Portable People Meters or PPM radio ratings measurement begins in Raleigh – Durham.

This week, Arbitron begins activation of the Portable People Meter or PPM radio audience measurement system in the Raleigh – Durham market. As of Thursday, Raleigh – Durham, the counties 43rd radio market, will forever change the way it measures the radio audience’s listening habits.  Local media companies such as Radio One Inc., Clear Channel and Curtis Media are a buzz over the dramatic change the Arbitron Portable People will bring.

What is the PPM?  According to wikipedia;

“The Portable People Meter (PPM) is a system developed by Arbitron to measure how many people are listening (or at least exposed) to individual radio stations and television stations, including cable TV. The PPM is worn like a pager, and detects hidden audio tones within a station or network’s audio stream, logging each time it finds such a signal. It has prove to be much more accurate than the old handwritten logs or wired meters, and is immune to forgetful test subjects.”

Will the Arbitron Portable People Meter effect radio ratings? Yes, no, maybe, who knows?  The concept of measuring ratings with the use of a PPM makes some veteran radio sales managers and programmers nervous.

Will the Arbitron PPM change a station’s ratings (for good or bad)? Most likely yes, it has already been implemented in several other markets for the past 5 years and has been analyzed by independent researchers. According to Research Director Inc., a major research company who completed a study using Arbitron’s PPM data from sixteen major markets, much like standard diary results, First Preference, or P1 listeners, continue to have a significant impact on a station’s Average Quarter-Hour audience.

If you would like to learn more or contribute information about selling radio advertising in a PPM™ World, join our Radio Sales Form

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For more info about becoming a vendor or sponsoring a booth space at the 2011 Women’s Empowerment Expo Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina contact tgales@radio-one.com or call 919 863 4825

Black women applaud strides
Expo in Raleigh celebrates strength

By CHRISTINA HEADRICK, Staff Writer

RALEIGH — African-American women are like a blossoming flower, if you ask Marilyn Griffin, a Durham artist who runs a small business out of her home, making elegant occasion hats and decorative dolls that sell for $75 and up. “From my mother to myself to all my sisters,” Griffin said, “more of us are self-employed. More of us are holding higher positions.

We’re women doing our own things and knowing who we are.” Griffin, 50, was one of more than 8,100 people, mostly African-American women, who attended the 2003 Women’s Empowerment Expo on Saturday. The expo was orchestrated by Radio One, a company founded by an African-American woman, Catherine Hughes, that has stations in 22 markets including K-97.5, FOXY 107/104 and The Light 103.9 in the Triangle.

The event, held at the RBC Center for the second year, has grown dramatically since it began in 1994, when about 2,500 attended. The growth could be seen as more evidence of the rising demographic profile of African-American women, a trend that recently landed on the cover of Newsweek. Various studies have reported that African-American women are inching their way into the corporate world’s hierarchy, Newsweek reported. Although black women’s median income is still below that of black men, they are outpacing men when it comes to education, a key indicator of future earnings potential.

About 40 percent of black women age 18 to 24 had attended college or completed some kind of degree in 2002, compared with 36 percent of black men, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report.The result of the growing gap is that it can be hard for some women to find a mate. About 45 percent of black women in the 30- to-34 age range had never married, compared with about 10 percent of white women of comparable age, according to 2000 census data. Griffin is among the legions of single, black women.

“I would have to find the right one,” she said. “I’m an artist. I’m an independent woman. I have high standards, and I’m going to stick to them.

“The growing buying power of black women was not lost on the businesses that came to market their products to the expo’s attendees, a crowd that exuded “business chic,” wearing business suits with sunglasses perched on their heads.

More than 90 vendors set up booths and peddled books, music, cosmetics, burial plots, health and auto insurance, wedding dresses, spa massages, high-speed Internet connections and fur coats that cost up to $8,000.The Women’s Business Center of North Carolina, based in Durham, set up a booth to give women information on how to set up a small business.

“African-American women are the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurs. We’re here for those women who are interested to get them on their way,” said center director Verona P. Edmond, a former certified public accountant and the 47-year-old director of the business center. “I’m just a die-hard believer in the perseverance of women.

“When they weren’t browsing, expo goers watched performances from local musical acts as well as harpist Jeff Majors, R&B singers Syleena Johnson and Heather Headley, jazz saxophonist Mike Phillips and the day’s headliner, singer-songwriter Brian McKnight. The event’s keynote speaker, Susan Taylor, editorial director of Essence and a top executive at Essence Communications Inc., addressed an adoring audience. Her message was one of self-love, positive thinking, spiritual renewal and determination.

“Take control. Take your life back,” Taylor commanded. “What’s standing in the way of your light? Figure it out and remove it.”Mary Autry, a 51-year-old Durham resident and cosmetics saleswoman, said she always had strong, black, female role models in her life, from her days growing up on a North Carolina farm, the daughter of sharecroppers. But Autry feels heartened that now she sees strong, smart African-American women with new titles: poet and college professor Maya Angelou, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

“Hearing these things brings me back to where I need to be,” Autry said. “I am somebody. I am someone.”

Staff writer Christina Headrick can be reached at 836-5701 or cheadric@newsobserver.com.

For more info about becoming a vendor or sponsoring a booth space at the 2011 Women’s Empowerment Expo in Raleigh, North Carolina contact tgales@radio-one.com or call 919 863 4825

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Helpful sales article sent to you from Urban Radio Sales

by Pam Lontos

When you begin like this, you have just sabotaged your own sale, set yourself up to be lied to and didn’t find out if the client is interested in what you said. Too many salespeople do this. They see a client and talk immediately about their product or service and what they think the client needs. Imagine, instead, you go in to see a client, you find their primary buying motive, and show them what you have is right for them. Wouldn’t it be an easier sale? You should never assume you know the client’s wants and needs. People buy for their reasons, not yours. Find out their reasons before you start selling. The person asking the questions is the person in control. So you should ask questions at the beginning and then listen. Clients will give you information you can use later to sell them. The more clients talk, the more they think they are in control and safe. They remove self-imposed barriers by talking. By asking questions, you have established a sharing atmosphere rather than a selling one. When questions are correctly used, the client does not feel grilled by the salesperson; the client feels he is being taken care of by a friend, a consultant – a person who cares, someone who genuinely wants to solve his problems.
Before you start selling, you should ask question designed to:

1. Find the client’s hot button and/or problem
By finding this, you will know how to slant your presentation to hit the client’s hot button, and which benefits of your product or service will solve his problem. Eighty percent of your presentation should be geared toward the client’s main buying motive. When you do this, the client is easy to close because you have raised his desire high enough that he wants to buy from you. You have found and filled his needs. Also, since 80% of sales is emotion, you must get the client excited enough to make the sale easy to close. The hot button is the end result of what they want to happen.

2. Uncover or eliminate objections up front, before you start your presentation
Then, later in the presentation, when you go to close, the client can’t tie things up with false objections. A good way to handle objections before your presentation is illustrated in this example from health club sales: The salesperson knows the customer could claim it’s the wrong location, has no time or has to ask the spouse, etc. So instead, before the presentation, the salesperson asks:

Did you chose this location because you live close or work nearby? Oh, only five minutes away. So, location is no problem.
Do you have 30 minutes, three times per week, to lose that 20 pounds and firm your hips and stomach to look good at your high school reunion?
What would your spouse like to see you achieve? (Client answers.) Great! So, your spouse supports you? (Client: “Yes.”) When it comes to your own body, are you allowed to make your own decisions?

By answering these questions, the client cannot lie to the salesperson later because she has already admitted these are not objections. This should be done before the client can get power by saying the objection first. Here are some examples of questions you can ask the client before you start your presentation that will eliminate an objection. Just mix them into your hot button questions while doing your consultant sell:

A. OBJECTION:

I buy only from your competitor.
Question that will eliminate it up front:
If I could show you that we provide a better product and save you money, would you buy from us instead?

B. OBJECTION:

Your price is too high.
Question that will eliminate it up front:
What’s more important, quality or price?

C. OBJECTION:

I don’t have a credit card.
Question that will eliminate it up front:
If you bought today, would you use your company credit card or a personal card?

D. OBJECTION:

I’ll think about it.
Question that will eliminate it up front:
If you like the ideas I propose today, could you make a decision today?

E. OBJECTION:

I need to talk to my partner.
Question that will eliminate it up front:
If you think something is a good idea, can you make a decision without your partner?

3. Get the client to commit to buying from you if you can solve his problem When you close after solving his problem, eliminating his objections and showing him value with benefits, the client is open to buying. People stay consistent with what they have said earlier. If you get someone to say he will buy if you solve his problem, then he can allow himself to buy later.
4. Get the client to say he wants what you have before you tell him what you have If you’ve done this, then when you show the benefits of your product or service, the client can’t lie and say he doesn’t want it. For example, in radio advertising sales, if you go in to sell a client and you say your station reaches the 18-34 year olds, the client can lie and say that he needs to reach older demographics. Then, another radio salesperson comes in to see that same client on the same day, and he says he has a 35-plus audience. The client will reverse what he said to you and now say their audience is too old. You must stop the client from lying to you if you want to get the order. So, get them to commit to all the benefits you are going to present before you present them.

To do this, you ask questions before you start your presentation such as:

Describe your typical customer.
What do you want from our service?
What is the biggest problem you currently face?
What other problems do you have with that?
What do you like most about the product or service you are now using?
What would you like to change?

Write down any answers the client gives you that fit the benefits of your product or service, so when you give your presentation, you are not pushing the client into what he does not want. You are instead simply giving him what he already said he wanted. If the client says he needs something different from what your company has (and you truly believe your company can still benefit him), you can sell him by guiding him to admit he could use your product or service. In other words, if you can’t sell him what he needs, sell him what he lacks.
Example:
Client: My bank buys commercials on radio stations which reach 45-plus adults.
Salesperson: So what you’re missing are all of the 25-45 adults with high-paying jobs who have not established an allegiance to any bank yet. You would like their money also, wouldn’t you?
Client: Yes.
Salesperson: You are already reaching 45-plus with the other station and your newspaper.
Now with my station, we can bring you additional customers you are missing. You would like that, wouldn’t you?

Remember, all of the above is done before you start your presentation! Listening to the client gives you the ammunition you need to sell him It also shows that you care about his problem. People are starving to find someone to talk to about their problems. Of course, they also want people who can help solve these problems.
Ask questions
Then, listen when the client tells you his wants and needs. Listen to the words the client uses, then repeat these same words back later when you close. If you do this, the client will feel you understand his problem and will be able to see how your company will fit his needs and solve the problem. People trust people like themselves. When you repeat back words they use, they trust and believe you more. Remember, 80 percent of your presentation should be directed towards the client’s hot button. The hot button is the end result which the client wants to get.

Hot Button Questions

What do you want in a car stereo?
What do you look for in a car?
What do you want to happen when you use our service?

Listen to the answers and then jot down the client’s key words (adjectives and adverbs) to use later when you close the sale. These are the words that the client relates to and words that define his needs. When you use them, the client will relate better to you and trust you .
After the client answers a question such as, “What are you looking for in a home?” say, “What do you mean by that?” Example:
Salesperson: What are you looking for in a new home?
Client: I need at least four bedrooms. Also, I like high, spacious ceilings in my living room with lots of windows that let in a lot of light. I must have ample closet space, and I need to be close to a school.
Salesperson: What do you mean by lots of windows?
Client: Floor to ceiling is best for me.
Salesperson: What do you mean close to a school?
Client: Less than a mile so my children can walk.
Salesperson: What do you mean by ample closet space?
Client: I want to have walk-in closets.

Later, when you close, you say:
“This home is great for you. It has four large bedrooms with walk-in closets. Also, the living room has high ceilings with five floor-to-ceiling windows that let in a lot of light. The school is only seven blocks away, so your children can easily walk. It’s perfect, isn’t it?”

Example:
Salesperson: What are you looking for in a car?
Client: I need good gasoline mileage and plenty of trunk space because I travel throughout the Southern California area in my business. I also want it to have a sporty look, and I love the color red.
Salesperson: What do you mean by good gasoline mileage?
Client: At least 30 miles per gallon.
Salesperson: Also, exactly how much trunk space do you need?
Client: Enough to hold four large boxes and my suitcase.

Later, when you close, you say:
“This car gets good gasoline mileage – over 30 miles per gallon. You can see that it has plenty of trunk space. This trunk will easily hold the four boxes and one suitcase of yours. Don’t you love its sporty look, and it is a gorgeous color of red?”

Remember, the client’s idea of good service may be totally different from your idea. You must fulfill the type of service the client wants in order to sell him and keep the account long term. Don’t spend time talking about the benefits of your company that the client is not interested in. If you sell to the client’s priorities, then you will have his attention and raise his desire to buy. You must be in control to sell – not let the client control you. The key is knowing how to question. Learn proper questioning, and you can easily double your sales.

Copyright ? 1998 by Pam Lontos. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Pam Lontos is President of Lontos Sales & Motivation, Inc. in Orlando, Florida. She is a speaker, trainer and consultant on sales, management and motivation. With 25 years experience in sales and sales management, Pam Lontos rose from selling health club memberships to Vice President of Disney Broadcasting, where she increased sales 500% in one year. Today, Pam combines her experience with a creative approach to sales training and motivation which consistently produces measurable and dramatic results for her clients.

You can contact Pam at:

Lontos Sales & Motivation, Inc.
P.O. Box 617553
Orlando, FL 32861
Phone: 407-299-6128
Fax: 407-299-2166
E-mail: PamLonto1@aol.com

Urban Radio is an affordable ad medium that can reach a mass audience. These five keys help increase your chances of having a successful Urban Radio ad campaign.

Frequency of Ads
A Urban Radio commercial needs to air multiple times before it sinks in with the listener. Running your commercial once a week for a month isn’t going to be enough.

Frequency refers to how many times your ad airs in a short amount of time. A commercial that airs multiple times in a day has a better chance of reaching the listener than a commercial that only airs a few times in a week.

Target Audience
Just like with every ad you create, you must know your target audience. Advertising your urban clothing store on a urban hip hop and R&B station makes sense.  Advertising a business clothing store on the same station doesn’t.

Make a list of the Urban Radio stations in your market. Listen to each one to help identify your own target audience. What kind of listeners will be tuning in and are they a potential customer for your product or service?

Urban Radio stations also offer programs you’ll want to know more about before you buy. You won’t want to advertise your Christian book store during a program that uses a raunchy sense of humor.

Producing Your Commercial
Unlike television commercials, production is more simple for a Urban Radio commercial. You need a script and voice talent.

However, that doesn’t mean you should just slap something together. Your copy isn’t relying on any visuals so it’s vital you capture the listener’s attention from the start. The copy needs to be crystal clear and not muddied by trying to be cutesy in your pitch.

Voice talent can be as simple to find as calling the Urban Radio station. Most stations have a complete list of voice talent in your area. You send the script, they voice it.

Remember, frequency is the key so make sure your ad hits the mark and will get the consumer’s attention the first time. Research shows it takes a few times before the consumer actually gets what your company is all about. It’s vital your ad stands out and conveys your message repeatedly.

 

Rates
Take advantage of the low ad rates for Urban Radio. Ad rates are on the rise but the costs are still more affordable than visual mediums like television.

Use your negotiating skills to get a good deal on an ad bundle. The more ads you buy, the better rates you’ll be able to get.

Timing Your Spending
Ad rates are generally less expensive in the first and third quarters. Urban Radio commercials in these time frames are easier to negotiate and cheaper for you to advertise.

Before you take the plunge into Urban Radio advertising, find out if you’re Ready for advertising on the radio.

- The “L” Word -

Healthy relationships lead to it and thrive on it—even demand it.  With the economic crisis the world is facing these days, it’s needed more than ever.  What is it?  I’ll give you a hint:  it begins with the letter “L” (It’s not what you think—get your mind out of the gutter).

Seriously, loyalty, as in customer loyalty, has become the sine qua non of good business in a changing world.  So how exactly do you create and maintain it?  Here are a few guidelines. Read more