Building a Sales Brand

May 2, 2013

Typically, radio stations have been very good at branding themselves to the listeners. This is not an accident, as most stations understand the value of the brand in establishing preferences. However, as an industry, we have done a poor job of branding to the advertiser.

Branding your radio station to an advertiser is one important step in establishing value and getting beyond the CPP battle. In his book, “Romancing the Brand,” author David Martin explains that in the world of product parity, effective branding to the purchaser can establish a higher value and therefore a higher price.

So how does a radio station get its sales team to brand their radio station to their advertisers?

First, they must all speak from the same hymnal. Each sales rep should understand what makes their station unique to the advertiser and know how to properly communicate it.

Much of this comes down to preparation and training. The station should have uniform materials that can be used by all the sales rep to profile your station’s advantage. It does not matter whether your team wants to display their story as a paper leave-behind or in a digital format; every piece needs to sell the value of your station to the advertiser. Again, it needs to have a uniform look, which will strengthen the advertiser’s relationship with your radio station and separate your station from the competition.

If one of your station’s primary sales advantages is its audience’s quantitative or qualitative position, it’s imperative that these materials are kept current. Whether quantitative or qualitative data, it reflects poorly on the station to present out-of-date materials.

Another great way to brand your sales team to an advertiser is to be a resource to the advertiser. Typically one group in the market has the crown as the information resource. Owning the “research hill” will greatly benefit your station, as advertisers will always give the tie breaker to the station that they feel is an honest resource.

Creating these resources is only half the battle. Your team needs be trained on how to use them.  Giving your team the tools without the training will result in the materials being used improperly, or not being used at all.

Simply put, build a uniform brand for your sales people that will establish why your properties are worth a premium. Then train your people how to present them in a professional fashion.

The Ratings Experts at Research Director, Inc. have been helping our clients grow their revenue for more than 20 years. Click here to request your free, no-obligation consultation with one of the prominent thought leaders in the radio industry.

-Charlie Sislen, Partner

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