Subscriber Success Story

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July Holiday.

Today I was going to write about Google Adwords and the techniques I use to find and promote products. After two hours of writing I realized that there was no way I would be able to get everything into a short Blog post. So, I have decided to create a free course about Google Adwords so I will not be limited by the format of this Blog. I'll let you know when it is ready and give you a link to download.

So, instead I would like to tell you about an Emergency Cash Generator that one of my subscribers put to use and grossed $450.00 in less then a week.

This business involves painting reflective address numbers onto the curbs outside of houses.

Yes, that's right...

Curb Painting!!!

Now, hold on a second. I know this isn't the most glamerous business. But, if you want to earn some cash quickly with almost very little start up costs this is a great way to do it.

There are almost never any rules for house numbers in residential areas. Some have large numbers on the door, others small numbers or name on the mailbox, on the side of the house (usually under the ivy or behind the rosebush) and still others have no marking whatsoever.

Now, if you have ever tried to find an address in a strange neighborhood, you have undoubtedly experienced the frustration of looking for a house number where there are none displayed. Most people understand this frustration which is why it is not difficult to make money solving this problem.

One of the really great things about this business is that you don't have to do any personal selling. No knocking on doors. No telemarketing. No expensive ads.

The way you market this service is with the help of hundreds of "lean mean marketing missiles!"

These "marketing missiles" will cost you about 2 cents each.

They have but one purpose -- to sell your curb painting service. That's all they do. That's all they know. They are little missiles flying through the neighboorhood targeting each home and getting you business. And since they are so cheap, you'll want to deploy as many as you can in each neighborhood.

What are these missiles? Flyers! Flyers that you distribute to each house in your targeted neighborhoods.

I have a sample flyer that you can print and use. This flyer was designed to be educational and highly motivational. It tells people why it is important to have a highly visible address painted on the curb in front of their home. It informs them that the addresses will be painted starting the next day and gives the price and directions on how to get their curb painted:

Sample Flyer

That one page flyer is pure marketing dynomite! It does all the selling for you and allows you to spend most of your time painting the curbs and making money.

When you are ready to get started simply print out the flyer and take it to your local quick printer. Use goldenrod colored paper. Make 300-500 copies. These should only cost you 2-4 cents each.

Check Mail Boxes Ect. if you have one in your area. They sometimes run a 1 penny per copy special.

Self service copies at Home Depot is also cheap but I have found the quality is sometimes bad. Run a few samples through the machine before you commit to 300 copies that are fuzzy or smudged.

Note: If you work with the font and spacing of the flyer you can probably get two flyers per page and cut your flyer costs in half!

After you have made your copies you are ready to begin distributing them. Target middle class neighborhoods that are mostly single family homes. Don't bother with condos, apartments or rentals -- these complexes usually have maintenence people that take care of curb painting.

Before you start distributing, one other thing you need is a roll of double sided tape -- the kind that is sticky on both sides. As you are distributing flyers attach the tape to the top of the flyer and stick it to the doorknob of the front door. The owner can then use the same piece of tape to attach the flyer to the window or door. You don't want to lose a sell because the owner couldn't find a piece of tape.

Do NOT place the flyer in or attach to the homeowners mailbox. You CAN attach the flyer to the mail box post however it is more effective hanging from the doorknob where the owner can't miss it. Also, Do not attach the flyer to any painted surface as it may pull some paint off.

The best way I have found to distibute the flyers is to park your car at the beginning of the street and distribute up one side of the street until you hit an intersection or run out of houses. You can save a lot of time if you cut across the lawn of houses that are grouped together. Then distribute on the other side of the street.

Once you finish one street drive to the next one, park and distribute up and down. You'll find this much faster then driving from house to house. You should be able to distibute 90 - 120 flyers an hour using this method. Keep distributing until you run out of flyers.

The next day drive back to your distribution point and look for the flyers in the window or front door of the houses you visited the previous day. Stop and record each address. Continue until you have recorded the addresses from all applicable houses.

Now it's time to buy your supplies. You will need the following

1 gallon of green paint (made for concrete or asphalt surfaces)
1 4" Paint Brush
Masking Tape
White Spray Paint (you will need appx 1 can for every 10 addresses)
Glass Traffic Beads
Salt Shaker (Fill the salt shaker with glass beads)
Wire Brush
Small Broom
Cardboard
White Chalk
Address Number Stencils
Invoice book
Self Addressed Envelopes

The Glass Beads may be hard to find in your area. Start with the paint stores and ask around. The glass beads are used to sprinkle on the painted numbers to make them reflective. You may be able to find them at a craft shop. If all else fails you can order them online at http://www.timestriping.com/cat-page_5.htm. A 50 lb bag costs $18.00.

Begin by painting the green backgrounds. If there is already a number painted on the curb, go ahead and paint over it with green paint. If not, locate the background in front of the front door. Use the wire brush to scrub the area to loosen any dirt. Then use the broom to sweep the area to be painted.

Take some cardboard and cut it into an area about 6 x 12 inches. You will use this as a template. Place the template on the area to be painted and use your chalk to make an outline of the template. Line up your masking tape aound the chalk lines to form a 6 x 12 inch rectangle. Use the brush to paint the area inside the masking tape with the green paint. Remove and discard the masking tape. Reuse your cardboard template.

Continue to each house and paint the backgrounds. Once you have finished painting the last background, go back to the first house and begin painting the numbers. Do this by placing the appropriate stincils in the center of your already painted background. Be sure to verify the address by reading it off the flyer. If there is any doubt compare this to the address on the house.

Using your white paint spray each number. After each number sprinkle the glass beads on the wet paint. You need to apply the glass beads quickly to insure proper adhesion.

After you are finished with each address go to the door and ask the homeowner for payment. If they are not at home leave an invoice (this can be a simple note on a legal pad) and a self addresses envelope.

That's it. A nice simple money maker you can use anytime you need it.