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I’ve got a funny story for you. The other day Tory and I are waiting in line for a sandwich when he says to me, “Do you think you’re more book smart or street smart?” As someone who’s excelled better in the real world as opposed to the academic classroom, I proudly replied “street smart,” to which Tory said, “Okay, let me see your wallet.” I handed him my wallet and as he was putting it in his pocket with a big smile chuckling he says, “Nah, you’re more book smart.” He got me good on that one, and unfortunately this isn’t the first time I’ve failed the street smart versus book smart test. In fact, there’s a tricky balance between the two, one without the other will most often lead to some level of ignorance.

Back in my dealership days, I was originally taught that the purpose of my advertising and marketing was to build my brand, get my name out there, create T.O.M.A. (top of mind awareness) and community and marketplace awareness. This made perfect sense at the time. In fact, the idea of this dates back to a much older time where small towns (like Mayberry on the Andy Griffith show) usually had one drug store, one barber shop, one hardware store, one dentist, etc. So, when they opened up and did a simple ad in the local paper it created quite a buzz.  But, as time has passed, the lay of the land has changed dramatically. Not just because small isolated towns that were once surrounded by pasture and farm land have been connected by four lane roads and endless options and choices for nearly every category of business, but also because of the internet. Nearly anything and everything imaginable is just a click away. 

Even though it’s been many years since my Dealer Principal days, I can vividly remember my cable TV rep, billboard salesmen, and radio reps all teaching me the “branding my dealership” lesson. Heck, once I even bit off on a “re-branding” campaign where I had a new logo created, new signage on the building, new t-shirts, decals, etc. But, that was just the beginning of the expense.  Then I was sold on the need to advertise and let everyone know about my new logo. This was a painful lesson, and one of the many expensive street smarts learning experiences that have led me to ask two very important questions before doing any advertising:    

1. What is the objective of my advertising?

2. Can I afford that objective?

A lot of the branding that often looks tempting to the small business owner is being done by well-funded mega companies who have lots of patience and loads of cash. Unfortunately, most dealerships aren’t in this position.  But, many DP’s do just as I did, and ignorantly plow forward doing branding with a limited budget only to find out they have nothing quantifiable to show for it, except an empty bank account. The harsh reality is your customers don’t care about your new logo, and spending money advertising it is just plain silly.  

When you go into the branding mindset you begin to think of how you want people to look and think about you, your products, and your business and how you can promote that image. That’s an okay objective, if you can afford it.

When you shift gears and change your mindset into answering the heart of that first question you realize that what you really want from your advertising is not a warm and fuzzy feeling because you heard your commercial on the radio; what you really want to do is generate some business and make some damn money, right?

This shift redirects you to think about who your most viable target audience is, what is a compelling message that could encourage them to come into the dealership, call, or submit an online inquiry, and how you can measure this advertising to see if it’s working or not working.

Simply put, the purpose of your advertising is to produce quantifiable sales opportunities and generate a positive return on your investment.  

“But, what about my brand?” some will say…”It’s important to me.”  I understand, my company’s brand is very important to me as well. However, our branding is a happy byproduct that is created by lead generation marketing, quality client experiences, and excellent products, not from some expensive display ad placed in one of the trade journals or a fancy direct mail piece featuring our logo and slogan.  Thinking that your logo and your advertising are responsible for your brand is a poorly thought out strategy.

This is where that tricky balance of book smarts and street smarts comes into play. You’ve likely fallen for some of the same advertising B.S. that I have in the past, but the fact that you’ve read this article shows you're also open to mixing those lessons learned with some book smarts, too. They say wisdom comes from experience, and the combination of those two ingredients could be the impetus for you having a record breaking spring and summer in 2017.

Gotta run, headed to lunch now to see if I can snag Brad’s wallet. ; - )

To learn more about Powersports Marketing’s lead generation marketing contact us at 877-242-4472.