A Retailers View Of Radio

Radio has a sometimes unique approach to ad sales. A story has been told of a former broadcast sales rep who started a new career in retail. After being in retail for a period of time, he had the unique perspective of both worlds.

Here are some tips he passed on to radio sales people from the other side of the desk.

1.      When meeting with a sales rep, he would ask a co-worker to wander into the conference room as if no one is using it. If the sales rep is unprepared, the former broadcast sales rep Tom (not his real name) will pull on his ear lobe, which signaled the co-worker to page him in two minutes so he can end the disaster. No retailer should ever have to pull on his ear lobe to get rid of a sales rep. When you as a sales rep are unprepared and haven’t done your research, you may deserve the ear lobe treatment.

2.      Tom tells a story about a radio rep who waited 30 minutes for a 5 minute meeting. He just wanted to drop in and say hello to Tom. Asked if he did this all day long, the rep responded yes. So Tom got on his calculator, and computed the reps time he was wasting during the day. During an average three calls per day, the rep would sit in a waiting room for 90 minutes per day for a 15 minute meeting. So, in one week the rep was spending 7 ½ hours in a lobby waiting for a meeting. Folks, that is a full work day or 30 hours per month.

3.      There are four things you should never do while talking to a client. First, starting the conversation with a negative. Second, put the client down. Third, question his or her intelligence or integrity. Fourth, say We can’t/You're wrong/You have to/You call me/Sorry, there is nothing I can do/Calm down.

4.      There are four things you should definitely say to a client. First, I'd be glad to. Second, I'll follow up personally. Third, I'll find out. Fourth, We appreciate.

5.      During the call to set up an appointment, the salesman promised to spend only 15 minutes with Tom. If kept longer than that, it meant that Tom was interested enough to continue the conversation. During the meeting, at the 15 minute mark the rep looked at his watch and said his time was up. Tom kept him longer. If you tell someone 15 minutes, stick to it. Let the client know your time is as valuable as his.

6.      Tom says that a great sales rep is one who will offer to work in the clients store on Saturday for the next four weeks. If you take time to understand your clients business, you can be more effective for them.

7.      Your appearance is incredibly important. Studies have shown dressing in a more traditional style can lead to at least a 15% increase in sales. Understanding the terms traditional business, business appropriate, mainstream business casual and baseline casual is vital. One station studied implemented a non-negotiable dress code and their sales increased double digits.

8.      Two men from a TV station came in unannounced and wanted to see Tom. They were told that he only sees media people with appointments. They said okay and walked out, and were never seen again. Be a professional, use the phone to arrange appointments. Be prepared before you pick up the phone, use a script if you find it will help.