Rain

Being based in the Seattle area, you get used to certain weather patterns.  The most common of these can be summed up by this question, ‘What do you call two days of rain followed by sunshine in Seattle?’  The answer:  Monday.

Most people around the country still believe it rains 365 days a year in this area. That’s not completely accurate.  But when you have stretches like we’ve just been through with 22 straight days of rain – it does something to your overall psyche.  My daughter told me something this morning that captures the collective feeling of the region during this soggy season.

“I don’t want to look at the forecast…it gets my hopes down.”

Drab and dreary gray skies coupled with puddles a plenty, waterlogged lawns, and drivers who should just stay home instead of clogging up I-5 making it difficult for the rest of us to get to work safely, I mean, come ON, PEOPLE!  How hard can this possibly BE?!?!!!

Ahem… what I meant to say is that these surroundings have a way of affecting a person’s mood and outlook.  What is needed to reverse this trend is simple:  A little sunshine.

Many businesses still believe that gray and dreary is a good thing; especially when it comes to their on-hold programs.  “We searched for the lowest priced on hold program we could find, stuck it on hold and forgot about it.”  You’ve been on-hold and have no doubt heard these cheap, boring programs and know exactly what I’m talking about. It is almost as if the rest of the country believes the same thing about the on-hold environment that they believe about Seattle. It is supposed to be drab, dreary, and overcast; that’s just the natural order of things. 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Handling your on-hold advertising in a lifeless manner with robotic, passionless messages interspersed with canned, royalty-free music robs the medium of its potential. It also does a disservice to your callers. It’s no wonder they are irritated with you when you return to their call. Look what you just subjected them to – the audio equivalent of 22 straight days of rain-soaked terrain with a side order of gridlock.

The solution to reverse this trend is also simple: Add a little sunshine. Treat your callers to a story; a testimonial, some humor, or simply present your services from a different perspective.  Something with interest and passion, shared as if your image is on the line - which, quite frankly, is the case every time you put a caller on hold.

On-hold advertising is the most powerful and intimate marketing tool at your disposal.  It affords you the opportunity to talk directly to your callers who, at that very moment, are patiently waiting to hear what you have to say.  It is an important moment in the relationship with your caller – not a throw away. Treat them to some audio sunshine to break through the clouds of a dreary on-hold experience.

At WMG we can help you with that.  Actually, it’s our specialty.  We access some of the most talented and creative professional (and multi-lingual), broadcasters, actors and actresses available to create programs that are anything but drab.

Everything we do is designed to help your business grow by harnessing the power of a captive audience. And sometimes, what your captive audience needs more than anything isn’t hearing about your degree, your large inventory, your affiliations, or your hand-crafted vision statement. They need to hear from a satisfied customer whose day shined a little bit brighter by having done business with you.

It looks like the sun is finally starting to break through.  All I can say is, ‘It’s about time.’

Tom McTee, Super-Genius