Advertising: Employee Involvement
By Jim Boldebook
Imagine doubling the effectiveness of your advertising. A number of very savvy automobile dealers have discovered that employee involvement in the dealership's advertising program can substantially increase efficiency. I'm not suggesting you bring all of your employees into the advertising meeting, but making sure everyone in your organization understands your goals and strategy can dramatically increase advertising effectiveness.
Some years ago, I heard a well-respected marketing professional share his philosophy on dealership advertising. "Sell your salespeople, and they'll sell your customers!" he implored. That thought intrigued me. Just months earlier, I had witnessed a remarkable event at one of the dealerships our ad agency works with. On a Thursday morning prior to a big weekend sale, the dealer held a breakfast for all salespeople. During that meeting, the radio and television commercials for the sale event were played. The media schedule was described. The salespeople knew they would have great support. Lots of customers to wait on. Excitement filled the air! At the close of business that Thursday, the dealership had delivered more vehicles than any other Thursday in several years. Even more interesting, the commercials for the sale didn't go on the air until early the next morning. The salespeople were so pumped up-so sold on the sale-that they did an extraordinary job of selling the people who came into the dealership that Thursday WITHOUT ANY ADVERTISING SUPPORT! Our dealer client "Sold the Salespeople"...and they in turn "Sold the Customers."
Here's an employee involvement idea that reaped rewards for another dealership: During a monthly advertising meeting, the dealership general manager invited personnel from every department-office, service, parts, get-ready, even a porter was present. The manager asked for new ideas and offered cash on the spot for the best ones offered. One of the office employees suggested that everyone at the dealership might try selling neighbors a car...even if the employee wasn't in sales.
Her idea not only won the top prize, but resulted in over 60 vehicle sales in the next 90 days. Here's how it worked:
The dealership printed up postcards and distributed them to all employees. Each department was given a local street directory. The employees were to hand-address cards to neighbors living in their area, with their home return address. A master list of all names mailed was compiled at the same time. The general manager announced that any sale made as the result of a postcard response would result in an invitation to a special party, with special cash prizes for the individual employee and the department referring the most sales. Many of the employees involved their family members in mailing cards. Not only was the promotion a great success, but the total cost including cards, postage, the party and cash prizes was less than $5000-about one third of the dealership's normal advertising costs per car.
Here's what the postcard said:
"I live in your neighborhood, and I am a member of the Smith Automotive Team! If you are thinking of buying a new or used vehicle, we have a special neighborhood discount program that can save you money. If you would like more information, please drop this card in the mail, or call 1-800-555-1212. If you're not ready to buy right now, please hold on to my card...you'll have a neighbor you can call at Smith Automotive!"
The card included checkboxes for models offered, space for name and address of the customer, phone numbers and best time to call.
At another southeastern dealership, salespeople mail letters to people advertising vehicles in local classifieds. The dealership maintains a "reverse phone directory" that enables salespeople to find the name and address by looking up the phone number. The letter is short and to the point:
"Dear Mr. Jones, would you be interested in selling your (Aerostar) to a customer of mine? Demand for good used vehicles is exceeding supply. Even if you are not interested in trading with us, we are willing to pay cash for your vehicle. Please call me if you are interested."
The dealership receives an excellent return on this program, and the cost is minimal. Last month, the dealership started e-mailing the same letter to customers advertising locally on the Internet.
Finding a way to involve all of your employees in your advertising and marketing efforts will pay off in other ways. The better your employees understand your unique selling proposition, the better they are able to represent your company in any situation.
A number of dealers have told me that they insist on including all of their employees in research programs, and that preference is given to advertising mediums that employees indicate they listen to, watch and read. That's a good way to make sure your employees are aware of your advertising plans. A dealer in California told me how a service writer heard one of the dealership's commercials on the way to work and was able to explain the ad special to a customer minutes after arriving at the dealership. The customer subsequently bought a vehicle that day.
A dealer on the East Coast runs radio and television commercials that do nothing but talk about the dealerships employees and what great citizens they are. The dealer talks about their families and community involvement. The human interest commercials have captured the hearts and business of many people in the market.
Occasionally, the dealer will allow an employee to use dealership commercials to advertise community events that the employees are involved in.
If your dealership has a Web site, speak with your Internet people about an Intranet that will allow your employees to view a private page, accessed by password, with news and events pertaining to employees. This is a great place to put information on current dealership advertising programs, especially in large organizations where salespeople can access promotion information at the touch of a button.
If you're not in cyber-space yet, consider circulating a one page "newsletter" to all employees with their paychecks informing them of special promotions and advertising campaigns.
If you have a unique program for involving employees in your advertising and marketing programs, e-mail me with the details: jboldebook@dealeronline.com" or jboldebook@dealeronline.com and I'll share it with our readers in a future issue!
Jim Boldebook is President of Creative Broadcast Concepts (CBC), an advertising/marketing agency working with some of America's most successful dealerships. jboldebook@dealeronline.com
