The Chiquitas of Broadcasting

The broadcast industry has a marketing problem with local direct advertisers. It is that pesky perception that what WE do for a living is confusing, complicated and expensive. Instead of perceiving us as resources, we look like pests. Instead of having a knowledgeable marketing and advertising expert to help them grow their businesses, they get to meet their third Chiquita in a year and a half from your station.

It is a shame, but that is what local direct clients think about broadcast advertising, that is, if they even bother to think about using us at all. And guess what? We have nobody to blame but ourselves.

I went to Mexico City a few months ago to do a seminar on broadcast selling. The event was in Chapultapec, a very rich part of Mexico City. And for those of you who have been to Mexico City you know that if you are rich in Mexico, YOU'RE RICH. But even in that very wealthy part of the city there were signs of abject poverty everywhere.

On virtually every street corner there were little girls with grubby faces called "Chiquitas". They hold out their hands and beg every passer-by for money but they have nothing to offer in return. "Por favor, senor, just a little something," they ask. You respond, "No Chiquita, not today. This is very dangerous. Do not do this." But the Chiquitas are very persistent. "Por favor, just a little something for me, POR FAVOR."

The Chiquitas make me very sad. But they also remind me of practically every broadcast salesperson I have ever met. "Por favor, Mr. Client. Just a little something for my station, por favor." And the client says, "No Chiquita, not today. But if you send me some information on your station, I will get right back with you." And the Chiquita salesperson says enthusiastically, "Okay, I will get you some information right back to you."

Then the Chiquita runs back to the station, cards the account and then gets on the computer and cranks out a computerized proposal filled with horrible stuff that nobody likes to read or can understand, like AQH and CPP and Frequency of 3. You get all of that stuff to your client and then of course, the client never calls you back.

If I were a local direct client who already had the perception that broadcast advertising was complicated, confusing and expensive, I believe I would rather chew on a mouthful of wasps than try to read one more computer-generated report or package from a radio or television station.

See, here is the problem, and opportunity. The average radio or television station has fewer than fifty local direct accounts on the air in any given month. Meanwhile, another medium out there has practically every single account, thousands of them, locked up with annual contracts. That medium is the Yellow Pages, the GREAT MONEY-SUCKING HOLE.

It is not that all of those local advertisers are not advertising, they are just not advertising with YOU. Why? Because of the way we sell. We're an industry of Chiquitas, giving local direct clients facts and figures that even WE do not fully understand. So, how should we expect anybody else to understand them?

Here is a great test. Explain GRPs, AQH and frequency to YOUR MOM in language that SHE would understand that would get her excited and ready to buy from you BEFORE her eyes turn yellow and cross. It is not an easy thing to do. So, why keep going there with clients?

The best part about beating your head against a wall is that it feels so good when you STOP. Stop confusing and boring your clients with crap ratings proposals they do not understand. Managers, stop confusing salesperson EFFORT with salesperson production. Salespeople, stop being Chiquitas, begging clients for money without offering anything valuable in return.

While I was in college I worked at a small campus men's store. And two out of five people who came into our store were CHIQUITAS who were trying to sell US something. And all of the Chiquitas who visited us would say the same, cliché things:

• We are number ONE.
• We have got a 3.2.
• We have the BIGGEST STICK IN TOWN.
• Oh, you will LOVE our morning show!
• I just need to make ONE MORE SALE and I get to go to JAMAICA with our station!
• Do not buy that station over there -- the people who listen to THAT station live on THE STREET AND SMOKE DOPE!

Not one single media salesperson ever came in and spoke to us in language that we understood, about how it would be logical and in OUR BEST INTEREST to do business with them. How difficult are YOU making it for local direct clients to do business with you and your station?

By focusing your attention on educating the client in language that he or she would understand, you can do several wonderful things:

• Eliminate rate resistance
• Make the sale whether you are number one or number 20
• Double or triple what your client believes he should risk on your station
• Get a long-term contract

We know that educated clients buy more than uneducated clients. We know that our local direct clients have been inundated with Chiquitas from every media and every station.

And, instead of educating clients properly about good marketing, the difference between good and bad advertising and how to calculate return on investment on the advertising they are doing, all the Chiquita has to offer is a report written in hieroglyphics that nobody can or wants to read. All the Chiquita can do is a little chest-beating dance about how they are number one with 24-49 year old women who shave one eyebrow and drive Volvos.

If you are a broadcasting Chiquita, STOP IT NOW. Order my two CDs by clicking HERE IMMEDIATELY and learn to be a resource to your clients instead of a pest. These CDs are inexpensive, so you will still have plenty of money left over for essentials, like beer, cigarettes and Danielle Steel novels.

These audio CDs will change the way you sell radio and television.






Paul Weyland: 5450 Bee Cave Road, Suite 1-C, Austin, Texas 78746, 512-236-1222, paul@paulweyland.com
©Copyright 2001 Paul Weyland Sales & Marketing. Web development: Stylefish.