On Hold Marketing Strategy: How to Set and Achieve Goals for On Hold Marketing Success

Photo Credit:  Dennis Skley

By Johnny Gailer

There are countless ways you can use winonhold.com to grow your business: advertise new products, upsell, cross-promote, remind customers why you’re the better choice . . . the list goes on.

But like any other form of marketing, if you want to see a return, you must set goals and then stick to a strategy to help you get results.

Let's look at three goals on-hold marketing can help you achieve, see how they can contribute to your bottom line, and determine what actions you can take to make it all happen:

GOAL #1: Improve Customer Service

Your level of service is pretty important when it comes to your bottom line. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be the number one answer people state as their competitive advantage. In many cases, people choose to do business with you versus a competitor as a result of an emotional decision. Unhappy customers will not buy from you. If you make your company the most pleasant one to deal with, you will have an opportunity to land business you might otherwise lose, as well as gain loyal repeat customers.

Winonhold.com gives you a cost-effective opportunity to Improve Your Customer Service, but how do you make it work for you?

1) Make it seem like you’re getting back to the phone quicker.

Music combined with messaging while callers wait on hold goes a long way in shaping the caller's experience. The messages engage the caller's mind so the time they wait automatically seems shorter than it would with beeps, just music, or silence. Plus, they’ll know they are waiting on hold rather than wondering if you’ve forgotten about them or if they got cut off.

ACTION STEP: Just use winonhold.com and make sure the messaging stays fresh.

2) Answer common questions.

Do you have a question your staff answers 47 times a day? Go ahead and give each caller the answer before they ask by telling them on hold.

ACTION STEP: Let us know about it. We’ll write a custom script that you can keep in your rotation as you update your messaging.

3) Let them know about important announcements.

Do you host counter days or training seminars? Do you need to let your customers know your hours for the upcoming holiday? These are things your customer wants to know about, so tell them while they wait on hold. On-Hold Marketing is a great way to share important announcements to your customers.

ACTION STEP: Keep us informed about what’s happening at your company; we'll help you get the word out.

GOAL #2: Enhance Your Professionalism

The way your company is portrayed speaks volumes. That’s because professionalism goes a long way in earning trust. Trust can be the difference of landing that huge bid or losing it to a competitor. Take a look at how you can maximize your professionalism with on-hold marketing:

1) Talk about what’s relevant.

When a prospect or customer calls your company, they need to know how you can help them. When callers hear messaging about the ways your company, your products, and your services will meet their needs, they’ll know right away they’re dealing with a substantial and trustworthy company.

ACTION STEP: Make sure your messages give value to the listener. We aim to do this with every script we provide.

2) Remind them of your competitive advantages.

When customers first started dealing with you they probably remembered exactly why they chose your store. But after a few years, or even a few decades, they may forget. Make sure they know all the reasons they should always choose you as their supplier.

ACTION STEP: Drive home all the reasons they should do business with you.

3) Show appreciation.

There are few words in the world that go farther than a simple thank you. Let your customers know you appreciate them. It’ll go that much farther in cementing a positive view of your company.

ACTION STEP: Include scripts that let callers know you appreciate them.

GOAL #3: Increase Sales

Moving more product is always nice, and it’s probably the way most people use winonhold.com. But how can you boost sales with your On Hold Marketing?

1) Introduce new products.

They won’t buy it from you if they don’t know about it. Your customers probably know exactly what your major lines are and they probably have certain lines they like to use. But as applications change and new innovations happen make sure you continue to introduce products that can make their lives easier.

ACTION STEP: Let us know when you bring in a new product so we can support you with professionally written messages to help you get the word out.

2) Upsell Point-of-Purchase Items.

Do have anything you can add on to increase the size of each sale? It may be small but as you gain a couple dollars here and there the bottom line starts to build.

ACTION STEP: If you're promoting it at your counter, promote it on hold. Customers on hold are just like those waiting in line at your counter, so if they can't see a promotion, they should at least hear about it.

3) Produce top of mind awareness.

What are some things your customers don’t buy every day? What are some things they may be buying from your competitors? Continue to remind customers of all the ways you can serve them so that when the need arises they buy from you. If you sell tools – advertise that on hold. That way when they need a new one you’ll be the first to come to their mind and you can throw it on to their next order.

ACTION STEP: Constantly remind your customers of all the products you carry. Because if you don't, they'll forget.

So what are your goals, and how will you achieve them?

3 Ways You Can Use winonhold.com to GROW Your Business

By Johnny Gailer

Knowing your customers have something to listen to is great, but just how exactly does the winonhold.com on-hold marketing service help your company grow?

Take a look at these 3 ways winonhold.com increases your business:

Improving Your Customer Service = Increasing Your Repeat Business

The service your customer receives directly relates to your bottom line because creating a better experience than your competitor is crucial to winning your customers' business. The moment you start with winonhold.com, your customer service drastically improves. Wait times seem shorter because you engage their mind with relevant messages and calming music. You can use wait times to communicate important events and special hours. And callers won’t have to wonder if they’ve been hung up on. When you create a better experience when they call, you have a better chance of capitalizing on the advertising that got them to call in the first place.

Presenting a Professional Company Image = Trust = More Won Business

Gaining trust may be the single most important element to win and keep a customer’s business. And to gain trust you must present a great company image. When your callers wait on hold listening to messages with Your Brand, Your Products, and Your services - your company will appear more substantial, more professional, and thus more trustworthy. This is especially important if you're selling products that have become somewhat commoditized and have to bid on jobs. A customer knowing he can count on you to deliver is the trust that can be won simply by displaying a professional company image.

Captive Target Audience = Sales Opportunities

When your caller is placed on hold you have something every sales and marketing professional dreams about – a captive target audience. So don’t waste it. Use hold time to educate callers about new products. Remind them of complimentary products and services for up-sell and cross-selling opportunities. Communicate your competitive advantages and the brand messages you want them to buy into.

BONUS: Don't know what to say on hold?

Answer these quick questions:

• If you had 30 seconds to say the same thing to each individual customer what would you tell them?
• Do you have any new products?
• What products have they forgotten you stock?
• What services can you offer them?
• Why should they do business with you?
• What can you add to increase ticket sizes?
• Do you have any important announcements or special events?
• What question does your staff answer 47 times a day?

30-Minute Delivery or Your Toilet is FREE!

By Jimmy Harris

When you're advertising, everyone says you have to talk about your "USP" (Unique Selling Proposition), right? Maybe you can't do one in the title, but is there something you do that sets you apart, something specific? (If you want to showcase your friendly, courteous staff, check out this article: What Separates YOU From the Herd.)

Remember when Domino's would deliver your pizza in 30 minutes or you got it free? (I miss those days!) If I had to guess, I'd say they sold at least a hundred million extra pizzasbecause they told us over and over and over what their USP was.

And who among us didn't order a pizza from Domino's in the 80's and 90's hoping against hope they'd bring it in 33 minutes? I know I did. More often than not, I had to pay for it. Come to think of it, I'm sure I paid for the "free" ones too, because I was so intrigued by the idea of getting the pizza free, I never thought about the price.

I was willing to pay more on all my pizzas for the chance of getting one free! Quite honestly, I just realized that today!

Do you know our USP at winonhold.com? It's simple.

You can't get THIS anywhere else!"

What's that mean? It means we've combined award-winning national voice talent, results-oriented scriptwriting, same-day turnaround times, thousands of scripts you can use right now, and an online system custom-built around Winwholesale that allows you to manage all of this at an extremely fair price and with very little effort on your part.

Personally, I'd like it to be a little cleaner. But for now, it's working pretty well. We are serving just a few more than 350 Winwholesale companies with On-Hold Marketing, Auto Attendant messaging and After-Hours messaging. (Stay tuned for new services just around the bend!)

But enough about us... what's YOUR USP?

Think about it, work on it, and then put it in all your advertising and see what happens!

For the Winonhold Newbies (Or the longtimers who just don't know what to say)

by Johnny Gailer

So you've recently signed up for the Winonhold Service. The next step is to figure out what to do with it. Here are a few ways we can help you use your service to WIN on hold.

Upsell: Increase your existing customers' average ticket by advertising tools, complementary products and the everyday point of purchase items. You're already doing this while they wait at your counter, why not while they wait on hold?

Move Stock: Got a great deal running? Do yourself a favor and let folks know about it!

Stand Out: Tired of being seen as a commodity peddler? Do something different. Whether it's after-hours delivery or free coffee before 10, make sure to remind your customers why you're the better choice.

Promote Special Days: Doing something cool? Brats and burgers? Big sale? Vendor Day? Talk about it! Studies show it takes 14 messages before people remember! Use hold time to talk about cool events.

Save Time: Is there a question you answer 47 times a day? Answer it on hold. You'll save man hours and give your customers better service. Everybody wins.

Cross Promote: Your callers already like you - that's why they're calling - and chances are, they'll buy into other products and services if they know about them.

Say Thanks: There are very few words that have the impact of a simple thank you. Reminding your customers how much you appreciate them can go a long way in forging a lasting relationship.

Get the help of a vendor: Promote those vendors who help you pay for stuff. Take advantage of our co-op proof of advertising program to help you pay for your investment.

4 Reasons you should NOT allow your employees to give customers their cell phone number

by Johnny Gailer

I imagine you're thinking, "What?! That's the way my outside guys are able to make me so much money." 

Let me clarify:  I don't want to take their mobility away from you.  Instead, help your employees forward calls from your store to their cell phones rather than having them give out their cell number directly.  Here's why:

If you let customers call employees on their cell phone directly...

#1. Your customers are not YOUR customers, they're your EMPLOYEES

Many Win owners have come from other companies, and brought an established customer base with them. You probably want your employees to succeed but I'm sure you don't want them taking your customers away when they move on.

Allowing your employees to use their cell number as the primary mode of contact, makes them your employees customer. Not yours. And it opens up to the potential of a huge loss in revenue.

The customer may be loyal to their salesman, but when customers have to call your store first you have the opportunity to create customer loyalty.

2.  You don't have the ability to know what communications are going on between your employees and YOUR customers.

You will have a good idea of exactly how many inbound calls your employees are getting and how much effort outside sales people are putting into growing your customer base versus just taking orders.

If an outside salesperson is only taking as many orders as calls he receives, you know whether he has time to get on the phone and in the field getting more business for you. And you can get him the training and the direction he needs to start growing your company.

# 3.  Remember:  Cell phones break, and cell numbers change.

If a customer is used to one individual in your company then that customer may not know your store's phone number. And when that employee breaks or loses his cell phone and the customer needs an order fast, you need to be able to intercept the call before it goes to a competitor.

Having all calls go through your store first ensures the customer will get the assistance they need.

#4. You lose the ability to create a positive, consistent impression of YOUR brand.

Every time a phone call is answered, you have the opportunity to brand the conversation and intentionally create a positive impression of your company.

Most companies have a specific way of answering the phone.

"Good Morning . . . You've reached Winsupply, this is Johnny."

A consistent way of answering calls sets the tone for each conversation, and lets the caller know they can expect the same great service as the last time they called.

It also labels the communication as a conversation with YOUR COMPANY, rather than the employee, and helps to create customer loyalty with your company even after the employee leaves. Meaning they are your customer and not your employees.

Another way many companies brand their company is with a professional Welcome Message. The Welcome Message answers the phone with a consistent greeting, sets the tone, and many times offers an up-sell opportunity or current information.  Then it rings through like a normal call.

Here's an example of a winonhold Welcome Message:  "Thanks for calling Winsupply - your source for quality supplies.  Don't forget we're offering 20% off tools through the end of June" . . .  ring,  ring  "Winsupply, This is Johnny."

The ability to brand each conversation is powerful and offers you a great opportunity to create a positive impression of your company and increase loyalty with YOU.

BONUS REASON: If you forward your calls to your cell, it is just fun to know your customers think you're at your desk when you're really not.

If you need help forwarding your customers' calls to an employee's cell phone, let us (or the guys in Dayton if you have the Cisco system) know. We may be able to help point you in the right direction.

If your phone system is too old for this feature, please don't allow the practice of letting your employees use their cell with customers.  The cycle will be hard to break when you do get a new phone system that allows for call forwarding.

When you do get a new system, brand each conversation by forwarding your calls to outside employee's' cells instead of allowing them to use their cell phone directly.

5 Steps to Writing Better Ad Copy

by Jimmy Harris

Thinking of refreshing your On-Hold messaging? Here are five writing tips I use to make scripts more effective. Not only are these great tips for writing on-hold scripts, they will also translate to any type of writing you do.

Tip #1 - Start with the end in mind.Before you even begin writing, always ask yourself this question: "What do I want my listener to do after he hears this message?" Attend an event? Buy a ticket? Begin specifying a particular line for commercial work? Whatever it is, write it down. It's really easy to get lost in the writing process, and answering this one simple question can really save you a lot of time, and write a much more effective marketing message.

Tip #2 - Use the rule of One! I love the power of the proverb to make a point. Like this one: "He who chases two rabbits will go to sleep hungry." I think it's a Chinese proverb, but you certainly don't have to be from China to get the point. Don't confuse your listener with more than one message. If you're advertising an upcoming sales promotion, don't talk about your friendly courteous staff or your new showroom - if you do, your primary message will get lost.

Tip #3 - Focus on your listener! Everyone's favorite radio station is WIFM (What'sIn it For Me)! Guess what that means? People are about as interested in how many years you've been in business or how your company got started as they are in looking at your family vacation photos. Your listener needs to know how you are going to help them save time, make more money, live longer, or become more attractive to the opposite sex. Pick one of those, and stay with it. If you aren't doing one of those things, you probably won't be in business long. So tell them HOW you can help THEM. Really, it's all they care about.

Tip #4 - Don't use ad-speak. When you pick up your mail, what's the first thing you do? I pick out all the ads, and toss them. They don't make it into my car or house. Your listener does the same thing. He has trained his mind to ignore messages he has learned have little value to him. Anything that sounds "sales-y" gets trashed. Now. So if you want mindspace, don't sound sales-y! Avoid phrases that sound like bad radio commercials, like "Looking for fun in the sun?" or "It's that time of year again!" or "Our friendly knowledgeable staff..." These, and a hundred other phrases, simply won't make it through the filter to your listener's mind and heart.

Tip #5 - Don't try to be "creative"! Don't get me wrong, I'm not against creativity. I like it, in fact. And if you're entering a poetry contest that judged primarily on creativity, then that should be what you're doing. But if you're writing advertising to help you move product or increase customer loyalty or increase attendance at your next shindig then, if creativity happens, great! But don't try to be creative for creativity's sake. (Or "funny" for that matter - but more on that next time.)

In summary, advertising copy that gets you the results you want will be results-oriented, single-minded and customer-focused, while avoiding ad-speak and "creativity" whenever possible.

In Part 2, we'll talk about how MANY times someone has to hear a message before they really hear it... but that's next time.

Til then, good writing!

4 Ways to Differentiate Your Company from the Competitors

by Johnny Gailer

When competitors offer the same products and services as you, it's very easy to become viewed as a commodity peddler. And as such, the only things you can compete on are price and terms. To avoid the "commodity curse," here are 4 ways to differentiate your company!

1. Give free information to position yourself as an industry leader.Engaging in social media and social networking events is all the rage now. But how can you use these tools to really differentiate your company? One way is to provide useful information for free. This will set you apart from your competitors and position you as an industry leader and trusted consultant. Once you've established this perception, you have earned your customers' trust. And when they need someone to turn to, they'll be wide open to receive what you want them to hear.
2. Maximize PR and industry-related interactions. Whenever possible, engage in public speaking, or distribute news from your company. Hint: Local news sources are desperate for news. Giving them articles that highlight what your company is doing equals free advertising for you.

   For example, you could send a newspaper an article that lets them know how a locally owned company (yours!) is working with contractors to help upgrade all the toilets and sinks in the local school, or how with the help of your company the local sports team was able to upgrade their facilities. Or let the newspaper and radio station know you were awarded a national honor amongst Winwholesale companies. And of course, you can provide articles about upcoming events - like customer appreciation and Vendor Demo days.

   Write your own articles and news to submit for editing so you can subtly include value-proposition statements and benefits, while maintaining control of the image displayed to readers.

3. Communicate specific value propositions. Value propositions communicate to your customer why they should do business with you. It is important your business finds and creates value propositions that stand out from the competition. The best way to do this is to get specific.

   Which is more powerful: "Fast Service" or "We'll load your truck in less than 7 minutes"? "Friendly" or "We will welcome you by name when you come through the door"? "Knowledgeable Staff" or "Our team includes experienced (Plumbing/Electrical/HVAC/Industrial PVF) professionals who worked in YOUR field before they worked for us"?

   Make sure you give a specific reason for them to do business with you. Otherwise your company will just be another supply house that has people that smile and can get them the part they need (which sounds a lot like the big box stores).

4. winonhold.com On-Hold Marketing and Answering Services. Take advantage ofwinonhold.com On-Hold Marketing and Telephone Audio Branding Services, which can help your business display the image of a company your customers can trust. When customers hear messages while they wait on hold filled with your brand, your products and services, and your value propositions, they will view your company as more substantial (and therefore more trustworthy) than companies who force their callers to listen to silence, beeps, music, or the local radio station while they wait on hold. If you've been torturing your customers with any of these awful displeasures, please stop and call us right now at 888-465-3661.

I hope you'll use these four ways to set your company apart and win more business: 1. Give away free (helpful) information, 2. Maximize PR, 3. Communicate specific value propositions, and 4. Use winonhold.com to differentiate your business from your competitors.

So don't become a Commodity Peddler! Differentiate today!

The Importance of "Preaching What You Practice"

By Jimmy Harris

As I'm sitting here in my studio/office at the end of a long day, I'm watching the video on the front page of the all new Winsupply Inc website.

As a marketing professional, I'm genuinely impressed!

Of course, I've always been impressed with the Winwholesale model of doing business, since the first day I walked into a Winlectric to check out their lighting products, which I could see shining in their showroom from the street! Since then I've learned that not only are Win stores great for customers, they're also an awesome way to make the American Dream work... for those who are willing to work for it!

The new website communicates a truly winning spirit! The advertising matches what I've seen in store after store after store as I've visited some of our customers across the Southeast and even as far west as Canada. I've heard it in the excited and hopeful voices of the young new Presidents and managers just beginning their careers, and I've heard it in the calm confidence of those who have been with Winwholesale for 30 or 40 years, and are about to retire comfortably because of what was afforded to them through the Win business model.

The new "It All Starts Here" video really communicates the strength and professionalism of Winsupply. It makes me happy to be a part of the "Win" family.

But what about you?

Are you doing all you can to make your customers happy they are a part of your business family, and make prospective customers look for a way to be a part?

To do that, you must gently control your customer's experience of your store.How do your callers experience YOUR brand when they call you on the phone? Is it professional? Friendly? Hopeful? And - importantly - is it that way consistently? Are you training all your employees on how to consistently communicate your brand, both in person and on the phone?

What about when a caller is placed on hold for a short period of time... does what they hear on the phone match the overall message you're trying to communicate? In other words, is what they hear fresh, clear, engaging, and customer-focused? Or is it the local rock station (which is just now playing a commercial for a local "Big Box" store)?

Someone said it's important to "practice what you preach" ... It just occurred to me that good phone handling procedures as well as a professional and upbeat auto attendant and on-hold messaging program is a great way to "Preach what youPractice"! If you're offering great products, superior service, free delivery, and fresh donuts at 7 am on Thursday mornings... why not use hold time to tell your callers who you are and what you are doing to help them?

If you are already using our services, thanks again for your business. If not, give me a call today at 1-888-465-3661... let's get you started Preaching what you Practice!