Selling Radio is Personal.

11

In his latest blog Dick Taylor asks the question, If you haven’t met with a person, why would you ever leave your station literature behind? He says most sales people will enter this hit and run as a “sales call.” “It’s not.”

Selling is Personal. You can’t phone it in or email it in. You have to get in front of the person you want to tell your story to. And if after you’re finished, if the person would like some more information, you can give them one of your brochures. Radio sales are a professional service that is built on relationships. People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much your care. And you will never build a relationship with anyone by leaving your literature.”

Read Taylor’s blog HERE

11 COMMENTS

  1. I disagree completely with Dick. If a sales person puts in the effort to make an in-person call and the decision-maker is not available, it is absolutely acceptable to leave station material. A sale might be made from that effort.

  2. It’s a shame and a digression when wild, uninformed assertions are presented as evidence. As this seems to be the case, I have no qualms about suggesting another label that, at least in some cases, would apply: “Radio-‘tards.”

  3. You’re wrong, Ronnie.
    It advances the discussion a lot. You are a “production voice”. This conversation is about what to do on sales calls, something you know nothing about since you’ve never done it. You don’t belong in sales conversations. Butt out.
    You have your own blog. Wait for it so you can rant on and on about how you hate today’s radio.

  4. All of a sudden, but when convenient, I am no more than a “production voice”. Not only is that inaccurate and demeaning, it advances the discussion in no way.
    I repeat “Robert Radio”‘s comment:
    “…And people wonder why millennials have no interest in radio sales as a job????”
    Meanwhile, Rick’s admonition of the necessity to get in front of local advertisers and/or agencies is well-taken.
    I am also reminded of Bob McCurdy’s insistence on, personally, getting with potential clients with sold information.
    My job is to be standing by with more appealing and efficient creative – when requested.

  5. “Big City production” enhances sound of station. Agencies dropping off orders at the front door.
    Funny what production voices like Robinson think successful radio stations are all about. He’s been listening to his Sound Effects library too long.

  6. The way to do that, shelly, is to be the top-rated station in the market. National agency-reps drop buys off at the front door.
    Plus, the big city ad production enhances the sound of the station, as well.
    Are there no cars you can chase?

  7. Tell us your secret, Ronnie, of how you get that “great money with little sales effort”.

    Only a studio-sitter like you would actually believe that.

  8. Note to anonymous troll, shelly:
    I have worked with radio sales people my entire career – many of them excellent folks who are interested in improving their lot by assisting advertisers to improve theirs.
    I admit to being sorely disappointed when your comments soil so many discussions. But, I am no longer surprised.

  9. Ronnie,

    You just can’t resist commenting on something you’ve never done-sell radio for a living. The other two comments are from those with experience in selling. You’re out of your league. “Minimal Sales Efforts”, indeed. How little you know.

  10. I always enjoyed working for stations that had boxcar numbers and were the first to get the national, agency-generated AAA buys. Great money – minimal sales efforts – decent creative.

    Dick Taylor and “Robert Radio” are both making worthwhile points. Local radio, however, cannot depend on a programmatic approach to save or flavour their bacon. “Up close and personal”, I believe, is still a local radio necessity.
    Besides having competent sales-folks at the pointy end, it is also required that the “messaging” is also in order – exemplary, if at all possible.
    My confidence of that actually improving is subdued.

  11. Yet, Bob Pittman and iheart/clear channel believe that programmatic radio sales- which ELIMINATES the personal sales call, is the answer. So which is it??? And don’t say that an agency sale is different than a direct sale because the agency sale is transactional. In today’s hyper-competitive environment for the ad dollars, no sale is transactional. So this consultant says that a face call is critical, while Pittman says that computers and programmatic – the opposite of a face call – is the correct way to go. This is the problem with radio today. Way way too many people thinking they know how to get it done, while they crush the sales effort by overburdening salespeople with needless meetings, report paperwork, reduced or no commissions, assignments that have nothing to do with sales…. And people wonder why millennials have no interest in radio sales as a job????

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