June President's Letter

Hello hello!! I am excited to share my monthly message to the best detailers, suppliers, and distributors in the world!

Through these monthly letters I have been taking you on a journey that is hopefully teaching and helping you understand there is more to this business than shiny cars.  If this is your business you need to treat it as such and the information I have been sharing is designed to get you out of the day to day grind and get you to a place of working on your business and less in it.

Most of what I have discussed so far this year has been foundational.  I’m thinking that the timing couldn’t be better to shift this into high gear.  It’s mid-year and a great time to go back to your goals and make sure things are on track.  Now is a perfect time to take the information I have been sharing and put to work to make your business as incredible as the vision you first had when you decided to go it on your own.

The foundation prepares the mind…and now it’s time to plant and harvest.
Realizing the Importance of Direct Marketing & Focusing On It.

Now you recognize that you’re in the business of marketing memorable experiences and creating a real WOW for your clients. That means you become a marketer and you need to focus all your energy and resources in becoming better at it, looking for new ways to do it, honing your skills, studying the masters.

My main idea of marketing is - you need to create systematized marketing that is MEASURABLE.  It has to be measurable, accountable, and one that creates a relationship with your clients, making them want to return more frequently, spend more and refer their friends.

First step in your marketing is making sure that all marketing is measurable.  It’s almost like you need to do an audit:  What have I done in the past?  What am I doing now?  What changes need to be made?  And what kind of results am I going to get?

Anything that is measured, improves, and that which is reported improves exponentially. With marketing, you really need to look at everything that you’re doing.  Most owners understand how much food costs, what you can sell things for, and the cost of labor, and beverages - all those kinds of things; but there seems to be a mystery with marketing.

Marketing is “salesmanship multiplied”.  Figure out what you might say to someone to convince them why your business is better than all other options available, but put it in print.

You need to have a sound knowledge of the marketing basics.  Avoid the common marketing mistakes; things like image marketing, just throwing your logo out there, copying other people’s unsuccessful marketing, advertising to the wrong group of people that aren’t likely to be your best prospects.  Videos of your work are great but that is not marketing.  If you do a video showing off your work you should always have an overlay or voice over that tells people exactly how to get a hold of you and that if they want these same magnificent results your company will do just that for them. It’s called a “call to action” and every message needs one or it isn’t marketing.

Understand that there are two types of marketing:  one is to go out and get new prospects and another is to get existing clients to come back more often.  They are entirely different types of marketing.  

Whenever you do marketing, ask yourself who you are going after.  That will determine the message. Make the message as specific as you can to the target audience and watch the difference in the results you get.  They will be astounding!!

Not a sermon, just some helpful thoughts!

As always, reach out to me or the IDA if we can help in any way!

Respectfully yours,

Jonathan Munsell, CD

IDA President