For many years, I've tuned pianos in addition to brokering real estate.
Pianos --playing and tuning -- are a lifelong hobby that I've been unable to break myself of. And we're talking about more than 50 years.
Fortunately, I figured out in the beginning that piano tuning and piano performing were not going to earn enough money to support us.
So real estate stepped in as the great profession that has give us a fine life for more than 45 years.
One thing that is generic to piano tuning that's hard to get around is this. And it's a compound issue, really.
There isn't a large percentage of the population who owns a piano. And of those who do, most don't have theirs tuned with any regularity.
So that leaves the piano technician having to constantly prospect for new clients, a prospect among a very small universe that is comprised of piano owners.
I wondered if advertising with Angie's List would fit the advertising media mold that would warrant the expense, so I decided to investigate.
There is no Angie's List zoned for Dallas subscribers. It takes in the entire Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Since I service only Dallas and a few of the Dallas bedroom communities, it made no sense to pay for exposure to Ft. Worth subscribers, and the bedroom communities of that city.
I was unable to pin down from the Angie's List account representative exactly how many subscribers they had in the Dallas-Ft. Worth zone, much less how many they had in the areas I service. Nevertheless, I decided to try it for several months.
The ads are expensive, especially when the advertiser considers his ads are reaching many who are outside of the advertiser's service area.
Nevertheless, I bit the bullet and ran the ad...and I did it for four consecutive months. I did not get one call. Meanwhile, I had three separate account representatives during that short period. Each one insisted that if I would offer a discount to Angie's List subscribers, I would get calls.
I don't discount unless I discount for everyone.
My guess is that for most businesses, Angie's List is a marginal venue at best. I canceled and won't use it again.
BILL CHERRY, REALTORS
DALLAS
Since 1964
214 503-8563
Comments(7)