It’s What Makes Your Station Rise or Fall

Ready?


I think you can learn a lot from Roy Willams, the Wizard of Ads.

For instance, in this post, he explains everything you need to know to win your competitive battle.

The explanation is a lot easier than the execution, but it’s a good start.

Here’s what it comes down to, according to Roy: Humans — all humans — search for

  1. Identity (Who am I? What do I believe?)
  2. Purpose (What am I supposed to do? Why am I here?)
  3. Adventure (What must I overcome?)

Business is built on:

  1. Story (What you tell customers/listeners in your ads – or daily product – for Radio)
  2. Culture (It’s what your employees feel when they work for your company)
  3. Experience (What your employees deliver to your listeners. Does it match your story?)

Here’s where Roy ties everything together.

The Story you tell the public is a statement of your Purpose, but the Culture of your company is your true Identity, and the Experience you deliver to your customer will forever be your big Adventure, the forever source of your challenges, obstacles, and difficulties.

And now for the most important take-away: “The Story you tell determines the Experience your customer expects. But whether or not your customer receives it will be determined by your Culture.

Company culture is what causes businesses to rise or fall.”

And only you, the business owner/CEO/GM/PD, can build your company culture. You can’t buy culture and install it. You can’t announce an edict to create it.

You have to build it step by step with every decision you make about what you want your employees to feel when they are working for you.

Culture is where consolidated Radio has totally failed because the Story you’re being told doesn’t align with the Story you see playing out every day.

On one hand, this gives me hope, because a committed owner could build a different kind of Radio company than we’ve seen for the past few decades.

But, on the other hand, I can’t really say I see any of Radio’s leaders willing to do this hard work.

Do you?