When you’re working with a new marketing company, attitude is everything. We are always consistently surprised to work with clients who tell us that their current marketing company makes them feel trapped in a particular offer, or does not deliver the best customer service possible.

Why is that? Automotive direct mail pieces are a reliable connection between customers and dealerships. But if you are paying for overpriced marketing materials and dealing with a bad attitude from customer service representatives, you are getting a raw deal on your marketing materials.

Many dealerships stick with unreliable marketing companies because they don’t feel they have any other options.

Fortunately enough, the Internet offers new marketing options all the time. If a dealership is treated badly by their marketing company, they don’t have to stick around. There are other options.

So, how do you know that your marketing company’s professionalism and customer service is lacking?

They never answer the phone.

If you can’t seem to get in touch with a marketing representative when you most need help, it is definitely time to move on. Even if the marketing materials you are furnished by this company are superb, it’s almost a guarantee that another marketing company could give you great mailers without the grief.

They never check in.

You should have a personal relationship with a marketing rep, particularly if your direct mail pieces are dealt with by the same team members each time you place an order. If you are dealing with a full-service marketing agency that is also giving you metrics on how your campaigns are doing, and working with you to provide a full marketing solution for your dealership, you should have a direct relationship with that team and be very familiar with the work they do.

They aren’t interested in referrals.

How do you know if your marketing company is overworked or taking on too many clients? A good gauge for that is to ask whether or not the marketing company is interested in referrals. Marketing companies who seem enthusiastic about referrals but never follow up may have too many clients already, and you can’t rely on customer service reps or marketing analysts to tell you whether or not they are overworked and underpaid. Rely on a marketing agency that you know has the capacity to handle your workload, and to maintain a direct personal relationship with you and your colleagues.

If you think your marketing company is jerking you around, or rates are consistently raised from year to year with no further bang for your buck, we guarantee there are many automotive direct mail servicing marketing companies out there who would love to talk to you. Companies are willing to give you a free quote, and if nothing else, you can take that free quote to your current marketing company and check their attitude regarding how they are willing to perform above and beyond the company that gave you the quote. When it comes to your marketing and getting customers in your doors, you deserve nothing less than the best.