I've never really been confronted with such a statement it's dumbfounding. Was wondering what you'd advise in this situation.
Keep in mind, we just put this campaign together 2 weeks ago.
"Shannon the new ad worked great! I am so over booked since running it. I need to take a break from advertising on radio. Between word of mouth and radio the practice is beginning to soar. Give me a call after the fall. Thanks to you and the rest of the crew."
I. am. confused.
When you start advertising your practice, and it goes well, don't you want to keep going? Isn't the goal to be booked 6 months out if need be so you're filling up appointments? I'm feeling a little patronized.
Shannon -
Can you provide more details (type of business, ad schedule, copy)? What he's really saying is, "I've changed my mind." You want to know why. Was there some misunderstanding? Did a competitor come in with "a better deal," undercutting you? A third-party objector (spouse, business partner, accountant) whose influence you hadn't counted on? Could be a variety of things. I've never known any client to cancel a contract because his ads were working too well.
P.S. If you can't salvage the deal, I'd recommend you bring portable recorder in there with you and get the client to record a testimonial: "This is ________. My ads on the station have brought me so much business, I've had to stop them." Based on his statements to you, it would seem the least he could do, right? ;>)
Certain clients live the phrase, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Circa 2002 - 2003 I did pavement pounding to get advertisers on board the interactive advertising portal I represented. I met this Marketing Manager of a prominent passenger airline, who said that their flights are running choc-a-bloc and they don't need advertising. Being green in sales I tried to reason that it's for the same reason they should on-board our portal to maintain the sales momentum...but to no avail. It is difficult to change one’s mind if they have already formed an opinion.
I liked Rod's idea of getting a testimonial that you can include in your marketing collateral. In addition to this, depending upon the kind of rapport you enjoy with this person, you can ask for additional references and recommendations to other potential advertisers. If this person is on social networks, you can request him to mention on his social profile the overwhelming response your station generated for his business. Try to get a future commitment that you can factor in your sales funnel.
I have had this happen to me as well. Unfortunately for us, there are some businesses out there that once they get their loyal clientele established, they either need to expand their staff or limit their business in order to not over extend themselves. For us salespeople who can't imagine not taking on more business, it's a hard pill to swallow. Another tactic I have used with some success if reminding them that there is always attrition. Just like we in radio have to allow for 20% of our business to not be there in the next year, so must all other businesses. Ask him if he is absolutely certain that his current bookings are a permanent situation over the next 6 months or should he still have his message out there just in case. No matter what this client decides, you have obviously done a good job for him, so this experience will help you with your future sales. I like Rod's idea of getting a testimonial. Go to your next client with this story and make it work for you. Kudos!
Here's the follow up:
After pondering it for a while, I decided to call him... I just told him flat out- I've never had this happen and if there was something that had gone awry, I'd love to know and have the opportunity to address it. He stuck with his story. This clien and I have a good relationship, he has done testimonials for the station which we air regularly, and he's always trying to help me come up with new leads. I feel all I can do now is do as he's asked and get back to him in a few months.
By the way, I've been the only person at our stations to get this client on with any regularity. Previously, he'd be on a few months, come off a few months... So I guess I can feel good about that. He'll be back. I'm sure of it.
Thanks for all your feedback. This group is so invaluable to me!!!
I have a dental office that has been a good client over the years, but when they can't get a new patient an appoinment within a reasonable period, we always pull off the air. More important than my client honoring the contract length she agreed to with me is her being able to satisfy our listeners when they respond. I'd like them to expand and add more dentists to the practice and increase capacity, but that's not up to me. 
That said, they are the most vocal about how we help them of any client I've ever had. About every 6 months (ha! Like dental cleanings) they show up here with sandwiches or cupcakes or something to thank us for what we do for them.
Shannon - Well, you have proven Radio Works! Congratulations. For those businesses that tell us they only need to advertise a "little while" or those who state "we've got all the business we can handle", we tell them our "AWAY" story. NOBODY keeps all of their customers and NOBODY has all the business they need because of the AWAYS.
There are three Aways:
1. Move Aways - People are always moving away (and moving in too). Nothing you can do about these, they just happen, but you got to replace these Aways.
2. Pass Aways - Unfortunately people die. And, they were someone's customer - the dentist's, the barber's, the grocery stores, a gas station, etc. Nobodys fault. Got to replace these too.
3. and Go Aways - these people leave because of poor service, lack of product selection, and/or because the businesses competitior's (through marketing and advertising) steals them. These Away's are preventable, but never the less, still happen.
A few years ago, the National Retail Federation released a report that most businesses lose 20-30% of their customer base each year due to attrition (otherwise known as the Aways).
Business owners that don't acknowledge and plan for this attrition will keep starting and stopping their marketing and advertising machine and lose their momentum each time. In the long run it cost them more than if they had just continued on and maintained a consistent marketing presence.
PS - Let him know 80% of all Word of Mouth is negative
We always say, "Your word of mouth better be good or you're going to be out of business." And, we always ask, "What's your word of mouth message going to be next week."
When we hear this we give them the analogy of an airplane. When the plane takes off it uses all of it's power to get to its highest elevation, but when it gets there it doesn't shut off its engine! It still has to fly. If you turn it off the plane will have to work that much harder to get back up to where it was. The same with advertising. This guy has built a solid foundation. If he stops he'll have to work harder to build it back up in the future.
Good luck.
That's true, Shannon. Our Radio collegues are very valuable.
Shannon, try explaining to him that is advertising is talking to the people that don't need his services...yet. He needs to constantly be telling his Value Story because he never knows when someone will decide "Today's the day!" If he waits until he needs to add more business to start telling consumers why they should come to him...it's too late.
We have a great videos that talk directly to this issue in our RadioAdPro sales training, such as "The Battlefield", "The Buying Funnel" and "Advertising Communication Process." You'll find descriptions of these videos and the entire course contents on our site.
BTW, great job creating such an effective radio ad campaign. You have surely created a belief in radio in that advertiser!
Hi Shannon,
Yes this has happened to me, though not in radio. From what I've been able to gather, you are doing exactly the right things. He's given you testimonials and referrals... and you continue to work with him. It sounds to me like you are tailoring your approach according to his needs. So far so good. I might go a bit further and try to identify some trigger points or indicators that he needs to keep a steady flow of customers coming in. I'd also look for more revenue opportunities within his current business - if he cannot add more customers (I take it he cannot or will not expand) then maybe he can sell more to the customers he already has. After all, they already like him and trust him, and they respond to your ads.
Second, I'd see about making his example a center of my own presentation: Ask yourself and potential clients: Can they HANDLE all the business I can bring to them? Build on your success. Point to this example and see how you can repeat it for other clients.
Lastly, I'd consider his competition. Might not someone else benefit from this success in the same or complimentary business? Do not think of this as a conflict of interest. If he has more than he can handle than obviously there is a greater need than he can fill. If he was, say, a Chiropractor, then there are people out there in pain who need relief. It would be a disservice to them to allow them to suffer while someone else could ease that pain. The same principle applies to any business.
Thanks for sharing your success.
Andy
