help with market research

We have decided to at last open our doors to the public. However, it s easier said than done. I would like feedback on the following: our web page at HIGH VOLTAGE: The AUTHORITY in top dollar payouts for your scrap electrical wire. , our Facebook page which is High Voltage Processing in Allentown, pa., our hours and pricing.

With regards to pricing I'm not too concerned about if I'm in a good market price. We are .50-.65 per pound over the local yards. I'm wanting to know what you all think of our coupon marketing.

Thank you all for taking a moment to be a focus group for me. Feel free to like the Facebook page and if you have one let me know and I'll do the same.

Regards,

Jim

I'd suggest link to your Facebook page.

I'd appreciate a "Like" on my FB business page.

Facebook.com/highvoltageprocessing

Thanks for the like I returned the favor. Any comments or help?

I like the price on bx. If you were by me I'd deal with you. I like the site as well.

Definitely like the coupon and the web page. I will pass the site onto my PA friends in your area. I am sure they will like the coupon too.

The union thing comes across strong. Some people have issues with unions, so you have to weigh out if it is worth putting it out there.
(Former Teamster).

Also the NTEP logo in the lower left should be a hot link to
http://www.ncwm.net/content/ntep

so people can understand how legit you are. Just a suggestion.

I like it. A little Dotted Edge around the coupon to indicate they should print and bring it with them. Or make the coupons a link to a single coupon image to not waste peoples ink printing a whole page.

Otherwise I really like it!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JPete

The union thing comes across strong. Some people have issues with unions, so you have to weigh out if it is worth putting it out there.
(Former Teamster).

Also the NTEP logo in the lower left should be a hot link to
National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) | NCWM

so people can understand how legit you are. Just a suggestion.

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Your prices are good but with all the union junk I wouldn't even be interested in going to the yard. Just my thought.

Thanks for the input. Slag, even if I'm .60 cents a pound higher the union stuff is enough to make you avoid the higher payout?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by High Voltage Processing

Thanks for the input. Slag, even if I'm .60 cents a pound higher the union stuff is enough to make you avoid the higher payout?

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Let me put it to you this way. $.60/lb is significant for sure. That's the difference between my doing business with someone who makes no political statements and doing business with someone who makes a political statement I'm uncomfortable with -- I'll go to whoever is paying more, even if I have to swallow hard to do it, but I'm not necessarily going to like it. If I'm uncomfortable with you, that means I'm moving on as soon as the numbers change around. If I'm comfortable with you, it means I stay loyal even if the competition has a few pennies advantage.

It depends on your local market, of course. If your scrappers are predominantly union sympathizers, then rock on, brother. If they're a mixed bag of independent sorts who march to the beat of their own drummer...well, you can figure out the rest.

--Geoff

Not a union guy and never will be...As long as it doesn't effect my $$ I could care less tho. I will say my yards prices are currently better then yours right now, but I'm too far away to even consider. Cool site and best of luck!

Personally, I think unions are no longer needed (the government has taken over the job they were started to do). That being said when you were "closed" union may have been an asset now it may not be. My suggestion would be to put a "union yes" type logo at the bottom like the -recycle- -scale- logos.

My company did "like" your page. Keep up the industry posts as well as the personal business.

What do other people in your market area do? If a business is extremely visible about being pro-union, will it increase your sales? If you were to acknowledge the "buy union" with a logo at the bottom of the page (as previously suggested) would that not accomplish your visible support?

When I view a website or advertisement, I want to determine what the name is, where they are, how to contact them, and what product they sell or service they offer. When there are multiple references to items that don't pertain to those items, it is easy to get lost in the ad or website. I agree that a better placement would be at the bottom of the page.

Prices? Wonderful. As of yesterday the yard in my town was paying $2.50 for #2 copper. If my trip to New York materializes for next spring, I will drive the truck and make a stop a your facility!

Numbers: I can tell you this, none of the yards post anything either pro or against. In fact most of the yards don't really know their customer. We have a fridge stocked with bottle water and coke products and will be putting in a hot dog roller so when they come in to drop off they can get a hot dog and coke while they wait for their cash.

KK: I liked your page back thank you.

KZ: I'm sure there are parts of the country that are better than mine. I will tell you this, my local yards are paying between $.95-1.00 a pound for #1 wire I'm at $1.62 with the coupon. If I was in your neck of the woods I would pay more but I bet I also would get more for copper.

Geoff: you've given me something really to think on. We do have a strong union presence but I never realized there could be strong animosity from non union members. While I want the union business I'm not sure I want it at the cost of non union business.

Nice page hope all goes well for you

Quote:

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Originally Posted by High Voltage Processing

We do have a strong union presence but I never realized there could be strong animosity from non union members. While I want the union business I'm not sure I want it at the cost of non union business.

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I was a Teamster from age 18-19 (30 years ago). Back then there was animosity and these days it is even stronger. In NJ the gap between union and anti-union is huge. Blame the economy, the teachers, whatever, my point was that it can be a HUGE dividing line. More so than race, religion anything else. I think the bail out 3 1/2 years ago of GM spurred a lot of it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JPete

I think the bail out 3 1/2 years ago of GM spurred a lot of it.

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There are several different forces at work. The rise of the Tea Party, which gave birth to Gov. Walker in WI. The bailout of GM and Chrysler which handed a large portion of the company's ownership to the unions. But probably worst of all, the weak economy creating jealousy among the non-union folks when they see their paychecks declining, but public sector pay increasing steadily, year after year, due to the pre-existing contracts.

I went to a liberal arts college and still got a heavy dose of anti-union sentiment in my business classes. That was the better part of 30 years ago. The anti-union roots run very, very deep, and they surface when times are hard, which they are right now.

Anyway, as one scrapper to another, HVP, do what is best for your business and what suits you personally. I'd rather you stuck by your principles than cave in because of money. And that's coming from someone decidedly on the anti-union side of things. Freedom of speech is one of those things I'm sure we both agree on.

On the other hand, if your pro-union sentiment isn't quite as strong as the website's design would suggest, then dial it back a little or eliminate it. It might help.

--Geoff

SCABS!






I kid!

When I first looked at your site I thought WOW that is really RED. By the end of the page the thing that stuck out the most was the union statement. The sole purpose of the website is to get people to come to your place of business. Anything that doesn't do that is extraneous and doesn't need to be on the webpage. If you want to show union support do so - at your business. The union guys will appreciate it and the non-union people will already be at your business where prices and customer support will rule the day. If a person or business owner has had a bad union experience don't give them a reason to go elsewhere before they get to your front door.

As far as the price overcoming anti-union sentiments, some will always go for the higher price. However I will bet that you have heard somewhere "I wouldn't go there if they paid me!" or some version of that. Don't give them a reason to not come to you, get them to the front door and overwhelm them with customer service.

Starbits

Jim,

I think rather than a coupon, have a points system. Everyone seems to go crazy over points... rather it be Coke Rewards or drug store club cards.

Give them X number of points for every LB they bring in, and once they reach so many points, the price per LB goes up. Those points are good as long as they have brought in X number of product within the last 30 days, otherwise they expire. If they bring in 100 LB on the 1st, 20th, and 3rd of the month, they have 100 points on the 1st, 200 on the 2nd, and 200 on the 3rd (since their points from the 1st expired) and get a "coupon" price based on that.

Maybe I'm over thinking it but it sounds fun.

So you are only accepting wire and wire only. When a scrapper comes through the gate and he says he has aluminum, copper, brass, etc. You are only gonna buy the wire? Customers will come through the door once and not come back. Most peddlers don't have enough wire to even make it worth two trips to two different yards to sell multiple loads of non ferrous especially if they are further away from your place of business. The price I am getting for 55% wire (tin plated) was $1.74. a lb. That's not even regular copper wire. The price would be higher on that. Get your prices up. Best of luck dealing with the public. I would also suggest a sign with bright letters on it stating NO ALCOHOL ON THE PREMISE. Trust me you will get plenty of folks rolling up drinking a Tall Boy of BUSCH Beer or he might be a high roller and drinking some MD 20/20. I saw a guy rolling with a bike the other day and he had a baby carrier the kind you pull behind the bike with the top ripped off and a 55 gallon trash can in it. It was full of cans. 25 bucks worth. GOOD LUCK

Scrap1025: the loyalty card is in the works and about 60 days. Great idea, we will have points that they can redeem for extra money on payout up to an iPad.

Piston: my prices are not the issue. As I stated earlier in the thread, I'm over .50 cents more than the scrap yards. Your tin plated wire would be .70-.80 cents here. I pay $1.10. To pay more would hurt my margins as well as make it look like cash for gold. We all see those signs and think its a scam.

I also don't think you understand my demographic. I'm not looking for the peddler scrapper. I'm looking for the Electrican. I'm sure with my prices I'll get the peddlers but they are not who I'm targeting.