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KEVIN’S SOLD ON THIS SALESMAN
Who can remember Alan Martin, the owner of appliance firm L.V. Martin & Co? The Wellingtonian famously made newspaper and TV ads where he promised, “If it’s not right, we’ll put it right and it’s the putting right that counts.”
It fascinates me what makes a good ad and what doesn’t. What made Alan’s ads so good was that he meant what he said. He even put his phone number on the ad. If anyone had a problem when his stores were shut, they could still ring him and get the problem sorted.
There are many stories told about those late-night phone calls, the pranksters, the idiots, Alan’s reaction. Some are true, some aren’t. But I recently read an excellent history of L.V. Martin & Co. In it was a true story about how some of the genuine calls were dealt with. At a time when there was a shortage of service staff, Alan had to go out and do a lot of the repairs himself. But even then, he couldn’t be in two places at once.
Because of the home calls, Alan’s wife Shirley inevitably got involved. One evening, she took a call from a young mother of twins. Her washing machine wasn’t working and she was in a state. Alan wasn’t able to attend, so Shirley got the young mum’s address, and in the morning went and picked up her washing. She took it home and did it in the Martins’ own washing machine. Shirley returned it that afternoon.
Apparently, this wasn’t the only time customers got this sort of treatment. During the advent of television, families would be distraught if TV sets developed a fault. If Alan wasn’t home, Shirley would jump in the car and take customers a portable set until the repair was made. Even the kids helped with this task once they could drive.
I was charmed by this story, maybe because I met Alan and Shirley in their later years. But it brought home a simple point. You can analyse ads all you like – you can throw all the money at them you like. But a simple principle prevails: You have to tell the truth. You have to mean what you say. And you have to back it up with action.
Do I need to tell you? Alan Martin’s ads were phenomenally successful.