Are You A Believer?

Sales is merely the transfer of belief from seller to buyer; when the transfer is complete, the sale is made.

Selling advertising, there have always been distractions. There are always “shiny new things” that grab the attention of our clients and prospects. CDs were going to kill radio, then MP3 players were going to be the end of the radio; now digital and autonomous cars are going to be the end of radio. Everywhere sellers turn, there is an attack on their belief in radio. As it turns out, digital and radio are an unstoppable combination.

The number one thing that a media seller must possess to be successful is belief. Do they truly believe in what they are selling? I dare argue that belief is beyond even skill and intellect. This week, I had the opportunity to coach a seller from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She was sharing how she lost a sale to a company that was using Adwords for validation to their buy. In theory, Adwords could substantiate the value for the client and she had nothing similar to use to prove the effectiveness of radio. “Except the last hundred years or so of clients having success,” was my thought. It was clear that she needed an infusion of belief in the product she was selling. Maybe she also needed some research to show effectiveness too.

The great news is that nearly every month, a new study comes out about the power of radio, its ubiquitous reach and its ability to deliver measurable ROI for clients. Additionally, many media companies are no longer limited to over-the-air radio. They have robust digital offerings, video, social media and at last count, about 13 different channels of advertising tactics they can deploy on behalf of clients. It all starts with a fundamental belief in advertising. Advocacy, or belief-building, is part of RAB’s mission. Today in Radio Sales Today, like many Mondays in the recent past, is RAB takeover day. You’ll find the latest research and information relative to the power of advertising and a wealth of belief-building tools on our website at RAB.com.

If you’re a sales manager, the best gift you can give to your sellers is building their belief in radio advertising and its effectiveness within a multi-channel, multimedia landscape. Each week in your sales meetings, you could be sharing research and sharing success stories of current clients. The media attention (and prospect push-back) trying to shake seller belief is fierce. It’s our job to push back with facts, figures, anecdotes and case studies.

Your belief in advertising will be transferred to your sellers; your sellers’ belief will be transferred to clients, and we will continue to have a measurable, sustainable impact on the bottom line of our customers everywhere.

Are you a believer? Visit RAB.com and go to the “Radio Facts” tab. Start with Radio Matters and any of the items on the drop-down menu. There you will find more than enough ways to help build your belief and the belief of your sellers.

It all starts with belief. Are you a believer?

Jeff Schmidt is SVP-Professional Development at the Radio Advertising Bureau. You can reach Jeff at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com or follow him on social media: Twitter and LinkedIn.