Rick,
Your post reminded me that I had a similar experience two months in a row...in 1975. Gibson's, when they were part of the Pamida group, HQ in Omaha. Enjoyed many other months at fewer dollars per month, but still using 'way more 100% funds than the local store had earned. Other stores in the chain weren't using theirs, the money was sitting there on a "use it or lose it" basis...and I didn't think the newspaper needed the additional money all that badly.
Thanks for the reminiscence!
Me , being new at this, am finding that when I approach potential clients about buying advertising, am being told that they simply cannot afford to buy because their business is slow...and I reply by asking, " well, wouldnt this be a great way to speed it up?" OR I get those who say....I am already just so busy now, I dont need to advertise....so I asked them...." so you really dont want to make anymore money?"
But still, I cant convience them that advertising it a great way to go.....
I would love any advise from those of you that are season at this......LOL
Kelly,
I like your responses! But you're right, some people take some extra convincing. :-) Can you get testimonials from clients already advertising on the station and share these with your prospects? Or maybe put together something like this?
If you'd like to get input from other RSC members, I'd suggest you copy and paste your remarks above and add a new discussion in the Round Table forum. (If you do it before next Thursday evening, I'll make sure it gets in the weekly Friday newsletter!)
Best wishes - and Happy New Year!
~ Rebecca
I am reading LIFE (Keth Richards). Page 183 at the top is probably some of the best advice for people looking for ideas writing SPEC ads. In this section, keith talks about being a song writer. He writes:
....and because you're playing every day, sometimes two or three shows a day, ideas are flowing.....
...the radar is on whether you know it or not. You cannot switch it off. you hear this piece of a conversation from across the room, "I just can't stand you anymore"....That's a song. It just flows in.
...also another thing about being a songwriter, once you realize you are one, is that to provide ammo, you start to become an observer.
Think about that a second. If we are trained in writing advertising, we SHOULD be observers. We should be listening to the words people say and how they say them. Instead of writing some goofy sounding two voiced stage tripe... imagine using real words. For my part... a while ago I was sitting in front of my Dr. and found out I was in for some rather expensive treatments. I said to my Dr. "Thank GOD my insurance agent hounded me about the right coverage". My insurance agent loved it when he heard it on an ad.
Just a thought... that the best thing you have ever said to a prospect may be...nothing.... because you were listening.
Great post, Chris. There's a chasm of difference between real-life language and conversations and the stilted caricatures, tainted with ad-speak, that so often make their way into radio commercials. A couple of Chicagoans come to mind as great examples of observation: David Mamet and Dick Orkin.
Mamet's authenticity as a playwright/screenwriter/director/author is in part the product of a great deal of time observing and listening to the people around him, whether in the Chicago Public Library or at a favorite restaurant or pool hall.
Orkin, of course, is better known to us. His distinctive and engaging commercials built around storytelling and humorous slice-of-life situations have built brands and sold untold millions of dollars' worth of stuff (while at the same time entertaining listeners and winning prestigious awards in the bargain, no mean accomplishment).
Interestingly, it was through Dick Orkin that I first learned about Mamet's book "Writing in Restaurants" and its chapter on "Radio Drama."
Wouldn't it be a fascinating exercise in preparation for a sales/creative meeting, to spend an hour a day in a public location, listening to other people's conversations and making notes on how they might lead to an effective radio spot?
Again, great post!
