Don't Make Mistakes with Advertising

Direct Mail Advertising is probably the most effective form of advertising for a detail business if done properly. Successful direct mail doesn't depend on fancy, four-color photos or "creative" copy. What I will share with you are some of the most common mistakes and how you can avoid them.

#1 Ignoring the Importance of the Mailing List

Too many detailers shop direct mail companies based on price per piece without taking into consideration the value of the list. There are numerous types of lists available on the market. The cost of the list also varies based on the criteria used. The quality of the list is the most important factor in direct mail success. Don't sacrifice the quality of the list to get a better price per piece. You may pay less per mail drop, but your true cost per actual sale will be much higher. In this case it is quality not quantity you are looking for in a direct mail list for detail customers.

#2 Failing to Use a Letter

A package with a letter will nearly always out-pull a postcard, a self-mailer, or a stand-alone brochure. Read that again, A LETTER.

There are numerous types of envelopes that ensure that they will be opened. Why do letters pull so well? Because a letter gives the impression that you are communicating directly with your prospect, versus advertising. Mail by first class and Hand address or type the letter, and if possible use a postage stamp rather than a postage meter. Never send by bulk mail.

#3 Not Making an Offer

An offer is the tangible benefit that the reader receives when they respond to your mailing. A direct mail letter should sell the offer in addition to the service. To maximize your response, there needs to be a well-thought-out offer in every mailing. Depending on the mailing, there are countless creative offers that can be used to increase your response rates. A FREE paint sealant; fabric protection; FREE wash, etc.

#4 Failing to use "magic" words

What is a "magic" word? In direct mail there are numerous magic words that can increase the response from your mailing. A good offer with the right wording is like a magnate, driving the potential customer toward you. One of the most successful words is "FREE". You can say "Free Gift"; not "Gift". This little change can make a big difference. Others that work well are, "This Week Only" or "Limited Time Only". These words create urgency, which will increase the response rate. The word "New" has always worked well. "New" is sheer magic in consumer mailings. Make sure that your mailing has the necessary "magic" words to help increase your response rates.

#5 Falling for the Graphic Trap

Too many detailers are overly concerned with the graphic design of a direct mail piece. Direct mail is not meant to be pretty. Its goal is not to be remembered, but to generate a response "Now". If you are only concerned about building your name, then that is different. But the majority of detail business that do direct mail are doing it for one reason only to generate new business today. Create a piece that uses the "magic" words and has an offer that will generate response. These items are much more important than the graphic appeal of the piece.

#6 Not Measuring the Results

Too many detail businesses spend valuable ad dollars without adequately measuring the success. This is especially true with direct mail. There are numerous ways to track the success of a direct mail campaign. You need to have a process to track what leads are coming from your direct mail piece. In addition, you need to track your phone ups to determine the source. If you accurately track the leads and sales generated by your direct mail campaigns, you can determine your true return.

#7 Failing to Test Different Types of Mailings

In order to determine which mailer works best for your business, you need to try different mailings to different lists with different offers. If you are doing a good job of measuring the results as suggested above, you will be able to compare the results of the different tests. This will allow you to use the mailing that pulls best and ultimately sells more services.

Final Thoughts: "Go Hunting With a Rifle, Not a Shotgun!"

Direct mail truly allows you to target your audience with pinpoint accuracy. In addition to avoiding the 7 mistakes mentioned. I highly recommend that you do direct mail campaigns versus an occasional mail drop. A well thought out campaign will give you a steady flow of "ups" and revenue. It will also allow you to take advantage of seasonal trends.

Building Customer Loyalty

Every day you put your blood, sweat and tears into growing your detail business. You've developed a good reputation, you've been around a while and you do good work. But even with all that reputation, you still have a problem keeping customers. You even spend a great deal of money for advertising to attract new vehicle customers.

Today, customer loyalty is more important now than ever before. You simply cannot afford to lose any of your customers to the competition. You need more business today, just to survive,

But this is not rocket science. You know that customer loyalty makes sense. Loyal customers spend more with your business and are likely to bring others cars to and make referrals. The problem is that many detailers don't get customers back for another detail or any other vehicles in the family or business.

So, what are you doing or planning to do to increase customer loyalty? Other businesses like airlines, hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, credit card companies, realize how important customer loyalty is and are doing something about it. They, like you, need to increase loyalty and increase sales. They do it by making their customers feel special. They've also do this by creating owner loyalty clubs.

What are they? Imagine how your customer might feel if you make them a member of your Loyalty Club. They just chose your business to provide service on the second largest buying decision of their life; how do you say thank you? Imagine giving your business an extra advantage, something that sets your detail business apart from the competition, something that adds more value to your service, something that gives the customer a reason to only buy from you.

After they purchase your detail service the first time, they are further enticed to have all of their future detail work done at your shop with special discounts for club members only. You could even reward members for their loyalty with a member ID card that tracks point they earn for every detail service purchase. Club members could then redeem their points for savings on future detail service purchases.

Remember, many customers think you charge too much, take too long and are too inconvenient. They think that all they ever need is "just a wax" and they think they can get that done anywhere. You need to give them a reason to buy from you. Priority service, special recognition, member-only discounts, and reward points make their decision easy. Why would they ever go anywhere else?

Do You Get Referrals?

Every detail business thrives on referrals, or should. Do you always ask your customers for referral? Everyone knows somebody looking for a good detail service. What are you doing to pull more referrals into your business?

You should offer birddog spiffs. The spiff can be on the back of your personnel's business cards. That's right, give everyone a business card. Business cards make people feel important. They want to hand their cards out to friends and family, complete with your birddog spiff on the back!

Offer a special award to the employee who brings in the greatest number of referrals and make a big deal over the winner. Everyone in you business should know who won and how great it is to win. If necessary, set a minimum number of referrals required to insure the incentive you give is paid for.

If you really want to impress your customers and create a scenario where they send referrals from people they may not normally, send a gift to them with your referral cards enclosed. They'll be surprised, talk to their co-workers, and hand your birddog cards to co-workers who have jobs and are great potential customers!

However, this could backfire if you don't send something nice. You don't want people to think you're cheap but you also don't want people to think they might have overpaid. So, send a nice gift that relates to your service and costs between $25 and $35. You'll know if you're on target if these referrals pay for the gift. Only a 1-2% response should pay for a $25 gift. You can purchase several nice ideas in that price range. Make your spiff something you'd enjoy receiving.

If your State discourages birddog fees, no problem; offer free or discounted services. The free car wash and wax works for most people. Women account for the majority of buying decisions and they report safety as the most important. If you can't offer free spiffs, then offer them for $1. You'll still see referrals.