Selling versus Telling

Think about it--- the entire success of your client's campaign relies on the spot you and your team create (assuming we're not in the mix). So---is your 30 or 60 second spot assaulting your listener with unimaginable amounts of information-- or does it have a purpose?

At BENMAR, we always ask the question-- are you selling, or telling? What's the difference? Let's start with telling.

We recently completed a spot for a salesperson who had a realtor come on the air. This realtor insisted that, in a sixty second spot, they wanted to talk to those who were buying a home, selling a home, renting a home and in need of a property manager and also, talking to those who wanted to build custom homes, because of a relationship they had with a builder. Four distinctly different markets, four completely different individuals, all in 60 seconds, all in the middle of, most likely, a five minute stop set. Is it any wonder this commercial did absolutely nothing for the client or our salesperson? That's because it was just telling, assaulting a listener with information because the client perceives that they need to fill their time with info. Telling does not offer you even a remote chance for success.

Selling? Well, that's a spot that's focused, and has a theme or idea behind it. Selling doesn't rely on just an assault of words-- it becomes an idea in the head of the listener that they need the product or service that the client is offering. Selling, in the above mentioned example, would've involved choosing an idea, then creating a donut which could be used to target the various components of this client's business. The idea would be selling-- the donut would focus on a general idea and then help reinforce the fact that the client would be the logical choice to contact for help. We 'sell' the name and the contact point-- the client does the rest.

So---when you're involved with creative, take a moment to ask yourself the question--is your radio spot selling or telling? Selling keeps the message simple, direct and easy to understand. Telling is wave after wave of unimportant information, eventually wearing the listener out. Your choice as to which way you go is the key element that determines success or failure for you, and your client.