Happy Birthday

When talking to clients try to find some way to learn their birthday. Work it into conversation or ask their employees. Put this info into your calendar. When their big day comes around, take them a card or perhaps a cupcake. This gesture will produce results far out of proportion to the small cost of doing this. This practice sets you apart from all the other sales people that call on them. Because this is a personal touch, they realize that you care about them rather than just about their money. This deposit into their "emotional bank account" will pay off if something goes wrong or you need a favor from them in the future. For bonus points, try to get the secretary's or receptionist's birth date as well. It never hurts to have these folks on your side as well.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Keep yourself in the loop

I was talking with one of the reps I work with as a sales trainer. She was complaining about her manager. She felt that her manager was not forthcoming with information. She felt he was "keeping her out of the loop." She felt she wasn't being updated on new promotions and changes in programs. My question to her was why didn't she take responsibility for her own "education". Rather than complaining about her manager, she needed to take proactive steps to get the information she needs to do her job. The manager may be assuming that his reps have all the information they need. All the rep might need to do is simply ask something as simple as "Are there any new promos coming up?" If this doesn't work go to the source, make contact with the accounting people or whoever else holds the information you need. Complaining never fixes anything, when you need something, go for it.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Something for a rainy day

I was in the field with a rep talking to a garden center customer about the results of his advertising. He complained about business but did not blame our publication. It had been a very rainy week and his traffic was down. Since most of his display area was uncovered, few people came in wet weather. We suggested he tie a discount to the weather. We included a "Bring your raincoat" offer. Any shoppers who visited his store while it was raining earned a 15% discount. This discount not only brought in shoppers on rainy days but generated a buzz about the business among local gardeners. Since his overhead was the same when it was raining and when it was sunny, this coupon helped the cash flow of his business during our rainy summer.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Make some popcorn

Over the weekend I had a change to watch "Art & Copy." This is an excellent documentary film on the advertising industry. I particularly enjoyed the interviews with industry veterans and the stories behind some of the best known advertising campaigns in history. While the emphasis is on broadcast advertising, the creative processes shown in the film will be very familiar to anyone who works in any part of our industry. I rented this PBS produced film from Netflix, so you should be able to find it. I believe you will find it fun to watch and informative.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Last week was father's day, so I have chosen one of my dad's favorite sayings. My dad was a hard working blue collar guy. He was straightforward and not prone to subtlety. He had to drop out of high school to support his widowed mother during the depression so he didn't have much of an education but he learned a lot from life. He worked as a machinist so here is a bit of mechanical wisdom:

"Be sure brain is fully engaged before mouth is set in motion."

This quote comes to mind every time I am about to speak before I've thought out what I want to say. It has served me well in my business career

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Thanks Jim Busch

Help your customer's visualize success

Research shows that if people can picture the benefits of owning something they are much more likely to make a purchase. This is why spec art is so effective. I like to make an extra copy of a spec ad and paste it into a copy of my publication. I give the paper to the prospect and let them discover the ad for themselves. This helps them to visualize how their customer's will engage with the ad. I tell the prospect, "Imagine thousands of people seeing the ad the same way you just did. I'm sure that will generate some traffic for your store." The less abstract and the more concrete you can make a program, the more likely a customer will be to buy.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Objection Prevention Part 2

In sales, as in life, timing is everything. I believe the #1 cause of objections is impatience. Sales people who get in a hurry and try to make a recommendation before they clearly understand the customer's problems. Even more important, they bring up price before the customer clearly see their needs. Going for the sales without during the hard work of probing for and developing problems that can be solved by advertising is a quick shortcut to failure. One of my unbreakable laws of sales is "Treatment before diagnosis is malpractice." Don't be in a hurry, don't try to make a "one size fits all" close. People only buy when they see how advertising will make their world better. Follow this formula and the number of objections you hear will decrease significantly.

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Thanks Jim Busch

When an answer is not the answer

As a sales rep, sales manager, and as a sales trainer, I've learned and taught the techniques of answering objections. Research conducted by Dr. Neil Rackham has found that answering an objection is not as effective as we've been told. His research found that the number of objections is directly related to the reps chances of closing the sale. The more objections, the less likely a sale will be made. Right now you're probably thinking "Well DUH!" Here's the interesting part, the rep's ability to answer the objection and prove to the client that they were mistaken has no bearing on the outcome. The lesson here is not to counter the objection, but to prevent the client from making the objection in the first place. You goal should be to minimize objections during the call. Tomorrow I will offer one technique for doing this.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Give a little, get a little

A negotiation with a customer should be a two way street. Before conceding a point to a customer, make sure your are going to get something in return. For example, if you need to reduce the price say to the customer: "Mr. Customer, If I can meet the price you've requested will you agree to advertising at least once a month throughout the remainder of the year." If you are making a concession, it is only fair that you get something in return. In addition to making you some additional money, taking this stance also changes the relationship you have with the customer. Instead of being a doormat the customer will see you as more of a partner or an equal. Every negotiation should be a Win/Win proposition.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quotes

W. Clement Stone was one of the great sales trainers of all time. He started with nothing and sold his way to the ownership of a large national insurance company. He wrote some of the earliest training and motivational books for professional salesmen (in his day they were all men) This W. Clement Stone quote has been posted in my office for several decades:

"Sales are contingent not upon the attitude of the prospect but rather upon the attitude of the salesperson."

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Thanks Jim Busch

Looking forward

I have been working with a rep who experienced some very tough times in her early life. She almost lost her home which would leave her and her young son homeless. She was poorly educated and had no professional skills. She joined our company as a telephone rep and became so successful that she was promoted into territory sales. Over the years she developed into a very talented rep. Unfortunately she stresses herself out to the point of physical infirmity. She does what Dr. Stephen Covey describes as "living out of her memory rather than her imagination." No matter how successful she is, she is always the unsuccessful young woman about to lose her home. One day I took her to lunch and we wrote down a list of her accomplishments and the skills that she has acquired. I recommended that she review this list every morning when she starts her day. This is good practice for any of us when we begin to doubt our abilities or our skills. Keep a list of your successes handy, you never know when self doubt will strike.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Track your time

Time can be very slippery. It is easy to lose track of it. A time log is a good way to get a handle on your time and where it goes. This is a simple sheet with the day broken down into 15 minute increments. Use this page to record your activities over several days. Once you have collected this information analyze it and categorize the items on your list by the type of activity. Pay particular attention to how much of your day is spent on direct sales activities. This analysis will help you to streamline your non-sales activities and focus your time on the things that produce revenue.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Watch your words

When you discuss customers be careful of your language. Words rapidly become thoughts. If you call your customers "idiots" or "cheapskates" this will affect your thinking. There is no quicker way to ruin your chances of making a sale than negative thinking about the prospect. You need to believe the customer is likely to buy from you. Also by saying these things about the customer you are shifting the responsibility for a no sale from yourself to the prospect. Just because someone doesn't buy from you does not make them an "idiot". Jeffrey Gitomer defines a "customer who isn't interested" as a "customer confronted by an uninteresting sales person." Keep your language about prospects and customers positive. Complaining never made a sale for anyone.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Do you have time for small talk

A lot of reps I work with spend a great deal of time chatting up customers with small talk.
They talk about the weather and sports etc. This is intended to build rapport but I see it as a waste of valuable time. Customer's are busy and you never know when you'll be interrupted. You want to use every minute to advance toward a sale. It is important to build rapport but a more efficient way to do this is to talk about the customer's business. This is usually their favorite subject and you can learn something that will help you build a recommendation and close a sale. This also positions you as a professional.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Here is the perfect quote for our industry:

"So long as new ideas are created, sales will continue to reach new highs." Dorthea Brande

This is why my business is called "Ideas and Eyeballs", ideas are critical to our business, People look to us to provide them with ideas to build their business, A great book on the subject of creativity is Roger Von Oech's "A whack on the side of the head". I highly recommend it.

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Thanks Jim Busch

The Value of Coupons

I've had customers give me this objection when I've recommended coupons: "I'm not going to pay you to give away my product." Many business people feel that coupons are just a fancy way to pick their pockets. Research indicates that this is incorrect. Scarborough Research has found that grocery shoppers who use coupons generally spend $6 to $10 more than customers who don't. Other researchers have found that restaurant patrons who use coupons have significantly larger "tickets". The psychology of this phenomenon is simple. When people feel they are getting a "deal" this gives them "permission" to splurge. When they have a buy one get one dinner coupon they feel this justifies purchasing high profit items like desserts or wine. In some industries this equates to $7 in increased sales for every dollar of coupon redeemed. You can tell your customers that coupons not only attract new customers but they also increase sales.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Too much information

I was in the field recently with a rep who had done his homework. he had put together a dozen or so ideas for the customer and had each of my company's publications. He shared all of this information with the client who very quickly glazed over. People can only absorb so much information, when you "verbally vomit" on a customer you lose them. The best plan is to talk to the customer and determine their perceived needs and then only share information that addresses that need. You only get so much of the customer's attention and time, so use it wisely. Listen carefully and then respond to the customer, don't dump everything on them and hopes something sticks. Too much information meands too few sales.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Why now is the best time to advertise

Advertising is always a good idea, post recession advertising is a great idea. A recent Gallup poll found that 48% of consumers were more likely to be shopping for better deals as a result of the recession, while only 23% intend too stick with their current providers. Even more important they found that 70% have changed a supplier in at least one business category in the past 6 to 12 months. When people are in the market and actively looking for value advertising is more important than ever. Businesses have to tell the public that they offer the value that post recession shoppers are seeking. Advertising is the best way to do this.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Plan your week

I am in complete agreement with the old saying "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Setting up a plan or agenda for the week is a great way to increase your productivity. Doing this forces you to think about how you want to work your territory. You do not have to write in every appointment but planning the key appointments and the geograhic areas you want to work will give you direction and eliminate indecision. I put together my plan on Friday afternoon or over the weekend. This way I am ready to get to work on Monday morning. Taking a few minutes to put together a plan, will save hours during the week.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Quote of the week

"Man's search for meaning" by Dr. Viktor E. Frankl is one of the most influential books written in the last half of the 20th century. This book detailed Dr. Frankl's experiences in a Nazi concentration camp. He decided to make the best of a horrible situation by using his imprisonment to study human nature. This book inspired many later motivational writers and speakers. Here is a quote from Dr. Frankl's book:

"Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of human freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances."

After reading Frankl's book it is hard to complain about one's lot in life. If he can create a masterwork in a Nazi camp, we can rise above anything life can throw at us. I highly recommend this book.

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Thanks Jim Busch

ROE--Return On Effort

I was working with a rep who was planning a "promo page." The page involved selling a large number of advertisers and was based on readers "voting" by sending in answers to trivia questions. In many ways this was a creative idea and the reader component provided proof that people were looking at the ad. The downside is that the the entire project would generate just over a $1,000 in revenue. In my opinion the minimal commission the rep would earn on the sales was not worth the effort to sell and set up the page. Generally promos are only worth the effort if they run for multiple weeks with minimal changes. Always think about the "ROE" of any activity. This works like "ROI" except that the investment is measured in time and energy instead of dollars. To be productive you need to maximize the amount you earn for every hour you put into building your territory.

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Thanks Jim Busch

Newspaper advertising statistics

The Newspaper Association of America has just released its report on advertising revenues for the 1st quarter of this year. According to their survey, overall newspaper advertising revenues fell 9.7%. Newspaper print revenues fell 11% but this was offset by a 5% increase in online revenues. The NAA sees this as a positive trend because of the double digit losses in the previous two years. Newspaper classified revenues dropped a full 14% which is much healthier than the 42.3% loss in the 1st quarter of 2009. The good news is the recession is finally starting to recede, the bad news is that it is still tough out there. These are newspaper stats and I believe the free paper industry is doing much better. The real take away is that we need to be on our A game every day and on every call. We need to hone our skills and work harder than we ever have.

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Thanks Jim Busch