Radioviz.com

I'm very honoured to have been interviewed for Radioviz - a site dedicated to great broadcasters.

Please check out at http://radioviz.com

Thanks...
Marty

Thank goodness there are '2' Thanksgiving Days

I get a ‘do over’ on Thanskgiving.

For the past two years I’ve missed our annual Forbes family gathering as I was in Europe but today is Thanksgiving in the United States and I’m in Arizona getting immersed in their Turkey Day - NFL football, and watching the city virtually shutting down, and focus on “family.”

Yes I love turkey and stuffing, but the best part of my Thanksgiving is sitting around a room with my wife, kids, and in-laws reflecting on how lucky I am to have not only a great extended family, a family name that brings me great pride, but also the fact that I have three of the best girls a Father/Husband could possibly have in my wife Kim, Daughter #1 Lauren (thats by birth rite not that you are my favorite - cuz it’s a tie Lauren) - and Daughter #2 Rayanne.

Both daughters have always given me ‘immense’ pride.

Both are incredibly bright, kind, and beautiful all in one package.

Lauren figured out early in her life that the Father and Daughter bond is stacked in Dad’s favor. I’m just not going to play Barbie Dolls or Dress up - so she, at a very young age, started to watch hockey and football with me - and ‘loves’ motorcycles.

The first day she took lessons I gave her the most important advice a biker Dad could possibly give her - yet she did exactly what I told here NOT to do and rode at a pretty good pace directly into a bunch of tires that were set out to protect the turn.

As she came to me with tears in her eyes I said “are you ok?” - thinking that she was hurt, but her response was 'no...I’m ok - I just didn’t want to disappoint you.”

Rayanne is unique as all hell. Strong - confident - and determined. She knows exactly where she is going in life and god help you if you stand in her way.

Rayanne has gone through the “toughest disease I’ve ever heard of” with Graves Disease over the past several months. Throughout it all, and through great pain, her entire focus is on ‘learning’ as much as she can about it and ‘helping others.’

Her blogs are incredibly well written - compelling - and sad all in one.

Our entire family is ‘praying’ for her as she continues to beat the remaining problems she still has to encounter after surgery in the spring.

Rayanne will win.

She always does.

Both went through their school life in the French immersion program - which was very tough, especially in the early school years, - but later in life those lessons certainly helped them appreciate a different way of life.

One of our best family holidays I enjoyed was when we all went to Montreal and Quebec City and the girls (approx Grades 7 and 11) did ‘all’ our of our conversations during the trip in French. They checked us in at the hotels, ordered at restaurants, etc. At the Quebec City Carnival I responded to a carnival guy trying to sell me something by saying “Sorry - I’m English” - whereas he went on for about a minute yelling at me entirely in French. When I asked Lauren what he said her response was a simple “it’s not very nice Dad.”

In the West Edmonton Mall Rayanne would hear people speaking French and would wander over to help with directions, etc.

Neither girl has caused me ‘one minute’ of grief in my entire life. Their judgement in who they hung out with was pristine. Neither got out of control with drugs and alcohol and neither would be considered ‘prudes’ in any manner.

Both go out of their way to be nice to other people. Both are extremely generous in sharing what they have. Both have incredible senses of humour and both make me laugh every time we are together.

OK I laugh at Laurens constant changing of her hair color - and how much makeup Rayanne wears but ‘what the heck eh?” What are Dad’s for?

One time when Rayanne’s room was a complete disaster I lost it on her and demanded she clean it up. As I came down the stairs muttering to myself my wife Kim met me on the way up and had a line I’ll never ever forget - and it was simply “if this is the worst you have to deal with her we’ve done pretty good.”

You’re so right Kim.

As you get older the more time you can spend with your children - the better.

I know so many families whose kids leave the nest and don’t spend a great deal of time with their families - which is sad. My Dad died at age 58 and I simply feel robbed that we didn't have more time together. Mom is 83 - still makes me laugh every time we talk - which isn't "often enough." *I'll work on that!

I often hear people call their Dad “my old Man” which, to me, is the ultimate phrase of disrespect.

Mine never have - I think!

So today as I sit around reflecting on giving “Thanks” for my lot in life the three people who deserve 100% of the credit for my happiness are...

Kim Forbes

Lauren Forbes

Rayanne Forbes!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

There - I got my ‘do over.”

Saluting Media pals and Community Work!

In the media business ‘success doesn’t happen overnight’ and these three good pals know that so well.

Pal One: Terry Evans - K97 Mornings. Blame Terry for the weather. Every time he ‘lives in a truck for the food bank’ it snows or the temperature plummets. In 2009 Edmonton was the second coldest place on the planet - and Terry was in an 18 wheeler, away from his family, with ‘few’ comforts filling the truck with food for those less fortunate. This is Year Four for the K97 Christmas Rig and it's at 15367 Castledowns Road starting today. Terry won’t leave the truck until you fill it up. “Last year was a record year for the amount of time it took to fill the truck. I hope we are looking at another speed record this year.” Terry is one of those ‘extreme’ guys and one of the most fun events I recall is when he donned a suit of armour and had people take golf shots at him to raise money while we worked together at The Bear several years back. And Terry's one of the first guys to jump on a 'need' in Edmonton 'year round' as well. Good work again my friend.

Pal Two: Way back in Mr. King’s math class at (then) Bonnie Doon High School - a guy used to tap me from behind saying “introduce me to your father.” (Jerry Forbes/CHED) That guy was Holger Peterson who has gone on to near ‘legendary’ status on CKUA, CBC Saturday Night Blues, and as the owner of Stony Plain Records. Holger has just released a book called Talking Music - and it is filled with anecdotes from some of the most talented performers in rock, and roots/blues over the last several decades. Talking Music, a compilation of 19 in-depth interviews with artists ranging from guitarist Ry Cooder, Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood, gospel star Mavis Staples, Sun Records’ founder Sam Phillips and singers Lucinda Williams, Maria Muldaur and Bonnie Raitt.

Maintaining a ‘music business’ in this digital age is a major challenge - except for Holger - who’s artist base goes back to the days of vinyl - and would be considered of ‘collectible’ status. Many highly successful artists owe their careers directly to Holger.

Pal Three: Terry David Mulligan - CKUA - and a bunch of other places. Originally from Red Deer, TDM as he’s affectionately known, has been a television star; acted in big time movies; hosts Mulligans Stew each Saturday afternoon ‘and’ now hosts a very informative program called Tasting Room Radio specializing in ‘wines and celeb’s’ from around the world, also on CKUA. Terry too has a new book - Mulligans Stew My Life So Far. In it he also chronicles legends in entertainment and pop culture. Highlights? “Interviewing Robin Williams - it was like riding a roller coaster...naked, in the rain, on acid. Frank Zappa - brilliant, opinionated and no drugs. He hated drugs and held up the drug culture to ridicule. And finally Sting - open, honest and lucid.” Terry is one of the most active guys in the media business and his show on CKUA is 'refreshing and vibrant' to say the least.

Google those titles to find out where you can purchase those books please!

Finally, there are several great media folks in Edmonton who ‘constantly’ give back and to salute just a few Bruce Bowie, Rob Christie, Yukon Jack, J’Lyn Nye, Mike Sobel, Chris Sheetz, the recently retired but still giving back Gord Whitehead, Carrie Doll, Daryl McIntyre, Gord Steinke, Garner Andrews, Nick Lees, Jason Gregor, Seanna Colllins, Graham Hicks, Danny Hooper, - oh and yes I know I’m forgetting a few - BUT to get to this level of respect in the business you have to sincerely ‘get involved’ in our civic issues and for a very long time.

*PS: Congrat's to Seanna Collins for winning the 2011 ACWS Lynda Steele Media Award. (Alberta Council of Women;s Shelter)

There are several new radio stations in town - lots of new morning shows/announcers who have just come to the city, tv journalists, etc. - and plenty of good causes to support - so if you really want to ‘make it’ in this great city you new comers here’s the number one tip for you...“get off the couch - get known - put your butt on the line - and use the power of your media to reach out to HELP make Edmonton an even better city to live in.”

It's a sacrifice of time away from your family but so very much part of being in the media in this town, and it pays off in both ratings and client support!

Dedication and commitment counts...Trust me!

I believe these folks, and many other Edmonton media vets have done their part - so ‘over to you’ - the gauntlet has been thrown down!

Spelling is a lost art

Just thought I would share the response note I got back from a recent email to Canada Post. I'm guessing their 'customer support' person may not have completed their "schoolin."

Count the spelling mistakes!


Dear Customer,
 
Thank you for your message to Canada Post.
 
I have documented your concern, If you require further assistance we would need details on the mail items.
 
If an item is a trace item and has a Tracking Number we would be able to trace the item. If not, unfortunatly we are then limited as to what we can do to locate an item that doesn't seem to be ariving.
 
 If you note anything unusual with your mail deliver you should report it.
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Canada Post Customer Service Team

My Brother Gord's 'guest' appearance blog on SALES

For those of you who 'don't know' my brother Gord - he has also spent his entire life in radio - 35 years in Vancouer alone - and also did a stint with the Vancouver Canucks - He shares his wisdom and experience with this blog in the world of 'Sales in Radio'.

Gord is reachable at gcforbes@shaw.ca -

***Please give it a read and an RT if possible!***

==============================================================================

The other day I was reading through a series of Linkedin group discussions about the “single most important attribute a sales person can have”.

Meandering through the replies, I came across a great number of thoughts and rationales to support them…many of which were good, in and of themselves, but I would say the most often quoted was “being a good listener”.

Obviously it’s important to understand your customer’s needs through great listening skills…and if we got paid to be excellent listeners we would all be driving big cars and living in fancy houses.

In reality, the journey from your prospects office through to the execution of a successful campaign is fraught with challenges that only the most creative, versatile, well rounded and determined sales people can make on a consistent basis.

The business has changed dramatically since I first started producing spots back in 1973 at the Mighty 630 CHED…but never so significantly than since I left it in 2005 to work in the crazy world of Sports Marketing as VP Business Development for the Vancouver Canucks.

I see in the Linked in group “The Sales Floor” a few people that I worked with back in the “good ol’ days” when we basically showed up for work, took a few orders over the phone, had a nice bottle of wine with lunch and schmoozed clients with free tickets to Eskimo Games or dinner at The Point After with Bob McCord or Chuck Chandler (who were legitimate “Rock Stars” in the community).

Those old timers (Hi Len Thuesen) that have been able to stick with it for so many years should be like an encyclopaedia* for the younger members of this group because for these veterans to still be making a living in an environment that has evolved into what it is today takes a considerable amount of malleability and is truly remarkable.

Without getting into all of the industry and corporate challenges that have made your job so much more challenging, it still really comes down to one (complex) question for radio sales people.

How can I negotiate through the myriad obstacles within my station and actually deliver what the customer needs for him/her to justify this expense?

Yes, it’s important to listen carefully to what your prospect is saying…you will need some of that information to craft the execution of his/her campaign…but the most important piece of information you need to get is their definition of what constitutes success in their eyes.

Knowing where they need to get is the only way that you can possibly build the road to get there. To quote the inimitable Yogi Berra "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

Other than agency buyers, I never dealt with a client who said his idea of success was reaching 60% of adults 25-34, 3.5 times a week”. Clients have real needs like, I have to sell 50 of these things before next Tuesday when my loan payment is due.

Part of the problem I see these days with radio sales people is that many of them still believe that a catchy 30 second spot with a discounted, drive-heavy schedule on their top rated 25-54 station is something that clients are salivating for.

In the meantime, your lunch is getting eaten by some geeks at the Mountainview head office of Google who are equipping their sales people with data that allows your prospect to target their message directly to the guy in your neighborhood who has two kids, changes his own oil, travels once a quarter to Vegas and is hunting for the best deal on a 2011 Prius Hybrid in black.

How do you compete with that?

Folks, the days of selling spots based on cume and average quarter hours are long gone. Radio tuning in North America is down a measly 4%. Revenue is down 25%...and if you haven’t seen the revenue growth curve for Facebook, Google, Twitter etc., it is a shocking example that shows where your money is going.

So the question becomes…Is Radio still a viable ad medium in the face of this new reality…or should I go get a job selling Google search.

The answer to the question is yes…radio is still relevant and I believe that you will be able to continue to make a pretty good living at selling it…but not the way you have been.

When Sony introduced the Walkman back in 1978, pundits predicted that it would obsolete traditional radio, as we knew it. Since then, many iterations of portable music devices have come and gone, finally ceding dominance to the current Apple iPod which has become the category standard.

The idea that everyman was a better programmer for their own musical tastes than a Program Director, (even with hundreds of thousands of dollars cast against music testing and research) was appealing to the early adopters. Today, online stations abound.

Streaming has become easy and ubiquitous, yet the local radio station still exists, despite corporate cutbacks that have left them understaffed, overworked and under resourced.

Why is that?

I would propose that the combination of maintaining a local focus, with likeable personalities, relevant news and information and the ability to have an intimate relationship with listeners is the key reason that people still tune in from day to day.

Here in Vancouver, waking up every morning to Larry and Willy, getting the traffic and weather information I need to plan my day, hearing how the Canucks, Lions or Whitecaps did the day before and what concert is coming to town next week is just part of what people need from the medium…. but to save time preaching to the choir let’s all just agree that radio is still a great medium and get back to how we use its key strengths to sell advertising solutions to Joe’s café.

Our listeners are our friends. We keep them company, play them music, give them information, talk to them, ask them questions, send them on trips or to concerts or games…even let them talk on the radio. We send them Tweets. They “Like” us on Facebook. We reward them for their loyalty and listenership in many creative ways.

So suffice to say that we have nurtured this great relationship with our listeners in an effort to keep them listening more often and for longer periods of time… but what do we actually know about them?

There is this terrible measurement platform called PPM, which is at best a wild guess of extrapolated data as to who is listening, when and for how long. We get a few hundred people on the panel and hope to hell that a few of them tune in when we give away the Foo Fighters tickets and dinner at the Keg during our peak AQH.

Oh yeah, BBM can give us another guess as to the demographic makeup of our audience and then we take that information to our ad agencies and join our competitors in chasing the rates into the ground. (I know, I know…Agencies account for a large portion of our overall revenue so we have to play their game, but that’s a different problem that I’ll save for another post.)

If you have a loyal listen club, you should at the very least know their names and email addresses…but what if we knew how many times they came to our web site and what pages they visited. What if we knew where they lived and could plot them on a map to see where they were concentrated so that we could work with advertisers in areas where we had high penetration?

What if we knew how many contests they entered on our site without winning?

What if we knew what products they are in the market for? Do they have any pets? What if we could help them get a better deal on a new car? What if we could personally invite them to a product launch or restaurant opening? How much would it be worth to your advertisers to know this kind of stuff about your listeners?

While your competitors are in the local car dealers office extolling the benefits of being the number one station with Adults 25-54 in the Edmonton CMA, You are next door putting together a deal with his competitor to send a personal incentive to the 25 listeners within 5 miles of his dealership who have told you they are looking to buy a new car in the next 6 months.

Dear listener. You told us that you might be in the market for a new car so we went to Joe’s Ford down the street and asked him if he could do something special for loyal CXXX listeners like you. He told us that if you purchased a new car from him in the next 10 days, he would give you an additional $1000 off the price…just because we’re all friends.

Do you think it might be easier to sell a campaign with this kind of information as opposed to your cume figures? Of course it would. It’s what Facebook, Google and Yahoo are already doing that is taking billions of dollars out of the pockets of traditional media ‘peddlers’ around the globe.

In essence, we can do a lot of what Google et al do, but better. Better because of the relationships we have with our listeners and the fact that they will share stuff with us that they wouldn’t share with the big search engine guys.

They will share it with us because we understand them and communicate with them on an intimate level and because we live in the same city, know the same people and go the same places. We wake them up in the morning, get them to work, share their opinions and play their favourite songs over, and over, and over….

So how does a sales person thrive in this new world reality? Listening well – yes, but also by learning about the tools that are available to be able to take to their advertisers a focused activation that is hyper-targeted to a small group of really interested people.

It includes spots. It includes a creative solution to their expressed needs and it includes pre-determined metrics on what success looks like. Most of all it includes knowing your listeners and working with a team of people at your station who are all focused on creating and executing a more holistic and ambitious solution to your clients needs.

The problem with all of this is that it’s more work and it’s more time consuming. Yup, it is…but the upside is huge once you get the reputation for proving customers successful executions. Plus you can stop wasting time casting a wide net by cold calling uninterested and unqualified prospects so that you can fill up your ‘call sheet’ and focus on bigger sustainable campaigns with more sophisticate marketers.

Some of the biggest challenges you will face in your efforts to save the industry will be from inside your own building.

Will your GM or group President invest in the tools to help you make more sales?

Will the PD buy into the concept of marketing to your listener database?

Will your GSM accept creatively packaged executions? Is your creative department staffed with “creatives” or are they just “writers”…but most importantly, are YOU determined to make a difference in the way you help your sponsors meet their expectations within the parameters that are set by your management group?

To be frank…my experience tells me that, with a couple of rare exceptions, (like Astral who are making the investment in tools), the key decision makers across the country haven’t yet made the link.

Most stations still look at their interactive properties as “something the promo guys can update”, and not as a serious potential money-maker. Stations have become so ingrained in “cutting back” that the idea of making an investment in the resources to forge new directions is out of the question.

The industry hasn’t yet attracted the kind of visionary technicians, who can drive these initiatives, nor will it until such time as the pain of losing money to ‘search’ becomes greater than the prospect of investing in the tools and training to reverse the flow of money out of the industry.

I would be happy to chat with anyone that would like more information on the tools and techniques required for relationship marketing.

Glossary for the younger readers.

*(an encyclopaedia is a book** that has information about every thing one would ever want to know).

**(A book is a bunch of paper with words on it that is bound into a document)

Social Media Tips

The phone keeps ringing here at Radiowise Inc..

People and businesses in Canada are starting to catch up to the growth patterns seen in the United States and Europe with many 'trying to understand' this thing called 'social media.'

First off - if your business is NOT on Twitter - why not?

It's a tremendous business platform and the companies that are using it properly are reaping the benefits of 'customer engagement.'

If some businesses could see what is being said about them on both Facebook and Twitter they may be shocked.

The good companies are monitoring and reacting 24/7 and there are some 'great ones' out there. Just a few include Best Buy; Edmonton's Airport; many Media outlets, and for the most part Westjet.

I say that because 'some' companies RETWEET only 'compliments' and some don't even react to the complaints, which is a terrible mistake as you then become the target of the unhappy consumer(s). Showing a little vulnerability and fixing a problem can be a very positive experience - instead of avoiding it!

I love seeing a "happy ending" - somebody who complains and gets the proper reaction from a company and thus their concern is handled. That same complaint probably helps 'hundreds of others.'

The CELL companies are the worst. Sorry - it's a platform of mine - but a 'form letter' response to a complaint from a customer you have lost after 25 years simply 'doesn't cut it.' Have a REAL PERSON find out what the problem is/was and I'll bet a potential cancellation can turn in to a happy customer and a problem solved. Your businesses are NOT big enough to handle a 'wave' of people bailing on you and eventually you'll pay the price.

(Google "most hated companies in Canada" - you won't be surprized)

A few tips:

-find somebody in the company who knows and is engaged in Social Media. You may be surprized to find one in the building simply looking to help out - and if they know your business practices you can eliminate one very big step in the evolution of your social media plan.

-if you can't find one HIRE ONE. A full 30 to 35% of the mobile crowd is doing either research or buying on their smart phones, which is a pretty good stat to 'be where the consumer is going' - and that growth will multiply quickly especially with the next line of smart phones that are on the way - very powerful; full motion video; and interactivity.

-get on Twitter. You don't HAVE to tweet but you should 'monitor' what is being said out there. People are sick and tired of waiting on your 1 800 lines for hours upon hours OR reaching a person somewhere overseas who is struggling with the English language.

-newsletters, generally speaking, are now too long (or only come out once a month/quarter) and people don't have time to scroll through pages and pages of 'offerings.' What they DO have time is to click through on a link when they are on twitter/facebook/your web site - and looking for the one particular offering that is of interest to them.

The 'stream' of information you present can be very helpful - and again a RT of your message can be a very positive thing.

-sign up for the 'good' tip sheets. Emarketers. Marketingcharts.com. Hubspot. Comscore. Mashable. There are several of them that are 'free' and very easy to follow along to with the growth and evolution of social media. Follow these companies on Twitter as well.

For companies that have not 'reviewed' their websites in the past few years please 'take a look' at what you present.

If you have a boring main page then you'll have a boring site.

More importantly LOOK at your site on a mobile phone - 'most' companies sites do NOT look good on a smart phone OR they take forever to load. Simplify!

What's the most 'attractive' part of your business? Bring it forefront.

For media companies - I use the term "hockey boards" - if your websites are nothing but endless commercials and pop ups you're also way behind the wave. Clean 'em up. Have only your most INTERESTING content available. I can't tell you how many 'boring' blogs are being thrown out there by media companies.

And work to the 'full capacity' of technology - if there's an amazing thing happening on the radio station take a VIDEO OF IT and share with your listeners. Audio is one thing - video is a whole other thing - 'more please.'

OK that answers 'most' of what I'm being asked by
clients these days.

Most importantly "don't be afraid of social media - LEARN ABOUT IT!"

Radiowise Inc. has had a banner year working with some 'great' forward thinking clients - like Boston Pizza of Northern Alberta; Telus World of Science; Strathcom Media; Children's Miracle Network; Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree; - and others.

Build it and take it to the next level.

Done right you will reap a great benefit from your clients and customers for years to come.