Radio Sales Café

At Voice Creative we create specs, spots and campaigns for multiple stations, and therefore we work with multiple Sales Managers and different spec philosophies. 

Some managers believe the AE must call on new business, sit with them and complete a needs anaysis before they take them a spec spot.  Others believe the AE should walk in on a prospect with a spec already done (from researching the prospect). 

From the point of view of the people on the street selling, have you found one method works more often than the other?  What are the risks/benefits of either method?

Thanks very much!

Neil

 

I personally would never walk into a business with a spec spot if I have never spoken with him or visited his business. I like to meet the client, see his business, hear his needs and goals, etc. then present a spec when I present the proposal. I think their excitement of hearing a great commercial makes the money easier to part with!! A younger sales person in our office likes to sell almost 100% by presenting spec spots. She will get a few new clients that way but what I have found is that she doesn't do the proper research for the spec. She usually just rips their ad from the newspaper or a local magazine and hands that to the production dept to write and produce a spot. What I have noticed is that, even the few she gets on the air, don't stay on because the commercial didn't work. I don't believe a great commercial can be produced without research into the business and meeting with the person face to face. I also don't do a full blown needs analysis with 50 questions. I like less formal and so far most new business owners I meet like that as well. I find they will tell you much more in an informal atmosphere. Years ago I worked in F & I for a car dealer and we liked to send salesmen along on the test drive with the potential buyer because they opened up much more to the salesperson in that informal setting. I just think spec spots created prior to really knowing about the client and the clients business is presumptive. If you simply can't get an appointment with a potential client, then by all means try a spec.

Neil,

I've personally used both approaches over my 37+ years in radio advertising sales.

These days I rarely open a relationship with a spec spot. Now I suppose if I had a killer idea that I thought would lead to new business, slam-dunk, I might present it cold. But that would be an exceptional situation.

Most often I end up investing considerable time and effort in uncovering a prospect's story and doing relevant research before I am ready to compose the first lines of a commercial or campaign.

A spec should be part of the close.Should one be selling a Grace Broadcasting Safety package on the phone to a prospect, new or repeat biz, by all means read a spec spot,use yellow page copy for adding slogans and tags for these spots.Using specs on a in person cold call should be very limited.There are situations were spec spots on a cold will work.
A CNA doesn't need to be all that formal.It doesn't take long for a good seller to get their prospect to open up. I suggest that one have a small digital recorder with them during a CNA, ask permission to record the conversation.Explain that you want be able to recall what the prospect considers his company's advantages are and who his customers are in detail. This is so you can prepare a plan to send your audience to him and help reach his goals. I can't recall anyone saying no.Using a service such as yours, Neil, to help is a big plus.As part of my service, I ask that there be a service such as your available to the sales force.One other thing I should mention,when presenting a spec spot always put it down twice, they always want to hear it again. You don't want to be messing with recorders just push play again,it should be all pens and broadcast authorization at this point.Close the deal!!

Give me a great spec spot and I will always present it on the first visit. What a creative spec spot does is save time by cutting through all of the objections. I will say that due to budget cuts, getting a creative spec is not as easy as it once was. It certainly helps if the station offers a spec-spot incentive to the production department or lets you outsource. I think it’s funny that having a conversation with a client is called a “needs analysis”. . . whatever rocks your boat, eh? I suppose I was a part of a “needs analysis” the other day when I called on a new client, The Gelato Café. . . I had no idea what “Gelato” meant. . . turns out it tastes really good!!

Decide who you're going to call on; get the appointment by "selling the appointment" first with the prospect; Do your homework/research; have a demo ad produced with proposal and go see 'em; Most likely it'll go well!!

I always present the spec spot on the second visit. After doing a CNA I need a good reason to come back. My reason is to present ideas that have come from doing the CNA. If I show up cold and present a spec spot and the client doesn't like it, what is my reason for wanting to come back? Maybe next time I'll get it right? Doesn't make sense to me. There might be a rare occasion when it makes sense to present a spec spot up front, but I can't think of one right now.

I don't see how you can write an effective ad w/out the CNA. Most of the time, I find the client doesn't have a clue as to what is a difference maker with potential customers. Of course, there are exceptions.

Hi Neil, If you find a client who wants something very special, we've got some very cool spots that you might like. Let me know if we can help! Marshall "Cole Portato" Such http://advarks.com

we do both but we have had great success walking into a client with a spec spot...especially ones that have never used radio...it gets them excited about radio, it brings the campaign to life...what we sell is intangible....the spec ad makes it real. They love hearing their company name on air. i have never had anyone dislike this process. If the spot is wrong, they will start to correct it and that is a buying sign...one step towards closing.....i tell my reps that spec spots are bullets in the gun and we require they do them....they work!

This topic seems to have a good bit of interest.After reading all the posts I see how one might consider taking a spec to a cold call.Sure,the spec spot is a bullet,as is price and frequency.These are the cord of a radio proposal.Yes our product is intangible,sure a spec spot makes the product tangible.This fact, does not change the inherient nature of selling intangibles,and that is confidence,like insurance the client must have confidence in the seller.Trust is earned.The purpose of a CNA is to earn trust.Selling is like seduction,we have all hear the story about the guy in the bar that goes for the close with every female. Sure one might say yes.
In addition, reading between the lines of these posts I sense a void of RAB training.At the cord of this training is the ability to educate the client as to the differences between features and benefits.Sure one can find a companies features at a website or yellowpage ad.One of the main reasons to conduct a CNA is to determine why one should buy from your client,as the client sees it.The more the client agrees with the written proposal,'yes conditioned', the more likely there will be a successful close.The spec spot is a very powerful bullet,it is best not to target practice with it.

One important aspect of spec spots is to keep a wavering client on the air. To me, the client’s commercial needs to be highly creative. This week I had two spec spots, one I thought was so lame I didn’t play it and the other was average (at best) but the client liked it (some days things just go right!). Since I do not write my own copy (ohhh…. possibly twice a year, maybe), I depend on the production guys who are already slammed. Of course, the trick there is to give them waterpark passes, theater tickets, restaurant certificates, etc.. . . in return they usually step it up!

definatly agree with Victor...that the specs are the not do all/be all....you have to have a well rounded plan (CNA, etc)..."tools in the toolbox" as i call em.....spec spot is another (but very nessesary) tool....
i have a saying that i have posted all around my office...“the success or failure of an advertising campaign is rightly leveraged on the "message", not the "media". Bad creative regardless how viable the media fails. Great creative, on a nominally effective media still succeeds…” - Roy Williams......very true...your message is the most important thing in your campaign....but you must have other things (consistance, frequency etc) to also make it successful ....