The Phone Call Is Part of the Ad

When a campaign doesn’t perform, the first suspect is almost always the ad. The script was wrong. The station was wrong. The timing was off.

Sometimes that’s true. But a lot of the time the ad did its job. Someone heard it, remembered the name and picked up the phone. What happened next is where the sale was lost.

For most local businesses, especially service businesses, the phone is still where the customer decides. That makes the call part of the ad, whether anyone planned it that way or not.

What the caller hears

Think about the person on the other end. They just heard your spot or saw your post about spring lawn service. They call. What do they get?

Maybe a friendly person who says the company name and asks how they can help. Maybe a rushed “Hello?” from someone in the middle of three other things. Maybe eight rings and a voicemail box that’s full.

All three businesses paid the same for the ad. Only one of them got what they paid for.

The offer has to reach the front desk

Here’s one I see all the time. The ad promotes a special: a free estimate, a seasonal discount, a package deal. The customer calls and asks about it. The person who answers has never heard of it.

That’s not the employee’s fault. Nobody told them. But to the caller it sounds like the ad wasn’t true, and trust drops fast.

Every time a campaign starts, the people answering the phone should know what’s running, what it says, what the offer is and when it ends. A printed sheet by the phone works. So do two minutes at the Monday meeting.

Missed calls are missed customers

Most owners I talk with don’t know how many calls go unanswered. It’s usually not carelessness. It’s a busy counter, a lunch break, a crew out on a job, a Saturday.

A caller who reaches voicemail often doesn’t leave a message. They call the next name on the list. And the ones who do leave a message are waiting to see how long you take.

A few things help:

• Know your numbers. Most phone systems and call tracking tools can show how many calls came in and how many were missed. Look at one week.
• Fix the voicemail. Say the business name, give your hours, mention the current offer and say when they’ll hear back. Then keep that promise.
• Call back fast. Within the hour if you can, the same day at the latest. The first business to call back often gets the job.
• Cover the gaps. If calls pile up at lunch or after five, have someone on it, forward the line, or use an answering service.
• Offer a text. Some people would rather get a quick text back than a call. Ask which they prefer.

Somebody has to own it

The businesses that handle this well have one thing in common: a specific person owns the phone. Not “the office.” A name. That person knows the current campaigns, watches the missed calls and makes sure callbacks happen.

When nobody owns it, everybody assumes someone else got it. That’s how a Friday afternoon voicemail turns into a Tuesday callback to a customer who already hired someone else.

This week, call your own business from a number they won’t recognize. Call at lunch. Call after hours. Ask about the offer in your current ad, and listen the way a new customer would. Then fix the first thing that made you wince.

If you want to see where else the path from ad to customer breaks, try the Marketing Checkup.