More Reader Questions From Our e-mail Bag and More Answers!
By Jim Boldebook
What is the best message to put on our telephone "on-hold" system, and what is the longest a customer can be left on hold before they get angry?
First of all, don't play a local radio station on your "on-hold" message. There are too many commercials, and they might even hear your competitor's ad while they're waiting. My choice would be short, "soft sell" messages, alternated with about 10 to 12 seconds of appropriate music. The on-hold system is a great place to talk about service and body shop specials, the days and hours you are open and special services you might offer such as free shuttle, loaner cars and after-hours drop-off. As to how long is too long for a customer to wait while on holdit really depends on the situation, but thirty seconds is probably pushing it. If a customer is upset, even thirty seconds can seem like an eternity. By the way here's a tip that really works. Always ask your customers' permission to put them on hold instead of just dumping them there with a "hold please." It really does make a difference.
My advertising budget is through the roof and it doesn't seem to be bringing any more traffic in for the extra expense. I'm spending about 20% of my budget on our Web site and thinking of dropping it. I don't know what else to do!
Several factors have pushed advertising costs up in the past year, one of the most notable influences being the flood of e-commerce advertising that is drying up avails in many markets. I'm not quite sure what you are referring to by Web site expenditures, but if you're talking about the design, maintenance and hosting of your site, you probably shouldn't include those items in your ad budget at this point. Your Web site should not be considered an "advertising medium." It's an information and communication tool. The most successful dealers are treating their Web site as an e-business, almost as if it were a new franchise. They are investing money in development, staffing and yes, even dedicated advertising specifically for the Web site. I understand your frustration with increased cost and lower efficiency. It underscores my contention that dealerships simply won't be able to survive without conducting comprehensive, ongoing media research programs. Are you using a dartboard to decide where to spend your ad dollars, or do you have a quantifiable method of evaluating all local media based on an ongoing profile of your actual customers?
We've decided to hire an in-house ad person. Where should we advertise for this position and what qualities should we look for?
You might want to try one of the new Internet employment Web sites. A number of people have shared success stories with me about hiring over the Internet. In fact, two of our most recent CBC employees responded to ads we placed on the 'net. There are quite a few "job dot-coms" out there. The one we've had success with is monster.com. The ad will cost you a little over $200 to run for sixty days. Even though your ad can be accessed worldwide, most of the responses you'll get will be from people in your general area and possibly someone considering moving to your market. You can also run these ads without disclosing your identity. Not knowing your dealership's needs, it's kind of hard to tell you what qualities to look for, but I can tell what NOT to look for. Don't expect to find a creative genius who is also a fantastic media negotiator and a disciplined department and budget manager. That person doesn't exist. Be realistic in your expectations. Attitude and integrity would be at the top of my list. It's important to hire someone with leadership qualities who can work with the many different personalities found in a dealership, while adhering to the overall corporate philosophy and direction.
I usually sign a bulk rate with one of our local radio stations for a one-year contract to get the best rate, but I hear through the grapevine that the station might be sold. I hate to lose the low rate I have but I'm not sure I want to gamble on any changes.
Just be sure to put a paragraph in the agreement that if the station should be sold and the format or programming policy is altered in any way, that you have the right to cancel without any short-rate penalty. Some stations will also give you "ratings point guarantees." If their ratings drop during a bulk contract, your rate is adjusted to a lower cost per thousand basis, or you might receive a certain percentage of bonus spots. I've also seen it work the other way. A number of years ago, we signed a long-term agreement with a station that was about to change format. They agreed to a very low rate and within three months we had the best rate on the station.
Is it possible to buy spots on public television stations?
Because of financial pressures, more and more public television and radio stations are airing "mini-commercials." Prior to 1995, the most you could expect would be a mention of your name, the type of business you were in and your location. No "puff" allowed. Now many public stations actually allow a few "sell" comments, such as "Brought to you by Joe Jones Dodge, where you'll find a great selection and discount prices on Dodge cars and trucks, plus Five-Star award winning service." That's probably as good as you'll get, but remember this: A long, wordy commercial won't be well received by listeners and viewers of public stations. Try to keep your sponsor ID as short and sweet as possible. Long commercials on public stations can be as irritating as long-winded commercials at the movie theater where you've just shelled out eight bucks for entertainment.
E-mail your questions to jboldebook@dealeronline.com. We'll answer all questions within 48 hours, and publish select questions from time to time in this column.
Jim Boldebook is President of Creative Broadcast Concepts (CBC), an advertising/marketing agency working with some of America's most successfuldealerships.jboldebook@dealeronline.com
