What will I get for my money?
We'll promote your business aggressively online through a number of sources. Click here to take a look at the bullet-point list of services we offer on the
home page.
How do I know it's not a scam?
The Middle Man has its office at 145-157
St. John Street, London EC1V 4PY. We are compliant with the London Local Authorities Act 2007 Section 75 which requires
us to lodge two forms of identification with our office provider. We now publish both a landline and a mobile telephone
number. Notwithstanding this we will always be happy to answer any questions from potential customers in order to allay
any concerns.
Our aim is to provide a good, efficient service which a growing number of people will want to come
back to, next time and the time after that. We are in this for the long term, we want to grow and we
can only do that with you, the customer, on board.
Couldn't I do all this
myself, rather than paying for your service?
Probably, if you are familiar with social networking and Search
Engine Optimisation. But bearing in mind that you're trying to run a business already, just how much of your valuable
time are you prepared to commit each week to save yourself just over a pound? As online advertising is our core business
we are set up for marketing, and we are able to serve customers quickly and efficiently due to economies of scale.
How effective would this be compared to other forms of advertising?
That is likely to differ on a
case by case basis. Certainly if you were to take out a large ad in your local newspaper you are likely to attract more
business that week than we would through us. We do not claim that our service is going to transform your business out
of all recognition and make you rich. But we know that our service provides exceptional value. That newspaper
ad will cost you tens, even hundreds of pounds, and the following week you either have to shell out again to renew it or it
is gone for good. With the rates we offer, one
is hardly comparing like with like.
How do I pay?
Payment is
through Paypal, which is an internationally recognised and respected payment processor. You will need a debit or credit
card, however your details will not be passed on to us nor any other third party. It is not necessary for you to have
a Paypal account. In such circumstances we will accept payment by cheque, or via Moneybookers. Please ask us for
alternative options if you do not wish to pay through Paypal.
Do
I have to do anything once I've paid?
Once we've received your payment we will write to you by e-mail to introduce
ourselves and to ask you for some basic information about your product or service, so that we can provide this information
when we promote your business. If you are offering a discount or other promotion you will be asked to give us details,
and if any of the information that you give us changes during the period of our contract then you will need to let us know.
Other than that, we will take care of everything.
How can I
tell whether new business is generated through your service?
The only definite way of doing this would be to offer
a specific promotion exclusively for customers generated through
us. If you let us know the details we will gladly set this in motion. However we would hope that the upturn in
your business would provide you with an indicator of our success in sending you new customers. Or you could always ask,
of course!
What type of business would benefit from your service?
Our service is widely used by small and medium businesses - people who don't have our experience or knowledge of online marketing or else
simply don't have the time.
This might include plumbers, electricians, carpenters,
independent shop owners, car salesmen, restaurateurs, mechanics, hairdressers, traders, printers, solicitors, publicans, hoteliers,
people who run their own online businesses or websites - the list is endless.
We also in certain cases provide services to much larger, even multi-million pound enterprises. After all, if advertising through
us generates just 0.1% of their customer base, and that 0.1% amounts to £1000, then that is still money well spent and
advertising through us doesn't prevent them from using other channels too.
The third sector that we are popular with is charities, voluntary organisations and local amenity groups. After all, they will often
hold events to raise funds or promote community projects which need to be advertised locally in a way that is efficient but
inexpensive. We are familiar with local community enterprise and work with such groups in a highly targeted and sympathetic
way.
So whatever
your line of business, it makes financial and practical sense to use The Middle
Man. We work for you, because we understand your needs and requirements.
Do you guarantee sales?
If your business is shoddy, unmarketable or uncompetitive then no
matter how many customers we send your way we are not going to be able to persuade them to buy. As such we cannot guarantee
sales. However we are totally confident that use of our service will profit any competent and competitive business many
times over.
How do you manage to serve all your customers?
We do not consider it necessary nor appropriate to service every one of our accounts
every day (other than through Twitter "tweets" which take very little time to perform) or even every week.
Usually an advertisement, for instance, will be placed for a set time period and will only need to be updated once that period has expired. We have tested our operation and
believe we have formulated a viable ratio of staff to accounts. Once that ratio is exceeded, we will expand our staff
base accordingly.
How will you target my potential customer base?
When we first contact you for details of your operation we will ask you what you consider your catchment area
to be. We will then reconcile this with our own marketing knowledge and ensure that all our efforts in promoting your
service will be concentrated where they will count.
What your catchment area is will clearly depend on
the nature of the product or service that you offer. If you run an online shop and mail out your goods, for example,
then your catchment will be global. If however you are a hairdresser or a plumber then it is obvious that your customer
base will be focused more locally.
It is in our interests to ensure that you receive the maximum returns
and we will target all our efforts on your behalf accordingly.
How
do you know what to do to promote our business?
Easy - we use all the methods described to promote our own service!
Am I required to make any alterations to my website when I
sign up to your service?
Absolutely not, any outgoing links and suchlike will be added to the blog that
we create for you, not to your site itself.
How
do I know that you will not do or say anything to damage the good name of my business in the course of promoting it?
Please be reassured that we are professionals - we do not engage in cheap, tacky stunts or gimmicks to encourage
potential customers to visit your site or to purchase your product or service. All of the information we use will be
taken directly either from your website or from the information that you send us at the time of purchase.
Why is your service so cheap?
We are a
new service and we are very conscious that we do not want to overcharge or raise our sights too high. Mindful of this we have set our prices artificially low at the bare minimum level at
which we could viably have operated. Once the business has become established we will take stock of how successful we
have been and may raise our prices to a more realistic level. To be able to do this we need to take our customers with
us and this means providing an excellent service with which they will want to continue.
We think this is a better and fairer way than charging in at the deep end and running the risk of not being
able to fulfil our obligations to you.
I
have had an account with The Middle Man for two or three weeks and I've not noticed any or much improvement in my level
of business. Why is this?
Any service of the kind we offer takes time to kick in. We would
expect to spend the first couple of weeks or so evaluting your account to consider how best to promote it. That is why
the shortest service we offer is over six months. We would respectfully ask you to be a little patient, by the end of
our contract period we are confident that you will have benefited from our service many times over.
Do you provide a regular written report of the work that you've
done for us?
Not automatically but we are happy to do so, within reason, upon request. Please allow
up to seven days from the time of asking for the report to be sent to you.
What
should I do if I have any questions that haven't been covered here?
Just e-mail them to us at support@the-middle-man.co.uk or 'phone Phil on 020 8580 5863
(mornings) or Mark on 07964 908555. We'll be happy to speak to you about
your concerns. 
