Radio Sales Café

I just left a potential client ( a tire store) that currently sits on a two-lane hwy. They are concerned due to the fact that the Hwy is slated to be widened to 4 lanes very soon. They seem to think that this will hurt them rather than help them. While the answer seems obvious, more traffic = more exposure and traffic for them, how can I best lay out the benefits of a widened road so that they would see it differently?

Thanks in advance for your help,
Brian K. Freeman

Brian,

The same thing has happened twice in ten years in our neck of the woods. There's no question that the road construction with its lane closures, rerouting and traffic delays have a deleterious effect on any business located along the corridor, until the new road has been completed.

Hopefully your tire store and other affected businesses are working with the highway department and construction project manager(s) to mitigate the effect of these problems and do everything possible to minimize the inconvenience to their customers.

If there's a window of opportunity between now and the start of the project, a business would be wise to seize it. Have a special pre-construction promotion. Offer incentives to buy now, before the going gets tough.

Once construction is underway, hopefully customers and prospects can still access the business - even though it may be more difficult. It may be prudent for the business to continue to offer incentives, including free delivery to customers' homes/businesses, or operating out of a satellite location.

The eventual result of an improved 4-lane road ought to be more traffic and more business. But to the extent that construction will disrupt normal travel routines, there's bound to be some rough going between now and then.

Brian it seems to me the the road widening may require two campaign strategies. 1. During the construction it clear he cleint will need to invite cuomers to his store becus carel soley on driveb traffic. I'd look at a cript the takes ownership of the road widening. 'If you' wondered by x road s being wideded to 4 lanes the team at x tires apologize. Yes its their fault. You see becaase so many people in x town know about the great deals... the trffic has been banking up and up and up...so there was no choice ...the road had to be widened!" You get the idea. Then the second stage I'd maybe think about expanding on that theme and say...normal when the roads wide peopledrive fast..sir can I ask why you are driving so slowly past x tires? Well the deals are so hot...what can you do? A good copy writer could figue it out. Hope that helps..and oh yeah...do a demo spot on both these and present to the clien. You'll have much better success. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Richard,
Thank you so much for your input!! I really like this approach as it has long-term advertising in mind. I give this a shot and let you know how it goes. Add me as a friend if you haven't already so it will be easier to do so.

Talk Soon,
Brian