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How Valuable Are You?
Have you ever walked into a client or prospect’s business and when they see you, they dash out the nearest door? Or when you ask to see a client, the person at the front desk returns with, “they’re busy right now”?
Granted, sometimes it’s legit and they really are busy. However, more often than not, it’s an excuse! I have always suggested that when we walk into a business and the owner looks up and sees us, they make an immediate conscious decision. It’s either, “GREAT, there’s Rick and he brings value to my business, I love talking to Rick”, or “There’s Rick and I don’t have time to waste today. I know he’s going to try to sell me something!”
Are you bringing value to your clients, and what constitutes value? It may be articles about their business category, how to keep employees satisfied, or healthcare regulations. Anything that pertains to the many hats they wear as an owner/manager. You can find information on any topic, just Google it. But, be careful not to deliver information about your product (radio) or your stations too often. And no, cookies DO NOT qualify!
How you deliver the value is equally as important. Always emailing or dropping it off, in the same manner, will lose its flair. If you know they are not in the office/business, drop it off and leave a short note, “Joe, I ran across this article and thought you might find it interesting”. Even using “snail mail” is a good option. Be CREATIVE!
I challenge you to be honest with yourself. Do you bring VALUE to your clients and prospects, or do they see you as just a “salesperson”? How much VALUE you bring to your clients will be in direct proportion to how willing they are to see you, and more importantly, how much they will invest with you!
Starting today, make sure you’re always increasing your VALUE!
Our SoundADvice E-Marketing system is the best way to bring value to your clients and prospects each week. It helps brand your reps and stations as the “Advertising Experts” in your market. If you would like to learn how to take advantage of SoundADvice, click here to see a few testimonials and let’s talk! SoundADvice is market exclusive, so be the first in your market to call.
Farewell – Wayne’s Gone Fishing!
Wayne Ens sold his first ad over 50 years ago. It was shortly thereafter that he prepared and conducted a seminar to teach local advertisers how to use advertising more effectively. From that moment, he “caught the bug” and always wanted to help others; radio and TV stations, newspapers and especially business owners, learn how to use advertising more effectively so that everyone would get better results.
Throughout his career, Wayne worked in the newspaper, TV, and radio industries, and also started and ran a successful advertising agency. However, it was the training and teaching bug that lead him to start his own consulting company. So, 21 years ago ENS Media Inc. began working with media groups all across North America. Since that day, Wayne has spanned the globe from Alaska to Trinidad conducting seminars in every state in the U.S. except Wyoming and Hawaii and nearly every market in Canada.
Wayne has a unique ability to not only understand the “do’s and don’ts” of selling and advertising, but he has an even greater talent for teaching it. It all comes down to, “do what’s right for the advertiser/customer”.
The radio industry especially, is better off today because of Wayne Ens. His relentless work ethic and his thirst for learning and sharing his knowledge have touched and literally helped thousands of media reps, managers and business owners.
Now it’s time for Wayne and Angela to spend more time on their pride and joy, their boat, that they proudly refer to as “ENSanity”.
Wayne, may your fish continue to be bigger, and may your stories always be happy!
Here are Wayne’s parting thoughts:
From the time I began selling advertising until the time I began helping others sell more successful advertising, I always said, “There can’t be a better way to make a living than to get paid for helping others to succeed.”
Through the tools and systems we developed at ENS Media, I’m proud to say we’ve helped generate literally millions upon millions of new local revenues over the years for radio and TV stations, and Angela and I have made hundreds of friends spanning the globe from Alaska to Trinidad. I am very proud to say that thousands of account executives successfully still use our strategies today.
It is on this backdrop that I’m pleased to announce that I’m passing the torch to my business partner of the last two years, Rick Fink. I am “retiring” at the end of this month, although I will stay on board behind the scenes to mentor and counsel Rick as he serves our clients. I had been searching for a successor for some time who I believed could continue the legacy we worked so hard to build. Rick is that successor.
Rick has the passion and the experience to not only carry on with ENS Media tools like TOMA (Top of Mind Awareness Research), SoundADvice, Guided Discovery Selling and more, but he will also be continuously improving our offerings as market conditions evolve.
Thanks to the many broadcasters who I’ve had the privilege of working with. I know I can enjoy my retirement firm in the knowledge that Rick and his partner, Belinda, will continue to deliver ENS Media’s promise of “helping broadcasters to increase their local revenues.”
I wish to express my deep gratitude to all of our clients, past and present, and wish you all continued success and happiness.
– Wayne Ens
If you would like to extend your well wishes and thoughts to Wayne, please contact him at [email protected].
My promise to each of our readers and clients is to do my very best to continue providing a level of knowledge, integrity, professionalism, and experience needed to deliver the ENS Media promise of “helping broadcasters to increase their local revenues”.
I appreciate you being a weekly reader, and I look forward to meeting each of you along the way!
Who’s Getting the Credit?
How many times have you heard an advertiser say, “We ask every person that calls or comes through our door how they heard about us.” The answers vary, but prior to the New Media Age (digital/social), it was typically newspaper, direct mail or the Yellow Pages that garnered most of the credit.
Why do the customers say this? Mainly, because it’s true! These mediums are usually the last point of contact just prior to the purchase. It’s the end of the buying cycle or the bottom of the Marketing Funnel.
But, have your advertisers considered that it may have been the radio or TV ad that persuaded their customers to even consider looking at their ad or visiting their website? “Intrusive Media” (Radio/TV), if done correctly, should have created an emotional connection with prospective customers long before “Passive Media”(print/digital), which is the point of research prior to purchase, comes into play.
The average person will only consider doing business with someone they are familiar with and feel good about.
We ask the question in every one of our TOMA surveys, “If you use Google or some other search engine, would you be more likely to click on a business that you have never heard of at the top of the list, or the first business you recognized or were familiar with?” The results are ALWAYS the same. 82-86% say they will click on a business they are familiar with. 1-2% say they will select the name at the top of the list, and approximately 12-15% say both.
It’s clear that having TOMA, “Top of Mind Awareness”, has a LOT of value!
Feel free to use this question and its results the next time a client says that their customers heard about them via the “Passive Medias” of the world, i.e. print, direct mail, social/digital.
It’s still the “Intrusive Medias”, TV & Radio, that do all the heavy lifting!
If you would like to see how our TOMA Surveys and Seminars can help you generate new income in 2019 and beyond, click here and let’s talk.
What a Way to Make a Living!
Have you ever noticed how negatives seem to jump out at you and smack you in the forehead, and the positives can go unnoticed or taken for granted?
Your sales reps hear the negatives every day, “No one listens to radio anymore”, No one listens to your stations”, “Your prices are too high”, “I’m cutting my budget”, “I tried radio once and it didn’t work”. They get beat up every day on the streets.
Part of a Sales Manager’s job is to motivate the troops. At your next sales meeting, open a discussion about what it is that they like about their career. (Use the word “career”, not “job”.)
You’ll get an amazing array of answers like, “helping businesses succeed”, “the creative aspect”, “it’s different every day”, “working with a variety of different people and businesses”, “not having to sit behind a desk every day”.
This exercise will achieve three different objectives for you:
1) It will remind them about the positives of their daily lives.
2) Some of their peers will present positives others never thought of.
3) You’ll gain valuable information into each individual’s motivation to help you in your coaching sessions.
Note: You may have to prime the well and start the conversation by sharing why you enjoy your career and/or company.