A Loyal Reader Writes:
“I’ve had a rash of radio advertising clients who listen to the MP3’s of their spots hundreds of times. Consequently, they become micromanagers, often calling or e-mailing 2 or 3 times a day with suggestions or changes to their spots.
“Of course, we’re expected to kiss their hineys and make sure they’re satisfied customers.
“At what point, though, am I allowed to put my foot down and say, ‘Now, you’re messing with my work. I’ve got X number of years doing this, and I know what’s going to work, and I will NOT make that ridiculous change’?”
At what point are you allowed to put your foot down?
That point should be determined by your station management, in a firm, consistently enforced policy.
Sadly, most radio stations adopt the policy of, “Whatever the client says, we do. Period. Our job is simply to take their money and follow their orders.”
Note that I said “most” stations.
Definitely not all.
Before the printing company that handles my brochures or catalogues prints them, they hand-deliver to me an “iris.” (Used to be a “blue line,” for you old-timers.)
The iris is an exact copy of what the finished brochure will look like.
The printer won’t run the 10,000 or 20,000 copies until I’ve approved the iris. That means I’ve signed & dated it and indicated one of the following:
A) “Approved as is, with no changes or corrections needed.”
B) “Approved pending changes as indicated.”
C) “Approved pending corrections as indicated.”
If I’ve made a typographical error in the copy I provided them, this is my chance to find and correct it.
If there’s something I don’t like about the iris, this is my chance to change it. (But: If the change requires substantial time & effort on their part, I will pay for the change to be made.)
If they’ve made some sort of error in their production, this is my opportunity to spot it and insist that they correct it (at their expense).
After I’ve signed off on the iris, I’ll have to pay for the privilege of implementing any last-second inspiration I might have.
Is The Printer’s Policy Unreasonable?
No reasonable person would think so.
Does It Occur To Me To Complain About This Policy?
No.
Personally, I’d rather have the freedom to change my mind repeatedly without incurring any additional charge. That way, I could engage in my usual habits of procrastination and indecisiveness.
My printer, however, doesn’t want to pay the price for my slothful inclinations.
I have the right to expect the highest quality of printing service from them.
But I can’t get that service solely by paying them.
I also have to play by their rules. Abide by their policies.
Most Importantly: What Effect Does Their Policy Have?
Because customers know that they will have to pay for their own errors or capriciousness, their customers give a lot of thought to what they want before they approve the iris.
Yes, But The Radio Station Also Creates The Original Material.
Most commercial printing companies offer in-house graphic arts services.
And while the graphic artist is happy to work with the client to develop a piece that pleases the client, the artist is not willing (actually, is not allowed) to fritter away his time by implementing dozens of the client’s “I just had an idea!” inspirations.
Some printers include a limited amount of graphic support at no extra charge. The key word there is “limited.”
Some quote a flat rate for providing the “creative.” But that flat rate does not include unlimited rewrites and redos.
Others simply charge by the hour. The client can change her mind as often as she wants — but she pays for the extra work caused by her “constant creativity.”
But If We Enforce Such A Policy, We’ll Lose Business!
“Yeah, all that sounds good in theory,” I hear some radio sales managers grumbling. “But if we try to enforce such a policy, our clients will desert us for a competing station that won’t object to making endless changes at no extra charge.”
If that’s true, then you don’t have clients; you have customers.
You’re not selling results; you’re selling a commodity.
The radio stations that don’t establish and adhere to reasonable policies but, instead, follow the advertiser’s every command and say “Yessir!” to the advertiser’s every whim are the same stations that are forced to sell on a “Cost Per Point” basis (what I call “buying radio by the pound”) and to “throw in” bonus spots and promotions and remote broadcasts in order to land the account.
The paragraph immediately above this one? It describes 90% of North American radio stations.
That’s the 90% that constantly scrabble for new business, because they don’t do a good enough job to maintain their current client base.
Meanwhile, the stations that have loyal clients, that command a premium in the ad marketplace, that have genuine respect for the services they offer?
Their clients perceive, react to and share that respect.
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Great article..now about micro managing PD’s..lol
or owners?
This may sound like a commercial, but this is one thing that I definitely learned from Dan O’Day. How to deal with persnickety clients. I worked for a major radio corporation in a small market with tons of direct local. With Dan’s help, I really upped my game. And with that I assumed the mantle of “Advertising Expert”. I established policies that made the client look twice or three times at copy before approving it. The local newspaper and TV stations don’t allow unlimited changes…or in fact ANY changes without a surcharge. So why should we? The sales people let me advise the clients as to what was and was not effective. And it worked! Nature abhors a vacuum. If SOMEONE isn’t acting in the capacity of an advertising expert, the client will usually assume that it must be up to them.
@Harley: Thanks for making my day!
In my 30+ years in radio broadcasting (working both sides) a “micro managing advertiser” has never been an issue. On a rare ocassion there may be an exasperating rogue client or a poorly produced ad that misses the mark. Both need to be handled with sensitivity and firmness.