Female swimmers should be females at birth! Daniel Snyder doesn’t deserve to own an NFL team! Special investigators are thugs! Do you know what a sports talk seller has in common with the NFL, ESPN, and Donald Trump? We all sell hot takes like hotcakes.
Deshaun Watson, Bud Light commercials, the Redskins/Commanders, talk show hosts demanding social justice, and politicians making fun of people are part of the sports and media landscape now. National advertisers and prominent people (as of last May, 11 senators and 50 House members are backing Trump for president in 2024) are all eating at the Hot Takes Café. And, we need to sell more reservations.
Steve Lapa of Lapcom Communications has developed a Sports Talk playbook to aid in selling controversy with his series of 3-minute planner videos and accompanying eBook. Here are Lapa’s six steps to help you prepare for your subsequent sales call to a client who is on the fence about buying ‘controversial’ programming:
- Educate – The sports talk format has evolved much like the NFL and ESPN. Your station is discussing the storylines that drive the news cycle. You do have some safety in numbers. Maybe your client sells Bud Light or likes the Commanders!
- Audience First – Listeners, followers, and fans are what are essential. And remind the client you are selling access to passionate people looking to support businesses that align with their favorite talk show.
- Hail to the Chief – The advertiser is KING. Keep the conversation professional and on a business level. Lapa’s mantra is “Win the business, keep the business, renew the business.” My advice? Shut up about everything else.
- Be Relationship Friendly – You never know what is going on with a business. If the client says no or has been advertising but wants to take a break, respect that. They may throw out the “too controversial” objection to hide a change of ownership, employee theft, or key employee turnover. Don’t kill the customer and push too hard.
- Togetherness – The sports talk topic table is not the only one being reset constantly. Your client’s business is changing as well. Look at how quickly or slowly they react to change in their own business, and this may tell you how they will respond to your “controversial” programming. We all change at different rates, be patient. It took Augusta National until 1990 to allow black members and 2012 for female membership.
- Teamwork Makes the Dream Work – Don’t hesitate to bring your manager or on-air host on calls. Let the client meet the people behind the stories. Remind them of the good the station does by showing them your charity tie-ins and feel-good stories.
We are all in the same sizzling kitchen as the NFL, ESPN, and politicians like Trump, serving up hot takes. The Hot Takes Café is bustling, and as sellers, we need to pack the place. Don’t hesitate to educate your clients on this new direction, and be patient!
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.
