You and I know that sometimes sellers develop fear about selling a product or service when the price is considered high. This can cause radio salespeople to sell clients enough ads to get a check but not enough that the client reaches their goals.
“You cannot maintain a long-term sustainable competitive advantage through price alone.” – Steven Caldwell
Think about that for a minute. Radio’s long-term sustainable advantages are not related to price. It’s related to relationship, connection, the mobility of our listeners, and the power of our creativity on-air to influence.
This makes radio unique among all advertising vehicles, but we don’t even give ourselves credit for that uniqueness.
Belief in radio to sell it is more essential than ever.
But if you are in the sales department of a radio cluster today, understand that advertisers are not looking for radio or TV or digital or anything other than solutions to problems. That’s right. They are focused on their problems; you should be, too.
We must be part of the discussion today. That’s why digital is so important. Digital is a part of almost all discussions because the world has changed.
But radio changes when the world changes and the clearer you see that radio is more than towers and transmitters and old-school media, the better off you become. We are community, events, social media, on-air, fundraisers, digital marketing, endorsements, influence, and the most important thing: We are growth.
That means that we must walk in to see an advertiser with a wide variety of tools and services, including our own creativity to help them get attention, draw customers to them, and hopefully gain access to repeat customers more often. And we must be willing to show advertisers the value and charge the necessary price.
What we sell is worth the price.
No one will object to price when they see the value they are receiving means more to them.
Here are some words for you to think about this week:
Brand is relationship.
Brands can charge more than commodities. That is a fact that doesn’t change.
If you sell in the broadcast industry today, ask yourself these questions:
- What makes me different, what makes me special to my clients and potential clients?
- Am I good at building relationships?
- Am I actively learning how to deepen my relationships?
- Do I believe in radio and do I see that radio is more than over-the-air?
- What is my brand?
We want to sell real brands in our market, but you must also begin to see yourself as a brand.
Here’s a secret. I believe in you. That’s right. We may not have met yet, but I believe that anyone can develop significant sales in our business.
This isn’t about how easy your job is. Sales is a tough job.
I know that everyone wants to win. Everyone.
You are your relationships.
You are your activity.
You are here to help people.
Do that and you become more of a brand.
Do that and you will become someone who is seen as the pathway to growth.
