The public address (PA) system is one of the most powerful and effective selling tools of the In-Store Branch. The target market is right there in the aisles of the store, and the PA system allows “commercial” messages to be broadcast. During peak shopping times, the retail store is crowded. Usually, many of these customers are in somewhat of a hurry. PA announcements are a great avenue for delivering a sales message to these individuals without stopping them or slowing them down. When done regularly, PA announcements can tremendously improve the awareness and interest in the In-Store Branch. It is important that these announcements are kept short, informative, and upbeat. More important still is the frequency of these PA announcements. It is suggested that announcements are made at a minimum of every thirty minutes. This schedule should be increased to three to four times per hour during peak shopping times. The higher the customer traffic, the higher the frequency of PA announcements. In the battle for market share, PA announcements are the In-Store Branch’s “air attack”.
Creating an Effective PA Program
Effective PA announcements do not have to be exceptionally professional. What they do have to be is relatively brief, informative, upbeat, and frequent. The following key points will help with the implementation of PAs as a regular tool for building your business. Create PA’s that are short and informative (15 – 30 seconds). Tips for creating your own PA’s:
- Begin each PA with some type of greeting (e.g., Good morning/Good evening/Happy Holidays, shoppers.) Typically, the average person does not register that an announcement is being made for a couple of seconds. Therefore, it is not prudent to immediately begin with the “meat” or focus of your announcement.
- Keep the message simple, short, and repeat the key items, when appropriate. Details can be saved for face-to-face interaction or flyers.
Be sure to include the retailer’s name at least once in the announcement. This reinforces that the branch is inside this store and lessens the chances that the retailer would feel your messages were distracting to their business. - Mention your financial institution’s name at least twice.
- The PA message should fit the type of shoppers that are in the store. Senior citizens shop primarily in the morning. The PAs should target this market — checking accounts geared for seniors, CD’s, investments, personal money market accounts, etc. Working individuals will shop primarily in the evenings and on weekends. These Pas should focus on convenient hours, Saturday banking, etc. PAs promoting children’s accounts, free checking and package accounts would be great most any time.
Conduct PA’s on a Regular Schedule
- Use a timer. This provides a method of reminding associates to deliver a PA. Associates tend to get deeply involved with other functions and let the hours go by without providing a single PA.
- Always conduct an opening PA. This should be done when the branch opens for business each day.
- Always conduct a closing PA. This should be done thirty (30) minutes before closing each day.
Organize PA’s By Category
- Use a binder to keep PAs organized.
- Tab each category, i.e. Opening, Closing, CD, Car Loan.
Track PA’s
- It’s not enough to just do the PAs; it is equally important to track PAs. Do this each day. Note the person’s name/initials, the time the PA was done and which PA was performed.
- Utilize the PA/Business Development Log to track PAs.
