Work Question

[Ovid9]

Yeah, its late, but I just now thought to ask the geniuses here on HCAF.

 

Well, ok, maybe not geniuses, but you guys come from a varied work background so you'll have insight. And even if you don't, HCAF has no shortage of opinions!

 

The Sitch:

 

I work for a car dealer in the parts department. I have aspirations to eventually run that department, but that's a long term goal. My dealership has a massive (for our area, 250-325 cars on site) used car lot which is the bulk of our car sales business.

 

I listen to lots of Chicago area radio and have noticed what I feel are effective ads: Guys on the station get demos from dealerships (and probably some $$$) to then pimp the dealership at scheduled times. Hell, sometimes they even talk about it unscheduled. I know I remember the names of the dealers the hosts pimp WAY more than I do most of the other dealers that advertise.

 

My idea:

 

Bring this idea/approach to my GM. Its simple, we don't even have to use new cars, we can demo used and have them pimp our wide selection of makes and models. I couldn't even tell you if we currently have a radio ad campaign going on. I personally would target the modern rock station, a country station, and one of the classic rock and/or lite rock stations. Possibly insert the local talk radio station in lieu of one of the others.

 

The problem:

 

I don't exactly know how to broach the idea as: 1) Its not even remotely my department. 2) I have no clue of the possible costs/liabilities involved, 3) I have no clue how to find the answers to #2 so I could overcome #1.

 

Solutions:

 

A) Just keep doing my job and my job alone to the best of my abilities (they gave me a week's paid vacation because i've been doing a good job! ). Best and safest way to succeed.

 

B) Try and discover the answers to #2 above and then bring up the topic. I have no problem doing research and putting together a nice and professional proposal. I'm just not sure where to start gathering info like how much it would cost to advertise, what are the insurance liabilities of demos outside the company, etc.

 

C) Skip B & #2 and try and find a way to casually mention the idea.

 

Thoughts?

[Gary Cohn]

To do it right, you'd need some market research.

 

A basic SWOT will work for this. Answer these questions:

What's your Strengths as a dealership? What's your Weakness? What's your Opportunity? What's your Target?

[Gary Cohn]

Also, call the radio stations and get their advertising packages. This will include rates to different lengths of the ad and at what times these rates apply. Obviously rush hour advertising will be more than Wednesday at 1am.

[Ovid9]

To do it right, you'd need some market research. A basic SWOT will work for this. Answer these questions: What's your S trengths as a dealership? What's your W eakness? What's your O pportunity? What's your T arget?

 

See, those are things I didn't get in my one semester as an MIS major. My 1 semester as a Chem major and the remaining 6 as History major didn't either.

 

Thanks dude, that gives me a basic starting point.

[Shine]

We need a powerpoint presentation on how we can make the most money for our ceos while cutting jobs, benefits and maintaining an employee base while underpaying them. Make sure you do it on your work time without neglecting your normal work. Kthx.

 

 

[Ovid9]

We need a powerpoint presentation on how we can make the most money for our ceos while cutting jobs, benefits and maintaining an employee base while underpaying them. Make sure you do it on your work time without neglecting your normal work. Kthx.

 

 

No power point.

 

And no giving my owner more ideas on how to cut payroll either.

 

Holy {censored} we run a lean ship.

 

We also signed up for the cheapest DBS possible. It sucks. It totally {censored}ed something up, wasted probably a total of 8-10 man hours on our end and the response we got from the company was "we have no idea how that happened. Here, let us correct the accounting error our software caused but yeah, we don't know what caused it."

[Gary Cohn]

I think a big thig with people now, especially the cash strapped is a solid warranty.

 

If you can find a way to get someone a decent used car at a good price and then have an in-house warranty that ensures a quality product for a couple years; they will sell themselves.

[Ovid9]

I think a big thig with people now, especially the cash strapped is a solid warranty. If you can find a way to get someone a decent used car at a good price and then have an in-house warranty that ensures a quality product for a couple years; they will sell themselves.

 

Yeah, well, now you're REALLY getting above my pay grade. I DREAM of implementing all the ideas I have of how to run a dealership (most of which is based far more on top notch customer service/standing behind your product than absolute rock bottom pricing) but that most likely will never happen.

 

I still think there is a certain "draw" to having a local "celeb" even one as minor as a radio show host or DJ, pimping your product that makes it local to a person. Why do I care that the owner/GM is telling me buy a car @ X's place? But hey, Joe is a regular guy, he's driving a car/truck from there and likes it, maybe I should check it out!

 

I know its all marketing voodoo, but it seems to be marketing voodoo that works.

 

And yeah, did I mention I really would love to try running a dealership "my way" someday?

[Gary Cohn]

There's a guy here who does what you're saying. He's a local am talk show host (obviously right leaning) that pimps {censored} out. He does a great job. He's a local guy, born and raised here.

 

Sometimes with radio stations they'll offer (for a price) you a choice of hosts to do your radio commercial.

 

Ie, you can go about it 3 ways; YOU record your commercial and send them the tape to be ran, you hire a marketing firm to record the commercial or you can choose a dj/host to do it their way and they record it.

 

Maybe offer a host a good deal on a car so he can speak from experience. I also notice that around here, what is done a lot of times is an ad about 30 seconds is done where the company introduces themselves and what they do. Then follow it up with a, "2 free tickets for any veteran that wants to see the minor league team on Monday sept. 3rd compliments of Ovid car dealership."

 

That kinda stuff. You have attractions like that locally? Maybe that'll work for you. People love free {censored}.

[Gary Cohn]

I should also add that there is no easier and more efficient way to target a specific target audience than magazine and radio advertisement. I would definitely tell your boss this. I vote for running it by him. Just explain that people can't buy your product unless they know you exist.

[Ovid9]

I should also add that there is no easier and more efficient way to target a specific target audience than magazine and radio advertisement. I would definitely tell your boss this. I vote for running it by her (and not checking out her ass). Just explain that people can't buy your product unless they know you exist.

 

 

Yeah, I don't hear us on the radio at all. I only listen to 3 local stations, and only briefly throughout the day, but I don't know that we are doing any radio ads ATM. Maybe the administrative assistant knows. She pretty much does all the ad stuff since they fired our ad guy.

 

Yes, we fired our ad guy. You should have seen the commercials the previous GM (I worked at our other store) would do in the time after we fired the ad guy. The slime just oozed off that guy even on camera. It was amazing.

[Nerine]

Except a SWOT analysis is actually

 

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

 

AND

 

THREATS.

 

 

Not targets.

[Gary Cohn]

I knew I had that "T" wrong. Fuuuuuu

[Elemenope]

Thoughts?

 

 

My thoughts...Your GM is gonna be like CSB.

[Gary Cohn]

Why not go above the gm? Lol

 

That'll work out great.

[guitarbilly74]

Make graphs. It will help you to sell the idea.

[100 watt]

Im a prostitute

[Ovid9]

Im a prostitute

You lucky bastard! Wait...for guys or girls?


I should've asked this earlier: Any HCAFers in advertising? Preferably radio, but any sort of ad men around here? I'm finding some rough estimates of how much ads cost in my area, but have NO clue on other aspects of it. I don't want to start emailing questions to stations yet, until I've got more ducks in a row, but I'd like to have a bit more insider knowledge before I continue.

Wait, speaking of prostitutes, billy, my GM is pretty cute, can you work your mojo for free duder? Your GF won't mind I'm sure! Its for a friend!

[Bumhucker]

http://www.gaebler.com/Radio-Advertising-in-Illinois

 

Maybe this is worth a looksie

[Ovid9]

http://www.gaebler.com/Radio-Advertising-in-Illinois Maybe this is worth a looksie

 

Thanks!

 

That and another site are what I'm currently basing my estimates off of so I have a rough idea before I start "officially" looking into things. While it claims the "average" in my market is $25/ :30 spot, I'm making my estimates off a 50% premium on that based off the idea that on air talent appears in the ad and for premium times of day (7-9 AM, 5-6 PM).

 

I figure, hit 3 or 4 stations in varying demographics in my area for a month. Use on air talent to pimp how awesome we are and how awesome the car (truck for country market) is they are driving from us. Run ad 4x/day over 3-4 channels for 5 days/week for a month. Do this in first month of a quarter. Take rest of quarter off from this sort of marketing. First month of Q2, bring the campaign back. Rough estimate cost ~$12,000-15,000 a year (I don't know how talent is compensated, though I'd think a free demo for a month would go a long way in our market.) which to me (its not my money) ain't {censored}. Hell, that's like 7-9 used car sales tops. I'm pretty sure it'd bring in more than 7-9 sales over a year.

 

Treat the talent right, give em good service, pimp demos to drive, they'll talk us up for free to people asking about their ride at remotes and {censored}.

[Elder Things]

The monster truck style radio ads Guitar Center used to run worked unreasonably well. People would come in daily mentioning the ads and not even understand wtf the sales were. Those ads were being pushed +10x/day on appropriate stations.

Granted I've been out of sales for half a decade and know jack about marketing. But hey, good luck telling employer how to run their business.

[Ovid9]

The monster truck style radio ads Guitar Center used to run worked unreasonably well. People would come in daily mentioning the ads and not even understand wtf the sales were. Those ads were being pushed +10x/day on appropriate stations. Granted I've been out of sales for half a decade and know jack about marketing. But hey, good luck telling employer how to run their business.

 

I'm not that naive! This would be more a "hey, look at this proposal I have, put it in the circular file if you like."

 

I'm just thinking that having people, even just local insignificant people, that local yokels listen too, pimping our {censored} instead of yelling "Big voice guys" at some faceless ad place would be better.

 

*Sometimes wishes he hadn't majored in history. Then realizes he'd never finished college if he hadn't*

[Elder Things]

Yeah, it felt too good not to type that. I think you're right in that radio marketing should work well, especially in quantity.

 

Isn't history a difficult and memory intensive degree?

[Ovid9]

Yeah, it felt too good not to type that. I think you're right in that radio marketing should work well, especially in quantity. Isn't history a difficult and memory intensive degree?

 

It depends. Some people would consider it both of those things, but since it interested me, it was pretty easy. Time intensive, with tons of reading and writing, but not, at least IMO, difficult. Especially not compared to degrees that use a ton of math! (If you're good at math, but hate reading, well, you're like my opposite! )

 

Its not that I'm not smart enough to get a different degree, its just that none of the other ones interested me enough to put in the time necessary to excel and stick with them.

[codecontra]

I manage a large department and many times some young buck will come in asking to see me with some new idea. Always reminds me of Kramer on Seinfeld trying to tell the Fire Department about his new routes to get around the city.

In any event, 99% of the time it is not completely hashed out and the person does not understand the hurdles involved with getting their idea off the ground. They also don't understand that I have a ton on my plate and don't have time to sponsor their idea which will probably take up a ton of my time and possibly won't be plausible anyway.

I would recommend researching it quite a bit to understand what is truly involved. Then go see the guy in charge and ask if you can pitch an idea to him. Make it informal (no powerpoint or hard sell), just 2 guys talking. Make sure you tell him that you would be willing to take this on as an additional responsibility or assist others if necessary. Realistically it probably won't go further than that meeting for the reasons I outlined above. However, he may see you as a go getter and it will help your reputation at the dealership, at least in his eyes.