What do you think of this for a business card?

[LTREES]

Looks good Buddha. I'm getting some t-shirts made up for the 1st time, hope they turn out nice. Good price.

LT...

 

[Metals406]

When I had my welding shop, I found the yellow pages, other print, and radio advertising were a waste of my money.

The thing that worked the best for me was hooded sweatshirts, t-shirts, and hats... All good quality stuff that people would want to wear, not that el-cheapo crap.

I had high school kids asking for my hats! LOL

They were flex-fit, nice high quality stuff, and the embroiderer I used was top notch.

I figure I spent a grand there total, and got lots of stuff for my money.

Card looks good BTW!

 

[demographic]

I'm just getting started in the firewood business, but I'm making the following assumptions:

1. Customers will appreciate getting more wood than what they paid for, but will complain loudly if they think they're getting shorted by even the slightest amount.
2. There is little customer loyalty. Meaning I have to work even harder for repeat business by providing a quality product at a fair price, backed by fast and friendly service.
3. One bad piece can lose you a customer. Product quality is important.
4. Ordering has to be as simple of a process as possible. People like convenience. It's up to me to provide that.
5. Customers will forget who you are before you leave their driveway. Meaning I need to remember them and check with them periodically to see if they need more product.
6. Marketing is critical for new business. I can't rely on word of mouth exclusively.

I think marketing is going to be the major factor for success. A memorable business card and an easy to remember name will help. I'm also hoping customers will put one of my fridge magnets up just because it's cool looking. I'm really banking on the magnets because I think everything else will get lost over time.

The other thing I think is important is the simple name of the business. Mike The Firewood Guy is about as easy to remember as I can get. www.thefirewoodguy.com was already taken so I went ahead and added my name.

Now to get busy building the website.

Whatever the case, I'm looking forward to being out in the woods.

The fridge magnets do indeed sound like a very good idea, somehow I missed reading that bit in your first post.

Good luck with your new venture.
Regards Scott.

 

[outofmytree]

Great idea BK.

I use magnets for the public and cards for businesses. Stick that baby on the fridge and they see it every time they open the door.

I suggest you collect email addresses and send out quarterly general mails.

Have a "Summer special" where your customers can get a deal by ordering out of season.

Dont reduce your prices for specials but rather add quantity.

A free coffee cup with every load delivered.

Share a load with your neighbour and get an extra 25% at no cost!

A good businessman I knew years ago took over an icecream store in a large shopping centre. Then the rats in Centre management allowed a Wendys franchise in the same centre despite his "no direct competition" clause. Within 12 months he had put that Wendys store out of business with a simple yet effective tool. His ice cream scoop. He bought a whole batch of icecream scoops that were smaller than his old ones. Then he instructed his staff to put 2 or even 3 scoops into each cone. It was the same quantity of icecream as he used to serve but the public perception was they were getting a better deal. This idea and his motto that every customer deserves a smile allowed this David to beat his personal Goliath. Apply the same principles and I believe you will do great.

Best of luck.

 

[BuddhaKat]

Great idea BK.

I use magnets for the public and cards for businesses. Stick that baby on the fridge and they see it every time they open the door.

I suggest you collect email addresses and send out quarterly general mails.

Have a "Summer special" where your customers can get a deal by ordering out of season.

Dont reduce your prices for specials but rather add quantity.

A free coffee cup with every load delivered.

Share a load with your neighbour and get an extra 25% at no cost!

A good businessman I knew years ago took over an icecream store in a large shopping centre. Then the rats in Centre management allowed a Wendys franchise in the same centre despite his "no direct competition" clause. Within 12 months he had put that Wendys store out of business with a simple yet effective tool. His ice cream scoop. He bought a whole batch of icecream scoops that were smaller than his old ones. Then he instructed his staff to put 2 or even 3 scoops into each cone. It was the same quantity of icecream as he used to serve but the public perception was they were getting a better deal. This idea and his motto that every customer deserves a smile allowed this David to beat his personal Goliath. Apply the same principles and I believe you will do great.

Best of luck.

Excellent advice, thanks.

 

[Moss Man]

I took a peak at the website, seems that it is under construction?

 

[BuddhaKat]

When I had my welding shop, I found the yellow pages, other print, and radio advertising were a waste of my money.

The thing that worked the best for me was hooded sweatshirts, t-shirts, and hats... All good quality stuff that people would want to wear, not that el-cheapo crap.

I had high school kids asking for my hats! LOL

They were flex-fit, nice high quality stuff, and the embroiderer I used was top notch.

I figure I spent a grand there total, and got lots of stuff for my money.

Card looks good BTW!

Thank you my friend. I agree, print and radio/TV would be a waste. Hadn't thought of shirts and hats. Maybe for the crew this year. I'm sure they would agree. Next year for the customers when I get some $ from this year.

My goal is 100 cords by the time I shut down cutting operations. I'm thinking that will happen around Oct. around here.

 

[BuddhaKat]

I took a peak at the website, seems that it is under construction?

Yep, working on it right now. I don't think I'll do anything special for this one. Pictures, phone & email outta do it. I'm going to install a program called vTiger that lets me keep track of customers, set reminders when to contact them, and keep track of what they bought. It's pretty cool for a free program. Doesn't hurt that I own the server too so I can install whatever I want on it.

 

[Moss Man]

Yep, working on it right now. I don't think I'll do anything special for this one. Pictures, phone & email outta do it. I'm going to install a program called vTiger that lets me keep track of customers, set reminders when to contact them, and keep track of what they bought. It's pretty cool for a free program. Doesn't hurt that I own the server too so I can install whatever I want on it.

I think the website could be a little more involved, we plan on designing one that has alot of firewood related links. We plan to run a firewood ad in the local paper and basically just putting the website link in the ad and let people go there to see our whole story and what we provide for services.

It's all in the beginning stages.

Good luck man. opcorn:

 

[Metals406]

Thank you my friend. I agree, print and radio/TV would be a waste. Hadn't thought of shirts and hats. Maybe for the crew this year. I'm sure they would agree. Next year for the customers when I get some $ from this year.

My goal is 100 cords by the time I shut down cutting operations. I'm thinking that will happen around Oct. around here.

A very good idea for the crew indeed... I gave stuff out to customers here and there... A lot of stuff went to family and friends. Hoodies are a good one for the crew--I wear one all fall and winter when I work outside... Just enough insulation to keep warm, but not too much where you get overly hot.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Went to your website... $140 for a pickup load of soft wood? Wow.. The going rate around here gets you a cord of oak for that. Must be nice to live where firewood brings that much...

Ian

 

[BuddhaKat]

Went to your website... $140 for a pickup load of soft wood? Wow.. The going rate around here gets you a cord of oak for that. Must be nice to live where firewood brings that much...

Ian

It'll go up to $180 when the selling season starts. I'm planning on $220/cord for the winter. Wish I could get some hardwood around here. It goes for $350+ for a cord.

 

[Metals406]

It'll go up to $180 when the selling season starts. I'm planning on $220/cord for the winter. Wish I could get some hardwood around here. It goes for $350+ for a cord.

Yup... It has everything to do with availability of wood species. The Eastern US has hardwoods, so they burn it. We have softwoods, so we burn that.

Takes the same amount of fuel, oil, and sweat to harvest either one.

 

[woodbooga]

Went to your website... $140 for a pickup load of soft wood? Wow.. The going rate around here gets you a cord of oak for that. Must be nice to live where firewood brings that much...

Ian

BK posted a pic of a p/u load he sold recently. Nary a tree in sight - I think what few trees in a 10 mile radius wound up in the bed of his truck.

Good advice so far. I'll join in those dissing the yellowpages. Our local community-based AM station is well listened to as it is a great source of local news (and gossip), but it's the exception not the rule IMO when ad buys are at issue.

FWIW, your magent looks like the business card of the area's leading dealer. Both have in common a straightforward message and multiple ways of getting in touch.

I like the idea a few posts back about beefing up your site's content. Especially relating to tips on maximizing wood heat experience/tips, etc. And update as often as possible. The more reasons your clientele - and potential customers - have to visit, the more you position "Mike the Firewood Guy" as the source for all things wood heat in the REno area.

 

[BriGuy89]

I've got as far as this for a business card and fridge magnet. What do you think?

I think that unless you change the operational focus a bit, you're emphasizing the web site way too much on this card.

When one goes to mikethefirewoodguy.com, all you see is one offer (early bird special price, without any details), and...the same "call-me" phone number and e-mail address that are on the card. No e-commerce option, no detailed information on this or other offerings, nothing about related services, nothing about the business, etc.

In short, by emphasizing your web channel as the first line on the card and giving it the biggest type treatment, you're in effect telling people that's the first thing you want them to see and the first place you want them to go. But at the web site as currently instituted, you're adding extra steps to the sales conversion process -- go to your computer, log on, go to the web site, then call or e-mail -- without adding value to the customer (for example, "If I'd known I had to call or e-mail anyway, I'd have done that right away). That can leave a bad taste in folks' mouths and hurt chances for getting (and keeping) someone's business.

Remember, your web site name is already there through the e-mail address as a contact. So having the domain name there up top doesn't add a lot from that perspective either.

I suggest replace the URL with another message you want to emphasize, or putting some serious muscle behind the web site so that it's a valuable destination for customers and a value add in your sales conversion process.

Also, that image is OK but looks to me like it's a gas insert, not a true wood-burning fireplace. Others have noted that as well. If you can find a better true wood-burning image, it would be better but is definitely not as critical as addressing the other points because the image still conveys the key point (fuel for the fireplace).

 

[BuddhaKat]

All good advice. I'm working on the website so it doesn't have all the info on it that's been suggested. I should have it finished today. I thought about making a full blown e-commerce site, but for now I don't want to take checks or credit cards so I opted for the simple site.

The stove on the website is burning wood, or so the mfg's website said.

 

[woodbooga]

I thought about making a full blown e-commerce site, but for now I don't want to take checks or credit cards so I opted for the simple site.

Going eCommerce is tricky if you don't anticipate the volume to justify. You get into encryption, c.c. processing, etc. Adds overhead, complexity, and risk (notably the chance someone's info could be compromised in the transaction).

 

[gink595]

Great looking card, but it is missing something... maybe A woodslave bent over in a skimpy little number feeding the fire. Like Rodney Carrington says "You could sell a wheel barrow full of :censored:, if you had a naked woman sitting in it" I tend to agree

 

[mtfallsmikey]

My vote?

Print it! Good card!

:agree2::agree2:

 

[BriGuy89]

The stove on the website is burning wood, or so the mfg's website said.

Have you licensed use of the image(s) for commercial purposes? If not, that's technically a copyright violation, and would represent a liability to the business.

Whether you'd ever get caught or legally challenged for unauthorized use is a whole different discussion -- one that's not germane to the original post -- so I'll put the kaibosh on that by simply acknowledging the point here, and requesting any further interest in that as a topic be opened as a separate post so as to not hijack this thread about Mike's proposed business card.