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