You hear most conversations about the past radiate around how fun radio used to be. Today, we focus on business and rightfully so. But that old saying is still true: “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
Let’s talk sales, fun, innovation, and risk.
We recently had the honor of having Brandeis C. Hall, the former Sales & Management Trainer for Radio One on The Encouragers: The Radio Rally podcast (Apple, Audible, Spotify). I’m taking today’s article from her. So, “If you’re stealing from me, you’re stealing twice” applies here.
What struck me about Brandeis were three very specific things I want to share with you.
- Making fun experiences from work
- Injecting creativity beyond only selling
- Transforming sales training
The Value Of Making Fun Experiences
Brandeis took a job early in her career as a promotional stringer. It was just a fill in she was doing for a friend, but she said,
“4th of July, my friend was going to be handing out little American flags for WBAP to thousands of people. She said, ‘Would you come help?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ You know my prevailing philosophy of life is ‘Don’t forget to have fun. It’s work, fine, but you might as well make it fun.’ So, I was running around handing out flags. If I ran across a little boy with a blue shirt on, I would say, ‘We’re giving away flags to little boys with blue shirts and their parents!’”
“I was just having a good time. Listeners were approaching the promotions director saying, ‘Who IS that girl? She made us feel special.’ WBAP offered me a full-time job.” – Brandeis C. Hall
I don’t care what your job is. Focus on making it fun and you’ll find that’s contagious. Ask yourself what happens when you make client experiences with you fun? You know the answer.
Creativity Beyond Selling Matters
“I had to write all the commercials, and it turned out I had a knack for it. I wrote some fun, interesting ads, and the businesses began to see people coming in talking about their commercials because the commercials I wrote – they were pretty wackadoodle. They were fun; they were out there. When I saw businesses coming back and saying ‘PEOPLE are coming in and they’re buying my products! I love this.’ Especially when you are the minority station = a small station – that was just a rush that was hard to duplicate.” – Brandeis C. Hall
Selling isn’t only about getting the yes; it’s about going the distance to make sure the creative ROCKS. Sellers who care that much are special.
Why Transformative Training Matters
“In the past few decades, too many radio leaders are fearful of change. They’re not willing to be a visionary. But many of the original things about radio are still as powerful, but people consume radio in different ways now and we have to be willing to BE radio in the ways and avenues that people want to hear it and to be willing to pivot as it continues to change. And part of it is funding it.”
“On the sales side, we have a lot of the same kind of thinking. Many traditional sales strategies do still work, but many do not. Buyers have changed, there is digital, the pandemic changed things. Just time changes things.”
“We have too many salespeople who don’t really understand HOW advertising works. They understand reach and frequency. They don’t really understand HOW it works and they are selling advertising to clients who also don’t understand how it works. They think they do. So we end up with a lot of churn and former clients who believe radio doesn’t work and they tell other businesses. And it’s not true.”
“We could be doing so much better, but people have to be willing to change how they are doing what they’re doing. And there are so many of them and so few of us who are trying to show them how to do it. It can change lives; it changes the businesses on the street level – those local businesses – and I’m passionate about not letting something as wonderful as radio just slip beneath the waves.” – Brandeis C. Hall
Training transformation is confidence. Confident sellers solve problems. They don’t just sell things.
Here is the point: If you are unwilling to take the risk to stand out, you will be like everyone else. Can I encourage you to take measured risks today around making working with you fun, leveling up your creativity, and valuing training so that you are THE person everyone wants to work with now?
