Tag Archives: Trust

The Powerful TRUTH

The majority of business owners, managers, and media buyers that deal with media reps have heard nearly every song and dance there is about why they should buy from you and your stations.

What a lot of them haven’t heard is… the TRUTH!

If you are not doing so now, here are some of the TRUTHS about radio that we should be sharing and using in our presentations with the decision-makers:

“Good advertising won’t make a bad business a good business.”

“We suggest fixing the inside of your business before you consider advertising.”

“No one listens to our radio stations for the ads.”

“When the jock stops talking or the song ends, and the ads come on, people actually lean back and subconsciously turn their ears off.”

“The radio station is not the most important element in determining whether your campaign will be successful or not.”

“When we air sports on a music station, our audience goes down, not up.”

“Nobody cares that you’ve been the ‘servicing dealer since 1969’.”

“No, we are not the most listened to station in town.”

“Yes, we play more ads than the stations across town, but there is a reason.”

“It’s true, radio is not listened to as often as it once was.”

…and the list can go on and on.

Most business owners are savvy people, and they can sniff out the “bull” pretty easily.

Answering objections abruptly and making exaggerated statements will deteriorate trust. Telling the truth and having a logical explanation for your “TRUE” statement will dramatically lead to a greater level of TRUST in you.

I am not suggesting that anyone is intentionally lying about radio or their stations. However, in an effort to defend our industry, sometimes the reality or truth gets stretched and important details get left out in order to make the sale.

In sales, TRUST and KNOWLEDGE are two extremely powerful traits.

The list of “honest” statements above, in nearly all situations, is true. Understanding how and when to use these statements and how to follow-up with them can be extremely powerful. We suggest in your next training session that you go over these statements and rehearse when and how to use them.

If you have questions as to when and how to use or follow-up on any of these statements or others, simply give me a call.

Remember When?

Remember the days when getting a first appointment with your new prospects was relatively easy, and more calls meant more appointments? You simply picked up the phone and said things like:

  • I have a great idea I would like to share with you.

  • I’d like to ask a few questions to learn more about your business.

  • I have a new station package or special offer I’d like to drop off.

Today, your prospects and clients are bombarded with many new media and traditional media sales amateurs claiming they want to learn more about their business. Business owners today don’t have time to teach you about their business. They want to work with salespeople who have put in the extra effort to learn about their business BEFORE they call.

The skeptical business owner is saying to themselves; “I don’t know you, I don’t know what you stand for, I don’t know your company, and what do you know about my business or any business for that matter?”

Effort breeds psychological reciprocity; that deep-rooted subconscious need to do something for someone who has done something for you. Provide your prospects with usable knowledge about their business over a period of time, and you might just peak their interest – IN YOU!

You can begin building your brand and demonstrating your knowledge and effort by sending a few helpful marketing tips like those in our SoundADvice e-marketing system BEFORE you ask for the appointment.

Once you have presold who you are, what company you’re with, and what you stand for, securing an appointment will become much easier. Better yet, they”ll just call you for that appointment!

The bottom line? The most important thing you have to sell is trust. And trust is built over time, not with just one phone call or one cold call.

Busy decision makers today don’t have time for typical salespeople or old school sales tactics. But they will make time to talk to professionals who have branded themselves as marketing experts who know something about their particular business category, and who appear willing and able to help them grow their business.

Want to learn more about how the SoundADvice e-marketing system can pre-sell your media reps’ qualifications? Click here to set up a time to talk with Rick.

What Do You Compete On?

Rate?  Reach? Frequency?  Creative?  Format?  Personality?  Demographics?

The most profitable, sustainable, and fun area to compete in is to compete on trust.

The three most critical strategies to creating trust are;

1.)    Become known for what you know. Your local prospects and clients today are looking for someone who has the knowledge to help them sort through the various competing media claims, new and traditional.

2.)    Always under promise and over deliver. Just doing what you say you’re going to do, is taken for granted. The winners over-perform on their promises.

3.)    Care about your advertiser’s success. Your prospects know whether you’re calling on them to make your budget, or to help them make their budget.

Our SoundADvice radio e-marketing system brands you as a marketing expert and helps your clients grow their sales. Click here to arrange an online demo.