Stand Apart. Be Bold. Be Rewarded.

Ever pay sticker price for a car? Of course not. Over time the auto dealers have taught us to wait for a “tent sale”, a “President’s Day sale”, a “Bottom Line Blowout sale”.

Just like the big chain department stores have been doing – Macy’s big sale Saturday with pre-view day Friday. Kohl’s one-day Saturday sale.
They are teaching us to wait ‘til Saturday where they cut their margin and their ability to stay in business (remember Montgomery Ward? Sears?).

Oh, and by the way, they still pay employees and electricity and rent for the other six days of the week while telling shoppers to wait until Saturday. Does that make sense? It does not.

Our Responsibility

If we counsel clients to cut prices just to lure customers, we’re asking them to put themselves right out of business. As time passes they’ll keep having to cut, and cut, and cut to make the offers better; and eventually there is no profit, and no business.

So we will then need new clients to meet goals instead of growing the current AE/client relationship with wise counsel. And wise counsel leads to larger buys, too.

As professional ad creators we must be a team of wise counselors to our clients and not let them cut into their margins to get customers.

Of course some sales make sense – when a client legitimately made a mistake and ordered too much, or things got damaged by flood or fire, an intern, or Bob in shipping; or when inventory is perishable* like seasonal produce.

The Wise Counsel

So what is wise counsel for our clients to get customers? Be bold. Stand apart.

Avoid the easy ads, find distinctive solutions. Skip the same commercials everyone else in the product category is running and climb higher to be heard above the sameness. Even start your own category and be number one in it.

You will improve your billing when you can count on clients to renew their schedules. They renew their schedules when they get results. Clients get results when they stand apart from their competitors. To stand apart: be bold with positive ideas and rise above the sameness.

In short: help your clients stand out.

*Disclaimer

*By the way, “perishable” does not apply to broadcast inventory. Instead of cramming a “per inquiry” spot in the avail, give the listeners more of why they listen (and be honest, you know listeners don’t tune in for the commercials or all radio would need to play are the commercials). But “perishable inventory” is a discussion for another day.