"TEST THE WATERS?"
by Roy Williams

There are approximately 120,000 sales people responsible for selling advertising on the television and radio stations of America. Each of these sales people will make “prospecting calls” on an average of 3 business owners each day. One business owner out of twelve will say “Perhaps your station is the right one for my business. I’ll buy a small schedule to test the waters, and if it works, I’ll start using your station on a regular basis.” Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? In reality, it’s no different than standing at a roulette wheel saying “Perhaps black is the color for me. I’ll place a small bet on black and if I win, I’ll start betting on black on a regular basis.”

 Each day, approximately thirty thousand business owners decide to “test the waters,” and while most of them are very disappointed with the results, they are typically not surprised, because most of them have been “testing the waters” for years with very limited success, and the few successes they did have were rarely repeatable.

The reason business owners keep doing what they’ve done before and expecting a different result is because every one of those hundred and twenty thousand sales people will sing a beautiful song whose chorous line is “The secret of successful advertising is to reach the right people, and our people are the right people for you!” Once again, the logic of “reaching the right people” is extremely appealing, mostly because it’s common sense. The problem with advertising is that it so often defies common sense.

Want to hear the really sad part? Virtually every one of the disappointed business owners would have been delighted with the station they chose had they only understood two simple laws of advertising.

Law of Advertising #1: It’s what you say, not who you say it to, that will determine your success in advertising. Most people are “the right people” when you say the right thing! Be Convincing!

Law of Advertising #2: Short schedules are always a gamble. Few people will be convinced quickly, and few of those who will be convinced will have any immediate need for what you are selling. By the time their need arises, your “testing of the waters” will be over and the prospect will have forgotten you.

You must decide what to say and then say it to as many people as you can afford to reach relentlessly. The longer you keep saying the same thing to the same listener, the greater your chance of success. You’ve got to stick with your plan.