6 Questions to Ask to Get the Perfect On Hold Message

Photo by bongkarn thanyakij

Originally Posted On: https://www.clearonhold.com/blog/2020/10/7/6-questions-to-ask-to-get-the-perfect-on-hold-message

The notion of asking the right questions is so common to good business advice that it’s practically become a cliché. That doesn’t mean you can’t use it, though: after all, figuring out which questions are the right questions can be its own project. In business, if you want to unlock the secret to questioning correctly, look at your customers, and think from their perspective.

1.       What do you want to feature?

Do you value multitasking in an employee? You probably do, because it takes a special kind of person to be able to focus on more than two tasks at the same time without losing efficiency. Think about that when you write. Your customers aren’t able to juggle multiple ideas normally without effort, and most of the time you only have half their attention on hold. Ask yourself: what is the single core product or service they need to hear about in this message. Pick one, and only one. Make it the beginning, the middle and the end of your script. Now you’ve got the foundation of your On Hold message.

2.       Whom are you appealing to?

You know your customers. You see them (almost) every day. Do you know them? What do you know about them? Think age, demographic, how many times you see them over a week… a month… a year. Of those, eliminate about 40% who aren’t interested in the product you’re about to sell them, and eliminate another 10-20% (we’re being very generous) who would buy anything you put on a shelf. However many you’re left with, that’s your target audience. It makes a huge difference how to sell to them too – since consumer trust in advertising is down across the board, knowing your audience makes a difference in what you write. For example, it turns out that Millennials respond to storytelling – grabbing their attention with an on hold script will usually place them in the middle of the script.

3.       Why do your customers come to you?

Follow up on who your customers are: why are your customers your customers? The coffee shop on the square and the dive bar on the side street have a different clientele – and it’s not just because one serves alcohol. Do you serve a lot of working-class guys? Why do they choose you? It’s probably not complimentary certified-fair-trade coffee and avocado toast. It might be the wide parking spaces, though – something that doesn’t concern your customers if they’re mostly suburban moms. Figure out what fundamental service draws your customers and what popular features your business has that attracts people away from your competition.

4.       What single best competitive advantage does your product/business/service have?

Let’s narrow our focus a little more now. There are over 30 million small businesses in the United States, accounting for 64 percent of employment. Chances are, you have competition. What consistently draws customers to you instead of your competition? Answer that question to find your competitive edge and use your messaging to draw attention to it.

5.       What makes you different from your competition (other than Q4)?

The secret to success in business really isn’t a secret at all – just make yourself the only one who does what you do. This question sounds a lot like the questions we just asked, but we want to analyze it a bit more. You might have a competitive advantage over your competition, but do you have that makes competition irrelevant? What makes you the only business of your kind in your market? Answer that, and sell it, and you’ve got more than just a competitive edge or even a brand: you have a market.

6.       What is the biggest misconception people have about your business?

This will be the hardest question to answer, but that also makes it the most important, because it forces you to think outside the box. You know everything about your business, so it takes some effort to imagine not knowing everything you know. Think about every aspect of what you do and sell: what, where, and how much? Think about your location: how easy would a customer find it to spot your storefront? Can people see your business easily from the road? Do they even need to? Do you appear expensive or boutique? What do your competitors advertise and how does that effect your image?

Having an established store image makes all the difference when it comes to advertising, and On Hold is the perfect opportunity to establish it. So hire people who ask these questions every time, and work with them to craft the perfect branded message to keep the money flowing in your accounts!