The goal of every ad is to get people to “listen to the ad” and “recall” the ad. I refer to it as… “leaning forward”. When visiting with a client or a potential client, I oftentimes use the Super Bowl and the ads within to make this point. I make statements or ask questions like… “There is only one time a year when people ‘want’ to see or hear ads. Do you know when that is?” Then I wait for their answer. Approximately 40-50% of the people will guess the Super Bowl. The others say during Black Friday or Christmas. I use this statement to get the person I am speaking with to understand “how” people consume media. Only during the Super Bowl do people actually “lean forward” to see and hear ads. The other 364 days a year, we need to actually grab their attention, because when the commercial break comes on, people “lean back”. Being honest with them about “how” people consume media will get them to believe you and listen to you more intently as you progress through the sales process. I also ask or suggest this… “Do you ever wonder why a large majority of the ads during the Super Bowl are 60-second ads, and the rest of the year, these same advertisers run 30-second ads?” So why do I make these statements? Because most business owners believe 60-second ads are “too long” and they believe “no one listens to ads”. In many cases they are right, no one likes “bad ads” and bad ads struggle to capture the listeners/viewers’ attention. To make my point, I use the Super Bowl advertisers as an example. When the money is on the line, they go with ’60s. Aren’t the ads you run the rest of the year as important as the ad(s) you air during the Super Bowl? I also ask this about radio stations that run 60-second promos when promoting themselves but suggest 30’s for their clients. I have never understood this! If you’ve worked with me, you know that I’m a proponent of 60-second ads, but you also know that I believe the proper length of an ad is “whatever it takes”. A good :60, if created correctly, is better than a good :30, but a bad :60 is simply a bigger waste of money than a bad :30. (The Great Debate…10’s, 15’s, 30’s or 60’s? ) This year, in Adweek’s Top 10 Super Bowl Ads, eight were ’60s and two were ’30s. Of the approximately 21 ads that featured celebrities, twelve were ’60s, two were 60+, six were ’30s, and one was 15-seconds. So, ask yourself this question, why don’t they do this the rest of the year? Here are some other thoughts about Super Bowl ads: 1)   Whether it’s a good ad or a bad ad, the price was still $5.5 million. Because Super Bowl ads are so extremely expensive, they put their best foot/effort forward. The same is true in your market; the price is the same regardless if it’s a good ad or a bad ad. Learn to write and create better ads! 2)   Your local ads are far less expensive per-person than Super Bowl ads. Do the math. For example:

3) Stories make better ads. When it comes to “branding”, stories sell. Stories are remembered far, far, longer than a basic, who, what, when, and where ad. Every business has stories, and as media reps, it’s our job to uncover and tell these stories. 4)   Words and sounds are more powerful than pictures. Take the picture away from most Super Bowl TV ads and leave the words, music, and sound effects, and you still have a really strong ad. 5)   Celebrities. Why? Did you recognize John Travolta? I could only name approximately 6 of over 32 celebrities featured in super bowl ads (…and who was the half-time entertainer???) The goal should always be to do what is best for our clients. Taking a few lessons from Super Bowl ads and sharing them with your clients will help you gain their trust and help you create better ads. Whether it’s an ad during a major event or an ad on any given week… Don’t you want people to “lean forward” every time their ad is aired? If you would like help training your sales team on how to write and create better ads, click here to arrange a time to visit with us about our programs.

The definition of average is, “a number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data, in particular the mode, median, or (most commonly) the mean, which is calculated by dividing the sum of the values in the set by their number”.

If you’re an Account Executive, do you know what your average invoice is? Sales Managers, do you know what the average invoice is for each seller and your entire team?

Before you can “increase” your average, you must first know what your average is, and knowing your average invoice is a great place to start to increase your billing.

“The goal is not to be better than others; it’s to be better than your previous self.”

– Dalai Lama XIV

I’m going to assume that if you are in the sales world, you didn’t come into it saying, “I just want to be average”, or as the definition suggests, “typical”. The goal should be, at minimum, better than average. Of course, as we all achieve to be better than average, that average rises… but then, so does your income!

Here are a few quick examples of knowing what “average invoice” is and how shooting to be better than average can and will increase your billing.

Senior Seller “A” has on average 30 accounts on the air each month. His/her average billing is $45,000 per month. Their average invoice is $1,500.00. Going forward, if Seller “A” increases their average ask by $120, they will increase their billing by $3,600 a month and their income by 8%. Not bad for asking only $120 more per proposal.

Small Market “A”, on average, has 420 invoices that go out each month. Their monthly billing averages $82,000 which equates to an average invoice of $193.00. By simply increasing their average proposal or package to $211 per month, an $18 increase, this station would increase its annual billing by over $90,000.00.

Your current average invoice is, in essence, what your sellers believe your stations are worth. By simply paying attention to the average invoice and focusing on increasing that average, you and your sellers will be well on your way to better days ahead.

Averages can be deceiving, but understanding your average invoice and managing your average invoice will yield revenue results. Focusing on even the slightest improvement in average invoices each month, over time, will produce huge results.

Don’t be an “Average Joe”!

If we are to believe everything we read, brick-n-mortar retail would soon be extinct and nearly everything we purchase would be done online. At least that is what the e-commerce world wants the public to believe.

Unfortunately for local retailers, this was the song that was being sung long before COVID-19, Dr. Fauci, and “new normal” were household names. In large part, the e-commerce community is creating all the hype behind the climb of online shopping and it’s taking over traditional brick-n-mortar shopping.

It is true? To a degree, yes! E-commerce is growing, but prior to the pandemic so were brick-n-mortar sales. According to a report from Digital Commerce 360, US Commerce Department, e-commerce made up only 16% of total US retail sales in 2019 (5% in 2007). 16%! That’s nothing to sneeze at and it’s growing. However, good ole fashioned brick-n-mortar grew at 3.5% and still did 84% of all retail sales. That’s 5-times more than e-commerce. Here’s what the dollars in digits looked like in 2019:

E-commerce Sales 2019 ..= $0,601,750,000,000 (Billions)

In-Store Retail Sales 2019 = $3,161,752,000,000 (Trillions)

I’m not saying that brick-n-mortar can rest on its laurels. Actually, my point is just the opposite. To survive, brick-n-mortar needs to get creative. Conducting business the old-fashioned way isn’t going to be enough to compete and be profitable in the future.

For now, humans are still human, and humans need interaction with other humans. Our job as media professionals is to not just sell ads but to help business owners attract customers. Until robots rule the day, (which in my opinion will be a long-long time) and regardless of the propaganda the e-commerce world puts out, we need to continue to bring IDEAS to business owners.

As media reps, we need to help businesses create and build an emotional connection or “Brand Awareness” among the public. One thing that hasn’t changed is that people still buy on emotion and only justify with logic!

The moral of this story is this… WE need to tell the story that it’s not all doom and gloom for retailers. Good ole brick-n-mortar, for now and well into the future, is still King!

Spread the News!

In case it snuck up on you, the first half of the 2020 sales game is almost over.

Using a sports analogy, the following is a mock version of an interview between a reporter and the manager of a media sales team (coach) as they head into the locker room for halftime.

Reporter: Hey coach, the game plan seemed to start out well for your team, but things took a turn for the worse in a hurry. Can you tell us what happened?

Manager/Coach: Yeah, we came into the year really prepared and it showed. All facets of the game plan seemed to be working, traditional, digital, NTR, prospecting, upselling. Everything was clicking; we were firing on all cylinders, and then without warning the wheels came out from under us. Things got ugly quickly. Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control and that’s what we are seeing now.

Reporter: In the last few minutes of the first half, it appears you started to slow the tide. What additional adjustments do you have planned for the second half?

Manager/Coach: We’ll need to make some adjustments but not many. The key to winning will be execution and doing the right things in every aspect of being a great media rep.

Reporter: Going into the second half with this kind of deficit, are you holding out for any hope of winning this year or will everything be done in preparation for the next year?

Manager/Coach: You know – both! We won’t give up. It might be 2020, but what Yogi Berra said in ‘73 applies to our situation now, “It ain’t over until it’s over”! We’ll keep fighting. The team is going to have to work harder than ever before. We, as managers, need to keep them motivated and give them the tools and desire to get back in the game. Right now, we’re gonna focus on being successful in the second half. We may throw in a few Hail Marys but we need to stay focused on solid long-term sales and advertising practices and then, and only then, good things will happen. We’ll focus on getting BETTER every day and doing what’s right for our customers. Now is no time to get greedy. Sure, we want to put points on the board, but we need to stay focused on the big picture!

Reporter: Anything else?

Manager/Coach: You know, we have an opportunity. We can either let what happened define us, or as individuals, both sellers and managers, we can be defined by how we respond to what happened. I choose the latter… That’s about it. It’s really up to us to come out in the second half and execute!

Reporter: Good luck with the second half manager!

Manager/Coach: Thank you! Go Radio!

It may sound a bit corny, but there’s a lot of truth in that short made-up interview.

Are you prepared for the second half? What adjustments are you making? Are the goals and expectations of your team and every individual seller clearly defined?

Having a game plan and making sure everyone on the team knows what the desired outcome is will be key to reaching your goals and winning!

Now, go out there and have some FUN, keep the team motivated, keep getting better, and have a GREAT second half!

If your goal is to continue to get better and WIN, we can help. ENS Media helps local-direct radio stations and individual media executives grow their sales and proliferate their brand by:

• Consulting in all issues related to marketing, advertising, and sales

• Training in the latest sales best practices

• Facilitating proven revenue-generating programs and advertising seminars

• Management training, coaching, and mentoring

• Individual media rep training, coaching, and mentoring

• Motivating managers and sellers to be the very best they can be

If you would like to learn more about how we can help and our pricing, click here to arrange a conversation with us and let’s create a game plan for success.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

 – Winston Churchill

Many of our ENS on Sales readers requested our first “Buy Local” COVID-19 script. If you were one of them, thank you for supporting your local business owners.

We estimate between 600-700 radio stations in the US and Canada are airing this message. The feedback we’ve received from the markets airing the script has been extremely positive.

To freshen up the message, we have written a new version of the “Buy Local” script. If you would like a FREE copy, click here to request.

If you did not request the first script and would like both scripts, please make sure you indicate this in your request.

Whether you run this message or one like it, we strongly encourage you to do something to show support for your local business community.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”   

– Dr. Seuss

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!