DEALER MARKETING TIPS - davidsonsinc.com...DEALER MARKETING TIPS Effective customer service requires...
Transcript of DEALER MARKETING TIPS - davidsonsinc.com...DEALER MARKETING TIPS Effective customer service requires...
DEALER MARKETING TIPS
DEALERMARKETING TIPS
TOLL FREE 800-367-4867
6100 Wilkinson Drive • Prescott, AZ 86301800-367-4867 • 928-776-8055 • Fax: 928-776-0344
E-Mail: [email protected]
DEALER MARKETING TIPS
Effective customer service requires consistent behavior from
every employee you encounter in every situation when you do
business with any firm. For better customer service, start with
these 12 laws. Each customer's expectation for after-sales
service is unique and deserves your flexibility, attention and
extra effort.
1. The customer is not always right. However, the goal is not to
discredit, embarrass, belittle or challenge customers in a destructive
way. What we need to do is discover the source or cause of their
incorrect perceptions, beliefs or attitudes. The next step is to determine
if the organization has contributed in some way to these incorrect
feelings or if their source is the competition, the marketplace or their
Uncle Harry..
2. The customer is never always completely wrong. There is always
some element of a customer's perception that is a true reflection of
reality as they see it. The customer can be a teacher for us if we will
keep an open mind and receptive, neutral demeanor. A customer can
mirror back to us our advertising, distribution methods, pricing
strategies, administrative policies, or marketing or sales methods when
they need improvement, refinement or a major overhaul.
3. The customer deserves your best regardless of the time of day, day
of the week or the month of the year. Working late last night because it
was your monthly inventory or annual sales blowout shouldn't become
your customer's problem. The fact that you just returned from a week on
the road working trade shows isn't your customer's problem.
4. The customer deserves your best regardless of your training, length
of service, inventory philosophy or any other prevailing corporate
attitude. So you are 60 days away from retirement, just filling time,
waiting to get behind the wheel of your RV. Or you are a brand new
sales rep whining that manufacturing just doesn't understand. Or it's
your first week on the job, and you still can't master this new piece of
equipment. Or you are overstocked on a particular item, so you cut back
on stocking the items customers use regularly and ask if they will accept
a substitute. These and thousands of illustrations like them, if they
become a problem to your customers, will cause them to seek out your
competitor.
5. Don't pass the buck; whoever hears a problem owns the problem.
How often have you been transferred on the phone several times before
you finally got to the right person? Have you ever heard, "It's not my
job."? Don't get defensive or upset when customers bring you a concern
or complaint. Accept the fact that the problem exists, and help them
solve it.
6. Don't be too busy for your customers, and don't make it difficult
for them to do business with you. How many times have you gotten the
feeling that you are an interruption in an employee's day or workload?
Have you ever been made to feel you shouldn't be having a problem
with a product or service, that it is your fault the item broke?
7. Employees are customers too. Every employee who ever does
anything within an organization ultimately is doing it indirectly for the
customer. That makes every employee an ambassador, spokesperson or
representative of the customer. When an employee fails to serve another
employee in an effective or timely manner, sooner or later the customer
will feel the repercussions.
8. If you must use technology, make it user friendly. Within the past
week, I have had five voice-mail systems hang up on me. When I called
back to speak with a person, I had to spend several minutes of my
valuable time wading through endless recorded dribble. I finally called
another supplier.
9. Say what you will do, and do what you say. Follow through, keep
your promises, honor your commitments and keep customers informed
of your progress. Customers will tend to be more understanding, patient
and tolerant if you communicate with them with integrity and in a timely
manner.
10. Be interested, care and act like you are glad customers are doing
business with you. People like doing business with people who
appreciate their business. People are willing to give more of their money
to businesses that are friendly, accommodating and interested. Some of
the ways to show you care is by having up-to-date product knowledge,
smiling even if it hurts and knowing who does what in your organization
so you don't have to keep customers on hold for 10 minutes while trying
to find someone to solve their problems.
11. Keep private things private; customers aren't interested in your
personal problems or corporate politics. Customers don't have the time
to hear, nor are they interested in hearing, about who did what to whom
and why in your organization. They don't want to know you are looking
for another job. Sharing private, confidential or personal information,
whether you are the CEO or the receptionist, is in poor taste and
unprofessional. It also makes customers wonder how much of their
business you share with other customers or suppliers as well.
12. Think ahead of the customer with a problem-solving attitude. To
survive and prosper in the new century, it will require organizations and
their employees -- all of them -- to think well ahead of their customers'
potential future desires, problems and needs. If you wait for customers
to bring their problems to you or to communicate their future desires or
needs with you, it will be too late.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS. . .
. . .OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL!
12 Laws of Customer Service After the Sale
DEALER MARKETING TIPS
ADVANTAGES:
• Relatively low cost per reader.
• Timelines
• Good readership
• Wide choice of ad sizes
• Permanency - ads can be torn out for future reference
• Flexibility - ads can be changed quickly to take
advantage of special conditions or events.
• Most newspapers will produce your ad free of charge
DISADVANTAGES:
• Poorly targeted –
broad age, income, and education profile.
• Limited time value.
• Reproduction quality varies.
HOW TO BUY NEWSPAPER SPACE:
Your newspaper sales representative can provide you with
a rate card that lists available discounts and combinations
rates.
Need help creating effective copy or illustrations? Most
newspapers offer creative services to their advertisers at no
charge.
Regardless of whether you or the newspaper creates the ad,
be sure to request a proof of the ad prior to publication. This
allows you to check your ad for errors and make sure it runs
correctly. In addition, ask for a tear sheet after publication
to verify that the ad was handled properly.
CREATING THE NEWSPAPER AD:
Use the following suggestions to create an
effective newspaper ad. Don’t forget to download camera-
ready ads directly from www.davidsonsinc.com!
• Use a prominent headline – to tell readers your story, you
must first grab their attention with a strong headline that
promises a consumer benefit.
• Use dominant graphics – If using graphic illustrations they
must be the equivalent of a stong headline: An eye
catching ad element that leads readers into the body copy.
• Keep it simple – A simple layout is attractive and easy to
read.
• Create clear copy – Avoid technical language. Stress
benefits. Do not make your reader work to understand
your message.
• Leave plenty of white space within your ad – Avoid the
temptation to fill your entire ad space with copy and
illustrations. White space highlights your ad; just like a
blue sky makes a single cloud stand out.
• Establish a consistent style for your ads. Give the reader a
consistent, familiar look in each of your ads for instant
recognition. Familiarity breeds consideration.
This information was obtained from the
NASGW CO-OP Directory.
Advertising In The Newspaper
HELPFUL TIP!When advertising in most
newspapers, design and
production costs are included
in the price of the ad.
DEALER MARKETING TIPS
ADVANTAGES:
· Can target specific audiences.
· Scheduling flexibility - can run advertisements almost any
time on relatively short notice.
· Good daily continuity.
· Creative flexibility.
· Can be listened to in all rooms and locations.
DISADVANTAGES:
· Cannot display the product.
· Short-lived message.
· Reach is limited unless you use a variety of formats.
HOW TO BUY RADIO TIME:
Review the station formats and Arbitration or Birch rating
data for the stations covering your market area. (Station
sales representatives can provide this information.) Select
the station(s) most likely to reach your target prospects, then
contact sales representatives to have them present
availabilitys and costs. Choose a proposal that best meets
your needs. Frequency is the key to success in radio
advertising.
HELPFUL HINTS:
· Stretch the listeners imagination - use action words,
situations and sound effects.
· Make your broadcast advertising instantly recognizable. It
could be as simple as a distinctive announcers voice or as
elaborate as your own theme music.
· Be sure to give listeners easy-to-follow information on
how to contact you.
Advertising On The Radio
DEALER MARKETING TIPS
Advertising Suggestions
• When you are advertising a gun or guns for a good
amount less than Manufacturers suggested retail, be sure
to show in the ad what MSRP is That way the customer
can see his savings in black and white and appreciate the
sale price you are giving him.
• When you are reading ads, what catches your eye? How
about single-word attention-getters like: FREE or SALE.
Find a small accessory item that you can include FREE
with the purchase of a gun…like an extra mag or soft-
sided case for a pistol. People like freebies!
• Heavy or unusual borders on your newspaper ad can
help attract the readers attention. Dashed, “coupon”
looking borders work well too.
• Do not be afraid to ask for special placement in your
local newspaper. According to peoples reading patterns
you would be wise to request the right page placement,
preferably upper right or lower right. Next best ask for
upper or lower left of the left page. Remember the “U”
and “Z” reading patterns (these letters represent patterns
of how the average person scans the newspaper). When
everyone is competing for consumer attention, try
anything you can to be the first thing they see.
• One-page 8 ½” X 11” sale flyers circulated through your
local newspaper are not that expensive. Depending on the
size of your community, you can specify your entire city
or just the area nearest your store.
• Use signs on your display counters and posters on the
walls for in-store advertising of products. With that in
mind, the following pages are counter signs that you can
remove and insert in holders. Good luck! You can get a
counter sign holder from Davidson’s – Item #85X11.
Providing Outstanding Customer
Service After The Sale
Customer service and customer satisfaction are defined
by each customer. One customer’s expectations might be
higher or lower than another’s. What upsets you may not
bother me, and what makes you happy might be
unimportant to me.
The products and services we buy are generally the same
for everyone. Get on a cruise ship and 1700 people
experience the same weather, food, entertainment and
excursions. Go to a Broadway show, and everyone in the
audience watches the same show. Fly from New York to
Chicago, and everyone is on the same plane, experiencing
the same service and travel conditions. In all three
examples, I guarantee ther will be people who are happy
and people who will whine and complain about
something.
Why? Because of different interpretations to similar
events. Everyone has the, all the time, about everyone and
everything tin their lives. Few people, however, monitor
them, and fewer still manage them successfully.