Distributing business cards for computer repairs start up

swingaloo2

I would look at putting your cards on notice boards in shops. Around here the chip shop has a board, tesco have one, both of the local cafe's have them. 

My son used to leaflet doors with his gardening business, one day 3 of us delivered 600 leaflets around the local area. No response whatsoever.  All his work came from other people recommending him.

Personally I dont even look at cards or leaflets that are delivered. If I get them out of the mailbox outside on the wall then they dont even make it into the house, I put them straight in the bin as I go back to the door. 
If they are pushed through the letter box its pretty much the same, pick up and straight in the bin. 

I think nowadays if you want something the internet is full of local sites for recommendations. There is not really any need to have a card or leaflet hanging around. 

Having an issue with a pc is not a regular thing so the chances of someone needing your service at the same time as your card arriving is slim to none.

makara

Thanks - with Tesco our local one also has a notice board.  Do they have to be handed to a member of staff for vetting?

swingaloo2

makara said:

Thanks - with Tesco our local one also has a notice board.  Do they have to be handed to a member of staff for vetting?

Yes, ours is one of the smaller stores but you had to go to the customer service desk and they pinned it on for you. 

MalMonroe

I wouldn't want anyone coming into my home because of coronavirus and the fact that I don't want to get it. So many other people could be as wary as I am right now. 

But also, like some other commenters here, I'd just put such business cards in the recycling bin.

My PC is on its last legs and when it goes I'm just going to get a new one. 

theoretica

Giving business cards to people to pass on sounds a good idea.  I don't think I have ever given my business on the basis of a business card through the door.  Have you?  How would you find and choose someone to do a job for you?

Certainly don't put things under windscreen wipers - I find they are an absolute pain when you get in the driving seat and only then notice them and I am not going to do business with anyone that inconsiderate.

makara

The only ones I think we have given business to are mini cab companies when we need a cab urgently or to the airport etc

zzyzx1221

MalMonroe said:

I wouldn't want anyone coming into my home because of coronavirus and the fact that I don't want to get it. So many other people could be as wary as I am right now. 

But also, like some other commenters here, I'd just put such business cards in the recycling bin.

My PC is on its last legs and when it goes I'm just going to get a new one. 

The chances of catching COVID from someone briefly being in your home is extremely low.  They're at orders of magnitude higher risk catching it from you than the other way around.  And that's still very low risk anyway.

General_Grant

zzyzx1221 said:

MalMonroe said:

I wouldn't want anyone coming into my home because of coronavirus and the fact that I don't want to get it. So many other people could be as wary as I am right now. 

But also, like some other commenters here, I'd just put such business cards in the recycling bin.

My PC is on its last legs and when it goes I'm just going to get a new one. 

The chances of catching COVID from someone briefly being in your home is extremely low.  They're at orders of magnitude higher risk catching it from you than the other way around.  And that's still very low risk anyway.

Not sure how you have worked out the relative risks.  Especially if "you" have been staying at home and "they" are going to numerous people's homes and otherwise out and about.

Slinky

makara said:

Slinky said:

80 cards isn't anything like enough to elicit immediate responses. We were delivering 4000 magazines a month.

So is it a numbers game? My 4000 cards cost £60 in total...if I deliver all of them in my local area, to 4000 doors...the expectation / hope is that at least a few of those 4000 homes will respond...netting me hopefully more business than the £60 cost incurred? 

Sorry, only just seen this response. Yes it's a numbers game. As you've already got the cards, wear out some shoe leather and shove them through some more doors. Chances are if you don't, at the rate people generally give cards away, they'll still be a large amount of them in a drawer in a couple of years time.  We could generally deliver at 100 homes an hour, more if houses are close together, and magazines are heavier and slower to deliver than cards.

If you're charging £40 an hour which is what my computer bod charged, you need 1.5 hours work to cover that cost.

How did your magazine research go?

makara

Slinky said:

Sorry, only just seen this response. Yes it's a numbers game. As you've already got the cards, wear out some shoe leather and shove them through some more doors. Chances are if you don't, at the rate people generally give cards away, they'll still be a large amount of them in a drawer in a couple of years time.  We could generally deliver at 100 homes an hour, more if houses are close together, and magazines are heavier and slower to deliver than cards.

If you're charging £40 an hour which is what my computer bod charged, you need 1.5 hours work to cover that cost.

How did your magazine research go?

No worries, and thanks for the response :-)

My newer style business cards arrived, and look a lot more noticeable than the earlier 2000 (so 2000 before / and now = the 4000 total).

I've just had a slight increase in non-card traffic - a former school-friend's parents - and a few people on my local "Next Door.co.uk" - so I might give those people a few cards, and ask them to distribute before the shoe leather thing.  Hopefully IF those few people gather me more referrals, I can then pass the referrals some cards to share - and so on...

I'm charging significantly less than £40 per hour, although that is a strategic motive - as I am trying to get more business for myself versus the more "established guys" locally.

(and as that increases I am slowly slowly raising my prices...a fiver per job at a time, i.e. I tend to charge a flat rate per job rather than per hour)

I haven't yet researched the magazines - although I must say Lock-down has been a God-send...as during 2020 folks who couldn't take their computers into their usual repair shops started asking for willing free-lancers, who didn't have a shop to be locked down.

Back to the school-friend's parents - the family is very well connected.  I don't mean in a Political or necessarily Financial way - but they always had (and still have) tons of visitors coming to their house, i.e. friends and relatives and other associates...so although I'm obviously charging them far less than what I charge strangers (they really looked after me when I was a school kid) - it may pay for itself as they spread the word (the mother has already told me her younger son wants to hire me to do his cctv installation)