(SALES) Double Oh! 7 Steps

9-16-2013

Severin: Would you mind if I ask you a business question?

Bond: Depends on the question.

Severin: It has to do with death.

Bond: A subject in which you?re well-versed.

Severin: And how would you know that?

Bond: Only a certain kind of woman wears a backless dress with a Beretta 70 strapped to her thigh.

Severin: One can never be too careful when handsome men in tuxedos carry Walthers.

I?ve always loved the James Bond thrillers. I admired the writer Ian Fleming for his intriguing novels and of course for how he always had Bond solve the case and close the deal at the end. Servicing them after the sale was a whole different matter, especially in "Casino Royale" when Bond fell in love with Vesper Lynd.

For those of you who will not be in attendance in Orlando this Friday morning during the sales super session on the main stage, I will give you a sneak peak of my new Bond spinoff seminar thriller ?Double Oh! 7 Steps.?

In an opening call, there are seven steps. On a closing presentation, you also have seven steps that you cover, including confirming the agreement. Here?s your preview for Friday morning at the NAB/RAB Show:

Step 1: Re-introduce yourself: You want to be back within 72 business hours. The world might have changed and you need to bring the prospect back to where you were on the original opening call. You never know: 9/11, stock market collapse, oil almost doubles in price in three days -- all of which have happened in my career and you need to bring them back to the point of the original call. Also, you have to get back there in 72 hours. On average, the owner/buyer sees 28.6 people selling them either a product or service during the course of a week. Don?t let your enemy operatives take your money. Get back in there quickly.

Step 2: Review your previous meeting: This is where they checked off the three things that were most important to them on the marketing checklist. You will cover those three things and then also show them how you?re going to carry out your mission in accomplishing those objectives. Any quantifiable numbers have to be reviewed here. I like to also state the dollar amount you agreed on before you left your opening call so the objection of ?that?s too much money? never comes into the equation on the closing presentation.

Step 3: Present your media and anything you are bundling up with it: This is three minutes max. You have approximately 17 minutes on a closing presentation before the prospect drifts off into space and attention spans are shrinking. This is not where your laundry list of how great your company is presented. Save it. Most prospect don?t really care if you?re selling them Timbuktu or hot air balloons. What they are interested in is how you are going to help them grow their business.

Step 4: Present your creative ideas: This is the money shot! This is where you establish your emotional connection. You present how your media will bring in the desired expectations that you both have agreed on. Show them how you are going to do it. It?s about the creative! If you?re not taking ideas (specs) out with you on closing presentations then you are not selling. Case closed.

Step 5: Present your scheduling campaign: Vital! You can have a great idea and run the wrong schedule/placement and blow it and not reach the target or have too little frequency or impressions.

Step 6: Overcome objections: I like to isolate objections to the end of the presentation. Otherwise, you could lose control of the call if you start having to overcome them early in the presentation and you can get bogged down and the clock runs out on you. Much of the information in your presentation will cover many of their questions as you go through your presentation. On Friday morning, Pam Lontos and Speed Marriott will show you how to overcome objections and close in the Super Session.

Step 7: Confirm the agreement: The case is not closed until the signature goes on the agreement.
In every Bond movie there is a Bond girl. I love role-playing in training and using demonstrations to sink in some points, or ?steps? in this case.

So you won?t see Severin, Vesper Lynd, or Xenia Onatopp on Friday morning, though you?re sure to see the new Bond girl, Wanda Closeme. It?s sure to be streaming live?Whoops, I mean videos will be made available to stream so the entire industry will be able to see the action according to the NAB/RAB. 

Xenia Onatopp: Enjoy it while it lasts.

Bond: The very words I live by.

For me, I?ll take a vodka martini, shaken and disturbed. You might also see some dry ice Friday morning!

Sean Luce is the Head National Instructor for the Luce Performance Group International and can be reached at Sean@luceperformancegroup.com or www.luceperformancegroup.com.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

(SALES) Scoring Huge In 7 Easy Steps

8-19-2013

Finding great sales talent is an art.

It's not easy to find the eager and talented sales reps that can compete in today?s media world. Our management team in California found a couple of them recently. The exciting part is to train them from the ground up or build upon the skills they have already acquired. That?s my job!

As a wide receiver playing football, the first thing they taught me was my ?steps.? If you don?t know the plays, you won?t be on the field. Simple as that.

You always start with the basics. Back slapping might only get you as far as a television sit-com in Cincinnati ? watching from your couch.

Here are the seven steps on a first call that are drilled into our reps forward and backwards until they can recite them step by step and, more importantly, execute them on a sales call. It?s also important to know you don?t have to go Step 1 through 7 in that order. The great sales reps can bounce around between them, as long as they walk away having covered all seven steps. Remember, closing happens on the CMP (Customer Marketing Profile -- CNA) when you quantify and qualify the prospect.

Step 1: Initial Greeting -- Break the Ice and Build Commonality

The most important step, in my opinion. If you can?t begin to build trust, you?re going to have a tough time getting the information you are going to need to build any kind of a creative campaign, let alone put together a schedule or put yourself in a position to close them down the road.

There?s no time-limit on Step 1. Just be sincere. Hopefully, you have done some research on the person you are seeing and you already know something about them that will help you to build some common ground. Notice pictures and achievements where you really care about what they did. Just be real. Don?t fake it. Otherwise, you?re out quickly. This step could take you five minutes or an hour depending on the level of comfort you have established.

Step 2: Transition into Your Objective -- Why are you there?
Whatever you did to get the appointment -- phone, walked in and met them, electronic -- restate what you did and go back over this to set the stage for your purpose on the call. ?As I mentioned to you on the phone when I set up this appointment, I noticed some of the great displays you have on your furniture. Your salesperson Electra was very knowledgeable about your products and I noticed some things inside your store where there could be a match between your business and [your media company] -- I?m not sure yet and that?s the reason I requested this time to meet with you to find out a little more about your business.?

Step 3: Information-Based Questions
This is where we use our CMP and start by asking easy, open-ended questions such as ?Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.? The prospect checks off their top three reasons to advertise and then we drill down on target customer profiles and lifestyle information. Drill down on profit centers, competition, and make sure you ask about co-ops where applicable. Where do they spend their money in marketing?

Step 4: Transition into Your 1-10 Question
The easy questions are over. You should now have the reasons why they want to advertise, who the target is, and where they spend their money. Now you?re going to find out where it hurts. You?re the doctor and you need to find out where the pain is. Instead of asking, ?What are your problems?? Ask, ?On a scale of 1-10 -- and there is no perfect 10 (takes away the objection they don?t need any more people coming into their store) -- how would you rate your current marketing effectiveness? Ninety percent of the time they answer 7 (believe it or not -- try it). Your follow-up questions is: ?Why not an 8 or 9??

Now you have the permission to ask tougher questions and more problem-related questions. Drill deep here. Never ask a problem-related question without having a tougher question behind it. Do an MRI and find the break in their leg.

Step 5: Quantify
Today they are moving 50 cars a month on average and they would like to move 60 a month. Is it realistic based on what they?ve done in the past? If you walk out without quantifying their expectations, you?ll be left with asking the dreaded question at the end of the schedule (you?re already toast by then) ?How?s it working?? You should never have to ask that question. You should be in their business all the time -- measuring, tracking, and sourcing their advertising based on the expectations you set up with your prospect.

Step 6: Qualify
The money shot! If you walk away without them telling you how much it?s worth to go from 50 to 60 cars a month -- which could be $400.00 per car or a $4,000-a-month schedule -- then you'll face the #1 objection in media sales: ?That?s too much money.? Closing happens here. ?If I could come up with an idea that could get you from 50 cars a month to 60 cars a month, would it be worth $4,000 to do it -- and I need a minimum of four months based on the buying cycle of automotive buyers?? It?s yes or no. Simple, closed-ended question. Qualify the money. They have to say it.

Step 7: Set Up the Next Appointment in 72 Business Hours
You have a short window here. If you made an emotional connection they will want to see you back with an idea right away. The more time that goes by, the less chance you have of closing it when you come back.

Sean Luce is the Head Instructor for Luce Performance Group International and can be reached at sean@luceperformancegroup.com or www.luceperformancegroup.com.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

(SALES) 4 Steps To Hiring The Right Salesperson

6-10-2013

Over the last few years I have seen sales departments sometimes take a strategy of adding salespeople in order to have more of a presence on the street and allow the station to cover more accounts. At the same time, I have seen other sales departments go in the opposite direction, shrinking the number of salespeople they have on staff to go with a more consolidated approach. But don?t worry; this is not an article on which strategy is best (we?ll save that for another day).

In either scenario, hiring the right person is incredibly important. A bad hire is very expensive. The time spent finding, training, and ramping up is all lost if the person you hire is not able to make it past even the first year. Companies that suffer from high turnover in the sales department are losing money on both the top line and the bottom line.

So how do you make sure you are hiring the right salesperson? That?s one of the questions I?m asked the most. While some might think hiring salespeople is easy, those of us who are responsible for making the hire know differently. If you are the one responsible for the hiring process and the on-boarding of these new sellers, you are probably left wondering how you?re going to get it all accomplished.

Here are four essential steps you should take if you want to make sure you are hiring as effectively as you can.

1. Constantly make deposits into your talent bank. Chances are that you don?t have a strong talent bank to tap in to. Take time right now to begin filling up your talent bank. Commit to doing 20 interviews this month. This is a challenging goal and you will probably have to call upon all your resources to make it happen, but there is no better time to do it. A good way to think about this part of the hiring equation is to consider it part of the recruitment phase. In this phase, all you?re doing is looking to fill the talent bank.

2. Ask your network who they might know. Ask a minimum of 10 people you trust for three names of individuals who meet the description of the type of salesperson you are typically looking for. Be clear about the fact that you are not necessarily looking for the names of people who are looking for a job; you want the names of people who match what you are looking for. Start sending out e-mails to the people you know today! This exercise will point you to at least 30 people you can begin to reach out to. Again, this step is all about recruitment. Part of the secret to hiring great salespeople is to have the ability to select the best person for the job you have available.

3. Determine exactly what you need. Stop saying, ?We need to hire a new salesperson.? Instead, use very specific and descriptive words to describe exactly what you need in this job. For example, you might decide you are looking for someone who is excellent at asking questions, very detail-oriented, and who loves to get people to do what he wants them to do. Nailing down the specifics of what you need in this job will help you to spot the behaviors you are looking for in candidates and make better selections. This third step is focused on the selection of the right person.

4. Don?t ever settle for second best. That?s right: Don?t hire anyone you feel is not the perfect and best hire to make for the job you have open right now. Don?t catch yourself saying things like, ?She is not the best person, but she?ll do just fine.? Settling for ?just someone? is a big mistake. I recommend that you evaluate people and make decisions on all three of the following: talent, experience, and fit. All three are important, and all three need to be present to make a great hire. Oftentimes hiring mistakes are made because of the glare of experience, which causes both talent and fit to be overlooked. In order to make great hires, you need to see all three.

At the Center for Sales Strategy we have a saying that many have heard us use for years and years: ?Lose sleep before you hire, not after.?

Matt Sunshine is EVP of the Center for Sales Strategy. E-mail: mattsunshine@csscenter.com

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

(SALES) Four Essential Steps For Hiring The Right Salesperson

5-20-2013

Over the last few years I have seen sales departments sometimes take a strategy of adding salespeople in order to have more of a presence on the street and allow the station to cover more accounts. At the same time, I have seen other sales departments go in the opposite direction, shrinking the number of salespeople they have on staff to go with a more consolidated approach. But don?t worry; this is not an article on which strategy is best (we?ll save that for another day).

In either scenario, hiring the right person is incredibly important. A bad hire is very expensive. The time spent finding, training, and ramping up is all lost if the person you hire is not able to make it past even the first year. Companies that suffer from high turnover in the sales department are losing money on both the top line and the
bottom line.

So how do you make sure you are hiring the right salesperson? That?s one of the questions I?m asked the most. While some might think hiring salespeople is easy, those of us who are responsible for making the hire know differently. If you are the one responsible for the hiring process and the on-boarding of these new sellers, you are
probably left wondering how you?re going to get it all accomplished.

Here are four essential steps you should take if you want to make sure you are hiring as effectively as you can.

1. Constantly make deposits into your talent bank. Chances are that you don?t have a strong talent bank to tap in to. Take time right now to begin filling up your talent bank. Commit to doing 20 interviews this month. This is a challenging goal and you will probably have to call upon all your resources to make it happen, but there is no better time to do it. A good way to think about this part of the hiring equation is to consider it part of the recruitment phase. In this phase, all you?re doing is looking to fill the talent bank.

2. Ask your network who they might know. Ask a minimum of 10 people you trust for three names of individuals who meet the description of the type of salesperson you are typically looking for. Be clear about the fact that you are not necessarily looking for the names of people who are looking for a job; you want the names of people who match what you are looking for. Start sending out e-mails to the people you know today! This exercise will point you to at least 30 people you can begin to reach out to. Again, this step is all about recruitment. Part of the secret to hiring great salespeople is to have the ability to select the best person for the job you have available.

3. Determine exactly what you need. Stop saying, ?We need to hire a new salesperson.? Instead, use very specific and descriptive words to describe exactly what you need in this job. For example, you might decide you are looking for someone who is excellent at asking questions, very detail-oriented, and who loves to get people to do what he wants them to do. Nailing down the specifics of what you need in this job will help you to spot the behaviors you are looking for in candidates and make better selections. This third step is focused on the selection of the right person.

4. Don?t ever settle for second best. That?s right: Don?t hire anyone you feel is not the perfect and best hire to make for the job you have open right now. Don?t catch yourself saying things like, ?She is not the best person, but she?ll do just fine.? Settling for ?just someone? is a big mistake. I recommend that you evaluate people and make decisions on all three of the following: talent, experience, and fit. All three are important, and all three need to be present to make a great hire. Oftentimes hiring mistakes are made because of the glare of experience, which causes both talent and fit to be overlooked. In order to make great hires, you need to see all three.

At the Center for Sales Strategy we have a saying that many have heard us use for years and years: ?Lose sleep before you hire, not after.?

Matt Sunshine is EVP of the Center for Sales Strategy.
E-mail: mattsunshine@csscenter.com

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

AM Revitalization Debate Steps Forward at NAB

3-21-13

(by David Webster)<./b> FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai is staying focused on AM revitalization with his moderation of a panel dedicated to the subject at this year's NAB Show.  This is encouraging news to AM broadcasters, many of whom have seen their technological, competitive and economic vitality sapped over the years.

Radio has advantage in its localism and accessibility; however this advantage, especially in the case of AM, is hampered through the poor reception experience suffered by many listeners.  Noisy signals with limited fidelity, combined with a night coverage that causes many stations to "effectively disappear" after sunset, puts AM in an intractable situation.  To remain relevant and thrive in the coming years AM radio clearly needs a "reboot".

I continue to applaud Commissioner Pai for taking, and sustaining, the initiative on this issue. There are various ideas on the table to be addressed by the panel, with many in the industry eagerly anticipating the discussion.  I have reached out to professionals in the industry in effort to gather their thoughts on creating a "wish list" of suggestions they would like to see addressed by the panel.  I have collected and summarized the most prevalent suggestions into 7 possible discussion points.

1.  There have been proposals for "across the board" power increases for AM broadcasters to combat interference and overcome reception issues encountered by poorly designed, yet commonplace, receivers entrenched in the marketplace.  This single change, while potentially costly for broadcasters to implement, offers the single most immediate benefit regarding improving AM reception issues outside of being on FM translators.  Yes, the ideas of regulating and cleaning up the "noise causing" devices that are creating the interference should and must be addressed, but the sheer quantity of these emitters makes the quest extremely daunting if not impossible.  What are the panel's thoughts regarding these two critical issues relating to AM revitalization?

2.  The use of FM translators by AMs to better serve their service area has been a boon to the broadcasters that can acquire them.  However, there have been many cases in which an AM could acquire a translator but current rules will not allow the translator to be moved within a station's service area.  There is proposal to relax these rules and better help accommodate these moves that is awaiting decision.  As it is generally not the policy to comment on policy changes that are currently under review, it would still be good to hear panel discussion on the subject along with other issues related to FM translator use by AMs.

3.  There has been much discussion about transitioning current AM stations to a new "all-digital" band.  The majority of broadcasters that I corresponded with ultimately believe this to be the most likely long-term solution.  Proposals include those by the Broadcast Maximization Committee for repurposing the spectrum of television channels 5 and 6 along with the DRM Consortium's utilization of the 26Mhz space for local broadcasting.  Converting to a new band scheme will certainly take time to occur, so it is imperative to begin as soon as feasible.  It would be great to hear discussion amongst the panelists along with those that may have taken place within the Commission regarding these issues.

4.  There has been much discussion, and recently testing of, utilizing the HD Radio or DRM systems in their "all digital" modes with a possible goal of dropping "hybrid digital" and "analog only" broadcasting.  I have found almost unanimous opinion by broadcasters and others in the industry that this is a total non-starter without some sort of timeline and receiver mandate by the Commission such as occurred with the DTV transition.  In taking this issue as a serious consideration, would the Commission consider "mandating" a digital radio transition to accelerate uptake and what is the industry's opinion?

5.  An AM improvement idea which is gaining traction is that of "Single Frequency Networks" or SFNs.   In SFNs a synchronous transmission is simultaneously broadcast on multiple lower-powered transmitters covering smaller "cells" throughout a station's service area.  These more numerous lower-power localized nodes could overcome issues including noise and coverage limitations, especially at night.  Many stations have to reduce their power to a fraction of their daytime levels at night, so if this lower-power level could be simultaneously broadcast from multiple locations, a station could cover its service area without contributing significant skywave interference at night.  SFNs make even more sense with digital transmission since these systems have been purposefully designed for these broadcast environments.  It would be nice to hear the panel's perspective regarding such "synchronous" broadcasting topologies on AM as well as FM.

6.  Many barriers to AM improvement are due to the physics of the band itself, at this lower frequency AM radiators are much larger than those of FM, often hundreds of feet in height.  Many AM transmission facilities are ageing and in need of replacement or repair which can be an expensive, if not impossible proposition for an operator, especially in cases of directional antenna systems.  For the current broadcast environment and for future consideration of synchronous transmission systems with a multitude of  "cells", the need for less costly lower profile, yet efficient, antennas is at hand.  Since most AM antenna technology, designs and principles have not changed much since the 1920's, what could industry and the FCC do from a regulatory perspective to foster, test  and ultimately approve new "lower profile" antenna systems for AM?

7.  Continuing along the lines of "transmission improvements", the concept of "anti-skywave" antennas has taken on an almost "cult like" status as the Holy Grail for AM.  It would be great to hear the panel's insights on this issue, especially in regards to what private industry along with the Commission and other governmental entities could do to computer model, test, construct and proof these designs.

In summary, these are just few AM revitalization topics that will hopefully be joined with many more to be discussed by the panel.  Again, my appreciation to Commissioner Pai, along with this esteemed group of panelists for their consideration and commitment to help AM broadcasting "Reload" as it transitions towards its second century.

Dave Webster is the CEO at VSI|HD Media Services in Southington, CT and can be reached at David Webster DWebster@vsimedia.com

(3/21/2013 6:43:17 AM)
WIBG salutes the FCC commissioner for looking at rebooting AM . FCC should require all utility companies to replace and renew their infrastructure. AM radio competes with the local electric companies because of their RFI noise generated by junk equipment As importantly, insist that radio manufacturers re install new digital IF circuits in receivers, as their removal
40 years ago denegrated AM quality, forcing listeners to FM. Third, eliminate IBOC from AM. Pure noise..pure buzz

Add a Comment | View All Comments Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

Steve Giuttari Steps Down As Dir./Operations At CC/Poughkeepsie

Steve Giuttari
CLEAR CHANNEL/ POUGHKEEPSIE Dir./Operations for its 10-station cluster, including Country WRWD STEVE GIUTTARI is stepping down from his position, effective FRIDAY, JULY 20th.
Before the 20th, GIUTTARI will assist in the search for his replacement. Interested candidates should reach out to Market Manager CHUCK BENFER at (845) 471-2300 or chuckbenfer@clearchannel.com and Regional Program Manager JOHN COOPER at (518) 452-4884. GIUTTARI tells ALL ACCESS that candidates should have multi-format experience and be strong in Country Top 40, Classic Rock and AC.
You can reach out to STEVE GIUTTARI, who is looking for his next opportunity, at (845) 790-1760 and before JULY 20th at stevegiuttari@clearchannel.com.
« see more Net News

View the original article here

(SOCIAL) 8 Steps To Higher Listener Participation And More Money

April 16, 2012

Great content is the key to success in our business. Unfortunately, in many markets, the business of radio has been reduced to paint-by-numbers corporate measures to extract dollars from the local market with little choice, chance, or opportunity for elevating content. There's little question as to how this is causing radio's relationship with listeners to dissipate. However, happenings on the digital-evolution side of our business can change that, if the right content-seeds are planted. This content can expose and engage listeners for your brand.
Here are eight steps you can take to create an engaging brand on social media which leads listeners to higher participation levels, and helps your team to increase revenue generation.

1/ Focus on having a specific content plan so that you know what content your team will be putting on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms each day, week, and month of the year, as well as who will be doing it. Having a plan in advance, which includes the right mix of messages, visual content, audio, and written word, will give life to your presence on these social media sites. Done correctly, it will also grow your on-air brand over time.

2/ Truly engage your listeners. When someone comments on your station page, follow up with them in public, and also by emailing them personally. It's easy in today's Facebook world. Not engaging and embracing listeners is the path to death for radio in the coming months and years. Engaging them and responding to them will help strengthen your position and influence in the market. And other listeners will see that you are authentic and care about listeners and what's important to them. That has long-term value. And that's money for broadcasters.

3/ Content should be free. Radio has understood this from the beginning, but it seems that too often we filter our content through "what's in it for us," instead of considering how our targeted listener will see what we offer as easy, free, fun, and useful ? like Facebook has done so well over the past five-plus years. It's not free if your content is actually just an ad for your product, or a product belonging to a sponsor. Be creative and offer messages that contain value for the listener, and you will grow, both on these platforms and on-air.

4/ Consider subscription-based models for growing participation on your website and on-air-talent blogs. What? Your talent isn't blogging? Why not? Are we not evangelists for our brands, formats, and listeners' lifestyles? If you allow people to subscribe, and offer consistent content that is relevant and important to them, you will grow participation, and that will give rise to familiarity, which will in turn lead to growth of your station's audience. You can actually offer listeners exclusive content (such as videos of backstage or private events with artists, if you are in a format that allows such things) if they sign up for your content. All formats have some exclusive content you can cultivate for subscription purposes. It's attractive to the end-user, and carries a price they can easily afford ? free. Building audiences this way will also lead to other opportunities, in terms of leading them back to on-air and developing revenue models to expose clients ? lightly and within philosophy ? to the subscription base when it is large enough to "rent" (again, within the overall social media philosophy you are cultivating; not spam emails). Subscription models give you cold, hard value to showcase for advertisers and marketers. That's money to broadcasters.

5/ You must be prepared to "build it first." Then, you monetize it. Unfortunately, many broadcasters have looked at social media too simplistically: just drop in promos and everything will work out. It's not quite that easy. You must build real value before you monetize. If you commit yourself and your team to growing the value in a subscription or participation model, it will attract people who want to utilize it. Again, that's money for broadcasters.

6/ Reinvent your loyal listener database based upon value for the listener. Most loyal listener databases are filled with half-baked info on an audience we don't actually know. In many markets, and with too many stations, no attention has really been paid to developing and "cleaning" a database of people who are active and passionate about what you offer as a brand. More than this, most radio stations are not committed to building a loyal listener database by offering exclusive content and genuine insider opportunities that show the station values them as listeners. They just "have" a loyal listener database. Ho hum. As a result, no passionate participation comes from listeners who are truly engaged in your product. If that's how it is at your station, you can reinvent your loyal listener database by creating exciting offers (not ads) that excite listeners. Get with your staff and create serious attention-getting opportunities that offer them content they can't find anywhere else. That's money for broadcasters.

7/ Get busy thinking about how to make your content as visible as possible on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. We humans are visual creatures, so use visuals, along with other content, that entices potential new listeners to sample your on-air product. Be creative. Don't simply offer visual commercials for your station. Driving participation through visuals works in social media spaces. And that participation will mean revenue down the line.

8/ Figure out the five most important things to your listeners. Radio stations used to do this all the time. If you have an adult format, it'll be health, education, money, etc. These things should be top-flight content generators for you in social media. Decide what's important to your listeners and design your social media content around them. This will lead them to have a relationship with your personalities and brand, which also means more money for your company in the future.

As an industry, we need to constantly think about the future. Otherwise, revenues will head south and so will the value relationships we have with listeners in local markets. Using these eight steps will allow you to build ongoing value. So build it today for tomorrow's advertisers and promoters.

Loyd Ford is the direct marketing, ratings, and social media strategist for Americalist. He has programmed successful radio brands in markets of all sizes, including KRMD-AM and 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 HERE

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

FCC Takes Steps To Implement LPFM's

3-19-2012

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted two orders to further implement the Local Community Radio Act. The FCC release says, "The items help promote community radio through the licensing of low power FM (LPFM) and FM translator stations, advancing the LCRA and Commission goal of fostering localism and diversity in the radio landscape." Here are some of the details from the FCC release yesterday.

Among other things, the Fourth Report & Order:
-- Sets forth a revised spectrum availability analysis that better identifies and protects areas with significant populations where LPFM service is most practical and sustainable.
-- Gives translator applicants proposing to serve spectrum-limited areas an ability to demonstrate that their applications, if granted, would not preclude certain identified LPFM opportunities.
-- Adopts a national cap of 50 applications and a market-based cap of one application per applicant per market for the most spectrum-limited markets, minimizing the potential for speculative licensing conduct and modifies the May 1, 2009, date restriction to allow pending FM translator applications that are subsequently granted to be used as cross-service translators. 

Fifth Report and Order and Fourth Further Notice. 
As required by the LCRA, the Fifth Report and Order eliminates the third-adjacent channel spacing requirements applicable to LPFM stations.  The Fourth Further Notice seeks comment on how to implement other provisions of the LCRA related to waivers of the second-adjacent channel spacing requirements, third-adjacent channel interference, and interference to the input signals for FM translators. 

The Fourth Further Notice also recommends changes to the FCC?s rules to help promote a more sustainable community radio service while preserving the technical integrity of all of the FM services.  The Fourth Further Notice seeks comment on proposals to reduce the potential for licensing abuses and other proposals to promote a vigorous community radio service. 
These include: 
-- Elimination of the LP10 class of service and an increase of the maximum LPFM facilities in certain areas;
-- An amendment of the eligibility rules to permit Native Nations to own and operate LPFM stations, an amendment of the cross-ownership and multiple ownership rules to assist Native Nations in establishing radio service to their members living on tribal land, and an addition of a Native Nation criterion to the point system used to select among mutually exclusive LPFM applications;
-- Revision of the cross-ownership rule to permit cross-ownership of an LPFM station and FM translator stations;
--Modifications to the way the FCC processes mutually exclusive applications;
Revision of the established community presence and local program origination criteria
Adoption of additional selection criteria
Adjustment of the air-time reapportionment policy applicable when a participant in a voluntary time-sharing arrangement does not construct or surrenders its license after commencing operations

--Removal of the Intermediate Frequency protection requirements for LPFM stations operating with less than 100 watts effective radiated power; and
- -An extension of the mandatory time-sharing applicable to certain NCE FM stations to the LPFM service.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

SOCIAL - 7 Steps To A Social Partnership

1-25-2012

Radio has always done partnerships very well.  The idea of teaming up with a client to make a promotion happen is nothing alien to us at all.  We?ve always understood that providing a client with involvement that takes them above and beyond a standard spot schedule creates a premium marketing vehicle for them, and usually serves to deepen and strengthen the relationship between that client and the radio station.

One of the reasons I get back from the many stations I talk to as to why they aren?t getting their social efforts into ?high-gear? is lack of resources and lack of commitment internally.  That?s a little alarming.  When you see the trending massive shift of resources to digital and social, it makes you wonder what radio managers think they know that the leading brand marketers in the world don?t.

Regardless, that leaves you the station marketing & promotions manager with a problem.  How do I execute my creative and effective social campaigns when my station won?t put any gas in my engine?  The answer is in our longtime friend?partnerships.

Behold an example of a successful social promotion partnership.  General Mills? Multi Grain Cheerios and Meredith Corp.?s Fitness magazine teamed up on a 4-week online weight-loss program.  The content was recipes and menus from the magazine?s experts, a workout plan from a noted health and fitness author, and custom videos by Meredith following 3 women?s attempts to reach their weight loss and fitness goals.

Everybody brings something to the table.  To get the free program, access codes were put in specially marked box of Multi Grain Cheerios.  There are links to discounted subscriptions to Fitness magazine.  Meredith promoted the package on their ?The Better Show,? which reaches nearly 80% of US TV households.  And, of course, everyone brings their social audiences to bear.  Fitness has 75,000+ Twitter followers and 260,000+ Facebook fans.  Multi Grain Cheerios has 1,700 Twitter followers and is represented on the Cheerios Facebook Page with close to 600,000 fans.

So here?s what you should do if you get a brilliant idea for a station social campaign:

1. Congratulate yourself for even thinking of a brilliant social idea. 

2. Assess what you need to execute it that you don?t currently have. 

3. Assess who in your market can bring what you need to the table.  They don?t

    necessarily have to be existing station clients.  In fact, it?s a great way to potentially

    begin new relationships. 

4. Make sure you can show them the value proposition of their participation.  Think a

    LOT about what?s in it for them.

5. Be prepared to bring everything that makes your station valuable to the table (you want

    to be a partner, not a charity case). 

6. Execute. 

7. Follow up at the end of the campaign to share metrics indicating success and to keep

    the relationship-building going.

Mike Stiles is a writer/producer with the social marketing tech platform, Vitrue, and head of Sketchworks comedy theatre. Check out his monologue blog, The Stiles Files.

Find him on Facebook or on Twitter @mikestiles

Links

General Mills : http://www.generalmills.com

Fitness Magazine: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com

Cheerios Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Cheerios

Vitrue: www.vitrue.com

Sketchworks: www.sketchworkscomedy.com

Stiles Files: www.mikestiles.com/stilesfiles

Stiles Facebook: www.facebook.com/mike.stiles

Stiles Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikestiles

(1/26/2012 6:56:00 AM)
Great article, Mike. There are so many managers who don't understand the opportunity social media has to offer in regards to the promotions arena.

Hoping this article will give hope to desperate Promotions directors everywhere.

Add a Comment | View All Comments Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

SALES - 7 Steps To An Effective Client Needs Analysis

by Theresa Merrill

Years ago I was sought out by a media firm for a consultative sales position. During the interview process, I was to demo present to a team of managers my follow-up to a ?Client Needs Analysis? I conducted for a prospect. While summarizing the client?s needs and problems my manager to-be shouted out ?What does this have to do with why they should buy time on our network???he didn?t get it. I got the job though and went on to demonstrate how my success was directly linked to a consultative sales approach.

Consultative selling is a term that is often used, but are you executing the Client Needs Analysis properly? In my mind it is the distinction between being customer-focused or being product-focused, and it can?t be faked. These are the seven steps to conducting a successful Client Needs Analysis.  

Questions should enhance your credibility. A good lawyer never asks a question she doesn?t have the answer to. When you meet with a prospect to conduct a CNA (Customer Needs Analysis) always prepare for the call like a lawyer would prepare to question his witness.  You don?t presume to know their business better than they do, but that doesn?t mean you can?t research their business so you can ask intelligent questions. ?Congratulations on achieving your fourth quarter revenue goals, how will this success impact your business model for 2012?? 

Ask open-ended questions that allow for a large number of potential replies. In a CNA you should be talking only 20% of the time, while the prospect should be talking 80%. Questions should be easy to answer and non-threatening. Your goal is to engage them in a conversation, not stump them.  Don?t ask about their margin of profit. Something as benign as ?So, how did you get started in the restaurant business?? works. Be flexible; allow the client to take the conversation into their areas of interest.

Be empathetic. Harvard Business Review studied successful salespeople and one of the most important qualities they possessed was their ability to gain feedback from their clients through empathy.

Adapt to their behavioral style. Are they open/direct or closed/indirect? If you?re talking to Bill Bottom-Line adjust your questioning tempo to his style or risk losing him. Studies show that you establish rapport with people when you mirror their body language. Don?t sit on the edge of your seat, if the client is leaning back in his. 

Don?t talk about your product. You?re gathering information; refrain from talking about your product during the CNA. If you contracted for the meeting correctly, explaining your desire to understand their needs and challenges, this shouldn?t be an issue for the client. Also resist providing a solution on the spot, this goes against the very nature of an effective CNA, which is to provide customized solutions to fit their specific needs. Your solution will appear as one-size fits all.

Listen effectively. Often we are so fixated on our questions, that we don?t focus on what is being said.  Concentrate and listen for ideas, not facts. You?re listening to gain insight into what the prospect perceives as value. Don?t jump to conclusions. Repeat what you think you heard and clarify. Clients like you to tell them what they said. Ask good follow-up questions to demonstrate this.

Write down your questions and answers. If you show up without a notebook, or iPad, you?ll not be effective. You?re conducting an interview, have your questions written down and be prepared to jot down their comments. Clients note this and mention other salespeople don?t do this; again this is not a veiled attempt to learn about their business. Upon closing ask if you missed anything, if there was something they would like to share, that you neglected to touch upon. This is also valuable for when you make your follow-up presentation, in case of any discrepancy in communication you can reference your notes.

Lastly, don?t leave without scheduling a time to come back and present your findings.  If you?ve genuinely demonstrated interest in the client during the CNA, they will be more anxious to buy than you are to sell at this point.  Get back to them with your marketing plan, as soon as possible.

Theresa Merrill is the Director of Business Development for Anovick Associates. She has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in NY, Boston and Atlanta working for Katz Communications, CBS, Tribune and Cablevision and can be reached at 201.444.2991 or by e-mail merrill.theresa@gmail.com
For more article from Theresa GO HERE

(1/10/2012 7:20:53 AM)
love your article. this is the kind of information sellers should read every time they prepare for a CNA. we're all so proud of our product, that we often forget our job is to help our clients. if not for their success, we've got no job; and that all begins with finding out as much as we can about what they need from us to succeed.

Add a Comment | View All Comments Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

6 Easy Steps To Helping Clients Succeed

by Wayne Ens

Success coach Anthony Robbins often tells the story about a major shopping center that experienced a failure in their elevators. It was costing them thousands of dollars a minute in lost sales. The mall manager was panicking. She had called several service companies, but none of them seemed to be able to fix the problem. Finally, she called someone who was able to fix the problem in 60 seconds flat by simply pressing a few buttons?. Then he invoiced her a whopping $10,000 fee ?for services rendered."

The outraged mall manager asked the service man ?How can you charge $10,000 for pushing a couple of buttons and one minute?s work?? The service man replied by re-writing the invoice to say ?service charge for pressing buttons, $1. Investment for knowing which buttons to press; $9,999.?  Your clients can purchase quantifiable spots, space, reach and frequency from an ever growing list of cheaper suppliers today. It?s the knowledge you bring to the table in your total value bundle that will separate you from your low-price competitors. One of the ways to improve and demonstrate your knowledge for your key accounts and key prospects, is to conduct a marketing audit for them.

The simplest and easiest way to gain credibility for your ?audit? is to examine all of your prospect?s advertising from their web site to their yellow pages and from their radio script to their newspaper ad or a brochure for inconsistencies. Very often you?ll quickly reveal the advertiser is using different slogans in different media, or does not use slogans consistently at all. This simple exercise will open the door for you to conduct a more in-depth audit, increasing your knowledge and demonstrating your expertise.
1. Customer Perception Audits
Design and post a survey on your website to  measure share of mind levels and customer perceptions of your client. If you uncover a poor perception of a particular aspect of their business discuss whether that perception is a reality or not. If it is reality, encourage the advertiser to make the necessary changes immediately. If the public perception is not in line with reality, develop an advertising and communications plan to change that perception.

2. Mystery Shopper Reports
Construct a list of the ten things your client wants their customers to experience when they do business with them.(i.e.; they might choose staff greeting, product knowledge, cleanliness of store, prompt telephone pick-up etc.) Your mystery shopper then reports how each experience compares to the business owner?s expectations .Try having a couple of your fellow account executives be the mystery shoppers on an account, then return the favor by serving as the mystery shopper on their accounts.

3. Competitor Audits
Produce a short written overview of your client?s competitors? marketing. Visit competitors? locations, check out their websites and compare their ads to your clients. Look for weaknesses you can exploit, or a competitive strength you can build upon.

4. Supplier Audits and Interviews
Suppliers can make excellent marketing allies and can tell you about successful marketing efforts in other markets they serve. They?ll often have vendor funds above and beyond co-op that they can contribute to your campaign.

5. Communications Audits.
Check out your client?s blogs, phone their company with an inquiry, and email a question to them. Report how quickly and accurately their people handle these communications and help them find ways to continually improve every customer touch point.

6. Internal SWOT Analysis
Offer to chair or facilitate a staff SWOT (strengths, weaknesses and opportunities) Analysis for the advertiser. Your facilitation will not only be sincerely appreciated, it will result in a more candid and objective overview than one hosted by the client. If your audit uncovers some unpleasant surprises, have the confidence to present those shortfalls, but do so very tactfully. Make certain that any criticisms are not expressed as your  personal criticisms or opinions, but rather, they are presented as the finding of your research and audit.
When you build and establish your knowledge as the go-to expert to help with your clients? marketing and planning processes, your stations will play a major role in their advertising campaigns. Your advertisers can buy spots or space from any commodity sales person. It?s the knowledge you bring to the party to increase their return on investment that makes what you sell worth more than just your simple spot rates. The knowledge you gain from your marketing audit will help you push the right buttons, and justify stronger spot rates.

 Wayne Ens is President of ENS Media Inc and can be reached via e-mail Wayne Ens wayne@wensmedia.com

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

Simple And FREE Steps To Promote Your Online Streaming

by Kerry Brewer

The great thing about streaming your broadcast online is, anyone, anywhere can listen. With the tremendous number of listener sites, Pandora, competing stations, etc., you can?t expect your listeners to always remember they can listen to your broadcast online or on-the-go, so you have to constantly remind them. It?s just like anything else; you have to promote it if you want to reach market penetration. So, what are some ways to get the message across about your online streaming?

On-site banners and buttons ? Don?t make your online player link hard to find, or it will never be heard. Create engaging banners/buttons that aren?t lost down below the fold of your website. Make sure they are close to the top, as part of the header, or obvious navigation and not crowded out by clutter. Everytime a visitor lands on your website, you want to make them want to click that listen live button. It should literally jump out to greet them and be one of the first things they see. I?ve come across many station websites that display their ?listen live? button way at the bottom of their site, or embedded in a row of navigation links too small for the naked eye to see?and as the saying goes, ?out of sight, out of mind.?

On-air mentions ? Have the DJs consistently mention your online streaming as part of station ID and promo. Run :15 second promos and special news updates ROS. Run contests and promotions, like having weekly drawings to win concert tickets displayed only on your player, or chat live with the DJs on air, promote song requests via your players. Consistently doing this will create habit for your listeners, and may listen online more frequently once they experience the interactivity. Promote not only your online stream, but your ability to stream to all devices, like Androids, iPhones, BlackBerrys, etc (assuming you have them, and if you don?t, you should). And hey, driving traffic to your website doesn?t hurt either! You want all your air listeners to know that they can listen online simply by going to the station?s main website and clicking on your ?play now? or ?listen live? button that?s prominently displayed.

Promote your streams on social network sites ? You shouldn?t hide the fact that you have an online stream, so post it everywhere you can. Social network sites are a great, fun way to share stuff with friends and fans. Use your station?s Facebook page to promote your online stream, put the link in your bio, and occasionally include the link in status updates to remind ?likers? that they can listen to their favorite morning show anywhere from any desktop or mobile device. Tweet about upcoming guests on the show and share the link in case listeners won?t be near a radio. Social networking is a great way to extend your listener base, as I?ve stated in previous articles. You can gain listeners from across the country . . . or across the world! It?s great catering to your local listeners, but it?s even better when you can extend your reach around the world. Friends will see friends sharing your live player, and those friends will see those friends . . . well, you get the picture.

Giving listeners the flexibility to listen when they want at any point in time is what gives you an advantage, but you must promote, promote, promote. Otherwise, how will they know? You need to consistently remind them and offer interactive ways to listen. I look at stats every day from stations that have a streaming application, players, mobile apps and all, yet aren?t promoting them and have a scant handful of listeners. In this case, if you build it, they will come . . . but only if you tell them about it. And like everything else that we know to be true about radio, repetition in the market equals credibility!

Kerry Brewer is Sr. Managing Director at Securenet Systems, a leading provider of online streaming services to the worldwide radio industry. He can be reached at kbrewer@securenetsystems.net or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/kerrybrewer.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

Ten Steps To Help You Reach Your Goals This Year.

by Paul Anovick

You are halfway through the year, how are you doing achieving your goals?  Now is a great time to evaluate your progress and make any adjustments that are needed for you to reach your goals. As Napoleon Hill said, ?Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve.? You need SMART goals.  Here is a ten-step process to accomplish what you want this year.

1.    Goals:  What do you want?  Apply the SMART system:  Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bound.  The more specific and detailed your goal is, the greater your probability of success.  Take time to develop what it is you want.
2.    Rewards:  What will happen when you reach your goal?  What is the benefit to you?
3.    Consequences:  If you do not achieve your goal, what will happen?  Is there impact for not obtaining this goal?
4.    Possible Obstacle:  Look at the goal and identify what?s preventing or blocking you from reaching this goal?  List as many obstacles as possible, if don?t have three or more, you are not evaluating and focused on reaching your goal. Think of what could go wrong.
5.    Possible Solutions:  For each obstacle you want to brainstorm possible solutions.  After developing solutions, chose the optimum one.
6.    Action Steps:  The best solution is now your action step to overcome the obstacle.  Each action step taken brings you that much closer to obtaining your goal.
7.    Date:  When will you complete this specific action?  You may have several dates set for each stage of achievement.  It must be time-bound in order to get it done. (An action without a time frame is just hope) Now ?get ?er done.?
8.    Delegated:  Is there a step that requires enlisting someone?s help or input. This must be detailed and spelled out.
9.    Target Date:  This is the date by which you will reach your goal.  Be realistic and consider all of the obstacles and how long each will take to accomplish in reaching your overall goal.
10.   Affirmations:  We are creatures of habit. The ?tapes? we have running in our heads can create self-imposed limitations. In order to create new habits we must program our thoughts to support them.  An affirmation must be in the first person and positive, such as; ?I?m a person who is a good listener.? Develop two or three affirmations that support your goal, write these on index cards and read them aloud three times a day, morning, noon and night. It takes 28 days to create a habit; try this for 28 days and let me know how it works for you.

Reviewing your goals daily is a critical part of your success and must become part of your routine. The difference between a goal and a dream is the written word. Write down your goals and achieve your dreams.

CoachAnovick. Developing Potential, Producing Results
Coach Anovick can be reached at 201.445.2822 or by E-MAIL

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here