We’re hearing a lot about digital cutting into radio advertising budgets….but does that need to be the case?

According to a survey by technology research firm Gartner Inc., 68% of senior marketing executives said that their company had a separate digital marketing budget.

According to the survey, marketing executives are three times more likely to lead strategic growth initiatives in 2015 than they were in 2012.

So let’s think about this. If digital marketing is all about growth initiatives, of course marketing executives can justify new and separate budgets for digital.

If you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hire a sales person who can guarantee to increase your sales dramatically, do you cut budget elsewhere or reduce your sales support staff to pay for that growth opportunity?

Of course not. If a new sales person, or digital initiatives, really can increase sales, those initiatives are paid for out of that growth!

And when C.D.s became popular, did consumers replace their car radios to pay for CD players, or did they find extra budget to add the CD option?

Where there is perceived benefit, we can always find more budget.

A Forbes magazine article about the Gartner survey said “Changing market dynamics, an empowered buyer, channel proliferation and a connected economy open up a wealth of strategic growth opportunities for organizations in every sector.”

Who wouldn’t invest more budget in growth?

The article said, “For marketers in 2015, it’s less about digital marketing than marketing in a digital world. Hence, marketers manage a much more balanced and integrated marketing mix than in previous years.”

Is it time for you to spread the word that digital doesn’t replace broadcast, but rather is a component in an integrated marketing mix with radio to increase the sales?

Contact [email protected] to arrange a no-obligation online meeting to learn how our SoundADvice radio e-marketing system and Winning in the New Media Economy advertiser seminars are helping radio sales professionals sell more radio in 2015 and beyond.

If you have the word ‘agent’ or ‘representative’ in your job title, you could be on the verge of extinction.

Remember the days before Expedia and Travelocity?  You had to call a ‘Travel Agent’ to make your plans and book your vacations. The internet has changed the way people buy.

Programmatic buying and being able to book advertising on a wide range of new media via the internet are leading many advertisers away from investing their valuable time talking to media sales representatives.

The only way to ensure your clients will continue to do business with you is to deliver more value than simply selling space or spots.

Noted sales trainer, Jeffrey Gitomer, made it clear to one sales rep that simply ‘touching base’ no longer cuts it.  Jeffrey said, “Dude, you’re going to lose all of your customers if you fail to reach them with a message of value every week.”

The litmus test of the value you deliver is simple; do your clients and prospects actually thank you for your service and look forward to the value you deliver over and above the spots you sell?

Our SoundADvice member stations receive thank you notes for the value they deliver like this one received last week in Grand Junction, Colorado;

Hi Maggie,

One of the consequences of a busy mentality is that appreciation is too often ignored or is not expressed appropriately for the many good deeds of people who serve others.
 

I want to express my deepest appreciation for your Sound Advice communiqué that you send on a regular basis. I want you to know that I read your emails and enjoy the quality of the content.
 

Thank you.

As John Wooden (UCLA coach) once said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

Keeping us informed of new marketing and reminding us of existing marketing strategies is a big job and your efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Happy New Year!

Gary

If you aren’t currently receiving thank you letters or emails like this, you need to ask yourself these 4 questions about every client on your list, every month;

1. 1.    What is the last message of value I delivered to this account?
2. 2.    When?
3. 3.    What is the next message of value I’m planning to deliver to this client?
4. 4.    When?

And, if the answer to questions 2 or 4 is longer than 30 days away, you are about to be one of those representatives who loses the business.

Many stations try to deliver a message of value by aggregating content from other newsletters, but our SoundADvice radio e-marketing system delivers all original content, that reinforces the value of radio in the new media landscape and trains your account executives how to deliver more value on every call.

Contact [email protected] for a free demo of how the SoundADvice system can help you sell more radio campaigns.

The most successful radio account executives help their clients mine new opportunities to increase their sales.

Imagine the relationship-building power of alerting your clients to an opportunity to make a $2,800 sale to nearly 80% of the adults in your market!

According to IRS data, 80% of tax filers will receive a tax refund each year, averaging more than $2,800 per person. In a household with two working people that’s more than $5,000 in ‘found money’.

You can help your clients now by planning a campaign to capture some of that windfall!

You might even build a campaign that allows consumers to buy now and pay when the refund arrives or lay away now until it arrives.

Oh, and don’t forget the campaigns for the accountants and tax preparation people who might be able to help consumers get even bigger refunds.

P.S. Our SoundADvice Radio e-marketing system positions you as a partner and hero with your clients and prospects with marketing tips like this every week!  Contact [email protected] to get an overview of how SoundADvice can increase your sales.

You can learn a great deal about the way a company does business by reading their help wanted ads. I saw an ad last week seeking an Account Executive for a station that required “a carnivore, not a grazer.”

I have the good fortune of working with media companies across North America, and I can tell you from what I’ve observed, I’ll take the grazer over the carnivore any day… especially if you want to build a sustainable business.
The dictionary defines carnivore as “A predator who attacks, kills and devours its prey”. How many renewals will you get out of prey that has been killed?
The grazer, however “feeds on organisms which when eaten, are not killed and continue to grow.”
Your prospects and clients can spot salespeople who are out for the kill versus those who want to help them grow. I think you know which they prefer to do business with.
As I wrote this ENS on Sales I checked several recruiting ads for media salespeople and was encouraged to see the tone changing to attract the kind of account executives that your customers’ want to do business with.
I saw phrases like;

• Creativity and marketing smarts to develop profitable campaigns
• Driven to help our customers succeed
• Nurture a business by creating profitable solutions
• Develop long-term relationships

The stations I’ve seen that continue to grow in spite of increased competition are the ones that recruit and train with a view to creating successful campaigns for their clients rather than those that focus on hard-sell closing techniques or this month’s budget.

Our SoundADvice radio e-marketing system helps radio account executives grow stronger advertiser relationships and increase their local-direct sales. Contact  [email protected] to arrange a free demo of how SoundADvice can work for you.