|
How to PROMOTE your Gold
Plating Business.
Getting any business started always takes a push.
There is an old story that ways something like this.
"You will sell more if you stand up and HOLLER than you will if you whisper in a
well." That may not be the exact quote but the point gets across. To make sales,
consumers need to know that you have the item(s) available.
If you already have a Auto Accessories Store, or
Customizing, Detailing, or Restyling Shop, adding Gold Plating is a fairly easy thing to
do. You can get a few signs made telling your customers you now offer Gold Plating. Beyond
signs, if you have a customer list, you can make a mailing to your customers and draw
their attention. Word of mouth also helps an existing Auto Accessories Store, Customizing,
Detailing, or Restyling Shop.
The MOBILE type operation is different. Particularly for
a person just getting into Gold Plating as an extra source of income.
For the person new to Gold Plating, the MOBILE OPERATION
is the most common type of selling.
After having a conversation with a customer in Florida,
the need to pass out some information became more evident.
Basically, the customer was working on Gold Plating their
own Chevrolet S-10 Blazer, and after we talked about that, he asked me about promoting his
business.
The way I see it, the BACK and the REAR windows of the
Chevrolet S-10 Blazer should be a ROLLING BILLBOARD.
It reminded me of a small pickup I followed up to a stop
sign in northern Michigan. The person had a sign on the back window of their Pick-up CAP.
I was able to make out that he did gold plating but the phone number was so small that I
was not able to read it and copy it down. I figured he might become a customer. If I could
not get his number because it was so small, could people who wanted to know about getting
Gold Plating work done on their vehicles?
Bigger is BETTER, RIGHT.
What if you do not have a Chevrolet S-10 Blazer where you
have 3 windows to expose your service.
Years ago I purchased an aluminum ( NO RUST ) Step-Van
manufactured by the Union City Body Company in Union City, Indiana. It is a short one. The
"cargo area" is only 6 feet long. It was once owned by the Canteen Corporation
out of Chicago. The Step-Van was all WHITE so almost any color sign would stand out. I
would probably go with a BLACK sign so it really stands out. The aluminum Step-Van has a 6
cylinder Chevrolet engine, manual steering, manual
brakes, and an automatic transmission. Long ago I used it on the road and I was in 6
states with it. Later, it worked out real well for hauling the John Deere lawn tractor
from place to place to mow the lawns, as well as hauling stuff during several personal
moves that we did.
I should point out that I also own an old
Snap-On tool truck manufactured by Grumman in Sturgis Michigan, with an 18 foot
"cargo area" that I use for a different purpose.
Anyway, the aluminum Step-Van manufactured by the Union
City Body Company has ample room to put a 6 foot wide by 3 foot tall sign on each side.
If I were to go into the mobile Gold Plating business and
did not already own a short type aluminum Step-Van I would buy one. It is an excellent
mobile and rolling bill board and is ideal for your "shop" where you can put
everything. The price I paid was under $1,000 for the aluminum Step-Van. I am confident
you can find one, or you can use an existing regular van. One without windows is better
because it offers the largest exposure for the sign.
As to the sign, I always believed bigger is better. What
I expect I would do on my step van is shown below. You can expect the dimensions of the
sign would be 6 feet wide and 3 feet tall.
MOBILE
GOLD PLATING
517-278-7203 |
This sign might be to big for some people. I would use it
for everything! I would drive it daily as an excellent mobile and rolling bill
board.
I am not sure, exactly, how the I.R.S. would look at the
idea of a Step-Van as a ROLLING BILLBOARD that you drive to work at your DAY JOB. They may
object to the vehicle as used as a commuter vehicle to where you work on your DAY JOB. All
this means is you may not be able to write off the costs of commuting in the Step-Van. The
cost of commuting to your regular job is non-deductible. However, you would be able to
expense the cost of driving to do a Gold Plating job and driving back, at whatever the
current rate is for the I.R.S. Mileage Allowance. If you figure to deduct any expenses for
the Step-Van, or any other vehicle for that matter, keep a written record of the mileage,
where you drove to and so on. This is VERY IMPORTANT at Tax Time so you get all of the
deductions you are entitled to, and even MORE IMPORTANT if you are ever called in for an
I.R.S. Audit.
I figure that I would have the same sign for the back of
the Step-Van since the one I have does not have windows in the back. This may not be
possible if you have a typical van with windows.
If you have an existing van, even one with windows, you
can still get a sign on it. Consider one of the magnetic signs. Just be sure it is BIG
ENOUGH. If you can not read the sign 20 feet away, no one else will either!
I figure a local sign man could make this sign for me.
After designing the first one, knocking out 3 of them will not cost a lot more. A little
time and vinyl.
While this would increase the cost of the Start-Up, it
also offers an excellent way to expose your business. People driving down the road could
write down your phone number.
If I lived in a big city with tall buildings, I would
probably have a 4th sign made up and put it on the roof of the Step-Van. People look out
of windows!
Would any or all of this pay off?
No one can say, exactly, on the right way to advertise,
or if a particular type of advertising will not work.
What I can tell you is this. If you buy a system and put
it in the back of your closet, you probably will not make any sales, or as many sales, as
you will by telling everyone that you do Gold Plating.
To me, if it gets exposure, and draws attention, people
will notice. If people notice, and they are in the market for whatever it is you are
offering, you have a chance to make a sale.
To go back to the top of the
frequently asked questions page, CLICK HERE.
To go to our GOLD PLATING INFORMATION PAGE,
CLICK HERE.
To go to our
>
STARTING PAGE CLICK HERE
<
To go
back to your previous page,
please click on your web browsers BACK button.
| 
