Sales & Marketing

After listening to the first half of our interview with Saga’s Wayne Leland, several subscribers have been anxious to hear the rest of what...

TargetSpot, the largest Digital Audio advertising network, appointed Mitch Kline as its new Vice President of Radio Sales on 10/15. Mitch brings to TargetSpot...

“We have been working on this marketing plan and branding campaign for over three years Mike. And you were the only one who didn’t come in here with your manager and try to sell me a bunch of ideas that didn’t have to do with the plan that we have been developing internally forever.”

When it comes to the direct response television industry, the trend for 2014 will be producing commercials that are of higher quality coupled with an overabundance of toys. Great commercials center on the product. The product is king. While various reports note that the success rate for short-form commercials is 1 in 40, others have stated that it is 1 in 20. Yes, the odds are long, however, the vast majority of those failures are for products that don’t fit the DRTV mold. As highlighted in the Scimark Report (scimark.blogspot.com) week after week, companies are throwing their cash in the trash by repeating the same failures time after time. Although not a guarantee of success, following the basic rules can raise your batting average to 1 in 5 at least. My company has been batting .400 ball for the past decade. We concentrate on what we know, venture selectively in new categories like Tag Away, but always try to stay true to the rules. It makes our inventors and product scouts that we sign up happier to know at outset that there is meaningful chance of success at the end of the journey. All great successes begin with mass appeal. Television is a mass medium.

Barrett Riddlebrger says hiring motivated employees requires building a platform for success.

This week saw the NewFronts, the digital media version of the Upfronts. One of the presenters, Trusted Media Brands, announced seven new video series aligned with its Taste of Home, Reader's Digest and The Family Handyman / Haven Home Media properties. Thus, it stands to benefit from the success of digital media. It could explain why it has drafted a study suggesting that short-form pre-roll is set to grow in a big way. Is it "fake news," or is this something radio and TV broadcasters need to be concerned about?

How often do viewers of your TV stations or listeners of your radio stations unintentionally watch, or hear, a commercial? Silly question, right? A similar question is being asked about digital ads by a highly influential newsletter -- and it gives more ammunition to the TVB and RAB to go out there and fight for dollars that are rightfully theirs.

What does a productive coaching session look like with your sales rep? Media Information Bureau featured columnist Barrett Riddleberger has some guidelines to offer that are designed to improve your sales leader's performance as a coach.

Fear of cold calling can immobilize a sales rep. "Cold calling, prospecting, lead generation – whatever you call it, can be an intimidating exercise," says expert sales trainer Barrett Riddleberger. "If you or a sales rep you know struggles with making calls, here are three things to do to break the fear of cold calling."