[Mike Finley]

Anybody ever done a successful contest? I'm wondering if there is any merit in doing a "Colorado's Ugliest Bathroom" contest with the winner getting a free remodel of their bathroom. I would need to get the word out so I would need a newspaper or a tv station to be a partner for free advertising. Anybody have any success at this or heard of it before? How do you get a TV station or newspaper to do this with you? What I would get out of it is free publicity and leads on all the other entries that don't get picked. How do I also get out of footing the bill for the remodel as far as materials go? I would do the labor for free but I wouldn't want to throw in $5000 worth of materials.

 

[ProWallGuy]

you might want to do this hand-in-hand with a supplier. co-op kinda, so you donate labor, they donate materials. I try to do one charity hang a year for the NGPP. When I get wind of such a project that won't kill me labor-wise, I talk to Sherwin Williams or others and get them to donate paper, paste, etc. Then I promptly send out press releases to show off.

 

[Grumpy]

Mike, I'll give ya this one for free.

After youve been in business for a few years and have a few hundred customers under your belt what you do is this: A letter goes out to all past customers stating they can enter a free raffle if they allow you to put a sign on their lawn for 3 weeks saying they are your satisified customer. Give out whatever prizes ya want.

For me, doing 200 roofs per year, not to mention siding and gutters, that's about 275 jobs per years. That's 275 laws, that's 275 x number of years in business. Signs are about $3 each. Think of the exposure! You can potentially put out thousands of signs!

 

[ProWallGuy]

Good idea Grumpy, but thats an awful lot of man hours driving all over to put up signs. And double that if you have to retrieve them later.

 

[Grumpy]

In the spring when things are just starting out, our guys are just looking for something to do... But it's really not alot of man hours if your work area isn't that large. Forget retreiving them, that's why they cost $2-3 each.

 

[Mike Finley]

After youve been in business for a few years and have a few hundred customers under your belt what you do is this: A letter goes out to all past customers stating they can enter a free raffle if they allow you to put a sign on their lawn for 3 weeks saying they are your satisified customer. Give out whatever prizes ya want.

Have you actually done this? What is the response rate of your past customers who take you up on it? What is the actual work you got out of it?

 

[Grumpy]

Nearly all customers we hand pick will take us up on this. We only pick customers in our immediate service area who we had a wonderful experience working with.

We get alot more than just immediate leads. We get alot of exposure... branding. If they don't call us now your damned sure they will remember us if they see our sign on 5 of their neighbors lawns for 2-4 weeks every spring... and see our sign up and down the main streets as they drive in their neighborhood to and from work or wherever.

Plus you've just added another gun to your sales bullet. "Mr. home owner you asked me why you should hire us, and I have explained the quality. I have explained the long term value of a job done right. But one thing we offer that nobody else does is perpetual chance of winning $X each and every spring for as long as you own your home!"

 

[Mike Finley]

I think that is a cool idea. The branding of your name alone is fantastic. Just curious how much the give away was?

 

[Grumpy]

We buy gift certificates to a local mall. The certificate can be spent like cash at any store in the mall. one 1st prize $200, two 2nd prizes $100 each, three 3rd prizes $50 each.

 

[Agnessa]

Grumpy, would you like to share source of signs at $2-3 each?