In broadcasting, we have three primary customer groups upon whom we depend for our success…..we have external customers in the form of audiences and clients, and we have internal customers in the form of staff.
        If you do the math, you will soon recognize that on a per capita basis, your staff members are by far your most valuable customers. In fact, isolating your sales staff as an example, your bottom-billing sales person probably delivers more revenue for your station than your top-billing client.
        And if you divide your annual revenue by your cumulative audience, you’ll see that in order, your staff members are your most valuable customers, clients are the second most valuable, and your audience ranks third on a per capita basis.
        While each customer segment is hugely inter-dependent upon the other, it is our internal customer whom often is under-sold.
        What are you doing to sell your staff on: your company, your market, and your target audience?
        One of the best sales tools to reach and influence your staff is professional development training. Studies have proven that career professionals respect and appreciate companies who make an investment in their professional development and they respond with higher productivity levels.
        The poorest excuse I’ve heard for not investing in training and career development is staff turnover. We have audience turnover and client attrition, yet we continue to cater to and sell these customer groups. Why not make a similar investment for our most valuable customers… our internal customers.
        Investing in your staff can actually reduce turn-over levels!
        As you budget for a successful 2007, I recommend you plan to invest 2.5-4.5% of your revenue target in training and development.
        I can almost guarantee it will be the most high-leverage investment you can make.