Do those obnoxious guys yelling on local car dealer ads actually sell more cars? I’m just asking the question, because I can’t seem to find anyone who actually likes those things. Do they think they’re being cool, or funny? I’m not a violent person, but there’s one doofus that does ads in my town, that I’d love to sock in the nose. On second thought maybe I’ll sock him twice – since they tend to run the same ridiculous ads two times during a single commercial segment (they must get a twofer). Thank all that is good, for my DVR.
Can you imagine what it would be like to be the poor guy who films and produces these things?
TV Guy: Okay so how about a fade in to…
Car Dealer: NO! I JUST WANT TO YELL!
TV Guy: Well nobody really likes being yelled at. I had one of our writers come up with a pretty funny piece, people like funny…
Car Dealer: NO! I JUST WANT TO YELL! WAMMBO!
TV Guy: Um… Are you going to yell “wammbo” at the end of the commercial?
Car Dealer: YES. I LIKE YELLING. YELLING SELLS MORE CARS. WAMMBO!
TV Guy: Burt, just start filming. Jimmy the Idiot here obviously knows what he’s doing…
So what does this have to do with your home-business…?
Mainly this – just because something’s always been done that way, or that’s what everyone else is doing, is not a good reason to do it. Chances are, it’s just the opposite – to really succeed you have to set yourself apart. You also have to treat your customers like people, not deaf mules.
1 – Be sure you understand your audience. Selling is hard enough without having to overcome the hurdle of being perceived as an ass. Take the time to really learn about your customers and prospects – what they like, what they want, and how they prefer to be approached.
2 – Being the loudest doesn’t mean being the best. If you have something of value, and offer it in a way that respects your customer, you will never have a shortage of business. A conversation is a much better way to develop a relationship than yelling.
3 – People are way smarter than they get credit for. Our customers know what they want, and will look around until they find it. Be the one they want to do business with.
4 – Don’t over compensate. If you aren’t 100% confident and proud of what you are offering, no over-the-top exploits will make it successful. (Caveat – in the long term that is. There are those who look for short term gain at any cost. My guess is that you’re not one if them, or you would have stopped reading a long time ago 
)
What it comes down to is that there are lots of ways to run a business. Being authentic, offering something of value, and being passionate about what you are doing – to me – is the truest way to reach real success. There’s nothing quite like having customers seek you out, as opposed to annoying them until they buy or tell you to scram. By deciding to do business as a person dealing with another person, you open the door for lots of great opportunities. But if that’s not your cup of tea, there’s always…
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Bravo! I’ve often wonder the same thing when I see those obnoxious commercials late at night. You almost have to wonder if they realize that they are selling in spite of and not thanks to their ads!
I especially like point #4, especially for those of us who have taken the plunge and are running our own businesses out of our home offices. If you’ve gone out on that much of a limb, then you most definitely better be passionate about what you’re doing. And that being the case, then you will naturally exude confidence. The most successful people are often the ones who are not screaming their successes in your face!
Excellent point, Dana. Those who follow their passion tend to approach marketing as an extension of sharing what they do. Their authenticity comes out in every aspect of their work.
And there, my friend, you have hit the nail on the head. Ads like that are there because they make sales! You may be annoyed with the guy, but when it comes time to buy a car, who’s the first person you think of? You may not buy from him, but he has what he wants–name recognition.
Good, bad, or ugly–people remember him, and that’s the whole idea.
Dana:Consider what I wrote above. I think they ARE selling because of the ads. Do you think a car dealer generates traffic by staying OFF the TV?
People remember goofballs…
ACK!! I meant my comment to include a quote from the article: “…annoying them until they buy…”, but the validation wouldn’t accept quote marks at the beginning of the comment…
Interesting point, Steve. Although, I don’t remember the guy’s name or the dealership he’s at, just that I instinctually fast forward when I see his face :). But you’re view is well taken.
There are always different ways to do business – my point was to make sure you understand your audience. Which I guess you can argue he has, as I am clearly not his audience.
Thanks for the different perspective.