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, 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 the three points we’ve featured here, 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.

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. 

Did you notice the OHMA logo on our web site?  We’ve been a member of OHMA for many years…nearly since its inception.  Every element of our company image includes the OHMA logo.  It’s a mark of assurance for you…assurance that you’re being served by a reputable, ethical, capable on hold messaging company that is held, not only to a higher standard...standards you might not have thought of as important.
Here are a few examples of  criteria for membership in OHMA:
    On Hold Messaging must be The Member's primary business function.
    The Member must have a proven track record of On Hold Messaging excellence.
    The Member must be a comprehensive, full-service provider.
    The Member must provide flexible payment options.
    The Member is held accountable to OHMA standards.
    OHMA will provide arbitration in the unlikely event of a dispute.

These are things you want in an on hold provider.

These rules for membership disqualify those who claim to be on hold provider such as those who:
-    produce on hold messages “on the side”
-    been in business under 5 years
-    provide only players...or only programs…or don’t provide basic message change options such as remote uploading…or don’t support a wide range of digital equipment
-    only have a single pay plan
-    or who refuse to agree to arbitration

OHMA association members do what good members of any association do…they pay significant dues, commit their time to the betterment of their industry, and attend meetings to share ideas, and learn, about how to improve their business model and add more value to the services they provide.

OHMA members also have better access to digital equipment manufacturers...finding out what’s new…what’s going out….and where problems are being experienced.

…with an OHMA Member, you get A BETTER way to Educate, Motivate, Communicate. The right message. The right tone. Every time.

That’s why we’re members...and why OHMA membership should be one of the selection criteria you should consider.

Yes, naturally, there’s a price for what we do…from $39-249 per month for a single site depending on the plan…(much less for additional sites). As you compare on hold providers, consider this. Asking 3 on hold providers for a price is like asking 3 auto dealerships for a price on a car. Cars are different…just like on hold providers are different. They can be low price, but also low value, so knowing what you expect your on hold program to do for you is a big part of finding a provider that’s a good fit for your expectations…whether it’s a Chevy or Caddy. Many inquirers call us knowing that their competition has “something on hold” and they have “nothing on hold”…therefore their expectations are to get “something on hold”. Now if your competition has “On Hold Marketing” …and you install “something on hold”…you’ve got a problem, because your competition is actually building a marketing relationship with your customers, reducing abandon calls, reducing complaints about the hold time… and you’re just playing “something”…we call this “noise on hold”. Be sure to add to your comparative analysis that OHM has been helping businesses and practices build a better image, customer loyalty, and simply more awareness of their service offering for over 20 years

See how your prospective On-Hold provider matches up with our advantages:
-    20 years experience helping businesses and practices
-    Technical Support for industry standard on hold equipment
-    In-house script writing, proofing, audio editing & productions
-    Female and male voice talents on every production
-    Subscriptions that keep us engaged in your marketing and maintain a message that’s current and interesting
-    Soundtrack-quality music and sound effects libraries choices
-    Full 6 minute programs with 8-10 messages per program
-    National HOLDI Award Winners for creativity and production quality
-    Member – On Hold Messaging Association and other industry associations