Radio airtime sales is a tough old game at the best of times, but during an economic downturn it gets even harder. As any good Sales Exec will tell you, it’s not easy trying to sell something that a client can’t see, feel, smell or touch.

So, at Blue Revolution we’ve been asking Sales Managers to share their very best tips for generating and maintaining a healthy order book. We’ve compiled 6 of the best ideas, but the question now is... how many of these can you adopt at your station?

Tip 1. WORD OF MOUTH. Word of mouth is best so why not offer an incentive to your current advertisers? They speak to other business owners regularly so it’s a great idea to encourage them to help promote your station.

Tip 2. GET THEM TUNED IN. Even if a client isn’t ready to spend money with you, ask them if they’d mind playing your station in their establishment. It might not help your bottom line but it will help get more people sampling your output.

Tip 3. ‘CLIENT OF THE MONTH’. Create a Client Of The Month Award that is picked at random by one of your DJs. Reward that client with some bonus spots (utilising some unsold airtime) or another gift with a high-perceived value. Maybe you could ask one of your best clients to supply a prize or some vouchers; even concert/cinema tickets make good prizes.

Tip 4. GIVE THEM A TOUR. Whenever you sign a new client offer them a tour of the station so the can see the ‘showbiz’, after all they’re investing in your company so you should be proud to show them where the magic is created. It’s amazing how effective this can be in establishing a long-term association and repeat business. It’s also an idea to reward visitors with some ‘free stuff’ (ie. branded promotional items – t shirts, mouse-mats, whatever) as it helps create an experience that they’ll remember, which can be extremely handy when asking for a renewal of their campaign.

TIP 5. ‘AS HEARD ON...’ Present each new client with a special window sticker that they can display. These are incredibly cheap to get made and are free promotion for the station. Something along the lines of ‘As Heard On…’ and your station logo. It all helps create loyalty.

TIP 6. MAINTAIN YOUR RATE-CARD. In other words, don’t discount – offer bonuses instead. Once you start to discount your rate-card clients will always expect you to do the same, which can hurt your bottom line longterm. A better approach is to maintain your rate-card but add other incentives such as a small banner on the station website or a pre-determined amount of ‘bonus spots’. You could even offer a few ‘live reads’ for the client so that they don’t tie-up too much valuable airtime.

This article first appeared in the Blue Revolution Radio e-Zine.