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: forguns@davidsonsinc.comwww.galleryofguns.com

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.