Some time ago, as a favor to a friend, I hired a young woman to answer our phones.
But when she was being trained…it quickly became apparent that there was something off about this girl.
She wasn’t rude.
She just showed little interest in what was being taught and went about doing things how she wanted to do them.
And subsequently, she would fall off track and need her attention refocused over and over.
Something else, too.
I swear, it seemed like the slightest breeze could change her direction without any effort.
She would drift through the day with little concern for the time it took to get the job done.
She was a good kid, but it didn’t work out.
Now, the reason she came to mind recently is that I was trying to think of an analogy for the way many towing company owners approach their marketing.
And it kinda works.
But it’s not meant as a slight on your ability to focus.
It’s just that there are so many things you’ve got to deal with that it’s hard to have the time to get a hold on what’s working and what’s not.
And when it comes to spending money on marketing, return on investment (ROI) is the most important key performance indicator (KPI).
But here’s the thing.
Most business owners steer clear of figuring out ROI.
Why?
Well, there can be many reasons.
Could be…that they’re doing their own marketing and don’t want to admit that they’re wasting money.
It could be that they’re paying an agency to provide marketing services, and don’t want to know if it’s working or not because they might need to make a change.
And change is hard.
There’s also the possibility that the agency is doing an awesome job increasing visibility in their market and getting their phones ringing off the hook, but for one reason or another the calls aren’t turning into cash.
Because the towing company has dropped the ball in one or more areas.
Maybe their dispatchers are rude to prospective cash-paying customers because they haven’t been trained properly.
Or the company isn’t staffed-up with enough drivers to handle the calls.
Or they’re too busy running club calls to take on the increase in cash calls.
And admitting that these things are what’s holding them back is too painful.
So, they decide to avoid looking at ROI altogether.
This may or may not describe your approach to marketing.
But one of things that keeps most folks from making a change is because they haven’t experienced enough pain yet to do so.
They’ve grown comfortable with how things are going now.
And even if sales are subpar and you’re barely making payroll each month, sometimes it’s still not enough pain to make a change.
It’s at this point that you risk entering entropy.
Entropy is the gradual degradation of your energy, vitality, and capacity for improvement.
When you hit the beginning stages of entropy, your drive is dramatically diminished and you begin to engage in activities that do nothing to move your business forward.
Like watching worthless YouTube videos, Facebooking, or scrolling through TikTok.
And if you don’t nip it in the bud as soon as it shows its ugly head, it could lead to your demise.
So, what’s it going to take for you to make a change?
Will it be once your cards are maxed out again and need another credit limit increase?
Maybe paying another indisputable $4500 damage claim because Urgently said so.
Or replacing two transmissions in one month?
These issues and a whole lot more keep many hard-working folks like you awake at night, worrying.
So, if you’re sick of just floating from one day to the next, barely making it, then it might be a good time to talk.
Of course, we’ll need to see if we’re a good fit to work together.
But if you’re ready to make a change for the better, schedule a call.
Don Archer
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