All Poster Stuff

[Bruce]

You know it is weird, but I really do almost NO paid advertising. The only two ads I had were Movie Collectors World and Classic Images, and that is ONLY because they are run by long time friends of mine. Now sadly MCW is no more (I would never have stopped there otherwise) so the only ad I pay for is Classic Images.

Compare that to my competition, which surely spends hundreds of thousands a year on ads.

I had this wacky idea. I took all the money I WOULD have spent on ads if I were chasing away customers left and right with terrible customer service, and instead of needing it to find new customers, I use it giving free stuff and prizes, and all sorts of others things (but most importantly the best packaging and customer service there is) and I figure that customers will be so pleased they will do my "advertising" for me. And my business DOES keep growing and growing, so maybe it is not such a wacky idea after all!

[50s]

if I was blowing off customers

 

[Bruce]

Is that not an idiom where you come from? I edited it.

[archie leach]

That usually costs extra...

[Charlie]

It could have been more poorly written...  

[Bruce]

Even in the Urban dictionary it still means what I meant it to mean:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=blow%20off

You guys have one-track minds, and the track isn't posters!

[Mirosae]

You know it is weird, but I really do almost NO paid advertising. The only two ads I had were Movie Collectors World and Classic Images, and that is ONLY because they are run by long time friends of mine. Now sadly MCW is no more (I would never have stopped there otherwise) so the only ad I pay for is Classic Images.

Compare that to my competition, which surely spends hundreds of thousands a year on ads.

I had this wacky idea. I took all the money I WOULD have spent on ads if I were chasing away customers left and right with terrible customer service, and instead of needing it to find new customers, I use it giving free stuff and prizes, and all sorts of others things (but most importantly the best packaging and customer service there is) and I figure that customers will be so pleased they will do my "advertising" for me. And my business DOES keep growing and growing, so maybe it is not such a wacky idea after all!

Bruce, what you said above reminded me of a very successful businessman who I met years ago. He said Advertising never sells, good products and service do.  Amancio Ortega, business=ZARA. 

[50s]

Even in the Urban dictionary it still means what I meant it to mean:

You are looking at the wrong page! There is only one meaning!

[Charlie]

You guys have one-track minds, and the track isn't posters!

Monsters!

[110x75]

 Amancio Ortega, business=ZARA. 

I bet he can afford to buy a few nice posters, right?

[Bruce]

Bruce, what you said above reminded me of a very successful businessman who I met years ago. He said Advertising never sells, good products and service do.  Amancio Ortega, business=ZARA. 

It does seem to work out just fine in the long run. Plus I get to sleep great at night!

[Mirosae]

I bet he can afford to buy a few nice posters, right?

  Yes, cassy 6s will look great in his 45 bedrooms mansion

[Mirosae]

It does seem to work out just fine in the long run. Plus I get to sleep great at night!

good for you 

[110x75]

Yes, cassy 6s will look great in his 45 bedrooms mansion

That's a lot of wall space!!

[Silhouette]

Bruce - in your case substitute Advertise for Spruik.  

You know it is weird, but I really do almost NO paid advertising.

You actually do, time spent spruiking your business and your auctions in forums and MoPo, Facebook and similar does actually have a value, the fact 'cash' is not going out doesn't mean it isn't costing money.

[Ari]

One thing, and it might be related to David's comment about not talking about competitors.
It's ok to make an occasional comment perhaps.
But when anyone continually puts down someone else, eventually, or sooner, it makes the person doing it look petty, and people reading or hearing about it can be put off in the direction OPPOSITE of the intent.

Your either preaching to the converted which does you know good, or your annoying people who disagree and won't change their mind, unless something bad happens to them, in which case they would change their mind regardless.

I do this with Tarantino, the more I bitch about him, the more some people tell me how great he is, and even post me bloody DVDs of his movies, I might just start telling everyone I live his movies and own every one on every format possible so I stop hearing about how great he is and how much I am missing out.

Just my thoughts.

[Mirosae]

I live Tarantino too .  U can borrow my dvds if u want !

[Ari]

Thanks, I hear shit makes great compost

[Mirosae]

 

 

[CSM]

This has a familiar ring to it:
1997 - I stop creating auctions for Christie's - The hobby says "Worst move ever. Bruce has no business without Christie's"
2000 - I move my entire business online to eBay - The hobby says "Worst move ever. That is the death of Bruce's mail-order business, because old-timers HATE computers"
early 2000s - Heritage starts auctioning expensive movie posters - The hobby says "Bruce can't compete with their billion dollar business. That is the death of eMoviePoster. We set new sales records each year since, except one"
2008 - eMoviePoster.com moves onto its own site - The hobby says "Worst move ever. Bruce has no business without eBay; we set new sales records each year since"
late 2000s - others set up competing auction sites - The hobby says "They will take away a lot of eMoviePoster.com's business; we set new sales records each year since"
2013 - Who knows? But one thing is for certain. The hobby will think it is my worst move ever!

I thought you were quite pleased to not have a BP - I mean it IS basically in all your advertising materials

[Silhouette]

Another old saying, I have to paraphrase it as I can't remember it verbatim

Knew I had it wrong...

"If you worry too much about what your opposition is doing behind your back you might miss seeing the customer in front your face"

[Bruce]

I thought you were quite pleased to not have a BP - I mean it IS basically in all your advertising materials

I don't want it because it IS deceptive. But not having it allows my competition to deceive consignors, and I can't attack my competition, even for lying.

What to do, what to do?

[CSM]

I don't want it because it IS deceptive. But not having it allows my competition to deceive consignors, and I can't attack my competition, even for lying.

What to do, what to do?

Simple - DO NOT institute a BP

[pratschm]

Simple - DO NOT institute a BP

[pratschm]

I don't want it because it IS deceptive. But not having it allows my competition to deceive consignors, and I can't attack my competition, even for lying.

What to do, what to do?

Allow them to make the mistake of consigning elsewhere and assure them that you will gladly consign for them the next time, after they realize that the numbers don't lie.