(SALES) Making "Thank You" Memorable

2-22-2013

Little stands out in today?s world of electronic communications more than a hand-written thank you note. It is a lost art and the few who still take the time to make this a regular practice know the impact it has. Of course, as the account manager, you should make it a habit to send a thank you for every sale you make. But today, let?s talk about two additional new strategies regarding thanking a client for their business that will take the impact of documenting appreciation to even greater heights:

1. THANKS FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER: I encourage you to have a system in place called a Management Letter Request. Whenever a seller gets a new client on the air and the amount that client is spending is enough to categorically help them, the seller should fill out a Management Letter Request. This is a form sent to the GM asking them to write a letter to the new client welcoming them to the radio station?s family of advertisers and thanking them for their business. Additionally, the Management Letter Request is designed to accomplish something the seller cannot? brag on themselves! Look at this example:

Dear___________,
Welcome to the KXYZ family of advertisers. We are honored to be serving on your marketing team. Your account manager, (seller?s name here), is one of the market?s most admired advertising professionals. I know with (seller?s name again) at the helm, you?re in the  best of care. As general manager, I too  am always available to serve you in any way I can. Please do not hesitate to call on me. We?re grateful for your business and the opportunity to work for you.
Enthusiastically!
(GM name)

2. THANK YOU WHEN YOU?RE NOT BOUGHT:
Now let?s employ a second practice that, hopefully, you won?t have to use very often? sending a thank you when we are NOT bought. Yes, I said saying thanks when you?re NOT bought. This is a note to the business decision-maker who turned you down. It also lets them know they?ll be seeing more of you. Look at this example:

Dear____________,
I am sorry I was unable to convince you of the selling power of (your station name). I will keep trying! But, in the meantime, on behalf of the (your city) radio industry, I want to thank you for buying radio advertising and the stations you did buy. I look forward to meeting with you again soon.
Enthusiastically!
(seller?s name)

Imagine the impact this note will have as the advertiser realizes one of the only thank you notes, if any, they received was from a radio station they did not buy.

Always say thank you, in writing. Always have your GM do the same, and always say thanks when you?re not bought.

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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(TALENT) 6 Habits Of Memorable People

7-30-2012

By Angela Perelli

SPOILER ALERT: The #6 habit in Jeff Haden's "Inc." magazine article is to "get over yourself." That gem and five other tips on how to succeed in business are good reminders for all of us, and especially relevant for morning show personalities, who by nature of their job, should be interesting and memorable.

Here are the points from his article with my comments on how to relate them to radio. Read the original article here.

1. Don't see. Do.

"What you say isn't interesting; what you do is interesting. Spend your life doing instead of watching. Cool things will happen. Cool things are a lot more interesting and a lot more memorable."

In morning radio, some of your show will be about pop culture and topical news stories, and you do need to be informed. Yet, you have to be more than an entertainment correspondent. You have to have stories, and stories happen when you do stuff.

2. Do something unusual.

Personal stories don't come from going to work, going to the gym, doing a little show prep, and then watching TV. Stories come from living life with passion and with curiosity.

"Draw a circle and put all your 'stuff' in it. Your circle will look a lot like everyone else's: Everyone works, everyone has a family, everyone has homes and cars and clothes...."

"We like to think we're unique, but roughly speaking we're all the same, and similar isn't memorable."

"So occasionally do something different. Backpack to the next town just to see how many people stop to offer you a ride. Compete with your daughter to see who can swim the most laps in three hours. Or work from a coffee shop one day just to see what you learn about other people... and about yourself.

"Whatever you do, the less productive and sensible it is, the better. Your goal isn't to accomplish something worthwhile; the goal is to collect experiences.

"Experiences, especially unusual experiences, make your life a lot richer and way more interesting. You can even..."

3. Embark on a worthless mission.

"Remember when you were young and followed stupid ideas to their illogical conclusions? Road trips, failing the cinnamon challenge, trying to eat six saltine crackers in one minute without water... you dined out on those stories for years."

"So do something, just once, that adults no longer do."

We call them "quests" -- which give morning shows serial content, drama, viral content, and more. A quest can be a mission to find someone or something...or it can be a personal quest. A timely idea: Think about creating summer "bucket lists" for each show player as a "worthless mission" to create content for the summer ratings period.

4. Embrace a cause.

When we craft your character profile, we look for your endearing qualities as well as your flaws. Endearing qualities can include passion toward a charity. It shows you have compassion and heart.

"People care about -- and remember -- people who care. When you stand for something you stand apart. But..."

5. Let other people spread the word.

"People who brag are not remembered for what they've done; they're remembered for the fact they brag. Do good things and other people will find out. The less you say, the more people remember."

This is trickier for on-air personalities. Some ways around it:

A.     Air a call from someone your work has helped. You can be humble and even embarrassed by the attention.

B.     Twitter, too, can help by allowing people to thank you publicly without you tooting (or tweeting) your own horn.

C.     Keep the focus on the cause or on the listeners who helped the cause rather than on your own good deed(s).

6. Get over yourself.

"Stop trying to seem perfect. Accept your faults. Make mistakes. Hang yourself out there. Try and fail."

"And when you do fail, people will remember you because people who are willing to fail are rare... and because people who display grace and humility, especially in the face of defeat, are incredibly rare."

Think for a moment about those Facebook friends whose lives appear perfect. (Ugh.) Now think back on a post from someone admitting a character flaw, mistake, or faux-pas. (More likable and memorable, right?)

While you may not be as interesting as the guy in the Dos Equis ads, The Most Interesting Man in the World, think about what your ad would look like. Let me know at angela@randylane.net or on Twitter @AngelaPerelli .

Angela Perelli is a SVP at the The Randy Lane Company (www.randylane.net). She can be reached at angela@randylane.net  www.facebook.com/TheRandyLaneCompany  www.twitter.com/TheRandyLaneCo

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