Proverbs 27: 2   Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger , and not thine own lips

My study in God’s word this morning brought me to this passage.  Besides the personal application, I realized the professional application in my own position here at CBC.

Jim Boldebook, brought me onto his team in 1989, mentored me, shared his vision and as I caught it, I’ve worked it in my position as an audio editor of radio commercials for our automotive dealership client base for over 25 years. I’ve produced thousands of ads over those years.  As I reflect over the best ones, they employed the principle stated in Poverbs 27.   Customer testimonial ads are head and shoulders above the rest and they are uniquely your own.  These ads are the best I’ve produced.

Yes, the marketing of your dealership is an extremely competitive arena.  How do you stand out in it?  Here’s how.  It’s not your claims of “bigger”, “lower” and “best”.

Everyone makes those claims.  Who is heard?  The one shouting the loudest or spending the most money?  I think not.

Too frequently, dealers overlook their truest and most distinctive selling proposition in their ads.  Who can tell your story more believably than your own customers?

People relate best to one of their own.  If you’re dealership is as great as you promote it to be, let your customers tell the story of your greatness with authenticity and sincerity.  They will if you give them the chance.  They’ll talk of your fabulous selection, their excellent buying experience, and the way you met their needs in the deal they struck with you.

You’ve obviously won them over by virtue of the fact you’ve sold them a car.  Now, let them tell the world how you did it.  The result is a fabulously unique selling message…one that cannot be duplicated by anyone else in your market because these are YOUR customers.  You want someone that’s not a current customer to discover your assets as an automotive dealership?   Let your customers begin the “word of mouth” campaign and watch the new folks respond positively.  They’ll at least check you out to see if you really are that good.  Are you?  Do you want to be?  God’s word contains ALL the principles we need to live successfully.  That INCLUDES the conducting of our business.

Thanks for allowing me to share these thoughts. If you would like to hear several radio ads that illustrate, I'd be happy to share the mp3's with you.   Now….back to the studio, after this word from our sponsor!

                                                                                                                                                                            Respectfully submitted

 Jerry Cobb

CBC Advertising