Radio Advertising Sales Training by JIM WILLIAMS

Introduction by Rod Schwartz, owner/creative director, Grace Broadcast Sales 

“WHERE THERE’S A WILLIAMS, THERE’S A WAY” 

He’s been called “the guru of radio ad sales” and a “premier radio sales trainer.” 

He’s also been called names that would make polite folks blush. 

And that’s just by his friends.

One of his former students, a successful small market owner-operator now recently retired, said that Jim was directly or indirectly responsible for as much as 10% of the radio industry’s total billing between the years 1978 and 1995 (prior to consolidation).

In much the same way that Rush Limbaugh was responsible for the talk radio revolution starting in 1988, Jim Williams helped open the field of serious radio sales training, in the process helping to launch the careers of a number of prominent sales trainers and consultants.

Although Jim never received the industry-wide recognition he deserved, broadcasters in markets across America to this day will tell you that their success is largely the result of their application of the lessons they first learned from Jim Williams.

It is our pleasure to share with you some of these same lessons, in the hope that later generations of radio advertising sales professionals may continue to benefit from his teaching.

Now, you’ll have to overlook the fact that some of this material is dated.  It’s been a long time since radio station DJ’s played records or punched up commercials on carts.  We’ve stopped using cassettes as “demo tapes."  These days, salespeople use laptops, notebooks, smartphones and iPads to play MP3 files for clients, or simply send them as email attachments.  So, overlook the anachronisms and focus instead on the timeless techniques and principles that Jim drilled into his students’ brains, and you’ll be the richer for it.

Your feedback is welcome, either by sending me an email or joining the conversation at RadioSalesCafe.com. 

The Smart Call Demo Plan

Jim Williams was adamant about his students making use of demo tapes, arguably the most important tool in the radio ad salesperson’s toolbox.  Jim’s original week-long “boot camps” and subsequent sales training recordings were jam-packed with examples of demos that had been instrumental in closing sales and opening relationships with advertisers.  Toward the end of his career, Jim extracted many of these examples from the larger body of work and compiled them for concentrated study in The Smart Call Demo Plan.

By the time you’ve completed the full series, you’ll have 23 specific ideas you can use to increase your billing and your advertisers’ success.

TRACK ONE - INTRODUCTION. The first track contains Jim’s six-minute introduction to the subject of demonstration tapes.  Jim’s students will recognize the first of the two examples he provides at the end of this introduction, using a “carrot-and-stick” approach to illustrate the advantage of selling with demos.

TRACK TWO - CHAPTER ONE.  In the second track, Jim provides some background on the history of demonstration selling and offers valuable insights on the rationale behind using demo tapes.  He also provides tips on organizing your own personal demo kit.

TRACK THREE - CHAPTER TWO (“Solving the Demo Tape Mystery”).  We know that demo tapes are the most effective tool we have; why do we not use them more often?  After identifying and discussing roadblocks to the use of demo tapes and dispelling the need for “professionally produced” demos, Jim offers a time-management tip for preparing and organizing next week’s demos.

TRACK FOUR - CHAPTER THREE (“General Dos and Don'ts Regarding Demo Tapes”).  Jim explains the importance of maintaining a demo tape log to help the salesperson stay organized. We need to know what was presented, to whom, when, and what was the outcome. Tracking these details will help us spot trends, strengths and weaknesses, sharpening our skills in the process.  You’ll also hear many practical ideas and suggestions concerning preparation and presentation of demos: why it’s important to get into the demo as quickly as possible, how to introduce a demo to command the prospect’s attention, what to do and not do while the audio is playing, how to handle interruptions, ask for the order, etc.

Beginning with Chapter Four, Jim now gets into the different kinds of demo tapes that can become a part of the well-equipped radio salesman's toolkit. In the following lessons, Jim stresses the importance of having a variety of demos with you at all times. He likens this to a store's displays, pointing out that this is selling the merchant in the same way the merchant himself likes to sell, with plenty of "things" to offer his customers. The more demos you present, the more sales you'll make. Jim also provides specific examples of each kind of demo tape. Enjoy! Questions? Comments? Email me.

TRACK 1 - CHAPTER FOUR ("The IDEA Demo Tape" -running time 4:36).

TRACK 2 - CHAPTER FIVE ("The COPY SAMPLER Demo Tape" -running time 12:07).

TRACK 3 - CHAPTER SIX ("The STATEMENT OF BENEFITS Demo Tape" -running time 5:00).

TRACK 4 - CHAPTER SEVEN ("The CONTRACT DETAILS Demo Tape" - running time 4:00).

TRACK 5 - CHAPTER EIGHT ("The WHOLE PRESENTATION Demo Tape" - running time 4:00).

TRACK 6 - CHAPTER NINE ("The PROGRAM SAMPLE Demo Tape" - running time 9:30).

TRACK 7 - CHAPTER TEN ("The MENU Demo Tape" - running time 7:00).

TRACK 8 - CHAPTER ELEVEN ("The RESEARCH ABOUT THEM Demo Tape" - running time 4:00).

TRACK 1 - CHAPTER TWELVE ("The RESEARCH ABOUT US Demo Tape" - running time 5:00).  With the completion of this lesson, we're now halfway through the Smart Call Demo Plan training tapes.

TRACK 2 - CHAPTER THIRTEEN ("The SUCCESS STORY Demo Tape" - running time 14.50).  Classic Jim Williams - this chapter contains the iconic "Heart's Desire" success story, and one client's compelling argument for increasing ad budget* in a down economy.

*This advertiser did admit that his schedule of 8 spots an hour around the clock was somewhat excessive, adding that next time he'd back it down...to just 5-6 spots an hour!

TRACK 3 - CHAPTER FOURTEEN ("The PROBLEM-SOLUTION Demo Tape" - running time 11:00).  Another JW classic - this chapter features the KOAL (Price, UT) coal miners' strike story from the mid-1970's, in the words and voice of broadcaster Tom Anderson. Also noteworthy: Jim's interview of a Michigan car dealer who doubled his ad budget in 1990 in the face of a recession, and won.

TRACK 4 - CHAPTER FIFTEEN ("The CHALLENGE-REPLY Demo Tape" - running time 7:00). Your client has just told you that another station in town has made a compelling case for canceling half of your $10,000 monthly ad schedule and giving it to them.

Wow.

What do you do when a client presents an unexpected, serious challenge that needs to be addressed - thoughtfully and seriously?

Here's Jim's advice on how to buy the time to deal with it appropriately and not in haste, with the actual case history cited above.

TRACK 5 - CHAPTER SIXTEEN ("The THIRD-PARTY DECISION-MAKER Demo Tape" - running time 10:00). This is classic Jim Williams - the account rep who obtained out-of-town approval for a coop buy by using the phone and a tape recorder instead of the mail. (Today, you'd use email for the same purpose...but the audio component would still be useful for emphasizing the importance of the transaction.)

Contains the Bill Knudsen Chamber of Commerce presentation, aimed at small business owners, on the subject of Advertising.
 

NOTE: Additional tracks will be added regularly, so be sure to check back.  Better still, sign up to receive the free GBS IdeaGr@m (emailed to our subscribers approximately twice a month) and be among the first to find out when new tracks have been added, along with a variety of ideas and tips to increase your sales from Grace Broadcast Sales and the Radio Sales Cafe.

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