Advertsing and Marketing

Of course all marketeers will tell you you HAVE to advertise, but do you.. Really?

With all the choices now available its a minefield as to where to put your money, but one thing is for sure. If no one knows you're there, they're not going to ring you.

Personally i'd rather get work from referrals, by doing the job properly, by going the extra mile.

But let's face it, if you have a pot of money and flood the market with adverts, you're going to get the work even if you have an inferior product.

So what do you do about them?

Advertising is all well and good but the ones with the money will always win on that stake. What us others have to do is give the best service out there.

You can throw money at getting your name known but unless the service you give is what's right for your customer you may as well throw the money down the toilet.

Couldn't agree more.

I'm amazed at how many Companies forget about the product they're marketing

I dont intend to throw a lot of money at advertising I like to think my reputation is being built on service. Advertising may make expansion inevitable which is not what I want. Small suita me. har har

Small, or the personal touch as i prefer to call it. Get too big too soon and you lose exactly what it is you pride yourself on. You. Steady growth is more manageable.

I have been driving for a living for nearly 12 months and may start looking for my own customers early next year. I will be advertising (going round the Ind. Estates.) with flyers and cards. Hopefully though I can gain a good enough reputation that I will not need a big marketing budget as my reputation will precede me, in a good way.

Not easy making that jump.

Generally speaking Companies that use couriers will already have one they use, so you'll be treading on someones toes. Not always easy to ensure it's not someone you already sub for. You could end up gaining a customer but losing that courier company you sub for, and all the work they put your way.

Two things customers generally want to know about is price and availability. Relatively easy to beat the competiton on price as you won't have the overheads they have, but they have availability. Difficult covering a job if you're already doing one, and especially difficult trying to cover it elsewhere when you're doing 70mph on the motorway. Ironically you can find that by trying to expand your Business, you actually end up with less, so it needs some serious thought before taking the plunge.

Agreed Mr Speed, that is the jump you make when you have had enough of driving a van and fancy driving a desk.

I like that Andy, I will write that down and put it up in my van. Then I can read it when I am on the M25 car park.

The one marketing mistake is using a yellow van

Better off with s car for jobs on here. Uninsured of course..

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

---

Not easy making that jump.

Generally speaking Companies that use couriers will already have one they use, so you'll be treading on someones toes. Not always easy to ensure it's not someone you already sub for. You could end up gaining a customer but losing that courier company you sub for, and all the work they put your way.

Two things customers generally want to know about is price and availability. Relatively easy to beat the competiton on price as you won't have the overheads they have, but they have availability. Difficult covering a job if you're already doing one, and especially difficult trying to cover it elsewhere when you're doing 70mph on the motorway. Ironically you can find that by trying to expand your Business, you actually end up with less, so it needs some serious thought before taking the plunge.

That could have been me talking!

I imagine 99% of flyers or cards are immediately filed in the bin! From my business management days as a manager at BT, the average is ONE positive response out of 1000 flyers. Waste of shoe leather and paper, trawling Industrial estates.

What a customer needs is a very fast response, phone calls answered first time, and although cost is sometimes an issue, a Courier having something unique,[ like a refrigerated van, flat bed or Luton etc, ] can secure the work. A company usually will only try to call you once, if you don't answer the phone, they will move to the next one, and the same applies if they are unable to cover a job immediately.

Also a company with one van, limits work if they have it signwritten! Many companies require plain vans, as do other couriers subbing out work. Also poorly signwritten will put many off!

I think investing in a 'quality' website, domain names other than yahoo or AOL etc, and investing in quality communication systems is the best way to spend your money.

^^^ +1

HSP Couriers said:

---

^^^ +1

But if you have a website dont have a fat bloke leaning on a 9 year old berlingo

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

---

Not easy making that jump.

Generally speaking Companies that use couriers will already have one they use, so you'll be treading on someones toes. Not always easy to ensure it's not someone you already sub for. You could end up gaining a customer but losing that courier company you sub for, and all the work they put your way.

Two things customers generally want to know about is price and availability. Relatively easy to beat the competiton on price as you won't have the overheads they have, but they have availability. Difficult covering a job if you're already doing one, and especially difficult trying to cover it elsewhere when you're doing 70mph on the motorway. Ironically you can find that by trying to expand your Business, you actually end up with less, so it needs some serious thought before taking the plunge.

That is the main drawback for me, treading on toes. There is a company local to me that have been brilliant to me and the last thing I would want to do is take work from them.

I think I will save my money and put it towards a new van.

Good advice and taken on board.

AJM sameday Couriers said:

---

HSP Couriers said:

---

^^^ +1

But if you have a website dont have a fat bloke leaning on a 9 year old berlingo

You cheeky f***er! I am not fat ... Just a bad picture.

As for the berlingo, that is long gone anyway but thanks for your concern.

AJM sameday Couriers said:

---

The one marketing mistake is using a yellow van

Yeah I know, with a yellow van you just end up too busy to worry about all this other stuff like whether or not people have their insurance details on their profiles.

Yes I see your point.

I use magnetic signs. If I do a job that requires a plain van I take them off. Will stay in place up to 80mph.

I like magnetic signs but my view is that, as a subcontractor, I am representing my clients business rather than my own so I always introduce myself at the loading point in the name of that client. Leaving the van plain makes it simpler. Also the yellow van is a major plus because when you need help from somebody on site they can always spot it, if it was white they could spot 15 at any one time. :-)

Same reason I chose a red van... Lol that and the fact the ladies take one look and think I am a fireman, it pays dividends.

Postman, surely?

Now then... Don't get nasty... Lol... Its my physique that impresses... lol

If I get a black van, can I think I'm Batman?

In your world Gary you can think anything you like... lol

Fastback Parcel Solutions said:

---

Same reason I chose a red van... Lol that and the fact the ladies take one look and think I am a fireman, it pays dividends.

But your far too old to be a fireman

Ffs is it pick on Mike day by the Gary brigade lol

Batman or Taffman. Thanks for the offer Gary, bell you next time am in the area :-)

Speed Couriers Nationwide Ltd said:

---

Not easy making that jump.

Generally speaking Companies that use couriers will already have one they use, so you'll be treading on someones toes. Not always easy to ensure it's not someone you already sub for. You could end up gaining a customer but losing that courier company you sub for, and all the work they put your way.

Two things customers generally want to know about is price and availability. Relatively easy to beat the competiton on price as you won't have the overheads they have, but they have availability. Difficult covering a job if you're already doing one, and especially difficult trying to cover it elsewhere when you're doing 70mph on the motorway. Ironically you can find that by trying to expand your Business, you actually end up with less, so it needs some serious thought before taking the plunge.

Couldn't agree more with speed couriers, it's always best if your sub'ing to continue doing so because its alot easier to maintain a good relationship with the company subin you as oppose to trying to explain to companies why your always not available - its a win win situation everybody makes money that way.

Yellow vans? Surely that would 'trotter's independant couriers'?

We are in the situation at the moment not enough work to have a full time office staff but work coming in that I have not got time to process, really frustrating! The new site does quotes and bookings etc but seems people just want to pick the phone up!