First, let me say I am NOT a big fan of “leave-behind” media kits or packages. In most cases these alleged “sales tools” do more to build sales staff comfort levels than they do to actually sell prospects.

          Upon returning from my speaking engagements at the RAB in Dallas last week, I found myself sorting through the numerous “leave-behind” sales pieces from my welcoming kit in a curious way.

          Standing over my trash can, I threw out virtually every piece that only tried to sell me something.

          The pieces that made it to my file, both my memory file and my file cabinet, were the ones that educated me or were useful to me in some way. Sure, these pieces also had a sales story to tell, but they were also useful and helpful…..the old “what’s in it for me?” went beyond simple features and benefits.

          Your web site, your media kits and your sales packages can also be committed to memory, file cabinets and website-favorites by providing useful or educational elements in every one.

          Perhaps you can include Roy William’s Twelve Causes of Advertising Failure or outline the strengths and weaknesses of the various media, including your own strengths and weakness. (as outlined in previous SOUNDManagement tips, admitting your weaknesses will always cause you to rise up the “trust scale”)

          Including elements like promotional opportunity calendars, broadcast calendars or case-study testimonials can also create the image that you are not just selling, but that you are helping and consulting.

          My wife often criticizes me for “giving away too much information that I could be selling”…..like these free management tips, my website or my various trade magazine articles.

          But the reality is, people keep and use my stuff. I get a half-dozen requests from managers like you, each week, wanting to be added to my

e-newsletter. My brand as a helpful and knowledgeable consultant and trainer is being proliferated and solidified with each new subscription.

          In fact, it took several years, but I seldom have to sell my services. People who have used and appreciated my useful “leave-behind pieces” now call me to request my consulting and training services.

          So why not revisit your media kits, marketing packages and web sites?

You can increase retention, in the mind and the file cabinet, by offering helpful or useful information.  Your prospects will keep your material and appreciate what you bring to the table other than spots, data and rates.    

Do you understand what business you are in?

I once asked one of Toronto’s top morning men, Bob McAdorey, how he made the transition from a top 40 format to a country format.  Bob said, “What transition? It’s not about the programming, it’s about the audience.”

Some of us in sales could benefit from that wisdom.

I recently saw two ads from two different media companies that were looking for local sales executives.

One was from a radio station, which among other qualifications, was looking for someone with a “knowledge and love of country music”.

The other was from a newspaper looking for “a representative to provide our valued customer with creative, effective advertising/marketing solutions”.

Having sold successfully for virtually every format, past and present, I can tell you there is a lot more money to be made selling customer-focused ideas than there is trying to persuade someone to like your music or programming.

Put yourself in the client’s shoes.  Do you really care about your account executive’s programming preferences, or do you want someone who can provide creative and effective advertising/marketing solutions for your business?

I strongly recommend that having a “knowledge and love” of your stations’ audience, and an understanding of what motivates them to buy from your clients, is much more important than having a knowledge and love for the music that attracted that audience.

Are your sales people trying to persuade clients to like Waylon Jennings or Mick Jagger?  Or are they focused on generating sales for your customers?

     Last week we discussed the three most common reasons for staff not enthusiastically embracing spec spot creation. Here are eight steps you can take towards fostering a better relationship with your creative team, and towards having better spec spot results.

1.  Pre-qualify every account rather than relying on a spec spot to work magic in an impossible situation.

2.  Keep your creative people in the loop. If a spot doesn’t sell, get back to them and tell them why.

3.  Give your creative people as much information as you possibly can about the prospect’s competitive position, image and long term aspirations.

4.  Give the creative department some intellectual freedom….don’t hand-cuff them with sixties or thirties, and talk to them in terms of strategy, not tactics or “your idea”.

5.  When you get the spot, have a conversation to discuss the writer’s and/or the producer’s strategic thinking that went into the campaign. And say “thanks”!

6.  Sell, sell, sell! If you believe the idea is the right approach for a client, present it in the light it deserves, and don’t let the client’s personal taste interfere with the strategic correctness of the idea.

7.  If it doesn’t sell, let the creative people know why. Explain the steps you took to sell it, and discuss the next steps in creating a campaign which will be successful.

8.  Last but not least, prove to your people that their efforts were not in vain. Discuss what other clients might have similar objectives and tweak the campaign to fit them until someone DOES buy it.

P.S. A little financial incentive or recognition for every spec-spot sold can also go a long way.

Many of the sales departments that I consult complain of an apparent reluctance on the part or writers and/or producers to enthusiastically embrace spec spots. As spec spots are the one of the most important tools in               de-commoditizing our product, it is important that you understand the cause of this reluctance, and take steps to pre-empt it.

          While the avoidance of your spec spot creation is usually blamed upon “lack of time” or being “too busy”, here are the three most common real causes of spec spot reluctance on the part of your writers/producers;

1-     SILENCE! Your lack of communication regarding your appreciation of, or the results from, a speculative commercial presentation is the single most critical factor in fostering a disgruntled attitude towards creating spec spots.

When your writers or producers take the time to create what they think is just the right approach to close more business for the station, they assume THEY failed when you don’t make the sale or the campaign does not get to air.

Often when they hear nothing about the results of their efforts they assume the client never even heard the campaign….and I’m sad to say that sometimes that is actually the case! 

2-     Insufficient information. Try giving your spec spot information to one of your piers and see if they think they have enough information to write a campaign. Most of the time there just isn’t enough information.

3-     Insufficient effort. Often sales people do not present or defend the speculative creative approach, and take “no” for an answer in favor of coming back with yet another spec spot.

There is a reason your staff has the attitude it does towards spec spots.

Next week’s SOUNDManagement will share eight steps you can take to have spec spots enthusiastically embraced at your station.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due!

The Christmas rush is over. It’s been one of the most successful Christmas sales seasons ever for our local sales people. And they’ll be receiving their just rewards in their commissions and bonuses.

          The great ones recognized their key customers over the holiday season with super service and in some cases year-end recognition in the form of cards, letters or even gifts.

          But what about your internal customers? Your traffic, accounting, creative and production people just went through their busiest time of year as well. What did they get for their peak-period performance other than more work, longer hours and increased stress?

          It’s been said that, “you can be as successful as you want to be as long as you are willing to let others take the credit.” Let’s start the New Year by recognizing the huge role and contribution of our sales support staffs.

          The sales staff should collectively, from their own pockets, recognize these valuable resources. Maybe it’s with a special dinner, and not on the station tab or trade account. Or maybe take up a sales department collection to purchase specially selected gifts to be awarded at a support-staff meeting honoring each of their contributions.

          These dedicated individuals typically do not benefit financially from the hectic season we just went through. A little recognition from those who did benefit financially, your sales staff, is not only deserved, it goes a long way towards fostering the kind of teamwork you need at your station to maximize customer satisfaction in 2006.

There are still seven seats available for the January 11, 2006 workshop at Humber College.  The two workshops, in one day, include topics: Becoming a Master Questioner and Pro-Active Account Management.  Tickets are $125. Please request tickets from [email protected]