Do You Sell Cuff Links or Shirts
Does your Radio station sell ads, or does it sell solutions?
This may sound like a pretty simple question, but before you rush to the obvious answer (“solutions,” as in “we sell solutions to our advertisers’ problems”), take a few minutes to strategically consider the question. And while you’re at it, discover the reason for the strange headline.
There aren’t many Radio stations – if any – that sell solutions today. Most simply offer products, services or bundles of either or both. Selling solutions is much more complex. It involves melding a certain level of expertise with your station’s unique intellectual capital – methods, products, relationships, or combinations of the three – to help your customers achieve a particular business goal.
A solution is greater than the sum of its parts. It is considered and customized, and it’s this uniqueness that makes it inherently more valuable. “Well,” you may say, “our ads are customized for each client.” Of course they are – and so are Burger King’s hamburgers. In fact, your service is a lot like a Happy Meal. ( I know that McDonald’s sells Happy Meals, so please don’t e-mail me.) By bundling the creative with the Radio spot, the price becomes a bit cheaper than purchasing the same services separately. Imagine that.
So what exactly is selling solutions all about? It’s about developing insights into your customer’s business and using those insights to create a customized service that really works better than the available alternatives. Note: “works better” doesn’t mean awareness, phone calls and walk-ins; it means better business results. Outcomes. Profitable business. R.O.I.
Yes, selling solutions takes longer than selling ads. And yes, the skills and selling style of your sales team and support staff will have to change. But with the increasing availability and commodity status of competitive alternatives – from Internet ads and direct mail, to local and regional newspapers and magazines, to various outdoor media – selling solutions is a strategic, business-saving imperative.
Selling solutions creates strong, ongoing business relationships. It also prevents competitors from bidding against you, as your service is customized and proprietary. Selling solutions also allows for value-based, rather than cost-plus, pricing. But most important, if you don’t start selling solutions soon, your competitors surely will.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “I have enough pressing problems to deal with right now,” and I certainly empathize with you. But it reminds me of a story I heard about a fellow speaker and his pressing problem.
He arrived at his hotel in the early evening and laid out his clothes in preparation for an early morning presentation to a very upscale audience. As sometimes happens to speakers, he noticed that he neglected to pack the cuff links to his very upscale dress shirt. Not wanting to look silly with his sleeves flopping about during his speech, he headed out of the hotel and rushed to the store. After driving past a half dozen closed stores, he finally pulled into Target, his last resort.
He ran into the men’s department, found a store clerk, and lo and behold…no, I’m just kidding: the store didn’t stock cuff links. But they did provide their panicked customer with a wee bit of wisdom. As our speaker was heading out of men’s wear with his hopes dashed and his head hanging low, he heard the sympathetic voice of the store clerk beckoning him:
”Hey, Mister? May I ask you a question?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Why don’t you simply purchase a new shirt?” And there you have it!
So if you want to stop panicking – if you want to get out of the “happy meal” business and increase both sales and return on a sales – start selling solutions. Strt solving your client’s business problems by applying your unique knowledge and leveraging your unique relationships. It’s certainly not easy. No one expected that competing in today’s business marketplace would be this intense. I know that I didn’t. Did you?
© 2004 Tom Asacker
Tom Asacker is an author, corporate advisor and public speaker with a unique specialization – advancing business relationships by helping companies transition from “economically driven” to “emotionally drive”. His philosophies are outlined in his acclaimed book series Sandbox Wisdom and his leadership guid from Successories titled A Brand New World www.sandboxwisdom.com
