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Julian. We used magnetics some years ago, eventually they blistered the paintwork and would blow off when travelling in high winds. And yes they advertise that your vehicle holds items worth stealing. Never had any leads from when we used them , having said that we are nearly all commercial so signs are not going to attract that type of work. On the whole weighing up the chances of attracting new work against theft I would say no.
Hi Peter
Thanks for that. Good info re. paintwork blistering.
Cheers
I used them on the car and the van when I first started up, they looked tacky and cheap imo. As Peter says, there are negatives, though I never had the problem of them falling off or degrading - they were like a massive fridge magnet and rolled up when not in use.
I'd say a decent A board put outside where you are working is better (as long as you remember to pick it up before you leave !) That way you are more likley to pick up more work in a street you already visit.
Hi Julian
I had them initially but they attracted the wrong sort of attention .
My van was broken into on Three seperate occasions and the total cost of theft 9 k worth of equipment .
On one occasion someone I suspect kids coming out of the supermarket where it was parked took the signs off and stuck them on other parked vehicles .
Finally I was advised by the supplier to rub wax on the van paint work to inhibit moisture building up behind the signs . Absolute nightmare trying to get the wax off it took months which left the paintwork discoloured , white spirit and turps and rubbing with a rough sided dish scrubber not very forgiving on paintwork .
When I look back I think they looked hideous as did the ridiculous swing board I had made to advertise my services .
I don't think the signs ever got me any work but Instead I went to a gallery and bought some very nice good quality small art cards in packs with relevant images of plants and gardens .
I then selected suitable gardens near where I was working , just the odd one which had potential and wrote by hand a very polite request to call and give a no obligation quote when next working in the area .
I had people ring thanking me for the lovely card they really appreciated the personal touch , the key is to be selective it's no good blitzing every property .
One such client turned out to be a catalyst who introduced me to other people and always kept the card in her kitchen apparently the sunflowers cheered her up .
snap... exactly what I did, and it worked for me too
Hi folks
Thanks for all the replies. All excellent and positive advice. Definitely swung it for me; I'll be sending my advertising budget in a different direction.
Best advice Ive recieved trom the mighty LJN Collective.
Keep on keeping on. Enjoy the new season
Cheers !
I had magnetic signs in the past. I have been thinking about getting more though they do damage paint work.
There are alternatives. There's magnetic signs you can have cut into a more pleaseing shape, there is also stickers.
I normally advise by cards in post office windows, this past year it has not worked.
I'm taking a multi prong attack at marketing this year. Basic stickers for my van with just my company name, cards in the post offices, adverts in local parish mags and a basic website.
Those plant cards are a great idea.
Personally I wouldn't employ someone with .magnetic signs it's got dodgy written all over it you see lots of vans with them on that have shal we say undesirables driving.
Just insure your van it only adds £200 a year to your insurance quarter of a day's wage there's nothing to think about
Good grief... are you getting £800 a day?? I'm doing this all wrong!! I'm guessing that £200 would soon go up dramatically though once you've a couple of thefts. Then there's the time/hassle involved getting the van repaired and sourcing replacement equipment.
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