't a whole lot going
on in them towns short of someone's cow dropping another calf, so they reads
the paper, want ads and all, ...... takes a whole 20 minutes if yer slow.
Ah gits good reponses from them papers.  Jist run the ad startin' two weeks
before ya goes thar.  The toll free number increased traffic quite nicely.
Fer a Dollar Two Thirty Eight a week, it ain't bad a'tall.

Yaller Pages, .......... we took a real quick and dirty poll in Sacramento
at a Calif state PTG thingy on Cathedral Hill in a class on business ethics
or some danged thing.  In a room of ....... say 15 techs, none of them
thought yellow page advertising was a good investment beyond a one or two
column inch.  I have a bold line and a notso bold line.  The ole' two liner
is there for .......  "reality check" or "viability" or some such thing like
that for those who need to check and see if I'm for real.

Dealers ........ is where I get the most of my referrals.  I support them,
they support me.  I do service calls for them at half price, they give me a
cookie now and again.  All PianoDisc installations that I do, get free
service ...... tunings, installation related repairs, and sometimes I
regulate the used piano that's getting an installation ......... fer FREE!!!
(swallow hard)  Hey some dealers are worth it.  I make sure they hear about
it, and before long, I get more cookies. 

I get a lot of traffic from teachers.  I'm usually in a pretty good mood and
so I joke around with the people a bit with each call.  This requires some
talent, and some sensitivity, and for the most part I can get a grouch to
get his/her face to crack if I try hard enough.  Teachers see this as a good
thing.  I'm comfortable with my work and with poeple.  If I give them good
sensible service, they refer me.  "Relax, it's only a piano" ..... kinda
aire.  Uh, I do remove my shoes a lot.  It scores points.

I like the coupon idea.  Another thing I haven't tried is the gift
certificate.  Do a mailing to everyone on the database that you've tuned for
in the last two years and see what happens.  In it, suggest the gift
certificate for xmas or birthdays.  You can print one up on your computer or
buy ready made blanks and put your own printing on them.  Number code them
so people don't duplicate.  A numbering system that defies order is best
(numbers with letters) and then keep records.

I would think if you're going to advertise, and you had the option of focus,
I'd invest heavily in the programs they hand out at concerts (no, not Rap
concerts, Classical, Piano, Opera, high brow junk).  Everyone there will
most likely own a piano, and they'll be bored to tears before the curtain
goes up so they'll be reading their programs.  That's what I do, doesn't
everyone else??  My wife likes going to them things, I tag along to make
sure she doesn't get lost, help drive the car, make sure the wine is safe to
drink, locate bathrooms, act distinguished ..........wear my suit ........
be pleasant.

Lar

                                    Larry Fisher RPT
   specialist in players, retrofits, and other complicated stuff
      phone 360-256-2999 or email larryf@pacifier.com
         http://www.pacifier.com/~larryf/ (revised 10/96)
           Beau Dahnker pianos work best under water