Author Archives: admin

Old School

Room for a Little ‘Old School’?   

          Has our relentless search for ‘what’s new’ caused us to sometimes forget the basics?
          I was speaking with a sales manager recently who was remarking about some of the old sales trainers from the 80’s and 90’s; “I see some of them are still around”, she said, “I hope they’ve come up with some new material, the old stuff is really tired”.
          There is no doubt that business-to-business selling has changed. Cold calls don’t work, tricky closing techniques are viewed with suspicion, and old-fashioned glad handing or invitations to golf are not enough to build your brand or the customer relationships you desire.
          But as I reflected upon the sales manager’s comments about some of the old trainer’s material being ‘tired’ it occurred to me that most of her staff had not heard the wisdom of some of these old masters. And if they really are ‘masters’, I’m sure they have updated their material.
          Some of the old basics like understanding the four buyer styles and engaging in professional pre-call planning remain as useful today as they were 20 years ago. But the way we use these basics may have been changed by technology.
          I still find Roy Williams’ Twelve Causes of Advertising Failure as relevant today as it was ten years ago, and Chris Lytle’s “Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice.” still hits home the importance of pre-call planning.
          Where we previously were able to assess buyer style in person, often now, we have to assess it via the clues from email or phone conversations. And the wealth of information that is at our fingertips for pre-call planning is certainly enhanced by the internet.
          I still find basics like Roy Williams’ Twelve Causes of Advertising Failure as relevant today as it was ten years ago, and Chris Lytle’s “Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice.” still hits home the importance of pre-call planning.
          Let’s not forget that if you have sales people with less than ten years experience, they may not have been exposed to the basics that your more senior account executives have ‘tired’ of…..and even those tired souls may need the occasional reminder wake-up call to get back to basics. 
 
 
Randy’s What If
            What if you had ENS Media Inc. conduct a no-charge, no-obligation Training Needs Analysis to help you custom tailor a hybrid training program of the latest sales best practices coupled with the tried and proven basics to meet your objectives? 

Preparing Fish and Tarter

Fish and Tarter Sauce

           Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, “An optimist is someone who goes after Moby Dick in a rowboat and takes a jar of tartar sauce”.
          While the image that quote conjures up might bring a smile to your lips, there is something to be said about tackling a project equipped as if the project was already a success.
          I recently surveyed a group of radio and TV sales people to determine why their digital sales lagged in a world where digital media advertising is growing by leaps and bounds.
          The number one answer might surprise you.
          Most of the respondents lacked confidence in their station’s abilities and resources to deliver quality digital products and results.
          They simply weren’t presenting digital advertising solutions to their clients to avoid embarrassment or letting their clients down.
          If you’re serious about increasing your digital sales, go out and get the tarter sauce! Employ the training, staff and back-end resources to give your account executives the resources they need to feel confident in presenting your digital offerings.

Too Many Directions

Are You Pulled In Too Many Directions?

            A January 2011 study by Booz & Company reveals many executives feel pulled in too many directions and their company’s capabilities don’t support their strategies or initiatives.
  • 64% of executives say that their biggest frustration factor is “having too many conflicting priorities”.
  • 56% of executives report that their biggest challenge is allocating resources in a way that really supports strategy.
  • Half of the executives (50%) consider setting a clear and differentiating strategy a significant challenge.
  • Most executives (81%) say growth initiatives lead to waste, at least some of the time.
           Does this sound familiar? Are you trying to launch new revenue initiatives while making this month’s budget? Or trying to grasp a long-term web strategy while recruiting and training new sales people to sell your core product?
           Is your copy writer expected to pump out 40 spots a day, but one of them has to be an award winner to attract a new account?
          Does your selling system clearly differentiate you from the competition, or are you using the same basic Customer Needs Analysis and media kits as every other media in town?
          Maybe it’s time to outsource some of your initiatives.
          Outsourcing your training, new product launches or new revenue initiatives has a number of advantages;
1.      Consultants do not add fixed costs to your balance sheet. When the project is completed, they’re gone.
2.      Consultants bring more objective insight to all of your projects.
3.      Consultants can free your time to do what you do best.
4.      Recognizing the need for outsourcing is a sign of strength. All top performers from Wayne Gretsky to Magic Johnson have benefited from professional coaching.
 
Randy’s What If: What if you were able to engage ENS Media Inc. to ensure the successful introduction, implementation and completion of just one of the projects on your plate?
 

Perception is Reality

Perception is Reality

          The easiest decision maker to sell your advertising to is one who listens to your station. They listen because they like what you do, and they become part of your culture; familiar with your features, your announcers and your music.
          And demographics and psychographics dictate that most of their friends have the same likes and dislikes and listen to you too, creating the perception among them that ‘everyone’ listens to you.
          But how do you create the perception that your station has a huge and loyal following if your prospect doesn’t listen to you?
          Never underestimate the power of in-market visibility and one-on-one connecting!
          You may be facilitating promotions that place you front and center in various communities within your community to build audience, but I would submit to you these promotions do as much or more for advertiser perceptions of your station.
          That block party promotion that placed your street team and your sponsors front and center where your prospect lives can create an invaluable perception for your station.
          And the business owner who sees your station’s window sticker in dozens of cars on her way to work every morning perceives their prospects are listening to you.
          A recent Inside Radio article said, “Increasingly, it’s what happens off-air, not ‘between the records’, that differentiates stations. Differentiating a station’s brand from its competitors’ has become increasingly difficult in an era when most stations have access to the same music and research tools”.
          DMR President Jim Eldredge says, "Differentiate by connecting in new ways and by connecting holistically, so that you’re setting yourself apart from competitors in deeply meaningful ways. It’s that connection off the air that builds mind share”.
          And this is even more important when it comes to branding your station with business owners who do not listen to your station. What perception does your remote set-up create in the mind of a business owner who doesn’t listen to your station, but sees your set-up?
          What perception does the announcer who meets a business owner at a community event create? And how often is your street team really visible and on the street?
          These off-air promotions might not win a business owner over as a listener, but they certainly increase your odds of being able to discuss including your station in their next ad campaign.
 
Randy’s “what if” you arranged to have your street team set up at a prospect’s place of business for a short period, announcing give-aways.

Budgets Vs Targets

Budgets Versus Targets

           All the signs are there….our economy is slowly on the rise. I’m reading stories about things like a projected 8.7% increase in advertising this year, and talking to happier media people every day.
          Many of the stations I’m talking to are telling me they’ve hit budget three months in a row. But when someone tells me they are consistently at 100 or 101% of budget, I often wonder if they’d still be at budget if the budget was higher. I think they would.
          Many of our budgets were set during less optimistic times. And the problem I see today is not that we are setting our targets too high and missing them, but that we are setting our targets too low and hitting them!
          If you set a 5% increase in your budget, but the market is up 8%, you’re actually falling behind.
          Budgets are usually set for accounting purposes, and keeping them low helps keep our costs low as well. But there should be a difference between your budget and your target.
          Targets can be a great motivational tool to push people to new heights beyond their comfort zones. Targets need to be fluid, not fixed like budgets, to ensure maximum performance and productivity. See the ‘Even Eagles Need a Push’ three-minute video at this link;
            The thrill of soaring can be greater than the fear of falling.
 
Randy’s What If; What if you had additional incentives for achieving realistic targets that pushed your people beyond your budgets?