Challenge your clients

It's an old trick---but it always gets a foot in the door.

Retailers and businesspeople say they don't want to advertise or radio doesn't work or name your excuse here. So challenge them-- after all, if they're not going to listen anyway, at least you might get some of them to think.

The set up happens something like this after you've been told they won't/can't/shouldn't advertise:

You say, 'Okay. Tell you what--- I'd like to do something for you because I like you and want to see your business succeed. So I'm going to put a schedule on the air for you free of charge. Fifteen spots, three days.'

This intrigues many. They listen.

'I'm going to create a spot that tells the listener you're giving away $100 bills each day to the first 50 people through your doors.'

At this point, they either throw you out or engage you (and my friend always lived by the theory that until they call security, it's all negotiation). 'Don't DO that..!', they roar. 'I can't afford to pay all those people..!'. At which point, it either hits them-- or it doesn't. All those people, all from radio, all because of a compelling message delivered in a direct, timely and compelling way.

Think about it. Radio STILL has the advantage--- let's press it. All in.

What's a good spot worth

It's budget time, which means time for the annual dance for dollars.

In the overall picture, we cost less than one-half of 1% of a client's budget----read that as less than .5%---yet many are emphatic that by eliminating creative support, it helps their bottom line. Yeah. Right. And by not refilling my car, I'm saving money on gas (even if I go nowhere).

Yet, cluster after cluster continues to cut creative--- cut voices, cut production pros, copy, air talent---and all because 99% of management comes from the sales side of radio. That means most really aren't sure what creative does, so they're perfectly satisfied with cutting more and doling out the responsibilities to salespeople, interns and on air. So the question today is, what's a good spot worth?

When the creative team targets the client properly, when production creates the sound, when the flight is right and the client is successful, what's that worth to a radio station? The fact is, more station revenues are down-- a direct result of years of not being able to prove to clients the dollar value radio delivers (how much the client makes from people responding to their ads), and thus, minimizing client loyalty needed to get through tough times.When mediocre spots leave clients without ways to quantify their media buy, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sure, anyone can 'write' an ad, but poorly written and executed ads mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses for a radio cluster. And yet, management doesn't look at it that way.

Make a note---- sales people are at their best when they're selling, not writing. An air staff is at it's best when it's entertaining, not writing and producing. And a station works best when it invests in it's product, bringing clients more success and thus, reasons to return. THAT'S what a good spot is worth.

'Hear' your spots, don't just read them

Today, I get a note from an A/E that their G/M didn’t like the negativity of one of the lines we used. In fact, they just didn’t like the whole concept so they asked if we can do it again.

After almost 100,000 scripts, rewrites are never an issue. It just amazes me how people with little to no creative experience are willing to dismiss and judge the creative just based on one or two of their own reads. Listen up---we work in an AUDIO medium. Our product is creating sounds that get attention—how then can you read copy and determine it’s too negative if you haven’t heard it in the context of how it's supposed to sound? How do you know if you don’t like a concept if you don’t hear it?

If you’re ever having trouble ‘hearing’ a spot, ask for a scratch read from your writers or production team. Even ask THEM for a dry read. It's good for your client, good for you. Or maybe you guys have some other suggestions you use to help make the spot come alive before it’s produced. Love to hear them..

Greetings

Ok so this being the first blog , it's a chance to kick the tires a little. Who am I..? Why does what I think or say matter? Well, it's simple-----it matters because since creating the exclusive Customer First System with Greg Bennett in 1992, I've made millions of dollars for radio stations all over the world in almost 100,000 original scripts. Right, almost 100,000.

I'll talk radio here but not general bitching and bellyaching. I'll have tips and ideas-- and you'll like it because I approach radio upside-down. We at BENMARadio don't just think out of the box-- we break the box open. We offer new ideas about copy and production, how to handle clients, how to use your creative to make money-- even how to control your clients better so they're not causing issues with your creative process.

Welcome to the BENMARadio rants. You're going to love what we do.