A client called a month or so ago and said, “ I want to test radio advertising and I expect a return on my investment in 30 days.”

I was stunned. Then I made the mistake of laughing when I replied, “You and every other client.” He didn’t laugh back.

And then I thought (and you can call this an epiphany if you’d like), why shouldn’t an advertiser demand results? What’s wrong with demanding that your advertising dollars produce a measurable return at your cash register? What’s wrong with that idea?

I have been in the advertising business for more than 30 years and I can count the times when a client looked me in the eye and demanded results.

Initially, the people in 1880 buying an advertisement for Lydia Pinkham’s lotion expected that their advertisement would result in increased sales. Even elixir bottlers demanded an ROI.

But a funny thing happened to advertising: advertising agencies, and many, many others associated with the business, including magazines, newspapers, radio and especially television stations began to purvey this idea that it was enough to build product (they now use the word ‘brand’) name awareness.

So the key goal in many advertising campaigns was to ‘build name awareness’ and that would be considered a reasonable return on their investment. How many meetings I sat in while working for international advertising agencies and listened to research analysts tell us how we were, or were not, generating awareness. We hardly ever talked about sales in those days. Asking for the order was considered a ‘hard sell’, anathema to many (but not all) of the big names in advertising.

If you are operating a furniture store in Gorst or a chiropractic practice in Silverdale, you probably don’t care if 45 percent of the people know your name. You’re not selling name awareness. You want to sell a desk, adjust a spine. Ask any business owner if they would rather talk ‘branding’ or sales performance.

When I wiped that supercilious smirk off my face and addressed the client who wants a return on his advertising investment in 30 days, I asked him to consider three points. And if you are buying advertising for your business, I ask you the same:

1. People don’t like to buy from strangers. Building relationships is all important. That’s why Rotary and other service clubs are so important. You need to build relationships with your customers and it takes longer than one meeting.
2. Your customers must associate your company name with value and service. That’s why customer service is so important, why Nordstrom is so fanatical about solving customers’ problems. You truly do have to be better and offer better value every single day.
3. While I grant that it does take time to cut through and register on the buyer’s minds, your advertising should produce a return. You should demand it and you will have to experiment and refine it until it does. You are perfectly entitled to demand results.
4. And if someone laughs at you when you make that demand for an ROI on your advertising, put the money back into your pocket and invest it in a Krispy Kreme donut; it will be more satisfying.

(Editor’s Note: Bill Hoke is based in Manette where he does business and sales consulting, marketing and advertising planning and conducts the “90 Minute Marketing Plan’ workshop. He can be reached at hoke@hokecinsulting.com.).