Sales newbie questions

Hello! I'm new to radio sales (but not to the radio industry) and I would like to know the best way to handle a few things. We are a small/medium station in the shadow of a large market. I would love to have some of the TV stations from that larger market advertise with us, as they have in years past. Who would one speak with at these stations who might be responsible for their own marketing and advertising decisions?

I would also like to have some of the larger beverage suppliers on the air with us (such as Anheuser-Busch or Coca Cola). They too have advertised with our station in the past. Additionally, I would also like to contact some franchises such as Dunkin Donuts or Subway, etc. What is best means of discovering and contacting the appropriate person at such companies?

I'm probably reaching too high but you never know...

Thanks!

Dave -- since no one has yet replied to you, let me refer you to an excellent free website where radio sales people answer questions like yours...I don't work for them but I do get a lot of good sales ideas from them -- it's called radiosalescafe.com -- they don't sell anything, it's just a good public service forum (like radio-info.com) especially for radio sales people like us.

So basically, you've taken a job you know nothing about? OK......


First, I'd try to learn a little more about sales in general. Whether it be radio time or otherwise. Selling a product needs involvement, understanding of it, and a passion for it, not to mention believing in whatever it is you are selling.

Next, I'd do a little research on who the appropriate department and contact is in said potential advertisers company you wish woo. That isn't classified information. Just call and ask. Really. Leave a card, go in person. Don't just send an e-mail and wait.

After that, I'd be blunt and ask them why they no longer advertise with your station. There is probably a reason and you may get to hear it too.

Last, I'd revert to the first sugggestion.

I would have to say the general answer is start locally.

I was in such a situation at one station. The local beer distributor and soft drink distributor had dollars available.

Dunkin' Donuts was a fun account. The franchisee contacted corporate and learned his dollars were being spent in the big city paper that had less than 15% penetration in our market. He got mad and threatened to pull his agreed advertising payments until dollars were spent locally. Within hours their ad agency placed a buy.

You might approach the TV station concept by going to the GM and talking promotion and asking about any dollars they can direct.

I think the most important thing you can do in sales is develop win-win situations and really work to make your clients more successful. If you do this, you'll elevate yourself above many asking for the order. Take your time to get to know your client so you can work for them. Selling is more of a 'in the middle' thing. Your job is to help the client, then there's advertising and that ends in results that earn the next buy.

davect said:

Hello! I'm new to radio sales (but not to the radio industry) and I would like to know the best way to handle a few things. We are a small/medium station in the shadow of a large market. I would love to have some of the TV stations from that larger market advertise with us, as they have in years past. Who would one speak with at these stations who might be responsible for their own marketing and advertising decisions?

I would also like to have some of the larger beverage suppliers on the air with us (such as Anheuser-Busch or Coca Cola). They too have advertised with our station in the past. Additionally, I would also like to contact some franchises such as Dunkin Donuts or Subway, etc. What is best means of discovering and contacting the appropriate person at such companies?

I'm probably reaching too high but you never know...

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Here is a great site for making those connections: www.jigsaw.com, it's my secret weapon, well, not anymore LOL.

Having read the posts here, I have only one piece of advice: Don't tell anyone where you are if you don't want the advertising snatched out from under you.

Recognizing as I do from some kid who told me that the 20 something generation, unlike the old folks, are real used to doing several things at once, I offer you the shoe leather (clean and shined), summer suit (tie completely optional) - completely fashionable in keeping with the situation and good old-fashioned cold calling. Despite the impersonal world spinning faster and faster, high on technology, I can pretty well promise you that people like to know who they are dealing with. I cannot tell you how many times people have told me that in the past couple of weeks alone. Well...I can, but that's not the point. It was more than once or twice.

I fully agree. Only I don't care if my competitor knows what I'm doing. I'd rather beat them on a long term relationship and outworking the rivals.

Face to face always wins. I worked one station that made you set appointments in person, not by phone. Not really the best use of time in the short run but clients really like the idea you're really willing to work to get their business. Face to face you get to a level of trust so much quicker than you do by text, email and phone. You can bet the business owner worked hard to get to where they are and when they see you are willing to do the same, you get the break you're looking for more often than not.

There's one other factor: the people who work at the business get to know you and share inside tips for getting the buy. One guy hated me because he was hard to get in touch with. Employees would ask why I came by and I'd tell them. By the time I got a face to face with him his employees were already excited about my idea and he felt he had to do it because his 'team' wanted to do it. It really wasn't that intentional. Many times I went to his department heads to learn the lay of the land so my proposal would be in synch with their way of doing business and the trend in sales at the moment. I mean when you're talking selling blue jeans, you talk to the department head about who they sell to, and other details, come across the clothing reps and learn more, including coop dollars available, etc., so I'd walk in with a written proposal that reflected the trends and sales for that business and any resources they had available to assist, like coop dollars and upcoming promotions that clothing rep might have on his calendar.

I've been in radio forever (first job was at age 5 taking the trash out at my dad's station),,I've sold, LSM, GSM, Station Manager, GM, owner,,,and currently am involved with a firm that buys and sells stations and translators (we aren't brokers we own what we sell)..,,one thing I always say, no matter what level your selling on, if someone throws my business card away (it could be from letter or cold call),,if they throw it away often enough, they will remember who I am

If there is someone i'm trying to get through to, I am constantly looking for anything they might be interested in, could be an article in the Wall Street Journal, something in a trade magazine, etc, and send it to them,,,I make sure they know I'm not just trying to "sell them something", I'm interested in their business and knowing more about it

Absolutely right! I was told when I got in sales that I was out to make friends and work for my new friend's success. That meant getting to know them and what they were trying to do. To even get there you have to be known to them and they have to admire and/or like you. You cannot be known and/or liked without presenting yourself as an asset to the business owner.

The funny thing about sales is selling product is way down the list. You will sell because you are important and valued by the business owner and because they like you. Don't ever discount being liked and that works both ways.

I never waste my time on a client that verbally abuses or does not value salespeople. I can forgive that in an initial meeting because the reaction is a reflection on the owner's past history with salespeople or they could be having a bad day, but if the client doesn't recognize the value you bring to the table, you'll hate having them on your account list. You really have to like your client and want the best for them.

If you take the attitude of working for the client's success you'll get the sales, but you never get there until you establish a personal relationship with the client. That takes time and many visits. You have to invest to get back anything and most people won't keep investing for the return. Another thing, don't run a mental tab on your time and effort investment. Your return might seen to be a loss on the tally but it is the unexpected windfalls that happen over time that can somehow get tied back to that client that will make up for your investment.

One rule of thumb for me was to never socialize with my clients. I didn't want them to think anything but business when they saw me. I also found once you became social friends it became easier for them to not advertise with you and that what you had to offer didn't seem as valuable.

I haven't been in sales forever, just since 1987 as a sales person, sales manager and general manager.

Someone tell me if I'm right or wrong.
I have a co worker who's submitted a proposal to an agency, did so a couple of months ago and we haven't heard anything back from the agency.
I asked this person to reach out to the agency to ask if there was any interest, do we need to adjust the schedule or dollars to which this person told me that I didn't know how agencies work, that you send them the proposal and let them take it from there.
To me that's just being an order taker rather than a sales person, I've sold other products before and have sold radio in the past though my first foray into radio sales I wasn't allowed by the GSM to speak with agencies, I was only allowed to sell direct but I would ehar salespeople who dealt with agencies at that station follow up with agencies to see what was going on and be more proactive.
So tell me, am I missing the boat here? or am I correct in thinking that a nudge and check in with the agency is the right thing to do?

What I found in dealing with agencies was three prong.

One prong was to talk to the 'media planner' about what promotions and sales were coming up. This way you could educate the rep on the market and how the local store competes. After this, knowing the promotions allows you the opportunity to create unique proposals that will look good when the decisions are made. Always asking what they want is key. What I'm really saying is you actually talk to the ad agency and help them do the best job they can. It is amazing how many radio people see ad agencies as their enemies. Many stations think they'd have the dollars if the agency wasn't involved.

Second is involving the local store(s) manager. When they are fighting the fight along side you, you have a better chance. Sell them on any idea you have. Suggest they call the ad agency or ask their supervisor if he/she can influence an advertising decision. Trust me, if a store manager calls the ad agency they listen; same goes with supervisors. They know managers know their stores, the market and have a reason (financial or bragging rights) to do well.

Third is simply getting on the buy list. This involves getting the station info to them and tailoring it to their specific clients. It never hurts to send, say an insulated large glass with your station call letters that might be filled with a soft drink or iced tea, coffee cup and simply anything with your call letters on it. If the rep will use it, you're always top of mind. When I was on the border working in radio, I'd send, say, a 2,000 Peso bill (back when that might cost about a dollar) with a note saying "Peso little, get so much". These little gifts work wonders. Frequently when you get on the buy list, it is months before you get an order and once you're on, you typically don't go off the list. Never discount the value of a real relationship with the agencies. Putting a face to the voice is like a miracle. Regular contact via little gifts or a call works wonders.

Building promotions is very important if you'll beat their cost point. I recall one year a cafeteria was going to do a campaign for Valentine's Day. I worked a proposal where I tied a flower shop, musicians, jewelry store and a couple of other businesses to a promotion for the cafeteria. The value of everything was about 3 times the dollar value I asked for which was the TOTAL budget for the market. I asked for exclusivity and got it. We let people ask their special someone to marry them. The future partner called in within the allotted time to accept and one of the couples got an engagement ring from the jeweler; all others got a substantial discount. We had live music at the cafeteria and ladies had a flower (mostly carnations) pinned on them when they entered the restaurant. There was more to this (ie: each diner got a value equal to their meal, if not more, in freebies), but all said and done, I took businesses who I would not gain a schedule from and tied them to the cafeteria and won 100% of the budget, not just for radio but all media in the market. To today's dollars that was about $6,300 when our typical spot rate was $8 in today's dollars.

Let me conclude by saying most folks at the agencies love personal contact since it is rare. They love knowing about your market since they're typically flying blind and trying to do the right thing. They love anything you present to this that tells their boss they got the best value for the client. Thus, go over the top, get in touch, stay in touch and go all out to make the agency look good while becoming the radio person your rep can count on to be a friend.

Don't underestimate anger as a reason. Yes, anger. I went to a nationally known donut store owned by a franchisee. He was kicking in 6% of his gross to marketing and all the dollars were being spent 150 miles away in the big city while he got no local dollars. He quit paying his 6% until he had local advertising and he got it: a good constant campaign with us and weekly inserts in the Sunday paper. After he refused to send one payment, and didn't, their attorneys threatened and he said to bring it on. It was less than 2 weeks later the buy came in. At one clothing store the new manager found out his bonus hinged on beating every store in his district which included the big city. When the agency said they'd spend nothing in a market with a stand-alone store, he was furious, called his supervisor on the spot and by mid-afternoon the agency placed a buy. Seems he was one of their better managers who had been sent to a struggling store to get it back to its previous success. The supervisor was so upset he called me to ask me to call him first because he didn't want to make the manager angry.

Have fun. When we tried to get Kinney Shoes on, they were using 'always the right shoe' as their line. We went to the store, bought a close-out pair of shoes and sent the right foot shoe to the rep with our media kit saying we were 'always the right buy'. That got us noticed. Even some brochures from the Chamber of Commerce is nice. Let them know as much as they want about where your station is located. At stations on the border where I worked we sent little miniature bottles of Tequila to reps with some other little souvenirs you'd find at the tourist shops. The idea is to stand out.