3-5-15
At the Radio Ink Sports Radio Conference on Thursday, attendees got a chance to peek inside the minds of some clients that wholeheartedly base much of their success on the medium. What do they look for in a rep? What goals does radio achieve for them? What more can and should reps be able to do? The panel was moderated by Dan Bennett, RVP, Dallas/ Houston, Cumulus Media and included Holly Krebs, marketing director, Low T Center, and Eric Maas, owner of Classic BMW/Plano, Texas.
Krebs was in radio for 19 years before moving over to the Low T centers (Low T, 50 centers strong, is a medical clinic treating testosterone deficiencies in men). Bennett asked Krebs how she now perceives local radio reps, being on the other side of the desk.
Overall, Krebs appreciates reps who are attentive and have follow-through. Most reps fall into that category, however, for some, she says, "I would get a budget and ask them for details on a potential campaign. Some do not get back to me. When you feel like your salesperson is with you, it makes a difference. When they keep me informed about a buy, it helps. Those are the reps I go back to. I want to feel like they are a part of my marketing team."
Maas said he looks favorably on the reps he enjoys doing business with. What does that mean for the ones that aren't on that list? He said, "If you don?t operate promptly and show you care, you will lose the account. If a rep is not responding to an e-mail, text, or call, that?s a problem. The ones that respond quickly are the ones I keep doing business with."
Krebs weights TSL heavily in her buy decisions: "I only pick so many stations in a market. I look at listeners that are loyal to a station -- the ones that stay through the commercials."
Maas then added that Sports is a format where listeners "make friends" with the talent: "TSL with Sports radio is amazing. I'm addicted as well. You wish all radio would be like that."
Maas has a very interesting way of doing research on what stations to buy in the Dallas market. He has all of the service advisers check and note each station that is on the car radio of all vehicles that arrive -- loaner cars included. And, he said, "Most of them listen to 1310 The Ticket."
Bennett closed by showing a video testimonial presentation he sends to buyers nationwide. It's a series of buyers explaining why they buy 1310 The Ticket and the results they've had. The advertisers included Six Flags, Low T, Zereoes, and the Grand Theater. One client noted, "Radio has made me a rock star where I work." Said Bennett, "I really recommend you do this for your station."
A question was asked of Maas: "Why are you so consistent with your message, even when sales are down?"
"It's not a sprint, it's a race," he replied. "You have to stay with your message. But sometimes you run a sale or promotion when your sales are down. Even with bad weather here, we recently sold 18 cars based on a radio campaign. If you change your message every other week, how will they know who you are?"
Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend
