“We had no clue on what kind of reaction we might get [when I did my first infomercial on radio]. I had three people in the office so when the people called they could get a live loan officer. That first Sunday morning we had 45 calls, which I thought was big.”

Dave Hardin owns Covenant Mortgage, a versatile company dealing in re-financing and new purchases.

Covenant Mortgage was spending 100 percent of their ad dollars on newspaper. Before long, he dropped his newspaper advertising. “I compared the radio results to the OC Register, and the difference was huge on a cost per lead basis.” Now every dollar goes to radio and last November he broke a record for leads.

Hardin thought his entry into the mortgage field in 2004 was a little late for the big boom. “Our approach is different,” said Hardin. “We’re a real straight forward lender. We make sure everything gets disclosed and that everyone understands everything. We sell what's best for the client.”

Mike McNee, an AE with KLSX, called on Hardin for several months. Dave thought his mortgage company was different and thought the newspaper ad conveyed more information than he could in a :30 or :60 spot. “Most of the other mortgage companies were brash, young bucks just in it for the money. There were so many people in on the gold rush of buying new homes and re-financing and these companies were trying to stake their claim.”

McNee proposed that his message might be best suited for a one-hour infomercial. Hardin had no radio experience. McNee proposed a number of potential hosts. Hardin chose Tim Conway, Jr. “He reads a lot and he’s an excellent host. He understands it’s about generating business, but we want it to be entertaining and we want to add some value. We’re having a good time and I think some of that comes through.”

The show started in January 2006 for one hour on Sundays at 11 a.m. Within a couple of months, Hardin extended the show another hour. Hardin now has an office of 12 people and expects to double the number of loan officers and support staff during 2009.

The show continues to grow. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Hardin had his largest response he’s ever had in terms of callers. He is now putting his show on more radio stations. In addition to the KLSX two-hour Sunday morning show, Hardin added KFWB and KFMB-San Diego. Hardin began advertising on KFI and has secured the personal endorsement of Bill Handel. He added KABC to the weekend mix with Peter Tilden as co-host on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Hardin is looking forward to expanding his involvement with radio. For him and his rapidly expanding business, Radio is better for direct response than newspaper