It Isn’t Over…But We’re Getting Closer!

Just the sound of those words is refreshing, exciting, motivating, uplifting and energizing! And the good news is, the words are true! Regardless of how much longer this lasts, we are closer to the end than we were four weeks ago when the title of our ENS on Sales was, What You Say and Do Now, Will Determine the Future.

We’re not suggesting that since we are closer to the end that things are going to get easier. The battle continues, the message is the same, what you say and do now WILL determine your future. The coming weeks will be every bit as important as the last four.

With every passing day, business owners are weighing their options and making hard decisions. The worst thing you can do, is not do anything! Have you been in contact with all your clients? EVERY single one of them?

I think we can all agree, these are hard conversations to have. The most common fear is that if you call them, it will give them the opportunity to cancel! While that is very true, you would much rather be a part of that conversation than to simply receive a phone call, or worse yet, the dreaded email that says, “Cancel all my advertising!”

If you’re struggling to come up with appropriate things to do or say, here are a few suggestions:

1) A simple phone call to say, “Hi, I’m just checking in to see how you, your family and your team are doing?” Some experts suggest this is too cliché. I disagree. To quote the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”. Show them you care!

2) Send articles related to their industry and how others are adjusting.

3) Send a “thinking of you” card through the mail with a short note and a quote, such as:

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

4) Share motivational or educational videos that they might be able to share with their employees. Keeping everyone as positive as possible is extremely important. (Sample – “The Happy Secret to Better Work“)

5) If your stations are doing something to support the community, make them aware of it. It’s O.K. to promote the positives and show how your stations are helping.

6) Share with them what you are doing during this downtime, i.e. videos you are watching, books you are reading. It’s a chance to promote yourself and show that you are striving to get better. If you’re comfortable with it, show them some fun things you and your family are doing. Be real!

7) Keep the conversations real but hopeful. Don’t be afraid to ask if there’s anything you can do to help them. Tell them you are thinking about their business and ideas that can help when business is back to normal. Start planning for post COVID-19.

Staying proactive with your clients (and prospects) will pay huge dividends when this all ends. Show them you care!

We are closer to the end than we have ever been, and tomorrow we will be even closer yet.

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

A Message of Value

“King of Sales” Jeffrey Gitomer was quoted as saying, “Dude, you’re gonna lose all your customers if you don’t reach them with a message of value every week”. That statement is always true, but now more than ever. Are you reaching your clients and prospects with a message that provides value to them… every week?

When the storm we’re currently facing settles, those that had a quality relationship (a relationship of value) with their clients and prospects will reap tremendous rewards over those who didn’t. This scenario is no different than the businesses that continue to advertise versus those that don’t.

We are very proud to say that the ENS Media clients that participate in our SoundADvice program have been providing their clients with a “message of value” every week for years now. How do you think they will weather this storm? We’re 110% confident that they will do far better than most.

Business owners really only want a few things from media reps and I’ll give you a hint, it’s not low rates and great ratings. They mainly want IDEAS and to know that you CARE about the success of their business.

Far too often the only time media reps contact a client or prospect is when they are trying to sell them something, or at minimum, show and tell them how great radio is. “Messages of value” are all the other things that pertain to and are important to their business; such as motivation and retention of employees, hiring and firing, sales promotions, vendor relations, strategy, point of purchase, messaging, community involvement, and marketing and advertising from every angle imaginable. Things that can help them run their business easier, smoother, and as profitable as possible.

If you or your team is extremely organized and dedicated, it’s possible to do this on your own. But if you want your relationship with your clients and prospects to NEVER miss a beat and provide them with information that is timely, relevant, and professional, I recommend you check out ENS Media’s 4-Part SoundADvice program. SoundADvice is market exclusive and available to individual reps or entire sales teams. It will be the least expensive and highest return CRM program you’ll ever find.

If you have the courage to do what you’re asking your clients to do, which is to continue to promote and brand yourself, we’ll make it easy for you. Start your SoundADvice program now and you will not be invoiced until the pandemic has ended and life is headed back to normal. This could be one, two, three or more months absolutely FREE. If you take advantage of this NOW, you and your team will be on the road to providing your clients and prospects with a “message of value” every week.

Whether you choose to consider our SoundADvice program or not, we urge you to deliver a “message of value” to your clients and prospects on a regular basis.

Contact us to receive samples of past SoundADvice issues and full details.

Now What?

Now that the business world, from an advertising standpoint, has slowed to a crawl, the question is, “Now what?” What is there to do? The truth is, not nearly as much as normal, but there are still things you can and should be doing.

Start by planning your day. Nearly all of you are working from home or an uninhabited office. Having a minimum daily plan of what you need and want to accomplish each day will provide the path to get it done.

Here are a few things as media reps you can do to make the most of your days:

Make 5 phone calls each day to your current clients, just to touch base and see how they are doing.
Make 2 calls each day to prospects, just to touch base and see how they are doing.
Update copy and production. Make sure all copy is updated to meet the times. Emotional branding ads rule the day.
Purge and organize your account list.
Clean out client files.
Self-Motivation. Watch or listen to at least one motivational audio or video segment each day.
Self-Education. Spend at least 30 minutes each day making yourself better.
Brainstorm with teammates (via phone or video). Pick 1 or 2 business categories each day and create ideas to help your clients and prospects now and in the future.

“The best investment you can make is an investment in yourself…

The more you learn, the more you’ll earn.”

– Warren Buffett

Above all, have a daily plan. Hold yourself accountable and check-off each item as you complete them. During this downtime, making and taking the initiative to do the little things that are typically put off will pay big rewards when we get back to our “normal” daily routines!

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

Keep it Normal… as Possible

I think we can all agree that the past two weeks have been as far from “business as usual” as we have quite possibly ever seen. Words most used to describe our current state are uncharted, nightmare, challenged, uncertainty, new normal, and others.

As I think back to the days of uncertainty when I managed a team of sellers, one of the things I learned from my mentor(s) was to keep things as normal as possible, lead with a positive attitude, and above all, don’t panic. This applies to both sellers and managers. If we are honest, sometimes this is hard to do when cancellations are coming in, we’re swimming in uncharted waters, the team is scared, and uncertainty rules the day. I think this quote applies in a time like we are experiencing now:

“Being positive in a negative situation is not being naive. It’s Leadership!”

As a manager, one of the key things that you can do now is to continue to train and motivate your teams. Whether you are continuing to work from your office, or you have sellers working from home, it’s imperative that we keep their days as normal as possible and focus on work rather than all the distractions and reasons not to work! Technology allows us to do this (Google Hangout, Zoom, GoToMeeting, YouTube videos, etc.). You might consider starting every morning with a short meeting. They can be brief with an agenda that looks something like this:

1) Good Morning with a positive quote or message

2) Good news from yesterday (positive comments about clients)

3) Challenges that the team has faced

4) Share positive ideas (package or campaign ideas – how to answer objections)

5) Motivational or training videos

Working from home and keeping focused is much more difficult than it is at the office. Making internal excuses to not work becomes natural. As a manager, now more than ever, it’s YOUR job to keep the team on task and to hold them accountable. Leaders Lead! As a media rep, it’s your job to stay focused and continue to do all the things that great media reps do to help your clients prevail. IDEAS will still rule the day!

“We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them with action!” – Dr. Henry Link

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

What You Do and Say Now Will Determine the Future

As the “R” word looms, we enter one of the most unknown and unprecedented times our business economy has ever witnessed.

The forced closings of schools, restaurants, bars, self-regulated closings of many retail businesses, the reduced capacity and limits to gatherings, millions working from home, will all have a trickle-down and trickle-across effect on nearly every person and every business in every category.

As advertising professionals, how you handle the coming days and weeks will greatly determine how your clients and prospects will look at you, what they will think of you and if or not they will do business with you once we come out on the other side of this storm.

Will you continue to prospect and be professional while doing so? Now is not the time to stop prospecting; Build for the future.

Will you show and display sincere patience and understanding of their situations? Business owners are scared and not sure what they are going to do in all aspects of their business, not just advertising. Listen to them, talk with them, make sure they understand you are there to help in any way you can.

Will you simply ask for their business, or ask deeper questions? Help uncover what they can do to maintain business. Help them find niche areas to promote and advertise.

Will you offer canned packages, or well-thought ideas? Be different than those just “selling”! It MUST be about them. Sell with purpose, now more than ever!

Will you serve your clients like never before? Update their ad copy, conduct brainstorm sessions, help create sales initiatives.

Will you remain professional when they say they need to cancel?

Will you work with them when they say they can’t pay their invoice in full right now? Remember, you are not just competing for collections with other media, but with every vendor they do business with. Hardball collection tactics will not win or earn you any business in the future.

Everything you do and say in the coming days and weeks will determine the future. Proceed with professionalism, patience, and compassion!

Ultimately, will your stations be the ones that support the business community?

We have written a new 60-second “Buy Local” promo that encourages everyone in your cities and communities to support your local businesses during these tenuous times. Showing your support during these difficult times can and will pay huge rewards later!

If you would like a FREE copy of this “Buy Local” promo, email [email protected].

(Note: This will not be available to markets where ENS Media has current clients.)