Radio Ink Magazine February 6, 2023

DPARENTI@STREAMLINEPUBLISHING.COM As a young child, I spent several years in a small town that was a far cry from diverse. Minorities were not welcome, and that included religious minorities such as Catholics (like my family) and Jews. And it was odd how the bias was expressed, at least in the mind of a 10-year-old. “We like you. We just don’t like your [fill in the blank.]” Beyond some understandable and naturally awkward moments, it provided a powerful lesson about how people could generalize, in such broad strokes, offensive, unfounded, and narrow-minded perspectives. But at the same time, they could cast aside those generalizations when face to face, making warm, personal connections on an individual basis. And the lesson was simple: nothing replaces personal interactions. They are truly life’s greatest teachers. I am often…

LISA@JVCBROADCCAASTING.COM Level up in 2023. This mantra is a great way to approach the new year, and Q1 to start! If you’re in this business with at least a year under your belt, you have some solid competencies already. And even for those with longer-term career commitments in the industry, there is always room to level up. The biggest element of improvement (and bigger commissions) is trying new things, learning more ways to win, and finding opportunities to grow. Every day when you pull into the parking lot of your stations, or park in front of a client or prospect’s location, you have a decision to make. Do you want to maintain the status quo? Or do you want to be better, and earn more? Many will nod, but few will take…

ROY@WIZARDOFADS.COM Henry David Thoreau told us, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them.” If you want to touch the quiet desperation in the heart of your listener, write ads that describe their pain and frustration, then offer to deliver them from it. If you want to touch the song that is in them, write ads that speak of freedom, fulfillment, and joy. Show them the fascinating life they could be living. A well-written ad shines a mental movie onto the visuospatial sketchpad of working memory - the movie screen of the mind located in the dorsolateral prefrontal association area of the brain.1 There are four basic steps in every good story. Bad storytellers can do steps one and two, but recoil at step…

Many of us in sales have seen the 1992 movie Glengarry Glen Ross, starring Alec Baldwin and a cast of great actors. A pivotal scene has Baldwin conducting a surprise “sales meeting” full of harsh language (R-rated). And yet there are oneliners we can repeat, like “Coffee is for closers,” directed at Jack Lemmon as he is slumped over the coffeepot in the back of the room. Baldwins’ chalkboard illustration using A-B-C to punctuate the words “Always Be Closing” is a stark reminder of the old-school selling tactic that was all about the close. Watching the scripted words delivered genuinely on the phone, the disdain for worn-out leads, and a room full of men desperate to make a sale remind us that selling years ago was not for the weak of…

PAT@PATBRYSON.COM Experience tells us the 80/20 rule applies to salespeople: 20% of our sales staffs account for 80% of our revenue. They are our A+ players, and we pray for long, healthy lives for them and that they will always be members of our team. Good managers are always looking for the next star. It’s more difficult than ever to find anyone who wants to sell radio, let alone that one in a million who will be your next top performer. How do we identify the great ones? Great performers come in many shapes, sizes, genders, and social styles. But there are some characteristics all great sellers have in common. When I see these traits emerging in interviews, my heart starts beating a bit faster. I hire the “I” and train the “R.” The…

STEPHANIEDOWNS@CSSCENTER.COM The start of a new year is the perfect time to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. Whether you or your sales team had a successful - or less than successful - year in 2022, here are six tips for accelerating sales in 2023. 1. Identify high-potential prospects. When choosing new business targets, consider factors like their dollar potential, access to decisionmakers, and the fit with your product or service. Don’t waste time chasing after prospects that are unlikely to convert. Review your target account list, and if you haven’t had forward movement with the prospect in two or three weeks, replace it with another quality target account. You need as many target accounts as it takes to achieve your revenue goals. A simple gap exercise can help…