To be well liked
To be thought of as clever
To be thought of as attractive
To be thought of as special
To be accepted by our group ( friends, church, hobby, occupation any group we hold important)
To feel like we got a special deal from the local merchant
Our family to love us

See how universal these things are?
Notice they were all about the customer (or more specifically, the person wanting these things) None of these "wants" are about things We all have inner needs, and these needs are pretty universal

Did you notice that the above list of customer wants doesn\’t include buying anything? The reason customers buy is because they have the belief that owning what you sell will help bring them closer to satisfying one or more of their desires

Also notice that none of the things we want are truly altruistic? Helping other people may help us satisfy one of our desires, but the desires themself are entirely selfish

Wanting things for other people usually is way down on the list of things we want & think about Our customers are the same way It isn\’t that we are evil, it\’s that we do things for other people either out of obligation or because it makes us feel better about ourselves in some way

How does this help us as small business owners?
We can treat customers better We can, by our actions, make them feel better about buying from us We can laugh at their jokes a little more often We can listen to their stories without rolling our eyes in boredom We can treat them like new friends We can treat them like we want to be treated ourselves

The great Zig Ziglar said that you can get anything you want if you help enough people get what they want There is power in that thought

Can you make your customer feel a little more important than they felt when they first came in your store? Of course you can Can you make hem feel more clever? Sure, just credit them with a good idea or a good question when they ask a question Any small business owner can do that

Can you give them a feeling that they got a special deal, just for them? Of course It doesn\’t have to be something big Almost any little extra will do Any little extra effort will do Small businesses become bigger businesses by giving just a little extra Nothing creates BUZZ like treating you customers like real friends And the core of that idea is giving a little more than they paid for

Do you remember the last store, restaurant, or business you visited that made you feel pretty good about going there? Think hard Treat your customers like that

Appeal to a customer\’s self centered needs first, and your needs will always be taken care of It\’s one of the few ways to get rich Give more than you take

That\’s it for now
Small business advertising expert Claude Whitacre is author of the book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual. You can download a complete free copy at http://www.local-small-business-advertising-marketing-book.com or you can just buy a copy at http://www.claudewhitacre.comSubmitted By ArticleUnited.com Submission Services

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Using "Image Advertising"
Most image advertising is generated by an advertising agency Image ads are created to sell the ad to the advertiser, not sell the product to the consumer Image ads are effective in one way They make the local advertising more effective It\’s easier to sell something if the name is known Credibility has already been partially established But you still need the local advertising to get the customer off the sofa and into the store Image ads create familiarity Local ads create the desire to buy the product now Great ads create the value in the product, and a reason to buy now

High expectations
Some exceptional ads will generate profits at ten or twenty times their cost But most successful ads break even with just a little profit made If your ads break even, you have created a new customer at no cost Most successful companies are happy if their ads break even They are buying their customer for free The vast majority of the profits are made on the relationship you have established with the customer, not from the first sale But making a profit on the first sale is easily done if you follow a few simple rules

Customers don\’t see your ad
If you\’re in the wrong section of the newspaper, you won\’t be seen by your most likely buyers If you\’re on a radio station that plays Heavy Metal music, and you sell hearing aids, your most likely buyers won\’t hear your ad You have to advertise where your customers are

Customers don\’t read your ad
This may be painful to hear Nobody will read your ad if they aren\’t compelled to by your headline Your company name is not a headline It creates no interest It creates no demand A headline needs to grab the reader\’s attention, and create instant interest, or the reader won\’t read the ad
Slogans are not headlines "We service what we sell" isn\’t a headline Read magazine covers Everything written on the cover is a headline They are designed to make you want to read more
Look at a newspaper Every article has a headline The paper itself has a headline Would you ever read an article without a headline? No Headlines are a way for the reader to skim through the paper (or TV, Radio, Direct Mail) to find something that grads their attention and interests them Every successful ad has a headline, and it\’s always at the top of the ad

Ads create no value
This is a major cause of ads failing The reader has to see, in the ad, how they are benefitting If you are selling a product for $500, you better show at least $1,000 of value in the ad

Ads are trying to be cute
The first place many creative ad writers go is the Clever route Cute, funny, clever ads are fun to make and feel like they should work Here\’s why they don\’t; Clever ads make the reader-listener-viewer think about the ad You want them thinking about the product Have you ever seen an infomercial? Do they use jingles? Sing songs? Tell jokes? Nope Have you ever had a sales presentation? That\’s what an ad is, a sales presentation in print Profitable sales presentations focus on three things; Benefits, benefits, and benefits The customer is asking "What\’s in it for me? What do I get? How does it benefit me?"

"Clever" entertains Giving the customer an irresistible offer sells And isn't that what we all want?Small business advertising expert Claude Whitacre is author of the book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual. You can download a complete free copy at http://www.local-small-business-advertising-marketing-book.com or you can just buy a copy at http://www.claudewhitacre.comSubmitted By ArticleUnited.com Submission Services

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1) Do people really want a better, and more expensive mousetrap? Is there something about the mousetraps sold now that people don\’t like? For example, do people get their fingers snapped by the tripping mechanism? Do they hate the idea of picking up a dead mouse to dispose of it? Is it the sight o the dead mouse? The smell? Just the idea of mangling a perfectly innocent mouse?
If so, there is a marketing and advertising opportunity here

2) Is your market growing, or shrinking? Are there more people buying mousetraps than last year? If so, you have an opportunity to ride the wave with a slightly cheaper version of the current mousetrap You may consider writing an article about the evils of mice infesting you home You could write to the local newspaper about how mice cause more damage every year than termites If the number of mousetraps sold every year is sharply declining, is it because there is something better out there killing mice? If not, building a better mousetrap, with dwindling demand, is a sure way to go bankrupt

3) The world will beat a path to your door? Really? How will they know that you even have a better mousetrap? If there are any paths that are beaten here, it\’s you beating a path to the marketplace First you have to identify the people who would buy a mousetrap at all What causes mice to invade a home? Are there demographic biases to where mice like to live? If there are no mice in California (for example), marketing your better mousetrap there would be a total waste Is there a mouse-outbreak anywhere? Do floods give rise to more mice? Hurricanes?
Is there a type of home where mice are more of a problem? One story? Basement? Fireplace?

4) Do people really want to kill mice? Would a more accepted product be one that repels mice? How about something that repels mice, and gets rid of the smell (assuming that dead mice smell) at the same time? Is that something people want? How about a way to treat the wood or insulation so that mice hate the taste, and won\’t come in at all?

5) The biggest problem I see with the quote "Build a better mousetrap " is that it assumes that the right way to sell something is to just decide what you want to build, make it good, and then let people figure out that you have it, that it will do the job they want, that it\’s worth the price, and that a mousetrap is what they want That\’s got everything in marketing in reverse
Great marketing is : Finding out what people want (what problem they have), making sure that there is a demand in place for this solution, seeing what else is out there to solve that problem,
Figuring out if they will like your product better (not they should like it better, but actually will)
And then how will you market the new solution? What type of advertising and marketing works now to sell a comparable solution? Can you find list of people that already need and want what you have? Who else is building a better mousetrap, and how do they sell it?

"Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door? Maybe, but that\’s not how I would bet
Small business advertising expert Claude Whitacre is author of the book The Unfair Advantage Small Business Advertising Manual. You can download a complete free copy at http://www.local-small-business-advertising-marketing-book.com or you can just buy a copy at http://www.claudewhitacre.comSubmitted By ArticleUnited.com Submission Services

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At the same time, you may be wishing for promotions to use with your dealership that could increase your bottom line exponentially The more flexibility you have to test a variety of promotions, the more you can find ways to increase revenue and make your dealership successful

Below are some tips you can consider when looking for ways to market outside your normal yearly promotions
Tax Time

Many dealerships are already running spring promotions around tax refund time, so they don\’t bother to give special deals to folks who may be getting a larger tax refund

Any opportunity you can give a customer to use money that is burning a hole in their collective pockets can translate to greater sales for your dealership Feel free to add gas or oil change deals to sweeten the pot if you have those capabilities

Automotive direct mail services are a great way to let people know about your services before or around tax time
Weather-Related Accidents

Everyone knows that when bad weather is a factor, driving capabilities go downhill Visibility, hail, wet roads that lead to hydroplaning, snow or other bad weather issues can lead to damaged or completely totaled cars Someone who\’s been in an accident is going to be looking for a new car

It\’s always a great idea to anticipate bad weather, and be ready for a promotion that will get a driver into a new car 2-3 weeks after the storms have hit It\’s hard to have dated materials ready for a situation like this, but you can really make the most of it if you have printed materials on hand when bad weather hits your community

Age Milestones

Traditionally, May and August are months filled with birthdays Younger high school students will be getting licenses, and 18 year olds will be graduating and heading off to college Running special promotions that coincide with age milestones can be very profitable for your business, if the deal is sweet enough and the promotions are timed right Consider creating automotive direct mailers that will go out on months with these types of milestones

New customers are ready to receive special promotions and get in on the best deals Using automotive direct mailers and other advertising tools will ensure clients see your message Consider planning smaller promotions for your dealership in addition to the larger annual promotions - you may be surprised at the amount of revenue your dealership can bring in with smaller promos!http://blog.adsautomarketing.com has great tips and marketing tricks for dealerships everywhere.

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Late direct mailers

An automotive direct mail services company should never blame the client Last-minute changes are one thing, but it\’s just bad customer service to understand that last-minute changes will make mail or deliveries come late without informing the client If your automotive direct mail pieces are late in getting to customers for any reason, your automotive direct mail services company should be offering apologies, not excuses Too often in this industry, marketing companies blame the client for missed deadlines or things that go wrong at the last second Your marketing company should be accountable enough to communicate with you if a deadline will be missed by even a few days

Bad customer service

Any type of automotive direct mail service marketing can involve a large financial investment, so it makes sense that you\’ll want to know what phase of the campaign your marketing company is working on, and how the campaign is moving along over time If you can\’t get a rep on the phone when you have questions about your marketing campaign, you\’re probably not dealing with the right automotive direct mail marketing service You shouldn\’t be left wondering how your marketing campaign is going - your marketing company should be proactive in communicating with you about approaching deadlines, campaign efficacy, and any other details of your account If you find yourself in a situation where your automotive direct mail company isn\’t delivering, don\’t waste time There are far too many automotive marketing companies who would love to give you a quote, and would love to prove to you that effective, customer friendly service is available without putting up with missed deadlines and a bad attitude Go with an automotive direct mail service company, like ADS, that\’s willing to go the extra mile for you as a customer, and you\’ll see more customers coming on to your lots Margaret James writes for http://blog.adsautomarketing.com/ to give you more
information on finding the best automotive direct mail marketing company.

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Why is this important?

Whether large or small, community events are often going to cost your dealership traffic, and at the end of the day, sales If you\’re planning a huge promotion for your dealership, there\’s never a limit on how many times you can check local events in your area to ensure huge events aren\’t coinciding with your biggest promotion of the year planning-calendar-ADS

Plan Accordingly

Visit local websites and get out your community calendar from the year before Any of last year\’s major events could be put together even a month before the event date this year Avoid disaster by not only knowing what\’s coming in your community, but events that could possibly take place, regardless of whether or not they\’re set in stone

Be Flexible

When sending automotive direct mail and other printed materials, give yourself a shorter time frame before the event begins to get these printed You don\’t necessarily want to get your materials printed and mailed the week before the event, but leaving a short time frame to change the date might be beneficial to your campaigns in the long run If you find out that a major promotion for your dealership will run concurrently with a community event, how can you avoid disaster and make sure you still get traffic to your event?

Make It Out to the Event

If all else fails, contact the event organizers, tell them you have a huge promotion going on, and ask to take part in the event or hand out automotive direct mail pieces or flyers at the event Taking advantage of the event\’s traffic may actually be the best thing for your dealership, and can help you spread the word about your promotions while giving you a voice in the community Knowing how to use community events to boost your branding and profits is all a part of having a well-strategized and implemented marketing plan How have you been able to effectively avoid or join marketing efforts with large local events?Automotive direct mailers are the best way to market your car dealership. Go to http://blog.adsautomarketing.com for more information.

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Many companies make the mistake of handling mail campaigns without having a system in place to measure results Even today, major car dealerships aren\’t asking customers how they found or heard about their dealership, what or who influenced them to come, and what about automotive direct mail advertising pieces inspired a customer to visit

It\’s important to ask yourself how you are measuring success metrics for your business Revenue isn\’t enough - if you\’re pouring thousands of dollars into your advertising campaigns, it\’s important to know how your campaigns are working for you Many dealerships feel that sending out automotive direct mail pieces on their own terms is enough - it isn\’t Working with a company who can handle creating and sending the pieces, and engaging customer feedback and marketing performance, can save your business thousands of dollars in marketing funds

Automotive direct mail campaigns should communicate a sense of urgency to potential customers A customer should feel like a special deal or one-time offer await, and be engaged with colorful and eye-catching designs that inspire them to begin the buying cycle Most dealership owners or marketing managers understand this, but aren\’t sure how to best track customer actions after the mail pieces are sent out

If you\’re a dealership owner, make sure that any marketing materials you send out are followed through with a solid plan of action for measuring the efficacy of your marketing campaigns You could be losing money over time if you continue to sink your advertising dollars into campaigns that aren\’t adequately measured There may be ways to track the effectiveness of automotive direct mail campaigns and auto mailers that you haven\’t yet been using A firm that can take you to that level with your marketing will be worth every penny - for your revenue, your employees, and for your customers

ADS (Accelerated Dealer Services) has the expertise to create and distribute high quality automotive direct mail campaigns, and to help you measure results You\’ll see from start to finish how engaging mailers can be in getting your target audience out to your lots Accelerated Dealer Services will make sure that you get what you need with high quality, personally branded marketing campaigns and metrics measurements that will keep you in the loop about how your marketing efforts are doing over time

If you\’re struggling to do your marketing yourself, you don\’t have to - there is a more cost-effective solution out there, and you don\’t have to be in the dark about results measurement Discover the best way to market your car dealership. Go to http://blog.adsautomarketing.com for more information.

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There are some specific reasons why digital isn\’t the only way to go for dealerships The first reason is that an automobile is a high-priced item that has a deeper sales funnel than lower-cost items The result is that potential customers need to be engaged in a different way

A customer looking to purchase a car wants to see the car, to take a test drive and explore as many options as possible on the lot Automotive direct mail marketing carries the same kinds of associations for clients A piece of advertising with messages of urgency, and that communicate the value of your vehicles will help a buyer identify directly with what promotions you\’re offering and how you\’re selling In the same way that customers associate a test drive with the value or feel of a car, holding that automotive direct mailing in the customer\’s hand is important It is often their first communication or idea about your agency, so you want to make a great first impression and encourage the customer to find out more about you

Automotive direct mailing pieces aren\’t as easily skipped over as digital mailings Customers get used to frequently flipping through inboxes to get rid of unneeded email or other advertisements A customer can also scroll right past an ad on the internet But if a customer is part of a targeted mail campaign, they may find automotive direct mailing pieces aren\’t as easy to skip over Brightly colored, well executed advertisements are eye-catching and appeal to the customer who\’s holding them Again, look and feel are everything when it comes to your automotive direct mail pieces - just as look and feel appeal when a customer is test driving a vehicle

There\’s no argument that investment in digital campaigns is important to your business - but with a high ticket item that\’s part of a deep sales funnel, clients find there\’s no substitute for well-designed automotive direct mailings When an auto mailer is part of a well developed advertising campaign, clients can see a world of difference in the way customers pour in In most cases, the results exceed expectations Highlighting promotions can help move more vehicles off your lots than you ever anticipated - and will keep satisfied customers and their friends, family members and colleagues coming back over time When it comes to automotive direct mailings, the investment is definitely worth it to see these kinds of results

This is why at ADS (Accelerated Dealer Services), we make great efforts to manage your direct mailing campaigns with excellence When you hire our services, you can expect:

* Professionalism and timely updates throughout each step of the process
* A high-quality product and efficient delivery
* Measured results and increased response rateAutomotive direct mailers are the best way to market your car dealership. Go to http://blog.adsautomarketing.com for more information.

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So, if you\’re creating an auto mailer for your dealership, how do you create that type of message to reel in customers?

Appeal to Pain
The first step involves appealing to pain Perhaps their old clunker has been causing one too many headaches and repair costs Perhaps someone has been trying to get around without a vehicle of their own Inciting people to buy, letting them know how purchasing a car as part of a once-in-a-lifetime deal could solve many problems, is one key to creating effective advertising

Attract Attention
Another key has to do with attracting their attention by the look and feel of the advertising The shape and size of advertising should differentiate it from other pieces of mail the customer is holding A company like ADS has experience with designing unique mail pieces that stand out from other mail the customer may be holding, and this can really impact your business Once your advertising catches attention, both with the way the piece is designed and the message included, the customer gets even closer to visiting your lot so that you can work your own magic

It\’s incredibly important to feature high quality images of the merchandise, and any special inclusions in your pricing on your automotive direct mailings Low-res pictures of your vehicles may be less enticing than an engaging, clear picture of what you\’re trying to sell High quality images can make all the difference Particularly if your price points are similar, the customer will be more inclined to visit dealer who demonstrated more care with their branding and product advertisements Working with a firm that has automotive direct mailing experience can save you from losing out to your competitors due to simple, easily fixed issues like this

If you own a dealership or run marketing for one, you don\’t have time to waste on automotive direct mail advertising that doesn\’t meet your needs There is a proven formula to good advertising that also incorporates the particular and unique offerings of a dealership, so working with a firm that understands this will always get more customers in your doors

In conclusion, when seeking out a firm make sure to:

1 Partner with a firm that articulates a clear execution process
2 Ensure artwork is remarkable
3 Focus the messaging on the customer\’s pain

If you are interested in finding out how an expert dealer marketing firm like ADS can benefit your business, please contact us for a consultation Market your car dealership through automotive direct mailers. Go to http://blog.adsautomarketing.com for more information.

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