Every now and then (about twice a month it seems) I get a call from a new start-up website wanting to advertise WildBlue aircraft for free.  It’s a good deal they tell me.  Their Google rankings are high they say (usually because they’re paying through the nose for a pay-per-click campaign).  And after all, they stress, why wouldn't anyone want to advertise aircraft on sale for free?   One guy recently told me he wouldn’t understand why anyone would hire WildBlue to sell their airplane if we weren’t advertising on his site.  Now there’s moxie!

I appreciate what these folks are doing.  In fact, I admire them.  They’re trying to build a business and I have the utmost respect for that.  After all, that’s what we’re doing here.  It’s just that they’re fighting an uphill battle because of some of the short sighed tactics used by those who have tried the same business model. Early in this business I would eagerly respond and allow these new sites to advertise our aircraft.  But after a short period of time, a common theme became apparent.  Despite claims of thousands (one guy even said millions) of hits per day to their site, no genuine airplane buyer leads would appear.  Then after a little more time, it became difficult to change the content on the new site because the owner’s had stopped paying attention to the business or had abandoned it altogether.  Then we’d find some of our listings were still on the Internet years after they had sold.  Naturally, that upsets buyers and makes good aircraft brokers and dealers look less than professional.   These experiences reinforce my position that advertising doesn’t sell airplanes; consistently helping people sells airplanes.

Consistency is paramount for any business.   A coffee shop down the street from our office recently opened and then closed in a short three month period.  The owner bought a store front building and completely remodeled the space to suit her needs.  During the renovation process she would post a store opening date on the front door.  It seemed every week a later date was posted.  Finally, the shop opened to little fanfare.  It was nice but nothing remarkable.  The coffee was good but about 20% more expensive than similar offerings at other shops.  I will happily pay a premium for warm service and comfortable surroundings but unfortunately, both were lacking.  Within six weeks the owner began shortening the store’s hours and then discontinued her lunch offerings.  Numerous times there would be a sign on the door saying she was out for the day and that the store was closed.  I started feeling like a sucker when time after time I would walk down the street only to be greeted with a new sign on the door.  Not surprisingly I saw a “For Rent” sign on the front door earlier this week. Lack of market research notwithstanding, this lady lacked consistency with her business and I believe this is the single biggest reason she was unable to keep her doors open.

Consistency applies to all businesses, especially airplane sales.  An aircraft broker’s job involves far more than just advertising.  Our job at WildBlue is to facilitate and streamline the decision making process for buyers and sellers alike.  We do this by presenting a consistent message via credible marketing venues and through our in-house processes so that buyers can quickly determine if a particular airplane is the one for them or if they need to keep looking.  This is done by building relationships, establishing trust and rapport, and being up-front about the aircraft we represent.  Sellers may choose not to work with us and a buyer may not want a particular plane we’re selling…and that’s OK.  We know we’re not for everyone.  But we also know that if we maintain consistency in everything we do we’ll bring far more value to all of our clients, sellers and buyers alike.

Your feedback is welcome.

Chris