Tag Archives: Media

“You Can’t Grow Without Radio”

(And He’s Got the Receipts)

There are a couple new clips making the rounds in radio land right now. And it’s not coming from anybody inside the radio industry.

It’s coming from one of the biggest advertisers in America. John Morgan, the founder of Morgan & Morgan – a law firm that’s grown into the largest personal injury firm in the country (probably the world) has a pretty blunt take on advertising:

“You can’t grow without radio.”

That quote comes from a recent article in Radio Ink titled “John Morgan’s Advertising Truth? You Can’t Grow Without Radio.”

This Isn’t Theory. He’s Walking the Walk.

Morgan has been using radio for over 35 years. And he’s willing to tell the world that Radio is a must-have if you want to grow.

His company spent an estimated $350 million on advertising in 2025 alone (Radio, TV, Billboards, Streaming TV, Streaming Audio, Google, Facebook, etc.) – with plans to go even higher.

That’s not dabbling. That’s commitment.

And when someone at that level says:

“I don’t spend money for no reason… I buy radio because it works.”
“I can tell my story… I can grow my business.”

…it should stop every advertiser (and you) in their tracks.

Morgan isn’t saying “radio is magic.” He’s saying something deeper – and more important:

Growth requires reach, repetition, and story.

Radio delivers all three:

Reach → You can touch a lot of people quickly
Repetition → You stay top-of-mind over time
Story → You can actually say something meaningful

Here’s another quote from John Morgan…

“Nothing’s about today… everything’s about tomorrow.”

That’s not a media statement. That’s a business philosophy. He knows what it takes. He’s proof that “getting famous” with broadcast advertising is about consistency and investing properly in it.

One Last Thought

When a local business owner pushes back on radio, it’s easy to get defensive. Don’t. Just remember:

You’re not arguing an opinion. You’re representing a medium that helped build a national brand spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

And sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply say:

“Hey… don’t take my word for it. Take his.”

******* Which is even more reason to record your team’s client success stories and use them in your presentations!

Starting right after you click the link on that John Morgan Radio Ink article.

NEVER Stop Learning – Get Better Every Day!
Duane Christensen & Rick Fink
ENS Media
www.ensmediausa.com

If you’d like to learn how our SoundADvice program can help your entire Radio sales team open more doors, protect more clients, and create more revenue, simply email [email protected] to request a pdf with all the details and pricing. And it costs LESS than 3 lattes a week.

Education – A GREAT Investment

Without sounding too critical, let me make a bold statement. “Most business owners don’t know diddly about advertising”. The only things they know are what they have learned from trial and error. But the fact of the matter is that most have had very little education about HOW and WHY advertising works!

Understanding how and why advertising works isn’t a trait anyone is born with. It’s something that must be learned, and most business owners either don’t have the time to educate themselves or the desire.

This is where good media reps come in. Educate them and watch your sales grow!

Here’s the real test. Do you or your sales team know enough about HOW and WHY advertising works to teach your prospects and clients?

If we are simply talking to clients about OUR stations, OUR ratings, and why advertising on OUR stations is a good deal for them, they may buy, but chances are they will never buy as much as they can or should.

The more you educate your clients, the more they will buy from you.

Teach them…

What Strategy is and why it’s important
How to Create a Brand and WHY it’s important
How people consume media
The difference between good ads and bad ads
About frequency and consistency
About the strength and weakness of all medias
About emotion and logic and the role they play in purchasing
About the buying cycle and Marketing Funnel
About the Marketing Pyramid
The difference between direct response and branding ads
The Lifetime Customer Value formula

Most business owners don’t like advertising because they don’t understand HOW and WHY advertising works or what advertising can do for their business. It’s up to us as media professionals to teach them.

Education takes time and money. That’s why most people sidestep it and just take what they can get. If you have the courage to invest in your business, invest in educating your media reps and your clients.

Education is ALWAYS a good investment!

If you are considering a training session or program for your sales teams, give us a call at (605) 310-2062. We would honor the opportunity to visit with you about how we can help educate your team!

“It’s a consensus! You hit a ‘home run’! “I would recommend ENS Media to anyone out there trying to build a solid sales staff, rejuvenate an existing sales staff, or redesign and rebrand your marketing image. Rick Fink is a solid, energetic, and extremely creative trainer/motivator. I’ve worked with numerous sales consultants over many years in my career and I can tell you that you won’t go wrong calling ENS Media. They’re really good!”

-Jeffrey Parke, General Manager, KOLA-FM/KCAL-FM, Redlands, CA

“Rick is one of the few people I trust with our sales staff when I leave the room. He is an industry veteran that loves it and gets it. I would heartily endorse and recommend Rick for your next program or conference. He will bring his competitive winning attitude to your event with the enthusiasm that will make your attendees want to jump to their feet and begin immediately. I’ve been doing this for 37 years and I recommend Rick highly and without any hesitations. He is one of a few in that category.”

-Dave Beck, GM/GSM, MBC Grand Broadcasting Inc., Grand Junction CO

Nobody – Never – Everyone

Be honest… when was the last time you used these words or others like them when talking about other advertising mediums or your competition? In return, when was the last time a client or prospect used these words, and you became defensive?

It’s common to hear comments from clients like:

“Nobody listens to radio anymore, do they? I never listen to radio anymore!”

“Isn’t everyone on Facebook?”, or…

“No one is on Facebook today, isn’t everyone on Instagram or Tic-Tok?”

“Everyone has a social media account.”

“Everyone gets their music from Pandora, Spotify, or SiriusXM.”

“Nobody reads the newspaper anymore!”

“No one listens to, watches, or reads commercials.”

In return, as media reps we say things like:

“No one uses Facebook anymore!”

“Nobody reads the newspaper today!”

“Everyone still listens to radio.”

“Nobody watches regular TV these days!”

If you are using these words in this context, Stop! Nobody, Never, and Everyone are overused, misleading, and dangerous words.

However, when they are spoken by a client, a prospect, or even by yourself, you can use them to your advantage. Knowing when you use them, catching yourself, and then correcting yourself can be immensely powerful.

Clients want to hear the truth. For example, if you catch yourself saying, “No one reads the newspaper anymore”, it’s an opportunity to say, “Pardon me, I misspoke. Actually, there are lots of people that still read the newspaper, just not nearly as many as a few years ago and unfortunately for the newspaper industry, that number continues to slide”. If your client says this, correct them. They’ll respect you for it and then ultimately trust you more because of it.

On the other hand, if a client makes a bold statement and says something like, “Nobody listens to radio anymore”, don’t immediately get defensive and refute what they said. Instead, say something like, “Why do you think that”, or, “What makes you say this?” Find out what they are thinking before you answer.

Knowing the statistic as to how many people consume the different mediums and platforms is especially important. After all, knowledge is power, but knowing the proper way to respond to our clients is even more powerful.

The old saying “Never say Never” is true, and so are, “Never say Nobody” and “Never say Everyone”! If and when they are spoken, use them to your advantage!

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!

Ask for What it’s Worth!

Here’s the scenario. A media rep meets with a client, completes the fact-finding meeting, and the client tells the rep, “I would like to promote this event or this area of my business and here is my budget. Let me know what you come up with”!

The media rep goes back to the station and they begin to brainstorm ideas. During the session, they come up with a great idea but, to promote it correctly, it will certainly take more budget than what the client suggested. The media rep is hesitant to ask for more investment than what the client originally stated.

The question is, “Now what?”

1) Do you put the great idea together and show an investment of only what the client stated?

2) Do you scale the idea back to match the stated budget? Or…

3) Do you layout the great idea and show the investment that it will take to implement it?

The correct answer is, of course, #3. Ask for what is it worth! Business owners are starving for good ideas and if the idea is strong enough and they are convinced that they will have a successful promotion, the client will find the money.

The worst thing that can happen is that they won’t be convinced, and they’ll say no. Then you either go back to the drawing board or you can have option two prepared for the level of investment the business owner initially suggested.

When the client says, “let’s do it”, the upside is huge! Besides the obvious of making a larger sale, campaigns with more bells and whistles, i.e. increased frequency, remotes, promotions, etc., will always have a better chance of being successful than a basic schedule, if executed correctly. But, the larger lesson is that the confidence gained by the media rep and lesson learned will be invaluable. The fear of asking for more or adequate dollars is often-times a key reason why campaigns fail to work as well as they could or should. Overcoming this fear can be key to becoming a successful media rep.

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