Years ago I ran in-house marketing operations for a balloon delivery service.

Computers were fairly rudimentary in those days. Email and websites didn’t exist, and faxes had just been invented. Orders were written longhand, then typed when time permitted.

As operations grew from one city to 10, we noticed that phone customers were regularly kept on hold for long periods. When we tried piping in radio music, we realized customers would potentially hear our competitors’ advertising while waiting for us.

So we hired an actor to imitate famous voices touting our services and played it on an endless loop for anyone sitting on hold. It was so successful that many people asked to be left on hold JUST so they could listen to the full recording.

Flashing forward to 2025, my family installed a new shower in our primary bathroom, investigating several one-day shower installation firms and hiring Shugarman’s.

Admittedly, these guys aren’t the cheapest company out there, but we’d heard good things about them. We also suspected our bathroom might need mold remediation.

And with neither of us having the time to be a general contractor, we opted for Shugarman’s one-stop shop…then crossed our fingers.

Well, you get what you pay for. These guys were in and out in 10 hours, did great work, and left us very happy…until Memorial Day weekend when the toilets backed up.

Our plumber determined the problem was mortar lodged deep in the pipes and caused by this reconstruction. $765.19 later the problem was fixed, but I was irritated.

Like I said, you get what you pay for. Shugarman’s answered my call on Memorial Day weekend, provided advice, took responsibility for the problem, and without hesitation paid the bill. While sitting on the phone, I found myself listening to their on-hold recording.

Their catchy theme song told the story of starting their business, with the overriding message “At Shugarman’s Bath, our goal is to make you happy.”

Regardless of what you sell, you may also want to consider having your story told and running as music on-hold. Because I guarantee you’ve got competition trying to eat into your sales, and filling this important messaging void ensures customers don’t get dead air or hear radio ads from the other guys.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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Calling Shugarman’s? Mention my name; we’ll both benefit.