Radically new website service - looking for opinions

[thesignexpert]

Hey all,

After much blood, sweat & tears I am releasing a general announcement for a new website concept that I have been working on for the last few years. Some of you were kind enough to provide some constructive criticism in an earlier private post for subscribing members so a special appreciation is due for your thoughts and input. Thanks to those comments & questions I believe I was able to significantly improve the site so I am hoping to get a wider review and perhaps get some more valuable feedback. Without getting too wordy (which I found was creating communication confusion) the site is essentially a web based tool that makes it very easy to connect sign companies who service electrical signs with sign owners who have a sign that needs repair work.

Here is a video that I hope explains the benefits & use of the site... ProSignRepair.com - Introduction

The website itself is ProSignRepair.com

I hope to get some comments, both positive & negative, on the progress so far.

Thanks in advance everyone.

 

[John L]

Tim, I'm kinda lost. Who took the photo of the sign outtage? ...The sign guy who uploaded it and was waiting for a chance at the client contacting him through the site? ... or someone else who is awaiting a finders fee?

Can you elaborate please if you have time?

 

[WCSign]

i think its an awesome idea, but 29.95 per city is pricey when for instance, there are 6 "cities" within 5 miles of me.. would I pay for each city?

 

[thesignexpert]

Tim, I'm kinda lost. Who took the photo of the sign outtage? ...The sign guy who uploaded it and was waiting for a chance at the client contacting him through the site? ... or someone else who is awaiting a finders fee?

Can you elaborate please if you have time?

John,

That is an excellent question and leads us to one of the more impressive tools available for subscribers. The site gives you the power to invite any number of "Spotters" who can find, take a photo and enter leads specifically for you (of course you can participate as well) You can invite your spouse, child, employees, neighbor etc. You can even invite & hire a couple of college kids to go out for a couple of hours a couple of times a week specifically to look for sign outages if you want. The system is built to be so easy that any one of these individuals can find and submit valid, accurate and viable leads for sign service work.

Here is a screen shot showing the Invite Spotters page for Subscribers as well as some of the other tools along the top.

Thanks for the great question!

Tim

 

[signage]

Do you have signs in every area being reported to you?

What is the square mileage of a city, or doest it include all surrounding communities (boros, townships)?

 

[signage]

What do the spotters get for finding these signs?

Who gets the spotters to sign up?

If the one getting the work gets them, what is the advantage to this website?

 

[thesignexpert]

i think its an awesome idea, but 29.95 per city is pricey when for instance, there are 6 "cities" within 5 miles of me.. would I pay for each city?

Yes, the value of each city can vary considerably which is part of the reasoning behind the price point. The first consideration is that an average sign repair job (neon, fluorescent and LED) captures an average Net Profit of about $140.00 If the system only delivers one sale in the city for the entire month you are still ahead. If you do nothing all month and spend no time at all spotting at night to get leads then you are still only out the price of a decent dinner. When you consider all the other forms of marketing for your business, this one is a highly targeted process while remaining remarkably low priced.

The second consideration is that with this pricing you have the flexibility to secure one, two or all 6 cities in your area should you choose. You can take a very small risk and lock your competition out of one city for less than $30 per month or take all 6 and lock your competition completely out of the area for less than $180 per month. The price point gives you a considerable amount of power in allowing you to decide exactly what fits your business model and goals.

Consider this, it's even less than the cost of 1 transformer or ballast

At the end of the day you have to make the decision on whether or not it works for you. More importantly does the site & service provide an overwhelming value that is justified in the price? If we deliver the goods then I say it is a great bargain. If we don't then you can cancel anytime you want.

I am hoping that we have structured this in such a way to encourage folks to try it out. After the site starts delivering service work right to your inbox then I am hoping it becomes a no-brainer to stay on board.

Thanks so much for the question. I hope I addressed it in a clear manner.

 

[thesignexpert]

Do you have signs in every area being reported to you?

What is the square mileage of a city, or doest it include all surrounding communities (boros, townships)?

I'm not sure what you are asking me with the first question. if you could rephrase than I will be happy to help.

With the second I believe you are asking about how the area is determined? (please correct me if I have that wrong)

The geographic areas are determined using the Google Maps definition of a "City" and what Zip Codes are officially associated with that city. This keeps us focused on actual concentrated areas of commercial activity to ensure that there are electrical signs in the area. Of course, by associating the subscription per city we do end with varying "values". In Ohio, for example, the City of Hilliard is decent sized but only encompasses 1 zip code while the City of Columbus has 23 zip codes... obviously Columbus is the better bang for the buck. On the other hand, this model also encourages subscribers to sign-up quickly in order to snag the best areas in their market and lock their competitors out of the system there.

 

[dclet]

good luck with it...

 

[thesignexpert]

What do the spotters get for finding these signs?

Who gets the spotters to sign up?

If the one getting the work gets them, what is the advantage to this website?

Brian,

The Spotters can be compensated in any number of ways and we have subscribers who use multiple methods in their companies. Some do a straight hourly rate. Some offer a percentage of the sale or a small bonus. Some offer a free gas card or other gift as incentive. The owner's sometimes do their own Spotting so their reward is simply the increased sales.

The Spotters are specifically invited by you. You wouldn't want just anyone out doing this for you so you have the power to invite individuals that you already know. Whether it is your spouse, older children, employees, a trusted neighbor, a couple of college kids that want to earn a little extra beer money or the lady down the street who wants to earn some part-time money. It is up to you.

If I understand your last question correctly, the advantage that the website brings is multi-fold...

1. We have created an easy to use, systematized and leveraged tool that makes your Spotters immensely effective even if they have zero experience with electrical signs.
2. We have created a way to send highly targeted marketing notices directly to a buyer with a very specific and visible need. An acute pain plus an easy reasonable solution equals sales.
3. We have created a way to alert that customer, provide them with exactly the information they need to make a decision and convert that customer into a Sign Repair Order.
4. We have created a system that automatically takes the order and sends you an e-mail complete with the location, photo, and pre-approved estimate range based on the ground survey data.
5. We have eliminated cold-calling and the need to waste time re-visting the location trying to find a decision maker or listen to 50 "no"s
6. In short, we have taken the practice of Night Spotting and converted it into a 90% automated process. Incredible marketing power and minimal effort creates a win-win for everyone.

And all this for less than $30 a month!

All excellent questions and thank you very much Brian. Keep em' coming sir. I am thrilled to answer any and all questions, objections and observations.

 

[HulkSmash]

Good Idea... Don't see it working too well....

You're going to hire people to go out and spot signs in every single city?

Isn't that what sales reps do? If you're already paying someone to go out and get work..... then... why would someone pay for your monthly and city charges?

good luck!!

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

Why are you eliminating the general public from reporting signs?

 

[Justin]

I'm curious though.. Let's say I hire someone to go spot some signs.. They spot a particular sign, and there are multiple sign companies in the area, and this business happens to put their name in there, does it link to me?

Do you have affiliates after the 1st screen where you enter your address/zip?

Do you keep track of the address/zip for any marketing reasons?

Edit: I just noticed something else. I read on your presentation that the repair company gets exclusive access to the chosen area. What if there are multiple sign repair companies who want the same areas?

 

[thesignexpert]

You're going to hire people to go out and spot signs in every single city?

No, it is not required or even suggested that you hire people just to go out and spot malfunctioning signs. I have built the system in order to make it incredibly easy for you, people you know or people you already employ to use.

Isn't that what sales reps do? If you're already paying someone to go out and get work..... then... why would someone pay for your monthly and city charges?

A great question and one that I would answer with a question... If I am already paying someone to go a out and find work for me why would I give them business cards, or brochures? Why would I invest in marketing efforts or build a website that enables them to sell more effectively?

For less than $30 a month, this tool that I have built empowers anyone (and everyone) you choose to spot needed sign repair work and it automates the sales process. With little effort you can put a notice on the door alerting a client to the problem (we provide free pads of sticky-notes) & enter the info into the system. For the same $29.99 per city you can give access to 1 person or 20. For the same $29.99 you have given your entire sales force a tool that enables them to increase their sales... and with much less effort than how sign service work is typically sold.

Great questions! Thanks so much!

 

[thesignexpert]

Why are you eliminating the general public from reporting signs?

I'm not totally sure of this question... are you asking why I am not allowing the general public to access the website and report electrical sign outages? Perhaps I am wrong but I would think that the general public doesn't really care about someone's sign being out. This system is designed to connect the two people who actually do care...

1. The PAIN - The organization who's malfunctioning sign is putting out a bad image and wants someone to fix the problem.

and

2. The CURE - The sign service company who wants to fix those problems and sees value in a tool that actively brings that work right to their door.

If I misunderstood the question please let me know.

 

[thesignexpert]

I'm curious though.. Let's say I hire someone to go spot some signs.. They spot a particular sign, and there are multiple sign companies in the area, and this business happens to put their name in there, does it link to me?

Yes, every lead put into the system by you or your Spotters connects directly to you and only you. When that sign owner clicks on "Yes, Fix My Sign" an e-mail is sent directly to your inbox with all the info you need to go fix the sign (night photo, address, map, sign info, estimate range etc.)

Do you have affiliates after the 1st screen where you enter your address/zip?

I don't understand this question. Could you rephrase it?

Do you keep track of the address/zip for any marketing reasons?

The address, zip, business name, photo etc. is all linked in the database and is sent along with the e-mail when you get an order. If you are asking if ProSignRepair.com uses the information for marketing of our own, the answer is no. The website is intended to be a tool created expressly for your use and benefit. There will be no conflict of interest or secondary marketing on our behalf. I hope I understood your question and/or concern there.

Edit: I just noticed something else. I read on your presentation that the repair company gets exclusive access to the chosen area. What if there are multiple sign repair companies who want the same areas?

Excellent question! Once you take a city (or cities) you, and only you, have access to those zip codes. Only you (or your invited Spotters) can submit leads in those zip codes and you get every sale that comes from those zip codes. If there is another shop who wants the city then they have to wait until you give up your subscription. It is a First Come First Serve scenario. This is one of the subjects that I felt very strongly about when designing the site. I felt that a sign shop who paid for specific cities should feel safe that nobody else could poach in their areas using the website. Having a powerful marketing tool becomes increasingly valueless if anybody else can buy the tool and waltz into your town to use it. By defining everything by City & Zip Codes we can keep clear delineation between areas.

Thanks!

 

[Justin]

Thanks for answering my questions. I'll keep it on bookmarks, and give it a try ever so often.. =)

 

[John L]

Tim, If I understand your offering.. this isn't a lead referral service (like CMD, or Dodge Reports) where you search out and provide the leads to a bunch of similar service companies for a fee. It is more like an "app on tap" where your monthly fee buys me a ready to use system (from pads of pre-printed stick notices to an auto-responder website) that I can quickly start using to generate my own service leads? Is that right?

It seems like a winner for some, especially in large markets. But I am still at a lost as to why only one company per zip code. Especially huge markets like maybe Vegas where there are a thousand electric sign companies in the same locale.

I have subscribed to services like CMD and Dodge Reports for years and still do real well with them for NEW work. But theres always competition. I'm all ears on how yours will work, and limit that competition for service work. I'd be on board right now if you were posting the leads yourself, even if it was 5 or maybe 10 times that monthly price you are offering.

 

[thesignexpert]

Tim, If I understand your offering.. this isn't a lead referral service (like CMD, or Dodge Reports) where you search out and provide the leads to a bunch of similar service companies for a fee. It is more like an "app on tap" where your monthly fee buys me a ready to use system (from pads of pre-printed stick notices to an auto-responder website) that I can quickly start using to generate my own service leads? Is that right?

YES! That is pretty darn close John.

It seems like a winner for some, especially in large markets. But I am still at a lost as to why only one company per zip code. Especially huge markets like maybe Vegas where there are a thousand electric sign companies in the same locale.

Yes, we have struggled with that aspect of splitting out the areas. At the end of the day, I felt that it gives the subscribing company more value to know that they, and only they, can make use of the site if they sign-up first. Essentially, an aggressive and service focused company can make use of the tool to get a big jump on their competitors. I know it sounds odd, but my primary goal of the website is to provide local sign shops with a really powerful tool that will drive sales to their bottom line. The way I have it structured gives a big shop a tool to really go after their area but it also gives a small shop the tool to work in a small market.

I have subscribed to services like CMD and Dodge Reports for years and still do real well with them for NEW work. But theres always competition. I'm all ears on how yours will work, and limit that competition for service work.

With this one there is no competition because no one else can input leads in your zip codes.

I'd be on board right now if you were posting the leads yourself, even if it was 5 or maybe 10 times that monthly price you are offering.

Its funny you mentioned that. I actually spent almost a year trying to develop the system with that concept in mind. We would recruit and field the Spotters and the Subscribers would reap the benefits of their efforts... and it was hundreds of dollars per month. I finally abandoned that model because I simply could not make it work from a ROI standpoint. Additionally, the logistics of recruiting, employing and motivating hundreds if not thousands of employees across the country and potentially into other countries ended up being a nut I couldn't seem to crack.

Ultimately, it seemed much better to involve the subscriber in the Spotter activities. The way I saw it, who would be most motivated and who would be more suited to using the system as it was intended to work? It seemed to me that the subscriber, who will directly benefit from every sale, would be the best solution. Of course, dropping the monthly subscription had to reflect that decision which is why it is priced so low.

Awesome questions and insight John. Thanks!

 

[Locals Find!]

Nice concept. I don't do this kinda work at all, but if someone wants a spotter in the SW Florida market I will be glad to spot for them.

If you get anyone interested in my region let them know I am available to spot. I currently don't have a relationship with anyone doing that kinda work anymore as the company I was referring to close its doors over a year ago. I saw 30 potential repair jobs just on my way into work this morning due to crack or missing faces alone.