Radio’s Four Advertisers

(From the editor: This article is written for media reps, in particular radio reps. However it is a valuable read for all.)

By Wizard Founding Partner Roy H. Williams

Will you continue looking for customers who like to buy the way you like to sell? Or will you learn to sell the way your customer likes to buy?

There are only four prospects in the world. Today I’m going to introduce you to them and help you better understand how to sell each of them their way. Grab a pen. You’re about to draw an intersection graph that includes every advertiser you’ll ever meet:

At the western edge of the horizontal X-axis write the words, “Short-time Horizon.” This refers to all the advertisers whose ads this week are intended to sell product this weekend.

At the eastern edge of the X-axis write “Long time-horizon.” This refers to the advertisers whose eyes look into the future. These are your only prospects for ongoing branding campaigns - the thing Radio does best.

Now let me tell you the truth of the matter: Just as a leopard cannot change his spots, an advertiser cannot change his time horizon. In more than a quarter century of consulting, I’ve never yet worked with an advertiser who had a history of short-term promotions that actually stayed committed to a long-term branding campaign. Those advertisers who finally convinced me they wanted to change their gimmicky ways and build a meaningful brand always returned to their worn-out gimmicks. Most bailed after only two or three months. Others hung on for nearly a year. But bail they did, one and all.

The moral to the story of the X-axis is that you should quit listening to what your prospects are saying through their lips and begin watching what they’re saying through their actions. Pitch only short-term promotions to the advertisers who are short-term thinkers. Pitch only 52-week schedules to those advertisers whose actions indicate they’re in it for the long haul. How long have they been at this location? Do they own it or rent? Do they talk about “last year” and “five years ago” or do they talk about “last quarter” and “last month?” Are you dealing with the owner or an employee? If an owner, does he or she have partners? You’ll find that it’s easy to sell long-term schedules when you’re calling on long-term thinkers.

Most radio presentations are made to highly promotional, short-term thinkers, as these are the only advertisers who call the stations and ask for rates. Believe it or not, your best prospect for a 52-week schedule is the advertiser who doesn't currently use radio at all. To make more money, hear more praise and listen to less whining each Monday, you’re going to have to begin prospecting accounts other than the ones you hear on a competitor’s station.

Now lets look at the vertical Y-axis, running north to south: At the top, write “Has a Method.” This refers to every advertiser who has a method for buying media, no matter how ridiculous that method might be. Some buyers lean heavily toward qualitative data. Serve these advertisers according to their preference. Others evaluate media by cost-per-point or cost-per-thousand. Serve these advertisers according to their chosen preference as well. A third method for evaluating media is according to dominance in a demographic cell. These are the buyers that want to see rankers. Show them rankers in whatever cell they believe to be meaningful.

The lesson of this “Has a Method” pole of the Y-axis is that you’re not going to change a buyer’s method by arguing with them or trying to “educate” them into seeing things your way. If you’re looking for a fight, just tell these buyers they’re not doing their job right. Imply they’re incompetent. Hint that you’re better qualified to do their job than they are. Try to “overcome their objections.”

Bottom line: If your buyer has a method, accommodate that method. Sell them their way.

The advertisers at the bottom of the Y-axis have "No Method" for buying media. That’s why they’re looking for an expert they can trust. The wrong thing to say to a buyer who has a method is often the right thing to say to a buyer who has none.

If you’re going to be ready to sell everyone, you must learn to recognize these four buyers and prepare for each of them the different presentation they require.

Will you continue looking for customers who like to buy the way you like to sell? Or will you learn to sell the way your customer likes to buy?

There are only four customers. It’s really not that hard.

Right now the whiners are saying, “But most advertisers have a method for buying and a short time horizon.”

It’s true that most agencies have a method for buying and some direct accounts do as well. These are the people who are easiest to find. They are professionals, just like you. Which is why they don’t really need you; they only need access to the commodity you sell.

Now let me give you the good news: the United States of America currently has 5.8 million businesses with fewer than 100 employees. (Australia has 1.162 million businesses with fewer 100 employees) Most of these are committed to the long haul, have no method for buying media, are not represented by an agency, and go to bed each night praying for an advertising expert they can trust.

Can you be trusted?