How to Pick The Right Wave

How Picking The Right Wave Applies To Automotive Advertising

Some days, the ocean decides to bless you with wave after wave of funness.  Plenty of waves for everyone and you run out of steam well before the waves stop rolling.

But that’s not the typical day for an east coast surfer.  Without some type of event, (tropical storm, noreaster, hurricane), you’ll spend a lot of your time paddling and hunting for waves.  And that’s when impatience sets in and you try to force things.

Distant bumps start looking like big waves.  Paddle-battles ensue with no one catching anything.  And the harder you try to force something to happen, the more frustrated you become.

This is when you need patience and discipline to wait for a set and pick the right wave.  A set is simply a series of waves that give you a choice of more than one wave.  Sets usually arrive with three to five waves. 

When the set does show up, you’ll have to decide which wave to go for.  Go to soon, and risk missing the bomb.  Wait too long, and you miss all the waves.

How does this apply to your business?  

Contrary to popular belief (or at least hope), Everyone is not your customer. You need to pick the right customer and target your message to them.

Much has been said regarding targeting your advertising.  Count how many times you’ll hear your friendly media sales rep say, “The secret is to reach the right people, and our people are the right people for you!”

The logic of reaching the right people is extremely appealing, mainly because it’s common sense.  The problem with advertising is that it often defies common sense.  

So whom do you target?

If your goal is be the truck guy in your town, target potential truck buyers..

Trying to shore up the classic car market?  I’d be looking for all those empty nesters whose favorite song is Glory Days by the Boss..

Got the best selection of low profile rims & ultra high performance tires?  The fast & furious crew might be a good place to start.

Just like picking the right wave provides tremendous satisfaction to a surfer,  picking the right customer & targeting your message to them will prove effective and profitable for your dealership.