Radio Commercial Sales Tips from American Music Concepts

I meet hundreds of local direct business owners every month and Web Sites are a common topic. There are three scenarios: 1) Client Has A Web Site and loves it 2) Client Has A Web Site and is not happy with it or 3) Client does not have a Web Site but would love one.

There is great opportunity in building stronger relationships with your clients if you can help them with Web Site Design service. If you can’t do it yourself, you should have a Web Designer on your team that can cook up a great new site for your clients. The simplest Web Site will inspire your clients to market that Site on your Radio/TV Station. Add a few bells and whistles like electronic couponing and some audio … and your client will think you’re a genius.

Your local direct clients want and need this service … and you should be the one delivering the goods. If you don’t know where to turn for a great Web Site Designer, we have an excellent one on our team here at American Music Concepts … If you need our Web Designers name and number, please let me know.

Next week we’ll look at the power of adding video to your site.

Here’s an idea that’s easy to implement and will make a favorable impression with your prospects and clients … sending hand written thank you notes. How many of them did you write in 2009? Sure, you send thank you notes via email all day long but so does every other media rep in your market. Hand written thank you notes will speak volumes about how much you care and adds a very professional touch to the way you do business.

Put this simple project on the top of your To Do List, head to your local printer today and order up a box of creative Thank You Cards. 2010 is going to be an amazing year … you better make it two boxes.

Your Speakers Series can take place at your local Chamber Of Commerce, local conference center or even your stations board room. I’ve done meetings at the Kentucky Broadcasters Hall of Fame, a civil war era hotel in New York State and even a haunted restaurant in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Each month you feature a guest speaker like a tax accountant, web designer, fitness expert, time management specialists, etc. The key is to make sure your guest speakers offer useful information for local business owners. The goal is to have your current accounts and prospects coming back month after month to your Speakers Series.

Need a few more ideas for speakers? Computer tech to discuss wireless networking, Banker to discuss credit card processing, US Post Office rep to discuss shipping issues, Ad Specialties expert, and even your favorite jingle guy from New Jersey are all potential presenters for your Speakers Series.

This practice will surely position you as a sustaining resource to your accounts … offering them useful concepts to better their business and their lives. I urge you to run with this idea starting in January … Please call me if you need help kicking off your program!

Selling with spec spots is the most valuable weapon in your war chest and probably the tool you use the least. Every week I travel around the country and discuss spec spots with sales managers and they all say the same thing … “Jingle Jim, you’re right. Spec spots are very helpful. We need to get back to doing more of them.”

Here’s a very direct question that only you can answer. How many spec spots did you present in November? My best guess would be zero … Am I right? Be honest with yourself … If your answer was zero, you are working at a severe disadvantage.

The best way to present a spec spot is with a two minute air check … Come out of a great song, read time and temperature and then the prospects spec spot plays. Immediately hit a station ID package and go right into another great song. Sell the sizzle of the station wrapped around the spec spot and it will sound just like it will on the radio. Hand the client the script and a red pen, and ask him to make any changes he feels are necessary. When the prospect starts making revisions, he’s on the way to being your next new client.

Present spec spots to every prospect you come in contact with and watch your sales soar in 2010.

Here’s a common occurrence at your radio station:

You work very hard to get a client on the air and after the flight starts, you move on to new business and take your eye off your new account. We have a tendency to under service current accounts because of   time management issues, lack of creative ideas to share, or the thought of facing an early cancellation.  Consider offering complimentary “Business Coach” service to all new accounts …. Actually lay out all the “added value” you’ll be providing during their initial advertising schedule with your Business Coach service.

Include some or all of the following in your Business Coach service … create a branding slogan, conduct a thorough co-op analysis, arrange meetings with their key manufacturer/vendor reps, introduce them to your favorite web designer, produce an on-hold and after hours telephone message, explore all of their recruitment needs, discuss the importance for marketing Midnight to 6:00 AM, and don’t forget jingles. Every client on your list should have their very own musical image package to tie it all together with a catchy melody.

Over the course of their initial trial run, deliver all of the above to your clients. When it’s renewal time … How can they afford not to do business with their very own personal Business Coach?

Warren Potash was the President and CEO of The Radio Advertising Bureau from 1998 – 1991. I had the pleasure of  seeing Warren make his pro radio presentation several times and they were very convincing. Warren carried a folder of current newspaper articles that made his case that radio was the way to go and newspapers were a dying medium.

I carry my own folder that’s filled with current newspaper articles about the current economic conditions and it’s filling up with lots of great news … Time, History Are On The Side Of Market Bulls, Confidence And Optimism Grown In Pockets Of The USA, and Dow Hits 10,000; Can Rally Go On? are just a few of the  newspaper headline clippings I present to prospects to me make my case.

When a prospect tells you things are too slow to advertise, read them some of the articles from your folder. It will be a very convincing positive addition to your presentation. Start talking about the worst economic conditions since 1930 as old news … past tense. Things are getting better, very quickly and you’ll now have more ammunition to prove your case!

I’ve had many requests to archive the entire library of sales tips from The Jingle Of The Week. The complete set of tips is now featured on our new web site: www.americanmusicconcepts.com.

This is a virtual treasure trove of money making ideas for radio sales professionals. The sales tips are broken up into four categories 1) New Business 2) Promotions 3) Sales Strategies and 4) Sales Tools. One quick visit to the sales tips section of the site and you’ll have more great ideas than you can handle. The new jingle jukebox is stuffed with American Music Concepts’ greatest jingle hits from all over the USA. … And don’t miss the slide show of testimonials from clients and radio station reps that are enjoying the benefits of our national quality jingle packages.

Our new site is a one stop shop for increased sales … and it’s all there, free for the taking … Enjoy!

I send over 6,000 Happy Birthday greetings every year to clients, prospects and Radio/TV reps.

People feel a little extra special on their birthday and when my Happy Birthday greeting arrives, my friends really get a kick out of it. There are several free Web Site reminder services and they all do a great job. Here are a few examples:

http://www.birthdayalarm.com

http://www.remindmealerts.com/

http://www.birthdaypal.com/

When is your Birthday? Please send me back the month and day … When you least expect it, you’ll get something from me on your Birthday that I know you will really enjoy!

I love a good idea and this week the Radio Advertising Bureau is launching a great idea.

The RAB just announced a Personal Membership program to Radio Sales Professionals. The coolest feature of the program is the ability of AE’s to effectively communicate with clients through a customized, self-branding Personal Promotional Micro-Site. Using an easy to use  interface, users can quickly choose their design template, select from key RAB resources, and load station information, sales materials, personal messages, video clips and more to create a personal, dynamic, and engaging personal Web Site … very cool.

Additional benefits include customized accessed to RAB.Com and limitless up to the minute news and information on the hottest business categories for new potential clients.

Here’s the best part … The Personal Membership program will run you about $4.00 a week … Now that’s a great, great idea!

Dan Mitchell, owner of 99.5 The Heat in Palm Springs, California always inspires me. Dan is a great story teller and he loves to tell real stories during presentations. Dan’s stories are all true and they always make the client feel good about moving forward with his proposals.

Keep a full war chest on hand packed with client success stories and them fire off when your prospects least expect them. You should have stories to help you sell long term contracts, recruitment campaigns, manufacturer supported programs … even going-out-of-business sales. Keep your stories short, authentic and local whenever possible.

Story telling is a great topic for a future sales meeting and it’s one more piece of the puzzle to help you increase sales.