DOWNLOAD FILE

Stone Payton: [00:00:01] Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, as we are beginning to build this thing out, this idea of being a Business RadioX studio partner, what we’re beginning to realize is that it really can be a marvelous complement to your existing business. Let’s talk about that a little bit.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:21] Sure. I believe it’s a perfect complement to any professional service business in any local market, especially if you’re the challenger brand in that market. If you’re not the kind of the one with the deepest pockets, this is a very affordable way to really separate yourself from other professional service providers. One of the reasons that having a—being a Business RadioX in your local market is good is it’s demonstrating. It’s not giving lip service. It’s demonstrating that you’re a good corporate citizen. That you’re there, a force for good, helping support and celebrate the work of business in the market. And one of those—the benefits of doing that is you get to be a mega connector. This puts your Rolodex on steroids. You’re going to meet so many different people in so many different diverse parts of the economy that you never knew and are going to be able to kind of connect those people together. That is super important.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:16] Another thing, another benefit of it is this is a great tool to nurture your existing clients. What better way to say thank you to your clients than giving them an interview, and letting them tell the story, and publicize it around in the studio, and then throughout the network. Another way is to meet new clients. This is a great tool to meet existing clients. It’s a great way to explore new verticals. By being this kind of de-facto media outlet in each of those niches, it allows you to have the authority and influence in the business community that your competitors can only dream of. You’re going to be totally different. You’re going to be the only Business RadioX in town. And that is just—it should be money in the bank.

Stone Payton: [00:01:58] Well, I’ll tell you two of the things that I really like about it is they come to you, which just creates an entirely different dynamic. Also, I can remember when selling high end, you know, pretty high fee consulting services and speaking services, sometimes, it was difficult for me to live into this value system that I genuinely had and those around me genuinely had of trying to serve the entire local business ecosystem, but it was hard for me to really do a good turn for the printer, or the dry cleaner, or the local business person. But if you have your own studio, you can actually live into that value. And so, to me, that’s one of the greatest gifts is that you have a way to actually live into this value system that you say you espouse.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:47] Right, and reciprocate for all the people that are doing good deeds for you.

DOWNLOAD FILE

Stone Payton: [00:00:01] And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, let’s talk about this for a minute. Why and how do you think Business RadioX sponsorship is so radically different than traditional sponsorships or media buys?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:19] Well, I think what the sponsor gets with us is more of a product placement than an interruption ad. And that’s one of the big mental shifts that you have to help your prospect kind of make because if they’re coming from a tradition of they just have a conversation with a traditional media outlet, then they are thinking about ads that are interrupting whatever the content is that their prospect is interested in. So, our thing is not that. Our thing is more like a product placement where the sponsor is actually embedded in the show, whether that’s by being a co-host, a host, or just sitting in the corner being kind of just a participant in the show by watching. So, that is a different mindset than an ad that’s interrupting whatever content that’s out there.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:13] So, what our sponsors get is they’re not—there’s nobody else kind of sharing the mindshare. There’s no—they get all of the attention. The only other person in there is us, and all we’re doing is trying to be a wingman for them to help the sponsor sell somebody something. So, they’re getting somebody that’s a wingman, they get all the attention, they don’t have to have any other competitor distracting the participants in the content. So, to me, product placement is more of what we are rather than an interruption ad.

DOWNLOAD FILE

Stone Payton: [00:00:02] And we are back with BRX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, we’re out there every day. We’re talking to people who want to become clients or, at least, want to explore the idea, or they will explore the idea of becoming studio partners. The question comes up, and it should, why join the Business RadioX network instead of just doing it myself?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:22] Right. With the cost of equipment being negligible nowadays, and people doing this kind of work on their phone even, that you don’t even need a lot of super fancy equipment, people think that just because they can do the activity of what we do, then they are what we do. But the thing that they’re missing is that in the eye of the interviewee, or the prospect, or whoever you’re trying to get do the work with, they see through if you just started a podcast, and you say, “Hey, I got a podcast,” and they go and check you out, and they see that you’ve never interviewed anybody, or you have your two buddies that are on the list, you don’t have any credibility. You don’t have any authority. You don’t have any real influence. It just—it looks like in a self-serving manner. You’re going out to do this kind of work because everybody and their brothers got a podcast nowadays. So, it’s kind of—you’re just kind of another one of those people that have a podcast. And sadly, most people have a podcast. They have a podcast for a week or two. And then, they stop having a podcast.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:27] When we were talking at the podcasting event that we went to last year, they said that there’s 650,000, at the time, podcasts on iTunes of which 120,000 are actually active and have actually recorded something in the last month. So, by and large, what is that? 40%, a 30% to 40% are surviving just a few episodes. So, most people are going to do this for a while, and they’re going to realize it’s hard, and they’re going to stop doing it. Because of that, that kind of hurts all of us because people are skeptical of who you are. When you go into the market as Business RadioX, and they go to our website, and see tens of thousands of interviews, they see the largest companies in the world that have been interviewed, they see the biggest, most influential business people on the planet have been interviewed with us, they see that you’re a reputable real place. It’s not just some guy and his laptop with a microphone.

Stone Payton: [00:02:25] And there is a learning curve to this that a lot of people may not realize as they’re trying to enter the arena. And there probably are some scenarios where you should just do your own thing. And if that’s the case, that’s fine. And we’ll try to even coach you through that if we get to know you and have a conversation about it. You mentioned credibility. Yeah, to me, it comes down to credibility and speed. Now, maybe you’re smarter than me and Lee. Maybe it will take you 12 years to get where we are, but it might take you six, or it might take you three. And I think we’ve built this thing out where the money just makes sense. So, for me, it comes down to credibility and speed, depending upon how important your brand is and how serious you are about actually generating ROI from your efforts with this.

DOWNLOAD FILE

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about bringing back previous guests – pros, cons, timing, sequence, that kind of thing.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:13] One of the great benefits of our platform is that we can rekindle dormant relationships by bringing back previous guests. Now, typically, if they’ve come in the studio, we like to wait three to six months for bringing somebody back that’s been in here before. But if there is a sales opportunity, or something has come up, or something newsworthy has happened, we have brought them back sooner than that, Stone. And I think it’s good mojo to do that. And some of the ways that we have them come back to kind of demonstrate what it would look like if they did sponsor a show is we invite them back in and ask them to bring in existing clients.

Stone Payton: [00:00:57] And I’ve actually done that in the original episode. Maybe we discovered them in a house show. And you and I, during the course of that show, we identify them as a viable prospect, and we’ll just say right there on air, “I think it might be marvelous to have you come back, Joe, maybe with a delighted client, one of your most trusted market partners, and really explore that relationship, and how you guys are collaborating together to serve your ecosystem. What do you think? Would make a good segment?” And I don’t think they’ve ever said no.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:27] Exactly. And it’s a very elegant way to deepen a relationship and demonstrate the value that’s sponsoring a show.

DOWNLOAD FILE

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Let’s talk a little bit today, Lee, about what we do, and what can and so often does happen in this room when the show ends. My favorite characterization for that point in the whole experience is the post-show glow. And for my money, it’s the whole reason we’re here, right?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:26] Right. This is an important component. You don’t want to rush this. That’s why we allocate an hour and a half for a show, that even though the show may last 30, 45, or even 60 minutes, we allocate an extra half an hour because we do not want to rush what happens after the show. We don’t want the guests ever to feel like they’ve got to get out of here. And we want to do everything in our power to kind of nurture those conversation, and encourage the chatter that happens after the show has ended. So, this is kind of your foray, and you do a great job of orchestrating this in the room here. But when we wrap it, when the episode ends, and we say, “We’ll see you next time on Atlanta Business Radio,” then, I look to you, and then you do your thing.

Stone Payton: [00:01:11] Yeah, that’s my cue to get started. You talked about follow-up questions in an earlier Pro Tip. To me, that’s the time to ask some follow-up questions and comment. “You know, Joe, when you mentioned early in your segment blah, blah, blah, that really struck a chord with me.” And it’s just the same thing you would do in another environment, like a cocktail party or another business meeting, to keep the conversation going. To me, that is so important to extend that experience. They want you to extend the experience. They don’t want to go anywhere. And you can learn so much and cultivate such a deep, rich relationship if you just take a breath, take the time, and invest that time and energy with the people in the room, and stay in the moment.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:59] Right. And help kind of facilitate conversation between the guests if there is a thing that one of the guests go, “Hey, there might be ways for you to work together,” or “You guys should definitely get to know each other.” Something you have to watch as a studio partner, if you have kind of a producer, if you’ve hired a younger producer especially, they tend to just go through a checklist, and want to rush this thing, and want to get them out the door because they want to be done, and they want to make sure they’ve done everything properly.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:27] It’s important to train them to kind of let — to breathe, like Stone said, and let the room kind of just talk, and let the show do what it does is kind of facilitate these conversations. And they work on their own if you just let the guest do what they want to do is chat and talk to each other. You don’t want to rush that moment. And then, when you feel it dying down, that’s when — when you see people looking at their watch or packing up, that’s when you want to say, “Okay. Now, it’s time to take pictures,” and then kind of try to kind of revitalize that a little bit.

DOWNLOAD FILE

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, I have a follow-up question. Talk to me about follow-up questions.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:09] You got it. And I think this is one of the secrets to being a really good host is your ability to be in the moment and ask good follow-up questions that aren’t on your guest sheet because a lot of times, they’re going to come in here, and they’ve hit kind of the high points that they want to cover, and they’ve submitted their question in your calendar and software, scheduling software. But the key to a good interview is to listen intently, be in the moment, give them eye contact, and follow up with just the next logical question in their series.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:45] So, if they ask you something that you don’t understand, or even if it’s something you do understand, and you want them to clarify it for the listener, they appreciate that. If they use some jargon, it’s important to kind of call them on that and go, “I know you used that phrase. What does that mean?” Even if you know the answer. Don’t be afraid to ask the dumb question even though you know the answer because the listener, a lot of times, doesn’t know the answer. So, it’s always good to ask them to simplify, to clarify, and to ask that logical next question. It’s something that we do here, and we train our hosts to do – to be an active listener and to pay close attention to what your guest is saying.

DOWNLOAD FILE

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome to another Business RadioX Pro Tips. Today’s segment is part of our interview series. And the topic today, Lee, focuses on listening.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:10] Yeah, listening is a secret sauce of the best interviewers. It’s not a situation where you just kind of read the talking points, and then just move on to question two after you finish question one. You have to listen to the answers of the guest, and then just kind of organically go wherever the conversation takes you.

Stone Payton: [00:00:29] Well, I’ll tell you, if you do listen to answers of your prepared questions, often, it will set the foundation for non-business questions. What’s your take on that? Avoid that topic or go down that road a little bit and explore the person, not just the business?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:45] I think it’s critically important to explore non-business side of your guests because, then, you’re going to get a good, well-rounded picture of your guests. And then, your guests is going to create content that they are going to want to share.

Stone Payton: [00:01:00] All right. There you have it. Listen to the answers. Don’t be afraid. In fact, encourage and embrace the idea of going down the road of non-business questions. You’ll get some insight and genuinely be serving these folks.

DOWNLOAD FILE

Stone Payton: [00:00:01] And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, a lot of things we can ask on the Business RadioX platform, but when we’re interviewing, what’s a question we should always ask at some point during that interview?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] I always like to ask some version of what makes you special. What is it about working with your firm that is different than other firms? You know, something—what is their superpower? What makes them special? What makes them different? What you’re trying to do is give them a good sound bite that allows them to have a piece of content that they’re proud of and that they want to repurpose. So, if you go in with the mindset that you’re trying to create an opportunity for your guest to articulate some sort of a special differentiator, something that makes them unique that they’re going to want to grab and share with their friends and their prospects, then you’ve given them content they can repurpose. Then, you’ve given them a good reason for them to spend the morning with you.

DOWNLOAD FILE

Stone Payton: [00:00:01] Welcome back to BRX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about the window dressing the theater, some of the touches that we put on this thing of ours to make this the environment that generates such marvelous results.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:19] Yeah. A lot of what happens in the studio is going towards building that experience that is memorable, that’s visceral, that leaves an impact that these people remember. It becomes the best thing they did that day. It becomes the best thing they did that week. It’s the thing that they tell their spouse, and family, and friends about. Some of the things we do in the studio to create and to amplify the experience is we use headphones. There’s no reason to use headphones. We can all hear each other. We’re just a few inches away from each other. But by putting on headphones, we’re isolating ourselves and our voices, and we’re really whispering into the brains of all the people in the room. We have their undivided attention.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:00] Another area of theater is the on-air light. The on-air light, boom, once that light goes on, there’s a hush in the room. They feel the tension. This is real now. This is happening. We are doing a live broadcast. Broadcasting live. That creates the tension. That creates the, “I can’t take it back. I better be careful of what I’m saying.” It creates the opportunity of doing something they’ve never done before. Most of these people have never been part of a live broadcast. And then, it amplifies the tension. Another thing that we do in here is what-

Stone Payton: [00:01:35] Well, we’ve got the lighted sign, we get the flat screen television, we’ve got a mixer that is, my dad would say, too much sugar for a dime. But it’s appropriate because of the environment that we’re trying to create. And then, there’s some things you can do from a theatrical standpoint in your role as producer and host. One of mine, it’s as simple as, “We are live in five.” And I mean, it’s just a whole different dynamic when you do that.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:00] Right. And taking photos after the show. Making it an event. This is something that they’re going to share on social media. They’re proudly taking their photo in front of a Business RadioX microphone that I can’t tell you how many LinkedIn profiles have that photo in it because it is a big deal. It legitimizes them in the eyes of their marketplace.