THE OTHER SIDE Greg Diamond It was my good fortune to have attended the recent Jim Pattison Broadcast Group Sales and Programming Conference. The entire three days were first class, but it was the event’s theme that was most memorable - “Understanding the Other Side of the Business.”
How well does your Sales Department understand the principles of programming and the day-to-day existence of the Program Director, Promotions Director, Producer, Announce Staff, etc.? Conversely, how well do all these people understand what it’s like to generate revenue for the station and to be responsible for putting food on everyone’s table?
To allow both sides to gain better insight to these questions, the group was divided up and for an entire morning the Sales people were given a “Programming 101” crash course covering everything from format descriptions, to market plotting, to why they should never say “or we’ll lose the buy” to a PD. Conversely, the programmers were treated to a “Sales 101” course that touched on such topics as connection selling, creating a sense of urgency, and dealing with objections before a client call is made.
In my group I was pleasantly surprised how interested and attentive everyone was. A genuine desire existed to more deeply understand the product side of the business and those responsible for it. Too often we make assumptions about how much other people know. That 4-hour seminar opened my eyes about the importance of improving everyone’s broadcasting knowledge base. Ignorance may be bliss but it costs money.
We are professional communicators. There is no better way to get the message across and to teach someone else our job than straight from the horse’s mouth. PD’s should take the sales team to school and explain the “whats” and “whys” of programming. Sales managers likewise need to clearly explain their roles and the duties of the sales team.
You can take all this to the next level by involving the Sales people in your Music Meeting. Whether to actively participate or simply watch the process is your call, but it is quite likely those people will leave the meeting with a much deeper understanding of why certain records do or don’t make it to air. Now imagine how much more knowledgeable that sales person will appear to his sales prospect… and people are more likely to buy from someone who sounds informed about his product.
Would including Sales in a Jock Meeting be a bad thing? The understanding gained by both sides could be substantial. At the very least, putting these people in the same room more often can only help the spirit of cooperation.
Have the programming staffers ever been on a call with Sales or at the least, have they ever attended a Sales Meeting? As an observer I sense they would come away with an entirely new respect for those that pound the pavement for a living.
The opportunities to expose Programming to Sales and vice-versa are numerous and by doing so a new level of understanding and trust can be built.
By the way, the Pattison conference also allowed everyone to gain insight into such overlooked areas as corporate finance and broadcast law - both sessions were, to say the least, eye-openers.
My sincere thanks to the good people at the Pattison Broadcast Group for the chance to spend valuable time with them and in doing so, broaden my own horizons.
ByrnesMedia has developed seminars dealing with all facets of the radio industry including the above topic. We would be happy to talk to you about your needs. Please give us a call toll-free at 1-866-332-1331 or email me directly at greg@byrnesmedia.com. |