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DOG OWNERS: Love your dog -- hate poop?
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THE INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF DOG WASTE REMOVAL SERVICES
Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board Archives
Messages archived from the Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board,
going back to May of 1998. The discussion board board is an online forum about the business of pet-waste removal.
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Page Seventy-Three
Advertising
Sun Nov 18 09:27:13 2001
This board has been kind of dead lately, so here is PSK to spruce things up a bit. Since virtually all of us are in different cities and states, we really don't compete with one another. Therefore, I hope you all feel it's safe to share your advertising methods. What would you fellow scoopers say is the single most successful marketing tool to bring in new customers? If you had to get rid of all forms of advertising but one, which would you keep?
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Tim
Here's my top 10!
Mon Nov 19 23:56:48 2001
Although I could never do just one form of marketing, a quick look (if the info translates to the board) will show you that I would just keep my trucks on the road! All together, Iv'e used about 20 different types of advertising/marketing, but as the subject line stated, these are my top ten! When I get phone calls about this from other scoopers, I usually explain in more details. Enjoy!
1998 1999 2000
Truck 26% 24% 29%
Word of Mouth referral 15% 12% 6%
SCV Free Classifieds na 12% 9%
Brochures in Vet 11% 7% 21%
Signal Classified na 6% 1%
Obtain other business 4% 15% 1%
Brochures in Pet shops 7% 4% 5%
Door to door flyer 14% 3% 3%
Yellow Page listing na 3% 1%
Yellow pages ad 3% na na
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Steve
Re: Advertising
Mon Nov 19 22:52:29 2001
<< virtually all of us are in different cities and states, we really don't compete with one another>>
Where are you, PSK?
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PoopScoopKing
PSK services Detroit!
Tue Nov 20 05:57:56 2001
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Catherine
marketing
Sun Nov 18 13:02:09 2001
My best response comes 50/50 between door to door flyers and our three line ad in local community paper. The larger city paper was not at all successful.
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Stephen
Marketing
Mon Nov 19 18:07:39 2001
Would you say you have seen your return on investement?
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PoopScoopKing
to Catherine
Mon Nov 19 08:20:40 2001
I have to ask if you've had any problems securing permits for the door to door fliers? How many do you pass out a day? Any compliants from home owners?
PSK
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Catherine
flyers
Mon Nov 19 18:25:29 2001
Hi PSK,
No permits are needed to distribute flyers where we live. I print my flyers up on my computer (2 a page) and photocopy. My cost is $35.00 for 1000 incl.tx I deliver door to door myself and can do an average of 100/hr. To send thru mail would be another 9 cents per flyer, Flyer dist. company slightly less. Thus far I get 2-3 new customers per 1000 but each batch I try to make slight improvements on flyer to hopefully get that up to 5 per 1000. A few people will say 'no thanks' as I deliver but few are rude about it. Hope that helps.
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Pooxh Pal
advertising
Sun Nov 18 11:44:27 2001
By far the most effective tool for us has been a 3 line newspaper ad we run regularly in our local paper. We ran it daily for a month when we first started. Now we run it every Sat and Sun. I would say 90% of people who call cite that ad as the reason they called.
We also get some customers who have seen flyers in vets or on bulletin boards at pet stores. We have a more expensive display ad ina local monthly paper (since Sept) that is widely circulated and well read. People rarely cite that ad but we know from verbal feedback that everybody sees it and I believe it helps give our business visibility and credibility that will pay off in the long run.
Judy
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PoopScoopKing
to Pooch Pal
Mon Nov 19 08:21:49 2001
Pooch Pal, your approach sounds a lot like yours. We do a lot of newspapers too, bot hdisplay and classified.
PSK
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PoopScoopKing
was I drunk?
Tue Nov 20 06:07:07 2001
No - just tired and in a hurry. Ignore it!
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dogpile patrol
marketing tools,,.
Sun Nov 18 11:08:39 2001
the single most successful marketing tool to bring in new customers is one on one meet and greet / showing an interest if some one has a dog with them in their car or duing a walk / over hearing a conversation about a dog they own, being only a bit pushy offering card to every one and any one who even deals with dog or the poop, expecally during my route If i had to get rid of all forms of advertising but one, it would be the one ive been walking my feet of to do.. door hangers!
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dogpilepatrol
woops,, ment get rid of,, they work, just my feet hurt
Sun Nov 18 11:35:00 2001
woops soory id keep the one on one contacts, with posible clients and those that know of any ,,,sorry, yes door hangers work, but its lots of work too
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PoopScoopKing
Re: marketing tools,,.
Sun Nov 18 11:22:51 2001
Wow! The advertising door hangers really work for you? Please tell us. Have you had any problems getting the permits to distribute them, or any complaints from homeowners?
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Catherine
Re: marketing tools,,.
Sun Nov 18 13:11:38 2001
I do the door to door flyers too. We do not need a permit to distribute them here. A few homeowners will say 'I don't want one thanks' and even fewer are snotty about it. It seems most every time, we get a customer about two doors down from the snotty one. The response from the flyers sometimes is delayed too, as people keep them but don't always call right away.
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minesweepers
thank god
Sun Nov 18 10:53:08 2001
i just kept reading the same post over and over in hopes i would catch a period i missed or something.jeez i thought the chat room got lonley.Anyway i got most of my customers from this directory,(not that i have a whole hell of alot!!!).the directoy has probably given me half of my customers.after that most likely is the town crier(which i have not advertised in since june).Actually i have not advertised anywhere since june/july.
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PoopScoopKing
Re: thank god
Sun Nov 18 11:24:05 2001
Minesweepers, when does that yellow pages ad begin? How much is it?
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Leslie
close calls
Sun Nov 18 17:10:41 2001
I was wondering if anyone out there has had any close calls with dogs, been bitten or attacked?
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the bomb squad
Re: close calls
Tue Nov 20 16:08:28 2001
yeah...try the search function.
I'm really good at diffusing aggression and catching stray dogs though thanks to a video and book about dog body language. It's by a Norweigian dog trainer...sorry I don't know her name cause I borrowed it from a trainer friend. I'll try to put it on a future post.
Her approach is that dogs are generally trying not to fight and calm down situations with their body language. Things such as freezing, licking the nose, turning away, avoiding eye contact, walking in a circle, etc. are signs that they are trying to avoid confrontations. Watch your own dog the next time you're upset...they'll be giving you signs to chill out.
One of her suggestions is to turn your back and freeze on a dog that's coming at you aggressively. Like that sounds logical! But it's worked for me. (I got a 120lb stray Rott to get in my car in less than 10 minutes.) It also works on dogs that are happy/hyper and jump all over you.
Hope this helps.
~Melinda
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minesweepers
turn your back?
Thu Nov 22 11:01:31 2001
sounds like a good way to get bit in the,,,,ahhh nevermind
thanks for the info
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the bomb squad
I know! but it works
Fri Nov 23 19:54:30 2001
It sounds crazy cause what you want to do is face them and get ready to slap them with your rake or shovel...but it works. The hard part is not being afraid cause they can smell the fear and it provokes them.
If you can't turn completely around just turn sideways and use perifrial (sp?) vision and freeze your body.
Of course, some dogs are trained to attack and others are crazy. In that case, sswwiiiinnng batter!
~Melinda
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Leslie
Thanks Melinda
Tue Nov 20 22:42:57 2001
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Tommy Greene
poop prices
Sun Nov 18 22:00:39 2001
I'm new at this & seem to be getting quite a few customers really fast. I put an ad in our local paper that said I would beat any price out there. The problem now is that some of my prices are real low, around $3 per visit. I would like them up around $5. How do I go about changing the prices on established customers?
Thanks
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Steve
The best price is...
Mon Nov 19 23:08:06 2001
The best price is such that if someone undercuts you, their profit is too little to cause them to stay in business and that if they price above you, the rate seems high to a casual observer (and prospective customer).
From the directory on this site, I have visited other scoopers whose 1 dog rate is $11-13 per week and others who charge $5.
There is a good marketing angle when your competitor is priced at $11-13. In this price range, many people will see the opportunity for good income potential at rates 10-20% less. The increase in client base and subsequent efficiency with a lower rate would more than offset the loss in profit per stop.
On the other hand, I couldn't provide a quality service AND go fast enough to make $5/stop pay enough to stay in business. There is no room to offer freebies or senior discounts if the original price is too low. Even if you ignore the income/hour, there aren't enough hours in the day to earn a living wage when down so low. I have more respect for myself than that.
I am, of course, somewhere in between. At 4-5 stops/hr, I do as well as any journeyman. At 3-4, I have a reasonable profit.
I will be raising my rates when I am on the road 45-50 hrs/wk. The folks I lose will lighten my load without cutting my income. The rest of the increase in income will go towards advertising (Of course).
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PoopScoopKing
i don't totally agree with Steve
Tue Nov 20 05:19:15 2001
Although Steve makes a good point about raising his prices when he's further along in his business, I don't agree that lowering your price below a competitor's price of $11 - $13 will automatically mean more customers and greater efficiency. You see, this business is not like Micky Dees and Burger King. Folks don't necessarily know your competitor exists. So you lower your prices and your competitor keeps his. The competitor has more money for advertising, this gets more customers and more money per stop and theoretically he has a stronger company because of his pricing power strength. I personally beleive in a strong margins and charging a price not based on my competition.
Lastly, scoopers have to get rid of this notion that pricing is the sole factor in selecting a service. I have many clients with Jags, Mercedes and very expensive homes. If pricing were their determining factor, they'd be driving Neons in the inner city and would not hire a scooper at all!
I've got to quit sharing this info or my competitor will raise his prices and make his company stronger. lol
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Steve
Re: i don't totally agree with Steve
Wed Nov 21 02:09:59 2001
While $60/every hour would be nice, its hardly realistic. $35-40 is my target. I don't need to charge $15/1 or 2 dogs/week to hit my target.
In a good hour, I can do 6 stops. (In a bad hour, I've done less than 2). At 4-5/hour, do the math - its $7-10/stop. I do better than that.
For someone who has time on their hands, they're not worth $50-60/hr - Supply and Demand - Their supply was larger than the public's demand.
When I'm working 50+ hours, my supply will run out and be less than demand so UP go the prices until S&D are closer together. I'll be making more money for the same amount of work.
So maybe a well established scooper can charge more, but a newbie can't.
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PoopScoopKing
as the warden in Cool Hand Luke said..
Wed Nov 21 05:42:47 2001
Some people you just can't reach.
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Red
Re: i don't totally agree with Steve
Wed Nov 21 02:17:48 2001
EXCELLENT POINTS on both sides!!!!!!!
This is why I live on this board! Intelligent, interesting, profitable, enlightening, banter rules!
-Red
PS: Never stop! :)
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PoopScoopKing
Re: poop prices
Mon Nov 19 08:16:12 2001
As Red said, no one wins with undercutting with very, low prices. If I were you, I'd raise my prices for new customers right away. As for the ones that you agreed to the low price for,leave the price alone for at least a couple months to establish some credibility and dependability with them. Then, call or write and be as professional as possible while explaining simple economics that you can't make a living at $3.00 per visit. If they quit, so be it. You've only lost $12 per month. The real customers will stick around and you can raise their price to more than cover the quitters that wanted something for virtually nothing.
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Yucko Debbie
pricing 11 years ago
Tue Nov 20 00:04:29 2001
what i find really interesting we started out weekly service at $13 for once a week pick-up, so here it is 11 years later.
Some of you are charging a lot less...
I would think $13 a week would be a good starting price point...
We are now a $15 per week on weekly charges
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pets
cust
Tue Nov 20 11:36:50 2001
yeah but how many cust. do you have?
-----------------------------------
Red
Re: poop prices
Sun Nov 18 23:30:17 2001
I'm not sure if I should take this post serious or not. Who would charge soooooo little and then who would then agree to charge even less!?!? But just incase it is a legitamate post...
I think I speak for every self-respecting scooper on the board when I say "I hope you die!".
OK, maybe not die, but just get reeeeeeal sick and then go steal someone elses business by low-balling the #%*@! out of our livelyhood. Noone wins: The client is hurt with inferior service, we are hurt with lost income and you are hurt by under charging and thus selling yourself short.
There's enough to go around. Get a life and a little self-respect and charge a fair but profitable amount.
-Red
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Pooch Pal
I agree
Mon Nov 19 17:26:03 2001
I have to say that I had a similar reaction to Red's. My thought was, "it serves you right". But then in a more compassionate moment, I thought maybe this person just didn't really know enough about being in business. We had some competition that popped up and undercut our prices by about 50%. I don't know whether they actually checked out our prices or just established their own. I was upset at first then realized there was no way they could makea living and would soon probably fizzle out--at their rates, they couldn't even afford to advertise. I haven't seen or heard anything from them lately.
Judy
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minesweepers
red ...OUCH!!!
Mon Nov 19 12:46:11 2001
absolutley true ,but OUCH
-------------------------------------
MINESWEEPERS
RED OUCH
Mon Nov 19 12:52:10 2001
YOU KNOW AFTER I STOPPED LAUGHING AND READ YOUR POST AGAIN .YOU ARE DEFINATELY RIGHT (INSANE ,BUT RIGHT).LIKE I SAID OUCH THAT HURTS.BUT NOBODY EVER SAID THE SCHOOL OF HARDKNOCKS WAS A BREEZE.AND TO THE NICE YOUNG FELLOW WHO CHARGED SUCH A RIDICULOUS RATE DON'T DIE,JUST TRIP OVER YOUR GARDEN HOSE AND IMPALE YOURSELF ON A SPRINKLER.NO REALLY IF YOU DON'T RAISE YOUR PRICES YOU WILL HAVE TO EAT WHAT YOU SCOOP BECAUSE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO GET RID OF IT OR BUY FOOD
P.S MAKE SURE SOMEONE IS AROUND TO TURN THE WATER ON AND TAKE PICS
-----------------------------------------
Red
INSANE, BUT RIGHT
Mon Nov 19 13:29:55 2001
Thanks MS,
I think I'll put that on my epitaph one day: INSANE, BUT RIGHT!
I also think we'd all agree that most of your posts are quite INSANE as well... and some are even half-way RIGHT! :)
Live Long and Scooper,
-Red
---------------------------------
minesweepers
THANKS(i think)
Mon Nov 19 22:04:29 2001
i think that was a compliment and being insane is just my way of staying sane in this insane world we live in or something like that anyway
besides what good is it if we can't laugh at or about ridiculous things .i find it incredibly odd that people pay for us to do what we do
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Anonymous
Re: poop prices
Sun Nov 18 22:52:49 2001
I seem to get alot of calls at these prices, some customer even told me she fired her last guy because my price was so much better. Now I want to raise them a little to $5. Should I send a letter or phone them?
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minesweepers
prices
Mon Nov 19 22:12:03 2001
have you ever seen two gas stations at the same intersection have a price war.they volley back and forth undercutting each other till both stations are losing so much money that they both go under.when the reality of it is that there was more than enough traffic at that intersection to support THREE stations.but since they charged so little and fought back and forth they put each other out.if they had charged the same higher (PROFITABLE) "hint" price than customers would have paid it anyway because that was the going rate and they would have BOTH done well.So now that i sound like my father, i'm going to go bathe the toaster.
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MINESWEEPERS
PRICES
Sun Nov 18 22:30:49 2001
EVEN AT FIVE DOLLARS YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE UNLESS YOU GET CUSTOMERS EVERY THREE FEET.BE CAREFUL TO CHEAP IS WORSE THAN TO EXPENSIVE
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Pooch Pal
Price is not primary
Mon Nov 19 22:46:33 2001
Most people will pay more for reliability, a job well done, good customer service and simply liking the people they're doing business with. Even if they can get the service or product for less money somewhere else. All the marketing gurus say that price is not the primary factor in choosing who to do business with. I could be wrong, but I believe that all our customers would not go to another service simply b/c it was cheaper. They know us, like us and are happy with the service we give.
Judy
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Pat - Tidy Pets Unlimited
RE:Price is not Primary
Tue Nov 20 05:52:11 2001
DITTO!!!!
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PoopScoopKing
i agree with Judy and Yuckos Debbie! EOM
Tue Nov 20 05:23:16 2001
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Tim
Re: Price is not primary
Tue Nov 20 00:05:13 2001
If price were the primary factor on choosing product or service... we would all be driving Yugos!
Tim
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Anonymous
and YUGO is out of business..Good point
Tue Nov 20 12:44:56 2001
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