I am getting anxious about radio sales. Not because of the medium - its strengths of mobility and audience demographics are undeniable. But, there seems to be a growing problem of managers being able to find quality AE’s that are great sellers and great ambassadors for the radio industry.

An area of concern seems to be what young professionals (25-35) are being offered to start a career in radio sales. In the part of the country where I live and have been a DOS (market 170′ish), starting salaries are around 20k. With commissions, a solid seller will make in the 30’s their first year (in the 40’s if they are very good). Sure, a great seller, even in my region, can build their list and make six-figures eventually. But, it seems it’s getting more and more difficult to find quality that is willing to make that sacrifice to get there.

I’ve spoken with several young professionals who have been very open about radio sales as a career. They have said, “why would I take a job like that (stressful & outside sales) in the 30’s, when I can get a non-sales job (in an agency for instance) for the same money.” And if they really want to get into sales, the quality sellers want to get into something where they can make into the 50-80k range (ie: pharmaceuticals) out of the box. They’re not so worried about the potential 100k in five-years, they want the 50k now.

What’s the answer? Is it to pay more up front for potential great sellers? Look at a sports team — they have to pay up front for talent. In most cases (not all, but most), a sports team will pay big for a couple stars, and surround them with the proper support/role players. I know with sales you “pay your own salary.” But, great players don’t sign contracts when all (or half) their income is based on performance up front. They get offered what they (and their employers) feel they will be worth, and then are expected to perform at that level.

If you’re considering a career in radio sales and you know you have the right stuff, what kind of money do you think you should make? How would you want to be fairly paid? If you’re a manager, what are your thoughts? We know there’s a problem…what’s your out-of-the-box possible solution?

I also wonder if anyone out there is changing the dynamics of a radio sales organization? Has anyone out there payed a few great players larger salaries, and then surround them with an assistant-based support staff?

Click the comments link below and share your thoughts.

Have you taken a look at your media kits lately? Go ahead — take a look at them today as though you were a business owner or agency buyer seeing them for the first time. After all, your media kit is often the first tangible item that advertisers receive from your sales department. How many times does an out-of-market advertiser or agency say, “Fax or e-mail your media kit”? After an account executive’s initial consultation with a local advertiser, the media kit is frequently a leave-behind. So, imagine its impression. Ask yourself:

1. Does it create a positive first impression?
2. Does it represent who we are as an organization?
3. Is it written in “programming” or “marketing”language? In other words, does the media kit sound like a promo for your listeners, or is it loaded with features and benefits for the advertisers?
4. Is it simple to navigate, and is its information easy to read and understand?
5. Does it look as though it was made by a professional marketing organization (which is what we all should want) or by a high-school student?

Now that you have made an overall assessment of your media kit, let’s discuss six things that all media kits should have — as well as four things they should never include. What should be in your media kit:

1. An overview page with all basic station information.
2. A coverage map page
3. An “on-the-air” page with your programming lineup and a short list of well-known artists (if your format is music).
4. An “About Our Listeners” page. This page gives you the opportunity to tell prospects about your listeners (demographics) and how they can positively affect their business.
5. A “Why Advertise?” page (this is a great page to win over new businesses that are just formulating their advertising strategies).
6. A “Why Radio?” page (which is a great way to show the benefits of radio advertising to potential advertisers who are considering a variety of advertising media).

Four things not to have in your media kit:

1. Biographies and photos of your talent (Unless the personalities are incredibly high profile, business owners just won’t care.)
2. Technical descriptions of your coverage area (The map is enough.)
3. Negative information about other radio stations (The strategy of bashing your competitors will often backfire on you.)

Now that we know the media kit’s inclusions and exclusions, here are four tips to remember when putting it together:

1. Don’t write in paragraphs. Instead, keep all information in bullet points, which are easier to read and much less daunting to busy potential prospects.
2. Filter the number of pages you hand to clients. If you overwhelm them with information, they may decide it’s not worth the time and won’t look at any of your materials.
3. If you e-mail your media kits, send them as PDF documents, rather than Word or PowerPoint documents. If you don’t send PDF documents, your client’s computer may not see the media kit in the same layout you see on your computer.
4. Do not fall into the trap of having a media kit full of “The 7 Sins of PowerPoint Presentations,”such as center spacing; Word art; cheesy clip art; and fancy, colored text.

It is hard enough to close large, multi-station, multi-month deals. If the first piece of sales literature your prospects see is disorganized, looks amateurish, and is hard to grasp, you’re behind the eight ball early in the sales process. Take pride in your media kits. Pay to have them professionally designed and kept up-to-date. We make our money with an intangible product. If we’re to be seen as professional marketers, it’s imperative that the tangible item most often distributed is top-quality.

Written by Gregg Murray , exclusively for Radio Ink Magazine.