Welcome to the Billboard Mastery Podcast, where you will learn the correct way to identify, evaluate, negotiate, perform diligence on, select the construction type, build, rent the ad space and operate billboard signs. And now here is your host – the guy that built from scratch the largest privately-owned billboard company in Dallas/Ft. Worth – Frank Rolfe.
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The difference between big companies and small players is that one never sees the opportunity and the other takes advantage of every opening. Yet sometimes the small player can start to act like a big company and completely ruin their advantage. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review how never to have a “big company” attitude.…
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Sometimes – even at the last minute – a bank can suddenly change its mind and retract their offer to make a loan. What do you do then? In this Self-Storage University podcast we’re going to explore why this occurs and what the correct steps are to mitigate this potential event.By Frank Rolfe
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One of the most interesting types of billboard structures is the “wallscape” – in which the billboard is affixed to a masonry wall or similar fixture. By using the wall to hold the sign up, you save an enormous amount of money over a monopole, I-beam or wooden structure. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore how to successfully p…
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Life is made up of colors and there’s a science to their selection when it comes to billboard designs. How colors interact with the human mind has been a big part of the research of the billboard industry as well as many other applications. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the science of color to help create more effective b…
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Billboards are massive and immovable. As a result, once they’re built, they’re built. Since the cost to move a billboard – even an inch – is thousands of dollars at best, it’s important to understand some simple tricks to make sure you’re not making a mistake in sign placement and construction. And that’s what we’re gong to explore in this Billboar…
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The Potential In Exurban And Supercommuter Markets
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10:33
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10:33America is always expanding, and with that growth comes new opportunities to build billboards. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the fast-expanding markets known as “exurban” and “supercommuter” and how to spot these hot advertising markets in advance.By Frank Rolfe
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Billboard revenues are increasing in the U.S., after many years of weak performance due to a number of factors including competing advertising products, Covid, and corporate distractions from marketing to such initiatives as DEI. Now, suddenly, billboard rates of return are increasing. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to explore why th…
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So the property owner wants too much ground rent. What should you do? How about just telling them the truth? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore one of the most powerful negotiating tools you have at your disposal: telling the truth in the strongest possible fashion.By Frank Rolfe
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Tips On How To Set Property Owner Compensation
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6:57
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6:57The standard billboard ground lease involves trading the right to place a sign on the land in exchange for a monetary payment. But how do you decide that that amount should be? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore some techniques that help steer you towards a land rent that is fair for both parties.…
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The majority of billboards in the U.S. are located on leased land. But a tiny fraction are cases where the sign owner also controls the land underneath, which gives them unique stability. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the strategies used to own the land as well as the sign.…
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Thoughts On "Founder Mode" Elon Musk is known to go into a period of intensity when he starts a business called "founder mode". It’s all about time management and focus. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we're going to review what “founder mode” is and you how can adopt its attributes to further your billboard business.…
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Two Important Ways To Protect Your Ground Lease
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6:18After you’ve gone to all the trouble of getting your billboard ground lease signed up, you want to take all the steps possible to protect your creation, right? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore two different ways to better safeguard your ground lease and how to get those accomplished.…
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If you have a vacant billboard then your number one goal is to find an advertiser and fast. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore two “built-in” lists of advertisers that have perhaps your best odds of success.By Frank Rolfe
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Albert Dunlap was a corporate raider and turnaround expert on public companies in the 1970s through 1990s. He had one simple motto: “sell, sell, sell and cut, cut, cut”. Although his life ended in scandal when there were allegations of accounting fraud at one of his projects, he was heralded as the original powerhouse in restoring profitability to …
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To build a billboard you need a ground lease. And to get a ground lease you have to convince a property owner to agree and sign it. But what do you do when the owner says “no”. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the next steps when a property shoots your presentation down.By Frank Rolfe
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How Advertisers Have Changed Yet Remained The Same
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8:05A billboard is nothing without a paying advertiser on it. And the types of advertisers have changed over the years and are still evolving. However, there are many attributes of successful billboard advertisers which always remain the same. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we explore what those traits are.…
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One of the big risk factors with billboards is extreme weather. But is there a way to strengthen signs to better withstand higher wind levels? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the methods that be used to make signs stronger and to mitigate the risks from heavy storms.By Frank Rolfe
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Why All Good Leases Have No Official End Date
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6:21Most agreements have a definitive start and end date. But a good billboard agreement should never have the latter. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss how to construct leases that never end.By Frank Rolfe
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Billboards are only one segment of the “out-of-home” advertising industry, but the business model is the same in all of the options. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review additional concepts to apply the billboard concept for continuous cash flow.By Frank Rolfe
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Billboards are all about being read. And the typestyle you chose for the advertisement can have a huge impact on how effective the sign will be. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore he world of typestyles and review what science tells us about what the correct lettering should look like.…
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With inflation and a troubled economy, many advertisers are trying to economize and one of the best ways to facilitate this is with a “combo” sign framework. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review how a “combo” sign can be a blessing in tough times and what the key tips are to make them successful.…
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How To Be Inclusive In Negotiating With The Property Owner
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7:26When it comes to negotiating a winning billboard ground lease with the property owner, there are a number of different styles and strategies. But probably the most effective is the concept of “inclusive” negotiation. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore what “inclusive” negotiating is all about and why it is probably your best s…
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Blockage can kill a billboard’s value, but are there methods to bring those blocked signs back to life? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the science behind dealing with obstructions and share stories of signs that went from blocked to un-blocked using effective strategies.By Frank Rolfe
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Making Billboards Blend In With Their Environment
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7:28While you want the advertisement to be dominant, you don’t want the billboard structure to be seen at all. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the different methods to make the billboard structure virtually disappear with the goal of convincing the property owner that the sign will not interfere with the appearance of their lan…
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There are many spots you can place a billboard on – including walls, benches, and telephone poles – but there’ one place that most cities in the U.S. have outlawed: building roofs. What used to be one of the mainstays of billboard placement has been blocked from new construction for decades. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore …
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Most people think of billboards as being big, but sometimes they come in a smaller sizes. When buying or building a billboard, when do you hit a level in which the sign has no economic value? And how do you rent signs that are smaller than their competitors? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore how to apply science to the issue …
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When you are trying to persuade someone, how you express numbers is an extremely important part of your success – and that’s particularly true in the billboard industry. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the importance of the optics of numbers and how to get what you want by manipulating them.…
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Gas is expensive and there’s no reason to waste it. And time is even more valuable. In this Billboard Mastery Podcast we’re going to review some methods to cover territory more efficiently and more respectful of your time and money.By Frank Rolfe
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Forging The Correct Advertising Lease Length
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7:32
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7:32One month is too short and a century is too long. So what is the correct lease length for your advertiser? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review how the length of lease can vary with the type of advertiser and what is required to make the sale.By Frank Rolfe
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Some signs have lights and some signs don’t. But a non-lighted sign should not necessarily spell doom for getting it rented to a good-quality advertiser. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to drill down on the topic of non-lighted billboards and offer some productive tips to help you get them rented faster and for more money.…
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Warren Buffett has long discussed “cigar butt” investing and how it contrasts with his favorite: “value investing”. However, there is much to like about “cigar butt” investing. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review Buffett’s concept and why billboards offer a great entry into that type of high return/low cost investing.…
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Wooden billboards have been around for over a hundred years, but finding someone to build these time-proven signs grows more difficult every year. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the different places to find contractors who can build wooden signs including tips on building them properly.…
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The fundamental law of economics is “supply vs. demand” and that same formula holds true for every aspect of the billboard industry. So how can you apply this metric to every single part of the billboard business to determine what’s of value and what’s not? That’s our topic for this Billboard Mastery Podcast discussion.…
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How To Rent Any Billboard In Five Easy Steps
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7:25
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7:25Every billboard has a natural advertiser if you can just help them find the sign. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to show you the five easy steps to finding the right advertiser for your billboard as well as explain why they’re so effective.By Frank Rolfe
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Motivating The Landowner Who Thinks Money Doesn’t Matter
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7:52When you’re trying to lease ground space to build a billboard you occasionally run into the property owner that declares that “money means nothing to them”. How do you counter this argument? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’ll review some strategies to get these type of personalities to move forward and sign the lease agreement.…
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Elvis is not someone that you typically consider as a source of wisdom, as his life was kind of screwed up and he died at the age of 42. However, Elvis did have some winning quotes and one in particular serves as a reminder to think outside the box. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to summon our inner Elvis and review one of his best q…
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I received a call recently concerning an offer that was made to buy a billboard with the seller asking me “should I sell”? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the methodology to deciding whether to sell or not. Sometimes knowing when to sell is as important as when to buy, and we’re going to unlock the correct way to do it.…
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Sometimes you have to craft a custom agreement with the landowner. Or a new advertising lease. Or maybe you need some loan documents reviewed. In each case you hire an attorney and wait in terror for your bill to arrive. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some simple steps that allows you to stay in control of your legal cost.…
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“CPM” stands for “cost-per-thousand” exposures. It’s an important metric that many advertisers use to evaluate different advertising options so it’s vital that you understand how it works – as well as the loopholes that nobody talks about. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review how CPM is calculated and everything you need to know …
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There’s no purpose to renting a billboard if you don’t get paid for it. And sometimes the advertiser’s check doesn’t come in and you start to panic. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the steps to take and how to solve the situation without losing the advertiser as a good customer.…
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A billboard is only of value if it makes money for the advertiser, and that requires a good marketing message. But how do you help the advertiser to get “creative” in the correct way to market their product or service? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some constructive techniques to create successful ad campaigns.…
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How The Death Of Radio Will Help Billboard Investments Immensely
6:49
6:49
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6:49Radio is under attack when it comes to listening to it in automobiles. AM is no longer offered in electric vehicles and many manufacturers are considering eliminating it altogether to allow for more profitable concepts. What will this do to billboards? That’s the focus of this Billboard Mastery Podcast.…
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The Beauty Of Being Federally Regulated – And Hated
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8:03
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8:03There have been very industries regulated by the U.S. government, and billboards are one of those few groups. But the hatred that many environmental groups have for billboards have actually created a huge amount of the value in the sign industry. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss how being federally regulated – and hated – pr…
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How should you pay the property owner for allowing you to build and operate a billboard on their land? There’s two basic methods: 1) percentage of revenue or 2) flat amount. But how do you select the right option? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the variables to constructing a fair deal for all parties.…
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There’s an old adage “think like a person of action and act like a person of thought”. A key part of that theorem is the concept of taking action. But how do you do that responsibly and minimize risk and embarrassment? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some strategies to this effectively.…
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I have built or bought over 300 billboards, but some stand out from the pack. In this Billboard Mastery Podcast we’re going to review the best deals I ever did and look for commonalities that all those deals shared. As you’ll see, there are definite attributes that all great billboard deals share.By Frank Rolfe
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High winds and billboards have never been good friends. And as weather events seem to be escalating in the U.S. it’s important that you understand what happens to signs in high-wind events. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the topic of signs and wind damage and how to mitigate those results.…
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Risk and reward are the two main attributes of building or buying a billboard. How these two items interplay yields whether you should build or buy that sign structure. In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we will review how to do this type of analysis and why it’s so crucial in evaluating potential opportunities.…
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Billboards have gone up and down in desirability many times over the past century. It’s always the same cycle: advertisers find the next hot thing and then get burned out on it and return to their roots of delivering ad messages that really work. In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we’re going to review how the cycle has now gone full circle, and bi…
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Everyone has that moment in which they get fed up. Some people put that mood into action. Audie Murphy was the most decorated soldier in U.S. history and his secret weapon was harnessing his frustration into positive energy. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review what this power is and how to use it to your advantage.…
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