If you’re a seasoned writer, you may not agree with this. However, if you are an untrained media rep or a new rep, writing a basic ad can be frightening and hard. Writing a good ad is even more difficult. And writing great ads takes a unique talent.

 

I think everyone would agree that there are way too many “bad ads” on local media. This isn’t just radio; it very much includes newspapers, magazines, digital, and especially local TV ads.

 

Many times in small and medium markets, it’s the sales rep that is writing the ads for their clients. While I actually subscribe to this, most reps aren’t trained on how to write basic ads, much less on how to insert meaningful creativity into an ad. And, creating effective campaigns is almost unheard of.

 

When I work with media reps and we are discussing the creative side of their job, I always emphasize that writing an ad is the hard part. Fixing an ad is easy and I teach them ways to do this.

 

In most small to medium-sized markets, the average rep has way too many clients on the air each month, with way too small of schedules (that subject is for another day) to devote the required time and effort to write good, effective ads.

One of the things that make radio stations sound bad is all the boring, redundant, cliché-filled ads with useless words, and oftentimes, way too many words. Here is a simple example…

“Ben’s Bargain Barn – Located at the corner of 10^th and Main in Downtown River City”.

 

This sentence has a total of 15 words, 6 of which are useless and not needed. It should read, “Ben’s Bargain Barn, 10^th and Main, Downtown River City”.

 

The words “located at the corner of” and “in” have no bearing on the message you are trying to get across. The only reason we write them into a script is that we assume we should use proper grammar while writing radio ads. 

 

When it comes to writing ads for radio, using proper grammar can, and often times will make the ads too “wordy”. Taking the connecting words out and instead using a pregnant pause will have a more dramatic effect and will grab the listeners’ attention. 

 

“It’s the biggest dress sale of the season. You will find hundreds of dresses in all sizes and colors at drastically reduced prices. The sale ends this Saturday, so hurry in today while the selection is at its best”.

 

It should read…

 

”The biggest dress sale of the season… find hundreds of dresses – all sizes and colors – drastically reduced prices! Sale ends Saturday – hurry in

today while the selection is best”.

 

In this example, it’s 10 words less than the original, and that’s only two sentences. If you do this with three or four of the sentences in a typical 30-second ad, you could find an additional 10 to 20 words that could be used to say something more profound to grab someone’s attention. 

 

Keep in mind that these are basic ads. We didn’t take a bad ad and make it great; we simply made it a little bit better.

 

It’s hard for untrained media reps to write an ad, but if you know the process, it’s easy to fix bad ads and make them respectable.

 

If you want your team to create and write better ads, click here to visit with Rick about our training workshops on How to Create, Write and Produce Ads that work MORE Better! 

 

Your clients will get better responses and your stations will not only sound better, but you’ll make more money!

If the only thing your clients receive from you is an invoice, they won’t be your clients for very long!

That sounds harsh, but it’s the truth!

If the only conversation you have with your prospects and clients, or the only information they receive from you, is a proposal asking them to buy from you, they won’t be your client for very long!

It too sounds harsh, but it’s true!

When is the last time you provided something other than a proposal or an invoice to your clients or prospects?

Are you just trying to sell them or are you providing them with solid information on how to do a better job of marketing their business, or ideas to help them run their business more smoothly?

If you want to be more than just a sales rep to your clients, if you want your clients and prospects to trust you and view you as a professional media rep, if you want them to trust you enough to buy more from you, then you must provide them with something more than just an invoice!  Are you?

If not, click here to arrange a short, friendly, no-obligation phone call to learn more about our SoundADvice program. The investment is minimal, the process is simple, and the results are powerful!

 

How do you define hard work?

 

If you’re like most, when we say “hard work” we think of physical, tough labor that includes sweating, getting dirty, accompanied by tired and sore arms, legs, and back. 

 

As media reps and managers, we don’t typically describe what we do as “labor” in every sense of the word. I never once got blisters (other than maybe on my butt) while selling radio or managing people, although I have secretly been sweating bullets a few times. Nonetheless, what we do is laborious and at times it’s absolutely hard work.

 

One definition of labor is, “productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain”. If you’re in sales, we hope that you are doing it because of the great potential for economic gain.

 

Unofficially the first celebration to recognize “hard work” was held on Sept. 5, 1882. Union leaders in New York City organized a “Labor Day” parade. Tens of thousands of labor union members—bricklayers, jewelers, typographers, dress and cloak makers, and many other tradespeople, took unpaid leave and marched with their locals. The day culminated in picnics, speeches, fireworks, and dancing. It was in 1884 that Labor Day was officially recognized as a national holiday, always to be celebrated on the first Monday of September.

 

This weekend, celebrate yourself for what you do and what you do for your customers and the economy. But also celebrate those that make it possible for us to do what we do; the on-air staff, engineers, production, promotions, traffic, support, and even the people that keep your office clean. If it weren’t for them, your job wouldn’t be possible.

 

In addition, celebrate everyone else in your cities and communities, the first responders (our police, first responders, and our firemen and women), those that work in the factories and fields, in the offices, retail stores, sanitation, truck drivers, linemen, service and medical professionals, the stay-at-home moms, and dads and don’t forget our military and our educators.

 

More importantly, this weekend and always, celebrate and appreciate everyone, regardless of their political party and views, regardless of the color of their skin or the religion they choose to believe in.

 

We hope your Labor Day weekend is filled with picnics, speeches, fireworks, and maybe even a little dancing.  But most of all, make sure you celebrate YOU and your hard work!

…Take Notes?

It seems like a silly little question, and in some ways it is. But it can also have a profound impact, and just might be so obvious that it catches them off guard and captures their attention.

When you’re calling on a new business and about to start your “CNA” meeting, just as you take out your notepad or computer, ask the person, “Do you mind if I take notes?”

Of course, their answer will always be, ” Yes “, or “I don’t mind at all”. While it seems obvious that you would take notes, it’s the subliminal message you send that has an impact. It tells the prospect you are engaged, ready to listen, serious about what you do, and that you are focused. This is also a good point to assure them, or reassure them, that everything you discuss is confidential.

Throughout the questions and answers, if you miss something, don’t be afraid to ask, “Can you repeat that?” or “Did I hear you correctly?”. Then restate what you thought they said. Again, this little sign of being really engaged can often give them the confidence that you are really there to help them, and that you are a professional.

You’ve heard the expression, “little things mean a lot”. When you’re asking business owners to spend their hard-earned dollars with you, it’s more than just an expression. The “little things” are often what determine whether they trust you enough to say “yes” to your recommendations. After all, what they are really saying “yes” to … is YOU!

Do you mind if I take notes?

Not having all the answers to all the questions can be a good thing! In fact, in some cases it creates opportunities.

In my experience of working with and training reps, call reluctance can be credited mainly to two things: the fear of rejection, and the lack of confidence or lack of knowledge. In other words, we’re afraid that we won’t have all the answers to all the questions a client or prospect might have for us.

This is especially true for new sellers. Sure, everyone wants to be considered knowledgeable and come across as a seasoned professional, but the truth is that it takes time. Even the most tenured media reps don’t have all the answers.

One of the most dangerous things that can happen in a relationship between a client or prospect and the media rep is that you come off as a “know it all”. Once you’ve established that reputation, the chances of them believing anything you say is slim!

Regardless of the amount of time you’ve been selling, not having the answer to a question can create an opportunity. A simple reply of, “That’s a great question, but I am not sure I have a correct answer. Let me do some research and get back to you”!

That simple response does two things: one, it makes you honest and believable, which sets you up for a better long-term relationship, and two, it creates an opportunity for you to get back in touch with the person with the answer.

Not knowing everything can create opportunities!

Don’t be a “Know It All”.