As I mentioned in an earlier post, the book Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill has many inspiring stories that came out of the 1929 stock market crash and resulting depression. Along with his uplifting prose, Hill made a number of predictions about the future that were wildly off the mark. None of them [...]

It’s shocking to me that some stations in the 21st century aren’t taking advantage of yield management strategies. In lean economic times, pricing your inventory based on supply and demand makes more sense than ever before. The best argument for utilizing yield management comes from reviewing an unsold inventory report (assuming your traffic system can [...]

As of midnight tonight, we bid farewell to a troubled year. There’s no need to recount the issues that face our country and our industry; if you’re in Radio you probably go to sleep at night worrying about poor sales, cutbacks, and what the future may bring. It might make you feel better to know [...]

In an earlier post, I mentioned how advantageous it can be to learn the name of the decision-taker and gatekeeper when approaching a new client. The question is: what’s the “easy” way to uncover this information? Here’s how it’s done: pick up the phone, call the potential client, and ask.

Two travelers met in an airport terminal. “Where are you going?” asked the first. “Don’t know,” replied the second. “I just buy a ticket and get on a plane.” “Well, if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you’ve arrived?” Most advertising campaigns are not much different. We sell a client [...]

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, I was a sales newby. I had undergone the standard sales training: my sales manager handed me a copy of the yellow pages, a rate card, and pointed to the street. “Go get ‘em, tiger!” It took over a year of making every mistake a new [...]

My wife recently experienced the depths of automated telephone systems when she placed a call to a well-known, national service provider to inquire about an unauthorized credit card debit. Calling the designated national number, she became lost in a telephone tree with five choices, none of which addressed the issue about which she was calling.  [...]

Almost every Radio salesperson I’ve met likes having a large account list.  The apparent thinking is the more accounts the better.  There’s always the possibility — however remote — that one of the people on the list will call in one day, asking if they can advertise on the stations. You could also hit the [...]

I heard a commercial on the radio yesterday that made me laugh…but not because the ad was intended to be funny.  It was the type of ad I call “English-challenged”. The ad copy (for which business I don’t remember) claimed the sale now underway was “…the most unique in the area!” Pardon me.  Have the [...]

In a previous post, I mentioned how calling a gatekeeper by name can aid your quest to reach the decision taker. If you’ve spent time on the phone trying to reach Mr. Decision, you’ve probably experienced a conversation similar to this: Gatekeeper: “Good morning, Great Big Business Company, Mr. Decision’s office.” You: “Hello, is Mr. [...]