What's the trick to maintaining a long-term customer?

[frank fratto]

And why should I be flexible? Do the work and get paid for doing the work. This is business not a charity. I do plenty of other charity work.

I agree with you 95% of the time if not 97% of the time

 

[Living The Dream]

A few years back I decided I was going to get aggressive with postcard marketing and target different subdivisions around town. I signed up for one of those platforms that lets you draw a radius off Google Maps, uploaded my design, got everything set up, and sent out a big batch.

What I failed to account for was one very important small town detail. Around here a lot of people use PO boxes, and the post office does not play around with mail addressed to physical addresses. So instead of reaching potential customers, I ended up with a huge stack of postcards returned to sender.

For about five minutes I considered peeling the return stickers off and sending them right back out in retaliation, but I figured starting a feud with the postal service was probably not a great business move.

So lesson learned. Before doing any direct mail in a smaller town, make sure people actually receive mail at their street address and are not using PO boxes for everything.

It was an expensive mistake, but maybe it will save somebody else from making the same one.

 

[frank fratto]

A few years back I decided I was going to get aggressive with postcard marketing and target different subdivisions around town. I signed up for one of those platforms that lets you draw a radius off Google Maps, uploaded my design, got everything set up, and sent out a big batch.

What I failed to account for was one very important small town detail. Around here a lot of people use PO boxes, and the post office does not play around with mail addressed to physical addresses. So instead of reaching potential customers, I ended up with a huge stack of postcards returned to sender.

For about five minutes I considered peeling the return stickers off and sending them right back out in retaliation, but I figured starting a feud with the postal service was probably not a great business move.

So lesson learned. Before doing any direct mail in a smaller town, make sure people actually receive mail at their street address and are not using PO boxes for everything.

It was an expensive mistake, but maybe it will save somebody else from making the same one.

Swani,
Good to know a lot of snow-birds in my area they use PO Box.

I will random send out postcards to Realtors and property management .

A Big hit or miss? but when it HIT'S it is BIG!!!

Postcards going to strangers is advertising .

Postcards going to past customers is MARKETING !!!!!!!