Have a contingency plan

Today a massive snow storm is blanketing my area. This means that some of my reps will not be able to meet with some of their customers. Sometimes the customer's stores don't open or some service customers will be out doing storm related repairs. This can happen at anytime. If it is not a storm, it could be a personal emergency for the client. We know how important consistent advertising is for our client's success. To ensure continuity you should have a back-up ad for every regular account. This should be a generic ad that you can use when you can not reach an advertiser. Get prior approval on this ad and let the customer know that it will run when they are unavailable. This will send a signal that you care about them and that continuity is important.

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 Contracts

As advertising professionals we know that single ads are much less effective that repetitive programs. Most publishers offer discount programs to incent advertisers to run consistently. This discount is a nice perk but it is not the point you should emphasize when selling an advertising agreement. You should talk about the benefits of consistent advertising, talk about being there when customers are looking for a supplier, and about reaching infrequent buyers etc. Once you have sold the value of consistency, mention the discount as a bonus. If you build your presentation on price, the customer may think "If I really want to save money, I just won't buy some many ads!" There are lots of ways to save money, there is only one way to get the benefits of consistency.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

Here is a quote to share with your customers:

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

One of the hardest thing to do when you sell advertising for a living is selling frequency. Every customer want to get the quick hit, the ad that produces immediate measurable results. As their consultant we need to show them that a steady consistent program will give the best return on their investment in the long run. I have used this quote to describe this effect.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch