Gregg Murray for Radio Ink Magazine

Selling radio was once was a simple procedure. A rate card in the hip pocket, a typed schedule, and no need for an appointment. After all, Joe Business Owner figured you’d stop by sooner or later to shoot the breeze. When it all came together, you walked away with a three-day schedule and celebrated. No more. Today a rate card, bad sports jacket, and slick arsenal of closing lines will get your organization nothing but an invitation to the nearest exit.

Duopoly’s and superduopoly’s have changed the game. Plan to compete in the big leagues? Then, you had better be make immediate steps to bring your marketing department into the twenty-first century. Our industry remains full of dreadful stories about low-rent salespeople, package peddling, and cheap presentation materials that continue to perpetuate radios perception as a second-class advertising platform.

Today we have an exceptional opportunity to raise the quality of our image to the world of advertisers and agencies. If you’re ready to become part of a new excellence in first-class sales organizations, read on. The suggestions that follow are steps to begin getting an unfair share of your markets advertising dollars…unless of course mediocrity is your idea of rewarding.

You Look Marvelous

Turning pro begins by displaying a professional appearance. You can’t let Herb Tarlek sales reps run around town banging on doors any longer. No joke! This is show business and you should never be embarrassed about insisting reps project big market professionalism. There is a number of dress for success books on the market, and having one as required reading to a rep who could use an image boost can get the point across. Try “Your Executive Image: How to Look Your Best & Project Success for Men and Women” by Victoria A. Seitz.

You Gave Them What?

I recently faced a radio sales horror story while developing a coupon book we wanted to produce for clients. We emailed managers who had also done coupon books and asked for recommended printers. The responses came back describing how coupon books were put together in house on standard stock paper, then cut to size, stapled together, and secured with electrical tape. There it is! Radio sales at its worst. Whether it’s a coupon book, your presentation brochure, a media kit, or station stationary, the price of producing cheap materials is costing us big as an industry. If you expect the largest chunk of an advertising budget, your presentation materials better look the part.

Get the Point

PowerPoint™ is the standard in presentation documents. Having PowerPoint™ available to your staff and providing them with the training to use it well is a necessity to keep up in the big leagues. Typed proposals, photocopies, and documents produced on a word processor and ink jet printer screams, “we are cheap.” How do you expect a client to see you as an image-maker who can drive business when you can’t do it yourself? To make presentations really soar use a color laser printer, add amazing backgrounds from digitaljuice.com, and utilize cool graphics through arttoday.com or gettyimages.com.

Staying in Touch

The new secret weapon in creating advertising impressions for your sales department is the “FYI” card. It’s an awesome tool that reminds your staff the importance of sending information to their clients that will allow them to be perceived as a resource, not just a salesperson. Have your printer produce quality stock 3”x5” note cards that can be folded and paper clipped to articles of interest for the client. On the front display your color logo and “FYI.” On the back, list contact information, and inside space to jot a note. FYI’s keep your stations contact information and the name of your rep in front of decision makers. Advertising is creating top-of-mind-awareness. Make more unique and positive impressions in your prospects mind through FYI articles.

Premiums for Advertisers

When was it decided that t-shirts and concert tickets given to a listener are more valuable than a gift of the same value given to a prospect or client? Having advertiser premiums are a sure way to build rapport and separate you from the competition. Don’t kid yourself; those with the relationships get the money. Gifts such as morning bagels, a plant, or a restaurant certificate creates a special place for you in the clients mind. Skip magnets and bumper stickers and begin handing out thoughtful gifts to those who actually put money in your pocket!

Consolidation has made it a necessity for all of us who want to excel to present a more professional business image. We no longer work in a mom and pop business climate. Decision makers expect more from us than ever. If you want to stay in the game, you had better get your team and resources out ahead of the competition. Turn pro today!

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

Greg Murray for Radio Ink MagazineIt’s undeniable; we all want to do business with those in which we feel most confident handing over our money. This is especially true for advertisers when dealing with an intangible product like radio. Do you really think decision makers want to buy our medium or your station based primarily on Arbitron ratings or rates? If that is the sole basis for their decision, then you’ve missed the mark by not positioning your people and materials as the most professional in your market. To get their business, you must first win their confidence.

The time has come to begin treating your sales department as an entity of its own. That means account managers trained to represent your product with professionalism and integrity, presentation materials so good they unconsciously impact the decision making process, and the creativity to position and market your sales department to decision makers.

The thought of a marketing department makeover first made an impact on me by observing reps in the highly competitive field of pharmaceutical sales. A world of well scripted, well-dressed, and well-resourced professionals. It didn’t take long to realize if our sales department implemented an approach similar to pharmaceuticals, we could dramatically outperform other media reps in the market. And they do!

You too can dramatically enhance your revenue and reputation by implement the following strategies:

Don’t Wing it!

Developing a brief, well thought out opening script leading into the needs/marketing analysis and presentation meetings is essential. Pharmaceutical reps leave nothing to chance during this stage of the sales process, neither should we. Pick thirty-minutes a week and go around the horn practicing your scripts. Make the process as fun as possible. But get it done quickly. If Tiger Woods still finds it necessary to spend time on the range mastering his game, then we can spend thirty-minutes a week doing the same.

The Marketing Analysis

The classic CNA (customer needs analysis) is the most important step a rep can take for gaining trust and credibility on their first appointment with a prospect. After a rep has role played several times, and performed it in the field several times, the key questions that must be asked will become part of a conversation and not an uncomfortable interrogation.

The Marketing Plan and Demo

The Marketing Plan is a cut & paste template presentation that covers information gathered in the marketing/needs analysis, as well as your recommendations for the advertiser. Every Marketing Plan has two main ingredients; the request for a multi-month commitment and a demo commercial. If you don’t have both…you don’t have a plan. The demo makes the campaign instantly tangible for the prospect. The multi-month campaign commits the advertiser over a twelve-month period, giving them an best opportunity to achieve top-of-mind-awareness and their best chance for advertising success.

First class presentation materials

Branding yourself though your collateral materials plays an unquantifiable, but important role in a makeover. It makes a statement about who you are versus all the other media choices in the market. From flip charts to leave behind folders, get the best quality you can afford. And leave the station logos to a minimum. Think business and audience-focused artwork/graphics. Your clients are not buying your radio station; they are buying the people who are listening.

Self-imaging/branding

Once the staff, training, and materials are up to par, it’s time to tell potential decision makers about the new you. By utilizing your radio stations, targeted print opportunities, and creative direct mailings, you can begin to share your new image to the business community. Now you’re building positive top-of-mind-awareness for your own sales department and its professional system for helping advertisers.

Your marketing department’s web site!

We all use the internet as a research tool. Having your marketing departments information available to prospects on the web will soon become the norm for successful media outlets. Get on it now…and be the first in your market! Make available access to your media kits, your major sales promotions, and your philosophy on successful advertising strategies. Then, get that web site address out through your self-promotion and advertising. If a fully dedicated web site (wvradioadvertising.com) is not possible, add some pages of substance through your current station sites.

A radio sales department can become the most professional and well-organized media sales organization in any market. And the more markets we can be perceived as the best, the more esteem we will gain as an industry. Insist on being the undeniable leader in your market for professionalism. Your prospects and clients will reward your efforts!

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