Ever looked at someone else’s proposal… and thought, “Wait… what am I even looking at here?”
And then, imagine you’re the business owner!
Now, take an honest look at your own proposals and presentations.
A lot of proposals, ad schedules, educational pieces, and follow-ups aren’t just unpersuasive… they’re confusing.
They’re filled with:
• Industry jargon
• Missing details
• Vague timelines
• And numbers that don’t clearly connect to results
To us, it all makes sense. We live in it every day. But to a business owner? It’s like trying to read a foreign language. And when something feels unclear… it feels risky.
So, what do people do when something feels risky?
They wait. They stall. They say, “Let me think about it.” Or they buy from someone else. Not because they’re not interested…
But because they’re not confident.
Before you finalize your next presentation or proposal, do a quick gut check:
If someone outside my industry read this…
• Would they understand what they’re getting?
• Would they see how it helps their business?
• Would they feel confident moving forward?
• Am I talking about things they don’t care about?
Clarity builds confidence. And confidence closes deals.
Make it easy to understand… and you’ll make it easier to say yes.
Remember when Tommy Boy finally “got it”? It’s just an example of keeping it simple and understanding what they really want to hear. Check out the short clip here…
https://youtu.be/a5dpBpaFiMo?si=30L82aKyCH2SuJPY
NEVER Stop Learning – Get Better Every Day!
Duane Christensen
Rick Fink
ENS Media
How To Control Luck in Sales
Ever notice how some people seem to have a horseshoe welded to their hip? Everything just seems to fall their way. Clients love them. Deals appear out of nowhere. The timing’s always perfect.
Meanwhile, others can’t catch a break – no matter how hard they try. Some people are soooooo lucky! Here’s the truth: luck isn’t random. It’s responsive.
Energy Is the Invitation
You can feel it the second some people walk in the room.
They’re irritated, negative, or just plain tired of life. They complain, gossip, or blame everyone else for their problems.
And you can feel the opposite, too. The ones who walk in with a grin, bring good energy, and make everyone’s day a little lighter.
Guess which group opportunity prefers?
Your attitude is either a “Welcome” sign or a “Closed” sign for good things. Energy is contagious – and most people only want to catch the good kind.
Gratitude Is a Magnet
When you focus on what’s working, more things start working. It’s not magic – it’s mindset. Gratitude tunes your brain to notice solutions instead of problems.
The person who’s thankful for every meeting, every renewal, even every tough “no,” gives off a signal that says, “I’m open for business.”
That openness invites chance encounters, referrals, and “lucky breaks” that don’t feel so random anymore.
Hard Work Is the Accelerator
Positive energy and gratitude attract opportunity – but hard work is what lets you catch it.
The universe rewards motion. Every call you make, every idea you bring, every door you walk through increases your odds of “luck.”
Hard work multiplies luck because it puts you in more places, with more people, more often. That’s not coincidence – that’s math.
Thomas Jefferson said it best:
“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
Luck, it turns out, is where preparation meets good energy. You can’t predict it, but you can absolutely control the conditions that make it possible.
Bottom Line
If you want to control luck: Create it.
Bring better energy. Practice gratitude. Work your tail off.
The Letter Nobody Sends Anymore
(Which Is Exactly Why You Should)
When was the last time you sent a real letter to a prospect?
Not an email. Not a LinkedIn message. Not a “Just checking in…” text.
An actual letter. In an envelope. With a stamp.
There’s a line from sales trainer and author Jeffrey Gitomer that always stuck with me:
“The more creative you are in your approach, the easier it is to get the appointment and make the sale.”
Most tend to be predictable in their approach.
Call.
Voicemail.
Email.
“Following up.”
Silence.
Rinse. Repeat. Complain.
What if instead, you sent a letter that made them think? Not a brochure. Not a rate card. Not a résumé disguised as a sales pitch.
A one-page letter with three hard questions.
Imagine a Prospect Opening This:
Dear John,
I don’t know you yet, but I do have three important questions you might want to think about. (or whatever short intro you prefer)
- If your biggest competitor decided to increase their advertising by 50% tomorrow… what would you do differently?
- Imagine a potential new customer. Would you rather they find your business online by typing in your business name? Or by typing in “plumber in Dayton”? (or whatever category fits)
- If I asked five of your best customers why they chose you, would they all give the same answer?
Make your own questions though or tweak these. Make sure they’re kinda tough to answer or at least makes them pause a bit.
You could also come up with a list of questions with your team. Two brains are better than one! Come up with questions that most business owners probably haven’t heard before.
Then…. No pitch. No pricing. Just:
“I’ll give you a call later this week.”
That’s it. You’re not selling. You’re provoking thought.
We’ve talked before about how business owners are evaluating YOU more than your media plan. A letter like this positions you as someone who thinks differently – not someone chasing a quota.
And when you call three or four days later? Don’t ask if they received it (it’s a real easy way for them to say no… and we don’t want them saying no).
“John, I sent you a short letter earlier this week with three questions. Did any of them strike a chord or make you curious at all?
If they say they didn’t receive the letter… just go with the flow and ask them one or two of your questions over the phone. And let the conversation go from there.
Either way… This is a very different phone call than:
“Just touching base…”
Why This Can Work
• Mail is rare now – so it stands out.
• Hard questions create tension.
• Tension creates curiosity.
• Curiosity creates conversations.
You’re not begging for 20 minutes. You’re earning it.
Pick five prospects this week.
Write five thoughtful letters. No fluff. No corporate garbage. No “We are the #1 station in the market.” Just three sharp questions that hit where it matters. Then call them.
If you want different results…
You have to stop doing what everyone else is doing.
Keep it short. Make it different.
So…
How creative are you?
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The Knight’s Code
A medieval knight is standing guard outside the gates of a village. Armor on. Sword ready. Watching the road… making sure nothing dangerous reaches the people inside.
Knights lived by a code…
Protect the innocent. Defend those who cannot defend themselves.
Now before anyone starts ordering chainmail for the sales department… let’s bring this into your world. Because the best reps operate by a code too.
Protect Your Clients
Business owners get “attacked” constantly. Digital agencies. SEO companies. Social media “gurus.” New platforms promising magical results.
Most business owners don’t fully understand everything they’re being sold. They just know they need customers.
That’s where YOU come in.
A good rep isn’t just trying to sell airtime. You’re there to help them wade through what’s valuable and what’s just another pitch. You’re there to help them see the bigger picture of how to truly grow a strong local business.
Yes, Local SEO is valuable – but not to the tune of thousands of dollars a month.
Display and Search marketing may have their place, but they need to be part of a larger strategy and not consume more of the budget than necessary.
Social media can help local businesses stay in front of current customers and even potential ones… but it’s not how they become top of mind in their community.
Print and outdoor media can remind people of the Radio or TV ads they’ve heard or seen in the blink of an eye (Roy H. Williams calls it “anchoring”)… but visual-only media doesn’t come close to branding a business like the power of Sound.
Keep a Sharp Edge on Your Blade
Marketing knowledge is one very sharp edge of your sword.
Never stop learning.
When you become more than just another radio salesperson, your value to your client skyrockets.
Be real with your clients. Be brutally honest. The same goes for your prospects. The client you land with a song and dance—or with nothing but rankings and numbers—will usually be a temporary client.
But if you educate them from the start about what truly makes a business a household word in their community… you can have a client for life.
It means doing your homework—researching their category, watching their competitors, and bringing them ideas and information that might help their business… even if it has nothing to do with advertising.
When a business owner realizes you operate that way… something important happens.
You stop being a vendor. You become someone they trust. And when that trust forms, the relationship gets a lot stronger. Business owners are constantly asking themselves whether you’re just there to sell something… or actually help them grow.
Protect Their Results
Protecting your clients also means protecting the quality of what goes on the air.
Bad ads waste money. Great ads build businesses (and keeps them).
That’s why the best reps spend time helping create ads that are memorable, emotional, and effective. Ads that don’t blend into the background. Ads that are unexpected and can’t be ignored.
Because creative is the biggest driver of advertising success. The #1 skill you could sharpen as a radio salesperson that gives you a major edge up on any other media rep in the area… is copywriting. Period.
#2 would be to increase your overall marketing knowledge.
Yes, it takes a certain skill or quality to “get” a sale. But what will make you, your radio group, and your clients more money is by creating better ads.
Be the Knight
When you’re the “knight” who protects and defends your clients…
You won’t need to chase renewals or wonder if they’ll renew. You’ll already know.
You don’t have to have all the answers, but you should become the person your clients never hesitate to call when they have a question about marketing or growing their business.
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Cobwebs in Your Ad Copy – And How to Burn Them Off
At some point, while writing an ad, you’re going to hit the wall.
Eyebrows scrunched.
Forehead wrinkled like a Shar-Pei.
Coffee getting cold.
Cursor blinking at you like it’s mocking your existence.
You’ll think about giving up. Or giving in. Or giving your “World’s Messiest Desk” mug a one-way flight into drywall.
It feels like cobwebs are clogging your creativity.
And it’s usually one of two things.
First: You Don’t Have Enough Fuel
Creativity isn’t magic. It’s connection.
It’s taking something you’ve seen, experienced, learned, overheard, read, felt… and connecting it to the ONE clear point that you’re trying to make in your ad.
When your brain feels empty, it’s because you haven’t fed it.
Back in the day, I’d flip through Reader’s Digest and steal jokes for openers, watch stand-up comedy, save old print ads and headlines that got my attention, and read creative fiction writers. Now it might be a random podcast, a weird historical fact, a conversation at a coffee shop, a list of good analogies, or a great question you asked a client.
You don’t need inspiration.
You need input. And when you come across something good… write it down, save it, take a picture, etc.
If your copy feels thin, it’s probably because your discovery was thin.
No fuel. No fire.
Second: You’re Letting Distractions Win
If you have an average or good foundation of ad writing education, then the second reason your ads aren’t as good as they could be is distraction.
You were rushed, interrupted, or mentally half somewhere else.
Distractions are ad-writing killers.
You have to create an environment where your brain can actually work.
That might mean:
- Headphones on.
- Instrumental music only.
- Phone face down.
- Email closed.
- Door shut. Or a “do not disturb” sign.
And sometimes it means bribing yourself like a 7-year-old.
“No lunch until this script is done.”
“Finish this ad and I can have my chocolate fix.”
Whatever works.
You don’t need the perfect mood. You need commitment.
Wrap Your Head Around the Human
Before you write a word, get obsessed with the target prospect.
Who are they?
What are they tired of?
What are they afraid of?
What do they secretly want?
How would they react to each sentence you write?
Imagine one person and write to them.
The Cobwebs of Copywriting Are:
- Lack of Information
- Lack of Focus
Fix those two, and your ads get better immediately.