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Rob Adair
Rob Adair on Sales Management
Rob Adair is the President of Pinnacle Solving. His company provides revenue growth solutions, branding and differentiation strategies to radio and other industries. Adair is a former radio industry COO and Sr. VP overseeing 25+ stations and multiple major markets. He can be reached at 405-641-0458 or by e-mail rob@pinnaclesolving.com
Making Sales Meetings Better!
For the most part, sales meetings at radio stations aren’t very good. I’m not going to go into detail about why they’re not very good. Instead, I want to provide you 10 suggestions to make your sales meetings better.
Quarterly Sales Audit
As managers, it wise for us to face the facts. I encourage you to conduct an audit of your sales activity at the close of each quarter. What you will learn from the answers to the questions below will be eye-opening and provide you with some valuable guidance going forward. Know the following quarterly...
The Unforgiveable Sins In Radio Sales
There are two. The first one speaks for itself and needs no explanation…. Being sold out and short of budget. Dumb! Enough said. The second deserves some examination from the seller all the way up the ladder to management and ownership. (The names have been changed in this very true story)
5 Rules Of Making A Presentation
There are a few easy, but important rules to follow when making a presentation to a prospective client. Here they are: 1. ONE PAGE AT A TIME: You control the pages. Always take two copies of your presentation. If you’re presenting a printed version as opposed to sharing an electronic version.
Managing Our Time
We can’t manage time. We can only manage what we do with our time. We have to recognize the time thieves that cost us money. Things like personal phone calls, reading and returning emails that have nothing to do with our business, and surfing the Web, just to name a few.
Read Their Mail!
I’ve written several articles over the past several months on how to keep clients. This story is another real-life example of where these recommendations come from. I was calling on a car dealer that was a sizeable client. I knew him well and we had a solid relationship. I was visiting with his secretary while sitting outside his office waiting for him to get free.
Selling The Sold
In our industry there is a great emphasis on new business and new business development. A very wise CEO once told me, “Whenever I went to the bank to make a deposit, no one ever asked me if this was new money or old money.” If you were able to look back at your selling career and get an accurate percentage of your revenue growth from current clients, the number would likely shock you.
The Semi-Annual Review
I’ve spent my life teaching radio sellers to do things that their competitors do not do. These aren’t frivolous things done for just the sake of being different, but meaningful practices that secure clients, gain their trust, protect them from competitive attacks, and grow your business.
The GM Dozen
If you're a new general manager, I want to give you 12 things to do that will help insure your success. Take these to the bank! 1. Communicate regularly with your boss. Two or three calls per week is smart, but every Friday give them a re-cap your week. Having to leave a voicemail is fine. Just remember over-communication is better than not communicating enough.
Just Stop By!
I’ve made it a practice over the years to follow certain steps and rules I’ve created whenever I get a new client. Actually, there are 16 of these steps that occur at different times in the client relationship. It’s a list I always have posted at my fingertips.
Recruiting Sales Talent
As managers, we have always heard the importance of continually recruiting sales talent. We’ve heard a suggestion or two as to how to accomplish this, but it’s likely you have not been given a proven list of action steps that actually can provide you some success and an effective recruiting plan. If you’re doing all of the following, then skip this article and go play golf. I’m sure your bench is full.
Standing At The Podium
When we are in that first-ever interview with a prospective client, there is a great deal at stake in the time we have with them. This is our only opportunity for a first impression. It’s our first and often best chance to really separate ourselves from our competitors. That’s one of the reasons why the questions we ask and the way we ask them are so important.
Making "Thank You" Memorable
Little stands out in today’s world of electronic communications more than a hand-written thank you note. It is a lost art and the few who still take the time to make this a regular practice know the impact it has. Of course, as the account manager, you should make it a habit to send a thank you for every sale you make.
Hit From Behind
A few years ago I witnessed a general manager lose his job. I was watching this from a distance. The GM did not report to me, but another VP in a different region. I had always thought the guy was pretty good. His numbers weren’t award-winning, but they weren’t bad. I was curious as to why he didn’t make it.
Are We URGENT?
One of my dream dinners would be an evening with John Kotter and Patrick Lencioni, two of my favorite business authors. Four years ago, I read John Kotter’s book titled "A Sense of Urgency." It should be mandatory reading for all of us in management. You should buy it and read it twice!
Next Level School
Even some of the best radio managers in our industry fall a little short when it comes to being teachers and devoting meaningful time to training. You can’t grow a business without growing your people. I call it Next Level School. It’s an atmosphere where everyone is consistently growing to the next level.
The Math Of Making Budget
I never put much credence in closing ratios. Whenever I hear someone say, “I have a 50 percent closing ratio” I never believed they really knew. After four decades of managing sellers and being a radio seller, I can tell you that I have no idea what my closing ratio is nor can I tell you the actual closing ratio of any seller that has ever worked for me.
Take Me To The Next Level, Boss!
A few years ago, a top seller in a market I oversaw came into my office and said the following words, “I want to go to a whole new level. I’ll do exactly what you tell me to do. Will you give me the road map to get there?” I don’t care how busy you are, how many radio stations you manage, or how big your job is, how could you not dedicate the time to fulfill this request?
Us Vs. Others
Let’s pretend you and I are team members in the same radio sales department. Our sales department is recognized in the market as the unprecedented leader. We have the best sellers in town, hands down. We bill the most, earn the most, and are the most respected by the business community. What’s the difference in the way we sell vs. others?
Why Some Presentations Stand Out
Several years ago I was reviewing sales presentations from a market I oversaw. As I was reading one of them in particular, I was becoming increasingly impressed. While it was longer than most, each page was a landscape printout of a power-point.
What Is Your Blue Ocean Strategy?
Several years ago I read a book that changed my career: Blue Ocean Strategy written by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. The book studies how competition over the same shrinking profit pool has created nothing but a bloody, red ocean. It would serve you well to take a close look at this book.
Who Are The Client’s Pillars?
Pillars, by definition, are the key to support. Good radio sellers know the owner or the advertising decision-maker very well. A few of the greatest sellers I’ve ever known have developed an incredible practice of going much deeper inside their client’s businesses. Do those experts have a secret?
Can We Know What Clients Expect?
After years of selling radio, observing radio sellers, and interviewing countless clients, I finally determined the 10 most important questions to ask a client in the initial interview.