AI-Era Sales Lessons from Beasley and NRG Media: Adapt Faster, Integrate Deeper, Prove It
Agency planning is getting automated. If you sell media, that means your team, your process, and your story must change now. Two market leaders laid out a clear blueprint: move faster than the algorithm, integrate digital at the core, and make accountability your edge.
From defending radio to owning strategy
Futuri research flagged built-in bias in some AI planning tools that push radio out of recommendations. The takeaway wasn't "fight AI." It was "evolve faster."
Beasley Media Group's Paul Blake put it bluntly: "Digital has definitely changed the [market], but for us, it's kind of more of an accelerant than an obstacle." The focus has shifted from protecting a platform to solving the client's problem end-to-end.
Lead with the objective, not the platform
"We need to start with what the client's marketing objective is and then customize our program for what they are trying to accomplish," Blake said. "If you start with the platform, you're already losing to the algorithm. But if you start with the objective, you own the strategy."
That framing puts your team in the driver's seat. You set the measurement plan, align creative, and decide how radio, streaming, social, video, and on-site activations work together.
Hire digital-first. Teach radio.
"Rather than hiring radio sellers and trying to slowly teach them how to learn and grow with digital, we hired digital-first sellers, and we teach them how to integrate radio," Blake said. "They're not radio salespeople; they're great marketers."
This shift changes the conversation with advertisers. Your reps speak attribution, pixels, and creative strategy without a translator. As Blake added, "Who would have thought a radio station would have multiple videographers on their staff?"
Make accountability your advantage
NRG Media's Amy Graham sees local advertisers comparing more than rates. They compare responsiveness and follow-through. "What we're really hearing most is that their experience [elsewhere] is lacking follow-up, quick response, and regular review of their marketing plan," she said. "Those are the things we do best because it really comes down to trust and relationships."
Her team put that promise into process. A digital sales specialist attends meetings, oversees campaign delivery, and trains sellers on products and reporting. "It can't be one-and-done because digital is so ever-changing," she said.
Bundle by default
Graham's group formalized bundling so digital and over-the-air ride together. "We specifically have boxes to check with all of our activities to make sure that digital is being presented along with over-the-air and streaming schedules," she said. Breaking the bundle requires a very specific reason.
What this looks like in numbers
Process pays. NRG's approach helped digital grow from roughly 5-10% of overall revenue to about 25% in their market. That shift didn't come from slogans. It came from staffing, training, bundling, measurement, and consistent client reviews.
Turn the philosophy into a sales system
- Objective-first discovery: Start every plan with the client's revenue or lead goal, time frame, audience, and constraints. Platforms come last.
- Digital sales specialist: Put one in the room. They guide targeting, pixels, flighting, and reporting, and they upskill your team.
- Bundle by default: Pair over-the-air with streaming, video, social, and on-site. Make the full stack the standard.
- Response and review SLAs: Same-day reply to client requests. Recurring reviews (biweekly or monthly) with pacing, creative notes, and next steps.
- Attribution that stands up: Align KPIs to the objective (reach, site actions, calls, store traffic, or qualified leads) and report on what changed. See industry guidance at the IAB measurement guidelines.
- Creative bench: Add video and social producers so your pitch includes assets that fit the strategy.
- Training loop: Weekly product refreshers, monthly case-study reviews, and a shared dashboard of active campaigns.
Quick-start checklist for this quarter
- Rewrite your discovery doc to force objective-first planning.
- Hire or assign a digital specialist to every top-30 account.
- Ship three bundled packages with clear KPIs and reporting templates.
- Set a 24-hour response SLA and a monthly review calendar for all active campaigns.
- Stand up a simple attribution plan: UTM structure, call tracking, form tagging, and a one-page results summary.
- Run a team workshop: "How to sell outcomes, not inventory."
Tools and training
If your team needs a faster path to AI fluency for sales, explore role-based options here: Complete AI Training: Courses by Job.
One more resource
A new free Q1 Radio Sales Event from The Encouragers: The Radio Rally podcast is now on-demand, featuring Curtis Media's Jamie Evans and Rich Broadcasting's Sandie Fulks on transforming recruiting, motivating challenged sellers, and driving Q1 growth for local radio.
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