I have worked for my radio station for almost 10 years, and am now on my 4th GM. I have a client who is really unfriendly and narcissistic. Every time I go in to negotiate with him, he runs to my managers, and tells them that he doesn't want to work with me. He's even called the office and told the Office manager that he didn't like me because I am a Woman.
The last go round was on his annual contract. Now mind you, I have done EVERYTHING I can to make this client like me, deferred to him, and even given him rates that normally wouldn't be acceptable, including going to bat for him with management to get those rates.. He is a low budget client, and a slow pay, who has done a GREAT job of keeping his spot rate low, but this sometimes means that his spots get bumped. I have made sure to alert him every time his spots are bumped, I have always made them good for them, even when they were Pre-emptible $0 charge spots. I have given him spiffs for his sales guys, and made sure that he always got tickets to shows I rep.
I went in, and made sure that I kept his spot rate as low as possible, recommended Streaming (because we have great numbers), and generally cut a deal that that I had to fight for with the GM. At the time, he owed money (he's not a great payer), and I asked him to fill out a CC form, to pay some of what he owed, but I wan't aggressive about it.
When I got back to the office to turn the form in, he had not put the CC #'s on it. I felt stupid, because I knew he did it on purpose. I was getting ready to go out of the country, so I called and emailed him at least 6 times, before I left, but he dodged my calls. The last message I left for him, was that his spots couldn't run, because we weren't able to get payment.
After I returned from my trip, he called and left a message that said "come and get a check, and let's be done with it". When I called him, he said he didn't understand why his spots hadn't aired, and I told him, You didn't fill out the CC form. He said "I know".
Needless to say, I wasn't happy about being screwed, so I called my G M, told him what was going on, and he offered to go see the client with me. He flat out told my GM that he didn't want to work with me. So, my GM gave me a choice, trade him with another rep, for a different account (which was paying less than this account) or he himself would work with the client, and give me the commission anyway. It turned out, that the client wasn't done negotiating yet, and needed a reason to get management involved.
In most situations, I would have gotten rid of him, but because his excuse to get rid of me was because I'm female, I decided his just desserts would be for him to find out at some point, that I have been working his account all along.
In the meantime, my GM went in, and gave him a rate that is going to be hard to fly, a rate he is not deserving of, one that my clients who spend 100X's more with me get, and I feel like he really didn't back me up with the client. He is business we should have walked away from in my opinion.
What do you think? Should I go ahead and keep the account, and enjoy knowing that he still has to pay me, or should I release it, because it could only get worse from here.
I appreciate your thoughts and comments
I would run, not walk away from that account, especially since you are being offered a billing account that you might be able to grow. Life is too short to deal with people like that.
Clearly, for whatever twisted reasons, this client doesn't trust you, so let him go to a rep who might be able to work with him, which will be better for your stations, and you take something else with a clear mind. Besides, you even said he's a slow pay and is getting sweetheart rates. Sounds like a massive PITA to me.
its just my $.02
Low budget & slow pay. The obvious is obvious. Let your stubborn streak & pride go and move on. You know you'll be much happier. You'll get some satisfaction by telling the guy it's over.
You are both right. It would be nice to be able to go to him and tell him I won't rep him, on my own terms.
I agree your GM did not back you up. The general rule of sales is that you don't give anything up without getting something in return on the negotiation. Lower rates for him should earn you a bigger share of the buy, a long term buy, a wider discretion on airtimes or days of the week (6a-12m M-Su instead of 6a-7p M-F) and/or prompt or pre-payment. Any retailer gets that. For your GM to go in himself and give the guy even lower rates with nothing in exchange was really really weak. The fact that this guy has requested a different rep from 4 different GMs for whatever reason and hasn't gotten one is incredibly weak as well. The client's thinking apparently is that a different rep will give him (give in to him) more - and now your own GM has done that. It will be hard to undo.
One strategy would be to inform the client with each placement that his rates will mean his schedule may be bumped - a lot. And then do it - a lot. "Hmmm, I can't guarantee this schedule will run this way - the rates, you know...". The client may notice he never gets in AMD or PMD. This strategy is passive-aggressive but will avoid a direct confrontation with the client - which gets you nowhere. So... it's not your fault the spots are bumped. It's not the GM's fault. It's the rates. It's how the traffic system handles spots at different rates. There's really nothing you can do about it with those rates. If he wants to make sure at least a certain percentage of the spots run, then you can put them in at 'this rate" (higher). You'll eventually move him into paying higher rates for 6a-7p and the low rates for evenings and weekends - which is where he belongs. None of this should be new to the client if he runs on tv or cable - this is precisely what they do all day, every day. This client actually fosters this type of thing - his manipulation of you (with the CC) and the GM probably makes him feel like a player. You can out-fox a fox. And he may even respect you for it - just a little.
A second strategy would be to develop a plan with another rep. The goal of this rep is to make you look good. The rep goes into the client and says he/she is now assigned.... looks at some of the past schedules while negotiating with the client and says things like "well.... I can't believe Rebecca ever got these rates thru. And these spots all aired at these rates? Probably just first quarter rates, right? Hmmm. I can try to match this frequency with some evening and weekend bonus or something..." And then present with higher rates or present packages only - explaining that with the higher rates 6a-7p to make sure the airtime runs averaged in with the overnights and weekends the frequency might come close to what he got with you. He may ask for you as his rep again.
Never ever walk away from money as suggested by others here. There is no point in taking the high ground when money is left on the table. It's better to have the client make the choice to walk away - it leaves the door open for future sales.
Fire this Client!!! Move on.
Your jobs is hard enough already, without getting kicked in the shin every time you show up. If I showed up at this clients door, the first conversation would be about ettiquette....regardless of how much they spend.
Good Selling!
You know, that is exactly how I negotiated this new contract with him, unfortunately, that is why he raised the fuss. He won't even talk to me now. Will only talk to my GM. So, I let the GM work with him, and the OM, calls and collects, and I basically get free money. I don't like it. I would rather be helping him increase business, but I figure the only saving grace for me, is that he thinks I'm off the account, but he's actually still paying me.
Ah, that is a good idea! Too bad my GM didn't do that!
Thanks George. I've decided just to take the money and run. Eventually he will figure out that having the GM, who isn't even in Seattle (he only comes to Seattle once a month), is not benefiting him. And at some point he'll find out that I'm still assigned to his account, and getting paid from him. I like to think of it as poetic justice.
Rebecca,
It's easy enough, being on the outside, to say just walk away from this bozo; he's not worth the stress he brings into your life.
But there are other factors in play, based on your description, that aren't conducive to a good business relationship:
1) Lack of a fixed standard concerning the rate charged for a given schedule.
2) Lack of a fixed standard concerning collections. Having a written collections policy (that everyone at the station must abide by) would make life simpler for everyone. That's a management problem, not a sales problem -- except that, as Jim Williams often stressed, "the sale is not completed until the bill has been paid."
3) Rewarding this guy with free tickets, bonus spots, etc. seems like enabling. He certainly hasn't earned, nor does he deserve, the kind of consideration one would normally extend to one's best clients.
4) Speaking of management problems, your GM should be backing you up, not going behind your back. What kind of esprit d'corps is that likely to build in the department, undermining the credibility of the salespeople in the eyes of the advertiser.
Tough situation, Rebecca. One shares your frustration.
Never say never unless you're saying never act that desperate. .
This was your best move. Now you have time and energy to pursue someone else.
Thanks Rod. Agree with you totally.
