“Throw them in the storage closet.”

“I don’t have time… I don’t care what you do with them.”

“Put them in the restroom stalls… for reading material.”

…Three of the most common responses heard from dealers when they receive corporate marketing materials (okay, I made that last one up).But let’s agree there is often a separation between a brand’s perception and what a dealer will actually find helpful.

Finding the right solution isn’t easy. It’s not something that can be left to a copywriter, designer and marketer in their crisp, clean world of snappy headlines and wonderful images. At HuebnerPetersen, we’re all for great headlines and images, but if they end up in the closet or the commode they’re not likely to hit their target.

Too often the materials are defeated before they even land at the dealership. They might be thwarted by (1) a poor distribution plan and get lost in the clutter, (2) a lack of motivation from the sales force or (3) messaging and design that don’t really work in the dealer environment. There’s nothing that annoys us more than marketing that only functions in the minds of the marketers.

That’s why we’re dedicated to writing, designing and researching dealer marketing materials that actually help a dealer sell. If we can give them something that will make their life and sales process easier while differentiating the corporate brand we’ve achieved our goals.

The process we go through is designed to find and address the barriers that might land your marketing materials in the back room, unopened in the shipping room or worse. Here’s the steps we undertake and some of the questions we like to answer in the process:

• 1. ASSESS THE EASE OF DISTRIBUTION
• Does the shipment get the attention of the right people?
• Is it clear how and why the materials should be used?
• Does the package sell the dealer on the material’s helpfulness?
• Is there a display, setting or structure already in place at the dealership?

• 2. ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT MATERIALS
• Does the dealer find the materials easy to use?
• Does the dealer see value in the materials?
• Do the dealer and customer interact with the materials or is it just a “leave behind”?
• What areas of information are missing from the current materials and interaction?
• How can the materials help dealers tell the brand’s story better?

• 3. INVOLVE THOSE WHO USE THE MATERIALS IN THEIR REDESIGN
• How are potential customers engaged by sales people?
• What types of materials would be helpful (eg. POP, literature, video, kiosk)?
• What type of information is hard for the sales staff to communicate to customers?
• What type of media would be most helpful (photography, illustration, animation, video)?

• 4. DESIGN FOR INTERACTION NOT JUST A PHYSICAL OBJECT
• How can the materials help sales staff tell compelling stories naturally?
• How can the materials be flexible for different personalities and approaches taken by sales staff?
• How can the materials make information accessible and easy to find at any time (not buried in the middle of a paragraph or several pages into a manual)?
• Are there limitations or opportunities in the environment—such as being outdoors, in a small space or at a desk?

• 5. TEST MATERIALS BEFORE PRODUCTION
• Are the materials functioning and getting positive responses from sales staff and consumers?
• Are there opportunities for improvement or addition?
• Are there any unforeseen results from the materials?

• 6. ELIMINATE DISTRIBUTION CHALLENGES
• How can the distribution be changed to address issues identified previously?
• How can packaging and instructions address distribution challenges?
• How can marketing or training overcome other distribution challenges?

• 7. INCREASE MOTIVATION
• Is it possible to give incentives to increase motivation?
• How can “ownership” of the materials’ success be given to sales staff?
• Is there a way to utilize competition to increase motivation?

• 8. PROVIDE TRAINING
• What kind of training (webinar, online tutorials, in-person workshops, etc.) might help break down barriers to using the new materials?
• Who will provide the training?
• What environment is best for that training to take place in?
• What tools are needed to make training entertaining and successful?

• 9. REASSESS AND EVOLVE
• How are the solutions working?
• How do sales staff feel about the new materials?
• Are there opportunities to evolve or change the materials that would be helpful?

For manufacturers that are reliant on dealer networks or distribution channels to be the front lines of their marketing efforts, it’s costly to have poorly developed marketing materials. Too often marketing materials are produced the way they’ve always been done, without consideration of the environmental, distribution and motivational issues that influence their success. At HuebnerPetersen, finding solutions to these problems is a part of what we provide to each of our clients, and part of what makes us Brand Difference Makers.

So keep your dealer marketing materials out of the lavoratory and in the hands of sales staff that believe in and know how to use them to powerfully tell your brand’s story.

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