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He will win who knows when to fight and
when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior
and inferior forces. He will win whose army is animated by the same
spirit throughout all its ranks.
--Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”
I’m a fan of the History Channel and
learning about how mankind has come to where we stand now. As you
look back through the centuries you will find that many times goals
were achieved through outright wars and violent conflicts, or
through political strategy and negotiations, and sometimes even
fraud and treachery were involved. But with almost every conflict,
whether violent or not, the winning side displayed three distinct
characteristics that Sun Tzu referenced in his quote above.
He will win who knows when to fight and
when not to fight.
I would argue that for many Christian
stations, this is the time to aggressively fight for growth. In
almost every market the mainstream AM and FM’s are cutting back on
marketing, staffing, events and research. While they are being
pressured more than ever to cut valuable resources in order to meet
profit margins, we have an opening to increase our market share.
Maybe you too are going through a tightening of the belt, but I
would bet there are still ways you can expand your cume building
efforts. Look for ways to improve you product, and reach out
through social networking where your competitors are cutting back.
Build the most listener-oriented community website in the market,
and not just among the radio stations. Find signature community
service events and start giving them the support the other station’s
used to, but can’t anymore. Meanwhile, if you are half involved in
some sort of effort that you can’t truly win, pull back your
resources and put them where they can make a difference. You
won’t win every battle, but knowing where to fight will win you the
war.
He will win who knows how to handle both
superior and inferior forces.
The best way to win a battle for more
audience is not necessarily always the most direct. If you’re in a
market where Clear Channel owns both radio and billboards, you’re
probably always going to be outnumbered in that marketing area five
to one. But this is where using your smaller, leaner efforts can
make a difference. If you haven’t read it yet, get your hands on
“Pyromarketing” by Greg Stielstra and create ways to not only reach
your current fans, but empower them to share your station with
others like them. Think of actually building a “special forces”
team that excels at gathering fans of the station, and giving them
tools to share it with others.
Also, make sure you are properly
utilizing the areas where your “forces” have advantages, such as
relationships with churches. Are you leveraging all of those
relationships to benefit the church, community and the radio
station? Are you doing your best to help all area ministries
communicate their messages when it fits with your brand? And since
it is of strategic importance for your growth, have you communicated
to the leaders of the faith community in your market that a strong
Christian station ALWAYS helps build a strong community? In most
markets, the station like yours is the single ministry that can
transcend all denominations and parachurch organizations.
He will win whose army is animated by the
same spirit throughout all its ranks.
Team loyalty and passion for the cause –
and one another – is what I believe separates the good radio
stations in our format today from the great ones. This could be a
whole article unto itself, but it suffices to say your team has to
be organized and committed to winning the battle together. In the
struggle to win more listeners and introduce them to Jesus, it takes
people who are personally invested in success for reasons other than
a paycheck. This means not only hiring the right people in the
beginning, people with the right passions, but also allowing every
member of your team to share in your successes and failures. Having
this kind family in your organization means operating a lot like a
family; praying together, hurting together and celebrating
together. And much like a real family, it doesn’t mean every member
of your team always likes everyone else. But, because of common
goals and commitment, they always love and respect each other. Your
radio station should have a point person that facilitates this kind
of atmosphere, and it isn’t necessarily a member of management.
As you look to meet your ministry goals,
remember that much of what goes into success is intangible. There
are signs that show when it is time to push forward and hold back,
but in the end a great leader can feel it in their spirit. You can
look at lots of research and data to see where you have advantages
and disadvantages, but you also need to take risks when you feel
led. And you can put together a team of people that are the best
and brightest on paper, but if they don’t come together as one, it
won’t matter.
This week, gather your force, set the
goals and build the strategy. Then go out and win the battle.
Have a thought or question? Get a hold of me at
scott@radiorenew.com!
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Scott Michaels publishes engaging radio dialogue at
http://radiorenew.com and is an experienced Program Director in
the Christian AC and CHR format with fifteen years experience.
He landed his first full-time radio position in Portland, Oregon,
and has since programmed stations like KKJM/St. Cloud, WQCK/Baton
Rouge, KSGN/Riverside and KWPZ/Bellingham & Vancouver BC. He
also recently spent time as the Director of Operations & Research
for CRISTA Broadcasting (including KCMS-FM) in Seattle. Alan
Mason, John Frost and Scott Valentine are some of the many whom
Scott considers mentors.
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