The Three-Minute Drill

You are meeting with the owner of a chain of regional convenience stores. It’s going well until you reach the final bullet point of your presentation, your station’s Website. Interactive was an afterthought. Your sales manager has been all over you to stop using it as “value added.” (Code for giving it away) The problem is you’re not sure what to say.

Inevitably your client asks the dreaded question. “Why do I want to advertise on your Website?”  Busted!  Sure, you can baffle them with “webspeak”. (It works for your I.T.guys).

“We have constructed a content-rich platform, combining information delivery and intuitive navigation to satisfy the visitor's needs. It is the integration of web design, development, and internet marketing with traffic-generation tactics vital in today’s interactive world. Are there further questions?”

But that’s not going to fly with your client. This guy sells gasoline and slurpees. He wants to generate traffic and increase per-visitor purchases and could care less about your “content-rich platform.”

It’s time to pull out your interactive three-minute drill, a pre-planned mini-presentation that susinctly describes your site.

Rules of the drill:

Keep it short: 500 words, or about a page and a half of typed copy.

Keep it simple: No “webspeak.” Save the technical stuff for backup materials.

W.I.F.T:  Remember, what’s in it for them?

How to begin? Remember the old journalism school formula: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How? If you can answer those questions in three minutes or less, you’re in business.

Start with “Who is visiting?” Your Website is an extension of your radio station. The folks that listen to the station are the same folks that visit your site, and for the same reasons.

Where are you located on the World Wide Web? I’m amazed at the number of reps that can’t give the station’s web address without looking at their business card.

“Why are they visiting?” Your Website allows your most passionate listeners an outlet to take part in station activities. Listener polls, business updates, sports coverage, concert schedules. There are limited hours in the on-air day and your on-line product gives your audience unlimited coverage.

How many visitors and how long do they stay? Now you can show off your qualitative and quantitative numbers. (The I.T. guys love this part!)
“… We have 12,000 different visitors each month that spend seven minutes each visit.”

“What are they doing when they log on?”  
“70% of our visitors click on one of three items, sports, morning trivia and weather updates…” 

“What’s in it for them?”

“… We have a variety of opportunities available to deliver your message to your target audience, from a simple coupon, to the custom design of a complete interaction.” 

Wrap it up with a mini-close.

“We already deliver your on-air message, now we can take that message on-line.  I’d like to get together with you and our web designer next week…”

The objective is to get so comfortable with the material that it becomes second nature to you. Remember, amateurs work until they get it right. Professionals work until they can’t get it wrong.

(source: Speed Marriott is a partner in the on-line broadcast training campus P1 Selling.  www.p1selling.com (913) 766-0439 speed@p1selling.com )