(By Loyd Ford) What if there were a number of things you could begin doing today that would have a positive impact on the way people in your cluster and company see your growing value? Well, here are five strategies that can do exactly that.
- Think like a businessperson. No matter what part of the business you work in, think like a business person. Gone are the days when you were in radio. You are now in a business where long-term thinking is often only focused on the revenue that can be depended on this month and how profitable you can make your cluster going forward. This means that no matter what your job in radio is today, your profession requires you to become more educated about all parts of our business and to help wherever possible to achieve the business goals month to month.
- Be part of the bottom line. Revenue has never been more important. Today, you want to be part of important relationships, have the ability to read situations, showcase the value of your cluster to connective people inside the cluster, inside the company, and to clients and potential clients. Do these things and you will be perceived as “bringing additional value” to your cluster beyond the Xs and Os of your job title.
- Reduce the stress of your boss and those in management. If your boss has found him or herself in a position of responsibility in your company, you can bet they feel the responsibility of employees, deadlines, revenue, corporate stress, and much more. When you are a constant source of reducing that stress, your value goes up.
- Remember that money is made up but time is real. There is a lot of confusion in our business about value, content, and the difference between time and money. You’ve heard people say it and it’s true: Time is money. Be on constant lookout for ways you can improve process and help anyone at any level leverage their time better and accomplish more. If you are constantly looking to bring solutions to these issues, you will stand out in your cluster (and maybe your company). Just understanding this and seeing the world through these eyes will increase your perceived and real value.
- Listen more than you talk. A lot of people in our business think that successful salespeople are big talkers. Trust me, if they are big talkers, they probably are not big sellers and you should pay close attention to the winners and learn from them. One of the greatest skills any salesperson can have is that of listening well. It’s the same for you. We can all learn from that, and being a winner in this area will have an impact on your positive value for your cluster and company.
Today, being good at your job is the entry fee for working in radio. Employees who will be seen as highly valuable will be focused beyond the Xs and Os of their job so that they bring these five important strategies into their daily work life.
Loyd Ford has worked as a programmer in markets across the U.S. and spent over a decade working as a ratings strategist for Americalist Direct Marketing. He runs his own pure play digital platform and has a podcast. Reach him at Rainmaker Pathway; 864.448.4169 or [email protected].
