Quote of the week

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

"Life consists of what a person is thinking of all day"

Thinking about what you're thinking is called "meta cognition" Throughout our waking lives, an endless progression of thoughts streams through our minds. These thoughts shape our lives and our characters. What do you think about? Are your thoughts positive or negative? Instead of letting random thoughts come into your head, take active control of your mind. Monitor your self talk. Don't beat your self up, don't make self-fulfilling prophecies? If you allow yourself to think about failure, you will fail. If you think about winning, you will make that come true as well.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Positioning Research

One of my job responsibilities is to help reps pull research for their proposals and presentations. I serve as a liaison between the marketing department and sales. There is a lot of research available from Paper Chain, the CVC audits and just off the web. Most reps use data very poorly. They rattle off the numbers and expect the customer to "Get It". Numbers are meaningless to most people and many people distrust statistics. The key to using data is to position it properly and to put a face on the numbers. After relating the numbers to the customer use a story to illustrate your point. For example if you talk about the fact that a high percentage of your readers are two earner families you could back it up with a statement like: "Mr. Customer, you're a busy person, so you know what its like, your may not have time to read the newspaper every day but our publication is a quick weekly read with lots of way to save money. You can see why busy families, the kind of people who need your services, like our paper, don;t you." This puts a face on the circulation statistics and also tell him how it relates directly to his business. This is much more effective than the raw statistics.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Top Ten List

Each night David Letterman does a humorous "Top Ten List". I recommend that you maintain a top ten list of your own. Your top ten should be the top ten accounts that you would like to sell. The accounts on your list should present you with the best opportunity to drive your revenue and build your territory. Every territory offers many account to sell and it is easy to lose focus. With only 10 accounts on the list you can give them the "full court press" and fully plan them. You can research the account, prepare spec art and spend the time necessary to land the business. Once you sell an account you can move them off the list and replace them with another prospect. Once you decide a prospect can not be sold they should be replaced. A top ten list permits you to focus your best efforts on your best prospects.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Ask, then speak

When a customer states their viewpoint on something, make it a rule to ask a clarifying question before giving them your own ideas. For example if they say, "I don't feel print advertising is right for my business." Instead of telling them that print works get more information. Ask "Why do you feel print is right for your industry?" Their answer will give you insight into their thinking. Perhaps they feel print is too expensive, you can focus on value. If they question readership you can use testimonials or audits. In addition to giving you more information to work with, asking a question rather than simply reacting to their statement, keeps the call consultative and conversational. Asking questions if less confrontational.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Quote of the week

"We may convince others by our arguments, but we can only persuade them by their own." Joseph Joubert

What is the difference between "convincing" and "persuading" others? I believe if you convince them they see the strength of your argument but will not make changes. They are acknowledging that you may be right, but that this fact on little impact on their thinking. When you persuade someone you have changed their thinking and they will take action. The best way to accomplish this is by asking good questions that lead the customer to discover what you want them to know on their own.Your goal is to help them discover their own argument for advertising with you.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Book recommendation

I would like to recommend a book to you all. This is a simple book that consists of small techniques to enhance your communication. It is "How to talk to anyone" by Leil Lowndes. I particularly like the emphasis on inter gender communication. This a book about the little things that make a big difference not only in our business interactions but in our personal lives as well. A lot of the book is just common sense but it is a good reminder to think about how we communicate with others.

Keep Smiling, Keep! Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Hunting for new business

Through much of the country the fall is hunting season. Particularly in rural areas this is a big event. This generates a lot of revenue for a wide range of businesses from sporting goods stores to auto dealers to butcher shops. Now is the time to contact these businesses and to design any special promotions built around hunting. I have seen papers do special sections during deer season featuring pictures of hunters with their trophy bucks. You can sell the spaces or sell advertising around the photos.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Sully's take on life

I am reading "Highest Duty" which is the autobiography of Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the hero who saved the passengers of flight 1549 by landing it in the Hudson River. In his book he says one should be a "long term optimist and a short term pessimist." Sully that you should believe in the future but you need to pay attention to the details in order to make it happen. This philosophy was what lead Sully to be so well prepared when an emergency occurred. This is good practice in any business.

On another note, if you have any suggestions or ideas for this blog I would love to hear them along with any suggestions to make it better. You can reach me at ideasandeyeballs@gmail.com

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Don't commit the #1 sales sin

The leading complain that businesses have with the sales people is lack of follow-up. Reps make promises and fail to keep them. Most of the time this is due to poor organization. Establish a system to track your commitments. When you promise to a customer immediately record it in your day-timer. For longer term commitments set up a tickler file to remind you what needs done and when it needs to be done. When following up with a contact remind them of the previous meeting. Tell them something like "When we met on the 15th of last month you asked me to get back to you today. I've put together the information you requested." By reminding them that you lived up to your end of the bargain, makes them feel a commitment to you.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Here is a lesson from baseball pitcher Greg Maddux:

"What has benefited me the most is learning I can't control what happens outside of my pitching."

The only thing we can control is our own activities and behaviors. Wasting our mental energies on things beyond our control scatters our attention and limits our ability to perform. Keep your focus where it will do the most good and everything else will take care of itself.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

A very tough job

Recently I've been working with our newspaper's circulation sales force. These folks spend their afternoons and evenings knocking on home owners doors and asking them to buy a subscription. This is a very basic sales job and brutally tough. This people literally get doors slammed in their faces and they get cussed out on a regular basis. Most people last less than a week, but others have been out doing this for years. Observing these sales people highlights the importance of mental toughness in our business. The best sales people can "take a lick'in and keep on ticking!" What sets the sales personality apart form the average person is our ability to maintain our motivation and drive when nothing is going right. We need to constantly reinforce our self esteem to weather the abuse we're bound to receive. Everyday you should read something positive and motivational. You should also remind yourself of your success and of your good qualities. The next time you want to throw in the towel, think about going door to door selling subscriptions. Some how your job will look a little bit easier.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

A pictures worth a thousand sales

In school they called them visual aids, in sales they're called presentation binders or sales collateral. No matter what you call them they can help you make more sales. Most people are visual learners yet most sales people try to persuade them using words rather than pictures. Research has found that if you use a verbal argument in conjunction with a visual presentation tool the prospect is much more likely to make a purchase. If your company provides sales collateral use it, if not make your own. You should make specific sales aids for your territory, even for specific customers. Computers have made producing graphics quick and easy. You have no reason not to use this powerful tool of persuasion on every call.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Secret of SUCCES

The title of this blog is not a typo, its an acronym for a powerful sales tool. It stands for: Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Stories. This is taken from "Made to Stick" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. This is a technique for making an impression on a customer. Simple (easy to understand) Unexpected (A twist forces people to pay attention) Concrete (Use examples or details to make the idea real) Credible (Make the idea believable, use testimonials) Emotional (Get the customer engaged with the story) Stories (Stories make ideas memorable). This is a good technique and "Made to Stick" is a great book.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Ordering in food

A lot of our advertisers come from the restaurant industry, especially from the fast food industry. We run a lot of ads for pizza shops and other restaurants that deliver. Here is a study that should be interesting to these customers and by association to you. This survey conducted by Technomic Inc. asked consumers when they order in food.

Here is what they found:
Monday 4%
Tuesday 6%
Wednesday 13%
Thursday 10%
Friday 36%
Saturday 24%
Sunday 7%

This is useful information when helping customers create offers. For example a Sunday through Tuesday coupon could greatly increase a customer's cash flow. This is also a good starting point for a conversation. You can share this with a customer and ask them how it squares with their own experiences. Anytime you can share research with a client, you position yourself as both knowledgeable and professional.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

This week's quote offers an important bit of wisdom for sales people. In fact, this is good advice for anyone.

"The more you say, the less people remember." Francois Fenelon

Salespeople have a reputation for being great talkers. The truth is that the best sales people actually let the prospect do most of the talking. Good sales people are good listeners. If you pay attention to the customer, only speaking to ask investigative questions and to offer a solution when you have uncovered a problem you will be successful. You should only talk about your product when you are offering it as a solution to a clearly defined problem. Blathering on and on about your product outside of this context will have no effect on the buyer other than boring them.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Unsuccess Story

After a training class today one of my reps pulled me aside and told me a story. This past weekend he was shopping with his family when a man approached him and asked if the rep remembered him. He was the former owner of a local hardware store. The rep had worked with him and put together a plan to fight against a new Lowes that opened in his market. The customer decided not to go with the plan to save money. A year later he was out of business. The man wanted to thank the rep for trying to help him and to admit he had been wrong. He told my rep that he had a new found respect for sales people and for advertising.

Obviously it is in our best interest to be assertive and to push people to advertise. It is also in their best interest. The hardware store owner tried to save money and lost his business. Yes we are trying to earn a commission but we are also trying to help people succeed.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The Budget Objection

William Feather said "A budget tells us what we can't afford, but it doesn't keep us from buying it." If people truly believe something will benefit them the budget gets tossed out the window. Customer's often give you the budget objection just to end the call quickly. "Our budget is already committed" or "We've spent our budget" makes most sales people head for the door. They think "No budget= No sale. The truth is that most of our prospects don't have a formal budget and those that do can usually reallocate some of their budget if they believe your program is worthwhile. Like any objection the best way to address budget objections is to start asking questions. I usually ask about their budget setting process, how they set it, when do they plan etc. This gets the discussion going and lets you know how real the objection is. Opening the exchange of ideas and information is the 1st step to making the sale.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

"How am I doing?"

"How am I doing?" was a question Mayor Ed Koch constantly asked the New Yorkers he met on the street. This is also a question you should contantly ask your customers. A study conducted by Bain & Co. found that while 80% of the sales people they interviewed believed that they delivered excellent customer service only 8% of their customer's felt that they did. More than half of the businesses rated the service they received as marginal and one third said they were actively seeking competitive bids. The lesson here is that customer's often won't tell you when they are unhappy with you. This is why you need to constantly and honestly look for seek feedback from your advertisers. This is the only way to fix a problem before it becomes a crisis.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Put a face on your ads

According to a NAA study ads which feature a photograph of a person draws 25% more attention than ads without one. We are naturally inclined to look at other people. A face on photo that simulates eye contact is particularly effective. If the person is attractive and appears to be enjoying themselves the ad will pull even more.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

In honor of the July 4th holiday, this week's quote comes from one of our founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin was one of America's first self-made men. Starting with nothing, he build a business and became one of the wealthiest men in the colonies. His "Autobiography" was one of the first self help books and was an influence on many successful men. This book has never been out of print since Franklin printed the 1st edition and remains an interesting read even today. Here is the secret to Franklin's success:

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest"

This advice is as useful today as it was in old Ben's day. Have a great holiday.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch