Residential Marketing Techniques

john_petrowski said:
Well we have a lot in common don't me - UGA and DSMAX.

LOL! That's too funny! We'll have Assurant and other things in common too on of these days if NYL just doesn't make it for me.

DS-MAX was a very strange and interesting company, started by that Canadian guy that had an interesting success story. Ultimately, the thing was almost like a pyramid scheme, in a sense. You had a room full of people that showed up everyday for a morning meeting where you all danced around like a bunch of morons and did the stupid cheer. You tell the whole room that their focus should be on moving towards leadership and management (WTF? Are you going to expand to every backwoods town in America? 40 people in the room and they all need to be managers?), then send them out for the day. Then you send them out to sell the gas service. A good day might bring home $120 or more, before taxes of course, but there were poor days when I was sent out to territory that had been mined already and made like $35 for the day.

I believe I got like $10-$12 per gas contract signed. When you averaged the good days with the bad days, it was McDonald's wages on steroids. Not a bad summer job or something, but far short of a living wage job. For that money, I hit the office at 7:00 AM and never left any sooner than 7:30 PM or I wasn't a "team player". That was Monday through Friday, although they wanted me to work weekends too. On Saturday night, I fell asleep by 9:00 PM because I was just exhausted from the week.

Had they worked a more reasonable day where one had a little bit of a life and been able to pay their sales reps a little more too (take a little more off the owner) it would have been an okay operation. But my manager interviewed like 100 people per week or something outrageous like that. If your sales force cannot make a good living just by selling, then your business model is built on a flimsy house of cards. Let's be honest--there's only so much need for managers to open new offices, and that need is a small fraction of the people you sell the dream to. Those people were recruited with goofy ads that talked about "sports-minded" people and other nonsense.

I left after a few weeks. I called my manager that morning and told him it just wouldn't work for me anymore. I said "Who wants to make a living interviewing 100 people per week?" He told me if I stuck with it I could make six-figures in a couple years. I said maybe he was right, but I would find another way to do it, or come as close as I can.

BOTTOM LINE: I think it could have been a more workable concept for more people with some tweaking.
 
NHB_MMA said:
Really? You have the whole thing covered or something? Looking at my fridge I count 18 small magnets and they're probably about 1"x1", on average. There are a couple of papers on there, but I don't take anything down but rather just put the magnets all the way around the edge of the paper. Only the top part has anything on it and not the bottom. Maybe I'm not thinking and maybe the fridge magnet is not quite as hot of an item as I envisioned. I know I like the things and it's not like I've ever walked into anyone's home and been thinking "#&*^!!! Could this dude have any more magnets on his refrigerator?" :D Maybe I'll have to steer towards calendars.

Yes it is covered! I took an inventory, No #1 are the NYNY Magnets that my son just loves from his trip there with his mother. No#2 Hawaii trip we took is still running strong. No #3 Sons Art Work (quite the artist) No #4 Neices Picts (Jessica turns 16 ((now how old do I feel?))) No 5# School stuff No #6 Wife's crap etc etc, a never ending story of my life. Just wondering where a TV would fit?

I got a idea, how about a Newsletter? "Dear Sir, I'm James from the neighborhood, as your local Insurance Agent I would like to hand you this Newsletter. Since you are my Nieghbor I would like you to have it, with all charges waived! Now I can email you this everymonth or mail it too you, which would you prefer?"
 
James said:
I got a idea, how about a Newsletter? "Dear Sir, I'm James from the neighborhood, as your local Insurance Agent I would like to hand you this Newsletter. Since you are my Nieghbor I would like you to have it, with all charges waived! Now I can email you this everymonth or mail it too you, which would you prefer?"

Sounds like a great idea, but I imagine it's an expensive undertaking. Either my limited expertise, and believe me when I say "limited", has to produce this newsletter, or pay a service to do it. I've been thinking about it and I like the idea of a newsletter, but I just can't imagine I can do it coming out of the gates.
 
NHB_MMA said:
James said:
I got a idea, how about a Newsletter? "Dear Sir, I'm James from the neighborhood, as your local Insurance Agent I would like to hand you this Newsletter. Since you are my Nieghbor I would like you to have it, with all charges waived! Now I can email you this everymonth or mail it too you, which would you prefer?"

Sounds like a great idea, but I imagine it's an expensive undertaking. Either my limited expertise, and believe me when I say "limited", has to produce this newsletter, or pay a service to do it. I've been thinking about it and I like the idea of a newsletter, but I just can't imagine I can do it coming out of the gates.

Na, it aint' that hard, a one page Newsletter nicely done would be all it takes. You can download articles for little cost, you just want something to stay in touch with may it be monthly or quarterly.
 
GREAT! Just what we needed! A couple more Ex Ds Maxers on the forum! I ran an Advertsising Deal in Sacramento under Matt Kelly.

JUICE by you guys!
 
Superchief said:
GREAT! Just what we needed! A couple more Ex Ds Maxers on the forum! I ran an Advertsising Deal in Sacramento under Matt Kelly.

JUICE by you guys!

:lol: Unbelieveable!
 
Superchief said:
GREAT! Just what we needed! A couple more Ex Ds Maxers on the forum! I ran an Advertsising Deal in Sacramento under Matt Kelly.

JUICE by you guys!

I'm in Sacto. I never saw it!!

Al
 
Superchief said:
GREAT! Just what we needed! A couple more Ex Ds Maxers on the forum! I ran an Advertsising Deal in Sacramento under Matt Kelly.
JUICE by you guys!

I had a great time at WWI (before they changed their name to DS MAX.) Worked my way up, made great money in clearance in the field, quickly built a team then they offered me a co-owner opportunity in Vegas. Got promoted out to Reno to open their first office, then off to the Brea office in CA to help out there and re-train some owners who were negging out. Would still be there but the hours burnt me out. Fantastic BtoB experience and unmatched experience with hiring and managing people.
 
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