Archive for the ‘TCS News’ Category

First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions (Volume VI)

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

TELEVISION COMMERCIALS

TV commercials are a very powerful medium when presenting your business to the public.  The receiver of your commercial will be stimulated both visually and audibly, therefore giving dual perceptions for interpretation.  Just imagine what content could be displayed in your ad; for instance, your place of business, your product line, your employees, etc.  Combine that with the spoken word and you can convey your message quite dynamically, whether creating a first impression, or reinforcing a previous one.

If your ad pictures your place of business, it should have both an inviting and appropriate, appearance.  If included, the product line should be prominently displayed, systematically organized, and eye-appealing.  Any spokesperson, whether management or an employee, should without question, project an image of professionalism and integrity.

Last, but not least, the purchase of air time is a very critical element, due to air time, and the broadcasting network.

To be continued…

One of those Days…

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

funny_monkey_picturesDo you know those days where you are at your wits end, everything seems to be going against you, and it just takes one act of reverse brilliance to bring a smile to your face and turn it all around? This is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the … let’s just leave it at that.

If you have ever changed a truck tire or been in a shop that does, you know what a Tire Cage is. For those that don’t, it is a safety cage for dismounting truck tires from their rims. Truck tires are inflated to lethal pressures, and if one explodes while dismounting, serious injury can occur. The idea with the cage is if the tire explodes inside the cage, the cage catches the shrapnel and injury is avoided.

I was working in a retread shop and we had just hired this guy for basic tire changing duties. His claim was x many years of experience changing truck tires and he was great at this and that. Really tooting his own horn. Boy we thought we had hired a winner! We welcomed him right in and immediately put him to work knowing he would have a thing or two to show our less experienced employees. I walked away to let him work on changing a truck tire with duties of my own to attend to. About 15 minutes later I walked back to see the shock of my life. Mr. Experience (not real name) was in the cage himself with the tire on the outside. He was stretching through the cage with one arm trying to change this tire like a monkey reaching for food at the zoo. “What in the world are you doing!” I asked. “Boss I was being safe so I got in the cage. If the tire explodes I don’t want to get hurt.” I thought I was going to die laughing. Just goes to show that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.

First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions (Volume V)

Monday, August 30th, 2010

RADIO ADs

One of the oldest channels for advertising is Radio.

Radio ads can be an effective medium to target audiences with your message. People listen to the radio on the way to and from work, hear it while at work, and also stay up to hear the late-night shows. This medium provides an enormous audience for you to advertise your tire business.

The key to successful radio advertisement is targeting your audience with a message meant for them. Different consumers divide by station as well as listening times. Make sure you do your homework and get the statistics to make the best decision.

There are other limiting factors as well.  Some people only listen to their favorite radio personalities.  Other people only listen during specific times, such as to and from work.  Most often, our attention is focused elsewhere; for instance, on driving conditions, home, work, you need to repeat your company name multiple times so that it sinks in. Make sure to direct them to your website. It is important to have an easy to remember web address since they are not always able to stop and write it down.

Another benefit of advertising your tire business on the radio is your tire dealership can become comparable to larger competitor’s ads, since there is no cost of competing visually with them, such as with television ads.

To be continued…

Give me a Break!

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

We all have those days at work when we stop and wonder what the heck we’re doing, if we’re doing it well, and why are we doing it anyway.

It is these times when you need to take a break!

Taking a break is one way to release the pressure and get back in it. Some companies even provide game rooms where you can play darts, ping pong or just sit out at the picnic table and do a crossword puzzle.

Does this encourage people to slack off?

I don’t think so. It lets the employees know that the company understands that we are not robots and that we do better quality work when we have breaks. It also encourages team building and can be sold to new employees as a benefit to work here.  If your company doesn’t provide such a thing, maybe you can plan to spend some time taking a walk — even a half hour — or just take the time to crack a few jokes with your coworkers, this is a favorite of ours at TCS; anything to get you out of the world you’re in…If just for a little while.