For more than a quarter of a century, the first few months of the year meant a Radio Advertising Bureau Managing Sales Conference. It was Woodstock for Radio’s sellers and managers, a real working conference, usually without traditional “convention” trappings. This year, as a result of our difficult economic climate, the RAB Conference has been merged with the NAB Fall Radio Show, to be held in late September in Washington, DC.

Yet for many Radio folks, this is RAB season. I've asked a number of what I consider to be among our industry’s best “thinkers” to join me looking forward, to mull over the future of the RAB: How stations can best use it, where the organization itself should be focusing, and what moves should be made to help RAB through its current struggles. As you read through the articles, I strongly encourage Radio-Info’s readers to join in the important conversation about this critical industry institution.

-Lindsay Wood Davis

Respected South Dakota-based broadcaster Dean Sorenson has been on the Board of Directors of RAB since the late ‘70s, serving as Chair of one the first RAB Conferences. An accomplished sales trainer in his own right, Dean’s dedication to his markets, employees and industry is legendary.

Here’s what Dean has to say:

“If I were a one person Futures Committee for the RAB, I’d ask the RAB to focus it’s future on Services. Nothing real earth shattering there. As a small market operator that’s always been where RAB provided the greatest return on our investment of dues and time.

New Business Development has been the backbone of the RAB since it’s inception, and during the Gary Fries tenure, Training took on new importance. These need to be continued, but when we talk to the 3 person sales staff in one of our mini-markets…..it’s clear: we need a friend with ideas, and tools to help serve our client base.

In my own experiences I remember the RAB Idea-o-rama’s with Eddie Allgood. Our sales staff would return home with confidence, specific ideas for tough clients, and a renewed belief in why radio sales was the career path I wanted to enjoy for my life.

I literally had a religious conversion to a lifetime of radio sales in one of the RAB’s one day workshops. I went home with a new commitment, a handful of new friends I could reach out to for solutions, and a passion for helping clients thru our radio station.

Later, the customer service guys and gals were always available by phone in the Dallas office, and again, we reached out to RAB for solutions for our customers and prospects.

In Iowa there was a General Manager who required EVERY Salesperson on his team to pick up the phone and gather something which would help their clients, EVERY business day. I may not choose to require each of my salespersons to call RAB 5 times a week, but it certainly proved to me, this Manager’s perceived value of their RAB membership. And when I saw that station sales-numbers, I gained a ton of respect for their results.

Today’s internet provides some of this “networking” for small market radio salespersons, but the mother-lode still needs to be our RAB.

Let’s not get hung up on the delivery system of RAB’s ideas and assistance. It possibly should be a combination. Some on-site seminars, frequent phone or web-based assistance, and access to a huge website of information and research. No other organization has the support of the radio industry, the ability to tap the brains of as many radio sales types … and the history of moving the sales meter, as our own member driven RAB.

Let’s continue to have RAB’s professional developers visit the Wal Mart’s, Ford’s and Pfizer’s of America. And we should be proud of the training provided newbie’s, as well as the huge cadre of Certified Radio Marketing Consultants (CRMC’s) who solve problems for local merchants, and advertising agencies.

At the same time, whether we’re in the first month of radio Sales, or our 29th year of beating the streets, a “friend on the phone/web” at the RAB will increase our effectiveness, increase our professionalism to our clients and community, and reward our commission check……every week, every month, and every year of our working life."

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You can reach out to Dean Sorenson here: sorenson@sbcradio.com

For more information on the RAB, please reach out to Jeff Haley, President and CEO of the RAB at JMHaley@rab.com

Yesterday’s issue featured long-time RAB President and CEO Gary Fries. Check in tomorrow morning for Part III in the series, from Wisconsin Radio station owner Roger Utnehmer.