"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising."

Mark Twain

Marketing is an accelerator.  If your business is awesome, consumers will find out about your brand and positive word of mouth will follow.  Of course, if your business sucks-then consumers will find out faster than you can file for bankruptcy.  Negative messages move much faster than positive.  When selling an advertising schedule to a client, make sure they are ready for the traffic.  Think about the last new restaurant you went to during a grand opening period or sometime during their infancy.  You only have one chance of making a fist impression.  Slow service, blah food or a long wait to eat can kill you. 

Rarely will the client accept that they are in the wrong or that their product isn't great.  According to the client, right or wrong, it is your fault the investment didn't yield the desired results. 

In some ways it is actually your fault… 

Was the client ready for the foot traffic?  Did you sell them the right kind of schedule for their business? Are you the right form of media for this business?  If you are in sales, make sure you are interested in growing this client's business and not just fixated on growing the size of your wallet.  I cannot tell you how many times over the years I have had to work to restore a clients faith in radio after someone else, usually from another company, sold them the world and delivered very little in return.  You are asking them to invest and it's only right that you invest in them.

Remember, you are not just selling them an opportunity.  You are serving as a spokesperson for your form of media.  You are not in competition with other people of the same form of media.  Believe in the power of your business! (to hell with the other guys!)

For my money, radio is the ultimate accelerator!  By the way, newspaper is a terrible investment and it's been robbing people blind for far too long. 

But I'm not bias....  🙂