Radio Sales Café

Today's Friday poll is for anybody who calls directly on clients, especially our members who are AE’s:

Three questions about your favorite client:

1) What business category is he/she in?

2) Is this client your largest client (i.e., highest billing)?

3) What about this client makes him/her your favorite?

Please post your replies below; thank you!

My favorite client is Grace Broadcast.

I have been at this radio station for a little over 10 years and must admit that most of my clients are "favorites". There are very few who are difficult to deal with and to please. Those who are difficult seem to be the ones who spend the least and are also the least consistent advertisers. Some of my favorites are favorites (including some who are buyers at agencies) because we have also developed a friendship. I trust their business knowledge and skills, and they have told me they trust mine and often ask for marketing advice and ideas.

Awww, Scott . . . thanks! :-)

I have a lot of favorite clients too, but I also have a favorite town! LaMoure is a part of my territory that I always enjoy visiting because my clients there always seem to be happy to see me! When I'm having a bad day or a bad week, I find a way to get to LaMoure and I always come back feeling better. And I absolutely LOVE when they call me with a particular business problem or a benefit they need to promote. It makes me feel like they really appreciate my efforts and the results we can give them with our stations.

Amanda,

Would you be willing to upload some of your favorite "jokes" spots? I'd love to hear 'em, and I suspect a few others here would, as well.

Thanks for your stories. It's always so great to see these kinds of relationships between clients and radio folks.

-RS

Best you could write a book filled with those "solutions," too, Joel! Your comments demonstrate the truth we hear frequently about Content being king.

I, too, have a few favorite clients. One of them would be my largest, but the amount he spends isn't the reason he's a favorite.

What I think all of my favorite clients have in common is a comfortable trust that's developed over the years. Each of us knows what the other stands for, that we'll do right by one another, that when problems or misundertandings arise (as inevitably they do, as long as there are human beings involved), we can be open about dealing with them.

It's also enjoyable to be a resource for someone and be appreciated for it.

And it's especially nice when a relationship has developed to the point where, as Chris Lytle has taught, we're testing offers (not the station) - and the client knows that some will fly and some won't, but he's willing to put up with the flops to get to the successes.

Thankfully, after 37 years, I'm in a position where I don't often hear "We Tried Radio and It Didn't Work for Us." That applies equally to new clients and long-timers. If you work to get it right, right from the beginning - and both parties are open and reasonable about their expectations - without trying to manipulate or deceive one another - you have the makings of a successful, satisfying, long-term relationship.

Lynn,

Where is LaMoure? Based on your encomium, it sounds as though it's living up to its name (l'amour = love), and I want to find out what's in the water they're drinking! Great story.

-RS

You two are having WAY too much fun!

Amanda, these are fun (and funny)! Thanks for posting them; I've added them to our index of .mp3's here: http://radiosalescafe.ning.com/forum/topics/index-of-mp3s-posted-to-radio.

The favorite client is a group of IGA stores...not the biggest or highest billing client, but one that began in the late 80s as a "sponsor" client involved with community event promotion and local sports broadcasts and has developed into an annual advertiser on-the-air and online every day, every week.

What a great topic! I have 3 specific favorite clients. My first one is a local furniture store and he was an account that I inherited 9 years ago when I started in radio. When I first became his rep, he was doing very little radio and getting a lot of freebies. Over time, we have developed a great relationship where he trusts me to do the best I can and he loves most of the ideas I come up. We have done many live remotes and promotions that have been pretty successful and fun.
My second favorite client is a local hardware store. The contact for the store is a fellow quilter and super easy to work with. She loves almost everything our station does and is ALWAYS up for sponsoring anything for the kids...live broadcasts of basketball, baseball, football and fundraisers. I always have a great time dealing with her and both of us really respect each other's expertise.
My third favorite client is a local restaurant that has allowed us to do some fantastic creative ads that our station has won many awards for. They have allowed us to turn their employees...especially their chef...in to local celebrities. They work will with me and our production guy to come up with really fun creative AND most of all...effective ads.

None of my favorite clients are my "top billers" but they are people who are fun, creative and have respect for the me and the job I do for them.

Julie Slanaker
KFMJ 99.9 FM