Is it ethical?

[andyb]

Hi

I've spent my working life painting aircraft , trucks cars etc, and over the the last 12 months a few boats.
so it seemed a natural progression to set up a marine side to the business.

I carried out an external valet for a chap at a local marina a couple of weeks ago,
on his boat ,and while I was there put a few flyers out on the birthholders cars in the car park

Today I got a call from the marina saying that it was private property and the birth holders where upset by the flyers being placed on vehicles.

I thought it might be a bit of healthy competition, and an alternative for the boat owners in the marina

Your views please

Andy

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[zefender]

Marinas tend not to like "healthy competition"

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[waterboy]

Sorry Andy. I hate advertising material being placed under the wipers. I never spot it until too late when I am already in the car and belted up. It is just an anoyance to have to get out of the car again to remove it. However, good luck with the business.

<hr width=100% size=1>I never make the same mistake twice. I always make new ones.

 

[jhr]

More likely that the Marina Owners were upset, because they probably have an "exclusive agreement" with a local firm of valeters and, no doubt, something in their berth holders' T&C about not using unauthorised, off site contractors to work on boats on their premises. This is all attributed to a concern that unauthorised contractors might not have the right insurance cover. And I'm the Aga Khan.

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[capt_courageous]

There is always that instant thought - not another b**********y ticket - before realising what it is.

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[StugeronSteve]

Although I have no time whatsoever for the attitude of the marina management, I do have to say that flyers stuck under my windscreen wipers p*ss me off just about as much as cold calls, and tend to achieve a similar success rate.

<hr width=100% size=1>Think I'll draw some little rabbits on my head, from a distance they might be mistaken for hairs.

 

[Magic_Sailor]

I can't see anything wrong with it - or cold calls.

For goodness sake it's how most of us get business and gain a livlihood in the process isn't it?

Good luck with your idea.

Magic

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://practical-business.co.uk>Click for website!</A>

 

[Cobra]

Ethical? Most definitely!! At the end of the day Andy YOU are promoting YOUR business to a group of people who are after all end users. There is no difference to you using your chosen approach than there is to placing an advert in the esteemed organ of YM!!

BUT and here is the rub...you will piss a large number of people off who have little time for people who will only promote themselves by sticking something under their windscreen wipers.

One of the best promotions that I have seen was from a local firm who put a flyer into a fold over sandwich bag and went out in a launch and placed one of these now waterproofed flyers on board EVERY boat in the river! Did I use them? Yes! and I had never used them before but will definately use them again!

Stick at it mate and don't let 'em grind you down!

<hr width=100% size=1>When God invented time he didn't give me enough of it. ND!

 

[StugeronSteve]

a)The car usually stays put in a marina car park for a few days and, should it rain, the flyers tend to evolve in to some sort of papier mache gunge, that goes unnoticed until it has been spread across right across the screen by the wipers.
b)Cold calls at meal time really do p*ss me off, especially when I have to wait for some automaton on the far side of the globe to realize that I have answered and patch me through to a faint and barely understandable salesperson. How these people expect to convince potential customers that they will provide a great service, when they can't even sell their product properly, baffles me.


<hr width=100% size=1>Think I'll draw some little rabbits on my head, from a distance they might be mistaken for hairs.

 

[Evadne]

I have to agree with others that cold calling and unwanted advertising usually has zero or negative effect. Ethical? It doesn't really come into the equation, what you're talking here is business, and you were placing unsolicited advertisements on cars parked on private property without permission. It's a bit like getting someone to fix your engine, then the marina or boatyard charging you ten quid a day because he's not one of theirs, in that it's unethical, but perfectly legal.

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[StugeronSteve]

Well said.

It's not what you do, but the way you do it that makes the difference.

<hr width=100% size=1>Think I'll draw some little rabbits on my head, from a distance they might be mistaken for hairs.

 

[snowleopard]

most marinas charge contractors a fairly hefty premium to allow them on the premises. to protect that income they must prevent others from doing work without paying. if they didn't, the local contractors would of course stop paying.

a few even go as far as to ban owners doing anything for themselves though those tend to be the ones with their own boatyards.

you can see from the reaction of many of the posters, fliers on windscreens are unpopular and people who are paying upwards of £4k for use of the marina are likely to moan at the marina apparently 'allowing' this leafletting.

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[Magic_Sailor]

Steve

Bit of an exadge on the flyer but I know what you mean about those particular cold calls - I should have said that I meant normal b2b in office hours.

Madge

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://practical-business.co.uk>Click for website!</A>

 

[StugeronSteve]

The worrying thing is that Robo-calling seems to be creeping into the B2B stuff as well. It doesn't impress and can't be good vfm.

<hr width=100% size=1>Think I'll draw some little rabbits on my head, from a distance they might be mistaken for hairs.

 

[StugeronSteve]

If I've told you once, I've told you a million times. I do not exaggerate. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Think I'll draw some little rabbits on my head, from a distance they might be mistaken for hairs.

 

[Joe_Cole]

You won't get anywhere by fighting the Marina. It sounds like the best thing to do is to get in their good books, then see what you can do with them to promote your business. Turn their negative phone call into something positive.

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[andyb]

Thanks for all your comments.
In the marinas defence, the insurance angle is obviously important,any cowboy outfit could turn up, not only damaging the customers boat, but those adjacent to it.
I do have all the required bits of paper, but my point is, the owners should have a option to bring in outside contractors if they wish.

Anyway, I take the point about the flyers.

Thanks again

Andy

p.s. 10%discount to all "Forumites"!!

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[StugeronSteve]

Re: 10%discount to all \"Forumites\"!!

Noe that's what I call a flyer. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Think I'll draw some little rabbits on my head, from a distance they might be mistaken for hairs.

 

[markgw]

Dear andyb,
Just read your post, I think it is great that you are doing your best to promote your business, but I think flyers maybe not the best method, however saying that, I used a company called Acorn Marine who used a similar method at an open air boat jumble, and I got them to valet my boat, and what a great job they did too. So if doesn't suceed the first time, just keep trying.

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[tome]

How about a laminated business card rather than a flyer?

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