I work for a family owned Christian talk radio station. I recently contacted a local Christian health care company that does health care bill sharing. They operate as a "Christian" business and they are advertising in a lot of print ads and on other Christian stations etc. They jumped on board right away and the owner has been texting me weird things. He asked me to meet him at a coffee shop and I asked if I could meet at his office to see where it was and how they do business, and he said "but then you would see we are not very good Christians" followed by 10 more texts trying to cover that up.
Then he tried to continue the appointment and my dad who is also the general manager said to tell him that I couldn't go until my GM was available and to reschedule for next week. He then called me about 5 times after work and I didn't answer. I had a weird gut feeling about all of this. He only recently changed his business name to a Christian business, and before that called himself Obamacare Alternatives. I truly think there is something fishy here and my instincts never let me down.
Question is: How do I get rid of them? Him, and his partner, and now another office person won't stop harassing me. I do not want them on our station. Our listeners are very loyal and would probably purchase a plan just because it's on our station. I don't believe they have enough subscribers to even pay a claim. What do I do?!!
Wow. That's a new one.
Have you checked with the local Better Business Bureau? What about following up with some of the other media you've heard or seen them advertising on?
You don't need an excuse to "fire" a client you're not comfortable with.
Was going to say what Rod said!
Maybe establish a minimum waiting period for a "new" business, have them pay up front, and always know you don't have to accept anyone.
Sounds like a Perv...
Tell him to take a flying leap! Thrive on rejection.
Or, do what J. Kent Adams suggested. :)
Hi Gracie,
I had a similar issue with a celebrity agent, desperate for my station to book one of his clients for our annual station party. Calls at midnight, nonstop e-mails, the works. I did the following steps:
Directly confirm that you're not interested in doing business with them.
If you have a smart phone, block their numbers in your phone, direct their e-mails to spam folder.
For me, after 2 weeks of returned messages, they gave up.
Hope that helps!
+1 to Rod's good advice.
Second: Are you D+B subscribers? If the "potential client" business is not very well rated, then that is even more a reason not to put your station's good reputation at risk. If the harassing calls continue, perhaps you might want to schedule a meeting with one of the law enforcement agencies, preferably detectives who might work on fraud, etc.
I appreciate when people follow instinct and principle, even when it might take longer to gain the desired revenue. Best of luck.
First, you need to give him your office number and ask him to not contact you on your cell phone. If he does call or text again on your personal phone I'd ask the company attny to make a contact.
I suggest that you and your GM meet with him and ask some really hard questions about his business, then you can tell him that you don't think it will be a service to your listeners to work with him.
You can always offer him a crazy high rate and make him pay upfront -- I bet he won't do it!
And as said below -- you don't need to take business from him if you don't want to. Good Luck - and follow your gut!
Trust your instincts on this one. If it feels creepy, it probably is. I'd tell the client that your account list has changed and the GM will be handling the account personally (assuming he is male). If this isn't feasible, set the meeting for a public place and make sure you have at least one other person with you. If the client is genuinely interested in advertising and not something else, he'll show. If not, you know the motive was something other than advertising.
Just tell him (or have your father call and tell him) it r has decided that his business and your station are not a good fit and to please stop the texts and phone calls. If that doesn't stop the calls and texts or he gets threatening, call again and tell him to stop or your
next call will be the local police departmewnt.
Gut feelings count! I would write him:
(Man's Name), I have forwarded your emails, texts and voice messages to our GM. He will handle your inquiries in the future. Please contact (GM's name & direct phone line) for any further needs or communications.
Thank you,
Gracie
That ought to do it! Then your GM can handle it from there.
HI Gracie,
IF I understand this correctly, you are concerned about the legitimacy of the business.
While I do NOT know the legal requirements of Texas, here in California Insurance companies MUST be "admitted" by the Attorney General's Office -- a process that includes passing financial viability standards; background checks, etc.
I would assume Texas has similar requirements as California and New York financial and insurance laws are what most states model theirs upon.
Bottom line, tell them your policy requires them providing proof of legal admission and financial viability PRIOR to any promotional activity.
Hope this helps..
Carl Street
Hi Gracie,
I am sorry to hear about your situation... You never know what you will end up with when it comes to advertisers. Some of them have some weird request. My suggestion is to do several things: 1) Check with the papers that he is advertising in, and see if the same behavior is occurring. You also might want to see if he reacts differently to a male AE ( Sorry to say this behavior still occurs in today's society) 2) Hand the account over to another AE in your company? ( last resort) 3) Get proof, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and drop the account.
I also read that you are concerned about the customers, ( I think that is wonderful) but your radio station is only to bring traffic to the business. It is the customers choice whether to do business or not with this client.
I wish you the best of luck.
David Kline
Marketing Director/ AE, WLNG FM
Be careful how you go about declining the business. A discrimination law suit could be file against the company. Make sure you have a legitimate reason for not accepting their business. There are a number of different ways to accomplish this without getting a suit file against you. Long ago it was written on the advertising contract that management reserved the right to refuse any advertising order. That's not the case these days. Have a legitimate reason in Texas and under current FCC rules.
Hi Gracie,
He sounds like an ordinary fly-by-night operation. We are family-owned too (and my Dad is the GM!). I would call back and explain that all new accounts are pre-payment and then invite him over to the station to set up his new schedule. This is a new relationship and it is prudent to be cautious to protect your own business. As a salesperson, I don't have the right to change rates, but I do have the latitude to set terms for payment, especially if I have mis-givings. Most people who are looking to run a scam will bail out quickly when you expect them to come up with cash first. No need to panic and call law enforcement on people who are just unprofessional. If he does come to the table, you might see a new side of him. But if you still have mis-givings, you can tell him your station is not going to accept his business. You are a private firm, under no responsibility to take any advertiser.
Good luck out there.
-Lisa K.
I would tell him thank you for your interest in advertising on our station but as of right now we do not have the time available to sell him. Or you could get him to fill out a credit application and then tell him it was denied and the company policy is that he could reply in 6 months maybe by then he will be out of business. I agree that is a tricky situation...good luck and please keep us posted to the outcome.
Sadly, this happens. Make sure you take someone with you. Ask if this pertains to the radio schedule, if not then let him know you simply aren't able to meet him.
Boundaries are key all the time. Has happened to me a time or two. Crazy how some step over that line.
Good luck - you can do it!
I also have a background in Christian radio.
CANCEL IMMEDIATELY!!
Just my two cents, but as a former therapist, if your gut tells you something is wrong, SOMETHING IS WRONG.
Do not take their calls. If you can block them, do so. I can't tell if he is after your business, or after you, but it "feels" creepy. If he's asking you for coffee and telling you that he's not he is not a very good Christian, he's fishing. That is not business.
If he calls with a number you don't recognize (probable since you are not responding to his number) have someone else answer and politely say "Please don't call here anymore." Then, hang up.
If it continues, someone (not you) should warn them that the company does not look favorably on their continued calls and will take all steps necessary. You don't have to say what those steps are. If you can block the numbers do so.
I would tell my daughter this: Avoid this person completely.
Hi Gracie,
Having worked commercial Christian radio in the time when most of the top 40 ministries paid for their airtime versus a 'share', we had blocks of time ministries simply were not interested in buying so we aired music and any commercials we could sell.
There are many wonderful businesses that are Christian owned that we enjoyed a relationship with but always a few that claimed to be Christian but were not. In my market we had a Christian Yellow Pages called Shepherd's Guide. I don't know how they pulled it off, but they could identify the those out to milk the Christian community out of their dollars through less than reputable means.
My boss had a basic rule of thumb, the ones yelling Christian from the rooftops the loudest was likely far from it.
I have never come across a potential advertiser so eager to get on the air. The average business, as you know, almost requires the skills of a dentist because getting that contract signed feels more like pulling teeth. This client seems to be not all they say they are because of the repeated communication and eagerness to buy. I once had a company that cashed out life insurance at 40 cents on the dollar wanting to buy. I didn't like that percentage personally but they never got to the point of signing and quite frankly I was happy about that. They approached us and almost monthly were hoping to strike a deal.
There are two ways to play this. First, you certainly have the right to refuse any advertiser or ministry desiring to buy time on your station. The FCC License gives you that option. Second, you can gamble with a minimum purchase you know they cannot afford and require payment up front. Maybe they will jump through the hurdle, but likely not. If they can buy an expensive schedule and the check clears they might be in good financial shape.
I like to be very honest with potential clients. I would say the eagerness of the client to buy time seems to indicate the business may not be as financially healthy as to be able to handle the business your station offers. At this point, you would like to suggest a cooling off period. The reason for this is the trust our listeners have in your station to seek out quality Christian businesses offering products and services the audience needs. That obligation makes you uneasy in moving forward right now. Talk about other advertising the client has tried and what has worked. Suggest they try those effective options now and in a few months we will review things. If you meet our comfort zone, we will gladly accept an advertising buy from you. I gather that is the position you are in right now. This way you are saying maybe, just not right now. And it tells your client why you have cold feet. My leaning is toward an honest heart to heart stressing that the eagerness gives you the impression this might be a last gasp effort to keep a company afloat. Say that worries you.
This business might be okay even though I think we both believe they are not. Our thinking is scarred by those in the past who have taken advantage of the trust factor Christian consumers have in Christian and so-called Christian companies. You might have a fellow trying to accomplish something to maintain their position and believes Christian Radio is his best option. Sure his business may not be so Christian. Many Christian owned businesses fail at this. As one pastor said, that's why we call ourselves 'practicing' because we haven't gotten it right yet.
Such applies to Christian radio too. A guy that voiced a commercial for one business (his sideline) aired on Howard Stern's show. His boss heard it and fired him. The way the boss knew it was him was because he knew the guy's voice so well. It didn't matter that the guy had no control over what airtime that client bought. I suspect the listeners would have never known as they weren't Howard Stern listeners. I asked him if he asked his boss why he was listening to Howard Stern anyway. He didn't ask but cleaned out his desk and left.
My point is, the fellow's comment about 'not so Christian' might be more his personal opinion about an incident or two, not the entire operation.
My thinking is a heart-to-heart talk and a wait to see attitude.
Christian radio advertising is tough to sell, mostly small businesses with small orders, so anything out of the norm is cause for a red flag.
Hey Gracie!
I also work for Christian Radio and have come across people/businesses (who appeared or claimed to be a Christian owned business) that simply weren't a good fit. They need to be told they are not a fit for your listener. It's a hard conversation to have, but you have to have it to protect the integrity of your station and furthermore to protect your listenership. Simply put, you have the right to say "no" to them being an advertiser on your station.
They are not even on the BBB. Very hard to find any information on this company.
I'm seriously thinking of this! They keep calling the station too and asking for the general manager to complain about me. They called twice on Friday and so far just once today. Should I send them an email and explain myself?
Thank you!
Thinking about it....
There are two directions that come to mind.
1) Because you feel as though you are being harassed, I personally would notify your local police agency of the circumstances.
2) The second direction I'd like to suggest, if your station has a news department have them investigate the company. If your station could get to the bottom of this situation and your instincts are right on, other businesses in your community would appreciate the information your company would offer on the subject. If not, you might try calling a local TV station and talk with their news department. If they are harassing you chances are they are doing the same to other business people.
This situation also sounds "fishy" to me. Today, you must be extra cautious in everything you do...especially if you visit a new client alone...and most of us do.
Respectfully,
Jeannine
