I happen to run across this website when on google looking for more info on the late great Jim Williams
from Tulsa. 31 years ago WIZM Radio in La Crosse, Wisc. sent me and several other sales reps down
to the week long training. Too bad at that point no one was allowed to make cassette tapes of the
seminar hours. But I took quite a few notes. My sales went up when I got back to La Crosse to WIZM
and my clients. I wish I could locate some audio cassettes of Jim Williams??? I even looked on ebay
thinking maybe someone found some old cassettes. He was terrific. I wish I could of gone back to
Tulsa for a 2nd time.
Hi, there, Al -
I'm surprised we didn't meet back when you were at WIZM. I worked from June '74 to August '79 for Jerry Papenfuss' stations in Winona. At the time it was KAGE-AM/KAGE-FM. Since then, of course, he's added several more Winona stations to his portfolio, as well as other markets in Minnesota.
My first Jim Williams "Boot Camp" was in Casper, WY in November 1975. A watershed experience, as Jim's other students will attest. Interestingly, one of Jim's daughters lived here in Pullman (may still; I've lost track), so after coming out here in '79, I had a few opportunities to put together one-day meetings to give Jim an excuse to come up to see his daughter and granddaughter. Last time I saw Jim was in 1995-6-7...somewhere in there.
My former sales manager in Winona, Rick Charles, now owns WRJC AM-FM in Mauston. He gets together now and again with a few other "old-timers" to listen to Williams tapes and discuss his methods and ideas. You might want to hook up with Rick and let him know of your interest.
Interesting how many of Jim's proteges have enjoyed successful careers in radio. Joel Swanson, a fellow RSC member, is with Cherry Creek Radio. He's a big believer in the Williams Method. You can give him a shout here - just search for his name.
Chuck Mefford, formerly with MidWest Family's Springfield, IL station (WMAY), was the sales rep who helped create the Jim Staff Furniture legend. Chuck spent some time under Roy Williams' tutelage, not sure where that went but I recall seeing Chuck in the last installment of the Wizzo's radio sales training videotapes ten or so years ago. As you may know, Chuck is now a full-time consultant/speaker/trainer, with a couple books under his belt.
Say, I have a question, Al. Lesley Charleton, with whom I worked in Winona for the last few years I was there, went to work for WIZM some time after I left. Do you remember her? Whatever happened to her?
Well, nice to meet you here. Glad you found RSC. You'll find a lot to like in this community--good people, great ideas, lots of pro-radio resources and discussions.
Don't be a stranger! :>)
-Rod
Finally getting some more time to reply in late June to the earlier April email from Rod Schwartz.
Yes, Enjoyed the year that I sold on the WIZM sales staff at La Crosse. It was a really good learning experience. Howard Gloede, Tom Sheridan, Keith Anderson, Greg Bell, Barb Phelps, Greg Bell,
Cissy Cooper, Jim Timm, Bob Smith were the salespeople I remember from 1980. Leslie must of been
a sales rep at WIZM-Midwest Family Radio after I left??? Yes, I get inspired by Jim Williams ideas
and I hope to get in touch with the Mauston, Wisc. radioman to see if he can get some dubs of Jim Williams
in Tulsa. I work in entertainment sales in Minneapolis-St. Paul but I miss radio ad sales. I try to keep in touch every week with radio sales managers in the USA. Take care
One of these days we may have to start a dedicated "Jim Williams" forum and move the relevant discussion threads there.
Meanwhile, we're hosting a growing archive of Jim Williams' audio sales training HERE, with lots of his classic stories, advertiser testimonials, and promotion ideas, as well as his distinctive philosophy and practice of radio sales training.
Have a Jim Williams story you'd like to share? We're all ears!
I first met James Riley Williams of the Welsh Company when he was still in a little trailer in Sapulpa, OK. I was interviewing for a News Job for his buddy Jay Smith at KBTC/KSCM in Houston, MO. I spent a week being trained on how to do local news. It was very similar to the way he taught salespeople. I ended up going to his basic and advanced sales training and learned a very radical way of selling radio. I believed then, and still believe in his Unit Rate System. The idea of a Radio Inch made more sense to my clients than to many of my colleagues. I should have a set of his cassettes somewhere and will let you know if I can find them. He was just an amazing man.
I think the biggest things I took away from his training was to act in a professional manner. Do NOT Rate Cut. Treat the job as a business and the clients will respect you for that. I believed in using demo tapes and getting to know the guts of the client's business in order to be more than just an ad taker.
RIP Jim Williams. I will always remember "Welshmen never yield"
Has anyone located their Jim Williams tapes from the Welsh Company days? We bought a set at $900, as I recall. They are long gone. If anyone has a set, I have a Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck (which does dynamic azimuth alignment and does not depend on pressure pads for proper tape-to-head contact) and iZotope noise reduction software that will dramatically reduce the noise and improve the clarity of the recordings. I would be happy to make high quality digital transfers. The tapes should be permanently archive digitally.
I had a love-hate relationship with Jim, but I never denied the power of his selling techniques. We made a lot of money from his training in Tulsa.
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