Top 3 Things Distributors Overlook When Considering Their Own On Hold Marketing Program

November 5, 2009 09:01 by Dan Bryant

Are you considering adding On Hold Marketing to your distributor locations? If done right, it’s a positive addition to your company’s image; brand awareness, sales figures, and event enrollment…even an improvement in the mood of callers!

…and since a large portion of your business comes to you via telephone, the impact of doing it wrong can be significant.

Ok, now we can get to the first of three questions I see distributors overlooking…and it’s a biggee. #1 “Why are we considering On Hold Marketing” This needs to be more than “because our competition is doing it”. There are several good reasons, but the driver is the sheer number of inbound calls that are momentarily put On-Hold. Even 30 hold events a day is 660 monthly. And before you reinstate last year’s commitment to “never put anyone on hold again!”, consider this: Smart businesses are fine-tuning their staff so that, with a short hold time, they can handle more calls. The key to success is a program that’s interesting so your contractors will stay on the line…while giving them more reasons to do more business with you.

#2 “What are our expectations?” A appropriate On Hold Marketing program can be expected to make callers feel better about their brief hold, increase awareness about new people-products-events-seminars-HVAC/R industry trends, and add-on sales. Anything less is just “noise on hold”…(satisfying no expectations).

The #3 consideration that many wholesalers overlook is the value of an industry-specific on-hold provider. The pronunciation of the specific terms and phrases used by your industry is critical to the credibility of your marketing messages….and an inexperienced on-hold producer can cause you some pretty big headaches if your customers are pointing out mispronounced acronyms, building codes and efficiency designations.

If you consider these three points, you’ll be taking the right path toward knowing if, or how, or why to include On Hold Marketing as a new element of your overall marketing.

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Tags: hvac, hvacr, electrical, plumbing, distributor, on hold
Categories: Distribution
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HVAC Distributors Find On Hold Messages A Big Part of the Marketing Pie

November 21, 2008 07:51 by Dan Bryant

On Hold Marketing is only one slice of the total marketing pie if you’re an HVAC/R, HARDI, or ASA distributor. After all, a large portion of your sales come to you via the telephone…and the typical HVACR/HARDI/ASA distributor location puts around 30 calls a day on hold…so making sure you handle inbound calls properly isn’t something to ignore. You should have a mini-marketing plan for the message-on-hold slice of your marketing. Although HVAC/R distributors serve their own unique markets, they do share a common caller profile. Knowledge of the HVAC/R distribution business and your caller profile allows one to address distributor marketing specifically, but the elements shown here can work no matter which On Hold provider you’re using for on hold message. Here’s how it all works: Your advertising tools (eg: sales force, web site, flyers, trade ads) encourage contractors to call. (to order, check on an order, ask for specs, register for an event or promotion) If callers go on hold for a moment or two, then your message on hold program reinforces your other advertising in web sites, print ads & sales team promotion. It’s all about multiplying your marketing.

Here’s how to really get something back from your on hold message….get your calendar out and make dates to..

#1 - Consult managers on a list of hot topics

#2 - Change the message at least quarterly (at least re-visit it!)

#3 - reinforce your marketing messages being used elsewhere

(e.g.; your web site, flyers, promotions)

#4 - Inform your inside sales staff of the content of the on hold message

#5 - help inside sales people prepare to answer questions generated by the on hold message

(yes, this looks allot like #4, this is actually anticipating questions and preparing answers)

#6 - create a specific plan for inquires received by inside sales people..

...so they transfer the inquiry to the appropriate outside sales people asap.

#7 - Draw in delivery drivers to help with your marketing...they can leave flyers or pens, or pads...some customers only see two of your staff members...their rep...and their delivery driver!

Call it whatever you want, message on hold, on hold message, or on hold marketing…it deserves more than passive glance. If you'd like to brainstorm this with someone with industry experience, call us at 800-342-0098.

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Tags: hvac/r, distribution
Categories: HVAC/R | Distribution
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