Three ways of looking at an ad

Before talking to a customer you should consider your recommendation from three different angles. Obviously you should think like a sales person using your knowledge of your products and marketing to craft a good program. You should look at it from the customer's perspective. How will this help the business? How will it impact the bottom line? Doing this will help you explain the program as a sound business decision. Finally you should think like a reader. Will the program attract the consumer's attention? Would the offer or information in the ad motivate a shopper to patronize the customer's business. Thinking this way will help you to paint a clear picture of who the ad will attract for the business. Putting yourself in the shoes of your customer and the customer's customer will add credibility and power to your presentations.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Keep the focus on value

Today I was in the field with a rep calling on a hearing aid dealer. The advertiser was complaining because my paper did not cover all of his area. In questioning the client I learned that we covered about 85% of his market. Like many people he was focused on what was missing rather than what he had. I reminded the customer that we could reach thousands of readers in his service area for just pennies per home delivered. I reminded him that the area we reached was well worth the investment required. I used a series of questions to help the customer see the value he was receiving from us. I could not change the situation or change our circulation so I concentrated my efforts on helping the customer see the situation in a different light.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Americans are loving coupons

Coupon usage was in decline for almost a decade until the recession hit. Coupon redemption has steadily increased for the last 2 years. The second annual Benchmark Survey of Coupon Behavior found that 62% of online shoppers frequently look for coupons before making a purchase and 12% never make a purchase without looking for a coupon. Families are more likely to use coupons with 73% of moms joining the ranks of coupon shoppers. Much of the recent research on coupons has been focused on online shoppers but I believe the research holds true for retailers. Online or offline; shoppers are looking for a deal these days. Free and community papers are perfectly positioned to take advantage of this trend. Smart shoppers have always known our publications are the best source for great deals. The recession has turned almost everyone into smart shoppers.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

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.