I don't get the "SALES" Thing?

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

Maybe someone can enlighten me...but I continue to see fairly large "stables" of sales people, many of which kind of scramble to figure out the business! Then you have the superstars who tend to land all the big accounts. Then management often "shuffles" the deck so many of the decent relationships in place are reassigned to other A/E's because they are near starving!! Even when Mel was at CBS his answer to better revenue was to "throw more sales people at it".

a. Does "more people" really translate to better revenue?

b. Don't many of these people trip all over each other reading the same newspaper ads, etc.

c. Why not focus more on people who can research and do some market PLANNING and then folks go out and execute the plan instead of random cold-calling?

d. WHY DOESN'T ANYONE IN THE @#*$&## BUSINESS "GET" THE NET??

It just seems there is this constant churn of the VERY FEW accounts that "carry" the station, a lot of overhead going to other people to try to round out the numbers, no game plan beyond "we have 15 perishable avails that need to be sold ASAP", and then it all starts all over again the next week. OBVIOUSLY there are exceptions and talented people in the industry who negate much of this....but I guess what I am asking is whether sales has gone the route of "hire jocks from Ephrata" by getting a bunch of 'raw' talent who works cheap?

Need some 'schoolin' here....djdan....what can you do to enlighten me!!!?

 

[seatacpro]

Here is what Ive seen from my side over here in programming land.

Yes, alot of buildings adhere to the 'more the merrier' when it comes to salespeople. And in a sense it works. Would you rather have 5 super sales people (kinda like super delegates) that have the big accounts, service them and live off the constant commission. Or the 5 super plus 10 newbies who are out there beating the ground drumming up little sales. Even though you may have a big turnover with a bigger staff, you are bringing in more dollars. And sad to say, its much more about the here and now rather than building long lasting relationships. You always want to make budget for that month.

And once you wean the newbies off the base pay, its all commission. So, no loss to the company if your not pulling your weight.

Now, why it may be hard to get new advertisers are this:

1-The economy sucks right now. No company is thinking about using its cash on hand to advertise.

2-Rule 1 applies more now that radio keeps becoming less and less of a smart choice. Radio has become less relevant, but radio doesnt see that and keeps trying to charge the same rates.

3-And yes, your right. Most stations dont get 'the net' and what it can do for added dollars. I have seen more internet banner ads or promotions go up simply for the fact of 'added value'. So, as opposed to making the web its own priority it becomes more of the toy that comes with the happy meal.

Those are just my thoughts though!

 

[majoradio]

Radio needs better CONTENT besides better sales depts...

Does it:
'echo...with the sound' of it...
..per Rush's 'Spirit of Radio" anymore??

 

[Uriah]

Having been on both sides of the building - programmings value position is being challenged in today's consumer controlled environment. As a listener, what are you offering me to sit through 15+ commercials - many screaming at me - between the same 100 songs and trite content/contests. Same for talk formats - why listen to the left scream at the right and vice versa...again and again when I can have the topics I like in an RRS feed and run Pandora in the background.

Think of a sales team like a baseball team - 2 or 3 Star players, 2 or 3 mid-talent journeymen (or women) and 1-3 positions that churn and burn. As a sales person it all comes down to belief in the product -otherwise winning and building relationships with the typical ratio of 8 no's for 2 yes's is torture.

The web is another product delivery channel. Specific to AC's - streaming is the new Midday daypart. When's the last time you've seen a tuner at a work station. Cool factors to maximize: Video and the opportunity to develop what radio has enjoyed all along - communities. If you're saying that no one's found the pot of gold in monetize the web - agreed. Too many end up as added value. Take a look at CBS's webmag product. Mr Mason and company are evolving the traditional website format (where the home page looks like the banner covered windows of a furniture store staging a going out of business sale) toward an entertainment feature publication with interactive ad content.

You also have to question our pricing/ratings/agency model as a whole. Microsoft paying essentially $400 a head for a piece of Facebook throws traditional cpp values up for debate.

It's a tough environment. Radio's growth may be slowing - and declining in younger demos. The profit margin potential however is still astounding! Local radio will survive.

Rant over, thanks for the forum. Uriah

 

[Stewy]

Apologize for butting into the discussion but maybe I can enlighten you a little.

1. Yes, it does increase sales when you put more people out. Think of a wild flower field in spring, even in a drought, you buzz to enough flowers and you eventually find pollen. No bees in the field...no pollen.

2.They can trip over themselves but selling is a relationship business and you get the best results when a face to face relationship is built. Not everyones persona or chemical pheromones match with each client so they buzz back and forth until it clicks. Yeah it's weird but true.

3.Research and planning don't take the place of asking and re-asking after handling the objections. Sales folks are selling (locally) to business people who are pretty damn good at sales themselves and are cynical and have heard it all before and have tried it and it didn't work and they have between 15 and 50 trying to see them and sell them every day. Sales get paid based on production, you plan and research too much and you get fired before you get started. It is tough. On air is in the safety of the studio but sales are never on the home court, they are always visiting.

4.The net is there, there is money but not enough. Think of the PI's (per inquiry) you run and put them on HGH. In larger markets PI's can generate a little money but on a per spot basis no where close to the same time as a high priced car dealer. If you don't generate lots of unique hits to the site net advertisers aren't going to pay much for it. Granted that it has become an added value thing and that is stupid and shows that you have order takers and not sales people. Sales is an art.

5. The on air product has lost the pizazz and that makes it harder to sell and you get less for it. Radio sells the sizzle of the stake as it sits on the grill and you hear the fat dripping onto the hot coals going "tch" (makes you mouth water doesn't it, involuntary reflex). You don't sell a raw slab of cold dead steer do you?

6. How do you tell if they can or can't sell radio? I'm giving away a big secret of mine but here you go, if your a sales manager use it, if your on air give the idea to the sales manager. Have a balloon blown up and during the interview when you think they've relaxed and feel comfortable and cocky hand them the balloon and tell them your jocks blew it up and you want them to sell you the air inside the balloon, not the balloon but the air inside. If they can differentiate the air in the balloon from the air outside because of the creativity contained in that air and how much money that air can make the customer then you have a radio/media sales person not an order taker. Works every single time. You will know if they "get it" or not.

When it works and turnover goes down, churn goes down and sales go up then send me a pm and I'll give you an address where you can send the royalty checks.

Oh yeah, live by (sell by) the numbers and die (starve) by the numbers.

 

[ty]

How do you tell if they can or can't sell radio? I'm giving away a big secret of mine but here you go, if your a sales manager use it, if your on air give the idea to the sales manager. Have a balloon blown up and during the interview when you think they've relaxed and feel comfortable and cocky hand them the balloon and tell them your jocks blew it up and you want them to sell you the air inside the balloon, not the balloon but the air inside. If they can differentiate the air in the balloon from the air outside because of the creativity contained in that air and how much money that air can make the customer then you have a radio/media sales person not an order taker. Works every single time. You will know if they "get it" or not.


I'd pull a bag of Skittles out of my pocket and lay it on your desk.

 

[djdan]

Stewy hits the nail on the head. Love your "test."
Much like talent and programming, sales is an art. A good salesperson can sell air and in doing so delivers for his client. That is the magic of it all.

 

[djspills]

it's always intriguing to see how sales people can make or break a station. Just listen to the spot load...I know, I know...they will sell air time to anybody that's willing to pay up. But as far as relating to the "audience"? They don't, sometimes...in a big bad way. The words "get a clue" come to mind,

 

[Uriah]

it's always intriguing to see how sales people can make or break a station. Just listen to the spot load...I know, I know...they will sell air time to anybody that's willing to pay up. But as far as relating to the "audience"? They don't, sometimes...in a big bad way. The words "get a clue" come to mind,

A sales rep relates to the audience as a community that you are selling access to - and you have to believe in its ability to deliver results for the client. One flight wonders don't pay the bills - the PD's salary or, as a rep, my groceries..... long term, repeat business is key to building a revenue base for the rep and station. The "get a clue" label is better directed to the PD or GM who caves to billing pressure and allows the product to be cluttered beyond recognition with too many spots, out of context promotions and yet another phone scam to represent interesting content.

When programming and sales work together to execute a brand strategy (like the team approach at Cox properties) great results can happen. When sales and programming are blaming each other you begin to loose from within - not from the competition.

 

[Ivy]

Now-going on the "air" comparison....if you fire and rehire the air inside (or talk bad about/down jab/say how bad they suck/keep firing and moving to voice tracks/treat that air like all it is-is simply dumb old air) then how do you expect ANYONE ON EARTH TO GIVE A CRAP ABOUT YOUR AIR? Answer? Perhaps support, management (from properly trained managers not PD's who program music only) and a decent living. It's nice to simply say that talent simply is either "great" or "they suck". C'mon....most people with average intelligence who can articulate themselves enough to be on the air are good enough. It's also...are they supported and does the COMPANY turn that support into promoting from every angle.

If listeners think the one and only person they can relate to on the air is an ass kiss away from being fired....why listen? Each time you fire someone on the air-or hire for that matter I say stay the course. Keep the call letters and make the station survive no matter what. All stations ebb and flow. When you treat each element of the station like it is priceless (like your family)....it is. Blowing up a station is doing exactly just that. It's like shipping off your family and getting a new one to the listener (if they care in the slightest). This is true by the way in all formats not just the touchy feeling one's. Rock, R&B, Country etc...

Definitely very difficult for a very mobile society which makes it all the more important. I've worked for the best of the rest. This is exactly how they treat me.

Note to new sales people...if you work for a station and they get a new PD and the first thing they do is fire everyone? Run now or prepare to run later.

 

[FMSteve]

Of course I have to chime in here. The best sales people in the world are radio sales people thrown the yellow pages, that have to walk up and down Highway 99 from Tacoma to Everett, doing direct business. These radio sales people don't have "agency accounts" nor cushy existing business thrown at them. These guys and gals are full of moxy and guts that can sell ice to eskimos and build trust at the same time. And working with an intangible such as Radio they must successfully paint a picture and be creative with the client and his/her business.

So when, after every Friday morning sales meeting they go around the room to talk about their "successes" or "bragging rights" that week, the only unshameful people on the sales time are the ones that got direct business from worn shoe leather and created out of their own hard work. Unfortunately, management just sees the dollars input and not what actually went in to the process.

If I sound like I have a chip on my shoulder, I do. I was there.

 

[Uriah]

FMSteve - I salute you! - Started with the yellow alphabetical list as well. Having built and rebuilt a direct list several times - the satisfaction of growing a new account to big $$ and earning "go to guy" status with a client is a huge payoff. Seeing these accounts go agency or national can be a real buzz kill. Overall though direct is more satisfying.

 

[icycool7227]

Note to new sales people...if you work for a station and they get a new PD and the first thing they do is fire everyone? Run now or prepare to run later.

PDs can fire people? Thought only the GM could do that? Makes me want to be a PD even more now!