(COPYWRITING) Writing To Voices

6-19-2013

Sometimes it?s easier to write a commercial if you have specific voices in mind. Hearing those voices in your head helps you to write from their point of view.

Even if you only have a limited stable of talent available, like a radio station staff, imagine each of their personalities. As you write, you are essentially speaking for them. How would they express themselves? How would they react? How would they tell a story? 

Where else can you find voices to give you inspiration for writing? Listen to CDs of actors voice samples or downloads from the Web. Think about your relatives, your friends, voices in radio or TV commercials, voices in movies, voices overheard in restaurants, public transportation, or in retail stores.

The ideal way is to capture these voices is to record them, then you?ll have audio samples to refer to. If you can?t do this then write a short description of the person?s voice at the time you?re listening. Interesting voices are everywhere: the gum-chewing store clerk with the nasal twang, the fast-talking investment broker, the laid-back surfer dude at the coffee shop, the nervous kid who delivers your newspaper, the opinionated guy who drives the snowplow. Each of these characters has their own personality, their own story, and their own perspective on life. As you listen to their voices or read their descriptions, ?become? them and write from their hearts.

With your client in mind, listen to your collection of voices until one or two of them ?speak? to you. Now listen to all the samples you have of those voices. Picture who they are and where they live. Create a story about them and then write your commercial in their voices.

As you write a commercial from a character?s point of view, you?ll find that as it develops you may change the characters? personalities from what you originally had in mind. You?ll see your commercial story take on a life of its own. Just go with it and see where it takes you.

The final step in this process is recording the commercial with either the voices that inspired you or similar voices. The actors of course will have their own personalities and may bring something to the commercial that you hadn?t envisioned originally. Be flexible enough to adapt your script to the changing point of view.

Like any story, your commercial will evolve. Don?t try to hold on too firmly to the original idea.

Let the voices in your head create a commercial to touch the hearts of your audience.

Jeffrey Hedquist has been hearing voices and inventing stories about them for years. Send professional help to Hedquist Productions, Inc. Phone 641-472-6708. Email jeffrey@hedquist.com.

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(SALES) Catering To The Bottom-Feeders

6-21-2013
Look at all of the small businesses out there that only advertise when they have sales. ?20 Percent Off! 30 Percent Off!? Many of them will spend 97 percent of their advertising budgets going after the worst, most disloyal three percent that would only buy if your client?s prices were the absolute lowest available. What a miserable life, only dealing with the disloyal and parasitic bottom-feeders.

Value almost always trumps price. That?s why some people buy Rolexes rather than Timex watches. That?s why some people purchase premium brand automobiles instead of standard economy models. Educated consumers buy more than uneducated consumers. Companies that invest in showing consumers why their plan is better for the consumer than the consumer?s own plan will waste less time and effort having to haggle over price.

There is plenty of proof that price is not the only factor in determining where consumers spend money. Look at the professional ?circle of trust? that most people develop. I?ve had the same insurance agent for 35 years. I?ve had the same doctor for the same number of years. I?ve had the same dentist, AC/HD company, septic company, veterinarian, jeweler, bank, grocery store, cleaners, same gym, favorite restaurants, nightclubs, air carrier, car dealer, furniture store, and automotive service garage for YEARS.

All of these professionals have had huge price increases throughout the years, but I haven?t fired them. Why? Because I think they?ve got my back. And, that?s worth more to me than the extra treasure.
Imagine how valuable you would become if you could help your client bring in more business without having to give up his gross margin of profit. In fact, what if you could help your advertiser cut back on the sales and bring 20 or 30 percent back to his bottom line? What if you could convince the client that his price is not the only determining factor?

Maybe it?s the quality of the product or service that needs to be sold. Perhaps it?s what happens after the sale, in the way he treats customers when they have service issues. Your job is to ferret out those little jewels, and start focusing on them in your client?s commercials.

Back in the day, Dell?s service department was so good that customers who called for service were TWICE as likely to buy another Dell computer than if they never had a problem to begin with.

Just what is it that keeps customers coming back to your client?s business when there is no sale in progress? Hard to say? Sit down with the client and figure it out. Ask lots of questions. What?s in it for the consumer to come to your client, rather than his discount competitor?

When a customer?s car breaks down, will your mechanic client solve the customer?s interim transportation problem by loaning her a car until her car is fixed? Why not advertise that?

Women make the majority of home repair calls. Her personal safety is her number one concern when calling a plumber, for example. What does your client do to alleviate that concern? Some plumbers I?ve dealt with actually email a photo of the plumber they?re sending out to the customer. If they?re doing something that cool, why not make that a talking point in the commercial?

Will your independent insurance agent help customers fill out claim forms and be present when the customer meets with the claims adjuster? Where is that commercial?

Does your local nurseryman specialize in plants that actually grow in your area and avoid selling plants that don?t grow there? Unlike the big box stores, will your local store actually help customers load their purchases into their vehicles?
Does your local grocer try to buy as much locally as he can so that jobs stay in your state instead of going out of state?  I?m always a sucker for that, as I believe in keeping jobs here in my state's economy.

Does your local boutique specialize in something that customers can?t get at the mall, like a large selection of plus sizes that have a slimming effect? Keeping consumers away from the mall is the boutique?s number one job.

When your client says, ?Good service? or ?Family owned and operated,? does he really mean that if your septic alarm goes off in the middle of the night, one of them will get up, get dressed, and drive to your house to fix the problem immediately? Why not talk about that in the spot?

Could your florist help customers that have a hard time expressing their feelings come up with a more sentimental note? There is a real need for that kind of service.

Can your local hardware store help you find precisely the right part or tool and then give you valuable, time-saving information to help you finish the job with minimum hassle? I get that kind of service at my local hardware shop and I shop there deliberately, never going to the national competitor.

Could your restaurant owner guarantee that he could get you in and out at lunch in 30-40 minutes? People with a drive time and a tight schedule really appreciate that.

In Austin, we have a theater chain that guarantees that if you talk or text during the movie, they will ?throw your ass out.? My wife and I pay extra and we will only go to that theater (here?s a link to the promo they show before the film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBFP0Gj7Iss ).

Interview the client, find the real value and help them make money without sacrificing price and you will be a real hero. Oh, and tired of dealing with media clients that will only buy YOU if you have the lowest price? Try using the same technique. Move the conversation away from price and back to your value as a dutiful rep with great ideas who happens to work at a station with an adoring audience of consumers ready to spend money right now.

Paul Weyland helps radio and television stations and their clients make more money without having to sacrifice price. Make plans to get Weyland into your market in 2013. Go to www.paulweyland.com  for more information. Or, buy Weyland?s book ?Think like an Adman, Sell like a Madman? at www.amazon.com for more great ideas for selling long-term local direct.

(6/22/2013 1:22:44 AM)
Paul, you indicate that for the last 35 years, you've used all the same businesses for pretty much all your spending. Ok. But with all respect, your saying that, reinforces one advertising theory, that it makes no sense to advertise to the 35+ older demo, because they "are set in their ways" and will not try out new businesses or services...your statement matches that thinking.
(6/21/2013 12:52:01 PM)
Hey Marshall, thank you for using your real name. You're confused. I've had florists, hardware stores and restaurants on the air that were absolutely not squirrels. Squirrels are time-consuming accounts with teensy little budgets.
(6/21/2013 2:44:29 AM)
Hey! You left out shoe cobblers!
(6/21/2013 2:43:06 AM)
Florists? Hardware Stores? Restaurants? Aren't these the "squirrels" you said to keep away from last week? Make up your mind man.

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Pandora Files Motion With ASCAP Rate Court

6-21-13

Ed Christman at Billboard gets this story from sources where he finds Pandora has filed a motion with the ASCAP rate court. According to Christman's sources, Pandora is asking the judge to rule on whether publishers like Universal, BMG Chrysalis and Warner/Chappell, which have all filed a revocable notice with ASCAP of their intention to withdraw certain limited ?New Media? rights as of July 1, are in fact obligated to keep those digital rights at ASCAP for the purposes of Pandora licensing. Read his full story HERE

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Sales Trainer Ken Greenwood Dies

6-19-13

Many of us grew up in radio learning how to sell using the Ken Greenwood system. Some of us were lucky enough to know him and get to speak to him. He was always positive, always a teacher. And as you'll read below this story, everybody loved being around him. In addition to his radio accomplishments, Greenwood was a regular sales trainer at RAB shows for years and wrote many articles for Radio Ink Magazine. Ken Greenwood died this week at the age of 89. (Portrait courtesy Don Reynolds)

Ken Greenwood was President of Swanco Broadcasting radio group for almost 10 years, then served for several years as Chairman of the Communications Department at the University of Tulsa, where his mentorship launched many successful careers in broadcasting. A born trainer, Ken pioneered formal sales training in radio, television, and cablevision through Greenwood Performance Systems. In 1993, Ken was honored by the Radio Advertising Bureau as ?The Dean of Broadcast Sales Trainers.? Greenwood was inducted into the Oklahoma Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1989.

Services are scheduled for Monday, June 24, 1 p.m., at St. John?s Episcopal Church in Tulsa.

"I could fill up a page or two with small fonts with big reasons I loved being around Ken Greenwood."
NAB
EVP Radio
John David

Few people in any business are able to command universal respect, admiration and genuine affection.  I think the reason Ken was such a person in our business is because he showed everyone he met these very same qualities.  He truly reaped what he sowed.  Razor sharp and gentle as can be, at the same time.  There was no one like him. 

David Kennedy

"Ken Greenwood 'invented' the best sales management tool I have ever seen. Sometimes called the Greenwood sheet, or Pipeline Planner. It is so simple but so great. When I first saw it I thought to myself: so good, so simple, why, why didn?t you think of this? It is so outstanding. We use it with all our sellers to this day."
CEO
Renda Broadcasting
Tony Renda

"I worked for him and always thought of him as one of the greatest broadcasters and human beings I ever met. A great man and a big loss."
Larry Patrick
Managing Partner
Patrick Communications

?This is a sad day. Ken was and will always be one of my heroes. Everyone he touched became smarter and, frankly, just better human beings. One of my cherished memories is fly fishing with Ken and dear friends Bob and Shelia Gourley near Ken and Marion's second home in Dubois, Wyoming.?
Erica Farber
President and CEO
RAB

"I was privileged to be a National Sales Rep of Ken's Swanco Radio Group back in the Roarin' Sixties. We became pals. Ken was a marvelous sales and management trainer and consultant. I went to listen to Ken once a year while we played golf in his Tulsa hometown. No one taught me more about managent than Ken
"For instance, he taught me that we usually fired people for the wrong reasons. We let ourselves and our key associates focus unfairly on an employee's weakest suits, fire him, and hire someone who showed us only his shiny sides. We never wanted to know what the new guy's short suits were. Ken said I'd be better off  working on helping that employee to minimize his shortcomings. Lastly, how expensive sales turnover is -- in real money and rebuilding credibility on the sales street.
"Ken never got fancy. All Ken ever did was to make sense. Ken's biggest competitors were his biggest admirers. They knew best just how good Ken was. He was a man of high principles. For instance , Ken said he'd quit the radio station business at age 50 and teach radio at University of Tulsa. Ken did exactly that. Hell, Ken was the only teacher teaching rate cards, ARB  and Negotiations. After a few years, he came back  to form his very successful sales training company...buy a few small market stations.
"Ken and Marian, his wife and best friend, had a cabin in West Wherever, in the wilds of Wyoming. Ken was a passionate hunter and early partner in Ducks Unlimited. We're going to miss Ken Greenwood. They don't build his kind any more.           

Frank Boyle

?My first memories of Ken Greenwood, were sitting in a hotel room at RAB convention in early 80?s with all the sales managers and general managers of Bloomington Broadcasting Corporation, listening to Ken sale us on buying his Greenwood Performance System. He did make that sale and our company used his training for many years afterward. He was a true broadcaster and taught selling from the client point of view. It was all about marketing the business and getting results for the client. Our company would stay connected to Ken over the years and even brought him in to our markets for more training with our sellers. He was one of the reasons I stayed in radio, he made me feel like we were in a real profession and not just selling spots. He was a true mentor to our generation of broadcasters. My last memory of Ken was a few years back, when traveling through the West on a father son vacation, we stopped by his home on the Wind River in Dubois , Wyoming. It meant a lot to me to get to introduce him to my son as one of my mentors. After talking a lot of fly fishing , he showed us his favorite hold, just behind his house, gave us a tour of his adopted home Dubois. As we departed that evening he gave my son a copy of one of his many books.  He lived an incredible  life doing what he loved and he touched so many people in our business, both on a professional level and a personal level. He will be missed by all who knew him.?

Don Raines
Bloomington Broadcasting

(6/21/2013 1:26:27 PM)
Radio has lost a giant. The sales systems and philosophies that he taught to us will live on and continue to make our industry better. It was my good fortune to begin my sales career at a Swanco station during Ken’s presidency. We always looked forward to his market visits as a time to learn and enjoy the presence of a warm and friendly leader and a great teacher.
Bob Lawrence
Radio Advertising Bureau
(6/21/2013 9:11:37 AM)
I met Mr. Greenwood when I was a Mass Communications major at the University of Tulsa. He was responsible for recommending me for my first radio sales job. Over the years, he remained my friend and mentor. He is one of the two gentlemen I credit with my career. When I founded Bryson Broadcasting International, I went to "sit at the feet of the mastor". He gave me wise counsel and was always available to encourage and to clarify my objectives. I, too, grew up with his training. I was priviledged to appear on some of his early training videos. My last visit with him was two weeks ago. Once again, he gave me guidance and insight on my next project. Our industry has lost one of the great minds of our age. He will be missed.
(6/20/2013 9:15:33 PM)
Ken was a lion in media's forest. He was truly an original without equal. Kind, generous, thoughtful, he loved the radio business and, most of all, he genuinely enjoyed helping others to reach their potential. I had the unique privilege of knowing him for childhood. My dad worked for Ken at KRMG. Later, during my years running a group, we became clients of Ken as one of the first supporters of The Leadership Institute for Managers, his collaboration with another great - Norm Goldsmith.
(6/20/2013 8:57:41 PM)
He was a masterful teacher and I use what he taught every day! God Bless Ken and his family - he blessed his radio family!

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(MANAGEMENT) Are You A Manager Or A Mouse?

6-21-2013

You see it quite a bit in the political arena. In fact, it was a radio talk host who got me thinking about the idea for this article. In the course of discussing one of the ?issues du jour? and whether Party No. 1 would handle it better than Party No. 2, he said, ?Party No. 1 isn?t really advocating anything newer or better than Party No. 2. Party No. 1 just wants to be in charge.? I soon began to notice this in the business world as well. The performance of Company A is deemed unacceptable to investors, shareholders, etc., and the current management team gets blown out. Then the new folks come in, throw a fresh coat of paint on things, do essentially what their predecessors did, and the results stay the same: unacceptable.

Clearly, this isn?t a new concept. But I?ve been seeing it more and more, especially in companies, industries, and institutions that are either exceptionally challenged or just flat-out broken. So I felt compelled to try to describe it in terms that would put a clearer perspective on the phenomenon. After all, I?ve had the opportunity to be around an industry that is exceptionally challenged, radio, and an institution that is flat-out broken, politics. So I?m asking: ?Do they really have a better mousetrap, or do they just want to be the new head mouse catcher??

Let?s take a closer look at this: If you?re the newly elected mayor of Pork Belly or the new general manager of WXXX, you probably got your new gig because A) some contingency of folks ? the electorate, the station owner, etc. ? thought things weren?t going as well as they should be, and B) the aforementioned folks thought you were the person who could turn things around.

And it begins. You?re in the ultimate pressure cooker. Scrutiny, judgment, second-guessing, and much more have now entered your world, big time. And you have to make a choice: You can actually try to develop a better
mousetrap (focus on a solution), or you can use the bully pulpit of your new head mouse catcher status to just try to keep your job (focus on survival).

If you choose to take the solution route, here are some thoughts that will help you:

Clarity is necessary before solutions can be developed. Every problem I?ve ever seen has been surrounded by clutter. It comes in the form of everybody else?s opinion and analysis (noise). It comes in the form of individual agendas and self-interest. Listening to people who have knowledge of your challenges is crucial to developing good solutions, but remember two things: First, there will always be forces that will disagree with whatever it is you do. That?s just the nature of things. And, second, you got the job because you know what you?re doing. Trust your abilities.

Clarify which issues are the ones that are having a real, material effect on performance. It is still amazing to me that people in both politics and business will beat their heads against the wall trying to solve a problem that isn?t a core issue. Is your sales problem caused by product issues, your sales systems, or your people? Or all three? Get clarity on what the real problem is, then begin to work on solutions.

Some problems aren?t yours to solve. The size and scope of your operation might preclude you from being able to solve certain problems. For instance, as GM of WXXX, you can?t have as big an influence on certain technological issues or public-policy issues as the NAB, or the whole industry working together. So you voice your opinion to the appropriate parties, then move on to other issues, like developing content consumers will seek out or making sure you have great sales talent who are skilled at selling multi-platform solutions and developing great relationships with customers. The point is, don?t get roadblocked by the macro issues that garner a lot of trade press. Solve the problems that are within your scope, and your success will have a ripple effect on the industry.

Solutions aren?t real unless they?re tied to results. Solving a problem is supposed to better your condition in some sort of measurable way. If you identify a core problem and then develop a solution, there has to be a way to assess just how good your solution was. If your identified problem is sales and the root of that problem is your sales talent, you would evaluate your success based on some kind of talent assessment of the new sales team you?ve hired and, ultimately, how much your revenue grew. And don?t forget one very important rule: When you and your team are developing solutions, don?t let people leave the room until everyone agrees on ?what success looks like? after the implementation of the fix.

As a longtime believer that great organizations are built from the ground up, with good, basic practices, I can assure you that focusing on solutions makes focusing on survival less of a necessity. Good luck, all you mouse
catchers!

Marc Morgan is the former SVP and chief revenue officer for Cox Media Group; he retired in 2011. He can be reached at marc@marcmorganconsulting.com.

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Wetherbee Joins America Weekend

6-20-13

Envision Radio Networks says 30-year radio veteran John Wetherbee has been hired as Chief Stormcaster for America Weekend. America Weekend Executive Producer Kipper McGee says, ?As we have learned, many significant weather events happen on weekends. John adds a unique national perspective that is absent from most weekend News-Talk programming.?

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WGAC-AM Named Station Of The Year

6-21-13

More good news for the Beasley Group. News/Talk WGAC-AM was named "Radio Station of the Year" by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters. It was the 12th consecutive year the station has won the award. This year WGAC was honored in the large-market category, which includes Atlanta. For the past 11 years, WGAC was awarded Radio Station of the Year in the medium-market category. 

Vice President and Market Manager Kent Dunn said, ?I am extremely proud of the WGAC-AM/FM staff for bringing home our 12th consecutive Gabby for ?Radio Station of the Year.? This year is even more special due to the added competition of being placed in the division that includes stations in Atlanta.?

Program Director Harley Drew added, ?This is the 12th year in a row that we have won, but this award is even more exciting for us because we were, for the first time, compared to every station in Georgia -- including the big boys in Atlanta! Being placed in the large-market category makes the award extra sweet to us. It also makes all the hard work we put forth to excel in every area very much worth it. Needless to say, we are very, very happy!?

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