It was at a Radio Sales/Copywriting seminar I conducted last year that a Radio Production Director complained, “Our station has a deadline for account executives to turn in commercial copy orders, but the salespeople ignore it.”
I responded, “You’re not telling the truth. You say you have a deadline, but you don’t. A deadline is something that is enforced. If it’s not enforced, you don’t have a deadline.”
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Short and to the point!
“When is a sales copy deadline not a deadline?”
The second someone says “this is your deadline”.
Try to enforce as we might…the money always wins.
Grab ankles and smile
The purpose of a firm deadline is at least two-fold:
— To assure AEs that if their stuff is in by a certain time, they can be certain that it will make it to air without a hitch using existing staff/hours;
— To distinguish true, client-created emergencies – special circumstances where the troops can rally to save a client in a bind, and get more money through the till — from the AEs who constantly choose to fly by the seat of their pants… because we let them.
Though it isn’t a popular slogan, it’s said by me regarding this very issue at least once a month here.
“Lack of prior planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on my part”.
The other side of the coin- our production folks having a spot turned in by sales well before it’s due- only to have the production side slide it back into the inbox until it’s almost late, thenTHEY say they’re overwhelmed with work. That does happen. And the same slogan above applies in that case.
Legitimate, last-minute orders don’t bother me. It has always been a part of radio and I don’t expect it to change. Nor should it
I feel I have an advantage as a copy and production guy because I was a radio AE for 5 years. It has given me invaluable insight to the task of a radio AE and I’m am almost always squarely in their corner. I have personally experienced, as a salesperson, how last minute orders come about. Stations must accommodate them whenever possible.
I do have a problem with “ASAP” on a copy or production order. “ASAP” is not a “need by” or start date. “ASAP” tells me nothing. I have asked AE’s to always give me a specific date. “ASAP” does not help me re-prioritize. “ASAP” gets to the bottom of the day’s stack.