Sales & Marketing

Verizon predicts a record-breaking year when it comes to online spending, with sales expected to reach at least $3.97 billion dollars on Black Friday alone. That’s $2.5 million dollars a minute. This forecast is great news for businesses of any size looking to make money this holiday season, which is extra incentive for your sales solutions team, AEs and GSMs to make the most of Black Friday.

One company Wednesday reported "spectacular" Q3 2017 earnings results. It's a big company that you compete with. This company enjoyed revenue growth of 47% and ad revenue growth of 43%. But, something's troubling this giant in 2018, says prolific Wall Street investment professional Brian Wieser, Senior Research Analyst – Advertising at Pivotal Research Group. What's the issue? What does it mean for you? We let Wieser share, in his own words, how Facebook will be slightly hampered by issues you should be selling potential clients against.

Here's something that's cool, and definitely establishes Radio as the one media that can truly connect with local listeners in ways Spotify, Pandora, and even TV stations and newspapers can't do. It's all about going live -- and that includes all on-air elements, including commercials. Entercom is the company behind this "more than just a stunt" opportunity — and it's something that could get your stations get noticed, and more listener love, too.

Why did Michael Jordan shoot hundreds of free throws each week? Why do the best actors in Hollywood have acting coaches? Being the best requires practice, mentoring and coaching, says Ryan Dohrn. Here are 10 ways to make practicing your ad sales pitch better.

"Building brands people love" is the marketing tag line associated with Oath, the parent company of AOL and Yahoo! owned by Verizon. But, what is its purpose? A Thursday evening marketing mixer in Miami sponsored by the company delivered one glaring answer: Oath is about gnawing away at ad dollars going to radio and TV, and building a bigger case for digital media.

Clients of Media Information Bureau featured columnist Barrett Riddleberger, an expert sales training coach, often ask him the following question: "What are good interview questions to ask sales candidates?" A previous column on the topic proved so popular that's he has followed it up with another 10 revealing interview questions to present to sales candidates.

NPR and Edison Research in June released The Smart Audio Report. The research showed one clear finding: Voice-activated smart speakers are becoming a must-have device in U.S. homes. In fact, 42% of smart speaker owners consider their device "essential" to everyday life. NPR and Edison have just released more original research from the report.

Is your sales team falling short of expectations? Ask yourself why. Expert sales coach Barrett Riddleberger puts this question to his clients on a first call to get their perceptions about why their sales team is not meeting expectations. Sometimes he gets clear responses. Mostly, he receives vague ones, as he notes in this latest column.

Ooyala has just released its Q2 2017 Global Video Index, and there's a glimmer of hope for broadcast radio and TV C-Suiters intent on scraping away at some of those digital ad dollars: Mobile video plays have plateaued after 22 quarters of strong growth, increasing just over 1% since Q1 this year.

“The so-called ‘retail apocalypse’ makes for a great headline, but it’s simply not true." That's according to Greg Buzek, president of IHL Group, which has released a research report that declares, "A lot has been made in the mainstream news about the death of retail. But it is fake news." The 34-page White Paper, "Debunking the Retail Apocalypse," gives pause to broadcast media sales executives and members of the C-Suite, as brick-and-mortar retailers represent a healthy advertiser category that could grow through the use of radio.

RBR+TVBR Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner has some thoughts on how some radio stations have forgotten how to use the power of auditory messaging to best reach consumers. It could be one reason why Madison Avenue, and its many millennials, don't think of radio as the ROI delivery machine it truly is. Learn if your stations are on the right track by reading this column.

The late, great comedian Jerry Lewis sat for an interview while in his 90s with a staff member from The Hollywood Reporter. The interview is known as "7 Painfully Awkward Minutes with Jerry Lewis." Many people commenting on the interview blamed Lewis for the awkwardness. Sales training expert Barrett Riddleberger didn’t see it that way.

Is getting a sale as good as getting "the sale"? Sales pro and Media Information Bureau contributing columnist Barrett Riddleberger says no. Why? You may have had one of our AEs sell something, but they could have easily left more on the table for the buyer to consider, while leaving dollars on the table. 

That's the attention-grabbing headline plastered on the promotional announcement for the release of the latest Quarterly TV Attention Report from TVision Insights. The TVision report seeks to tell advertisers which demographics truly engage with television, which TV shows hold viewer interest, and which brands combine engaging content with effective media planning in order to garner the most attention. The Q2 2017 report yielded three key conclusions.

Of the $20.9 billion in the local TV ad market, only 5% of the revenue comes from digital properties such as web assets, mobile apps and distribution platforms such as Facebook. Can local TV operators find a path to increase their digital revenue growth? A new report from BIA/Kelsey may offer some successful suggestions.