Monthly Archives: February 2015

How to sell Advertising, Part 4

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Think outside the boxI hope you enjoyed the videos from parts 1, 2 and 3 of this post.

Advertising isn’t dead. It is alive and kicking. What is dead is just advertising in old fashion mediums like print newspapers, TV, and radio. Digital advertising is now a major game-changer because in most cases you can target your clients a lot better – and have measured results to prove it.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t advertise in print, TV or radio – it just means you need to expand your horizons and consider other options. The problem that advertisers face is that clients are accessing information from more source these days. For example, in the past, you only had three major TV networks, and maybe one or two major print newspapers per city. Now there are literary hundreds of TV networks and channels to select. In the past, you had one or two print newspapers per major city. Now there are literary hundreds of digital newspapers, magazines, newsletters, websites and blogs to select. Not to mention social media tools, like Facebook and Twitter. In short, your audience is now more divided, so you have to be more selective in choosing the right platform to advertise in.

The biggest misconception that clients have is that digital advertising is just “banner ads.” Not true. As explained in the videos, many publishers are now realizing they must go beyond banner ads and offer a social media mix for their clients. Examples would include running ads on Twitter and Facebook.

And remember, advertising isn’t just buying space – you are buying exposure.

I mentioned in my first post that I once sold classified and display ads for printed community newspapers for a now-defunct company. It went out of business right before the internet became very popular. Would that company have survived if it had hung on a little longer? Yes – but only if that company had adopted some of the practices used by many publishing companies today.

But even if the internet had not arrived, would that company still had survived? Yes – but only if the owners had thought outside the box. In other words, rather than just focusing on newspaper advertising, they could have set up a small marketing firm within the company help their advertisers reach more clients. Examples would have included helping clients develop direct marketing pieces and campaigns, billboards on buses, car top signs on taxis, and fax campaigns. In short, my former employer could have acted more as a consultant rather than just a salesperson.

Think about it. If clients are going to advertise in your community newspaper, doesn’t it make sense to create a one-stop-shop for all their advertising and marketing needs? I mean, would you go to one grocery store to buy fruit and another grocery store to buy vegetables? Of course not. The more you can offer a client as a one-stop-shop, the more money you will make. Let’s face it – people are busy these days. The more convenient you can make their lives, the better off both of you will be.

Advertising will always be around. You just have to adapt to the times.

How to sell Advertising, Part 3

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In part 1 and 2 of this post, I shared with you advice from experts on how to sell advertising better.

In the video below, Spider Graham, Certified Sales Trainer, and writer outlines 5 rules to help salespeople better sell and manage digital advertising campaigns for their clients. His main argument is that you have to act as a consultant to advertisers. Your job isn’t to sell just ads per se,  but to listen, guide and educate your clients on the best solutions that will help them gain sales. You have to ask questions and find out what is important to your client. In short, ditch the sales pitch and listen.

Here is his video –

Prof. Dr. Christian Belz, Director of the Institute of Marketing (IfM), in cooperation with Dr. Marc Rutschmann, make an interesting argument is that you need to stop advertising and start selling. In the “Little Green Bag” video from the University of St. Gallen, they argue that the old model called “World of Identification” which links positive feelings to consumers with the end result of that consumer purchasing your service is outdated. Why? Because people are becoming overwhelmed with too many advertisements and social media. The focus should be on customer activities and actions, they argue, under their “World of action” model

But this gets into the classic question – “Who was first, the chicken or the egg?” You see, while I agree that you should follow and measure customer’s actions to obtain sales, something had to encourage them to go to your company in the first place.

I would argue that advertising is still necessary to increase your name recognition and branding. But advertising alone is not full proof without helping clients solve their problems, and backing it up with good customer service.

Example: I knew of two hardware stores in the same community that roughly advertised the same way. But only one hardware store survived and the other went out of business. Why? Because the successful hardware had better customer service. Sure, advertising can bring clients to the door, but it’s still your responsibility to make sure they become satisfied and repeat customers, and spread the good word of mouth about your business.

You be the judge. Here is the video below from YouTube –

How to sell Advertising, Part 2

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In part 1 of this post, I discussed digital vs. print advertising, and I shared some videos from experts about how to sell ads. Below are two more videos to help you.

Adam Lilling, Serial Entrepreneur & Investor, describes three things that companies are seeking when they are considering an advertising campaign – 1). Determine your reach, 2). Establish your immediacy, and 3). Identify your relevance.

Here is his video –

Ryan R. Dohrn, Ad Sales Consultant, outlines 6 ways you can sell more digital media to advertisers.

Here is his video below –

How to sell Advertising, Part 1

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Is advertising dead? It really depends on who you talk to. As we all know, many print newspapers are having a tough time attracting advertisers. However, we are seeing more digital ads these days – not just for newspapers, but also for magazines, websites, blogs, newsletters and niche publications.

But don’t rule out print advertising just yet.

For example, as reported in DigiDay last year, many digital publishers are going back to print. However, the difference is that they are creating more niche printed publications with higher subscriptions fees but lower circulation rates. While many readers these days still prefer digital over print, there is enough of a demand for print that publishers (and advertisers) are willing to fulfill.

The key, as reported in DigiDay, is that publishers must offer high quality content in print to meet that demand.

Smart advertisers are beginning to realize that you need to cover your bases when it comes to reaching potential clients. While digital advertising will always be popular, you can’t ignore print either. As Ryan R. Dohrn, President/Founder of 360 Ad Sales Training and Strategy, points out in the video of part 2 of this post, you need to reach your target audience in “multiple ways on multiple days.”

I have never sold digital advertisements. However, I did sell both print classified and display ads for a small community newspaper publishing company in Silver Spring, MD several years ago. It was strictly an inside sales job. Unlike my colleagues who sold strictly display ads, I was always successful in selling both classified and display ads over the phone without any face-to-face appointments. However, I did visit a couple of clients (restaurants) and I was able to sell ads to them.

I had no formal training. No coaching. There was no marketing department.  I basically sat at a desk and made cold calls. My “prospect” list was The Yellow Pages. Sometimes we would look through other local newspapers and magazines and find leads that way. Despite my lack of training and good qualified leads, I was fairly successful at selling ads. However, I eventually quit the job because the publishing company was having financial problems. The company – and the building it was located in – no longer exists.

There are many experts who feel there is a future in advertising sales. In this post and a couple of others, I will share with you their advice on how you can successful sell ads.

Evan Carmichael has some very good advice for selling ads to small business owners. Here is his advice – 1). Target your market, 2). Reduce the risk, and 3). Helping with the creative.

Here is his video –

Below is a funny video from Niche Media on how to sell advertising in magazines. Here are the steps they advise you to take – 1). Pre-Call Planning, 2). Plan of Accomplishment 3). Approach, 4). Probing Questions, 5). Consulting Selling 6), Advertiser Goals 7). Unique Value Statement, 8). Trial Close, 9). Objections 10). Close, and 11). Confirm Next Step

Bob McInnis discusses how to eliminate upfront stalls and objections when making your first cold call to a client about selling advertisements.

Here is his video –

How to prepare for a trade show

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You paid your dues. You worked hard in the inside sales department. Now it’s your turn to join some of the senior sales reps to your first trade show with the company. Great! But wait – how do you prepare for a trade show?

Besides making a list of what to pack and places to see while attending the show, you need to come up with a game plan. Hopefully, your company has attended enough trade shows that they have a good sales and marketing plan in place. But what about you – the first-timer? How are you going to be successful? How are you going to obtain good leads and shine in front of your colleagues? How are you going to look good in front of your prospects and clients?

Here are some tips –

1). Research the show – study the agenda, workshops, and speakers. Get a clear sense of the type of prospects who will be attending the show. Also, review YouTube clips or videos of previous shows. These days, most show organizers post videos of past shows to promote the event, and to encourage more attendance and exhibitors for future shows.

2). Talk to your colleagues – get their advice on how to do well at the show.

3). Notify your clients and prospects that you are attending the show – yes, you expect your employer to announce that your company will exhibit at the show, but you need to take a more “hands-on” approach. You could send out a short email to your clients and prospects announcing that you will be attending the event, and encourage them to stop by. You could casually trade show exhibit boothbring it up in conversations.

4). Schedule important meetings – if you have major clients or prospects that you know will be attending the event, schedule a meeting with them while at the show. Or better yet, invite them out to dinner.

5). Ask your prospects and clients for advice – if you know that some of your prospects and clients will be attending the show, ask them for their advice. What do they hope to get out of the show? Why are they attending the event? And more importantly, is there anything you can do to help them while they are at the show?

6). Find out if your competitors are attending the show – for the record, I really don’t worry about competitors – I worry about making sure I’m doing a good job for my clients. With that said, it doesn’t hurt to know if your competitors are attending or not. This way you can be prepared if someone comes up to you during a show and says “your competitor at the booth two rows down claims your product isn’t any good, what do you have to say about that?” Hopefully, you have been in sales long enough to know how to handle this question.

You also need to be prepared if your competitors come to your booth. Now, hopefully, your competitors will be professional and polite. I’ve attended trade shows will competitors will stop by briefly at our booth, shake hands, and wish us well. In short, we exchange some pleasantries, and then we go about our business. On the other hand, I’ve attended a couple of events where competitors will act like total jerks. In that situation, you need to remain cool, be polite, but assertive enough to ask them to leave. After all, you have a limited time to gather leads, so wasting it with competitors is not good time management nor good business.

I hope my tips are helpful.  Please let me know if you have any tips that you would like to share.
photo credit: MedicalTourismAssociation via photopin cc

Are you listening? Part 3

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listening skills in salesI hope you enjoyed the videos in parts 1 and 2 of this post on listening. We know that listening can be hard – but losing a sale is even harder.

Sometimes we get so excited about our products and services that we just can’t stop talking. I know. It’s difficult. Been there, done that. We are eager to jump in when a client mentions a problem before we give him a chance to finish.

The key takeaways from the videos are you must be patient. Relax. Take your time. You are not a snake oil salesman trying to make a quick buck before running out of town. The good news is that listening is a skill you can learn.

Below are some great books to help you further in developing your listening skills –

Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All, by Bernard T. Ferrari

Listening: The Forgotten Skill: A Self-Teaching Guide, by Madelyn Burley-Allen

Active Listening 101: How to Turn down your Volume to Turn up your Communication Skills, by Emilia Hardman

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People do Differently, by John C. Maxwell

Please let me know if you have any recommendations.