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Bryson Broadcasting International Newsletter

Raising Radio and TV Revenues Worldwide! 

15 April, 2024



Greetings from BBI:

I'm at the NAB today. Lots of talk about AI. Lots of great broadcasters from all over the world. More about the conference next time!

Happy Selling!

What are clients saying about us?

"Pat I almost always read your articles in Radio Ink. I find them refreshing and encouraging. Keep up the good work. You have a relationship with your audience."


Johnny Boswell

Boswell Media

A Little About Me

Pat Bryson is an internationally known speaker and trainer specializing in training salespeople and managers. She has consulted stations in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and Central Asia. Her career has included on air, salesperson, sales manager and general manager. Since opening BBI, she has travelled extensively and has spoken at most major radio conventions on three continents. Pat is the author of two books, "A Roadmap to Success in High Dollar Broadcast Sales" and "Successful Broadcast Sales: Thriving in Change".


Pat has three times been named one of Radio Ink's Most Influential Women in Radio


Do We Walk The Talk?

What does "service" really mean?

Several years ago, I was having dinner with a friend of mine who owned ROI Media which was a buying service that placed millions of dollars in radio and TV advertising every year. We were discussing his relationships with the account reps he worked with in media. Les expressed his displeasure with the type and quality of service he received from the people with whom he dealt. Remember that this gentleman spent MILLIONS every year!


He recounted a story having spent two weeks trying to place thousands of dollars worth of radio advertising. When he called the stations, he was greeted by voice mail. He left messages, but received NO CALL BACKS! When he did manage to reach a real, live person, he was told that they could not give out the cell number of the Account Executive he was trying to reach. He was frustrated, and these stations missed dollars! Lots and lots of dollars! Now, granted, he was trying to place the buys during a holiday period, but so what? We are in the service business (or think we are!). Whether it is a holiday or we are on vacation, our clients need to be taken care of. We complain that business is down, that clients cut back. Are we sure WE are not contributing to the downturn? Are we taking very good care of our clients? Are we accessible?


Check list for your organization:

  1. When someone calls, whom do they reach? A machine? If so, how often is the machine checked?
  2. If a live person answers the phone (hallelujah!) does he or she do so by the third ring?
  3. Do you have a policy of returning calls within 1 hour?
  4. How often are your salespeople checking their voicemail? Can their voicemail be forwarded to their cell phones?
  5. How often are salespeople required to check email?
  6. Are "out of office" messages programmed into email if a salesperson is out of the office for any extended time? Does it contain the contact information for someone who can assist the client?
  7. Do you have a "buddy" system to take care of clients when a staff member is on vacation or ill?
  8. Before a AE leaves on vacation, do you have a policy of notifying all of their active clients of their away dates, including the contact name and information of someone who can help them during the AE's absence?
  9. Do your business cards contain cell phone information for salespeople?
  10. Do your clients have a list of all staff members who may be of service to them should their AE be unavailable? General manager, sales manager, traffic manager, business manager, production manager? Does this list contain off-hours' contact information?


When was the last time you received excellent service? I bet you remember it clearly because it is such a rare occurrence in today's world. We cannot afford to give less than excellent service. Being responsive to our clients' needs is the first step in retaining business. And being responsive means being timely in answering and returning calls and email. We are not in an 8 to 5 business.


This conversation with Les occurred a few years ago. I believed we as an industry were getting better, offering better service. Then I had a conversation with a friend of mine who runs a station in a small market in Illinois. She had received a $4000 order from an agency who HAD to place this grant money in a short time frame. My friend got the entire amount because the stations across the street had not returned the agency's phone calls for two days. (Sigh!)


Lesson learned: Go the extra mile! Be accessible! Be responsive! There are no traffic jams on the extra mile, but there are lots of dollars!


Happy Selling!

The Client's Corner

Bryson Broadcasting International is serving our clients two ways this year. In addition to in-person market visits, virtual sales training and sales meetings are available for your stations! We will customize the materials to meet your individual needs. Once a month, these sessions will be done live with your staff. The Zoom meeting platform allows for interaction and discussion as we teach the materials. It's more important than ever for our sales staffs to have great skills. Good skills are no longer good enough. We can raise the skill set of your staff.


To discuss how we may benefit your revenue department, give us a call at 918.810.3068 or email at pat@patbryson.com. Prepare for 2024 with strong momentum and A+ players!

Words to Live By ....


If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will.”

Bob Hooey, author


Read more at: 

Add this to your library!

What people are saying about this new book:

"Congratulations Pat on another great book. Best book I've read in years on solution-driven sales. I highly recommend it!


Duane Alverson, President (retired)

MacDonald Broadcasting Company

Buy It Now

Congratulations to Williams Media in Enid, OK!


Williams Media, Enid OK, took home awards from the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters for Station Image Promotion 


My Country Mornings with Alan Clepper and Kaylee, KOFM, won for Non-Metro Personality of the Year.

We want to help your staff increase revenue!


We at Bryson Broadcasting International are available to help your sales staff achieve its next level of expertise. We customize our programs to meet your needs. As needed, we make use of interpreters and produce sales materials in your language. Our training options include online sessions done live for your staff.


If you would like to discuss your sales training needs, we may be reached at Pat@patbryson.com,


or call us at 918.810.3068. 


For more information about BBI, click here.


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