When I set out to do a profile on the #1 sports radio salesperson in the USA, I started to look for the top dog at WFAN radio in New York. Through the years, WFAN has been the top billing sports station, and a Top 10 overall billing station in the country.
I contacted Sean Argaman, the WFAN General Sales Manager. Sean explained that while Entercom encourages their sellers to market any of the Entercom cluster stations, he knew of one salesperson who sold the most WFAN. He recommended I speak to Danny C.
“Passion & Supreme Confidence,” Argaman answers when I ask him what makes Dan Chozahinoff, or “Danny C” so special. “Danny possesses an important & underrated skillset which is his ability to make conversation with anyone. I’ve never worked with anyone who exudes more passion for selling audio, especially sports radio.”
Dan Chozahinoff is the self-proclaimed Director of Strategic Marketing for Entercom New York. He is also a master storyteller. Danny C not only tells great stories to inform you but he also makes you feel good about yourself. He is just that kind of guy.
You want him selling for you and, if you are a client, you want to be sold by him. He is gregarious, has great gratitude for his job and stations all in the face of COVID-19 breathing down his Long Island neck. He also has a 2 hour commute each way to Entercom from his Melville, New York home.
“The majority of Danny’s billing is developmental, but he also is well versed & skillful in servicing transactional business,” Argaman says. “While a large percentage of his clients are local in nature, he does handle several accounts on a national level through multi-market programs. He is consistently ranked in the top tier in our company amongst sales people when it comes to overall billing & one of our top performing sellers of our sports audio properties. He sells multi million dollars annually.”
I wanted to talk about rates, ratings, copy, promotions, digital advertising and other typical radio sales things with Danny.
Danny C? He wanted to be creative, fill my needs and tell a story. Here’s what I found out.
First, HE NEVER STOPS PROSPECTING!
When he watches tv, drives around, listens to other stations, reads or breathes, he is always thinking about how he can sell somebody something. When he gets the idea, he just contacts them.
“70% in prime time, little less in am drive right now because of COVID-19, the rest nights and weekends,” Danny C says when I ask him about the schedule he recommends to clients. “I also believe in 10-20% in digital with a custom idea.”
If you ask Danny why he loves direct business, he will tell you about one particular client. A large, national company put their trust in Danny and he made it pay off not just for himself, but for Entercom as a whole.
“I represent this large direct client and started with them running on one station when they had about $2 million in revenue, I now have them on 25 Entercom stations across the country and they do $47 million in revenue. When we went from CBS to Entercom, they wrote a letter to my bosses telling them I was the reason their business grew and do not mess with me. I get about 80% of their radio budget and bless the other 20% to competitors because I care about them. That is why I love direct business, I take pride in it, you help people, make them money and they know it.”
Danny says that kind of performance has allowed him to do business the way he wants. Entercom trusts him to deliver results.
“Entercom is big on letting me handle business outside of New York. I do a lot of my business outside of New York. It fits well with what I wanna do and what I have done all along. I’m most proud of the back of my baseball card, the consistency, 30 HR 100 RBI year after year for the last 16 because every year you start from scratch.”
If you ask Danny C what he likes about sports radio, chances are his answer will sound familiar. He loves the sports radio audience for the same reason people on the programming side of the business do. Fans are used to dedicating themselves to something fully.
“I sell sports most importantly because the listener listens with their heart. They are actively listening and on top of that with their heart. And listeners will buy from advertisers in sports. Make sure your clients understand that.”
If a young sales man asks for Danny’s advice for getting on an ad buy, he doesn’t offer any profound words of wisdom. His advice shouldn’t be a surprise since you already know that this is a guy that can carry on a conversation with anyone.
“People will not buy from you if they don’t like you. They won’t do it!” he says. He adds though that if an ad rep is doing their job right, it isn’t hard for a business owner to like them and want to work with them.
“What happens when you make a client money? THEY LOVE YOU. You made him money. Everybody who walks into his office costs him money, not you, cause if they know you made them money, he loves you.”
Another good way to get clients and potential clients to form a bond with you, Danny says, is by being a part of their lives. If you buy advertising from Dan Chozahinoff, you aren’t just going to talk business with him.
“I believe in good karma. I wanna be healthy, help people in the same way, I want good things to happen. I’ve lost 25 pounds because I am not at all the baseball and football games drinking. I love to schmooze. I do not give tickets to clients; I go with them. I wanna go drink beer and have dinner with them. It’s why I form relationships and direct business, if you make them money, they love you, you are fun to hang out with…WOW!”
“Never be satisfied and always be hunting,” is the first thing Sean Argaman says when I ask what he wants other sellers to learn from Danny C. Then, the list just keeps going on.
- Lean on your existing relationships for referrals.
- Invest time in developing relationships with your on-air talent and know your station inside & out.
- Become a great storyteller and take tremendous care of your clients. Clients appreciate it when they feel like they have access to information about our stations/on-air talent that the public does not.
- Try to always have fun!
Wow! It all sounds so easy when Danny C is involved!
Jeff Caves is a sales columnist for BSM working in radio and digital sales for Cumulus Media in Dallas, Texas and Boise, Idaho. He is credited with helping launch, build, and develop Sports Radio The Ticket in Boise, into the market’s top sports radio station. During his 26 year stay at KTIK, Caves hosted drive time, programmed the station, and excelled as a top seller. You can reach him by email at jeffcaves54@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
