Be the authority

I am a big believer in using research on a sales call. Before a call I will google the clients industry and try to find a useful statistic or I will go to Melissadata.com to find something about his market. I like to do this because it helps me to persuade the customer. One of the core principles of persuasion is that people are more likely to listen to someone in authority. When you say "according to research conducted by" you immediately put on the mantle of authority. You increase your credibility with the customer. You become an expert in the eyes of the customer.

Keep Smiling Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

This week's quote doesn't come from a famous orator or philosopher. It comes from a t-shirt I saw at the gym a few years ago. Despite it's humble origins I found it quite eloquent and accurate.

"Sometimes it's not how good you are but how bad you want it!"

I have seen this proven over and over. I have worked with people who weren't the smartest, or the smoothest salesperson on the team run circles around people who should outperform them. They wanted it so bad that they ignored their personal limitations, the state of the economy and a "bad" territory to accomplish their goals.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Sales is a funny business

I have a reputation for being a bit off the wall on sales calls. (I once told a funeral director prospect that "Our research indicates that more than 90% of our readers will die.") I do this because I am physically incapable of taking anything in life too seriously. Recently I learned that this is probably a big part of my success in the sales profession. Psychologists have found that "incongruity" is a major component of the power to persuade. Incongruity occurs when anything unexpected occurs and forces the mind to reevaluate what is happening. Humor breaks the expected pattern of a conversation which forces the listener to open up and pay attention to the speaker. If you can make a person smile or laugh they will be more inclined to listen to the meaning of your words and to be persuaded by your argument.

Try to insert humor into the flow of your conversations. This works much better than telling a joke. Particularly effective is self effacing humor.

Keep Smiling (and Laughing), Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Talk about their favorite people

The best way to keep a customer engaged is to talk about what interests them. One of their favorite things to talk about is their customers. As a sales rep, this should also be one of your favorite subjects as well. Customers are what we sell. The more you know about a prospect's customers, the better job you can do creating a program that will reach their target market. Here are four basic things you want to know about their customers

Are they:

• Young or old (The age of a typical customer)
• Rich or poor (The household income of a typical customer)
• Near or far (How far will customer's come to do business with the prospect)
• Male or Female (The gender of a typical customer)

It is important that you know these basic facts before crafting a recommendation. This information will help you choose where to place an ad and what to say in the copy.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!"

Thanks Jim Busch

When to close

As a young sales person I was told to remember my "ABC's" ALWAYS BE CLOSING. I was also taught a number of "trick closes" such as the "rolling pen close" This involved placing a ballpoint on a contract and letting it roll toward the customer. When the customer picked it up, the salesperson would say "Since you have the pen in your hand already, why not sign the contract right now" Very hokey, but I knew reps who actually closed sales this way. Pressuring or tricking a customer is more likely to get you thrown out rather than close a sale today. Research has found that pressing for a close too early actually increases the customer's resistance.



When should you close? You should close when you have uncovered a problem that you can solve with your product. Most objections are a result of poor timing. If you can uncover a problem and convince the customer that you can solve it for them, closing becomes easy, the customer will want to buy the ad. Most sales people I have observed do not spend enough time probing the customer to uncover opportunities to help them. If you try to close before you can show how your product will make the customer's problems go away, you will get an objection.



Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!



Thanks Jim Busch

Magazine article

I was traveling over the weekend and found a great magazine article in an airport news stand. I high recommend that anyone in sales pick up the current edition (March/April 2010) of Scientific American Mind. This magazine features an article titled the Power to Persuade written by Kevin Dutton. This article covers the psychology of persuasion and offers simple yer effective ways to gain agreement. I can't think of a better way to invest (a whopping $5.95) in your career.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Here's this week's quote:

"If you make a product good enough, even though you live in the depths of the forest, the public will make a path to your door, says the philosopher. But if you want the public in sufficient numbers, you would better construct a highway. Advertising is that highway."
William Randolph Hearst

Mr Hearst certainly hit the nail on the head with this statement. Research conducted by the Dun & Bradstreet corporation found that the #1 reason for business failure is simply a lack of customers. They also found that the great majority of business failures are non advertisers.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Give someone else the credit

When I want to recommend something to a customer I usually give someone else the credit. Instead of saying "I think you should use a coupon in your ad." I will say "A lot of my other customers like to use a coupon in their ad, what do your think?" This adds credibility to the statement. People are naturally suspicious of sales people (They know why you're there). Putting your words in someone else's mouth makes them much more believable. This also serves as a form of a testimonial since it reminds them that other business people just like themselves used the idea. This is a simple technique but I have found it to be quite effective.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The best giveaway

Many companies buy cheap pens or other items to give away to customers. While these help to build a relationship there is something you can give customers that is much more welcome--ideas. Keep your eyes open for ideas to help your customers. Take them things you've observed at other businesses, ideas your coworkers share or things you have read. Share them openly with your customers and prospects. Ideas are the most valuable things you can give an entrepreneur. If you bring them good ideas that will help them run their business and make more money you will always get an interview and the customer will be happy to see you.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Connotation-Denotation

Today I was working with a rep as she was selling a web based program to a customer. She was selling a run of site program (ROS) and the customer was very interested. She then described the ROS program as the impressions "Leftover" after other advertisers bought specific pages. The customer then said "I'm not sure I want to buy anyone's leftover ads." We were able to better explain the program to the customer and make the sale. One word almost killed the deal. Mark Twain said that "the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug." Be careful when you choose your words. Two words may have similar meanings but communicate radically different things. Think about the different effect of words like "smell" and "scent" and "aroma" Which one would you use in a perfume ad. When you are making a presentation, note how customers react to specific words and use this feedback to refine what you say. Pay attention and you will improve with every call you make.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The 4 C's of Communication

As professional salespeople we are professional communicators. People buy things from us because we communicate the value of our products to them. Here are 4 things to think about when engaging a customer.

The 4 C's

1. Credibility--Everything you say must be believable and verifiable. Customers will know if you are stretching the truth. Lose credibility and you lose the sale
2. Clarity--To make sure your message is easily understood use simple words, short sentences and only try to communicate one or two ideas. Ask for feedback to make sure the customer "Gets It."
3. Consistency--Your body language and your tone should send the same message as your words. Stay on point and don't ramble.
4. Conversation--A sales call is not a lecture. Ask a lot of questions to keep the customer talking. Customers only buy when they are engaged.

The 4 Cs are the hallmarks of an effective communicator and they will make you a better salesperson.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Like many other professional trainers, I like to be in front of a crowd. Someday I'd love to do a training class based on the opening scene from one of my favorite movies--Patton. I want the giant flag behind me, the polished helmet and the swagger stick while I give a powerful motivational speech. Somehow I don't think this will happen but I can dream. Patton was almost as good with words as he was at winning battles. I've read his journals and other writings and found him to be more of a thinker than he most people think. Here's one of his quotes that I like:

"Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory"
General George S. Patton

Iif you've ever closed a tough sale or overcome a significant obstacles to hit your budget, you know what General George was talking about.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The Dynamic Duo, Print and Web

Google commissioned research firm Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo to do a study into the synergies of print and Internet advertising. Here is some of what they found:

• 67% of people who are interested in something they see in print will go to the web to do more research and 70% of these people follow up with a purchase
• 48% said that seeing an item in print after seeing it on the web made them more likely to trust the product and 52% said they were more likely to purchase it
• 30% of Internet using print readers said they have gone online to research a product they saw in print

This study clearly shows that print products and web products can mutually support one another. If people want their web ads to pull more business, print is the tool to use.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Tie Down the sale

Tie Downs are are simple technique that can make a big difference in your sales results. A Tie Down is a simple question placed at the end of a statement that seeks agreement from the prospect. Here's an example of a Tie Down, "I think this ad will bring in more carry-out business, don't you?" or "A buy one get one coupon will bring first time customers, wouldn't you agree?" I accompany these Tie Down statements with nodding and a smile so that my body language agrees with my words. I

I have shown this technique to many of the reps I work with and they were often skeptical. When they tried incorporating Tie Downs into their presentations they found them to be very effective. If you do this for a while using tie downs will become a natural part of your speech (Just ask my wife) I am confident that using Tie Downs is a good idea, aren't you?

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Buck Rogers Close

For years I've collected old sales books. One of my favorites is Buck Roger's "IBM Way ." This book was written by IBM's legendary sales manager "Buck" Rogers in the 1960's when IBM was the envy of the world. Though a bit dated this book still has a lot of good information. Rogers offers some good practical advice and some excellent verbiage to use on sales calls. Here is an example of one of Rogers closes

"Look, we've spent a lot of time together and I clearly understand your problem. I think we have the best answer so let's you and I proceed and we'll get this equipment as soon as possible" (We'll get your ads started as soon as possible" in our business)

This is a straightforward, no nonsense close. If you've done your job and discovered the customer's needs and proposed a good solution this is a good way to get the customer to make a decision. In the worst case scenario, you will uncover any lingering objections.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Staying flexible

General Colin Powell once said that "A plan lasts until the 1st shot is fired." Powell is a big believer in planning but he knows that when the action starts you have to be flexible and respond to the changing situation. This is also true in sales. This past week I was out with two reps who missed buying signals because they were focused on selling a particular product. It is important to plan, but it is more important to listen to the customer and adjust your presentation to suit the situation. Be prepared to sell anything in your product line on every call. It is always easier to sell the customer what they want than what you want to sell them

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly quote

This week's quote needs no explanation. I saw this posted on a prospect's wall while out cold calling with a rep. This is all you need to know about success in business.

Our Philosophy

Because the customer has a need, we have an opportunity.
Because the customer has a choice, we must provide superior products and services.
Because the customer has a sense of urgency, we must respond promptly.
Because the customer has expectations, we must exceed them.
Because the customer has a memory, we must be legendary.
Because of the customer, we exist.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Selling Shopping Centers

Gang pages for shopping centers can be a good source of revenue. They give you an opportunity to land businesses that will not advertise otherwise. Many strip centers and malls have advertising/promotional budgets. Often stores are assessed an advertising fee based on the square footage of their store. In larger centers look up the center office and ask for the public relations person. Give that person a presentation highlighting how your publication is an effective use of their advertising funds. You may need to do this presentation to the merchant group.

Smaller centers may not have an officially designated PR person so you'll have to do some detective work. Call on the merchants and try to determine which business person has the most influence on the group. You need to win this person over and enlist their support in getting the others to participate.

Ideally you should recommend a regular program. It is a great deal of work to close the first sale but these frequently turn into regular advertisers.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Shoppers are on the move

The respected research firm Accenture Global Services recently released a report that details consumer shopping trends in the post recession period. The report titled "The Road to Recovery, Consumer Behavior in the New Economy" found that:

• 48% of consumers were more likely to be shopping for better deals as a result of the recession.
• Only 23% of consumers plan to remain loyal to their current providers
• Nearly 70% of consumers have changed a provider in at least one category in the last 6 to 12 months

What does this mean for businesses? There are many potential customers shopping for new places to satisfy their needs and wants. These shoppers will have to turn to advertising to find new suppliers. The businesses who advertise aggressively can tap into this consumer discontent to build their account base. It is up to us to help them get the word out.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Happy Groundhog Day

Today is the day the fate of the climate for the next 6 weeks is determined by the observative powers of a groggy rodent. That may not be exactly true but this is the first day that people begin to think of the spring. As advertising salespeople we need to live months ahead of "normal" people. We need to have time to contact clients, develop programs, have layouts prepared and get everything to the printer before deadline. We also have to get to the customer before the competition. This is why early February is the time I start talking to my customers about their goals and plans for the spring. When spring finally arrives I'll be talking to them about their summer program.

The early bird may get the worm but the early rep get the ad. It is never too early to start selling a program to a prospect.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch