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1/10/09 Overcoming Boredom

I'll admit it. I'm bored.

I'm bored when I hear the same six solutions to radio's challenges, and they are the same solutions I've been hearing for decades. I'm bored when I hear the same old sales training techniques, many of which were bred in the 1940s or ‘50s. I'm bored with tired voices who have nothing new to say, who repeat their theories ad nauseam. I'm bored when I attend a conference and hear the exact same words and stories I heard decades before. I'm bored with the idea that radio is challenged like never before, but we as an industry are not changing the way we do business.

I'm bored with Radio Ink.

There, I said it.

My life as an entrepreneur is driven by my boredom. I don't want to garner one year of experience and repeat it 20 times over 20 years. Once I've established a business or new product, I need to move on to new challenges quickly, or I'll lose interest. In my early years I'd start a business, build it up, then get bored and move on to something else while the other business faded away. Finally, I realized I was walking away from the benefits of a mature business, so I hired a manager to operate the day-to-day of the business and undertook a new challenge. I also learned that if I create new challenges within the old business, I am OK as long as I am innovating. I realize I'm an idea guy, not an operator.

Because I’m bored with radio, I’m bored with Radio Ink. I've always felt my job is to reflect the industry, but if I’m reflecting old, stale ideas, then my job feels old and stale.  

RE-INVENTOR

To combat the malaise, I once again donned my entrepreneur hat and called the staff together to reinvent Radio Ink. The mission is not to reflect, but to lead.

So starting with this issue, you'll see a new design, new columns, new voices – along with some of your “old” favorites. The goal is to provide fresh ideas, voices, and opinions.

Radio in 2009 will be a lot different than it was even a year ago. Conditions are different, new forms of competition surround us daily, and we must rethink everything we do. So here is a whole new Radio Ink. We've also designed a new Radio Ink daily news e-mail and a new website with interactive pages. And because everyone is so busy, we will lightly highlight the salient points so you can skim articles fast. 

You are the beneficiary of my boredom. I hope you won't be bored with Radio Ink, and I hope you'll tell us what we did right, and where we screwed up. 

12/15/08 Preparing For Radio’s 2009 Olympics

Imagine you’re an Olympic athlete, just weeks away from the winter games. You’re in great shape, but the weeks before the event will be spent in daily practice, increasing your workouts to make sure you’re prepared.

   Though the physical work is critical, the most crucial aspect of any training regimen is mental preparation. Athletes must remove any seed of doubt and focus on knowing they can and will win. No excuses allowed.

   Just after the holidays, you will be entering radio’s Olympics. Though no one can accurately predict the economy or the impact of the new administration, it doesn’t take a degree in economics to surmise that 2009 will be a rocky year. Expect the best, but plan for the worst. We must assume that the impact will hit all clients, all client categories, and our own radio billing.

   Treat your holiday break like the last weeks before the final event: Increase your speed, increase your stamina, increase every metric in your organization, increase your ability to do more with fewer resources and fewer people. Improve your sales closing ratio, increase the number of sales calls and presentations, and perfect your skills in helping businesses reinvent. Tax your creative skills to invent new ideas, new promotions, new solutions to old and new problems.

   This won’t be a time for the weak: 2009 will require longer hours, more face time with clients, and new advantages radio can offer over other media. Are you up to the task? 

   DON’T WORRY — PLAN

   Use fear as motivation to take action. Rather than worrying about the unknown, condition your mind for any eventuality. You and your team need to be convinced that you will succeed no matter what, that you will get the dollars being spent, and that you will prevail.

   How can you prepare? Spend time in play, relaxation, and stress-free family time. Being well rested is the key to a fresh mind and peak stamina. Nonwork diversions are important to a clear mind. Avoid the BlackBerry obsession during the holidays. Lock it up, and put a vacation message on your e-mail. An hour of e-mail will put your mind back into work or worry mode and kill the regeneration process. Our e-mail obsession means we never get away completely. Your brain needs a break.

   By cutting off work 100 percent, you’ll achieve the mental preparedness necessary to compete in radio’s Olympics. You’ll be more creative, ready to work harder, and able to deal with work stress more effectively. I know you’re a workaholic who believes that no one will leave you alone and let you have time without office contact. But strong leaders will insist on time for themselves, and for their staffs as well.

11/17/08 Guidelines For A New Manager

In 1980 I took ownership of my first radio station. I had come from the programming side of the business, and I vividly remember the moment I walked into the radio station as its new owner. It was a Saturday morning. I went into my new office, closed the door, and put my head in my hands: "What do I do now?"  

Start By Listening

As a new manager I thought I needed to display my power over my staff, so I immediately implemented a bunch of foolish rules and regulations. (I did not know they were foolish at the time.) I was soon challenged by dissenting employees. I recommend the first weeks of management to be days of listening and planning. A great manager is a gatherer of information and ideas.  

Dictator or Democracy?

Some believe in autocratic management, but it did not work for me. Taking an "it’s my way or the highway" approach pushes creative people out and surrounds you with a lot of "yes" people who are afraid to tell you the truth. Though you should listen to your people, it is best not to make decisions by committee. Remember that only one person is responsible for the bottom line — you. Use the information you’ve gathered to make a decision based on the right thing to do, not what everyone else wants you to do.  

Push or Pull

Help someone want to accomplish a task rather than pushing it on them. There are times when you have to tell someone to just do it, but it’s best to engage people, and to show them why it’s important to you and the business. 

Be in the Trenches

If you want your people to show up early and work late, you’d better be willing to do the same. Lead by example.  

Understand Every Job

You cannot manage what you don’t understand. You need a fairly in-depth understanding of every department in the building. I recently hired a video guy for my company. Because I knew nothing about video, I accepted his excuses for missing deadlines because of the "complexity" of the work. I hired a freelance video expert to spend a few days with me, which enabled me to communicate better with my employee.  

Pay Attention to What is Important to Your People

Learn about your co-workers, their kids, their interests, and their personal and professional goals. Don’t be divisive. Don’t do it just to get them to do things for you. Do it because you honestly care.  

Environment Is Critical

Productive people need productive environments. No one wants a manager who breathes down their neck, micromanages, and questions every move. Make people look forward to showing up every day. Have fun. Challenge people. Allow contribution.  

Ultimatums

It happens to every manger: "If you don’t do X, I’ll quit." People who do this are cancerous to the organization. A manager without options is a manager held hostage. Never depend on one individual too much.  

Change

Most change is met with resistance. If you want change or innovation, just do it. Without change, there is no corporate growth.  

The Stretch

Most people do their job and nothing more. People who do not grow will end up stuck and will be less beneficial to the company. Help people stretch. Give them new challenges. Help them do things they do not believe they can do.  

Negative People and Gossip Mongers

Before you dismiss a negative person, make sure there is no way to turn them around. Sometimes people are perceived as negative because they are trying to get your attention to drive change. Address their suggestion, and even if you cannot accommodate their idea, make them aware that you’ve given it consideration.

Gossips undermine management, create problems among the ranks, and damage business. Confront them, give them a chance to change, and, if they don’t, move them out. Also confront secrets. I once said to a manager, "I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Bob in accounting said..." This manager stopped me, called Bob in, and made me repeat it in front of him. It was a great lesson in preventing gossip and hearsay. 

Hiring and Firing

In my early management years, I hired people for the wrong reasons. Hire for needed strengths. Hire people who have skills you don’t have. Smart people make you look good. I try to hire people who don’t need to be managed, who are self-disciplined and self-managed. It saves a lot of time.

Do your homework. Always check references personally on important hires; listen for clues like long pauses or statements such as "I’d rather not say." Do multiple interviews; as people get more comfortable with you, they reveal more of their personality.

The moment you realize someone is not right for your company, get them out. The longer you carry incompetent people, the more they’ll demotivate others.

If someone is surprised when they are being fired, you have failed them as a manager. Employees deserve to know when you are not pleased with their work; they need to know what you expect and how they measure up; they need to know that they are in danger of losing their job if their behavior or work does not improve.

If you do have to fire someone, do so with respect and dignity. Manage your temper and think twice. Be fair, and make sure it’s the only alternative — you’re screwing with families, income, and self-esteem. If possible, help them find other work by opening doors. 

Allow Thinking Time

When you’re too busy, you make decisions on the fly. Build in time to think, plan, dream. Take time away from work and home. Be alone and think. 

Decision Making

Take a decision-making course, like those offered by Kepner-Tregoe. Training will help you make more sound, business-focused decisions. Jason Jennings teaches you to ask WTGBR: What’s The Good Business Reason? 

For Every Employee There Is A Season

This will sound harsh: Employees serve a specific purpose for business. They are not there to be your friends, though that can be a wonderful side benefit. As a business owner, I am the only constant. Employees I thought would be with me forever have left, and people I thought were geniuses were often not. People I never expected to last ended up staying for years. I am loyal; if someone has been with me a long time, it is my goal to help continue that tradition. But if someone is no longer doing the job effectively, tradition must be ended. Make decisions based on the needs of the company first, but keep the needs of your employees in mind. I tell my employees that there will come a time when they cannot grow with us anymore, and if they get to that point please let me know. I will try to find something internally, or I’ll help them find a job elsewhere. Let them know it’s safe, and that you’ll not consider it a resignation, merely a glimpse into the future.  

You’re Being Watched

If your employees see you being unfair, nasty, or rude to someone, they will expect you to be that way with them at some point.  

One Size Does Not Fit All

Every person requires custom management. Adjust your management style to the person you are managing. 

There Are No Secrets

Assume that everyone in your company knows every detail about everything. There was a time when someone wanted to buy my company. A couple of my employees knew, so I sent a memo to all employees about it rather than leaving it to the rumor mill.  

Excellence

If you’re going to do something, do it well. Teach your staff to do the same.  

Treat People Like You Want Them to Return

Many people have resigned or been fired only to return years later. Sometimes I realized I made a mistake in letting them go. Sometimes they needed to try other things and return with new experience. It’s a testament to managers when people want to return. 

There Is No Better Fertilizer Than The Farmer’s Shadow. Talk to your people. Be seen. Don’t sequester yourself in your office. 

Learn to Delegate

It’s the hardest and most important lesson. You cannot do everything. If you catch yourself saying, "I can do it faster than explaining it to someone else," you’re trapped. You have great people. Let them do great work.  

Don’t Micromanage. You’ll never get anything done if you control every detail. When people are learning a new skill or taking on a new project, it’s OK to stay close until they get it right. Let them make decisions, let them make mistakes, and only step in when it’s critical. There are 10 ways to accomplish every task, and it does not have to be your way. People are happier when they are empowered.  

Set expectations. Let your people know: This is your job, this is how I expect it to be done, and this is how we measure your success. I’m not big on formal reviews; it is best done as an ongoing process. 

Use your manners. Thank people for a job well done. Be gracious. Look for nice things to say to people, and praise them for good work. Avoid false praise. 

Encourage growth.  Encourage learning, even if it’s not job-specific. Encourage reading, seminars, and personal growth. 

Play. It’s important to stimulate the brain in different areas. I once took my staff to the movies in the middle of the day. Another time, I took them to a casino and gave them each $50. Workaholics burn out at the least opportune times. Encourage vacations with no work and no e-mail checking. Everyone needs a break. 

Management is not a cushy job. It requires acute study of every element, every number, every person. It requires tough decisions and good intuition. Not everyone is cut out to be a great manager. But if you’re going to do it, do it well and with respect. If you do it right, you’re not the king, you’re the servant. 

11/03/08 Click. You're Dead.

Telephone And Email Selling Have Their Pitfalls 

 

The other day a seller called while I was rushing to get 20 things done before catching an airplane. "Ah, hello Mr. Rhoads, my name is Nate..." I interrupted, "Nate, what are you selling? I'm a bit rushed today." He was taken off guard. "Well, Mr. Rhoads, I'm with XYZ Investments and I have a hot stock." Click. Dead. I try to be kind to everyone on the telephone, but I draw the line at stockbrokers. Sorry.

In a selling environment, if you catch a prospect in that deadline mode, you're dead.  
When I'm making a sales call, after my introduction I immediately ask, "Is this a good time to speak?" If it's not, I set an appointment for a more convenient time. The question often causes prospects to realize they should slow down and take a moment. Sometimes they'll say in a rushed voice, "Yeah, I've got a minute. What's up?" If you can tell they aren’t paying full attention, try to graciously reschedule the call for a different time.

   Those first few moments are crucial to any sales call. When they open with "Mr. Rhoads," I know it's a sales call. If they say "My name is…," I know it’s a sales call — and I'm off the phone in seconds. If your pitch is too phony, you'll also lose me fast. If you've done your homework, you should have an idea what will get your prospects’ attention in the first few seconds. What is their biggest challenge or problem? What do you have that they need at this moment? If you can tease that into the first few seconds, you’ve got a lifeline. "I've found an interesting way to cut your printing costs by 50 percent” may get my attention.  
Email can be effective for mass marketing, but it's death when selling advertising. If I don't know the sender, I look at the first line before hitting delete. "Mr. Rhoads, I'd like to introduce myself" is a death sentence. As with phone selling, something like "Eric, I've found a way to increase your sales 20 percent in 30 days" would be more effective. Open with your strongest subject and opening line. Otherwise, I hit delete.

   Once you have an established relationship, email can be helpful - but it MUST NOT be used during a negotiation. I caught myself doing this the other day, and it killed a deal. When asked "What is your best rate?" I responded by email rather than picking up the phone. On the phone, you can deal with issues and objections on the spot. "I got your email and wanted to respond because the answer is a bit complex." With email, it’s too easy to say no, or simply to not respond. 
Salespeople love email because they can tell their manager they "made a contact" or “made a pitch," when in fact all they did was send an email. And email has reliability problems. This week I emailed a new client with an introduction and an opportunity, but I heard nothing. After three days I decided to call and ask if she had seen my email. Her response had never reached me. Or, all too often, I intend to respond but the message ends up with hundreds of others in my inbox and it gets overlooked. 

If your sales are down, look at your sales process. Email selling is death. Click. You're dead.