(SALES) Managing Expectations

8-28-2013

Your local-direct advertisers know they can?t pay their mortgage with Facebook "likes" and they can?t send their kids to college with page views. They can only achieve their goals with sales.

Yet they are delighted with responses or likes on the Internet while they demand that their cash registers ring when they invest in radio campaigns.

Why? In part, because over-zealous radio sellers create unrealistic expectations and in part because of simple math. The simple math is: low investment = low expectation; high investment = high expectation.

Along with low investment comes a willingness to take more risks with the message; risks that can result in more effective messages than so-called call-to-action commercials.

Last week, I met a local hardware store owner who was ?amazed? with her responses on social media. She said her Facebook likes jumped from 6,000 to 18,000 with one simple post. The social media "gurus" would promote this response as "going viral" and claim a 300 percent increase.

During the early August heat wave, the store owner heard all of the publicity about people leaving their dogs in their cars. She simply posted a "dogs welcome" sign on the front door of her store, took a picture of it, and posted it on her Facebook page, inviting shoppers to take man?s best friend out of the heat.

Think about this "amazing" response. The appeal was emotional. It cost the advertiser nothing. It had no call-to-action and didn?t try to sell anything. And it won the hearts of dog lovers.

More importantly, it cost the Facebook friends nothing to share it and respond. It?s easy to get a response when you?re not asking consumers to open their wallets today.

There is no denying the Internet has changed the way consumers buy and the way sellers sell. In the pre-Internet world, many marketers practiced the ABC of selling: Always Be Closing??come in today, these savings won?t last.? And broadcasters got sucked into the old ABC trap with their commercials.

Marketers have learned that the ABC of selling today is Always Be Connecting, and the "dogs welcome" message certainly connected emotionally with pet owners.

I doubt the message would have gone viral had that store owner posted a one-day special on paint on her Facebook page.

As we continued our conversation, I asked the hardware store owner, ?Can you imagine the impact had you told that same story to 100,000 or more radio listeners in addition to 6,000 Facebook friends? And how your commercial would have stood out amidst all of the other "buy today" messages on the air?? She said ?Wow, I never thought of not asking for the sale in my paid ads.?

Broadcasters are just as guilty of embracing so-called "earned media" versus paid media as my hardware store friend. We hail it as a success when we capture a few followers on free social media, but question our investment when no one has ever said, ?Boy I love that billboard you paid for.?

In our eagerness to make the sale, many local broadcast salespeople have created unrealistic expectations, promising immediate results to clients rather than positioning the power of branding to Always Be Connecting.

And it?s those unrealistic expectations which cause advertiser dissatisfaction and high account attrition rates.

Advertisers who are happy winning hearts online can be even happier with their paid campaigns if we persuade them that we can win hearts and win wallets by combining powerful branding messages with a call to action.

It?s time to train your account executives about the power of branding at the local level.

Local marketers have a distinct branding advantage over larger national companies, and local broadcasters can exploit that advantage.

Local businesses can move quickly in response to local situations, like a local heat wave. Large national marketers cannot move that quickly, nor would the "dogs welcome" message resonate in some of their markets which might not be experiencing the heat wave.

There is no better way to Always Be Connecting than with heartfelt stories delivered by a human voice. Add to that the inspiring emotional impact of music and the other tools available to broadcasters, and radio can quickly become the fuel that drives an advertiser?s total media mix.

Wayne Ens, wayne@wensmedia.com,  is president of ENS Media Inc. ENS Media?s "Winning in the New Media Economy" seminars persuade local advertisers to reduce their print advertising in favour of a new media mix with a strong radio component.

(8/28/2013 1:10:08 AM)
As Wayne sez: "It’s time to train your account executives about the power of branding at the local level."

Why stop there. The ones who also really need the training are the GM's, the PD's, the Creative Department and the on-air staff. They are still operating as if some dopey sale price was important and a "call to action" wasn't, in reality, a slap to the listener's face.

And no, I'm not kidding. Wayne swung and he connected. I doubt he realizes he has hit one out of the park and into the next county. :)

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(SALES) Managing "The Vital Few"

6-14-2013

A search on the Internet attributes the famous quote ?Your only sustainable competitive advantage is to learn faster than the competition? to more than a dozen well-known business or marketing ?gurus.?

Regardless of who originated the now-ubiquitous quote, the best sales managers have embraced the principal and have made training one of the cornerstones of their success.

But the Pareto Principal, also known as 80/20 Rule, can throw the most well-intentioned sales manager off course.

The 80/20 rule was first revealed by Vilfredo Pareto when he discovered the importance of what he called ?the vital few? versus ?the trivial many.? The Pareto Principle dictates that 80 percent of your salespeople will not buy into your training or new revenue initiatives, but the most productive 20 percent of your staff will buy in and are eager to learn.

All too often, new revenue and training initiatives are abandoned or not budgeted for simply because the trivial many don?t buy in. Our experience has been that 80 percent of your sales increases will be generated by the vital few, the 20 percent who have embraced a lifelong pursuit of learning and are enthusiastic about new revenue initiatives.

While 80 percent might not buy in, it?s worth the investment and effort to give the 20 percent the knowledge and tools they need to grow your business.

Here are a few tips to help you prevent the 80 percent on your staff from derailing initiatives that motivate the top 20 percent.

1.) Check your ego at the door. It?s not about demonstrating how much you know, how smart you are, or how great you think your new idea is. With careful pre-planning, you can craft a series of questions or exercises to tap into the collective knowledge and ideas of the team. When the team discovers a particular training concept or revenue idea they take ownership of it and make it work.

2.) Use the 80/20 rule. Create an agenda where your team does 80 percent of the talking and you do 20 percent. Everyone on your staff has ideas and egos, and in the proper venue they will be eager to share with their teammates.

3.) Choose the right venue. When you want to conduct training or launch new ideas with impact, do so out of your normal office or boardroom environment. Send formal invitations to your selected venues in advance, complete with an agenda to give participants the opportunity to think about how they might contribute during the meeting. 

4.) Entertain and have fun. Use all of the tools at your disposal to engage your participants. There are YouTube videos that address virtually every topic you could want to discuss. Include videos, PowerPoint, audio, guest speakers, and vary your audio and visual presentations quickly and often.

5.) Conduct post-meeting evaluations. You can make each training topic more productive than the last, and each new launch more successful, by concluding every meeting with a short evaluation form for attendees to complete. Learn what they liked, what they didn?t like, what could be done better, and what was the most important or relevant part of the meeting for each participant.

6.) Never put down the trivial many. A portion of the 80 percent who do not buy into one particular project, might enthusiastically embrace the next initiative you launch. Take heart in the fact that if 20 percent climb on board and follow up, your training or revenue development project will pay off. And always recognize the 20 percent vital few for their contributions.

All too often, the quest for 100 percent buy-in results in abandoning projects or training that could have created 80 percent of your success. Managers who motivate the vital few recognize the power of 20 percent buy-in.

Wayne Ens is president of ENS Media Inc, www.wensmedia.com  producer of the SoundADvice radio e-marketing system and the Winning in the New Media Economy revenue development system. He can be reached at wayne@wensmedia.com

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(SALES) Managing Our Time

4-19-2013

We can?t manage time. We can only manage what we do with our time. We have to recognize the time thieves that cost us money. Things like personal phone calls, reading and returning emails that have nothing to do with our business, and surfing the Web, just to name a few.

We have to implement a time management plan that increases our productivity, reduces our stress, and manages our tasks and our appointments. The key is having things always at your fingertips. This includes a view of the current month, the upcoming month, and always the next 12 months, appointments from 7 a.m. through evening, and a space for tasks that must be accomplished today. Also, I like to carry a written or electronic page for every person with whom I have regular communication. This could be a boss, sellers, clients, dept. heads, etc. Whenever we have a discussion, I log a few notes on their sheet.

Set designated times and time limits for returning emails and phone calls. Build a neat, clean file for everything important. I carry the following files most all the time: TODAY, CURRENT, COMPLETE (to file), READING, and EXPENSES. Always carry your agenda with you, even on weekends. Today, most of us use our phone, but make certain your agenda is safely synced up and duplicated elsewhere. Each evening examine the next day. Are all appointments logged? Are your tasks for tomorrow listed in order of priority, A?s and B?s?

Say ?NO? to non-essential tasks. Think before you say ?Yes.? Take the time to do things right the first time. Errors result in wasted time. Doing the right thing is effective. Doing things right is efficient. Time-activate everything. Give everything an appointed block of time on your agenda whether it?s a person or a task. Among your most important appointments every day are the ones you make with yourself to accomplish what must be done. Update your tasks throughout the day. Priorities can change. Be flexible. Even the greatest time managers only commit about 50 percent of their calendar on any given day.

Now, you?re prepared for emergencies or sudden assignments. Know when you are most effective, mornings or afternoons, and plan accordingly. Eliminate trivial tasks that have no long-term benefit. Delegate or eliminate tasks when possible. Avoid being a perfectionist. Some things need to be closer to perfect than others. Keep your workspace neat. Time management experts have virtually nothing on their desk except what they?re currently working on. Only touch a piece of paper once. Everything should be in one of these three places: HOLD, DO TODAY, or TRASH. Clean your computer. Build archive folders. The only thing in your in-box should be what has come in within the last two hours. No one should have hundreds of saved emails in their in-box. If they aren?t worth archiving, permanently delete them. Keep the previous 30 days of deletes. When it comes to daily tasks, work only on the A?s. B?s can move to the next day. Allow yourself some down time each day. Allow yourself time for exercise. Don?t take 10 vacation days in a row. Under commit and you?ll over deliver.

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

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Managing In A Major Market

1-8-2013

Yesterday, Kim Bryant was walking the halls of WABC-AM and WPLJ-FM in New York City. Call letters that are recognized industry wide. Bryant was just announced the new Market Manager for the two Cumulus stations and was taking note of some of radio's biggest stars, who at one time, called one of those two stations home. 

From hundreds of applicants looking to lead the Cumulus New York cluster, Bryant got the call. Most recently at cable channel CineMoi, Bryant is a radio person, having spent 25 years with Clear Channel, and Westwood One. We spoke to Bryant about getting the call to turn WABC and WPLJ back into New York powerhouses.

RI: Why come back to radio?
Bryant: I just love radio. I am just so glad to be back in it, back in the local side of it, and thrilled to be working with Cumulus. I think radio is redefining itself as we speak. There are so many platforms out there. All of those platforms, whether you are talking about digital or any of those spaces, online, magazine, print....they all need radio to extend the reach. I think radio is being seen as an extension of that. I think we are having to redefine ourselves, so I think this is a perfect time to get back into radio and to help redefine it. I am thrilled to be a part of a company that is doing it and growing again, and not going backwards.

RI: What's it like getting the call to be the manager of WABC and WPLJ? 
Bryant: I am still pinching myself. It is a thrill of a lifetime. I never dreamt in a thousand years that I would get that call. I am absolutely thrilled and full of pride and excited to be a part of these unbelievable stations that have been a part of the fabric of New York for years and, quite frankly, created radio as we know it today.

RI: What do you think the biggest challenge of managing in New York City is?
Bryant: I don't think it has anything to do with New York City. It's like any market in any format. It is about selling radio today. I think you have a generation of buyers and planners that live a different lifestyle than  the rest of the country,  or who's listening habits are different in Manhattan, or maybe their listening habits are different. I think selling through the relevancy of radio is really important in New York. I think that has been the challenge in New York for a while. In talking to people that live and breathe here, who have been doing this for the last 20 years, Manhattan is one of the biggest challenges. I think that is probably it. I think, again, that radio is in a different place today than it was three years ago, and we are redefining ourselves and really redefining where we fit in that new landscape.

RI: Where do you want to take those two stations, other than the obvious, to drive the revenue higher?
Bryant: In the market, I want the market to believe and feel that they are the brand and the heritage stations that they once were. I want this building to believe that they are the brand that they once were, and currently still are. I walked the halls today, and you can't help but be impressed with the Scott and Todds and the Imuses -- everything that built these two stations to where they are today, really their essence is still here, and they're still great and there is still great things going on in this building.

(1/9/2013 2:37:37 PM)
"Brand. Platform. Lifestyle. Digital. Redefining." What, no "social media"?
(1/9/2013 10:15:14 AM)
Why bet against her? The landscape can shift and she might have the resourcefulness to make it work out. I'd take the Vegas odds on her.
(1/9/2013 9:39:11 AM)
I have a lot of respect for Kim and I wish her the best.
(1/9/2013 7:14:29 AM)
She just became the captain of a sinking ship.
(1/9/2013 3:25:44 AM)
Good luck to Kim! And you have to appreciate her enthusiasm. ... The success of radio stations, or any platforms, is driven by UNIQUE COMPELLING CONTENT. Unfortunately, Cumulus completely trashed legendary stations KGO in San Francisco and KABC in Los Angeles, by dumbing down the stations with syndicated programs that local listeners DID NOT CARE ABOUT. It is doubtful that the Dickeys have learned anything by these failures.

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WGN Ups Judy Pielach To Managing Editor

Pielach
TRIBUNE Talk WGN-A/CHICAGO has upped Newsroom Coordinator JUDY PIELACH to Managing Editor.  PIELACH, who joined the station in 1986 and won two regional EDWARD R. MURROW Awards from the RTDNA for her series on her own battle with breast cancer and another on suburban teen heroin addiction, will continue to anchor the station's midday news.
Dir./Programming and News BILL WHITE said, "I'm very pleased to announce JUDY's promotion to managing editor of WGN RADIO news.  JUDY is an accomplished news professional, and her leadership and excellent news judgment makes this a natural transition."
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(AUDIO) The Secret to Managing The Miami Market.

5-3-2012

After nearly 40 years as a driving force in radio, Cox Media Group Miami Market Manager Jerry Rushin (pictured) has officially announced that he plans to enter retirement in July, 2012. Rushin has spent his entire 40 year career in the Miami market. He's getting ready to turn 65 and wants to spend a little more time enjoying life. In 1973 "Super Jerry J" began his career on the air part-time at WEDR-FM. That station is still part of the management responsibilities that Rushin will relinquish in July. last night we caught up with Rushin and asked him about his career, how he motivates his managers and staff, the importance of community involvement and working for Cox.

OUR INTERVIEW WITH JERRY RUSHIN

Cox Group Vice President Rich Reiss said, ?I?ve had the great privilege of working with Jerry for more than a decade, and his commitment to the success of his stations, his people and the Miami community has been unmatched. As a leader, his tireless focus on developing talent has allowed many people to thrive and grow. Professionally, we will miss his dedication, media savvy and tireless efforts on behalf of the community. Personally, I have counted Jerry as a valued friend and will miss the opportunity to work with him on a day-to-day basis. While Jerry?s departure will leave big shoes to fill, we wish him only the greatest happiness as he enters this new phase of his life.?

The search for Rushin?s replacement is underway, and a successor will be named in the coming weeks. CMG Miami operates WFLC 97.3 FM, WHQT 105.1 FM, WEDR 991. FM, and WFEZ 93.1 FM.

Send a note of congratulations to Jerry for a lengthy and successful career well done. Jerry.Rushin@coxinc.com

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(MANAGEMENT) - Managing Eeyores And Pessimists

2-8-2012

We?ve all been there. You?re working on an important project and one of your team members, co-workers, or even manager is the eternal pessimist. I like to call people like this, Eeyore. You remember Eeyore, the gloomy donkey from Winnie the Pooh. The words and phrases you often hear from pessimists are things like, ?it won?t work?, ?I can?t?, ?why?? Not only can these people de-motivate others they can also derail a project.

So what do you do to assist the Eeyores in your life? Ignoring them is not the right answer although many of us choose this as the solution, thinking that they can?t be helped.

You first have to remember that they didn?t start being a pessimist last week. They probably came out of the womb looking at the world in a negative light. So any change that does occur is going to be small and slow. So be very alert to the smallest positive change and praise them for it when you observe it!

When I work with leaders who are focused more on the negative, the challenge is to get them to open their eyes to more options then what they initially see. In fact often they see no options. I will also challenge their beliefs that often lead them to a negative conclusion. For instance, if I hear ?I can?t? from someone, the next questions are: What makes you belief this? What proof do you have? How solid and reliable is the proof? The goal is to get them to start seeing things in a more balanced realistic way.

The other part to the process of managing the pessimist is to get them to see how they are impacting others around them. A good first question when someone claims ?I can?t? is: If you can?t do it, how do you think it is going to impact others on the team? What resources or assistance do you need so you ?can??

It won?t happen overnight but if you take action and don?t ignore the pessimist you will start to see some positive changes.

Beth Armknecht Miller is Founder and President of Executive Velocity, a leadership development advisory firm accelerating the success of senior executives and the companies they lead. Her career spans over 30 years and includes management positions in Fortune 500 companies as well as several entrepreneurial ventures, one of which was honored as an Inc 500 winner. Visit www.executive-velocity.com or http://executivevelocityblog.com

(2/8/2012 2:35:19 PM)
Larry,

I totally agree that if you have a pessimist whose behavior is toxic to the organization, then they need to be shown the door. On the other hand, there are those who genuinely want to improve and once they see the impact that their negative thoughts have on others and are coached through identifying ways to decrease their pessimism they can become less of a negative person from the outside. They learn to internalize many of the negative thoughts.

(2/8/2012 10:16:17 AM)
Sunny article, but I think the best medicine for an eternal pessimist in times of great transition is to wrap your arms them lovingly and escort them to the door. Help them find a place to work where their beliefs are aligned with those of the company's.

I know from personal experience that it takes a tremendous amount of energy to manage change and to generate positive momentum with those who are even halfway willing to give it a try. The eternal pessimist--especially a senior-level seller--is like a saboteur--running around planting bombs everywhere and sowing negativity in the minds of everyone else.

Would love to hear some success stories where great managers have turned an ETERNAL pessimist (not an occasional one) around.

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SOCIAL - 7 Tools For Managing Social Media

12-20-2011
by Loyd Ford

If only you had more time, right?  Social media can be time consuming.  As you begin to look at your plans for 2012, consider these seven potential tools for getting more out of your social media with less time. Screenr.com gives you opportunity to record ?screencast.?  You can put your screencast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and it will even pop on your listeners? iPhone.  And it?s free. 

Sproutsocial.com promises to super-charge your social media efforts. It offers opportunities for you to check on how your competitors are moving forward.  Cinchcast.com allows you to record and share audio messages with your followers.  You can push these messages directly to your Facebook status or Twitter stream. 

Dlvr.it allows you to post your content on all social networking sites instantly. You can control the content being published on different networking sites.  Schedule the posts, track the results. Posterous.com allows you to share more, work less and update all your content via email.  Post anything from photos to videos.  Used correctly, it allows you to reduce the social media overload.

TwentyFeet.com allows you to aggregate all your stats in one location.  Easy setup, daily stats via email.  Monitor Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace and more and watch your performance over time.  You can get some things for free ? others cost.  Sysomos.com allows you to identify and engage with key influencers, access metrics to track campaigns, gather insight and intelligence about what is being talked about and monitor conversations happening in blogs, social networks, forums, news sites and more.

We all know that it is important for radio to be available to listeners on social media platforms.  It is ?being there? for them in the new forms of social environment important because your listeners are spending time there.  Often lots of time.  After all, if you are not on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, listeners will find other things to replace you and you will lose critical opportunities to grow closer to important listeners and those they influence. 

If you?ve read anything I have written on social media, you know well that I suggest having a specific strategy to reach your goals.  If you don?t know where you are going, you often end up somewhere else.  These tools can help you manage your efforts, but it is also important to bring your team (no matter how small) together to understand your goals and work to bring everything together for your success in 2012.

Loyd Ford programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes for years, including KRMD AM & FM in Shreveport, WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Learn more about Loyd here: http://about.me/loydford.
Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE
Visit his Facebook radio social media page www.facebook.com/socialnetworking4radio

(12/20/2011 1:21:29 PM)
Very interesting article. You don't hear too much about social media and radio beyond contests etc, so it was interesting to get an inside perspecitive.
Also, thanks so much for giving Sysomos a nice recommendation.

Cheers,
Sheldon, community manager for Sysomos

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How Are You Managing The Panic?

by Ed Ryan

The economic environment isn't pretty. As Washington D.C. politicians head back to their districts to BBQ with family or go fishing with friends, the ripple they sent skipping into the economic waters of the United States worsens by the day. When Congress returns to the Capital to continue their never-ending spending spree, their paychecks will not be affected by what's taking place in  the economy. A great gig if you can get it. Meanwhile, the businesses that hire and the consumers that spend watch nervously, wondering, if a double-dip is right around the corner. And you need to make sure August comes in and then some, no excuses, just hit your nunmbers.  

No matter what's going on with our lawmakers or what's going on in the stock market your salespeople still need to get in their car this morning, drive to their next sales call and convince advertisers now IS the time to advertise. Now IS the time to tell consumers to spend. Now IS the time to use your radio station to get that done. Despite what's happening on Wall Street, the sales projection printout sitting on your desk is not going to change. 2nd quarter revenue for most radio companies was flat and the reality of today's world is unless you get revenue up, there can be no complaints if a request to cut expenses is next. That's what life is like in the business world, unlike government, where printing and spending money is a sport. So what's the plan?

How you handle the panic is going to be the key to your success. Salespeople can be a fragile species to manage. They see what's going on. They know their clients see what's going on. And they know you are not going to lower their goals just because the S&P is in a political war with Washington. Having been a salesperson and managed many I can understand how self-talk can convince you the right thing to do is to allow that client to keep his money. Great managers will be able to build up those salespeople and get them focused on how an advertiser that spends $1 can expect a return of $10 - or whatever the numbers are. Great managers will make sure advertisers understand what to expect their return-on-investment to be with every radio schedule they run. There is no worse feeling for a than when an advertiser calls the station and the salesperson immediately thinks he's going to cancel. That expectation should always be because he wants to order more commercials because they are working. Too often we don't manage or service the advertisers expectations.

This is the time strong relationships matter. More importantly, this is the time salespeople and sales managers have to be able to convince businesses that, if they have a good product today, just like they did yesterday, consumers need to know about it. Great salespeople know how to ring that bell. It would be nice if every team was made up of great salespeople. Wayne Ens is president of ENS Media. He says your salespeople are facing real people who are, rightly or wrongly, emotionally concerned about their survival. "The last thing nervous clients want to hear is standard objection response number 22a, ? You know, the businesses that do best after tough times are those who advertise through tough times?. While that?s true, all of your competitors have already told your prospects that. To differentiate yourself and win, you have two options; 1.)   use the next 48 hours to write powerful strategic presentations and develop customer-focused solutions to present in a couple of days when the dust settles. 2.)   train your reps how to sell in tough times. The secret is to help them understand that cuts need not, nor should not, be across the board. The best rep will not only survive the cuts, they can actually increase their sales by capturing a small portion of the cuts the traditional space or spot sellers will experience. No one wants spots or space in tough times, they want solutions." 

Sales meetings should be upbeat and focused. Today's sales meeting should be all about how salespeople are going to approach clients fearing for their financial well being. Now, more than ever, salespeople should role play - and be graded - on what they know about their clients business and the customers of that business. How are your salespeople going to hit the street today and help those businesses move your listeners to take action. Radio executives now love to talk about how radio listening remains strong, "over 90% penetration," despite the new competition. It's nice to hear, but there's no doubt they'd rather be talking about how their quarterly revenue jumped by 10 to 12%. And that's up to you.

Feedback to edryan@radioink.com
or leave your comments below.

(8/9/2011 6:27:42 AM)
I attended Mass a number of years ago and the Priest started his homily with, "And today we are going to preach the Good News"....and all heads in the church looked up in hope of being comforted with positivism....our sales meetings should aim for similar goals.

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