3-22-2013
If you're a new general manager, I want to give you 12 things to do that will help insure your success. Take these to the bank!
1. Communicate regularly with your boss. Two or three calls per week is smart, but every Friday give them a re-cap your week. Having to leave a voicemail is fine. Just remember over-communication is better than not communicating enough. By all means, report the progress, the best sales that week, the great hires, and the homeruns. Your boss needs to hear the challenges and the things with which you need help, but being the manager that always has some good news is very smart.
2. Remember, there are no dumb questions.
3. Having a problem is okay, but always bring at least one well-thought-out solution to the table.
4. See the warning sign always posted right in front of the quick sand. NON-SALES ISSUES. The single greatest killer of managers is spending time on things that have nothing to do with revenue. The more time a manager spends on things that have nothing to do with growing revenue, the higher the quicksand rises. One day you?re knee deep. In 60 days it?s above your waist. In six months you?re fighting for breath and then, you?re gone. Never forget this warning sign.
5. Reduce sales turnover. Hiring them is one thing. Keeping and growing them is another entirely.
6. Asking for permission is always better than begging for forgiveness.
7. Don?t try to do everything yourself. If you don?t have people you can trust to get the job done, get some you can.
8. Sometimes it?s tough trying to get a decision from your boss. It?s okay to be a pleasant pain in the neck.
9. Remember the two unforgiveable sins in radio: Not protecting the license and being sold out and short of budget.
10. Leave programming up to the programmers. Be informed, learn it, understand it, and make the final decisions, but remember (with all respect), no one can screw up a radio station quicker than a GM who climbs in the programming cockpit and starts turning the knobs.
11. Dedicate personal time every week to recruiting.
12. You can control expenses, but you must grow revenue. So get out the office and sell, every day!
Rob Adair is the President of Pinnacle Solving. His company provides revenue growth solutions, branding and differentiation strategies to radio and other industries. Adair is a former radio industry COO and Sr. VP overseeing 25+ stations and multiple major markets. He can be reached at 405-641-0458 or by e-mail rob@pinnaclesolving.com
(3/22/2013 3:16:31 PM)
Very Good Suggestions - thanks.
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