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We started with three trailers. Today we stock fifty. I was skeptical, but I can honestly say — it does work.

Michael Enzlo

Owner, Enstech Automotive and Trailer

Industry

Automotive / Trailer Sales

Location

Finger Lakes, NY

Products

Radio, Digital

Michael Enzlo has been fixing cars in the Finger Lakes for more than twenty-five years. He knows engines, he knows customers, and he knows how to build something from nothing. The trailer business he runs alongside Enstech Automotive and Trailer started with three units on the lot. Today he keeps fifty on average, and he’s selling them to buyers three and four hours away without ever shaking a hand in person.

None of that happened by accident. It happened because someone invited him to a seminar.

A few years back, Enzlo sat in on a presentation about what radio advertising can actually do for a local business. He went in curious and came out convinced — or at least willing to try. “That was kind of the start,” he says. He put some money in, watched what happened, and kept going. The trailer side of the business grew alongside the campaign. Whether radio was the cause or the current, he wasn’t sure at first. He just knew the numbers were moving.

Radio works as long as it’s consistent. You have to be consistent, people have to hear you repetitive.

Enzlo will be the first to admit he had doubts. The early months of any advertising investment are uncomfortable — you’re spending money without a clear line connecting the dollars out to the dollars in. “I was skeptical a few times,” he says, “but I can honestly say after trying it and trying it, it does work.” The skepticism didn’t go away on its own. It got worn down, slowly, by results.

What kept him from walking away during those skeptical stretches was partly the team behind the campaign. He tells a story about a Halloween ad that illustrates the point. His sales rep listened to the spot, read the room, and said plainly: “You don’t love it, do you?” Then she pushed to redo it. No charge, no argument — just a commitment to getting it right. For a business owner who fields cold calls about Google advertising from the time the doors open to the time they close, that kind of human accountability is worth something real. “The phone rings all day long for somebody somewhere trying to sell me Google advertising,” Enzlo says. The difference, in his mind, is whether there’s a person on the other end who actually cares what runs.

It’s not like a lightning rod, but it has been steady progression.

He also pays attention to what he can see. Staff from the radio station come in regularly and walk him through the analytics — who’s listening, when, and how the numbers trend. Other advertising partners don’t do that. “Other forms of advertising, I don’t really get that,” he says. For someone who built his business on understanding what’s under the hood, the transparency matters.

The philosophy Enzlo runs by isn’t complicated. He grew up in business, and the rule was always the same: you have to spend money to make money. Radio, for him, is an expression of that belief — not a gamble, but a bet placed carefully and left on the table long enough to pay out. The trailer inventory that started at three units and now sits at fifty didn’t happen in a quarter. It happened in five years of steady, consistent presence.

I was skeptical a few times, but I can honestly say after trying it and trying it, it does work.

He’s not done building. Enzlo talks about the future of Enstech with the same low-key confidence he brings to everything else — not boastful, but certain. The digital reach has already proven that the right customer will drive hours for the right trailer. The radio presence has made sure they know where to find him when they’re ready. “I think the best is yet to come for us,” he says.

After twenty-five years in automotive and five in trailers, Michael Enzlo has learned to trust the process. Slow, consistent, local — and not finished yet.

Interviewer: First off, tell me your name, the name of your business, and what it is that you do.

Michael Enzlo: My name is Michael Enzlo. I'm the owner of Entech Automotive and Trailer. We are a full-service automotive shop, and we also have a trailer business and used cars as well.

Interviewer: Tell me how you got started advertising on the radio.

Michael Enzlo: That's a good question. I know exactly what started it — there was a seminar on the radio. We used to be back then, the Remata. It was a seminar about what radio can do for you. So I went to that a number of years ago, and that was kind of the start — went through the seminar, saw what it was all about, and it kind of kicked things off from there.

Interviewer: What did you learn from that seminar?

Michael Enzlo: That radio works, as long as it's consistent. You have to be consistent — people have to hear you repetitively on the radio so they know your brand.

Interviewer: Now you've been doing it for a few years. Does that consistency work well for you?

Michael Enzlo: It does work. I've been up and down trying to see if radio does work — I was skeptical a few times. But I can honestly say after trying it again and again, it does work. You have to give it time. I guess that's the biggest thing: being patient with it, letting it work. The more you're out there on the radio, you'll hear people coming to you and saying they heard you. But it's not like getting on your smartphone and instantly browsing an ad. It takes a little time for people to hear you, but that repetitiveness does work.

Interviewer: How do you judge whether it's working?

Michael Enzlo: People coming in. More and more local people are starting to know where we're at, know who we are. They may not have even been here before, but they'll say, "Oh, I heard you on the radio." Like I said, it takes a little bit — it's not instant. But the longer we were on, the more I realized how it works. It took me a little while to get past the skepticism, but it does work.

Interviewer: You were fronting money while waiting for it to work. How did that feel at the time, and how do you feel now that you're seeing the results?

Michael Enzlo: At first I was skeptical, like I said — you are fronting money and wondering if you're going to get the return on investment. But I can say we started with three trailers. When I went to the digital side, we might have had seven trailers out here. Today, on average, we stock 50 trailers. Starting from three and now up to 50 — that's significant. We've been in automotive for over 25 years professionally. The trailer business we've been in probably about five years. The automotive business has always been strong and our reputation has done very well. The trailer business was new, and people didn't know us for that. So that has grown — more inventory on the lot, and now we have a parts department that is a growing avenue for us. It's not like a lightning rod, but it has been steady progression to where we are now. I'm definitely feeling good about where we're at, and I look forward to what the future holds.

Interviewer: If you had a friend going into business — not necessarily automotive, but any kind of business — and they said they heard you on the radio and saw your digital ads, what would you tell them about both?

Michael Enzlo: Well, you have to spend money to make money — that's the bottom line. It doesn't matter what field or industry you're in. Brand awareness and marketing were things I really didn't understand at first, especially on the digital side. I consistently did it for over a year, then I took a pause to see what happened. And then I thought, you know what, we got back into it — because business just kept going on. So I would say don't be afraid to try it. It's going to take a little time, but in the end it will pay dividends once you see the results. Our business has just grown dramatically, and I'm excited for the future. Be patient. You are spending good money, and it's money well spent — it just takes a little time to realize it, but you will see the return on investment.

Interviewer: What has this meant for your business and for you personally?

Michael Enzlo: It's great. Honestly, it's a great feeling to see. I just had a gentleman right before you got here drive an hour and a half to pick up a trailer. We sell trailers three or four hours away on a consistent basis. Digital gets you out there — you reach an audience you didn't even know was out there. And it's really great because the trailer business is a good line for us. We're selling brand new products that we stand behind, quality products. As the business grows, and I see it for my family and for me, it's just really exciting. Owning your own business has its own hurdles — ups and downs, it's stressful. But it's a different kind of stress. I worked for a large corporation for a number of years and decided to make the plunge to be here full time. Going full time was the best thing I ever did. And then to see the business really growing — that nice slow and steady progression every year — it's just exciting. I think the best is yet to come for us.

Interviewer: How do you think digital and radio work together?

Michael Enzlo: You hear something on the radio while you're driving down the road — you're not supposed to get on your phone and look it up right then. So later on, when you're home and relaxing, you search for it. And being easy to find online pays off, because there's so much competition in the digital space. I didn't understand how the whole thing worked at first. But through your team coming in with the digital people, explaining it to me, educating me on how it works, and bringing me analytics on a regular basis — that was something I really valued. I get to see where my money is going and how it's paying off. Other forms of advertising we do, I don't really get that — it's just, hey, you want to put an ad here or there. But you guys have someone come in, explain it, and say, hey, I think you should make these adjustments to better target the right audience. It's huge. I didn't understand it when we first started, but I understand it a lot more now, and it's paid off.

Interviewer: Why do you think you'll continue to advertise with us?

Michael Enzlo: I like you people — that's a big thing. I think you have a great team. I just had a recent experience on the radio side — we were doing a special Halloween sale. The radio ad was being worked on, and the final version came to me and I said it was okay. But my sales rep said, "You don't love it, do you?" And I said honestly, I'm not in love with it, but it works. And that wasn't good enough for her. She went back and had them redo it — and nailed it. I really appreciated that, because that kind of customer service you don't always get. That's what's great about working with you guys — you're local. The phone rings all day long with somebody trying to sell me Google advertising, but to actually deal with somebody local who comes in, sees your business, sees how you're growing — that's worth it. I like the customer service and being able to talk with somebody and explain what we're going through. If times are slow, I tell them that. But I really think with the advertising we're doing now and continuing to do, our business is just going to keep growing — and that's very exciting for me and my family.