Happy Thanksgiving

It is hard to believe that November is upon us already. For many years I've prepared a Thanksgiving letter for my reps to send their advertisers. This letter thanks them for their business and for making the rep and our company a success. The reps customize them, sign them and then send them out so that they arrive during Thanksgiving week. These letters make a big impact on our customers. They expect to receive cards during the Christmas season but this catches them by surprise. Also they get lots of card but usually we are the only company that remembers to thank them. My reps receive many calls from their clients expressing their appreciation for this gesture. This is an outstanding way to set yourself apart from the competition.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Quote of the week

Leo Burnett was one of the great minds of the advertising industry. He was famous for his "Leo's", short quotations that held great wisdom about advertising. Here is one of his best:

Advertising is the ability to sense, interpret...to put the very heart throbs of a business into type, paper and ink."

I have always told my customers that "Your advertising is you in print." A good ad should reflect the customer's business. An ad should tell the customer's story. It should accurately communicate the style and look of the customer's enterprise. When a customer tries to save a few pennies by cramming their copy into a tiny ad, readers will get an impression of a cluttered, cramped store front. Customers spend a lot of money to make their place of business attractive to potential shoppers. They should not scrimp on their other location--their ad in the paper.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Why are you here?

Do your prospects and clients know why you are calling on them? More importantly do you? Are you just going through the motions, doing your job and seeing the people or do you have a clear purpose for every call? Reps who have a clear objective in mind before every call will be much more successful than those who do not. Ask yourself is "If this call is successful, what will happen." You should have a specific goal for every call. "Make a sale" is not specific, "Present our holiday tab" is. Sometimes your goal will simply be "identify the decision maker" or "uncover prospects advertising goals for the next quarter." Sales is a systematic process to move a customer along a continuum to the point where they accept your point of view and buy your product. Your goal should always be to take them to the next step in this process. If you can not state a specific objective for each call, this process will take much longer.

Keep Smiling Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Foundation Questions

I have always believed that questions are the key component of any sales call. You should always plan your questions prior to the call. Progress from broad to more specific questions. Unlike many trainers, I like to ask a few close ended questions (Questions that can be answered with 1 word) at the beginning of the call. Asking these questions loosens up the customer and starts the conversation rolling. The longer you talk to the customer the more you tear down the natural wall that exists between a sales person and a prospect. These questions lay a foundation that you can use to build a solid relationship with the client. Don't waste any questions, make sure each question you ask uncovers information you can use to close a sale.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim B.

This trick is a treat

Sales is all about establishing relationships with your prospects and advertisers. You want to make a memorable and positive impression on the customer, You can use the upcoming Halloween holiday to score some points. For just a few dollars you can buy some bags of miniature "treat size" candy bars and some small plastic jack-o-lanterns or printed treat bags. You can make up some special "goodie" bags for your customers and drop them off as you make your rounds. It is unlikely that your competitors will do this and your customers will be pleasantly surprised by this gesture. This small investment will make a big impression on your clients. Never forget that the customer is buying you as much as they are buying your product.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Power Phrases for Sales People

Here are a couple of phrases to use on a sales call to give your message impact. I have used versions of these for years to good effect:

1. "If it were me"--This tells the customer that you identify with him and that you are interested in his/her welfare
2. "My customers tell me that"--Customers inherently distrust a sales person (They know why we're there!) Putting your words in someone else's mouth gives you added credibility.
3. "We don't want this to happen to you"--Fear is a strong motivator, relate a story about a business damaged by a poor advertising decision and then use this.
4. "This would be like"-- Nothing promotes understanding like the use of a good analogy. They are particularly powerful if you can relate your recommendation to the customer's business: "Mr. Customer not advertising would be like not replacing your merchandise, you need to replenish your stock and you need to replenish your customer base."

These phrases work on a customer's emotions and help them to see the value you offer.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Quote of the week

Leo Burnett was one of the most creative advertising men of all time. He was the master of the pithy statement that contained great wisdom. Here is Burnett's twenty word description of advertising:

Advertising says to people, "Here's what we've got. Here's what it will do for you. Here's how to get it."

Think about this simple statement each time you build an ad. Most ads I see have parts 1 & 3 but forget to tell the reader "Here's what it will do for you." Make sure your ads offer a benefit to your readers. Benefits are the thing that makes the ad work.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The six rules of enthusiasm

When I first went into sales I would go to the library and check out everything I could find on sales. I would copy or write down points that I wanted to remember. Recently I found something I had photocopied long ago from a sales book. I am not sure where this is from (There is a reference to Edward R. Murrow on the page so I think it dates back to the 1950's) but it makes just as much sense as it did many decades ago.

The first way to rise above the crowd is to do the ordinary thing with extraordinary enthusiasm. The six rules for feeding and developing enthusiasm are:

1. Choose to sell something you can be enthusiastic about.
2. Keep on learning all you can about it.
3. Take pride in it.
4. When enthusiasm lags, work harder.
5. Work and talk enthusiastically
6. Exposure yourself to enthusiastic people

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Great way to show off your work

I recently bought some "Magnetic" photo albums. These are the ones with the pages covered with a clear plastic sheet that can be lifted and replaced as needed. I am using these to display the front page stickers my company is now selling. They could be used to display any type of print ad just as easily. Few things are as effective in the sales process as showing prospects ads from other local businesses. These albums are a very professional way to show off your work. By packing the pages with lots of ads you foster the impression that your publication is very successful and that many businesses advertise with you. This helps prospects overcome their fears about advertising. This books are inexpensive and easy to update.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim B.

Get them moving

When customers get hung up on a problem or a mistake in an ad the sales process comes to a halt. Going over and over a problem is counter-productive and actually makes the problem worst. The best way to handle this is to acknowledge the problem and then ask the client "Moving forward, how can we remedy this situation." The phrase "moving forward" takes the focus off the problem and places on it finding a solution. This can get the sales process back in gear again and moves you toward a close.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

What happens in Vegas, doesn't have to stay in Vegas

I'm back from the SACP/PNAWAN conference in Las Vegas and so is this blog. I enjoy attending conferences and find them a great place to learn more about our business. The people who attend these events are some of the best in our industry and are committed to improving their skills. Ostensibly, I attend theses conferences to teach but often I think I benefit more than my students. A sales rep from Utah gave me a great idea. Her paper doesn't have a web site which puts her at a competitive disadvantage relevant to the local daily paper. She helped the customer set up a Facebook page for her advertisers and then e-mails a copy of their ad to them to load on the page. She puts the customers page address into each ad along with the Facebook logo. This gives the account an Internet presence and leaves the rep in control of the business. A great idea, particularly for reps working for smaller papers.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Facts or feelings

What is more important on a sales call, facts or feelings. I firmly believe feelings far outweigh facts in a buying decision. This explains why you can make an extremely logical case for advertising with you and a customer will say no. If a customer feels your program is a good idea they will buy regardless of the facts. If they don't feel your program is a good idea, a mountain of facts will never convince them to buy. You must engage the customer emotionally before they can be sold. I suggest you read any of Daniel Goleman's books on emotional intelligence.

Please note: This blog may be a bit irregular for the next few days as I will be traveling to Las Vegas to do training.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The end of an era

I just read that Verizon (A regional telephone company) will no longer deliver a white page directory to residential addresses. They admitted that few people are using them any more and that most people prefer to use the web to find numbers. There is a surprising amount of money invested in bold listings in the white pages. Most advertisers don't even know this is part of their directory program. I would not be surprised if the yellow page reps fail to advise their customers to remove this listing in spite of the fact that the white pages will only be going to businesses. This move also brings the value of their yellow page program into question. You might want to open up a discussion with your customers about their directory program. This is a great way to free up some revenue for your paper,

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Some truths are hard to take. This quote expresses one of these tough facts:

"The real fact of the matter is that nobody reads ads. People read what interests them, and sometimes it's an ad."--Howard Luck Gossage

Just putting an ad in our paper is not enough. We need to work with our advertisers to create ads that are compelling and the grab the reader's interest. We need to convince our customers that they need to make offers that offer great value to consumers. We need to be true advertising consultants not just sales people.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The test of a great ad

Customer's are famous for placing their name at the top of an ad in huge type. They then like to fill the every remaining square millimeter of the ad with 6 point copy. The end result is a grey blot on the page. Customers will argue at they can read everything in the ad. This is true when you are focusing on the ad in the paper or on a print out. This does not replicate the experience of your readers. They are flipping through your paper or reading through the line ads. To attract their attention the ad must shout out what it is promoting. A way to simulate this is to hold the page up and walk 8 or 10 feet away. Can you easily recognize what the ad is selling? Does the art or the headline tell what it is about? Holding the ad at a distance simulates the experience of the reader hurrying through the paper or just glancing at the ads. If you can't immediately identify the subject of the ad at a distance the typical reader will miss it as well. Try this with your customers. (It is a good idea to have some examples of good ads picked out so you can demonstrate the difference)

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The guarantee objection

Sometimes prospects will ask "can you guarantee that my ads will work?" This can be a tough question to answer. It is actually an objection masquerading as a question, implying that they will not advertise unless they can be 100% certain of getting results.

I like to use this approach: "Mr./Ms. Customer, if anyone in the advertising industry promises you specific results, they are lying to you. There are just too many variables to precisely predict how a program will pull. I can tell you that we have many satisfied advertisers, many in your industry, who count on my publication to bring customers in. I think the best proof I can offer is the many customers I work with who have advertised with us for many years. They are smart, experienced business people just like you and wouldn't continue to advertise if they didn't see results.

This response addresses the real issue, they want to be reassured that they are making a good decision. By using the phrase "smart, experienced business people" helps the customer identify themselves with the people who advertise.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Let your fingers do the walking

The Yellow Pages are not what they used to be. The easy access to information on the web has hit the directory industry hard. That said, the Yellow Pages still contains a lot of information on the business community. I suggest that you carry a copy of the local directory in your car. When you call on a prospect a glance at their ad (if they have one) will tell you what they do and other information such as when they opened ("since 1975"). The phone book will also give you an idea of their competition. This information can help you to formulate good questions to start the sales conversation. The phone book is an easy to use data base and only takes a few seconds to consult prior to a call.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling

Thanks Jim Busch

How much is an ad?

I have been on calls with inexperienced reps when, once they introduced themselves, the prospect asked "How much is an ad?" These new reps interpreted this as a buying signal and offered a price quote. At the beginning of a call this question is not a buying signal, it is a trap. If the rep would have answered "You can get a full page for a nickel!" the prospect would answer "too much!" Customers know that this a quick way to end a call that leaves the rep no where to go. The correct answer to this question is "I don't know." You can go on to explain that "I have a price list, but I wouldn't know what type of ad you need, or if you need an ad at all. Let me ask a few questions about your business and I will be able to give you a quote." Now the prospect is painted into a corner, since they ostensibly expressed interest they must answer your questions. Quoting a price before you've uncovered a need is a quick way to lose a sale.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch