Getting Your Products to Market!

The number of entrepreneurs participating in affiliate marketing programs is exploding—and with good reason: it's a fantastic opportunity to earn money from your own business. You've already invested in a partnership with Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) that allows you to offer high-quality products that are valuable and beneficial to your customers. If you take the time and effort to implement a successful marketing campaign, you can attract new and repeat customers and reap great financial rewards.

With the idea of helping you to grow your business, TSC is publishing to the TSC Affiliate News blog a series of posts that will help you to develop an effective marketing plan. We want you to prosper. After all, our success is based on protecting and growing your business!

We'll start the series…at the beginning, with…

Branding

Marketers view a brand as an implied promise regarding the level of quality of a product or service. Your brand may increase sales when prospective customers make a favorable comparison with competing products or services. Ultimately, brand management is the extended process of carefully cultivating a reputation that develops over time. However, there are a few steps you can take immediately that can help to drive business your way.

Pick a Great Name

The first impression that prospective customers have of your business is usually its name. Try to select a name for your traffic school that will attract a broad audience. We encourage you to pick a name that inspires an idea of fun and/or high quality at an inexpensive price. You might stay away from names that are insulting or offensive, unless you make very clear that it's meant in fun (the _____ for Dummies series of books successfully exploits this concept). While you might try to develop a brand that suggests exceptional quality or exclusivity and luxury without regard for price (think Apple Inc. or Prada), be aware that this could limit your audience and that the best strategy in this industry is generally to appeal to as many people as possible.

An Image is Worth a Thousand Words

You may not realize it, but the images you choose for your website (and other marketing materials) tell your customers a lot about your business. The images should always be of high quality, of course; you don't want your customers thinking that you run a shabby establishment. But the content of the images tells a story and creates a feeling as well. Be conscious of what narrative is expressed and what emotions are inspired, and thoughtfully select images that are attractive to your intended audience and in concert with your name and other branding efforts.

Copy is Not for Copying

Be sure to customize your site with your own text as well as images. The website templates that TSC provides free of charge to affiliates contain some basic text, but don't be afraid to change what's there and to add your own. Communicate to your customers in your own voice. By being authentic to your brand and conveying an air of professionalism, you'll inspire confidence and trust—and encourage sales.

Your Affiliate Manager is Here to Help

You are present in and have a good handle on what will work in your community. There may be marketing ideas that you haven't considered, however. If you're not making the number of sales you'd like, there's no shame in asking for some help. Contact TSC's Director of Affiliate Programs, Gloria Verver (1-800-252-9488, or email to gloria@trafficeducation.net). If she can't assist directly, she can refer you to someone in the organization who can help.



We hope that these suggestions and the tips we'll provide in the posts to follow will help you to boost your business. TSC is your partner, and we're always here to help!

Welcome, New Jersey Affiliates!

We at Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., would like to take this opportunity to welcome our New Jersey affiliates to the TSC Affiliate News Weblog/Newsletter. We’ll be posting periodically to keep you up-to-date on new products and developments at TSC headquarters, to offer helpful suggestions on managing and marketing your traffic school, and to inform you of industry related information that could affect you and your operations.

Because the blog is ultimately intended as a means to disseminate useful information to you, our affiliates, we’re open to your input. Feel free to add a comment to any article you see here (comments are moderated). If there are topics that you would like to see covered here, or if you would like to contribute a post to a future edition of TSC Affiliate News, please feel free to email Rick Ehlers with your ideas and suggestions.

New Laws for New Jersey - 2010

Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) routinely updates its curricula to account for changes to the regulations governing drivers. The following changes have recently gone into effect in New Jersey:

• Provisional licenses are now referred to as probationary licenses.
• Seat belt use is now required for all vehicle occupants—including adults in the rear seat, who were previously exempt when an adult was at the wheel. A seat belt violation is a primary enforcement violation, except for an adult, rear-seat passenger, for whom it is a secondary enforcement violation.
• Drivers must now yield not only to pedestrians already in a crosswalk (or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection), but also to pedestrians waiting to enter a crosswalk where traffic is not regulated by traffic controls.

For affiliates offering TSC's Online Defensive Driving Course, these edits have already been incorporated into the Internet-based curriculum. For those of you who are offering live courses via a classroom, Donna will be contacting you about updating your materials.

The Next Big Thing

The Announcement

At Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) we regard our affiliates as our partners. We recognize that your success is our success. So it is with an eye toward helping you to improve your bottom line that TSC, from time to time, shares useful information about valuable ideas and programs that can help you to grow your traffic school business.

As a TSC affiliate, you're already familiar with ASAP™, our proprietary, online traffic school management tool. You've used it to manage student records, track sales performance, and order supplies. The automation and one-stop functionality have streamlined your administrative duties. Now, you're ready to take the next step.

TSC is proud to announce ASAP™ Marketing. Those who attended our 12-Hour Advanced Driver Improvement demonstration to the Florida DHSMV got a sneak peak at this amazing new application. We're now ready to offer all of our affiliates "the next big thing."

ASAP™ Marketing, a sophisticated targeted mailing module that is integrated seamlessly with the ASAP™ administrative tool, filters counties' lists of traffic offenders by citation. You'll reduce postage costs by mailing postcards only to those prospects most likely to respond and eliminating those citations that don't produce sales. The software tracks your results and provides detailed reports, so you can tweak your filters to further optimize your postcard mailing campaign.

How to Take Advantage

We hope that you're as excited about this great new opportunity as we are. If you're interested in ramping up your business with a new targeted marketing campaign, please contact Donna via email, or phone 1-800-252-9951, for system access and training.

Go Crazy for Coupons!

Are you looking for a (nearly) free way to increase business? Coupons, passed out at the end of a class (or sent as an email to online students), are a great way to stimulate repeat and referral business. We at Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) have found that a discount of just a few dollars off of the tuition of a Basic Driver Improvement course can generate a substantial increase in registrations. If nothing else, it gets your name out there in front of the public!

The coupons don't have to be elaborate. Just make sure to include the name of your school, your phone number, and your URL. You might include some artwork and use some eye-catching colors if you want to spice things up a bit—but don't underestimate the simple power of black and white.

You can generate paper coupons inexpensively yourself on your office printer or at a local copy shop. Or, you can use the free business card offer from Vistaprint, an online printing service, to have them professionally produced.

TSC is always looking for way to help our affiliates market their traffic school, and we hope that you find this suggestion helpful.

New BDI Completion Requirements

New rules regarding the completion of Basic Driver Improvement courses went into effect October 1, 2009. The good news is that this change does not require Florida traffic schools to modify their operations in any way. Better still, the new regulations should increase the number of drivers who are required to complete this form of traffic safety instruction. This benefits not only providers of defensive driving courses, but — more importantly — the driving public!

The notification regarding the new requirements is as follows:

House Bill 481 modified F.S. 322.0261(4) to state:

The department shall identify any operator convicted of, or who pleaded nolo contendere to, a violation of s. 316.074(1), s. 316.075(1)(c)1., s. 316.172, s. 316.191, or s. 316.192 and shall require that operator, in addition to other applicable penalties, to attend a department-approved driver improvement course in order to maintain driving privileges. If the operator fails to complete the course within 90 days after receiving notice from the department, the operator's driver license shall be canceled by the department until the course is successfully completed.

Facts:

• The Department now requires any operator convicted of running a red light, running a stop sign, passing a stopped school bus, racing on a highway, spectator of racing on a highway, or reckless driving to complete a Department-approved 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement (BDI) course.


• All drivers, even CDL holders, are required to complete this course.


• All drivers, except CDL holders and those convicted of 316.172(1)(b), may elect to attend a BDI course in lieu of points; this election will also satisfy the requirements of s. 322.0261(4). Therefore, if the driver elects to attend school for one of the above violations, the Department will withhold points and count that election as having satisfied the requirements of 322.0261(4).


• If the driver does not elect to attend school, the Department will automatically generate a notice advising the violator that they must complete a BDI course within 90 days from the date of the notice. This notice is generated and sent to the customer upon conviction information received from the Clerk of Court.

Do It For the Kids!

October 18 – 24 is this year's National Teen Driver Safety Week. Now is the perfect time to remind the students in your driver improvement classes of the effects their negative driving behaviors can have on others — in particular, their children.

Most parents are certain that their kids don't listen to a thing they say. Research shows, however, that parental involvement is the single most important factor in reducing the risk of crash involvement for young drivers.

And the risk of a crash is considerable. Learning to drive could be the most dangerous milestone in a teen's life, as automobile collisions are the leading cause of death for 15- to 20-year-olds. In Florida in 2008, 13,916 teen drivers were killed or injured in over 36,000 crashes. Teens are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers, per vehicle mile driven. And it's not just teens who are injured or killed: young drivers pose a risk to other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. (For more statistics, check out the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's latest Traffic Safety Fact Sheet on Young Drivers.)

Remind your students that, because teens tend to model their parents' driving behavior, they need to take a good, hard look at their behind-the-wheel habits. If not for their own safety, they should do it their children. After all, you never know who's watching!

»  You might also remind parents about your Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) seminar — aka the First Time Driver course — for teens. Nationally in 2007, 31% of young drivers (15 to 20 years old) who were killed in crashes had alcohol in their system!  «

Tending to Two-Wheelers

With the back-to-school season upon us, now is a particularly good time to remind your students to be on the lookout for bicyclists. Motorists often fail to take note of bicycles in the driving environment, and many drivers are annoyed by the slower speeds of bicycles. These are the wrong attitudes. Bicycles are considered vehicles, and cyclists have all of the rights and responsibilities of drivers.

The most common motorist-caused collisions between a motor vehicle and a bicycle occur when a driver fails to yield to a cyclist when turning or after stopping at a stop sign. This is usually because drivers overlook bicycles when they scan the driving environment, or because they misjudge the cyclist's speed. Drivers must remain vigilant, however, since their inattention can have serious consequences, as this recent article from the Fort Myers News-Press illustrates.

Drivers should remember these tips when encountering bicyclists:

• It is a primary responsibility of drivers to ensure the safety of bicyclists.
• Always afford bicyclists plenty of room.
• Never tailgate a bicyclist.
• When passing a bicyclist, reduce your speed and give at least a three-foot space cushion.
• Check your mirrors and blind spots regularly, especially when preparing for a right turn.
• Always be courteous and patient with cyclists — especially with younger riders who may not know or obey traffic rules.
• Check the left side mirror for bicyclists before opening the door of a parked vehicle.

Get Yourself an Upgrade!

Traffic Safety Consultants, Inc., (TSC) is proud to announce a few small upgrades to its Affiliate System Administration Program™ (ASAP™).

You'll access the system as always through the ASAP™ portal at tscaffiliate.com. Effective Monday, August 17, 2009, however, the following enhancements will be live on the site:

Redesigned Log-In Page: The log-in page has received an aesthetic make-over. The page retains its front-end functionality, and you'll still sign in securely — using your usual user name and password — as you always have. It will just look much nicer (we hope!).


Blog Link: We have added a link to the ASAP™ Control Panel page that will give you instant access to the "TSC Affiliate News" blog. An indicator will display (for seven days) when a new blog entry has been posted. This implementation means that you will no longer be receiving e-mailed notices of updates from Rick, the blog's editor. To read the blog, just click on the link and the blog will open in a new browser window.

At TSC, we are constantly striving to improve the operational experience of our affiliates, and our dedicated IT team has been hard at work behind the scenes. We hope these changes will take what is already the traffic safety education industry's leading enterprise management software application and make it even better!

Driving While InTEXTicated?

Cell phones and other mobile communication devices have become a part of our everyday life. Indeed, they can save time, effort, even our lives. But misused, they can be deadly, too!

A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute highlights these dangers (CNN article). Investigators found that reaching for an electronic device, dialing a mobile phone, and holding a phone conversation all caused the risk of a collision to rise. Not surprisingly, however, it was texting that caused the real problems. The study found that truckers who text message while driving are 23 times more likely to crash or to get into a near-wreck than undistracted drivers. The reasons are obvious: Even skilled multi-taskers have trouble concentrating on the road while composing a message, manipulating a tiny keyboard, and occasionally glancing at the screen—all while guiding a multi-ton vehicle through traffic.

While Florida currently does not regulate drivers' use of mobile communication devices, that could soon change. Under legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate, states that do not ban texting by drivers could forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars in federal highway funds.

We shouldn't need Congress to remind us of the dangerous, however. Ninety percent of the sensory information needed to safely operate a motor vehicle is visual, and anything that draws a driver's attention away from the roadway for more than a few seconds is a serious distraction that could have deadly results. In short, remind your students: don't text and drive!