When My "Everything" is Your "Not Much"

We work closely with our network of strategic partners across the country. We love them, each and every one of them!



Most of them are what we call "interconnects" in our industry. They sell, install and service commercial phone systems. Makes sense for us to partner with them doesn't it, I mean our box plugs into their phone system---

Most of these interconnects are full-service providers, meaning they go well beyond the phone system and provide security, cabling, internet, etc... Our service can and often does get lost in the shuffle of all those "big", "important" and dare I say "more profitable" solutions.

In fact, someone said to me earlier this week, with no disrespect mind you, "Well, you see, in my world your service just isn't that big of a deal." I said back, with no disrespect, "But, in my world, it's my everything!"

So, why, you may ask, should my "everything" become more than a "not so much" for him? Certainly not because it is going to make him a bunch of money....we're pennies compared to what a complex phone system or cabling job can bring in!

He needs to make my "everything" more than a "not so much" because it is his responsibility to the client to do so. It is his dotted I's and crossed T's. It is a disservice to his client to omit this very important, albeit small profit contributor, from his overall plan. His client is relying on him to give them the very best and most complete communication system.

Lets pretend I went shopping for the ingredients to make a pecan pie. It's the holidays, lets make this relevant. Lets say I've never made one before and I went to the corner market that specializes in pies, especially PECAN pies. Obviously, I know I need to buy pecans and pecans are everywhere in the store. All shapes, sizes and flavors. The store manager obviously makes a lot of money off the pecans.

I have my basket of goodies ready to go, with all the major profit items for the store: spices, nuts, brown sugar, white sugar, etc... I'm ready to check out and I ask if there is anything else I need?

There isn't anything else I "NEED", but....the store clerk gets my undying devotion and trust if they tell me I would be well served to roast my pecans before I made my pie, or else they'll end up chewy.

That bit of advice made them no money, and could easily have been omitted. But because they dotted their I's and crossed their T's, they showed me they cared about me as a client.

Are you advising your clients, regardless of your profit, of all aspects of your service, or do you let them have chewy pecans?

Happy Thanksgiving folks...and really....if you roast your pecans before you bake your pie, your pecans will not be as chewy!

It's the copy...it's all about the copy!

Choose an advertising medium...
any advertising medium. It will only be as good as the words used in it, or the "copy".

You don't want a bill board at the end of a dirt road....nor do you want a blank bill board!

Yellow Page ads for instance, will need copy written differently than for a billboard. And that billboard's copy won't do for a business card...nope, not at all.

The same holds true for message on hold. A message on hold campaign will only be as good as the copy.

So, who writes this copy?

Too many times, it's the business owner--who has many other more important things to tend to, so guess what, it doesn't get done. Or, it's the office manager, who has good intentions but likely doesn't have the insight of the owner regarding future goals or aspirations.

Or, egad, sometimes it's the sales rep from the
yellow pages/TV station/Radio station/billboard company/etc....

At America On Hold, we offer educated, trained and skilled copy writers. Every message on hold script starts with a blank piece of paper...nothing off the shelves, no templates, not now not ever.

Our clients will fill out a scripting outline that goes to a copy writer who is assigned that client's account. The copy writer will go to work creating a script that is unique to that client, often referring to the website and other advertising materials so as to stay consistent with the brand.

Right time, right place, right audience: with the right message. Presto....now that's a recipe for success!

You should care how you sound to your clients. They do.