Hello! I appreciate this Cafe so much! I am excited to get everyone's input and ideas.
I have been at this job for 3 months. I am LOVING it and my mentors have been fabulous, but there are still some things that I think I am not quite grasping.
1) I have really been struggling with coming up with GREAT, CREATIVE, SELLING commercials. Where do you get your inspiration?
2) I am good with cold calling, once I have businesses to call on, but finding businesses that other sales people in the company arent calling on has been the hard part. I guess I need to step out of the box geographically and industry wise. Any ideas about that?
Honestly, I am open to any "Beginner Advice" anyone may have. I have been looking through here and everyone seems so helpful! I am so excited to get my career going, but I have learned it is going to take some time! How long did it take you to really feel like you were established and comfortable in your job after your first radio sales job?
Have a great day!
Laci,
There have been some great "beginner" discussion threads here in the past couple of years; you'll find them in the "New to Radio Sales?" forum. Check out some of the earliest threads for starters.
RE: prospecting, Jenna Fox posted this great piece early on.
As regards the creative process, we have some terrific copywriters among our members. Their discussions are all over the site, but mainly in the Copywriting Tips, Commercial Examples forum. Jeffery Hedquist's posts always contain practical tips for writers. I'd recommend a few good books to help shape your thinking about advertising: David Ogilvy's two big works (OGILVY ON ADVERTISING and CONFESSIONS OF AN ADVERTISING MAN) are pure genius. Jack Trout and Al Ries have also penned some great ones over the years, starting with their seminal POSITIONING: THE BATTLE FOR THE MIND. And Paul Weyland's SUCCESSFUL LOCAL BROADCAST SALES is supposed to be excellent, also, based on reviews I've read here and elsewhere.
Dive in...and enjoy the swim!
-Rod
Laci,
Welcome to the wonderful world of radio sales! I've been in sales for 18 years and it is always changing. The focus for us has shifted to non-traditional advertisers...medical facilities, lawyers, non-profit organizations, financial and on and on. If you have a hospital in your area, it's quite possible that each department has their own advertising/pr budget. Our hospital in Bangor, Maine has their own telephone book listing each department...there are extra dollars there.
You still need to focus on traditional advertisers, but think about how many potential advertisers you pass by on the way to an appointment or a cold call...do they advertise? Do they have a budget? Has anyone every called on them? You'll never know until you stop an ask.
This is a great business, stay organized, focused ands never be afraid to ask for the contract. If they say no today, it's only because you haven't provided what they're looking for yet.
Best of Luck,
Ken Wood/GSM
Zone Radio
Bangor, Maine
