Greg Murray for Radio Ink Magazine

Today there are dozens — if not hundreds of advertisers that have not heard from one of your reps in months. The sick feeling is ahead when you hear them on the air across the street, see them in print, or on cable one evening. Sure, AE’s tell you they see all the clients on their lists. But, you know they don’t. When is there time to reach everyone when they need to get the car washed, swing by the dry cleaners, meet their friend at the book store for coffee, or of course, just pick up a few things up at Target?

The good news has arrived through technology. There is a universe of eMarketing you probably are familiar with but don’t realize the game. Learn the game, and you will personally stay in touch with more clients, prospects, and decision makers than you ever dreamed possible. And that will make attrition slow, repeat business rise, and revenues soar.

In upcoming issues I will touch on these new tools for staying in constant client contact. They include (1) spam-free e-list building, (2) autoresponders, (3) audio postcards, (4) eNewsletters, and (5) TeleClasses. For now, let me tell you how the game works. In fact, if you have email, I bet you are part of some other company’s eMarketing efforts. The best ones you don’t notice because they spend more time providing helpful information and less time pitching you. This way you stay on their list longer and give them time to build top-of-mind-awareness on you.

eMarketing begins with building a database of email addresses. This is not about SPAM. This is about getting people to voluntarily offer you their email address. Why would they do that? Because of the valuable information you posses and they need. The information you quickly turn into a simple eNewsletter every month. Provide snippets of advice on marketing, business building, customer service, or anything else appealing to business owners and decision makers. Now that they are receiving helpful tips…you can find some room on your eNewsletter to list upcoming specials or sales opportunities. Cha-ching! Let me say this, even if the eNewsletter is all you provide advertisers, it will do wonders for you. You will be in touch with as many prospects, clients, and local business people as you can get email addresses for. Then you will be in constant contact. A milestone that no one else in your market can claim (unless their reading this too).

Now, let’s take this eMarketing to the next level. Let your list of subscribers get to know you…the boss. How? Audio Postcards and Tele-classes! You have a studio nearby, right? Cut an audio message of what specials and promotional opportunities you have coming next month, then turn it into an audio file and email them out to your list. In fact, you can even do two, one for prospects and one for clients. The other option for getting yourself in front of clients and prospects are Tele-classes. A new way to share information with your invited guests to a central phone “bridge line.” Everyone calls in, and you conduct your class just like a big conference call, only with dozens of prospects who are interested in the valuable information you are about to share (perhaps, “How to build TOMA,” or “How to develop radio commercials that sell”). You can even do a TeleClass with your business manager to discuss billing procedures, or invite happy advertisers to share their stories and techniques for advertising success. These audio eMarketing concepts will build a bond between you and advertisers…a bond that could have never existed before the power of automation, email, and the internet.

Let technology put you in touch with up to 10, 20, or 30x more businesses. Use the technology so they get to know and trust you. Build a bond through eMarketing. Use eMarketing tools and you will always be in touch and share a unique, constant bond with your clients (even if your reps don’t).
Sales Imaging’s, Greg Murray is a Radio Ink Columnist, RAB Speaker, CRMC Diamond, and Microsoft Certified Specialist.

Greg Murray for Radio Ink MagazineIt was 25 years ago this week that “WKRP in Cincinnati” and Herb Tarlek made their debut. Thanks to Herb, we have learned not to do two things in our careers: don’t do a promotion that ends up with you saying, “I didn’t know turkeys couldn’t fly,” and never wear an orange polyester blazer with plaid pants. Since it was Herb Tarlek that warped our image for so long, the advice to follow is for the guys (since we realize, as do the ladies, need the most help). However, if you are a professional woman and want to take your business image to the next level, pick up, “Dress Smart Women” by Kim Johnson Gross.

Your specific market and clientele will always play a large role in the style that is best suited for you. But, there are some business wardrobe guidelines that we could all use on occasion. First, never buy anything at full price; it will always go on sale. If you dislike department stores or find specialty shops too pricey, great on-line and catalogue sources exist, including Paul Fredrick, Jos. A. Bank, and believe it or not…eBay (don’t get me bragging on the new “Hart Schaffner & Marx” suit I got online for eighty-seven dollars!). Also, a good tailor is your friend. Professional tailors make the most of your business wardrobe. Finally, play it safe and buy conservative suits and trousers that won’t be out of style next year. This means “worsted” wool suits and jackets in solid or pinstriped navy blue and charcoal gray, as well as pleated trousers in wool or gabardine. You can always use your dress shirts and ties to add some pop and personalize your own style.

SUITS & SPORTCOATS

-Buy the best you can afford; quality will always look better and last longer.
-“Worsted” wool does not wrinkle easily, can be worn year round and will last for years.
-Two button, three buttons, and even the occasional double-breasted are acceptable.
-You only need to dry clean a suit occasionally. Just don’t suffocate them in your closet.
-Sportscoats in gray, navy, brown, tan, olive and black provide a great deal of flexibility in matching shirts. The navy blazer is always good. Just loose the gold buttons for now.
-Keep seersucker and linen suits, as well as anything in light tan or beige in the closet over winter.

SHOES

-Invest in good well-made leather shoes (usually $150+).
-Take care of your shoes. Use cedar shoe trees and make certain shoes are always shined.
-Black shoes black belt; brown shoes brown belt.
-Black shoes can be worn with just about every suit. Dark brown and burgundy also compliment navy/charcoal suits and trousers very well.
-Penny loafers with a suit is always a bad thing.

PANTS/TROUSERS

-Flat fronts and no cuffs are in style today, but pleated and cuffed trousers are always safe.
-Check that trousers are lined to the knee for increased comfort and longevity.
-Leave corduroys and cotton pants for the occasional casual Friday.
SHIRTS

-100% cotton shirts…that’s all, including new “wrinkle resistant” choices.
-Solid white or blue dress shirts are easiest to work with, but strips and patterned shirts also look great with the right combination of tie and jacket. Save shades of light blue, peach and lavender for spring and summer.
-Collar options include button down (for sports jackets, not suits), point collar (good for an oval or round face), spread collar (very popular now), and tab collar (more formal).
-Short-sleeved dress shirts do not exist…repeat twice.

ACCESSORIZE

-Belt matches shoes; socks match pants.
-Braces (aka suspenders) are never clip on…same thing for the tie crazy man!
-Full-length topcoats are the norm. ¾ length is iffy and anything else is bad with a suit.
-Unless you’re in a sophisticated selling environment, leave the French cuffs, pocket squares, and contrasting white collars to the boss. They love the power!
-Showing a little leg is never good. Buy “mercerized” socks in at least mid-calf.

It really does not take a lot to raise your professional image and get you feeling even more confident. You don’t need to look like you just walked out of Esquire magazine and you do not have to spend a fortune. Just follow the guidelines above, always be comfortable with what you are wearing, and remember that simple is always the best choice.

Sales Imaging’s, Greg Murray is a Radio Ink Columnist, RAB Speaker, CRMC Diamond, and Microsoft Certified Specialist.

Gregg Murray for Radio Ink Magazine (Part 1 of 2)

Asking the right questions to a prospect in your initial meeting solidifies your credibility as a marketing professional. A relaxed conversation instead of an uncomfortable needs analysis is step one for achieving rapport and a long-term business relationship.

Let your prospect know what is to come in this meeting. It will relieve tension that you are going to make a pitch. Tell them you appreciate their time, how long the meeting will take, and what you hope to accomplish in your conversation, including matching up the right audience with their business, getting an appropriate budget, and what style commercial would best deliver customers.

In pre-appointment research you should already know their phone number, location, web address, hours of operation, and how long they have been in business. The remaining questions you can modify into your own words to create a conversational interview that is natural for you.

This opening question will allow you to connect future recommendations to benefits they can already envision.

Q: “There are many reasons our clients advertise with us, from name awareness to promoting specific products to counter attacking competitors, or utilizing co-op dollars. Help give me some ideas how you could see advertising on radio helping you? ”

Gain a detailed description of their target customer. Knowing whom they want to talk to allows you to match up the appropriate format or dayparts to their desired target audience. It will also give you an idea of what style would work best for a demo commercial. Find out how the answers to these questions match up with their current customers. Let them give you all the information to each of these questions one at a time.

Q: “Give me an idea of who we want to talk to…are they male or female?” “What would be their age?” “What would be their household income?” “Would they have a college degree?” “What would their hobbies be?” “What kind of car would they drive?”

The line of questions surrounding competition and unique selling positions often gets a prospect emotionally charged into the conversation. Getting detailed answers will allow you develop the right presentation idea and a winning demo commercial.

Q: “Who do you see as your primary competitors?” “What do you offer that they don’t?” “Why would I want to do business here rather than your competitors?” “Are there any misconceptions potential customers might have of your business?” “What would you say are your unique selling position(s)?

Get deep with the USP. Don’t allow them to cop out on the typical “we have great service” or “we’ve been in business for twenty-five years. Think niche marketing! Finding even the smallest extras they do for a customer is a great hook that can sound terrific in a demo commercial.

Know some geography surrounding their business to help reinforce your coverage area with the areas they want to reach.

Q: “How far away do people come to business with you?” “Is there a specific area that we would want to focus on in a commercial?”

Find out the prospects best and worst times in which they do business. This will allow you to arrange your presentations to the times in which they want or need to be advertising.

Q: “What are your best months for doing business?” What days of the week are best?” What are your slower days of the week or months of the year?” “Do you think focusing a campaign or a commercial on improving your slower times could drive new traffic?”

By this point in your conversation you should have achieved some rapport. It is time to ask some touchier questions. Just keep it conversational and don’t let their answers or lack of answers phase you.

Q: “What types of advertising have worked best for you in the past?” “What would you say has worked least?” “What did dislike most about (what hasn’t worked well)?”

Knowing their problems with other advertising mediums gives you terrific leverage when you are presenting radio against their choices in the past.

In Part II we will discover the prospects budget, the style of commercial that would sell, their expectations, and a smooth wrap up that will prepare us to deliver a well-constructed presentation and demo commercial.

Commit all your questions to memory. Having a conversation instead of an interrogation on your first appointment will solidify your reputation as a professional, and give you the cleanest opportunity to gain a new client and business partner.

PART 2 of 2

In Part I of “The First Appointment” we discovered asking the right questions in your initial meeting would help solidify your credibility as marketing professional. A relaxed conversation interview is your first step for achieving a long-term business relationship.

Our first appointment began with relieving prospect tension by telling them what you hoped to accomplish, including matching up the right audience with their business, getting an appropriate budget, and what style commercial would best deliver customers.

In pre-appointment research we found out phone numbers, locations, web address, hours, and how long they had been in business. Then in our meeting we discovered how they could see advertising on radio helping, details of their target customer, an overview of competition and unique selling positions, peak and slow business times, as well as previous advertising ventures.

It’s now time to talk budget. Discovering what a prospect can spend is essential. If you can not establish a budget by finding out average sale, closing ratio, weekly sales, and desired growth percentage, you may need to play high-low!
Q: “We have heavy clients that invest up to (high-end average) each month on a station and demand strong results. We also have clients on a tight budget who just want some name recognition and spend as little as (low-end average). That is a big difference, but considering the results you want to achieve, what investment range would work best for your situation.”

Now be quiet and let them give you an estimate they would like to invest. If it is too broad for a three-option presentation, lead them in narrowing down their figures.

Now your prospect can begin thinking about how they envision their potential commercial sounding on the air. Knowing what style radio commercial they want gives you the best opportunity to write and produce one that will sell.

Q: “What style of commercial do you think could be most effective for generating business?” How would it sound and feel? Perhaps fun, or a hard sell, a straight read, slice of life, testimonial, or something highly creative with all the bells and whistles?”

Q: “Some under the radar boasting can sound good in a commercial. Are there awards, recognition, certifications or customer accolades you could tell me about?”

Q: “Besides sales, are there other sources of your revenue we should focus on (such as repeat customers, referrals, financing, service, delivery fees, etc….)?”

Q: “Is there anything else you can tell me that would help us put together an effective campaign? The more details I know, the better the ideas I can provide you.”

Find out the prospects expectations for results. Knowing what they expect can give you a wider view of what you are going to need to ask for in terms of budget and time commitment to their campaign. Meeting client’s expectations is the only way you will achieve their business for the long haul.

Q: “Tell me your expectations of a successful run on radio?” “What would you really like to achieve?”
Here is an easy way to wind up your conversation while finding out if there is more than one decision maker.
Q: “Thanks for your time and all this helpful information. Your openness sure makes it easier to put together ideas that will work. I’ll get with the creative people back at the station and put together some ideas for you to consider. Is there anyone else I should make copies for that are part of your decision making?”

Get your follow-up appointment set before you leave.

Q: “Would this time next week work for you so I could bring back some ideas?” If not, “When would work for you.”

End: “I hope you won’t mind if I need to give you a quick call for some follow up information as we go to work. Thanks again for seeing me. I appreciate it and hope we can help you __________ (think back to what they wanted to achieve by advertising on radio).”

With the detailed questions from above and Part I, you should have enough information to move ahead with a marketing-plan or what you should present in your next visit. Remember to reintroduce what your prospect told you in your initial meeting. Your recycling of what they have told you during your pitch will give you amazing credibility.

Commit your questions to memory. Having a conversation instead of an interrogation on your first appointment will give you the cleanest opportunity to gain a new client and business partner.

Sales Imaging’s, Greg Murray is a Radio Ink Columnist, RAB Speaker, CRMC Diamond, and Microsoft Certified Specialist.

Greg Murray for Radio Ink MagazineHow is that client newsletter coming along you promised to send out every month? Not done yet? Haven’t even started? You’re not alone. In a recent SalesImaging.com survey, only 10% of radio managers have got around to utilizing newsletters to maintain constant contact with clients and prospects. There are substantial image building and sales benefits to distributing a monthly newsletter to clients and prospects, including:

You stay in touch with clients and prospects on a regular basis.

Unless your reps are following up with 100% of their clients and prospects, those advertisers will one day forget about you and fall into the arms of another.

Your sales organization will finally become a consistent advertising resource?

Only with constant contact will you ever become a true advertiser resource. In a world of instability with maintaining the same account executives year after year, your newsletter can become that stability. They’ll feel they have a relationship with you and the station because you are always there for them. That monthly newsletter spans a bridge of consistency between your organization and the advertiser, even if you suffer from personnel turnover.

Your newsletter promotes upcoming sales or promotional opportunities.

There is nothing wrong with sharing upcoming specials in your newsletter. Just don’t make it the focus. Provide helpful content to your reader, and subtly throw in a pitch as an afterthought. Make them aware, but don’t force the issue. If you do, your newsletter will loose credibility and become a sales piece instead of an advertiser resource.

There are many types of newsletters for advertisers. Long form, short form, faxed versions, snail mailed copies…and thanks to email, eNewsletters or eZines. Whatever the name and distribution method, the most important element is to get something out there in front of your advertisers. But, what about content? Who has the time? You just might if you keep reading.

- Start with facts and articles from business and marketing publications. Just remember to source the magazine and watch for copyright issues. It is ok in most cases to share information, if you source it to the appropriate publication.

- Throw in a paragraph or two about a previous radio success story. You can even feature a happy advertiser in each newsletter.

- Have an AE each month write a few paragraphs on how they help other local businesses grow. This will train your reps to continue their marketing education.

- Mention those upcoming promotional/sales opportunities (subtly…this newsletter is about them, not us).

Finally, never forget your contact information…that means you personally, the boss. Sign the newsletter along with a couple sentences thanking them for their attention. That personal touch gives them a direct relationship with you. Don’t forget some call to action. Offer something free if a reader contacts you for an appointment. Perhaps a “Special Report” on hiring-techniques, or “10 ways to keep employees motivated.” There are lots of quick resources like these available online.

Doing a newsletter does not need to be a major undertaking. Just start collecting articles and content you think your clients and prospects would be interested in. Then, throw them in a big folder. When the time comes, you can find enough material to do four or five newsletters at a time. Then, you just need to add your upcoming specials information each month before you send it out.

A note about design. Don’t beat yourself up over a professional design for your newsletter. Keep it simple - one page, your logo and contact info on top. Then add a few headlines and paragraphs of content, followed by a few upcoming sales opportunities. It can be that simple. Sure, we want it to look professional, but that can be done well enough through its simplicity.

So when you are ready to retackle that newsletter you’ve wanted to do, keep it short, keep it simple, and get it out so your prospects and clients have an opportunity to know you are there for them. In a sales environment of changing reps and stations, your newsletter can be one consistent piece of the sales puzzle that advertisers will come to know and rely upon. And when it becomes advertising time for them, who do you think will get the call? Not your competitors. It will be you!

Sales Imaging’s, Greg Murray is a Radio Ink Columnist, RAB Speaker, CRMC Diamond, and Microsoft Certified Specialist.