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Advertising and Promotions

What works in one location might not in another, so to succeed you’ve got to try several strategies and then stick with what sells.

Harry Grubbs likes to compare his efforts at advertising and promotions to the jugglers that spin plates on sticks. Not only is it tricky, but to make an impression, you’ve got to have a lot of plates spinning at once.

“The more you’ve got spinning, the more chances you have to make the phone ring,” he says.

Grubbs keeps a lot of plates in the air for his Conroe, Texas, Mr. Appliance franchise, systematically reaching out to the market with ads, promotions, and community relations efforts. The key to success, he says, is experimenting until you learn what works for your market and then keeping up a sustained effort.

Grubbs considers basic advertising part of the business. “The normal thing that the majority does is the Yellow Pages,” he says.

Further advertising requires some trial and error, he believes. “I’ve found the newspaper works well for me,” he says. “But then I’ve talked to other franchise owners and the newspaper doesn’t work for them. Mail-outs, on the other hand, work for them and not for me.”

Grubbs has also tried advertising at local movie theaters and in restaurants. Other promotions include handing out refrigerator magnets and mailing thank you cards to customers. “Those magnets are relatively inexpensive, and a lot of the homes we go into have the magnets,” he says. “The thank you cards don’t cost that much either and they do a good job for us.”

Grubbs also has his employees place cards on neighbors’ doors after calls. “The percentage that comes back is about one percent,” he says. “You have to put them out constantly. That’s why I offer an incentive.”

Grubbs pays technicians $10 for every call that comes in based on a card they handed out. “The technician says, ‘I put out a thousand, but I got some extra cash for those that came in,’” he says.

Community relations play another role in Grubbs’ marketing strategy. He says joining organizations like the Chamber of Commerce can be invaluable if you put an effort into your membership.

“If they don’t see you at meetings, you won’t get anything out of it,” he says. “To be visible means a lot. Once you’re visible, these people will call you. You only get back what you put in.”

Grubbs’ current marketing emphasis is on networking. The firm has joined a local networking group and is exploring other opportunities to meet the public. “We’re looking at getting booths in some craft shows to get out information, stuff like that. Just ways to do legwork and get in front of people,” he says.

Success in advertising and promotions is a matter of sustaining the effort. “We’ve tried a wide range of things and found one or two that work,” he says. “Once you find something that works, just keep doing it. Keep hammering on that.”

Grubbs goes back to his image of the juggler. “You just spin those plates. By the time you get to the end, the first is starting to wobble,” he says. “The trick is getting enough plates spinning at one time.”

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