Quote of the week

"If everything seems under control, your not going fast enough."Mario Andretti

When I started in business, I would pick up my messages at the end of the day and return the calls the next morning. Today if you don't respond with in an hour or so it is likely that they will have contacted a competitor. To be successful today, a sales person must possess a highly developed sense of urgency. We can not risk procrastination, because in today's fast paced business world, taking your time is the fastest way to lose a customer.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Don't ask for an "appointment."

I am a big believe in setting appointments with prospects and advertisers but I never ask for one. Instead of asking for an "appointment", ask the customer for a "meeting." This seems like an inconsequential matter but research shows that buyers are more likely to respond positively to this phrasing. Appointments, whether they are with your doctor, lawyer or accountant, usually are unpleasant and expensive. They are also usually one way affairs with the professional in total control. This causes many people to have a negative connotation when they hear "appointment." Meetings on the other hand imply an exchange of ideas and information. This is a more accurate description of what we do and much more welcoming to the prospect. In sales details matter and anything that increases your chances of closing a sale, no matter how small, is worth doing.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

What's bugging your readers?

Watch the morning news and you're sure to see a story about the "bedbug invasion." The media coverage of the return of bedbugs is making the public paranoid about these little critters. When consumers get paranoid they naturally reach for their wallets. Make sure you call on your exterminator customers. One of my guys has seen his business increase because he is promoting "free bedbug inspections." Even if they don't find bedbugs, when they do the inspection they are able to propose and sell other services. He told me he found several people who had termites and he was able to eliminate them before they did noticeable damage.

Some retailers also are cashing in on this scare. "Bedbug proof" mattress covers and other products sell at a premium. We have an opportunity to make some sales by helping our customers take advantage of this problem. By paying attention to the news and asking "How can I use this?", we create opportunities for ourselves and our customers.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

True But Useless

I am currently reading Chip and Dan Heath's "Switch." This is an excellent book on executing and motivating change. In their book they refer to the danger of focusing on things that are "TBU" True But Useless. TBU includes complaining about situations you can't change (i.e. complaining about the state of the national economy), it is true that the economy is a challenge but talking about it is useless. Talking about the economy will not make things better, planning to sell through this challenge will. You also want to avoid wasting time on a call talking about things that are TBU. An example of this would be explaining how ads are sent to the printer, this may interest you, but this information is useless to the prospect. They just want to know that their ad will appear in the paper and that it will be correct. You have limited time in front of a customer so you want to spend it talking about things that improve your chance of making a sale.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Show and Sell

A picture is worth a 1000 words is a well worn cliche'. Cliche's become cliche's because they make so much sense that they get repeated over and over. I was with a rep earlier this week servicing a customer's ad in a coupon product. The customer asked about doing free standing inserts. Without skipping a beat the rep reached into his portfolio and pulled out a price list and a sample insert. He quoted a price and handing the sample to the customer he said "the price I quoted is for one just like this." This really helped the customer know what he was getting. She looked at the nice glossy flyer, felt the paper and then said "OKAY." If the rep didn't have a sample at his fingertips he would have spent a long time describing it and the customer would have had, at best, a vague idea of what an insert looks like. Because he was prepared, he landed the sale. As soon as we got back to his car he opened the trunk and replaced the insert in his portfolio, ready to make the next sale. Like another cliche's says--"Luck is where preparation meets opportunity." He was ready when an opportunity popped up.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

This week's bit of wisdom needs no explanation. It makes it's point simply and directly.



"There is a creed that every salesperson who suceeds lives up to. Its simple and brief--and it works.

Here it is:

Believe first in what you sell.

Believe your prospect will profit by it.

Believe in the firm in back of you."

George J. Barnes



If any of these three are missing it is time to change your attitude or change your job.



Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!



Thanks Jim Busch

Avoid the "A" word

At the beginning of a call I avoid using the "A" word--Advertising! Many business owners consider advertising to be an expense and many people pitch some very bad products as "advertising" Rather than ask for the person who is "handles your advertising," I prefer to ask for the person who "is responsible for getting the word out about your company" or "for telling your story to the public." These phrases have a better connotation and are customer focused.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Go to church

Our job is to help people connect. We connect businesses with potential customers. We can also connect churches with potential members. Some large churches are very aggressive in recruiting new people to join their congregations. Don't drive past these potential advertisers. Many of these organizations have a person who is in charge of evangelism and often have a budget allotted for this purpose. They often appreciate the call because our publications are a cost effective way to grow their church.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The Value of Promptness

Today I was visiting a prospect with one of my company's young sales reps. The customer was considering a proposal for a large number of flyers to be distributed over a 60 day period. The prospect said that our primary competitor had offered him a price significantly lower than ours in order to keep the business. The customer also told her that he had decided to give us the business, He told my rep that though he was tempted by the lower price he put a higher value on service. He said that our rep returned his calls promptly even calling after 5. He said that he felt more confident that if any issues cropped up that our rep would take care of them. Her promptness in responding to the customer won her a large order and a new customer.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Its better to be dumb than a crooked

I made a call on an account to resolve a customer service issue for one of our inside sales people. The rep had failed to follow a procedure that lead to the customer's ad failing to appear in several editions of our publication. The customer was quite upset. After explaining the situation he calmed down considerably. The customer thought that the rep had intentionally deceived him, and was relieved to learn that it been a simple mistake. This is why it is always better to tell the truth when you make a mistake. Customers can forgive a mistake but a breach of trust is permanent. When dealing with a customer honesty is always the best policy. Lying to save face is a bad idea.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Quote of the week

I love Harvey MacKay's books. Harvey is a great business man and a entertaining writer. He is a master of putting a powerful, actionable idea into just a few words. I often quote Harvey in my training classes. Here is an example of Harvey MacKay's wisdom:

"Most people avoid risks their whole life by assuming the other guy is going to say no"

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Lincoln's Technique

Before he became president Abraham Lincoln was a very successful attorney. He would sit quietly and listen to his opponent's arguments. Lincoln would then rise and would concede to most of the the other attorney's arguments one by one. After covering most of the points, he would argue the final point. He would tell the jury that this was the one point they should ponder. He would tell them that if was the major issue in the case. He almost always won the day for his client. He understood that people are only able to entertain one or two ideas at a time. Because he argued only one point while his opponent made many points, the jury remembered Lincoln's argument and forgot the other lawyer's. The lesson for sales people is the value of streamlining and simplifying our presentations. It is better to make one key point than try to impress the client with multiple benefits.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Stuff that turkey

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a big believer in proactively contacting prospects long before an event. Now is the time to start talking to prospects about Thanksgiving. In the past this meant contacting grocers but the market has greatly expanded in the past few years. The number of people who dine out on Thanksgiving or who have their dinner catered has grown in the last decade. With most women working outside the home they do not have the time or the desire to make a big meal. By talking to prospects early you will help them plan their promotions and preempt your competition. We are approximately 2 1/2 months out from Turkey Day but you will want to start promoting these events several weeks before the holiday. Starting now gives you a jump start on this revenue opportunity. Don't forget to reach out to appliance dealers, beer distributors and party stores as well.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling.

Thanks Jim Busch

"Everybody knows me"

One of the toughest objections to handle is "everybody knows me so I don't need to advertise." You usually hear this from businesses that have been in their market for a long time. They may have been in the same location for 50 years but their prospects haven't been. For years I worked for the yellow pages in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is one of the most stable markets in the US, but every week we received an updated white pages. In the course of a year every single page of the residential directory changed by about 20%. Even if a business does everything right they are going to lose customers. Customers die, move or their needs change. To remain solvent a business has to "keep their pipeline full" and attract a steady stream of new clients. Talk to your prospects about changes in their customer base and about the changes in their market. Remind them that old people move out and new people move in all the time. If they want to make sure that indeed everyone will know them--they need to advertise consistently.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Quote of the week

Here's a quote that I believe we can all agree upon:

"We find that advertising works the way that grass grows. You can never see it, but every week you have to mow it."--Andy Tarshis

This is a fun thing to share with your customer when they want to "Run an ad every now and then."

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Selling Shopping Centers

Many malls and large strip centers do group advertising. Some centers assess each merchant an advertising fee based on the square footage of their store. This money is used to pay for advertising which promotes the center and the merchants. To tap into this budget you need to identify who places the advertising. Some large centers actually have a marketing manager, some centers are handled by the general manager and many have a committee of store owners. You need to visit the stores and ask who handles the marketing for the center. If the advertising is handled by a group, try to attend their meeting. Often one merchant is the unofficial "leader of the pack" and has a strong influence over the group. Try to identify and sell this merchant and the others will fall into line.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling.

Thanks Jim Busch

Make your message stand-out

Ideally you always want to talk directly to a decision maker but sometimes you need to leave them a note or leave some information. It is important to make your message stand-out. Customers get a lot of sales people calling on them and a lot of them leave info. I like to carry a supply of clear plastic sheet protectors. I put the information in the sheet protector and clip my card to it. A sheet protector makes your materials stand out from the rest of the papers on their desk. People put important documents in sheet protectors to protect them, they will lend an appearance of value to your materials.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Here's one from the queen of good advice, "Dear Abby."

"A bad habit never disappears miraculously; it's an undo-it-yourself project"--Abigail Van Buren

Along with being sound advice this offers a lesson in phrasing a concept. Playing on the common phrase "Do-it-yourself" makes this statement memorable. Simple yet interesting language is the best way to make your ideas stick.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch