Radio Sales Café

Hello all, Want to first thank the founders of this neat site for their forward thinking. As this is my first post I won't waste alot of time with the greetings, but I would have been remiss in leaving that much out!

We are a multi station sports radio outlet in a smaller market. A larget number, near 50 percent of the local business' in the market use this one particular agency to handle their advertising dollars. My predecessors here have attempted, numerous times to inform the powers that be at the agency that our platform is more than a viable outlet for their clients, but moreover is a very cost effective unique demographic for a number of their clients.

A side note I will tell you that in the last two weeks I have brought on board three former clients of the ad agency, all whom stated they were never asked if partnering with us was a direction they would have liked to follow.

The response that we continue to recieve is that we are not a high wattage platform and that they don't like to sign on unless the partnership includes high dollars and high wattage. I must be clear that our coverage area, due to our creation of a regional network to cover the local minor league baseball team, partnering with our regional friends, is as effective for the agencies clients as a larger station and our cost is a fraction of what they would cost. I am at my wits end for how to approach the agency.

I am hoping that some of you, who may have experienced something similar in the past, can help me with maybe the right avenue to pursue or maybe a promotional idea that I could present to get their attention. As I stated above having 50 percent of my market closed off by this agencies unwillingness to give us a shot, lowers the potential ceiling for my market immensely.

Help is greatly appreciated!

Dealing with agencies when you are small market can be tough! Sometimes it's better ( an I have done this several times) to go directly to the business and make your pitch. Not one of those businesses that the agencies represented told me to go see the agency, they bought directly from me. And they continue to deal with me directly instead of the agency.

Thanks Mary, thats great advice. I have tried this and unfortunately the Agency owner is sort of a svengalli around these parts and 90 percent refuse a meeting with us and refer to him. On your great advice I will Isolate a handful of untried clients of his and have a two day blitz and I will post the results here. Thanks again.

I always explain to the business that I prefer to deal with them directly, and save them the 15-30% commission that they are shelling out the the agency.

The business should have a mp3 of the ad that the agency did, or at least a script. Have the business send that to you. You just saved the business money........what business wouldn't want that? Make sure you are talking to the main person at the business who really cares about the bottom line.

Chris, I would suggest reading chapter 14 of Paul Wyland's book, Succesful Local Broadcast Sales. In this chapter it shows how you can justify a business's investment in your station through some very compeling mathmatical logic. It sounds to me like the agency you are dealing with has someone very annalytical that is not giving you a fair shake purely because of the signal strength of your station. Perhaps by using this method spelled out by Paul you can appeal to the annalytical thinking of this agency.

I know who you're talking about, Chris, and yes, it is difficult to go around him. I think if you have a good idea for the advertiser and explain to them that you have presented it to the agency (if you have), but you wanted to be sure they had it and understood it, then you might be able to get an audience with them. It should be more than just a spot schedule. If the agency gets POd, so be it, you're not losing anything anyway, are you? Just be prepared for the possibility of never getting any business from him!

WOW, sure glad I found this place. Duncan, ill try and find a copy of Paul's book! Mary thanks for the follow up, fantastic approach and great use of the stats to keep me on my toes! Chuck, Id be interested to know exactly how and when you first came across the agency in question. Maybe an email with the information as I am sure that the others wouldnt be interested in knowing the particulars. That and I don't see him as a bad person I just don't think I am drawing him a clear enough picture about our viability.

Anyway, I really appreciate the good advice, and hopefully it will keep coming in!

I agree with Chuck. That would be my first suggestion. I have found that a few times agencies told me that things (ideas, fully developed strategic plans) had been presented to the client when in fact they had not. Telling you to call the agency is just their way of saying "I don't want to deal with you, I'd rather pass the responsibility onto someone else." Get creative, be relentless. Prove to them beyond a doubt why it's worth their time to meet with you directly. The other option is trying to figure out what you can provide to the agency that's of value to them...Just as you would with a direct client. In depth research? Creative ideas?...Whatever you can do to make them appear like a hero to their clients (in this case you'd stay behind the scenes....Until you developed the agency's trust.) Especially in times like this, even the largest, most successful agencies have had to cut back on employees so I've found that they are very grateful for help.

Chris, First, thanks for your kind words about Radio Sales Cafe. As you're already experiencing first-hand, there are some very talented and helpful folks here. Reading about your situation and the comments from members reminded me of an experience from 'way back in my career as an advertising salesperson - 30 or more years ago. I was working for an AM/FM combo in a town of 26,000 people. Our local Ford dealership had changed hands and the new owners decided that TV was the only way to go. I tried unsuccessfully for months to secure an appointment with the principal (like your agency, he wouldn't give me the time of day). He was certain we had nothing of value to offer him, compared to what he was getting on TV, and I was being given no chance to make our case. Over lunch one day my GM and I concocted a rather unorthodox (and humorous) way to get his attention and at the same time demonstrate unequivocally the power of our stations: we recruited everyone in the building - a dozen salespeople, the traffic lady, bookkeeper, administrative assistant, various jocks and production people - to say and record the guy's name. Not the name of the dealership. His name. Each person articulated it a bit differently, some in a matter-of-fact delivery, others with varying degrees of drama or comedy, flair and showmanship. We loaded up a tape cartridge with all 15-20 cuts, and had our traffic lady program the time checks so that each one would immediately be followed by one of the renditions of the auto dealer's name. Now, backing up just a bit, our FM station - the most popular music station in town - was automated. We were running one of Drake-Chenault's contemporary music presentations on what was then state-of-the-art equipment (I think it was called a Gates System 90, or some such.) Anyhow, time checks were aired at the end of our commercial stop-sets, read by the station's signature voice: "It's twenty past ten..." and followed by the station's musical ID. Thus, several times an hour, 24 hours a day, every commercial break was closed with a time check, immediately followed by someone saying, "Bill Hutmacher" (pronounced "HOOT-mocker"), and then the station jingle would play and segue into the next song. As you might imagine, this little prank created quite a stir in our small town. People began calling regularly or stopping us on the street, wondering what the heck was going on. Undoubtedly quite a few folks mentioned it to the dealer, as well. Still, it took him several days to work up the nerve to call us. Actually, he had his secretary make the call, to inquire as to why we were using his name on the air like that. (We told her that we were just making sure that our listeners knew how to pronounce his name correctly.) This went on for close to a week, at the end of which time, we'd made our point. I left the stations shortly after that to move out west, but as I recall the dealer eventually became a customer of the stations. Obviously, a tactic like this isn't for the faint of heart. We had an effective advertising medium and were a pretty cocky bunch in the sales department. Besides, we didn't really have anything to lose. So, file this one under "how to have fun making radio tangible." Keep us posted on your efforts to get to first base with the agency.

If 50% of the local business is being handled by the same agency, aren't they offering creative for similar competing businesses? More than one car dealer, for example? As a huge fan of "Mad Men" I can't imagine Don Draper allowing these conflicts of interest. ;-)

Point being: Could you ask these local businesses if they don't feel they're getting the short shrift by being under the same roof with their competitor? That YOU could provide the personal attention their business needs. And so be it if you also have to buy time on other stations/media. At least you'd get the placement fee and develop a relationship.

Unabashed plug: of course you could come to us for help with the creative. :-)