Local economy ideas help in sales pitches.
By David Tulis
Local economy is a winning idea that helps local businesses sell themselves to members of the shopping public. I am developing this idea of local economy with your help, and I appreciate your seeing the brightness in the connection between a Christian worldview and free enterprise.
Meet Diane Beecher, a naturalized American born in Bulgaria, worked seven years as an executive assistant at a trade group. Mrs. Beecher believes in my local economy arguments and is involved in making them at a radio station that carries the argument to Chattanoogans. Hot News Talk Radio 1240 has carried my show for more than a year, and is counting on prospering its listeners, advertising customers and its owners, of whom I am one.
Let’s follow Diane as she visits an imaginary family-run business in Chattanooga to see how she “sells” the idea of local economy and also the service of radio advertising.
Embedded in her sales pitches are the following ideas for local economy:
Near is better than far
Small better than big
Simple than complex
Personal than corporate
Physical than abstract
Just sit in as the saleswoman makes several visits to the same shop, trying to sign up the proprietor for some advantageous marketing at the city’s liveliest radio station, the all-gab Hot News Talk Radio.
Chattanooga small biz visit No. 1
Hi, are you the owner? Just wanted to stop in and say hi. I’m Diane Beecher with Hot News Talk Radio. My station is able to connect you and your shop with a highly intelligent all-talk audience right here in Hixson. We’re at 1240 on the AM dial (one step up, and one step to the right of Rush Limbaugh). It’s possible I can bring you new business.
Could we chat for a couple of minutes?
So how’s business? How are you generating new business? What are you doing to bring people through the door? Have you thought of ways to distinguish yourself from your competitor — that national chain — just down the street?
Is it hard competing against national chains and companies? Well, we sympathize. My station is owned by two independent journalists right here in Chattanooga who are excited about local economy and free markets — that means you, your little outfit as you try to gain ground against national players. They have big media, big advertising, and you don’t. So we’re here to help.
Well, listen, I see you’re busy. Great to have met you. Here’s my card and may I please give you a copy of our flier? I’ll check with you a little later. Please tune in to my station. It’s 1240 on the AM dial. It’d be a great place for your spot. Our listeners don’t turn the dial when the ads come. Our station is one long proposition to the listener — CBS news, culture, ideas, analysis. Your spot is just one more proposition, favoring local economy and your business. He’ll surely listen and learn about you with us. Talk to you soon.
Visit No. 2
Yes, Diane Beecher, with Hot News Talk Radio 1240. Great to see you again. Haven’t had chance to hear any of our talk shows?
Well, we have several excellent talk shows all about Chattanooga, liberty, free markets, hard work, the American dream, the blessings of peace — you know, the things the 2 parties talk about but never seem to bring about. You know Laura Ingraham? She’s a great conservative on our station. We have Dennis Miller — and other great hosts, including David Tulis, the local economy guy in Chattanooga. Local shows are what we’re about. We have 5 hours of local talk every weekday.
Remember, I’m asking you to evaluate whether we can help you generate new business by investing in yourself and your enterprise with my help. What I can help you with is to craft a message that fits a 25-55 male audience with all that your shop provides. That’s what we do.
We offer an important and attractive media outlet here in Chattanooga. We fit you into the dialogue, the lively and intelligent analysis and talk about our country and the economy. Your shop is part of our argument. That’s why David Tulis always has a small biz person on as a guest on his show from 1 to 3 weekdays. Small business is an important solution if Chattanooga is going to survive the coming meltdown, the coming “chain of disasters” that the Republicans and Democrats can be counted on to bring to our country.
If all our listeners do what you’ve done, we’ll survive as a city. Our idea is that it’s better for 1,000 people to do what you’ve done — start a business — than for a big company to come into Chattanooga and hire 1,000 people. Big employers, you know, export profit. You profit and keep it here. That’s called SUSTAINABILITY. You doing your job in your business, serving your customers, prospering, and bolstering local economy. You have the answer. We are trying to get other people to do the same thing. We want every listener to have his own little enterprise and serve his fellow man. If all our listeners do what you do here in this store, we’ll come out all right.
That’s a very positive message, a very can-do message. That’s why we will become, in God’s providence, the No. 1 radio outlet in Chattanooga because we are serving up the best ideas and the best talk programming. I really like Laura Ingraham on the national side. And my daughter likes George Noory on Coast to Coast AM latenight. Harum scarum stuff, you know, chemtrailing, weird science. You should make a point of hearing “the kid” on Digital Drive at noon — local libertarian with tech talk. It’s just about to start.
Well, looks like you’ve got customers. Let’s chat again.
Pesistent saleswoman — visit No. 3
Hey, it’s great to see you again. No, that’s fine; I had a cup just before I left the house 15 minutes ago.
So, how’s business? I really like your restaurant’s menu there on the wall. Black boards, beautiful lettering. It really stands out. And I guess your wife has had some say in the decor, because a man like you would never use lamps like that on the window table if it were up to you. It all looks very inviting for the customer
Pretty busy today. Hm. (Assume he’s been too busy to listen to the radio, so don’t ask him). Well, I promise we can deliver you more business and keep the place full during otherwise down times. That’s my suggestion: Advertise with me and I will bring new people into your shop. Thousands of people know you’re here, but haven’t given you a moment’s thought. You have to get them to notice so next time they drive by, they stop.
They’re people who come here because of the context of your spot. They come here because they are weary of national, weary of plastic, tuckered out with national brands and national advertising. They are sick of images and slickness. They want something real. Something genuine. They want a real restaurant that is one of a kind. They are tired of homogeneity. They want something original.
You know, David Tulis argues for local economy every afternoon at lunchtime on my station. Our slogan, one I really love, is “Love your neighbor — buy local.” We think that people in Chattanooga are ready for a new argument.
I may have an accent, but in our way of thinking if you are here, it’s God’s providence, and you belong here. You are not here by mistake. That means that you have a high purpose here in Chattanooga with your business, and our goal at Hot News Talk Radio is to help you succeed in your goals to prosper and serve the public. We want you do. We delight in small business, like I was saying. We are here, so we BELONG here. Wonderful idea, no?
So, how’s business? I see some new selections. How did you arrive at them? See you have a new head waiter, too. Everything OK? Oh, saw your ad in the weekly restaurant section of the paper. I know that will bring you business in the short term.
What we offer is not a single exposure, but repeated spots in our all-talk lineup. Repetition. We drum your name into our listener’s head so that your name becomes part of his mental landscape. When he’s hungry, he automatically stops by and places an order because he knows you are part of our theory, our message about capital, industry and progress.
Now, I know you feel poor, but I will make you an offer. If you try me for 100 a week, or 400 a month, I will throw in an extra 1,000 for the month. In other words, you buy 40 spots a month and I’ll throw in 100 on my own dime. I do that because I want all my customers to succeed. If you are not happy, I’m not happy. We at Hot News Talk Radio know you face fierce competition from the big boys and the Internet. We want you to succeed against these steep odds. So we give you the edge. Repetition. That’s what wins. Over and over again.
Also, I save you money because I am small and aggressive. We write and produce your spot at no charge, and in consultation with you. We separate you from the competition. We write your spot to fit our male audience, our free market and freedom-oriented listeners who really want ideas about how to support local economy and enjoy it. I view your ad as a service to our listeners. If they hear your spot, they are getting vital economic intel, and can better orient the spending of their dollars, especially as we slowly convince our listener about local economy.
In the end, our main concern is not you. It’s the listener. You are here to help the listener be a better person, and more local person, a more moral person, even. Your spot on Hot News Talk Radio is part of our overall list of action steps he needs to take to enrich his hometown and start caring more for the people who live here. Your ad surely will bring you more business. But our real goal is to prosper the listener. You and I prosper by the way. Our prosperity is incidental to his prosperity. We are putting the other guy first. If he succeeds — our listener. If he succeeds, we succeed. But we have to put him first.
Well, looks like I need to scoot. Thank you so much for chatting with me and telling me a little more about your business. Sounds like a great idea.
Shop signs up with Hot News Talk Radio 1240
Hey, been liking what you hear? Well, I am so happy to be involved with this little local station. Hot News Talk Radio calls itself the little station that could. They can, and they do!
So you want to try 300 a month? OK, that’s less than we had proposed, but you can change anytime, up or down — 25 a week is minimum commitment to your investing in your business with us. We require payment in advance. Yes, you can give me 150 now and the second 150 in a couple of weeks. I try to come by every week to see how things are going. We want to be attuned to your needs. If you have changes, we might need to rewrite the spot. Sometimes if you’ve tried the recommended three months, we can rewrite to freshen. I always think of how you appeal to our specific audience.
Now as to where your spot goes. We have Nascar, which costs 20 a spot but gives you 50 mentions during the week for free. On these teasers, we pump the upcoming Nascar race and name you sponsor. That ad includes the basics about you — name, address and phone number. It’s like a mini spot. You could also sponsor the CBS news or ask your spot be in the general rotation. Even better, we get David to talk about you to his listener at Nooganomics.com.
