ok, this place about a mile away got on fire and will be shut down for at least a year, may be forever. and there are a lots of pizza places around - i am not the closest, but does anybody have any thoughts on how i could pick some of their bussiness?
Focus some advertising on the closest neighborhoods around that store. If you have free delivery that would help pick up his carryout business. Make sure your ads include a small map showing your location and maybe how many minutes away you are. In those terms it doesn’t seem as far to people.
Can you transfer all of his calls to your number? I’m sure you’ve got to wheel and deal with the former owner, but you might be able to talk into doing something like this… for a fee of course. -J_r0kk
Maybe he’d sell you a list of his customers. Then you can direct mail all of them.
Maybe you can hang on banner on their building saying that they’re closed but then have your name, address and phone number… for a fee of course.
If they advertised coupons you should put "We accept ‘Name of closed pizza shop here’ coupons"on your menu, front window, their building and on your doorhangers, coupons.
Knew of a guy who just acquired the old businesses’ phone number and had the calls forwarded to his . . .
When I bought my business I kept the phone number of the previous pizza shop. In retrospect I would never do it again. I’ve had countless angry “customers” who thought I was defrauding them or trying to trick them. I’ve been cussed out, yelled at, and abused. Almost none of the previous shop’s customers are mine now but my sales are four times what their’s were.
Every day I still get people calling me with a 1/2 off coupon with no expiration date from the previous business. They’ve been out of business for a year and a half. So here’s another lesson, always use expiration dates.
All good ideas - I just imagined the awkward moment, calling the poor owner of a shop that burned, and offering to take care of his customers…
I mean…do they know what happened, or are you gonna be an arson suspect?
What makes you think that they will be shut down for a year…In my insurance adjuster days I had restaurants re-opened in temporary locations in a matter of weeks…If he has business interuption insurance those expenses will be covered…RCS…
it’s not known for a fact whats going to happen, but from what i hear the place will never re-open again. thank you for your ideas - i’m mailing out my menues in this area next week, i also loved the idea of buying their customer list (their adresses), but the place is burned out - including POS, if they had one - i am not sure. The sign on their building with my name and phone number - i am trying to get in touch with the guy, but i honestly doubt it’s going to happen. i am not even sure what to say to him when i get to talk to him - “let me put the name of my pizza store on your ashes” - i need to offer him smth. , may be not just money, what else he might want?
Who knows. He might need a sympathetic ear. He might be touched if you just call to say you’re sorry it happened. He might want a job…
Grab their menu and add some items they had that you don’t.
PD