Sales

Pending Business: How Do You Handle Mistakes?

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

 

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Regular readers of this column know I am Florida based.

I needed a new screen door for our patio area one year prior to Hurricane Ian. Simple, you say. Not so simple in Florida where colors fade, styles change, hinges, pistons, handles, locks, are all exposed to the salt air yet still need to match and last. Most challenging is getting a replacement door to close and lock in place unassisted. When my screen door repair company finished, it worked perfectly. Within five days, the door would not completely close. They returned to fix it. About 10 days later, same issue; they returned to fix, again. And a third time. By now the project was a loss leader and the screen door company was more protecting a reputation than looking at their bottom line. Now the owner, toolkit in hand, returned to fix the issue. Finally, after four trips and adjustments all is good and there was never another charge or uncomfortable conversation. So, what does this have to do with radio sales?

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Sales

Pending Business: Worst Cold-Call Ever

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications
President

 

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — “Hello Steven. My name is_________. Do you work with a financial advisor? Steven, are you familiar with the various resources available to you here at________. Steven, here is my card, please reach out if you need anything.”

As I sat in the waiting area of an investment center known worldwide, that cold call really happened to me.

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Sales

Pending Business: It Should Be Easy

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

 

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — How easy is it to do business with you?

I’m betting it’s more difficult than you think. Most professional sellers rarely “eat their own dog food,” as in be the advertiser at your talk radio station.

Try this exercise. Be the client trying to make an advertising inquiry. Is the experience of going through the switchboard at your station friendly or is it the typical “if you know your party’s extension….”? Is it a confidence builder or killer as you go undercover and try to navigate becoming an advertiser?

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Sales

Pending Business: King Content

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications
President

 

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — If “content is king,” then what is sales?

The sports world seems to be redefining how we view value and utilize king content. The trailblazer is arguably the biggest brand in sports: the National Football League.

The NFL wrote the book on how constant improvement and innovation, especially in media coverage, could drive a brand to unmatched heights in event marketing, viewership, influence, and income. It is no accident the NFL is now in the spotlight again moving the media innovation needle to 5.0.

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Sales

Pending Business: Comfortably Numb

By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President

 

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Thank you, Pink Floyd. Perfect description of the proposals I’ve seen that never show a “Why Buy?”

Go ahead and check your last proposal. How did you answer the Why Buy question? Chances are you either omitted the concept completely or channeled Captain Obvious. When it comes to fundamentals, gone is not forgotten.

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