Radio Sales Today

RAB Sales Tips

The Motivating Power of New Learning



Last week, we had the honor of participating in the Christian Music Broadcasters Association convention. It’s exciting and motivating to be surrounded by like-minded people with a passion for our industry. We shared some new information regarding digital advertising and how broadcast companies are incorporating digital content as a revenue-producing opportunity for both clients and broadcast companies. After the session, Al came up and shared this:

“I’m 70 years old, I was getting ready to retire, but not now. Not after seeing the incredible opportunity that exists for my clients and for my company with digital. It’s too exciting to leave now.” That’s the motivational power of learning new information.

Search the term “motivation,” and you’ll get over 986 million results. In other words, a great deal has been written and discussed about the topic. Author Daniel Pink, in his book Drive, shares his research on the three things that he suggests are the top three motivators of human behavior:

1. Autonomy – The ability to direct our own lives

2. Mastery – Getting better at something

3. Purpose – A higher calling, or the reason you do what you do besides the money

Survey members of any demographic on workplace motivation and engagement, and you will always find “opportunities to learn new information and grow” at the top of the list of things that keep people at companies or attract them to new companies.

RAB members can take advantage of a multitude of learning opportunities. Tomorrow, our live presentation, Prospecting in A Digital World, is free to members and it might give you some new tools and techniques to improve your prospecting efforts.

As managers, we need to ensure that we are providing opportunities for growth and new learning. This can be as simple as book recommendations, online video talks, webinars or training and certification courses. As sellers, whether your company provides this or not, looking for new ways to innovate and expand your knowledge base can help you do what you do better and enjoy it more. Like Al, learning new information can be the difference between staying or leaving.

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can also connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Source: Jeff Schmidt, RAB