Chris Byrnes I was visiting a radio station recently and could not help but notice the tension between sales and programming. The programming staff was upset that everything was left to the last minute and no one from sales was communicating with those at the “sharp end” of the ship. The sales staff was upset with programming because they felt the announcers were not pulling their weight, were making mistakes in reading and/or production and some recent remotes had not gone off smoothly.
This is not an uncommon problem and certainly not unique to radio. Most problems stem from a lack of communication or a lack of understanding of the job. If you doubt this theory ask yourself how many sales reps do you know who never listen to the radio station(s) they sell, or have no idea when the major programming features are broadcast? How many Program Directors do you know who may have a great set of ears and can pick up the smallest mistakes on-air but are clueless to the concerns of the sales staff?
So here are some suggestions of how to knock down those barriers that separate the folks who sell the spots and the operations staff who keep the product on the air.
Internal Product Seminars: Most PD’s do not understand cost-per-point or reach and frequency. If you doubt me, ask your PD how many occasions a client would need to buy on your station to reach your target audience three or more times a week. What’s even more alarming is when your sales staff doesn’t know the names of some of your personalities, doesn’t know why you play the music you play or doesn’t know what specialty programming your station airs on the weekend. Consider asking some of these questions over the next few days and the outcome might surprise you. One solution is to run internal seminars to help all your staff get a better understanding of other departments. They should learn what each department does and how it interacts with the others. I know of one station where they invite a different member of the non-programming staff to each weekly announcers meeting. It often results in fresh ideas the sales rep may bring to the table about upcoming events and promotions. Successful sales reps are more likely to be retail market advisors today than just a guy who visits clients and sells spots. Therefore, the more they know about the product they are selling, the better advice they can offer their clients. Knowledge is power.
Serving Both Clients: In order to consistently win in a market, a radio station needs to super-serve both sets of clients... the listeners and the advertisers. And the smaller the market, the more reliant that station is on local business because national dollars are either scarce or non existent. The monthly revenue targets will be achieved more through the ability of the commercial messages to bring customers into the store and less by what the BBM or Arbitron ratings say. By the way, the smaller the market, the greater the impact the morning announcer will have through his or her on and off-air words and actions. So it follows that the overall product needs to appeal to both the listeners and the advertisers. This requires that the PD has a good understanding of what works and what doesn’t in your market.
Get the PD On the Road: It helps when the PD has an appreciation of just what a radio salesman’s life is like on the streets. If he/she makes a few calls with your sales people and is confronted by what it takes to sell the product, there will be a new appreciation for the sales department’s difficulties. Trying to make a living in a competitive market where radio is just one of the many media options open to clients and where ALL of your income relies on your success is much different and more stressful than a salaried position that only depends on the amount of effort and the degree of talent. Seeing that reality may make the PD a little more understanding when the impossible client finally says yes but there are programming implications. Make sure the PD goes on a few sales calls each month. With his plateful of responsibilities, this can be a challenge these days but it is worth the investment in time. It may be an opportunity to get the creative, “left brained” PD interacting with the client and brainstorming ideas and solutions. The same, therefore, should apply to the sales reps. They need to spend some time in the on-air studio and shadow an announcer for a shift once a month…..or spend some time with the promotions department. The sales rep may come away with a better appreciation of what it takes to time out to the newscast, the interesting characters who call the request line and the multi-tasking that has to go on in order for everything to get done in a day. If you’re lucky, perhaps the next time a client says he needs an idea by lunch time today, that sales rep may “manage” the situation and convince the client to give the promotions and programming people time to generate a solid idea that will work for both the client and the station. There will be additional benefits when the sales rep engages in conversation with his client and is able to speak like he really knows what goes on behind the scenes. His knowledge will impress because once again, knowledge is power.
Winning In the Halls: I learned a long time ago that just because I thought something was a great idea, unless I “sold” the sales team, the chances of getting a feature sponsored or a promotional concept sold, were next to zero. One of the PD’s I work with does a sales presentation to the reps prior to each ratings book. He puts together a Power Point presentation and pitches the sales team so they have a clear understanding about possible product changes, objectives for the upcoming survey and how the station plans to achieve its ratings goals. It is a mistake to make the assumption that a good sales rep can sell anything. Sales reps become good by getting to know the product intimately. They need to get excited about the nuances of your station, its format and your talent. You want to ensure that your sales team is delivering the RIGHT message.
Conclusion: It all comes down to one word - communication. The better a radio station communicates, both internally and externally, the more successful it is likely to be. Communication is critical when it comes to sales and programming. Both departments need to be up-to-speed and cooperating. If they aren’t in harmony, you likely have a problem at all levels. |