Many radio stations have rules that prescribe a minimum lead time before a new advertising order can air. These most often range from 24 hours (too short, in my opinion) to 72 hours (barely long enough).
During a break at a sales/copywriting seminar I conducted for a state broadcasters association, I heard one attendee tell another, “My station has a rule that all new orders have to be turned in at least 72 hours before the air date. But it’s never enforced, so we usually get the copy orders at the last minute.”
I couldn’t help but correct him. “A rule that isn’t enforced is not a rule. It’s a suggestion or a request. But it’s not a rule.”
Sadly, at most stations with “rules,” here’s what happens when an account executive turns in a copy order past the deadline.
Production Director to Account Exec: You want this on the air on Friday? Our policy is 72 hours in advance, and it’s Thursday already! No way!
Account Exec to Station Manager: The production director says he can’t produce this in time to go on the air tomorrow, and the client says it has to start first thing in the morning.
Station Manager to Production Director: This radio station does not refuse money. The customer is always right. We need team players here. Are you or are you not a team player?
Production Director to Station Manager: Sure, I’m a team player. But the station’s policy —
Station Manager to Production Director: I’ll make an exception this time. But I don’t like people who make waves, and I’m starting to get the idea that you’re a wave maker.
At a different state broadcasters association sales/copywriting seminar a production director complained, “I can’t get our salespeople to turn their copy in on time.”
“What percentage of the time do they turn in their copy late?” I asked.
“At least 90%.”
I shared my solution with the attendees and then asked a sales manager in the front row, “If you adopted this technique at your station, how would it affect the frequency with which copy is turned in late?”
He thought a moment and then replied, “It would probably drop the percentage of late copy to 2 or 3 per cent.”
I offer this solution to you only if you agree that your clients deserve more than a last-minute compilation of ineffective advertising cliches, hastily recorded over a completely unrelated music bed.
Here it is:
1. Determine your policy — 48 hours, 72 hours, 96 hours — however much in advance you believe is necessary to insure at least a minimum of quality for the final product.
2. Make sure everyone in the building is aware of the policy.
3. Include in your policy one other other point: Any time a salesperson turns in an order in a time period that is shorter than the prescribed minimum, the producer of the spot will receive 50% of the commission on the sale.
If you do that, all of the standard alibis magically will disappear:
“I couldn’t get the information from the client in time.”
“I was too busy working on that other big account.”
“I would’ve had the order in on time, but I had that emergency dental surgery.”
I’m just sayin’….
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My GM does not have the balls to enforce ANY of this. ALL production is last-minute, the clients are ALWAYS right, no matter how awful and ineffective the copy is that they provide. Results for the client are nice, but priority NUMBER ONE is getting the money for the station. The new reality sucks, but what can an employee do without being a “wave maker?” Staying employed is MY priority, so do I just go along with management’s ‘no-balls’ attitude?
It’ll never be enforced where we work because the GM is the worst offender. BUT, and this works wonders, I’ll tell the salesperson, “Why do you work so hard to get in the door cold calling, struggle to get the appointment, finally get them to buy, and then take no care whatsoever to make sure their advertising actually works? You wouldn’t have to work so hard if you’d give us time to do our jobs well. A happy client whose ads work is much easier than going and getting a new one!” It has cut down on last minute crap dramatically.
At my last production director gig (and I mean LAST in every sense of the word) I was lucky enough to work under a GM who GOT IT. I created and he enforced the 3-2-1 rule. For witing and producing, 3 days, for producing already written copy, 2 days and already produced and ready to go, no problem, one day. Violations got few and far between when we applied and collected a $50 fine for violation. To all the GM’s with their “team player, customer is always right” attitude, I say grow a pair!
I would have been able to retire at the age of 40 if (when I was working in radio) we had that policy! I even suggested something like that and was not taken seriously! It is a good thought, though. 🙂
Love that and would love to share with our sales people but, that would make me seem like a ‘wave-maker’…
And what’s the all-time Number One Objection to radio advertising, the one we’ve all heard countless times? “I tried it and it didn’t work.” And why didn’t it work? Because, in most cases, the COPY didn’t work. With no time to MAKE it work, how can it? (And I’m from sales.)
He touches on that in yesterday’s installment, Doug…
Here’s an idea from a 15 year major market production director (of course I know him,…he’s me). What I hate worse than arrogant, bling-encrusted, self-important sales pros is: Losing Money. The pain-in-the-ass factor is why they are pros. Competent, over-caffeinated, Gucci-ass account executives are like morning hosts; the better ones are a giant hassle, partly because (at the last minute) they’ve buttonholed a desperate client now willing to pay top-of-the card rates in a rush-add schedule. Mo money, mo money, mo money. I want to help my Herb Tarlek bro or sister, take advantage of their Charlie Sheen up-cycle and book some high-dollar avails! So, I bend over backwards to make it happen. The idea is: Take the time needed to make an involved spot and get it done whenever,…after the deadline is OK. But, do a “wing-it” spot to get on the air fast. You know your best work is the spontaneous stuff,…the ones where you get crazy SFX and ad-lib copy, insane ideas,…the very essence of “Blink” and deliver the cart skidding down the hall to the control room 30 seconds before air. (I know; cart nostalgia). Those are always the best ads. You get to stretch your wings, the client gets two spots (and may pick your spur-of-the-moment genius over the overblown crap the client and AE scrawled on that cocktail napkin). The SM, GM, corporate are happy chappies, we get ALL the money and your AE becomes a friend. You may be too good at your job, but you’ll never be too important to help your team make money.
Deadlines are there to make sure we can rescue clients who have real emergencies, not AE’s who waited until the last second or beyond to make good on the promises made to the client weeks or even months ago when the contract was signed. We have something like a 3-2-1: 3 days to turn complete copy points/client profile into approved copy; 2 days for specified voices, high production value, or spots needing approval before air; 1 day for prod not needing approval – for clients who trust our skills. NO copy or spot is to be approved with the client the same day it is due at noon in Traffic.
I once told a sales person that ASAP on an order means someone didn’t do their job. In most cases the client had their ad into the tv station or print shop a week earlier. Either the sales person didn’t properly service the account or the client was negligent in updating his radio campaign. Almost got fired over that one.
Here’s the deal….. I read Mr. O’day’s blog, I buy his materials, I apply and believe the techniques that he advocates. However, everywhere I’ve worked, (16 years, Major market thru unrated, in 6 states) I encounter panic selling and last minute production. For me it is either be nice, smile and accommodate or you’ll be asked to leave.
After 25-plus years of writing, here’s what I’ve learned. Complaining about last minute copy is like complaining about a nauseous feeling after you get off the roller coaster. It’s all part of the ride.
I’m making a great living copywriting, and a lot of it is because I’m the guy who can deliver great copy on short notice. If you can’t write or produce good or great material quickly, Radio may not be your thing. Move on.
Getting lots of lead time is easy. Just freelance. Then you can discover what it’s like to work one-on-one with a client, what it’s like to get money and information from him/her, and what it’s like to live with an income that always fluctuates. Not for THIS word wrangler thanks.
Also, increased lead time rarely leads to better copy or production — increased time to actually work on the spot makes it better. If the VOLUME of script requests coming in doesn’t change, the time they come in won’t change much, if anything.
Bring on the asaps! Those are the scripts that set me apart from the average writer and make me a (more) valuable part of the Sales process.