Shyrl L. Plum - Underwriting 101: Selling College Radio

Underwriting 101

Selling College Radio

Underwriting 101

Selling College Radio

Shyrl L. Plum

University of Tennessee-Knoxville

The final camera copy for this work was prepared by the author, and therefore the publisher takes no responsibility for consistency or correctness of typographical style. However, this arrangement helps to make publication of this kind of scholarship possible.

First Published by

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers

10 Industrial Avenue

Mahwah, NJ 07430

Transferred to Digital Printing 2009 by Routledge

270 Madison Ave, New York NY 10016

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Copyright 2000 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microform, retrieval system, or any other means, without prior written permission of the publisher.

Cover design by Kathryn Houghtaling Lacey

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Plum, Shyrl L.

Underwriting 101: selling college radio / Shyrl L. Plum

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-8058-3652-7 (c : alk. paper).ISBN 0-8058-4811-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

SellingRadio advertising. 2. Radio advertisingUnited States. 3. College radio stations5United States. I. Title: Underwriting one hundred one. II. Title: Underwriting one hundred and one. III. Title.

HF5439.R36 P55 2000

659.142dc21

00-37170

CIP

Publishers Note

The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original may be apparent.

Contents

As a graduate student in broadcasting, I sold advertising for my universitys commercial radio station and took a class in broadcast sales. At the radio station, we performed the duties associated with selling. In the sales class, we read the book and talked about selling. Since 1993, I have been teaching that sales class and requiring students to obtain practical sales experience as part of their instruction. Instead of just reading about sales, my students receive credit, earn commissions, and learn enough to qualify for entry-level sales positions after graduation.

This book arose from the assumption that many college-level sales courses do not stress hands-on experience for students because the instructors may possess little or no sales experience themselves. This text provides a primer that can be implemented by anyoneadjunct instructors from the community, professors with or without sales experience, or sales professionals. It is logically organized into 15 chapters corresponding to a 15-week semester. Assignments are included in the text and handout materials appear in the appendixes.

The most important attribute of a salespersonthe ability to effectively deal with peoplemay be the most difficult one to teach. I have found that the quickest and most effective way to develop people skills in beginning salespeople is by exposing them to Dale Carnegies How to Win Friends & Influence People. Students generally find its common sense approach to communicating with others to be nonthreatening and easy to imitate.

This is an introductory book for inexperienced salespeople. Its purpose is to provide a step-by-step manual to assist students in attaining a minimum level of sales proficiency so they may feel qualified to apply and interview for sales positions after completion of the course. It is expected that higher order sales training and experience will be provided by their future employers.

Notes to the Instructor

Scheduling Classes

A syllabus and class schedule appear in meeting immediately following the one in which they are submitted, so students may have immediate feedback on any problems and concerns they may have reported.) It is also recommended that sales classes meet in the evening, so students are free to make sales calls during the day.

Before Class Meets

Obtain a list of current advertisers on your campus radio station and the names of any salespeople who are handling their accounts from your stations sales manager. These will appear as protected accounts on your class account list. Also request a list of accounts that have been claimed by salespeople outside of your class, which may also need to be protected on your class account list.

Arrange for your stations operations manager and sales manager to attend Class 3 to position your noncommercial campus radio station and answer questions. Provide them with a copy of the positioning worksheet found in ahead of time so they will know what to cover.

Organization of Text

It is recommended that you follow the logical progression of information and skill mastery from . After that point, the chapters may be covered in any order.

Individual Experiences Classes

Classes labeled Individual Experiences on the class schedule may be reserved for activities such as discussing and role-playing situations from sales call reports, interacting with additional speakers, participating in sales training exercises, and continuing previous discussions.

Outside Speakers

Guest speakers can be a valuable addition to a sales curriculum. They tend to underscore important points you have made that become even more credible when spoken by people closely connected to the business. Effective guest speakers enhance specific content areas and serve as excellent role models for your students.

In addition to scheduling appearances by the operations and sales managers of your campus radio station, contact sales training consultants in your area and arrange for them to conduct workshops with your students. Invite promotion managers from area radio stations to class to discuss sales promotion, and request that sales managers from local stations visit to conduct mock interviews with your students at the end of the semester. You may be surprised at how receptive these people will be to sharing the benefit of their experience with your students.

Goals and Incentives.

Begin each class by noting the dollar amount of the goal for the semester, the dollar amount that the class has billed to date, and the percentage of the semester goal that is represented by current class billings. As an incentive to bring in sales, I purchase inexpensive items, such as ribbons and medals, and award them to any student who makes a sale, regardless of the amount. To reward individual and class achievements in Class 29, I usually purchase plastic trophies for the top three billers and obtain small decks of cards for all students as a reminder that sometimes a sales just not in the cards.

Final Exam Options

contains sample essay questions for a final examif you want or are required to give one. When I review the promises, promises portion of Class 29, there is usually at least one student who makes the case that a final exam is busy work at this point and in violation of the pact made at the beginning of the semester. I concur, cancel the final exam on the spot, and inform the students that they will have 100 final exam points added to their grades. I do this because a final exam really is busy work at this pointfor both the students and the instructor. (Just make sure that the students have completed and turned in their class evaluation forms before making this announcement.)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS