Ah! The cry of the station that just got zipped on a big buy. While it sounds like a gung-ho and passionate move, going to the client now is usually too little, too late. Nothing usually happens, everybody leaves with their fists clenched and bad feelings abound. That’s because we did so little preparation. It’s like sitting down at a Steinway piano at a filled Carnegie Hall and the only tune we know is “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Same with us. We go to the client talking about numbers and “our station.” To the client, we appear as amateurs; to the agency we look like jerks.

Why do they get all flipped out when we go to the client?
The agency has a daily, on-going relationship with the client, with a long term, well-thought-out and approved package of advertising, marketing and most importantly, creative. Then we come along talking about our station—one small detail of a complex plan.

“We found a place in Tahiti that looks exactly like Canton, Ohio.”
Frequently the agency Creative Director is the one who calls the shots on which medium will be used. The creative directors of larger agencies are more concerned about their “reel” of television spots. It’s their equivalent of a resume. That’s why television is usually their first recommendation and why they hunt for exotic places to shoot spots. Often in an agency competition, the ad is the reason why the client chooses one agency over another. They are not enamored by radio. We’ve got to sell past them.

Mentions, Shared Promos, E-mail Blasts and Click-throughs are not “Value Added.”
They might seem that way to us—but not to the buyer. Media Buyers are judged on buying known media weight. Their job is to buy Arbitron persons. Period. Their job is to buy the most for the least amount of money. Station heritage and other elements are secondary to them. (That’s why, even with PPM, it’s still tough to sell sports, promotions and specials.)

Partnering with an Agency is good for the client.
But it must be done far in advance of a buy, with solid preparation. Here’s what’s worked for me and many others in the past.

• Create a Killer A/V Presentation.
• Make the rounds, showing it to the largest agencies and the largest clients. (Warning: It must be professionally done, interesting, business-centered and entertaining. Go to the website www.PresentationZen.com before you start the project.)
• Show success stories—case studies with specific results gained by specific clients.
• Do it with great printed graphics. It gives confidence. Spend a couple bucks on a graphic artist.
• Play some of your best produced spots.
• Show them your clever, timely promotions.
• Show them how active you are in community projects.
• Show them that you’re on the edge of everything digital.
• Don’t refer to rank, ratings or other stations. That’s buzz kill.
• Do it on a Mac. You’ll impress their creative people.
• The project will impress the client, the agency and even your own salespeople. Far more profitable for all parties.
• Do one a week. Watch your billing climb.

How to Position the AE
Consider this analogy. You go to France and speak only English. You’ll do ok—but just ok. However, if you speak a little bit of French you’re amazed at how much friendlier the people are. (Yes, even the French.) They’ll give you tips about getting around that you would have never heard of—if you spoke English-only.

Same with our AEs: teach them about outdoor, print, direct mail, television, Google Ad Words and Groupon. The deeper their knowledge of these foreign languages, the more trusted they’ll become by agency and client principals. Don’t teach just the downsides—but the strengths too. Position your AE as a “multi-lingual” business person, as an advertising professional; not just a radio rep.

The GM Advantage
Boss-to-Boss relationships give an entire new weight to the relationship. “Back in the day” a GM was a civic figure; agency heads and clients loved to visit with GMs. When we ran into a client with advertising needs far above our heads (collateral, FSIs, trade magazine ads, POP, television or direct mail) we’d refer them to a couple “friendly” agencies. This practice paid magnificent dividends. They rewarded us with many buys that weren’t “justified” by demos or efficiency. Conversely, when an agency got the business and shunned us, we simply didn’t include them on the next reference.

A couple things to remember:

• Radio is not at the top of their To Do List. You need to know that and turn it around.
• If you do go to the client, go there knowing something—anything—about what they actually do for a living and what they’re trying to accomplish.
• Know that no agency-client relationship is permanent. Clients will always be seeking new agencies. Stay on best possible terms with every client and every agency.
• Yes, I’ve had buyers warn me, “If you go to the client, we won’t buy you again.” Know what? In 4.2 zillion years I’ve never had it happen to me—and I was a champ at going to the client.

Don’t Get Mad. Get Better.
Consider that you just got outsold. It’s our fault—nobody else’s. We got whupped. Then get busy. Do better. Next time somebody else will get zipped.