When presenting a list of so-called "Benefits" follow some basic rules of ad layout. Don't center the information, it makes it hard to read and grasp, especially if it's a long list of details that we think are important, but  the client's eyes glaze over. For example:

Don't Miss this Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity
5- 30's AM Drive, 4:30AM - 11AM, M-Sun (no copy changes)
1200 60's in Prime all-night rotation
Thirteen Voice Tracked Remotes from our "voice" in Uzbekistan
(Don't mind the accent, he's cheapest we could find)
W-Tuf.com front page banner, one of only 35 exclusive rotating advertisers
Two Balcony seats to Tuesday Matinee

Performance of Local Band El Peor

Instead, if you want to make it easy for someone to read . . . Right justify them, like

Don't Miss this Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

• 5- 30's AMD, 4:30AM - 11AM, M-Sun (no copy changes)
• 1200 60's in Prime All-Night rotation
• Thirteen Voice Tracked Remotes from our "voice" in Uzbekistan (Don't mind the accent, he's cheapest we could find.)
• W-Tuf.com front page banner, one of only 35 Exclusive rotating advertisers
• Two Balcony seats to Tuesday Matinee Performance of Local Band El Peor

You Must Act Now. First Come First Served.  Limited Supply. They're going quick. Don't say this stuff unless (a) it's true and (b) is relevant to someone on the planet.

Hollow Words Kill Us
Talked to a business owner LAST FRIDAY. He told me that a radio rep had pitched him a Valentine's Day promotion - and THEY'RE GOING FAST. The owner asked,

Honesty really does work. Try this. Here's a package that will work for you. It's designed for your category and piles lots of spots in the four days before Valentine's. So if you're the only one in your category it will be even more effective.  If you and I can come up with the right offer and some good copy, I'm sure it would work. That's better.

Don't Throw it In. Instead Bundle it.

See, it's ok to Discount, Bundle & Package.
CHICAGO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) said on Monday it will start selling coffee and breakfast foods together for $3.95 next month, marking the first time it is using a combination discount to lure consumers into its coffee shops during the recession. Starbucks said customers can save as much as $1.20 by ordering the "pairings" that will be available on March 3. The move comes as consumers visit it's coffee shops less often as they cut back on discretionary spending. At the same time, chains such as McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) have been doing steady breakfast business with combinations such as coffee and an egg sandwich.

The discounted combinations at Starbucks include a tall latte served with oatmeal or reduced-fat cinnamon swirl coffee cake. Customers can also combine a tall brewed coffee with one of four egg sandwiches. (Reporting by Jessica Wohl; Editing by Derek Caney)

We're not the only ones facing the situation.

It's NOT OK to THROW IN SOME WEB or THROW IN SOME VALUE ADDED.
It IS OK to PACKAGE THEM TOGETHER AS A PRODUCT.
It's NOT OK to do a SPOT & IMPRESSION DUMP. That's when we show them a list of spots they'll get.

We've had our first sign-ups for our 90-minute online workshop Negotiation Skills for Tough Times. It is only $99 an email address and it offers an entire new skill set that can make the New Economy (the terrible economy) not as tough for us. When added to good sales skills, you'll learn techniques that will do wonders for your billing. We'll show you how. Offerd Thursday, Feb 26th & Monday, March 2nd at 3:30pm ET.

Click Here for Details & Registration 

Attended a workshop given by Daniel Burrus. He's a "futurist" and the author of a flock of books including Technotrends. We had met earlier when we were both on the program of a state broadcaster's convention where his subject was Futureview. I must share he opinion of Radio with you.

He posed the problem; "How would we protect offshore rigs against typhoons and terrorist?"

Before reading his answer you might want to noodle that around. One group thought about battleships, another thought about folding down the equipment when a typhoon was coming. His solution: Put the platforms at the bottom of the sea, using undersea robots. Everyone was looking for solution on the surface. He looked beneath the surface.  His point is, if we continue to look for solutions the way we looked for solutions before - we won't be able to solve the new problems that didn't exist before.

He also noted that it's all about ME not WE. Rather than wait for solutions to come from on high - we must remember that they're as confused as everyone else. The answers will come not from the corporate conference rooms, but from individuals in the field. To companies and individuals; If I don't change it someone else will. What's It Mean for Us? Start with the 70-year practices.

How can I improve my account list - to make it easier to sell more? You know my answer: Category concentration. My list would be divided 1/3 - 1/3 - 1/3rd. To wit, sixty-percent concentrated on categories like Anything Auto related (e.g. dealers, parts, tires) or maybe anything Home related (furniture, bedding, lawn & garden) or perhaps Professional (docs, lawyers, accountants) - you get the idea. The last third would be the jumble of other accounts. Shift from incremental change to transformation.

Finally. He noted that local Radio had access to local information - and information is EVERYTHING - but we don't use it as much as we did. He said that the most successful media company ON the planet will the one that's best FOR the planet.
         
Think "Both" and "Instead Of" rather than "Either Or."

You can buy his book used. Go to www.tazmedia.com click on Recommended Reading.