In 17 years of media sales consulting, I have observed three issues that seem to rear their ugly heads repeatedly.  As radio retools toward The New Radio Model with a focus on generating higher revenue, these three obstacles must be overcome:

1. Too many rookie salespeople don’t succeed.
2. Managers want their people to make more face-to-face calls.
3. Veteran salespeople are not always good at getting quality appointments with prospects. 

Certainly there are others but these come up often, and in today’s extraordinarily soft advertising environment, these problems are only magnified.  If radio is to succeed long-term in recapturing revenue a New Radio Model, fundamental structural changes are in order. 

One change that has been working well with our clients is a Sales Associate Program.  In essence, this program brings recent grads into a job where their principal work is finding solid prospects that meet the station’s Ideal Customer Profile criteria, and then approaching those prospects to secure an appointment.  Once the appointment is set, the prospect is handed off to a veteran salesperson that is typically pretty good in front of prospects.

The work of finding solid prospects and securing appointments is not taken lightly.  This requires all the same training you would provide a newly-hired salesperson on a needs-based, marketing-focused sales process.  If you don’t provide that sort of training, this program won’t work for you. 

These fully-trained Sales Associates learn how to research prospects, determine in advance who to approach, and actually approach them with a Valid Business Reason based on needs they have observed thus far.  They are equipped with sales marketing materials that show how their company does business, and how it has solved marketing problems for clients in the past, with tailored solutions that zero-in on the client’s needs.  They dangle process – how their company does business, not product – that their station is too hot for asbestos ears.

The results thus far have been very encouraging.  Each Sales Associate is expected to make 100 appointment-setting calls per week resulting in at least 16 high-quality appointments each month.  After six months, the Sales Associate has three options:

1. Become a full-fledged Account Executive.  By the way, 2 out of 3 typically take this route.  They are very well trained and miles ahead of most rookie sellers.
2. Remain a Sales Associate.  A few have opted for this because they enjoy the work so much.
3. Leave.  If they are not succeeding or hate the work.  So far, this has been rare.  If you select these Sales Associates with the right talent, give them effective training, and manage them as legitimate contributors they will likely succeed.

By the way, depending on the market, most of these Sales Associates can be paid in the mid twenties plus a bonus for each appointment they set (say $10-$15).

So, let’s recap the solutions and the revenue impact:

1. Too many rookie salespeople don’t succeed.  After six months as a successful Sales Associate, these new salespeople are prepared very well.  Your clients will appreciate not having to deal with the “rookie of the month.”
2. Managers want their people to make more face-to-face calls.  What would be the effect of 16 more face-to-face calls every month where your veteran salespeople are uncovering needs or proposing solutions?  It’s always been six figures in our experience.
3. Veteran salespeople are not always good at getting quality appointments with prospects.  This is not such a problem now is it?  I read a time-study recently that showed the average salesperson spends 35-40% of their time each week trying to figure out who to call on.  Could you use a capacity increase in your sales department?

Think differently.  The lone-wolf sales model doesn’t work anymore in this new environment where you have to get serious about developing business. 

In my next New Radio Model blog entry, I will talk about why most salespeople need help in developing strong marketing solutions for clients and why you need a Director of Results on your staff. 

Jim Hopes
Chief Executive Officer, The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.
Member of The Radio Workout Team