Happy Friday, everyone!
Here is this week's poll question:
What's your favorite part of radio sales? What's your least favorite part of radio sales?
Looking forward to reading your answers!
Favorite part: Hearing from a customer that's done well with advertising and appreciates my effort.
Least: Cold Calls...Which makes me a bad salesperson!
Favorite - Knowing your helping business owners grow in many ways. Going the extra mile to do the little things that they need done in order to prosper. Connecting business owners with each other when it's the right fit and knowing you helped to create a great relationship.
Least Favorite - The waiting....Wishing I could give them instant results.
Positive: The freedom. I can make ideas happen. I can focus on things that interest me. I control my schedule. The freedom is a wonderful aspect to the job PROVIDING you have people who will drive themselves to succeed. I'd add to this, smart clients. So Much FUN!
Negative: Stupid people. I'd don't mean people I haven't sold, but rather dim bulbs who are to lazy to think about ways to expand their business. And of course, collections. And Angelique is right. Waiting.
Favorite part: Working with a brand new small business and watching them grow over the years due to our efforts. Also LOVE taking a failing business and breathing new life into it with the right marketing.
Least favorite part: Clients who take our marketing results but do not PAY for them. And the frustration of working with clients you KNOW you could help if they would just let you.
After working in corporate America, having the freedom to set my own schedule is amazing. I've been in the desert for 12 years and working here for the same... And Pat, there are stupid people out there... they're the ones who want to "think" about it for months -- then, if and when they say ok -- can't agree on the spot. I love people who will listen to advice. I carry a large number of accounts -- and -- IF they'll listen, they will do well. If not -- I've done my best. Collections drive me batty.... Several slow pays and I hate begging for $$... All in all, at 69 years old, I am blessed to have such a great second career!
Favorite - Providing real value to my clients and watching it produce results for them when properly implemented. I like the opportunity to be creative--to put ideas into practice and watch them work. The relationships are also a big plus, clients very often become long-time friends.
Least favorite - Not being able to track results with precision. It's a continual frustration.
Anyone have a foolproof way to precisely track radio results besides using radio coupons and asking "How did you hear about us?"
One way some of our Car dealers track is by having their service department make a note of what station is turned on in a car brought in for service. It's convinced some to shift some $$ our way.
Favorite: Seeing a customer have success through our efforts.
Least: Collections
I love radio for the simplicity in meeting the expectations of marketing management. It is a thrill to sit down and learn about different sales markets, understanding the operation goals and growth of business clientele to meet and exceed their expectations. Radio is a powerful voice for any size business.
The lack of education in the rapid change of social media has become my least favorite part in making radio sales. The general public has found great outlets in social media and there are benefits to using multi-level marketing, however, clients find so called "free" media is working and are seeing the direct "likes" or "comments" on their social outlet pages. This has become a challenge to re-educate clients in direct marketing and social connections. I find reassurance that all media types work well when there is the right frequency, build, and basis for the growth in market planning.
I call this my "common sense approach to marketing". Asking clients the following leads them to their best potential planning: Who do you reach currently? Who do you want to reach? What would you say is your best asset? How did you achieve success thus far? Where do you feel improvements can be made? Do your staff know your business goals? How are you educating people - potential customers about your products and services? What can media do to help you promote, educate, and enforce your business marketing efforts?
Great info Michelle!!! Thanks!
Favorite - The creativity and immediacy of the medium and helping clients win!
Least Favorite - My desk and everything that has to be done at it.
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Favorite, part 1: That "ah-ha" moment when there's an unmistakable meeting of the minds between the prospect/client and me, concerning a proposed campaign. (This is the real moment of agreement, followed later by its perfecting with a signed piece of paper, as mentioned by Joel.)
Favorite, part 2: The celebratory meeting of the minds that may occur months later, when the results are measured and found to meet or exceed expectations.
Favorite, part 3: When people comment favorably on a commercial or campaign, especially one that's been running for some time.
Least: Occasionally having to work with bottom-feeders.
That's a good point. I had a car repair business who did that as well. Works nicely in that case.
Favorite - Commission checks. Proof positive that I did my job and have gotten the reward.
(Then I park my shiny new car next to the DJ's old P.O.S. and smile.)
Favorite - Developing that killer proposal and first ad
Least Favorite - Anything that keeps me from presenting
Favorite: Meeting new people at Expos or Networking events that become WARM leads to begin a relationship and start building their business or brand. The least favorite is my cubicle.... never is any actual work done there. Out and about and in coffee shops.
There is no foolproof nor precise way to track radio... or any other media, Joseph. Arbitron and Neilsen have been trying various methodologies for years. We are dealing with human behavior.
Since you have clients asking you for accountability on your product (radio) - ask the client within that context re: product namebrands - do national ads sell X more GE appliances in your local appliance store ? How many more truck sales did your local Ford dealer get directly because of the national truck campaign? They can't tell you that either (it must not be a lot or they wouldn't be talking to you about advertising at all - the national ads would do it all). So why are they attempting to hold your feet to the fire?
And the majority of your advertisers are not doing radio alone. Did the customer who walked in with the newspaper ad in hand come only because they live in a vacuum, read only newspaper and saw the ad... or because they have heard of this business on the radio and for that reason noticed the newspaper ad? Did they notice the billboard because they know about the business from the radio? People shop businesses they feel they know.
Client questions on this present a circumstance of managed expectations. You need to clarify what the client's objective is before anything airs. What do they want to accomplish? This is important because radio, your radio stations, any medium does not sell anything. We are not in the selling business - we are in the traffic business. We create and bring a market to our clients. They sell. And when they can't sell - because of price, service, product, disorganization - we cannot be held accountable. You, Joseph, are accountable only for creating demand and/or bringing people to the client. When you sell radio time to a client and the client expresses a need for immediate results - look at the copy or copy points the client has provided and give the client feedback: a $7 burger on a lunch special for your market may not be 'special' at all. Tell the client: "if you want immediate results, maybe this should be a BOGO offer just between 11 and 1p" or on certain days of the week, should include membership in a lunch club (like Qdoba, Biggby and other do)... push the client to give you something to hang your hat on and build traffic for him! The greatest ad on a great radio station will still not generate immediate lunch business for the most expensive burger in town. Counsel the client that, sans price adjustment, the quality, service and ambience of the restaurant will eventually generate traffic over time.
Ask the right questions after the schedule or event the airtime ran for: How was traffic to your store? Did you see some new faces? Did people like that you now carry X brand (if that was the point of the schedule)? Do not ask about sales volume - it will set that as a marker for the success of your radio portion. The client will inevitably volunteer the sales performance for the time period involved. Good? Congratulate him - his salespeople must have done a great job. Not so good? Ask him why he believes that happened. You may be surprised when he volunteers "I think we missed the boat by closing Sat at noon", "I think we probably should have included XXXXX in the radio ad" or something similar. An honest discussion like that creates a partnership that will move you both forward.
Keep in mind that advertising has variables and variables can be tweaked. The variables include: ad content, ad execution, dayparts, days, station, frequency. Everyone seeks the perfect storm. It is elusive.
Never, EVER, do a 'radio coupon' in the form of 'mention you heard this ad on WXYZ and save an additional 10%'. That is not a radio coupon. That is suicide. If the client is willing to give the additional 10% on top of a 15% in-place discount then call out the client on it - the radio ad on your station and your station only should say 'save 25%' - don't ask customers to do the work. They won't.
My favorite part is talking promotion strategy with clients, talking radio and media.
My least favorite part is clients who are not engaged, don't get back to you on approvals or with info with a start date looming, miss appointments - they can be schizo in that they commit to marketing because they know it's necessary but they avoid the follow-thru because they don't like doing something outside their comfort zone.
Favorites - developing relationships with smart/interesting clients, pitching an annual, hearing the words "Thank you so much Alex. You're so great work with" from clients who are experiencing the success of a partnership with both me and my station.
Least - Clients and prospects who don't have any skin in game. You try to help them but they don't give a crap because they're not motivated enough for whatever reason to be better than status quo.
