(SALES) Recruiting Sales Talent

3-8-2013

As managers, we have always heard the importance of continually recruiting sales talent. We?ve heard a suggestion or two as to how to accomplish this, but it?s likely you have not been given a proven list of action steps that actually can provide you some success and an effective recruiting plan. If you?re doing all of the following, then skip this article and go play golf. I?m sure your bench is full.

1. ON-AIR CAMPAIGN: Done by many but done effectively by few. The most effective on-air recruiting ads utilize real-life actualities from two different sources: (a) Your current successful sellers verbalizing their success and love for what they do, and (b) Current clients that share the success they?ve experienced with your station and their account manager, by name; an endorsement of how their rep has helped grow their business. Remember, real-life actualities mean taking excerpts from taped interviews, not someone reading copy into a microphone.

2. FAMILY BONUS PROGRAM: Incentivize all employees and their immediate families. If you run into a great salesperson -- it could be at a furniture store, jeweler, wherever -- tell us about them. If we hire them, you?ll receive $250 and on their one-year employment anniversary, you?ll receive another $250.

3. GO SHOPPING: Once or twice a month, go to a mall or department store. For example, ask the salesperson at the jeweler, ?Tell me about this diamond tennis bracelet. I find it hard to believe it?s worth $2,500.? If they do a great job, know the product, are convincing and professional, they may need a career change.

4. PAID INTERNS: Marketing and mass communications senior students need spending money while in school. Working in your sales department for $10 an hour, 10 hours a week can be a great training ground for joining your team upon graduation.

5. UNIVERSITY RELATIONSHIPS: As the GM or GSM, be a guest speaker to advertising or marketing classes at every opportunity. Meet the students and invite them to see you about a career in sales.

6. CLIENT INCENTIVES: ?Who?s calling on you from other media that are really good? Who should I know about?? If you hire one, thank that client with a nice dinner for two and tickets to a great concert or event.

7. SURROUNDING MARKET SALES MANAGERS: Contact the sales managers at the #3- or 4-rated station in another market within 200 miles of you. Ask them, ?Think about the best sellers at your competitors. Who would you like to see leave town??

8. INVOICE STUFFERS or ADS on ELECTRONIC INVOICES: Send out notices of openings and job opportunities to all your current clients when you send out your billing. Make it a hot color, bold, and noticeable.
An hour or two a week devoted to recruiting can change everything, but you have to have a specific plan. Ask any coach of any team about the continual importance of recruiting.

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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Rick Perry Recruiting California Residents With Radio

2-5-13

Texas Governor Rick Perry is using six radio stations in California to recruit residents out of that state and into his state. The ads tell California residents they can always "come check out" Texas if they want lower taxes. California recently passed a huge tax increase on residents. The ads are being played in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and San Diego.

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RECRUITING - Build Your 2012 Dream Team

12-16-2011

by Laurie Kahn

With the end of the year quickly approaching, it is often a time to review, reflect and think about what can be done differently in 2012 to help your company increase revenue and in turn increase profitability. The first thing that comes to many of our minds is that we need to improve ratings and/or sell more!  However, there are other areas that may need some ?massaging? as well!  To run an efficient and effective operation and to increase profits means we need to do more upfront work and strategic planning.

During the economic downturn many companies laid off a good share of their workers to save money. I wonder how many of those layoffs were done in a strategic manner or how many simply took the most expensive, most senior or junior staff and cut them without really scrutinizing who could benefit the company the most, who on the team could pick up the skills of those that had departed or how they needed to realign job descriptions to make sure as Stephen Collin?s preached to us years ago, that we had the right people on the bus.

We all regularly hear about radio stations needing to find talented sellers, it is one of the top issues at every conference. However, not only do stations need to find good sellers, they need to make certain that each employee is right for the job they are doing, which may not be what they were hired to do. For a station to run efficiently and within budget constraints as many are experiencing, it is crucial that each person has a detailed job profile outlining not only what skills are needed but what they are responsible for doing on a day-to-day basis and what is expected of them overall. 

All job profiles should be reviewed at least on an annual basis or more often to confirm that all aspects needed are being covered by someone on the team. Too many times it is ?assumed? that someone is covering a key area of responsibility when in reality no one is and the task is going undone. A solid job profile can also be used to review employees and develop compensation plans. It absolutely can be used to replace someone who is not meeting the standard of work expected. A detailed job description can help make sure you hire correctly which will lower your turnover, thus help with recruitment, un-employment, severance and separation issues.

When reviewing and revising job descriptions one of the problems many face is that we tend to consider who is in the job now and we build the profile around their skills vs. taking the person out of the equation to develop what the job needs. Once that is done, then is the time to consider each person to ascertain if they are right for the job that you need done. If they were hired to do one job and then due to layoffs, had other duties assigned to them, it is in the best interest of the job to review if their skills match the new profile.  If you are going to run your business with fewer people, make sure it is the right people in all departments!

Laurie Kahn is Founder and President of Media Staffing Network and can be reached at 480-306-8930 or via e-mail at laurie@mediastaffingnetwork.com. Visit the Media Staffing Website www.mediastaffingnetwork.com

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