(By Rick Fink) One of the most iconic advertising slogans ever created was for Fram Oil Filters: “You can pay me now, or pay me later.” The simple but powerful message was that proper maintenance of your vehicle will save you lots of money down the road.
So, how does that translate to media sales? Imagine for a minute that one of your biggest accounts just announced they intend to make some drastic cuts. Their media portfolio currently uses several radio stations, outdoor, digital, and traditional TV.
When this happens, sometimes we know they are simply fishing for a “better deal”. However, if they are truly making cuts, it is more likely the client was already forming hard-to-change perceptions on which media or media rep they should cut long before that cut-back announcement was made.
“Preventive maintenance” is always more effective, and less costly, than “damage control.” It will not only save you money but also a ton of headaches and heartaches!
If all your clients ever receive from you are sales proposals and invoices, you can count on your stations being on the chopping block when it comes time for making changes and cuts.
Do you have a preventive maintenance program or does all of your energy go into just making the sale, looking for new business, and damage control? A well-planned system of bringing “value” to your customers and being a resource to them rather than simply selling them and sending them invoices is key to keeping them.
Rick Fink from ENS Media can be reached at 605-310-2062 or [email protected]. Read Rick’s Radio Ink archives here.
I wrestle with the idea of being seen as an expert or pest. Do buyers and clients appreciate it, or do they know the “move” I’m making?