Topic ID 5817
We keep having William H Brown Business Cards pushed through our letterbox with 'Please Call Me' scribbled on in pencil!! Not sure why they want me to call them (maybe they want to arrange a blind date?) but this appears to be very unprofessional and was wondering if anyone else gets these pushed through their letterbox!
Reply ID 79858
Yes, we've had these to, very annoying!
Reply ID 79859
Yep us too and ditto I found it unproffesional. If anyone from WHB reads this please stop as it means I would never use you.
Reply ID 79862
They put a card through my door too a few weeks ago
Reply ID 79863
We had this and it really confused my father as the house next door was recently sold by them and I had a job making him understand it was not something important for them!
Reply ID 79865
Put it in an envelope and post it back to them - minus the postage stamp. [}:)]
Reply ID 79868
I called them and asked what they wanted? The answer was....would you like to sell your house? My answer....no....long pause for them to have the opportunity to overcome my objection. Their reply. Ok thank you. good bye. Great sales skills.
Reply ID 79887
I've decided that I'm going to pop it through the letter box of one of the other estate agents in town, wonder if they'll call them??
Reply ID 79889
We should all do that, then the agents can just chat among themselves and leave us alone. If William H Brown is waiting for my call he is going to have a very long wait!
Reply ID 79890
These idiots have no idea. I know it is a recession but I get these 'cocky' business cards too all the time saying 'please call me'. The one thing I wont do is what they want. Whoever is running the marketing strategy for William H Brown needs to have a reality check, or some training. I have a feeling the end of this approach might be nigh for their network and another approach might want to be adopted. So many people I have spoken to are fed up with it. I would never sell my house through them.
Reply ID 79893
quote:it's unlikely you would anyway[:D]
Originally posted by James007
... I would never sell my house through them.
Reply ID 79905
Some of the people getting hot under the collar about having a business card with a polite message on it dropped through their letterbox are the very people who would normally be harumphing about how businesses need to work harder in a recession. A local branch of a national chain that employs local people is trying to drum up business - why is that so bad? As Victor has said, you don't get a hard sell if you call the number on the card, in fact he seems disappointed that he just got a short, polite response with no 'sales skills'. It's hardly manipulative sales tactics, is it? [:)] A business run by a regular contributor to these forums uses a flyer which has a post-it note stuck on it with a 'handwritten' message saying, 'This might interest you'. It's the same sort of thing. Direct mail and leafletting evolves just like any branch of marketing.
Reply ID 79914
quote:Are you the Rachel from William H Brown that has been popping these through the letterbox by any chance?
Originally posted by Rachel
Some of the people getting hot under the collar about having a business card with a polite message on it dropped through their letterbox are the very people who would normally be harumphing about how businesses need to work harder in a recession. A local branch of a national chain that employs local people is trying to drum up business - why is that so bad? As Victor has said, you don't get a hard sell if you call the number on the card, in fact he seems disappointed that he just got a short, polite response with no 'sales skills'. It's hardly manipulative sales tactics, is it? [:)] A business run by a regular contributor to these forums uses a flyer which has a post-it note stuck on it with a 'handwritten' message saying, 'This might interest you'. It's the same sort of thing. Direct mail and leafletting evolves just like any branch of marketing.
Reply ID 79915
quote:Yes I got one of them; thought it was quite novel but I'm afraid it went the same way as the business card. I suppose estate agents don't have much else to do these days so spend their days doodling on the back of calling cards??
A business run by a regular contributor to these forums uses a flyer which has a post-it note stuck on it with a 'handwritten' message saying, 'This might interest you'. It's the same sort of thing. Direct mail and leafletting evolves just like any branch of marketing.
Reply ID 79920
Rachel, I think that you are missing the point. It's not the fact that this estate agent is trying to drum up business but the way in which they are going about it. As Marilyn has pointed out a business card with a blunt instructon on the back to call them can be confusing and worrying for many vunerable people. A few words of explanation such as 'If you are are considering selling your house please call me' would in my opinion be a far more professional approach. The other example you have quoted (this might interest you) makes it clear that it is an invitation for people to call if they feel it would be beneficial. You only have to read through the comments on this thread to see that this attempt to drum up business is simply not working. Infact I would go as far to say that it is having a negative effect and damaging their credability. My advice would be to listen to the majority and try a different approach.
Reply ID 79921
X2 Tricky.
Reply ID 79922
quote:I assume the intention is to suggest that they have a buyer interested ready and specifically interested in your house.........hence their sales person responding to Victor Meldrew with, "Would you like to sell your house?". Obviously the reality is that it is just a sales pitch and there are no buyers directly interested. Who would go to an estate agents and enquire after a property not on their books? And if the estate agent does not have a series of responses lined up for those who call and the ability to engage in a constructive sales dialogue then what's the point? Let's think about this sensibly. We're not talking about a load of stuff piled in the garage awaiting a trip to the charity shop that you might be tempted to sell if someone offered you cash. It's not the old bike you don't use any more since you bought a new one and a few quid to offload it would do very nicely, thank you. It's your house, your home. So there's some speculative punt through the letterbox...."Please call me"........followed by, "Do you want to sell your house?". If people want to sell their house they do something about it. They don't wait to be influenced by a card through the door. It's good that local businesses are being creative in their marketing but it has to be thought through and clearly this one hasn't been.
Originally posted by Firedupinside
We keep having William H Brown Business Cards pushed through our letterbox with 'Please Call Me' scribbled on in pencil!! Not sure why they want me to call them (maybe they want to arrange a blind date?) but this appears to be very unprofessional and was wondering if anyone else gets these pushed through their letterbox!
Reply ID 79923
Well put, Ewoowar.
Reply ID 79924
quote:Lazy marketing. Be glad that they haven't got your email address. You will get spammed into oblivion.
Originally posted by Ewoowarquote:It's good that local businesses are being creative in their marketing but it has to be thought through and clearly this one hasn't been.
Originally posted by Firedupinside
We keep having William H Brown Business Cards pushed through our letterbox with 'Please Call Me' scribbled on in pencil!! Not sure why they want me to call them (maybe they want to arrange a blind date?) but this appears to be very unprofessional and was wondering if anyone else gets these pushed through their letterbox!
Reply ID 79926
Not exactly hard to stop spam from one source though is it [:)]
Reply ID 80031
Maybe WHB have had some negative comments because they've flyered our street with a very straightforward page of copy. Headed, 'SPECIFIC REQUEST for [4 named streets]' it goes on to clearly explain they are looking for properties to sell in the area '...if you are thinking of selling... or are curious as to what your home is worth...' They end with the sentence, 'If this is not relevant to you, apologies for the direct request.' So, surely nothing here that could perturb those confused or affronted by a business card with 'Please call me' written on it and maybe it shows WHB have tried to respond to feedback. The power of Discover Hertford Online Forum! [:)]