Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1960)

With buyers deluged by personal calls, SPONSOR ASKS: Is it really worthwhile for station men to visit Nick Imbornone, timebuycr, McCannErickson Advertising (U.S.A.), New York Broadcast salesmen on the whole, are well informed on markets they represent. However, there definitely is a place in the selling of broadcast time for the visiting station man. Aside from the information and help he gives to his own representa A Jf art h while when they bring us market information otherwise unobtainable tives, he can be of invaluable service to broadcast buyers. Among the services he could and should perform are the following: 1. Market peculiarities — We must all agree no two markets are alike. Special marketing problems develop during the year in individual markets that only local people can properly analyze and evaluate. It is in this way, by talking to station people, that a buyer can keep up with changing markets without visiting them in person. 2. Merchandising — Merchandising, always a "plus" in any broadcast schedule, is very difficult to "pin down" at the representative level. Local station people, who actually do the merchandising, can give a broader and clearer picture of the services available to a client. 3. Availabilites — Local station men are equipped with future end dates of other accounts, both national and local, and therefore can better plan for improvement of announcements, especially for the long-term advertiser. 4. Competitive stations — Who is better qualified to criticize or praise tin competition in any given market than the local station man himself? Certainly no national representative i~ full\ qualified at all times to judge competitive stations in a given mar ket without personally being in the market for a long period of time. 5. Ideas — Being close to the people advertisers are trying to reach, the local man can recommend ways to substantially increase the effectiveness of current and future advertising. These ideas can be in the form of local personalities, special promotions, store tie-ins and the use or misuse of other media. 6. Trends — Trends in individual markets occurs frequently, not only in terms of station usage, but also in terms of industrial and economic changes. These trends are very difficult to foresee at the national level in spite of the increased research material available. The local man can bring these trends to light and thus help the account to plan for the future. In conclusion, then, there is definitely a place and a need for the vis iting station man in the agency busi ness. The alert, progressive local man will be in as often as his time allows. Anita Wasserman, timebuyer, Laurence C. Gumbinner Advertising Agency, New York It certainly can be worthwhile if the station man doesn't limit himself to bare facts to which the buyer has easy access, such as ratings, coverage, power changes, etc., but places the stress of his presentation on signifi Yes, with reps first briefing .station men on buyer s accounts and needs cant local trends in stations and the market. This would be a profitable visit for the station man and the buyer ! A profitless visit is one in which the station man launches into his "numbers" but is reluctant to talk about his programing, or one in which he goes immediately into his fabulous merchandising with which no other station can compete. Also, station men who skillfully duck hard questions are not helping the buyer much. "What does your local business picture look like?" "Fantastic!" "Any interesting changes in the market or stations in the last couple of months?" "No — we're still Number 1!" Faced with this unremitting wall of superlatives, the buyer being no Olympic hurdler, is quickly discouraged from clearing it. Another profitless visit? Maybe not, because the "superlative" salesman has given the alert buyer (correctly or not) the impression that all is not well under the slick umbrella he's spread over his station. Ours is such a fast-moving business with new men in sales and management posts calling on agencies, that to make these visits really profitable, reps should brief the station man ahead of time on the accounts and needs of the buyer he is going to see. It follows, of course, that communication should flow from station to rep, too, so that neither one is embarrassed or caught flat-footed on basic discussion points that come up in the visit. That happens too often and gives the buyer the uncomfortable feeling that the two may not be working together harmoniously, that when the time comes to consider this station, he may be missing out on information or service. And it wastes that precious commodity, time. for both the busy agency buyer and the station man. If he comes to town well-armed and doesn't frustrate us, as we've mentioned above, the station man's periodic calls can certainly be rewarding and worthwhile for a buyer, i Dorothy Classer, timebuyer, Kastor, Hilton, Chester, Clifford & Atherton, Inc., j New York We in the agency business would like the security and comfort of know j ing that all our decisions were based J 50 SPONSOR • 3 OCTOBER 196C