Last week, as we were leaving our office in sunny Orlando, Florida, we noticed business cards shoved into all the car windows parked in our parking lot. Always curious, we grabbed one of the cards to see what it was all about. What we discovered was the following ingenious little piece of marketing.
So what? You might ask. How could this little business card possibly be worth a second look. Well, sometimes big payouts come in small packages.
First, let’s take a closer look at the card. At the top it has an eye-catching headline: “WARNING”. That’s sure to get any passer-by’s attention. It stops you dead in your tracks and forces you to read the next sentence.
That’s where the real hook comes in—the very next sentence. Here, the creator of the card not only pulls you in, but gives you information that you probably didn’t have before. Apparently, in Florida there is a state statute that regulates the brightness of headlights. Who knew? Before we read this business card, we certainly didn’t. And we’re guessing that no one who found this business card nestled in their window did either.
Now comes the real meat of the piece. After they educate you about the legal requirements for headlights, they launch right into the pitch, explaining that if you’re receiving this card, your headlights do not comply with the legal standards.
This is perhaps the most ingenious aspect of this card—that, through education, it creates an entirely new market of customers for the business. Generally, most people want to abide by the law, but if they don’t know the law, then they can’t. By pointing out this little known statute, now you’ve awoken a demand that didn’t previously exist.
They top it off with a strong offer and a guarantee. The guarantee further positions this company as someone you can trust. First they offered you free education, now they’re offering you a guarantee. They’re establishing themselves as a trusted advisor—they’re watching out for you and your family. They even say so at the bottom of the card. So why wouldn’t you want to go to them for help with your newly illegal headlights?
“Okay…” you’re probably thinking. “But there aren’t any laws that will tell a people to get a new car, so how do I make this work in my business.” It’s simple. Even though there may not be laws, there is still plenty of free information and educational materials you can offer the members of your community. By providing these materials, you become more than a product pusher. You become a solutions provider who is interested in helping people find the answers to the problems that keep them from upgrading their vehicle right now.
If you provide this kind of help, you guarantee that these people will choose you over any other dealership.