May 09, 2011
Telephone marketing in transition
Addressing creative new ways customers shop for tires
By: Richard Morgan
When the telephone rings at your store, the odds are better than two to one that your customer or prospect is using a cell phone or one of the newer “smartphones.” Today, there are more than 280 million mobile phones in use by about 80% of Americans, age 18 and above.
In one recent survey, 75% of respondents said they keep their cell phones on and within reach during waking hours! Most users feel that the cell phone has made their life easier by providing instant wireless access wherever they happen to be at the time. There are many funny stories about cell phone call locations.
The days of wired telephone service are numbered. For example, last month, I cancelled my land line business telephone service and ported the existing number to my new Blackberry smartphone.
From the time on March 10, 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell spoke the first sentence into his invention, the telephone has become an essential communication device. Telephone use, both personal and business, exploded during the ensuing decades. Perhaps you may still recall the black, rotary dial models, connected by operators using a tangle of wires. I sure remember them. Today, most equipment is digital, wireless, mobile, and with Internet connectivity built in.
The changes actually have made telephone use even more vital to a tire dealer’s success. Customers and prospects have immediate access to an enormous amount of information, and they use their 24/7 connectivity to shop and find the products and services they need.
Although telephone technology has rapidly evolved in the past few years, the need for friendly, attentive telephone etiquette remains the same. A caller determines his or her first impression of your company during the first half-minute of your conversation. The person answering your telephone is the whole company during those crucial moments.
You need repeat business and referrals from delighted customers. That means you should pay particular attention to your firm’s telephone etiquette.
• For Pete’s sake, avoid putting mobile phone users on hold for lengthy periods. Delays on hold eat valuable cell phone minutes.
• Show that you value the caller’s time. If you must put someone on hold, check back every 30 to 45 seconds or your caller may think he or she is no longer connected, hang up, and call your competitor! If you cannot connect the caller quickly, ask if it would be better to take the caller’s number and have your person call them back shortly.
• Just as the first few seconds of a call create the caller’s first impression of your operation, the last seconds establish the caller’s final opinion. Try to end on a brief, but friendly note. People will sense your smile.
I am the curious type, so I decided to make a few calls to a random sample of tire dealers and determine a subjective range of telephone etiquette. I made seven calls to tire dealers in five states, coast to coast. Three were to locations of major independent chains. Four were independent tire dealers. All seven dealers responded pretty well.
Sign up for our Enews and receive the latest news, trends, and product information right in your e-mail inbox.