They say you never forget your first time. Well, that must be true because I can still remember that hot summer day in Boise in 1985: the day I made my first radio sale.
I was fortunate when I started in radio sales. I was replacing Bob Macauley, a salesperson who was moving away from the area. Bob was similar to me in that he was a former linebacker on the Boise State football team and sold radio. I had just finished playing at Boise State myself and took the radio sales job to replace him after a short stint in the Canadien Football League.
Bob took me to meet all of his active accounts, and I had some billing on the books. That right there is rare in that many new salespeople don’t get any active clients. They have to dredge them up themselves. So, I learned how to service the active accounts and get new prospects in the boat.
Then the phone rang at the station. And I was given the call in to close for my first sale. Sales managers, make sure you read my recent article on how to handle call-ins to see why I was the right guy for this sale. The client was nothing special. He ran a summer business down by the pond in the park called Julia Davis Boat Rentals. He rented paddleboats to people looking to kill time in the park. I got the call and went down there immediately flush with the feeling of victory because this was a client who called us!
How rare is that?
I approached the rental shop, which was a shack, and asked for Terry to the owner. Somebody went to get Terry while I waited in the sun with my suit and tie on. It was 36 years ago. I thought the suit and tie bought me some credibility and maturity. Well, I missed the mark with Terry. He emerged from the back of the shack and had a distant look about him. He looked right over my head, and that is hard to do when you stand six foot three. He said, “Jeff Caves? Where are you? “ I was standing right in front of him. Suddenly it dawned on me.
Terry was blind.
He wasn’t able to read my proposal, see my suit, or my sweating. Or anything for that matter. I should have read these nine essential tips for working with people who are blind. Of course, I didn’t and went on with the sale. He knew what he wanted and, much to my relief, was happy to make a verbal contract and trust me with the details. I felt terrible but told him that any new business had to pay in advance to establish credit. He agreed and handed me a brown paper bag stuffed with about $500 in cash.
I sprinted back to my car and raced into the station to turn over the bag stuffed with cash. It was a first for the business manager at the station. The phone rang again at the station. The WhiteCane bakery wanted to buy some advertising, and this time the owner, a blind woman named Ramona, told the manager she was sight-impaired.
Guess who got that call-in? I was, after all, the station expert at selling to the blind. She became an annual client.
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.
